Bloody Story 1987

Page 17

Parking my bike outside was quick and when we stopped moving Sam was even quicker hopping off and finding his way inside the comic book store. He begins looking around as I follow after him, my bike safely locked down, when he sees the Frog Brothers at work as usual they exchange glares and Sam goes to his regular section of DC comics. "How do you like Santa Carla?"

"It's a pretty cool place if you're a Martian." The one with the bandanna, Edgar, speaks up quickly, "or a vampire." I huffed a laugh shaking my head as I moved to stand next to Sam, "are you guys sniffing old newsprint or something?" I smiled looking to the side to see the smirk on my little brother's face, "you think you're cool, don't you? You think you know what's really happening, don't you? Well, you don't know shit, buddy." I watched as Edgar came up real close to Sam's side, Alan onto my side, "yeah, you think we just work in a comic book store for our dad, huh?" I looked at the dog tag boy with a raised brow, our height similar as we met eye to eye, "This isn't a comic book store, right. It's a bakery." I piped in with fake excitement, "oh, it's your mom's store?" I got a sneer and Sam nodded with me as I looked away from Edgar ignoring Sam and Edgars next comments for a second, "this is just our cover. We're dedicated to a higher purpose." My eyes shot to my other side to see Alan staring with that little plastered snarl on his face.

"You know..." I looked away from Alan's face down to the comics and picked up a decent Star Wars comic, "you should really keep things in order, being organized is an attractive quality..." I motioned it towards him, his face didn't move a single bit but his eyes shot a glance down to my hand only to snatch the comic from my hand. I looked at him through my lashes, he had an almost snarl slowly falling on his face. I tilted my head, blinking and he turned his head away. "Now I get it... you're like those people in the airport trying to get you to give them money. You're part of a cult." I turned back to Sam after shooting Alan a small smile that held no feelings behind it, "We're fighters for Truth, Justice, and the American Way." I looked at Edgar and rolled my eyes, "You better get some fresh air." Sniffling, I stayed quiet and moved backwards to turn, "Hey, man, take this... It's on the house." Edgar handed him a comic called Destroy All Vampires as I moved towards the store-front, "I don't like horror comics." I took a few glances back as I waited for my brother to walk towards me to leave, he handed the comic back and walked over having the two brothers follow him.

"Think of this more as a survival manual... there's our number on the back, and pray that you never need to call us." Sam was handed the comic again, "I'm gonna pray that I never need to call you." I sat there waiting just staring outside, throwing my hands in my pockets. Sam turned to me, seeing me with furrowed brows and closed eyes.

"Hey, you okay?" I nodded, "yeah it's too bright," I earned a look from the two brothers, "I'm also starving, wanna get some chili cheese fries?" He made a disgusted face, "you always want chili cheese fries." I nodded, "better than mom's cooking." He paused and nodded, "yeah, you're not wrong, hey can you make dinner tonight?" I looked at him, "why would I do that Samuel?" He smiled, "because you're better at cooking, and you're my big sister so it's your job to make sure I have a good childhood with good food." I tilted my head considering it thoughtfully, "no." He whined, "come on Willow, do you want me to have a bad childhood that leaves me wanting for more and in return to find that more I run away and get involved with bad people and eventually start doing drugs and sleeping all day. In ten years I'll be addicted to crack." I gave a hum, "no you won't, if that happened as you said it would, you'd be kidnapped first, then you'd become addicted to crack."

"Fine, don't make me dinner, it'll be your fault I end up like that guy on PdO," I nodded, "I'm okay with that." His face turned shocked and his jaw dropped open, "I'll cook another night, let's get chili cheese fries." He stood looking up at me for a second, staring at my blank expression, "okay, fine." I nodded stoically looking at the two brothers who stood confused watching us bicker, "I'm sure if you're still huffing ink in ten years Samuel will share his crack bounty." I nodded to them and walked out of the shop, "you should reorganize well before then." My last comment was directed towards Alan. He fully got it, his nose flushing a barely there blush pink and his face turned away after glaring my way with his mouth tilted in a snarl of disgust or something else entirely.