In Bloom

Caterpillar

Beta eyes shot open. Based on the darkness that surrounded him and the insects chirping outside it was still the middle of the night.

"Did you sleep well Beta?" Beta flinched. That voice. Not again. In the front seat was his brother. More sunken in than last time he saw them. Maggots now coated his head.Senpai was looking at himself in the car mirror combing his hair trying to look better, to no effect.

Fuck, he had to wake up.

"S-Senpai, please stop..."

"Stop what? Making you feel bad? You killed me. I don't care if I'm making you uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry..." he whined. Beta could only see him roll his eyes.

"God, you're pitiful." Beta just stayed silent looking down. He felt tears build up again. Why couldn't he just wake up? -"Hey but at least I accomplished so much more than you ever will. Haha, you're driving this trash pile and you don't even have your license still. Who fails a driving test twice?"

Senpai pretended to move the wheel, giggling to himself.

"Senpai, I would do anything to go back and stop what I did! I would take your place in a heartbeat and die instead."

"Well you can't," Senpai sighed, turning around. Putting his head on his palm. Beta met his gray dead eyes, it shook him to his core. "At least you will join me soon."

"...What?"

"Alpha is going to get you." Senpai smiled, reaching over to bop his nose. Beta recoiled.

Those eyes, those eyes, he then heard a ringing. A horrible ringing.
———
"Beta!" He shook awake. "Someone is calling you!"

Beta looked around the car space, especially the front seat. He then reached inside his bag to pull out Senpai's phone. It wasn't the one ringing...

He reached for his own phone and the name that displayed on the screen made his blood run cold. His mother. Fuck. He hesitantly opened it...

"Hey, mo-"

"BETA WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?" Beta pulled himself away from the phone and took a deep breath. He debated hanging up but he knew that would just make it worse. His mother would call a swat team if she could ring his neck.

"What do you mean?" He smiled through his teeth. What did she know?

"Wha- WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT DO I MEAN?" He could only flinch at her tone, she clearly wasn't up to negotiating this time.

"Mom, listen." Beta spoke, running his own hand through his sticky hair, "I'm gonna block your number now. I-I don't want you to get into some danger too, you don't deserve to get hurt."

What followed made Beta's heart crack open slowly - his mother started crying, begging him to explain where he was, so that she could pick him up. It made a weak smile appear on his face, how naive of her...

She mentioned a police investigation and how a lot of Senpai's blood was found in his room. She told him how the police suspected that Beta could have killed him. There was still not enough evidence for them to prove anything but that they were looking for him to bring him in. She said they are searching the area around the campus, so Beta was positive that Senpai would be found sooner or later.

She insisted that all she wanted to do was to see him again, him and Senpai that is... She still doesn't believe that her youngest could have died at his hands. She deemed the whole situation a huge misunderstanding, begging Beta to let Senpai speak to her again as well.

Beta in response took a deep breath; "Mom, I can't do that. Alpha will take care of things soon, okay? I love you a lot, and I just wanted to say sorry for everything that happened. Please stay safe mom, for me."