It was very dark when Prin woke up. For a moment he was confused about where he was, but only for a moment. He felt warm and safe, so nowhere scary. Beneath his right hand was something soft and furry. He scritched the cat’s back as it came drifting into focus that he was with Valor in his room in the afternoon, and he must have fallen asleep. He could sense that Elwin was on the other side of him, a solid comforting presence. All was right with the world as long as Elwin was there.

The frail boy on his other side began to shake and twitch. Prin was flooded with the memory of the seizure. Did they come with aftershocks? Like an earthquake?

Prin reached over and put his hand on Valor’s arm, moving it to his chest and over his heart, as best as he could in the darkness. His eyes started to adjust, as they were quick to do now, and he could see him and the darkened room, curtains closed and no light peeking from around their edges. How long had he slept?

The movements slowed and quit. Just like a pup with a bad dream. Prin was pretty sure that’s all it had been, a dream.

He rarely dreamed himself anymore, unless it was a nightmare.

Prin couldn’t remember what he was trying to get up for, and after all, everyone else was still asleep . . . He had just decided to allow himself to drift off again, when Valor stirred again.

He sat straight up beside Prin.

“Go back to sleep.” Prin murmured. The arm he was patting felt weird. Sticky and thin.

Prin looked at his fingers, in the dim light the blood was a smear of black ink but with that signature smell.

Valor turned to him and his face was stripped of flesh. All that remained was red bone and strips of connective tissue. And eyes, green and glowing like a cat’s and seeing Prin perfectly. More than perfectly.

“You carry them with you.” He said. Voice improbably strong and clear from someone with no mouth, and probably no vocal chords. “The ones you’ve killed are all inside you. Biding their time until they can return the favor. Slowly tearing you apart, bit by bit.”

“No.” Prin said, choking the word out around the lump of horror in his throat.

The thing that was once Valor chuckled, it’s bare teeth parting slightly to release the unearthly sound. “Don’t worry, you still have some time. They won’t come for you until after you have destroyed everyone you have ever loved. And by then you will beg for death.”

The skeleton thing’s jaw hung slack, and one of its eyes burst like over ripe fruit.

Prin screamed and sat up, thrashing against the covers like they were so many arms wrapped around his limbs and pulling him under fetid swamp waters. Six arms now, he was keenly aware, six dead arms.

He felt a shift in perspective, he was waking up. A flood of relief poured through his system. It had been a dream, all one of those rare bad dreams.

Prin sat up, for real this time, although it was just as dark as it had been in the dream. He clutched his chest, trying to hold in his heart, beating like a bird against window glass.

Valor really was twitching beside him and when he made a mewling sound, Prin couldn’t take it anymore and shook his shoulder to wake him from his dream. Gods forbid it should be a nightmare half the equal of the one Prin just had.

Valor jolted awake, his body stiffening under Prin’s hand.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“It’s weird to have someone in bed with me.” Valor said. “I almost forgot.” His voice sounded odd, muffled and slurred.

“I’m sorry. You were having a bad dream.” Prin said. He was still terrified from his own bad dream and he wondered if they should swap them. Would it be a comfort? Or, more like some things are better kept to yourself.

Prin reached out and absently brushed Valor’s cheek. Something felt slick and sticky. Had he been crying in his sleep? “You can go back to sleep now, it’s night. Well, I think it is anyway.”

There was that smell again, bitter and metallic. He raised his hand up to where he could see it. It was stained with something dark.

Prin leaned over Valor and peered at him in the shadows. The entire bottom half of Valor’s face was black with blood.

The screaming was so outside himself, that it took what felt an eternity for Prin to realize it was himself that was doing it. And he couldn’t stop.

*

“Really? Can you please shut him up? At the rate he’s going, he’s gonna wake the neighbors!” Wrena tended to her brother, while angrily shouting at Elwin to do something about his man.

Elwin held Prin close to his chest and rocked him. While he was screaming, now muffled by Elwin’s shirt, tears were streaming down his face. “Shh, shhh, shhh, Prinny. Everything’s okay.” Elwin said.

“Is he okay?” Valor asked.

“Yes.” Wrena said, firm, bordering on contemptuous. “It’s just a nosebleed.” She leaned Valor’s head back and held a rag to his nose. “I mean you, not him. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with him.”

Valor flailed his arms and tried to wriggle away from his sister but she had a firm grip. “No. I need to check on Prin.” His voice was muffled behind the rag.

“I think it’s almost stopped.” Wrena ignored him.

Dru hung by the door in her ratty men’s pajamas, peeking out into the hallway. “It would be nice if we could not wake uncle and worry him half to death.” She suggested, offering no plan on how to accomplish this.

Wrena removed the rag and got a clean one out of the bowl of water at her side. “Just hold still, cut that out.” She washed the worst of the blood from his face. “That was the worst one I’ve seen.”

“I’m okay.” Valor said. “Unless there’s something you’re not telling me. Do I look like a zombie?”

“Yes.” Dru said. “I think you scared him beyond all reason. Literally.”

“He’s getting hoarse.” Valor fretted.

“He has some . . . trauma around blood.” Elwin said. He patted Prin’s back, not knowing what else to do, aside from smothering him to death to make the screaming stop.

It did seem to be easing. He was wearing himself out.

“Valor is alright.” He said sweetly and in vain. “You used to get nosebleeds too, remember?”

“You know what? I’m gonna go get some tea. There is some medicated tea . . .” Dru said.

“Like knock out tea? Thank the gods. Go get it now before my ears start to bleed.” Wrena said.

Dru quickly left, shutting the door behind herself to hopefully block out a little of the noise from the rest of the house.

“Hurry and get it out of your system. I don’t want them to drug you.” Elwin said. He pulled Prin further onto his lap and rocked him like a baby. The screaming trailed off and was replaced with wracking sobs and hiccups.

“How could someone live with such a nervous disposition? And to think, they thought he might have had something to do with a murder.” Wrena arranged the pillows behind Valor to prop him up in a more comfortable position.

“Hush, you spider, don’t talk down to Prin. Anyone would be nervous after what all has happened.” Valor said.

“You hush, garden snake.” Wrena said, but her words had no bite to them. It was more of a term of endearment.

By the time Dru returned with a tray of tea, Prin had started to return to himself.

“Are you okay?” He asked Valor, between sobbing breaths.

“Of course.” Valor said. “I’m just – My head hurts. More importantly, are you okay?” He reached out, his hand grasping air as it sought Prin’s.

Prin leaned toward him and took his hand. “I guess . . . after how they d-described what happened to – I thought something had gotten to you in the night.”

Elwin continued to hold him, patting his back. “It’s all over now.”

“I was half asleep, I know it’s irrational.” Prin said sheepishly.

“Hey, I saw what he looked like. That was a lot of blood.” Dru said. “Damn.”

“Thanks. I thought I was fine now.” Valor said dryly.

“You are.” Wrena said, giving Dru a stern look.

“Do you still want tea? It might help you get back to sleep.” Dru suggested. “Luckily, that girl, whatshername? Was still awake and she helped me out. Said this is Valor’s and this is Prin’s.” She pointed to a sky blue cup for Valor and a green cup for Prin. “And I should see that they specifically get them? So I guess those are the medicated teas.”

“Maybe I should?” Prin said, sounding frail and helpless. He reached for the green mug.

Elwin felt something crawl up his spine. A bad feeling. An intuition that he couldn’t shake.

“No.” He blocked Prin’s hand from he tea cup. “I don’t think so. And Valor shouldn’t drink his either.”