Status: Just trying to put words to ideas for now.
Under a Funeral Moon
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Daniel leaned his head back, shifting slightly to face Aurora. Her light brown hair had a shine from the sunlight coming in through the garage door panels. He traced the outline of her jaw with his eyes, lingering over her lips, her soft colored skin. How did my brother get so lucky?
Aurora placed the tip of the hookah’s hose between her lips, creating a seal, and began to inhale. Darkthrone’s album was playing on the computer, but he could hear the bubbling within the hookah’s base. The sound stopped, her lips broke their bond with the hose and she parted them into a barely noticeable O-shape to create a waterfall effect of smoke that cascaded down the front of her body. She watched the white dense cloud of smoke fall over her and dissipate, and he watched her. She looked up, meeting his eyes, and smiled, her eyes smiling with her. “What?” she blew the last of the smoke toward his face. He shook his head, returning the smile. Daniel readjusted himself, leaning forward to busy himself with finding something new to listen to. Trying to busy himself to avoid staring at her.
“Wanna smoke some weed?” Daniel raised the bong toward Aurora. She had finished her hookah session and had been content with only listening to music, taking turns selecting songs between the two of them.
She mulled it over a few seconds, “Sure, why not. We have time to kill, Matt won’t be home for another 3 hours.” She took the glass bong from his hands, “But you lift the bowl! And do the lighter for me too, yeah?” She flashed him an innocent look, “C’mon, you always do it for me!”
“You. Are such. A girl!” Daniel laughed. “Alright, tell me when.”
He often found himself making excuses to spend time with Aurora, even if it meant just lounging around watching videos on YouTube. Smoking hookah with her, even though he didn’t much care for it, or he’d drink a glass of wine with her weekend nights. She loved drinking, maybe a little too much, but he enjoyed the long conversations it always led to. It wasn’t like anyone told her to come over Saturday mornings, she just did. But he knew there wasn’t anything to it. She only loved him like a brother. There was no in between the lines. Aurora was crazy for Matt, everyone knew it, everyone could see it. She had eyes for no one else, Matt was her entire world. A pang of jealousy hit Daniel, he pushed it down into his stomach along with everything else.
The marijuana was already beginning to take its effect on Aurora. She closed her eyes, coughed a few times and self-consciously laughed before relaxing back into her chair. “What are you thinkin’ ‘bout?” Her eyes were fixed on him, a small grin on her face.
“Nothing.” He paused, “That you’re an asshole.” He grinned back.
Aurora feigned a look of shock, “You dick!” She giggled and closed her eyes again. A few songs went by before Aurora admitted to feeling drowsy. She stood up and walked over to his bed, crawling onto it and plopping face down into the blankets. “Mm gmm mmp mm, mmmmk?”
Daniel shook his head smiling, “What the fuck did you just say?”
Aurora lifted her head, “I’m gonna nap here, ok? Geeesh.” She let her head fall back down.
It was 4 by the time she woke up again. She cracked her eyes open and saw Daniel standing on his computer chair, peering out the garage window. “What’re you doin’? You’re gonna fall.” He looked back as he stepped down, watching as she propped herself up on her elbows, “What’s wrong?”
“I fucking keep hearing sirens. It’s like the 5th time I hear them zoom by. At first I thought it was the cops coming to check up on me, y’know. But nah, I don’t know what’s going on.” He sat back down and Aurora walked up to her chair, sitting down beside him.
“Maybe an exciting car accident?”
“Too fucking bad I can’t take a look, right?” He lifted his leg, motioning to the ankle bracelet. Aurora laughed and shrugged.
“Hey what time is it? Matt should have been here by now.” She pulled out her cell phone. No texts.
“Oh, uh, he said he was going to come home late tonight. Called while you were sleeping, said a lot of people called off sick, something about being backed up at work.”
“That sucks,” she looked down at her phone, “must be that disease I told ya ‘bout.” She cast him an I-told-you-so look.
Daniel rolled his eyes, “I’m just glad they didn’t call me in on my day off.” Matt and Daniel worked together, although in different departments and different shifts.
“So where’s your surrogate family? Shouldn’t they be here by now, too?”
“They’re on vacation in Arizona or something, visiting the Grand Canyon or some shit. I don’t know, but they won’t be back for another week or so.”
Aurora laughed, “Whatever, don’t act like you don’t care. I bet you miss them.” She stood up. “So does that mean the house is empty? All to ourselves?” Daniel nodded. “Then what are we doing melting in here, let’s go inside!” She pulled on his hand, trying to make him stand. “C’mooooon.” Daniel reluctantly stood up with a grunt and followed her inside.
“What do you want to do? Watch TV or something?”
Aurora gave him a smirk, “Let’s see what they have in the fridge!” She gave herself a running start before sliding into the kitchen, victoriously raising her arms in the air as she came to a stop. Daniel followed her in.
She pulled open a cupboard, reaching for a glass, stopping as something from outside the kitchen window caught her eye. “Hey...Hey, c’mere…Danny, do you see that?” Daniel walked over to where she was standing, looking out the window with her. “Is that…smoke?”
What seemed to be a few neighborhoods over, the top of a house was releasing a large cloud of dark smoke into the sky. “Is that house on fire?” Aurora’s face looked up at Daniel, her eyebrows furrowed with concern.
“Looks like it. That’s probably what all the sirens were about.”
“You don’t think it’ll spread, right? I mean, it’s summer, everything’s dry, and y’know, you don’t think we should hose down the roof or something?”
Daniel looked down at Aurora, he could see she was worried. “I’m sure the fire department has it covered. But I’ll start hosing when and IF it starts to spread, it looks like it’s a few blocks over anyway.”
Her face relaxed and she smiled up at him, “Yeah, alright.”
Daniel gave her a playful shove. “I’ll go look for something to watch on TV.”
They sat on the couch flipping through shows with Aurora standing up every half hour or so to peek out the kitchen window. By now darkness had fallen and the living room had darkened significantly. Aurora stood up to make another kitchen round. “Want anything while I’m up?” Daniel shook his head. She walked past him, throwing a couch pillow at him before disappearing into the kitchen. It was only moments later that Daniel heard glass shatter. Aurora’s terrified voice sent panic down his spine as he heard her choke out his name, “DANIEL!”
He was already in the kitchen before she could call his name a second time, “What’s wrong, what happened?!” Aurora was standing barefoot, surrounded by shards of broken glass from the cup she had been drinking from. Her body was shaking, one hand covering her mouth, with her eyes open wide with fear. "Oh my God, Danny..." Daniel followed her eyesight out the window all the way across the street…
There, slowly walking towards the house, was a man entirely engulfed in flames. The skin was peeling from his face as the flames overtook him, a yellow liquid beginning to ooze out. Indiscernible pieces were falling from him, leaving a lit trail in his wake. His body was now entirely consumed, but he slugged on, not registering any sign of pain. His eyes were locked onto Aurora.
"What...the...fuck..."
Aurora placed the tip of the hookah’s hose between her lips, creating a seal, and began to inhale. Darkthrone’s album was playing on the computer, but he could hear the bubbling within the hookah’s base. The sound stopped, her lips broke their bond with the hose and she parted them into a barely noticeable O-shape to create a waterfall effect of smoke that cascaded down the front of her body. She watched the white dense cloud of smoke fall over her and dissipate, and he watched her. She looked up, meeting his eyes, and smiled, her eyes smiling with her. “What?” she blew the last of the smoke toward his face. He shook his head, returning the smile. Daniel readjusted himself, leaning forward to busy himself with finding something new to listen to. Trying to busy himself to avoid staring at her.
********************
“Wanna smoke some weed?” Daniel raised the bong toward Aurora. She had finished her hookah session and had been content with only listening to music, taking turns selecting songs between the two of them.
She mulled it over a few seconds, “Sure, why not. We have time to kill, Matt won’t be home for another 3 hours.” She took the glass bong from his hands, “But you lift the bowl! And do the lighter for me too, yeah?” She flashed him an innocent look, “C’mon, you always do it for me!”
“You. Are such. A girl!” Daniel laughed. “Alright, tell me when.”
He often found himself making excuses to spend time with Aurora, even if it meant just lounging around watching videos on YouTube. Smoking hookah with her, even though he didn’t much care for it, or he’d drink a glass of wine with her weekend nights. She loved drinking, maybe a little too much, but he enjoyed the long conversations it always led to. It wasn’t like anyone told her to come over Saturday mornings, she just did. But he knew there wasn’t anything to it. She only loved him like a brother. There was no in between the lines. Aurora was crazy for Matt, everyone knew it, everyone could see it. She had eyes for no one else, Matt was her entire world. A pang of jealousy hit Daniel, he pushed it down into his stomach along with everything else.
The marijuana was already beginning to take its effect on Aurora. She closed her eyes, coughed a few times and self-consciously laughed before relaxing back into her chair. “What are you thinkin’ ‘bout?” Her eyes were fixed on him, a small grin on her face.
“Nothing.” He paused, “That you’re an asshole.” He grinned back.
Aurora feigned a look of shock, “You dick!” She giggled and closed her eyes again. A few songs went by before Aurora admitted to feeling drowsy. She stood up and walked over to his bed, crawling onto it and plopping face down into the blankets. “Mm gmm mmp mm, mmmmk?”
Daniel shook his head smiling, “What the fuck did you just say?”
Aurora lifted her head, “I’m gonna nap here, ok? Geeesh.” She let her head fall back down.
It was 4 by the time she woke up again. She cracked her eyes open and saw Daniel standing on his computer chair, peering out the garage window. “What’re you doin’? You’re gonna fall.” He looked back as he stepped down, watching as she propped herself up on her elbows, “What’s wrong?”
“I fucking keep hearing sirens. It’s like the 5th time I hear them zoom by. At first I thought it was the cops coming to check up on me, y’know. But nah, I don’t know what’s going on.” He sat back down and Aurora walked up to her chair, sitting down beside him.
“Maybe an exciting car accident?”
“Too fucking bad I can’t take a look, right?” He lifted his leg, motioning to the ankle bracelet. Aurora laughed and shrugged.
“Hey what time is it? Matt should have been here by now.” She pulled out her cell phone. No texts.
“Oh, uh, he said he was going to come home late tonight. Called while you were sleeping, said a lot of people called off sick, something about being backed up at work.”
“That sucks,” she looked down at her phone, “must be that disease I told ya ‘bout.” She cast him an I-told-you-so look.
Daniel rolled his eyes, “I’m just glad they didn’t call me in on my day off.” Matt and Daniel worked together, although in different departments and different shifts.
“So where’s your surrogate family? Shouldn’t they be here by now, too?”
“They’re on vacation in Arizona or something, visiting the Grand Canyon or some shit. I don’t know, but they won’t be back for another week or so.”
Aurora laughed, “Whatever, don’t act like you don’t care. I bet you miss them.” She stood up. “So does that mean the house is empty? All to ourselves?” Daniel nodded. “Then what are we doing melting in here, let’s go inside!” She pulled on his hand, trying to make him stand. “C’mooooon.” Daniel reluctantly stood up with a grunt and followed her inside.
“What do you want to do? Watch TV or something?”
Aurora gave him a smirk, “Let’s see what they have in the fridge!” She gave herself a running start before sliding into the kitchen, victoriously raising her arms in the air as she came to a stop. Daniel followed her in.
She pulled open a cupboard, reaching for a glass, stopping as something from outside the kitchen window caught her eye. “Hey...Hey, c’mere…Danny, do you see that?” Daniel walked over to where she was standing, looking out the window with her. “Is that…smoke?”
What seemed to be a few neighborhoods over, the top of a house was releasing a large cloud of dark smoke into the sky. “Is that house on fire?” Aurora’s face looked up at Daniel, her eyebrows furrowed with concern.
“Looks like it. That’s probably what all the sirens were about.”
“You don’t think it’ll spread, right? I mean, it’s summer, everything’s dry, and y’know, you don’t think we should hose down the roof or something?”
Daniel looked down at Aurora, he could see she was worried. “I’m sure the fire department has it covered. But I’ll start hosing when and IF it starts to spread, it looks like it’s a few blocks over anyway.”
Her face relaxed and she smiled up at him, “Yeah, alright.”
Daniel gave her a playful shove. “I’ll go look for something to watch on TV.”
They sat on the couch flipping through shows with Aurora standing up every half hour or so to peek out the kitchen window. By now darkness had fallen and the living room had darkened significantly. Aurora stood up to make another kitchen round. “Want anything while I’m up?” Daniel shook his head. She walked past him, throwing a couch pillow at him before disappearing into the kitchen. It was only moments later that Daniel heard glass shatter. Aurora’s terrified voice sent panic down his spine as he heard her choke out his name, “DANIEL!”
He was already in the kitchen before she could call his name a second time, “What’s wrong, what happened?!” Aurora was standing barefoot, surrounded by shards of broken glass from the cup she had been drinking from. Her body was shaking, one hand covering her mouth, with her eyes open wide with fear. "Oh my God, Danny..." Daniel followed her eyesight out the window all the way across the street…
There, slowly walking towards the house, was a man entirely engulfed in flames. The skin was peeling from his face as the flames overtook him, a yellow liquid beginning to ooze out. Indiscernible pieces were falling from him, leaving a lit trail in his wake. His body was now entirely consumed, but he slugged on, not registering any sign of pain. His eyes were locked onto Aurora.
"What...the...fuck..."