Do It To Death

3

    Jack fell asleep after that.  It was surprisingly harder to sleep on the cold concrete floor when he'd eaten, and the fear was wearing off from this experience, morphing into more of a morbid curiosity.
    Vampires were real.  And Adam was... well, not so living proof of that.
    Jack still couldn't quite process that.  In fact, he had yet to process much of anything that had happened thus far.  He felt like he was trapped in a bubble, slowly floating up and away from reality.
    It was a while until the door opened again.  Jack was almost surprised to find that it was not Adam who entered the room, but Ryan.
    It was almost immediately apparent that Ryan was far different from Adam.  The way they even held themselves around Jack, it was an unmistakable difference.  While Adam had talked to him and even fed him, Ryan seemed like he wasn't even aware there was another sentient being in the room.
    But Ryan was aware Jack was there.
    Ryan crouched down in front of Jack, just as Adam had done, but he didn't carry the same soft presence Adam had.  Ryan seemed more analytical, more like he was studying Jack, even when he wasn't the one conducting experiments on him.
    Ryan adjusted his position on the ground, and then leaned closer to Jack, head tilting to the side.
    "Hey, buddy, whatcha doing there?" Jack said nervously, trying his best to shimmy away from Ryan.  It didn't work very well, Jack had basically cornered himself the past few hours.
    "Wait- wha-"  Ryan sat upright so fast his head nearly knocked into Jack's, brows furrowed in confusion.  "Did you- did you just speak?"
    "Uh... yeah?  I can, y'know, do that?" Jack replied, looking at Ryan curiously.  It seemed the younger vampire was questioning his life decisions as he studied Jack's words.
    "But- I- humans don't speak.  They just scream, and then they die," Ryan argued.
    "I really don't think you've paid much attention to humans, dude.  We like, speak, and have conversations all the time."
    It seemed Ryan couldn't believe the possibility that humans might actually be sentient.
    "Alright, get to the point; what are you down here for?" Jack said, pushing at Ryan's forehead with his pointer finger.  Ryan did not budge.
    "Why do you need to know?" Ryan spat back.
    Jack could feel annoyance creeping into his chest.  This Ryan guy was really hard to work with.
    "Because it clearly pertains to me.  And move back; have you ever even heard of personal space?!"
    Ryan sat back just a little, seeming willing to give Jack space, even if just for a second.
    "If you really have to know, I'm tired of my brother's bullshit.  It's like he's teasing me, dangling you over my head just out of reach.  I'm tired of playing by his stupid rules."
    "Adam is your brother?" Jack asked before he could decide on whether he should reveal his knowledge of Adam's name.
    "He- he told you his name?!"  Ryan lowered his face into his hands, letting out a muffled scream of anger.  "Of course he fucking told you his name.  And you must know my name too, don't you?"
    Ryan looked up, and from the timid look Jack shared with him, he guessed so.
    "Well then, to keep things fair, what's your name?" Ryan asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
    "Jack."  Jack realized Adam had never asked his name when he was down here.  He'd just shared his own and not asked for anything in return.
    Ryan snickered.
    "That's such a boring name.  What was the other option, Joe?"
    Jack sighed, already exhausted from this interaction.  "I for one kept my thoughts to myself, but it seems that the courtesy was not reciprocated.  But really, your name is dumb."
    Ryan scoffed.
    "Your words mean nothing to me, lunch.  You can't insult me if I eat you first."
    "You'd sound like you're insane out of context."
    "Shut it!"
    And with that, Ryan smacked his hand over Jack's mouth, tilting Jack's head to the side in one swift motion.  Jack attempted to bite Ryan's hand, but then felt another hand covering his airway, causing him to choke.
    "Try that, I dare you," Ryan growled, all playfulness suddenly leaving his crimson eyes.  Jack took in a breath to scream, which only caused Ryan's thumb to push tighter against his airway.  Jack could only squirm as his vision began to fog.
    And then, as quickly as it started, the pressure was relieved.
    Jack gasped for air, pressing his head against the concrete wall to try to catch his breath.  The room was now brighter, a torch flickering on the wall, and Adam was holding Ryan by the collar of his shirt, teeth bared and growling.
    "THE TEST SUBJECT IS NOT YOUR LUNCH!" Adam roared, throwing Ryan into the wall and turning to Jack.
    Jack cowered into his corner again, hiding his face from Adam's burning red eyes.  But when Adam settled in front of him and touched his arm with the same gentle hand he always had, Jack relaxed.
    "Hey, I'm sorry about that, he's not supposed to be down here."  Adam looked over his shoulder to where Ryan was sitting up and rubbing the back of his head, shooting a glare his brother's way.  "Did you get hurt at all?"
    "Not really," Jack replied, rubbing his throat.
    Adam frowned.  "Well I'm still sorry.  I'll keep a better watch on him, okay?"
    Jack nodded, looking back to where Ryan was standing up.
    Ryan glanced at Adam and Jack on the ground, and then began to growl.
    "Oh, I see what's happening," Ryan started.  Adam stood, placing himself between Ryan and Jack.  "You're getting soft for it, aren't you?"
    "I am not getting soft for him, I am just making sure my test subject remains alive!" Adam retorted.
    "Test subject!  That was a lie this whole time and you knew it!  You just want a new fledgling!"  Ryan stepped closer to Adam, pushing his chest.  "Well what about me?  What about the old fledgling?  What's wrong with me?!"
    Adam growled.  "Stop being so selfish!  Not everything has to be about you!"
    "Selfish?!" Ryan spat.  "What's selfish about wanting to eat, wanting to survive!  You're the selfish one, trying to get some new kid into our coven without consulting me first!"
    "I am the coven leader!"  Adam snarled, grabbing Ryan's arm forcefully, nail's digging into the vampire's flesh.  "I make the rules, and you follow them!  That's how this works!"
    Adam shoved Ryan into the wall again, teeth bared with what looked to be sharp fangs protruding from his jaw.  Adam held his arm over Ryan's chest, his other hand pressing Ryan's head against the wall.  Ryan's nails scratched at Adam's arm, leaving behind deep cuts into the flesh, but Adam didn't budge.
    "please... stop..." Ryan whispered, just loud enough for Jack to hear.  Just loud enough for Jack to feel a shudder trickle down his body.  "i'm sorry..."
    Jack could see the veins in Ryan's face bulging, his skin turning a deep purple.
    "Adam, stop!  You're gonna kill him!"
    At those words, Adam immediately let go of Ryan and turned to Jack, eyes still burning.  It almost seemed like something beyond Adam's body had taken over, because all of a sudden Adam was crying and kneeling down at his gasping brother's side.
    "Fledgling, brother, I'm so sorry," Adam cried, picking his brother up into a hug just loose enough to allow Ryan to breathe freely.  Adam pressed frantic kisses to his brother's cheeks and forehead, combing his hand through Ryan's hair.
    After a second of tension, Ryan began to relax, allowing himself to melt into his sire's arms.  He smiled in a way that seemed like he was feeling something familiar, something comforting.  Jack could almost swear he heard a rumbling sound, like the purr of a cat, from the two brothers.
    As Adam's cries began to quiet, Ryan opened his eyes again and met Jack's.  Jack smiled nervously, trying to communicate some sort of offer of a peace treaty to Ryan.  Ryan pulled his arm out from between his and Adam's chest and motioned for Jack to come closer.
    Jack sat down next to Adam, watching Ryan carefully to see if there was any remaining harshness in his eyes.  But Ryan's eyes were emitting a gentle glow, like that of a streetlamp in Central Park.  Ryan pulled away from Adam, turning towards Jack and examining him again.
    "His name is Jack," Ryan said, glancing over to Adam to see if the information had already been said by Jack himself.
    "Jack.  That's a nice name.  Like yours, Ryan."
    Ryan sighed and shook his head, sharing a knowing look with Jack.  The first of many.
    He glanced at Jack a moment longer before resting his hand on Jack's shoulder.
    Ryan smiled, something soft and light.  "I guess I could get used to you."