everyone i loved died

chapter four

the base was abnormally empty, the usual raving rumble was silenced by a nighttime stir.

the men who swarmed the sofas, scorching their cigarettes into the fabric, who usually roared upon the door opening, disappeared within the darkness that swarmed the base. the elderly furniture lingered within the rooms. wrenching with chemicals, causing karma's nose to sting, air hurled from his lungs. it was difficult to breathe.

within the tranquil atmosphere, everything seemed to reside in the exact same locations, untouched. it wasn't a surprise, as even within karma's lifetime, he never saw them itch an inch.

on the wall that has been crumbling the years, karma let his eyes roam over the graffiti. with the finger of his right hand, he felt the cracks and the pits made by so many seasons of hail and rain. as karma's eyes flickered within the room, he expected memories to flood within his mind, yet fortunately, it stayed blank. karma admired every inch, to distract his mind from the revolting memories from breaking through the blanked barrier.

he chuckled at the stains which didn't go unnoticed, they grew with power from the neglect the gang treated their home.

even his singular bedroom which he abandoned years ago was untouched, like a museum with objects preserved behind cases. dust carpeted the air.

a subtle charismatic heartbeat thundered within his chest, a small flurry of hope rushed through him, perhaps his family did care about him after all. especially as the last words karma remembered slipping through their mouths, was that if he were to leave, they would sell every memory of their son. forgetting his existence.

but he was surprised to see photographs still sitting within their frames, upright, standing tall, guarding the room. a photo of smiles shining bright. from a time when he never knew what pain was.

the handle rattled, as a young boy stood within the entrance, his hand fell from the door handle. "uh... karma? is that you?"

karma's head jolted towards the familiar voice which echoed throughout the room.

"karma!" his voice cheered, "are you kidding me?!" he excitedly jumped.

his hair like a lions mane, ruffled with fluffy bouncing waves and curls. long and messy as always. a smile crept onto karma's face as he finally recognised the young boy, whom he hadn't seen in years. "...baby-".

the boy's smile excitedly beamed from ear to ear, he sprinted towards karma before hurling his body at the redhead, collapsing into his arms, karma's body slammed upon the floor as he erupted into laughter.

his laughing was like ripples in a still pond after a stone has been thrown in. it radiated outwards through the lone base which up until that moment had been quite silent. now the whole building began to titter and soon the ripples became great waves of hilarity. watching aku laugh was karma's serenity, for in those moments they were most alive.

"you're going to break me one day!" karma floundered upon the ground, sprawling flat as the laughing caught his breath. he squinted an eye, before ruffling the boy's hair, the strands brushed against his hand. "how are you doing, aku?" he asked.

sitting up, karma's body weight shifted onto his lower arms as his teeth chipped his lip. pecking his nose into the tip of the boy's head, aku wrapped his arms around karma's neck, hugging his body tight, .

karma's eyes refrained from fixating upon aku's eyes. he was most scared upon, the hope disappearing. but to his surprise, as he looked into them, the bright energetic spark was still swimming within the viridescent eyes.

the redhead gave a small chuckle with stupidity ... of course, he hasn't lost the spark at all.

it was clear the gang still treated baby like royalty. they always have. they treated aku like he was a prince, but when it came to karma, he was merely a slave.