The Campus Killings {#LGBTQ #HORROR #FRIGHT}

Chapter Twenty Eight

Brody had barely moved since his friends had shuffled him away from the crime scene, had just grabbed his sister's hoodie from her room and clung it to his chest, tears rolling down his face as he tried to convince himself this wasn't really happening.

It had all occurred so quickly — finding her lifeless body stuffed in his locker, Raleigh running to get help, yet that few minutes where he had been alone with her had felt like an eternity.

Ever since they were born, they'd heard the jokes about twins, about a supposed psychic connection and Brody had always considered it to be bullshit.

Without her, however, it felt like he had been torn in two.

Even before he was born, he had been a brother, from the womb to birth — they had shared so much in their lives, love, pain.

Now, was he even a brother anymore? His sister, the only family of his he even cared about was gone, so what was left of him that even mattered?

Willa desperately attempted to get him to drink something, but he barely heard her through the weight of his own troubled thoughts as he held onto the black material and wished it could be the real thing, wishing he could hug his sister one last time and say sorry for the way he had treated her.

Around the room, Jake and Raleigh flit about, the latter clearly attempting to steel himself despite knowing Eilidh for years.   He had already cried earlier, Brody had noticed him stepping outside to let the tears flow as Jake held onto him, but now, in front of his friend, he had to be strong.

Brody wanted to tell him it was okay to mourn, that he loved her too, but he was frozen, as if he'd been turned to stone.

On the inside, he felt like he was dying, like his guts were being shredded, leaving only emptiness.

Eilidh had been one of the first faces he had seen in the world, the one constant in his life and now, she was nothing more than a body.

He hated that the last thing he ever did to her was hurt her.

He had called her dangerous, had pushed her way instead of protecting her and all he could consider now was how terrified she might've been in her final moments. 

Had she thought of him?  Did she die hating him?

Willa's hand rubbed over his back and she crooned soothing words that he could barely focus on in an attempt to quiet the pain within him.

Unfortunately, that pain was no longer just part of him — it ran from his chest to his fingertips, covering all the space between.   He was a walking open wound, begging the world to turn itself back.

All he wanted was to see her again, to apologise for failing her.

Briefly, the thought of their parents crossed his mind — would the school tell them?   Would they even care?

Both he and Eilidh had been well aware of their preferential treatment and he always wondered if part of her resented him for it.

He didn't want his parents finding out over the phone, and didn't want to imagine their reactions from afar.   He knew he should be the one to tell them, but he was completely unable to move.

That changed, however, when Maxwell appeared at his door.   His former friend pushed past Raleigh, despite his protestations, then came into Brody's line of sight.

"I'm here to offer my condolences for your loss." he said in a disaffected, sneering tone that seemed to lack sincerity.

Brody saw red.