Life in Death

VIC’S P.O.V
Sure I hated myself even more for letting Mike be a prostitute and drug-dealer, but what was I supposed to do about it? No matter how much I pleaded with him he would never quit. He worked at the local strip club every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; well he used to. He insisted. He didn’t tell me what he was doing until the manager of the club noticed his talent and moved him to the weekends. He knew me and my protectiveness. If I knew what he was getting himself into, I would never ever let him get into the businesses, no matter how bad things got at home. If he told me, we could have just stayed him Jaime. His mom always told us that we were always welcome, and I believed that she meant it. Mike was so good at his jobs that he made enough, along with the two of our savings accounts, to get enough money to rent this current penthouse we were living in. It was amazing to live away from our foster-parents. Amazing to come home from school and not have to be beaten in their drunken states. It drove me crazy with anger, the things that my poor baby brother would tell me in his drunken and stoned states. Whenever he went to a party, I would wait for him by the place, to make sure he was safe. I would wait outside the club every night, just to make sure no one tried to take him home. When we would get home, we would tell me things, things I knew he would never tell me in a sober-state.
*FLASHBACK*
I dragged Mike out from the bath and into our bedroom. Even though there was plenty of rooms in our penthouse, he preferred to sleep in the same room as me. I put some boxers on his thin body and laid him down on the bed.
“You know Vic, all the guys there. The guys I dance for. They all loooove the scars I have. The scars I got from Mrs. Mommy and Mr. Daddy. They say it gives me… uh… persons? Or something like that.” He slurred his words and giggled a little, he was so drunk, I doubt he even knew what he was telling me.
“I wish you didn’t have scars Vicky, you’re too good for them.” Tears started swelling in my eyes as he rubbed the angry red lines covering my arms. “Hey Vicky! Remember when I walked into you cutting that time? Well I do! I remember thinking ‘why does Vicky do that! Are people being mean to him! I’ll kill them! They can’t hurt my big brother!’ I cried that night Vicky! Can you imagine that Vicky! Me! Crying! Hahaha! ”his word slurred, and tears easily poured down my face. I can’t believe he cared this much.

*FLASHBACK ENDED*
I knew he did this all to protect me, but it still made me hate myself. I was the big brother. I needed to act like it, I was a whole 3 years older than him after all. The poor kid had to grow up and take care of the two of us at the age of sixteen, when I was still worrying about problems from the bad times. No one should have to live like he does. He had to live through hell 5 days a week, no he has to live through it every day. Sure I was glad that he didn’t have to strip anymore, or be a dealer, but now I had even more to worry about. Him, along with my boyfriend and all my best friends. One wrong move and it was over. We would join the army of the undead.
As I was lying on my bed, tears streaming down my face, I heard the door open. A warm body lied down next to me and rubbed small circles on my stomach.
“Vic, you need to stop thinking about whatever it is your thinking about. I’m not going to try and pry it from you, but if you need to talk about it, I’m right here okay?” Jaime’s voice could always soothe me. I turned to face him and smiled. He smiled at me and wiped away my tears and pecked my lip gently. I pushed my lips back onto his, nothing gentle about it. I needed this, I wanted this. I ran my tongue against his lower lip, begging for entrance, which was gladly allowed. I shoved my tongue into his mouth and they began battling for dominance. I could tell he let me win, but I honestly didn’t mind, I began to lift his shirt up when the door was rudely opened and I groaned and pulled away. Austin stood in the door way with a worried look on his face.
“As much as I hate to break up your little make-out session, I have bad news.”
“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Kellin and Raven are gone.”
JAIME’S P.O.V
As much as I loved making out with Vic, saving my best friends from there impending deaths was a higher priority right now. The second Austin said that I grabbed Vic’s hand and my gun and ran out the bedroom door with him. Austin, Vic and I all walked silently into the garage and slipped shoes on and then met up with the rest of our group who were running on the empty street. We ran for miles, searching everywhere. Nothing. We found nothing. Several times we passed the dead, but it wasn’t worth the effort trying to kill them. From what we knew, they could only use their sense of hearing, so as long as we were silent, they would never even know we were here. I was kind of in a trance while we ran. Only thinking about moving forward. I heard Mike and Vic bickering over something, probably just Vic being over protective and yelling at him for killing a corpse. They didn’t need me to get in the middle of their problems so for once, I stayed silent.
After a little over two hours of searching we came up to a large pool of blood. It had what looked like Kellin’s gun in the middle. Next to me Vic started sobbing.
“No. No, no, no, no, NO! THIS ISN’T HAPPENING!” he shrieked. I couldn’t stand seeing him like this. His chocolate eyes turned crimson. Face streaked with tears that were running down his face. It was so sad to see him like this, so miserable.
“shh, baby shh, hush. We don’t know if it’s him okay?” I held him tightly in my arms, nearly squeezing the life out of him. Although there was no logical reason why that pool of blood wouldn’t belong to Kellin and Raven, I had to reassure him that his best friend was still alive. I had to admit that often times I was jealous of the bond between the two short boys, but that didn’t stop a few tears streaming out of my eyes. I quickly wiped them away. I had to stay strong for Vic, he needed some hope. Him seeing me tear up would only make him worse. If he had none, I knew he would be past the point of recovery. I loved Vic with my heart and soul, it was my job to protect him. It was the least I could do, considering the shit life he’s had so far. He needed to stay strong. I knew that Rave and Kellin were a good pair and could survive on their own for a while, at least in normal circumstances. Under these circumstance though, I could only hope.
Everybody walked back in silence. When we got back to the penthouse, one by one, everyone showered. Vic and I last. I brought him into the bathroom with me and I stripped him of his bloody clothes. I stripped myself down to and put both of ours clothes into the washing machine. He was in a sort of trance so I guided him into the shower and washed his bloody body down. Along with his hair. He smiled a somber smile as a way of saying thanks and then got out and began drying off. Looking at himself in the full wall mirror, the sink and cabinets covering his lower regions.
“Vic, c’mon. we need some sleep.” I kissed his nose softly and took his hand in mine.
“Carry me?” he looked up at me with puppy eyes and I couldn’t help but give in. I picked him up and carried him to his bedroom. Dropping himself on the bed. I lied down and I felt his warm body curl up near me.
“Goodnight Vicky.” I whispered and kissed his forehead.
“Goodnight Hime.”