The Grabber

Unraveling

Michael laid on his bed as the crickets outside chirped. He stared at his ceiling as he thought.
"I hope you're alright, Dre," he whispered into the silence. "I hope you know what you're doing." He sighed as he looked around. "It's lonely without you. I feel more scared being alone than I thought I would. I guess you were the one helping me be brave. Just as you always were." He smiled as he chuckled a bit to himself. "You were always so brave, even if you didn't see it. I could." Michael sat up to look out the window as he heard a something hit it. As he opened it, he looked down to see a familiar face. "What are you doing here?" He whispered.
"I couldn't sleep," Rebecca sighed. "Not while knowing Andrea's..." she couldn't finish her sentence. Michael looked at his door, then back to Rebecca. "Hang on," he said. Rebecca nodded as she waited. Michael closed his window and quietly made his way out of the house. He tried his best to be as quiet as possible as he headed down the hallway and down the stairs. As the front door was closed behind him, he made his way to the back of the house, where Rebecca stood. "It's hard to hear from up there," Michael spoke as he found Rebecca. She nodded.
"I can imagine," she said. She let out a sigh as she looked at the stars. "I wonder how she's doing."
"Andrea?" Michael asked carefully. Rebecca nodded as she looked down.
"I worry about her," she said softly. "I mean, I trust her. I really do, but..." she turned to look at Michael. "I'm just afraid that this is too much for her to handle." Michael placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I worry, too. I'm her big brother. That's my job. I'm sure she will be okay. She's tough. She's smart. If anyone can make it through this situation safely, it's her." Rebecca nodded slowly as she hugged Michael. He wrapped his arms around her, knowing that he was just as afraid as she was. He wanted to believe the things he said, but he wasn't sure if he did.

...

As the morning sun peered in through the window, the telephone rang. Al slowly opened his eyes as he took a deep breath in. He sat up and stretched. As the phone continued to ring, he stood up out of bed with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. He grabbed his shirt he had taken off the night before with his other hand as he walked into the kitchen and approached the phone. He picked it up with a yawn.
"Hello?" He asked in a groggy voice.
"Hey, Alabaster," a voice greeted with a nervous tone. Al sighed as he rubbed his eyes.
"I told you not to call me that, Max," he responded. "Why are you calling so early?"
"Well, I was just wondering if, uh... if I could visit? You know, it's been a while. Maybe we could catch up, you know?"
"What's the real reason?" Al sighed as he held the phone with his shoulder so he could adjust his shirt before slipping it on. Max cleared his throat as Al slipped on the shirt.
"I just..." he sighed. "Things are fucked up, man. I might end up losing my job and I'm behind on rent... I might end up being evicted on top of that."
"Jesus, Max, what's going on with you? You alright?" He looked out the window as he spoke.
"Yeah, I guess. Just... I hear the company is gonna have to let some people go.. budget cuts and all. I might be one of them."
"What makes you say that?" He asked as he fiddled with the phone cord. He leaned against the wall as he listened.
"They've been looking at me funny," Max said after a moment. "I've heard them say my name a few times. I don't know, man. I just have that feeling."
"Well," Al sighed as he looked at the basement door. "If you need a place to crash, you know I've got your back. If you wanna come visit to get to know the place, you can. Just... let me know when you decide to." Al could hear his brother's smile through the phone.
"Thanks, man, I really do appreciate it. Hopefully nothing happens, but I'll keep you updated. I'll let you know if I decide to visit and when."
"Alright. Well, I gotta head into work soon. I'll talk to you later."
"Alright. You take care, big guy. See ya."
"See ya." Al hung up the phone as he sighed. "I love him, but god... why now?" He walked over to the coffee pot and grabbed a coffee mug. While his coffee was brewing, he walked to the bathroom to get cleaned up.