The Dead Are Living

I heard the blinds moving and doors opening and slamming shut and things flying in the kitchen and hitting walls. The lights started flickering until there was a loud pop and sparks showered from the sockets. I screamed and tightened my arms yet again around Angelo. He and Ricky woke up with the doors slamming and Angelo pulled me between him and Ricky and covered my body. Max ran out into the living room where we were.

“What is going on?!” he yelled and jumped onto the bed next to us.

“MITCH STOP IT!” I screamed. He looked nothing like he usually did when he was angry. In the past when he was upset he just looked like he had been shaded in with a charcoal pencil but this was worse. His eyes were black pits with red in the back. His skin had darkened to almost black and the shadows were thicker around him than they ever had been… even when he attacked Craig. “Mitch!”

“What is he doing?!” Ricky yelled to be heard over the racket.

“I dunno! I woke up to this shit!” Angelo yelled back as there was another burst of sparks.

“October are you okay?!” Max yelled and wormed his arm around Angelo to grab my hand.

“Yeah! MITCH STOP IT!” I screamed again but the sparks just started pouring down then there was a sound like striking a match and it smelled like something was burning.

“It that a fire?” Ricky yelped. “Oh my god your house is on fire!”

“Everyone one out!”

“But the door is blocked!” Max yelled. I peaked out and saw that the fire was spreading around us.

“Take her!” Angelo said and pushed me onto my brother’s lap. I watched horrified as he punched out my living room window and knocked the glass from the window pane. “Come on!” he yelled and started waving us over. I pushed Ricky out the window and my brother next. “Go on October!” Angelo said. I nodded and started coughing on the smoke. It was burning my eyes terribly. I jumped out the window and ran from the house with Angelo right behind me. Chris was coming from his house in his boxers and a black wife beater.

“Chris call 911!” Max yelled.

“What in the hell happened?” he asked as he dialed the three numbers on his phone.

“Mitch… he lost it.” I whispered. “He started… things started flying everywhere and doors were shutting then he blew out my lights and electric stuff. It caught on fire. He could’ve killed us.” The tears that were there before just started coming harder and faster as the sobs wracked my body and I fell to the grass and stared at my house. My house was gone. My things in it were gone. I felt arms pull me against a body and a hand cradled my face in the person’s neck. Angelo’s long hair fanned over me as he rocked me back and forth making hushing sounds and patting my back. “He tried to kill us.”

“No he didn’t.” he whispered. “I have a feeling that if he wanted to we would be far past dead. He is pissed about something. He wouldn’t hurt you on purpose.”

“He’s burning my house to the ground!” I cried. “You broke us out and sliced up your hand! How is that anything that-.” I was cut of by sirens whipping aound the corner and two firetrucks stopping. I watched in a daze as they sprayed out the flames. Chris made us all go over to the paramedics. I sat right next to Angelo the entire time to make sure he was okay… physically and I guess I was afraid of him running away. They stitched up a cut across the top of his hand and cleaned the other ones up before wrapping the hand in gauze. They started on me next. There wasn’t anything wrong with me really except for a nasty slice I got on my calf from the window. Max and Ricky were thankfully unharmed. I looked up at the soggy yet smoldering ruins of my home and saw Mitch in one of the windows. He was normal again but now he looked really sad. I glared at him as I wrapped one arm around Angelo’s waist and the other around Max’s as we fallowed Chris into his home. When we got through the door. There was a duffel bag in his living room.

“What in the hell?” he grumbled as he opened it. Inside were all of my cameras and my laptop.

“He saved my cameras.” I whispered and ran a finger over my favorite little black Nikon.

“He wouldn’t hurt you.” Angelo said softly and patted my back. Max and Ricky were quiet.

“Well you guys can stay here if you want.” Chris said and gestured his arms around. “Ricky you and Angelo know where everything is sooo I don’t have to stay awake.”

“I’m sorry it woke you up.”

“No worries October… but there is something about being woke up to a gun shot sound and then seeing the house next to yours on fire… not a way I want to be woken up to again.” he grumbled and walked back to his room.

“I’m going home… Anyone joining me?” Ricky yawned.

“I will.” Max said and raised his hand like he was in school. Not that he had actually paid any attention to rules in school. It seemed like every other day there was a call from the principle that I had to intercept before it got to our parents. We always looked out for eachother.

“I’m staying.” I murmured.

“I’ll stay with her.” Angelo said and I was relieved.