The Dead Are Living

OCTOBER’S POV:

My head was throbbing and I cringed into the arms that were holding me. I looked up and saw the shadow of Angelo. The only light in the room was from the alarm clock but it was enough for me to see the dried tears on his face and the red puffiness around his eyes. I vaguely remembered last night. My attempt to end my life. Finding out that everything I did happened to Angelo also. My demon father saving my life with his bitter as hell blood.

I felt the hangover hit and groaned in pain. I rolled out of bed and literally crawled on hands and knees to a little bathroom. I dry heaved a couple times before I actually threw up. I felt warm hands pull my hair back and I glanced up to see Angelo smiling weakly at me. When I was done being sick he cleaned my face off with a wet towel and gave me a tooth brush I could use.

“When you are done come back to bed.” he said quietly and kissed my forehead.

I stared at myself in the mirror and brushed my teeth three times before I was satisfied that the taste was no longer there. I stared for a while longer and pulled my hair back with a hair tie I had on my wrist and cringed when I saw my arms. There were fading pink scars on my arms. Alone. Worthless. I hope Angelo’s arms don’t look like this.

“I am so happy that you are alive and well.” Mitch said softly from the door behind me. “I really am but I am also so hurt that you would try to leave us again. You almost killed Angelo you know?”

“You left first Mitch.” I croaked and winced. My throat was so dry it hurt. “You left me first and you said that you never would. I know he almost died and there are no words to describe how sorrowful I am feeling right now because of that. before you set in on me though Mitch remember that you left me first.” I walked through him and went straight to the room Angelo was in. He had lit a couple of candles and when I walked in he opened his arms and I threw myself into them and started crying.

“Don’t cry.” he whispered and rubbed my back. I grabbed his arm and gasped. The scars were pale but cut through his tattoos.

“I am so so so sorry.” I whispered and brushed them with my fingers. “I didn’t know.”

“I know.” he whispered and kissed my temple then tightened his arms around me.

“I am sorry that I almost killed you and I am sorry that you are bound to me.”

“Don’t be sorry October…. I love you. Do you not like being with me?” he whispered.

“Not if it hurts you.”

“It wont if you don’t do that again… I was so scared. I have never felt like that in my entire life. You were practically already dead and it scared me but to be honest the thing that scared me most is how I feel for you. I- we just met and already I am in love with you and cant imagine not seeing you again and it scares me because I don’t ever feel like that about people.”

“It is the demon in you.” Mitch said from the doorway. “In demon society when one meets their other half it is instant. If that was how you two were raised you would already be married. With how slow you two have taken it compared to that is impressive.”

“How is it that you know so much?” Angelo asked.

“I was talking to Kuza earlier. He told me a bunch of stuff that I need to know as a guardian… I thought I was just a ghost.”

“Well you aren’t.” I huffed and couldn’t help but feel bitterness towards him but it vanished when I remembered that I had no room to be speaking.

“Tobias said that I should check on you and see how your darkness is.” he said quietly. “Except he sounded more elegant and graceful.”

“You’re Mitch… I would be kinda weirded out if you were elegant and graceful. It is quiet.” I said and we all laughed quietly.

“I am going to let you two… sleep or whatever it is that people do.” Mitch smiled and then disappeared.

“Where are we?” I asked and glanced around the dark room. It was scattered with clothes, there were posters plastering the walls and there was a desk scattered in drawings.

“Well we are in Scranton, Pennsylvania.” he laughed and I stuck my tongue out at him. “More specifically we are in mine and Ricky’s apartment in my room on my bed and we are both hungover. It is midnight-ish and neither of us can sleep. Can I show you something? It is PG I promise.”

“Okay.” I smiled and let him lead me off the bed.

“Put this on.” he said and tossed a shirt and a coat at me. We both got dressed in new clean clothes and he grabbed my hand as we snuck out of his room and out of the apartment being super careful not to wake Ricky up. He laced our fingers together and we walked in silence under the dark sky. I felt myself become nervous when we stood in front of the gates to an old cemetery.

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

“I want to show you my favorite spot in this town.” he said and picked a beaten path to walk on. “It’s okay. You don’t need to be afraid. I wouldn’t let anything hurt you.”

“I am not afraid.” I huffed.

“You forget that I can feel everything you do.” he chuckled and squeezed my hand tighter.

“Okay so I am a little creeped out.” I admitted. “But I am glad you are adapting to being a demon so quick.”

“At first knowing that I wasn’t human and that I hadnt been ever was strange and all I really wanted to do was curl up and cry but knowing that I had you and that my friends were okay with it made everything easier.” he said and smiled warmly at me then frowned. “I still don’t know how to do anything at all but that is okay I have time.” He helped me hop over a little fence and now we were in a little stand of trees behind the cemetery. “Just this way.” he said and put his arms around my waist. We walked into a small clearing where there was a metal box. He left me and opened it taking out a thick blanket and spread it out over the grass. He pulled me down next to him on the blanket and smiled. I curled into his side and sighed happily. This man was impossibly sweet.

“This is beautiful.” I said and looked at the stars that were hanging over us. “This is perfect.”

“I come here whenever I feel upset or need to think about something. Me and the guys are the only people that know about this place… now you do to.” he said softly and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “None of us have ever brought anyone here.”

“I feel special. They wont be angry will they?”

“No they wont.”

“Are they angry at me for what I did?” I asked in a small voice and looked at our fingers that were laced together. I could see the scars that I had inflicted on us. There was a burning behind my eyes and I buried my face in his jacket. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.

“No… they were a little freaked out but we all were but no they aren’t angry at you. I think it is safe to say that we were all sad. I felt it all but I don’t understand why you would try to leave me or the words on our arms.” he said softly and kissed the top of my head again.

“I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me.” I whispered and traced the scars on his arms. “I was crushed because of Mitch leaving and then Balz being threatened and then you being a demon being brought out by my camera. I wanted to be gone before I could hurt anyone else. I felt worthless and alone because my best friend had left me and I was pulling people down. I swear that if I had known this would’ve happened to you I never would’ve… and I hate that I almost killed you.”

“I am glad that you found out for me that I was a demon. It could’ve been worse like in those fake ass movies where tragedy hits and then I wake up in a dark damp alley in a different form.” he said and chuckled. “That would’ve sucked but instead I was surrounded by friends. I am not a demanding person and all I am going to ask is that you don’t do that again.”

“I wont.” I promised and looked up at him. Through the bond I could feel happiness explode in his chest and it spread into my own heart and then we were both laughing and holding eachother.

“I got this idea… it is a good one.” he said and looked at me with his blue eyes. They flashed black and I shivered. The demon in him was becoming stronger and it was showing. It wouldn’t change him though. I wouldn’t let it change him.