〚 P.eeking 〛

.5

Let's continue...

He pushed the door open and was immediately hit with the stench of rot. Brian smelled it too, and he walked in the house behind Oz with his nose scrunched up.

"What do you guys use to clean the floors around here, shit?" Brian mumbled.

"Shut up." He said, his eyes darting around for any signs of Damien.

The house was deadly quiet and dark despite being 10 in the morning. All the curtains were closed up tight, refusing to allow any sunlight inside. If Oz hadn't left it two days prior he'd have thought the house to be abandoned.

The two moved through each room, carefully checking any place that Damien might hide, occasionally calling his name.

"Why the hell are you looking under the couch?" Brian asked eventually. "Aren't we looking for your boyfriend?" He was looking at Oz like he was a moron.

"Let's just go upstairs." Oz whispered. Brian shook his head but followed the fearling up the stairs to check the bathroom and spare room. On the way up Oz's shoes crunched over pieces of glass that looked to be littered over a few steps.

He noticed that one of Damien's and Oz's prom portraits that hung on the wall along the staircase had been smashed. The frame hung crookedly, all the glass removed. He stared at the picture, a lump forming in his throat. The two had taken the photo just after leaving prom, before dancing with each other. Damien looked so handsome in his black suit. Oz looked at Damien's face. He never dreamed his boyfriends face would be the only source of terror for him.

The two monsters moved along and climbed the rest of the steps and checked the spare bedroom, but it looked completely untouched.

He was hesitant to go into the bathroom, his fear from that night coming back to him all at once. Brian noticed, and offered to go in by himself but Oz couldn't let him to that. So they walked in together, checking the closet and the shower. The bathroom looked as if it hadn't been touched since the night Oz left.

"I don't think Damien's here Oz, why don't you pack some clothes and we'll try coming back tomorrow or something." Brian said. Oz nodded and went into their bedroom and shoved some clothes into a duffle bag. When he checked inside their closet he came across the smell and gagged.

Brian took one look and lost all color in his face. He had to go stand by the stairs to get away from the sight and smell.

Oz gazed down in shock at what lay inside the bedroom closet. Soaking into the rug, were at least a dozen eyeballs, all carefully laid out in pairs. Some were as large as a quarter while others were as tiny as a marble. He stared down at the eyes Damien collected from small animals and he wondered how he'd gotten them, and shuddered at the thought.

"Man, I thought I had it bad with amira's scamming addiction. But fuck me. Your boyfriend's here collecting eyeballs." Brian said, gagging. "Oz I think we should go." He called from the hall. "I'm getting nauseous."

"Alright. " Oz grabbed his duffle bag and shut the closet door on his new nightmare. He stepped out into the hall and took a deep breath of air. He could taste the rot on his tongue and he couldn't help but gag again.

"Who the fuck lines up eyeballs in their closet like that?" Brian mumbled.

"I tried to tell you he needed help" Oz said

"He doesn't need help, Oz. He needs a fucking exorcist." He said. "You coming or what? I can’t stand the smell any-" his words died in his throat, and his eyes grew wide with fear.

Oz didn't ask him why. He could feel it. Someone was watching him and he didn't think it was the eyes in the closet. Oz turned around, his eyes slowly scanning the bedroom.

"Christ.." He whispered, as he finally saw what the two missed. Under the bed, curled on his side, was watching them with the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning, was Damien.

He held his hands together just under his chin, and they were shaking eagerly.

Now that he knew he'd been found, Oz could hear the quiet noises Damien was making. A sort of hiccuping sound in his throat, as if the excitement was just too much for him. It was unnerving to say the least. Wide yellow glowing eyes, and that same huge smile.

Everything in Oz told him to run, but he forced it away. This was his boyfriend. No matter how twisted, he was still the man Oz loved. He had to help him.

"Damien..." He said softly. He didn't respond, but his head bobbed back and forward in two quick little movements as if he were nodding.

"Babe. I just w-wanna help okay? Can you...can you let me do that?" Oz asked. He had taken a single step forward, approaching Damien like he was some dangerous animal.

"I love you, Damien." He said softly, taking another step closer. Damien let a tiny moan escape his wide open mouth and Oz had to resist the urge to run again. Damien's shoulders started to quiver, and his eyes grew as large as saucers.

Oz crouched down so he could see the other better. And immediately saw the blood. His hands were covered in it. They trembled more the closer Oz got, as if he was barely able to contain himself.

"Damien. A-are you hurt? You're bleeding." He said. He bobbed his head again, his bloody fingers moving up and down as if playing an invisible piano. They occasionally grazed his chin, leaving smears of blood on Damien's skin.

Oz wanted to recoil in disgust. The smell that was coming off of him was revolting. He could feel the vomit trying to climb up his throat. His lips were dry and stretched thin, blood seeping between the cracks.

He knew Damien wouldn't come out on his own, but Oz didn't want to leave him in the state he was in..