Love You to Death

THEN

3 Years Ago

Lightning struck, abruptly. Lighting up the window in the small apartment that I lived in. I placed the mythology text book on the nightstand next to my bed. I opened the rickety old window. The air smelled of pine and rain. A cold breeze from the mountains crawled up my bare arms. It was noon. The rain tap danced on the metal roof. A flash of lightning made a figure in a dark hoodie stand out against the crisps pavement. The figure moved closer until I saw his face. It was my twin brother, he was home from the store. I smiled and raced out of my room and into the living room, waiting for his arrival. Maxie met me in the living room a few moments later. He had a cocky, crooked grin on. The atmosphere instantly grew warmer upon his entering. "Glad you are back, little bro!" I said to him.

"I am only younger by three minutes." He said. "Besides I'm older than you in stature." I looked at him with an annoyed look.

"That doesn't even make sense, but okay." He smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Do we know when Al is going to back. I was hoping to make dinner and everything before she got home." He said going into the kitchen and scrounging around.

"You know that Al doesn't like it when you come over unexpectedly... She doesn't really like you at all, does she?" I said in a tight, small voice.

"She says I look to much like Dad... And that she doesn't want to remember the night she lost him." my brother replied with his back to me. I got up from the couch and put my arm around his waist. He was at least a foot taller than I was. He patted my arm absently.

"She can't mean that... Can she? I don't understand. You are her son, just like I am her daughter... Why can't she see that this only making it harder on everybody!" I yelled, tears unexpectedly falling down my face. I don't like to admit it, but I loved my brother immensely and wanted nothing more than for him to stay with us. He put his hand in his pockets.

"She does though, that's the problem. I shouldn't be here, but meet me at the usual place tonight. Don't forget to take your pills and bring a pack. Do you still have the phone I gave you?" He asked. What was he planning?

"Yeah?" I asked. "Why will I need it?"

"We are leaving. I set it all up. Don't worry, I'll tell Al, once we leave the city and get out of here. We can't stay here. You know what dad said his letters... It could be chasing us too." He replied in a flat voice.

It as all happening so fast. We had been planning this for years. Since I was in high school. We moved a lot in my early years, but once I hit high school we settled in a small town in Colorado. My father's friend had set everything up for us and we lived in peace. My brother moved out the second he turn 18, but I couldn't... not with my "problem." I had to have special meds that helped keep that problem in check. And I couldn't get them myself unless I was with the person that signed the paperwork... My mom. I so badly wanted to move out with my brother, but I couldn't. At night, I would sneak out and get training from him, in case I ever needed it. And there have been more than enough times that I needed it. "Okay. We leave tonight. We can't stay here anyway. I'm sure mom will understand." I said. He nodded.

"Meet me at the cemetery then."

…

It wasn't raining anymore. My brother was sitting on a tombstone. His curly dark hair was a rats nest. There was a dark bruise on his face. "You look like hell..." He smiled.

"Yeah well... That's what I get for telling Sam that I'm leaving town for a while." Sam is our step dad. My brother was dumped on him when my mother explained the situation to him. Our mother met him at the bar that he owns. He's a stupid drunk loser that gets violent when he's drunk and or mad. I sighed. "Did he hit you?" I asked. My brother nodded. I looked around the cemetery. The weeds were overgrown. The Tombstones jutted out of the land like rocks. Most of them were covered with mildew and debris. One of them looked like an angel. My shoulder blades tingled. There was silence that blanketed the brittle earth. We hadn't planned past this part. The earth started to shake. My senses tingled. As the shaking got closer, my brother shoved me behind him, so we were back to back. There were strange creatures in these dense woods. Most of them wanted the two of us dead. There was no creature willing to help us. Most of the ones we asked, tried to kill us after asking. I sighed. This was not good. From each side, between the trees a wild dog the size of an oak tree stomped out. Great. I thought. This was not going to end well. "Which kind is it?" My brother asked simply.

"Greek mythology Cerberus. I'm not sure if it has a weakness. We haven't fought one of these before." I replied. He nodded. "Run?" I asked. My brother nodded.

"Yeah, the other one looks younger and easier to take down. You take that one and I'll take the other." I nodded. "We need more space. The River?" He asked. I nodded again.

"Sounds good." I said to him.

"Alright.." The wild dogs were closing it. They snarled and licked their lips. Their breath smelled like rotting corpses'. It's hellish eyes shot daggers at the two of us. "GO!" My brother shouted.

I ran towards the younger one and dashed out of the way of its snapping jaws. I clambered over a fence and found myself with not a lot of options. "Well, I guess I'm hound dinner." I said to myself. I looked around for anything that I could use as a weapon. Then I thought, the fence. There was a part that was broken. I yanked on it. I had at least 10 seconds until I actually was hound dinner.

10... Come on stupid fence...

9... Its getting closer...

I puled on the fence with all my might.

6... Almost got it...

5... Pin popped...

Yes! I almost got it!

2... I'm going to die!

1... It pulled free. In the nick of time, I turned and speared the younger dog in the chest. It yelped in agony. It clawed and snapped at me. One of its javelin like claws ranked me across the stomach. Before I kicked it away, the younger dog fell away from me and my makeshift spear like a golden cloud in the wind. That's odd. I thought. That never happens when we've killed things before. I shrugged off the thoughts and clutched my stomach and ran to the direction of the river.

I was pacing... Waiting for my brother. The sun went down. The screams and howls of the creatures in the forest filled the cold, damp air. I sat down on a rock and cried in pain and worry. Time passed: hours, minutes, seconds maybe. but Maxie didn't show. Rustling in the brush caught my attention. "Raven?" someone whispered.

"Maxie?" I cried. The moon shined in the utter darkness. Maxie walked over to me. Slowly... ever so slowly. He was standing in front of me now. I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Raven?" He asked me again. "Help me..." he said in a hushed tone. Worry spread it webs across my body.

"Maxie? What's wrong?" I asked. There was no answer. Maxie fell back. "Max! Max are you okay?!" I screamed. The moon cast a sorrowful glow on Maxie's face. His eyes were opened but they didn't see anything but darkness. His lips were slightly parted, but they didn't let a breath escape. I cried. Maxie was gone, dead...