OC Oneshots

No Children

I hope that our few remaining friends

Give up on trying to save us

Tio wasn't sure when he blacked out, but he knew that he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. The walls were too tall, the floor of the school bathroom too cold, his body too wrong. Tio scratched at his arms, picking at the faded cuts and bruises that had appeared only a few minutes ago. He could still hear the ringing of laughter in his ears.

I hope we come out with a fail-safe plot

To piss off the dumb few that forgave us

Tio let out a choked sob, the sound echoing throughout the colored tile walls. Tears blurred his vision, but the boy could see his reflection in the mirror on the other side of the stall. A tattered, skinny kid, broken too many times to ever be "normal" again. Why him?

I hope the fences we mended

Fall down beneath their own weight

What would become of Tio now? An annoying, broken, 15-year-old senior, with too many scars, not enough parents, and a victim complex. Would he be what people expected? What they wanted? A successful man, bringing money back to his family, maybe moving his aunts out of their dingy town and into some fancy neighborhood and being happy with them.

I hope the fences we mended

Fall down beneath their own weight

No, he'd be some washed-up loser, just like Jared McFore, or Todd Jamison, or Britta McGrew who worked at the convenience store that got held up every week and smelt of ash. Or maybe he'd just be dead. That was okay too, he supposed. Maybe Tio already was and this was some sick version of the afterlife. Maybe the rugby team had finally killed him.

And I hope we hang on past the last exit

I hope it's already too late

Tio wasn't sure how long it had been since the team left. A minute? An hour? Be he figured he had to get up eventually. God, everything hurt so much. He put his hands on the floor, wincing slightly as pain shot up his arm as he tried (and failed, a few times) to get to his feet. Tio stood, wobbly approaching the door of the stall. His eyes flickered to the reflection in the mirror.

And I hope the junkyard a few blocks from here

Someday burns down

Tears threatened to spill again when he saw it. Scrapes down his face that stung from where Bryan Houston had brought out that switchblade. Tio slowly moved his curls out of the way to see his full face, as much as his conscious mind told him to just move on. Two brown eyes stared back at him, one with a ring of purple and blue around it, the other holding itself half-closed, trying to prevent blood from trickling to it. He saw himself smile slightly at what he saw next, air expelling through his nose in a silent laugh.

And I hope the rising black smoke carries me far away

And I never come back to this town again

It almost looked fake, to be perfectly honest. Like some bad special effects in some cheesy action film Tio had seen years ago. A single word etched into his right cheek, with blocky lettering and a mix of uppercase and lowercase. FrEAk.

In my life, I hope I lie I'm

And tell everyone you were a good wife

He laughed again, and he could tell it was more manic and lifeless than usual. Yeah. They were right. He was a freak. He really was. The word carved permanently into his face was right. He couldn't tell whether he was laughing or sobbing, or some awkward mix of both, but Tio could definitely hear himself screaming. He leaned his forehead against the mirror, eyes never leaving that word.

And I hope you die

I hope we both die

Tio screamed until his throat burned. Surely, no one could hear him now, everyone had probably already gone home. He kept scream-laugh-crying until he physically couldn't anymore. Until his only sounds were shallow breathing and ragged wheezing, his body trying to scream more.

I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow

I hope it bleeds all day long

God, what was he doing? Dammit, he was pathetic. Crying in a bathroom over a few cuts and bruises. The adrenaline from his attack was wearing down, and his hands started to shake. He opened the stall door, nearly falling backwards as he did it. His purple, argyle sweater was stained red near the sleeves, he could only assume from blood. Trudging over to the exit of the boy's bathroom, he opened the door.

Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises

We're pretty sure they're all wrong

As he predicted, Tio was met with an empty hallway, a yellow and red sky shining through the windows. Man, it really was late. What would he say to his aunts? He couldn't explain this one away like he had before...

"I fell down the stairs." "I tripped on the sidewalk." "I hit my eye on a railing." "No, no one's hurting me."

I hope it stays dark forever

I hope the worst isn't over

Everything hurt as Tio meandered down the hallway. He limped towards the front door of the school, keeping his hand on the wall to steady himself. He kept his focus on leaving the damned building, instead of the consequences he'd face the following week of school.

And I hope you blink before I do

And I hope I never get sober

Tio sighed, a drop of blood from his chin splattering on the ground. He gripped the handle of the door as tight as he could, and pulled. The doors to the school were unusually heavy in his opinion and never opened unless you pulled quite hard. The school doors always opened from the inside, whether they were locked or not, a safety measure put in place for situations just like this one.

And I hope when you think of me years down the line

You can't find one good thing to say

The bright light of the setting sun shone in his face and he had to squint to get used to the harsh difference between the musty feeling lights in the school. The parking lot was nearly empty, save for a few cars probably left by students overnight. This was one of the rare moments where Tio wished he could drive and hadn't chickened out of his driver's test.

And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out

You'd stay the hell out of my way

Trudging down the sidewalk was easy enough, on his way back to his apartment building. The hard part was the stares he got from random people on the street. A lady gasped when she saw him and immediately moved out of his way. He could almost laugh at it, they must have thought he was dangerous or something.

I am drowning

There is no sign of land

Tio was only a few buildings away now, his apartment in sight. His eyelids started to fall just by the thought of his bed right now. God, he was tired. Lost in thought, Tio didn't notice the two people following him. He only took notice when they simultaneously grabbed each of his arms and pushed him down on the ground into an alleyway. His breathing quickened when one of the adults pulled something out of their jacket, he couldn't quite make out what it was, but it looked dangerous.

You are coming down with me

Hand in unlovable hand

Something was pulling Tio's bloodied sleeve up and gripping his arm tightly, but he was too weak to fight back, merely muttering a soft, "No, wait- please... don't." His protests went unheard when something was jabbed into the crook of his elbow. Pain erupted like fire throughout his already aching arm. He tried to scream again, only for his body to collapse to the side and shudder with a few breaths as he saw stars and flat himself slide into unconsciousness. Before everything went black, all Tio could think was; "Hopefully they finished the job."

And I hope you die

I hope we both die