Coma White (Book 2 of the Razor Blade Trilogy)

VIII: Christmas

“Merry Christmas, Brian!” His parents sang when he came down the grand staircase Christmas morning.

“Merry Christmas, Mum, Dad.” He smiled sleepily.

“Come here honey, and open a present!” His mother smiled, offering a small box. “Then we can have breakfast and go to church!”

In the box, was a pocket watch; silver and engraved with his initials. “Oh, wow! Thank You!” Brian smiled he’d always thought his fathers’ pocket watch was cool.

“I’ll help you attach it to your vest.” His father smiled. Breakfast consisted of pancakes and waffles; only semi ruined by pills. Brian’s head was fuzzy as they entered the church, they scaled the stairs as a family; prayer began.

Brian snuck a look out the window, but the act of looking caused more fuzz and dizziness to his head. Brian regained his head and looked again; he was alone in the church.

“Hello?” He called.

No one was there, only the large cross at the altar. Did his parents leave him? He descended the stairs quietly. “Hello-o!” He tried again…silence. Brian ran outside, no one there; not even footprints in the snow. The crosses outside stood, alone and abandoned; no outcasts.

“What is going on?” Brian ran back inside the church.

“Brian.” Brian jumped and looked around. Belle was sitting on the huge cross inside the church.

“What’s happened?” Brian asked, desperate.

“Relax, Brian, you’re fine; everyone is fine.” Belle assured calmly.

“Belle, what happened? Where did everyone go?”

Belle laughed lightly. “That’s the thing isn’t it? They’re all still here…” Brian looked around. The pews were now full of people; but they weren’t there at the same time… “Frozen,” Belle filled in. “Frozen from their cold religion…there is no love in hate is there?”

Brian stood horrified, he didn’t know what to do or think. Belle was there, but of course she couldn’t be! Outcasts weren’t allowed in church! “What’s going on, Belle?”

Before she could respond, there were sirens ringing out. “Kia needs you, Brian. You must know that.” She spoke softly but quickly. “Take care of her.” Belle melted away, Brian heard the deafening sirens loud and clear now; he was in an ambulance. He tried to see through the haze of white light.

“What’s happening?”

“Subject is responding.” A paramedic spoke above Brian. There were IV’s in his arm, he stared around the crowded ambulance; they must’ve been going to the hospital.

“What happened?” He tried again, attempting to move; but he was held down by a belt across his chest. No one answered him this time either.

They arrived at the hospital in a rush of lights and sirens. Brian was hustled into a room. Doctors and nurses poked and prodded him for hours. When they were all finally gone, Brian remembered his arm; he looked, terrified at his still sleeved arm. They had put IV’s in his other arm, they hadn’t even seen his scars; he sighed, relieved.

He didn’t get more than a second to be relaxed before his family entered the room. “Brian, did you not take your pills?” ‘It was the heat I’ll bet; the Lord needs ventilation!” His parents fussed over why he had passed out, but not before Brian could work it out in his own mind.

Belle must’ve gone to the witch, who then gave her a spell or potion so she could invade his dreams; when Brian fell asleep in church, the potion or spell must’ve started its’ magic. With all the other drugs he had taken, the spell must’ve been too much for his body to handle; resulting in his ambulance ride to the hospital.

Kia sat outside the hospital window, similarly as she had done the first night she saw Brian. “He’s okay.” She breathed to Jimbo.

He nodded in the ‘I told you he would be’ kind of way. Kia rolled her eyes. “I know, I know you were right.” She paused. “You always are.” Jimbo smiled; a smile full of pride.

Kia held Jimbo’s hand lightly, it had been an emotional day at the cross; Kia reflected somberly. All the outcasts standing around, praying to whomever they chose. It is still early in the morning and church won’t let out for a few hours. Just fifteen minutes after she and Jimbo have shown up, sirens rage; they are forced to flee. They watch from across the street as their cross is burned to the ground. The priest appears to ask the Lord to bless the blasphemous ground it once stood on.

It was an awful sight. Some outcasts cried…they could do nothing but watch; as the horrors unfolded before them. Kia heaved a sigh; though she had no religious beliefs, it was hard knowing that they were hated so much. She squeezed Jimbo’s hand; it’d been harder on him than she. He felt as if he had lost all connection to his mother. “I’m sorry, Jimbo…” He nodded that it was alright. “Let’s go to Dub, it’ll be warmer there too…”

Jimbo just nodded in agreement.

They had stopped at the hospital to see fi Brian was alright, now they proceeded to Dub.

“Kia!” Gauze wrapped her in a hug when she entered. “You’re alright! We only heard rumors, is it true? Is the cross really…gone?”

Kia nodded, she stepped into the crowded bar; she stood on the bar and began to speak. “I know, it’s been a long and hard day…but we are still alive; we still breathe…and they know it. Brian knows our struggles, even in the hospital he knows we are fighting. He is fighting with us; for us.” Kia looked up, she saw Belle. “We must not be emotional now; we are fighting this war…together. All of us are fighting for the same thing. We all want to be accepted. We will fight, but with no violence. They use the force that we don’t have…but we have our own means of fighting; when Brian takes office we will calmly and civilly follow his lead into a new era. Today was a bad day, but it is our last year in the trenches! Merry Christmas!”

Kia sat at the bar the rest of the day, she wouldn’t take a drink of anything; she only sat there, hoping she was right.

Brian was released from the hospital later that night, a new variety of pills freshly prescribed. When he got home, Breena and her family were there to help celebrate the holiday. Gifts were exchanged, Mr. Werner received a new fountain pen, Mrs. Werner had gotten a new church skirt, and Brian opened the pink and grey tie from Breena.

Breena’s parents received shoes, a black pair for her father and a light purple pair of heels for her mother. Brian watched as Breena opened her present. “Oh, my goodness, Brian!” She gasped when she saw the silver diamond encrusted cross. “I love it!” Brian helped her fasten the chair around her neck. “Thank you so much!”

The night passed with more drug induced smiled when Breena and family finally went home, and Brian put to bed, he slept as if he had not in years.