Project Twelve

Chapter Eight

   The police asked question after question, and Salem repeated the same story. After being ruled as a suicide, Malachi was buried and days had passed since his death. Salem was taken in by the Fitzgerald family, and Jasper and Zara treated him like a son. Jeremy let him share his room, since staying in Malachi's hurt him too much.

   "Salem? What're you doing in there?" Jeremy asked, knocking on the bathroom door. "Nothing." He replied. He was sat on the side of the tub, fully clothed. "You sure you're okay? I know I was never close with him, but it's okay if you were." Salem stayed silent, moving his hand along the side of the tub before getting up and opening the door. "What do you want." He said. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay.. You've been in there for hours." Jeremy told him, smiling softly in a failed attempt to comfort him. "Hey, you two we have to go." They were interrupted by Jasper's voice. "Go where, dad?" Jeremy asked. "The funeral."

   The funeral home was dark, and it smelled of flowers and chemicals. Salem clung to Jeremy, unable to face what he was seeing. He was silent throughout the entire service. But once everyone had finished speaking, Salem approached the coffin. He stood there, folding his hands. He couldn't pray, he didn't know how. And even if he did it was the last thing he'd ever do. "He looks so normal, It's hard to believe he's dead." Jeremy said, following him. "Do you even care? You're not showing any signs of remorse." Salem said. "Well, he treated me like shit ever since I was little.. It's hard to miss someone that did something like he did." Jeremy responded. "He was nice to me." Salem said, reaching for the coffin. Jeremy stopped his hand, carefully pulling him back away from it. "You can't touch." Salem flinched, backing away from him. "Don't touch me." "Oh, i'm sorry. Are you traumatized or something? I thought Malachi didn't do anything to you. You said you loved him." Jeremy said mockingly. Salem clenched his fist and punched him in the nose. He hit hard. As hard as he could. As he pulled his hand away blood flooded down Jeremy's face and onto his hand. Jasper took him by the wrist and hit him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked harshly. Salem twisted and pulled at his arm, trying desperately to get away. "You're not getting away anymore. You're going to tell us what's wrong with you, and why the hell you're so weird." "Jasper, let go of him!" Zara yelled, pulling her husband back. Salem ran for the door and darted outside. He was gone.

A week later, Salem made his way to the graveyard. He found Malachi's headstone, and stood there looking down at it. Then he begun to dig. He swung the shovel and flung dirt onto the clean stone. After what seemed like days of digging, Salem finally reached the hard wooden coffin. He broke it open and lowered himself into the dirt. He took the small, rounded device out of the pocket of his trench coat along with a small pocket knife. He carefully removed Malachi's suit top and made an incision on his stomach with the knife. He inserted the rounded device and then pushed the wound closed. With a short amount of time, the wound healed itself leaving only a scar. "Come on.." Salem whispered. "Ugh, little brat.. How the hell did I wake up from that.." Malachi groaned, sitting up and brushing the dirt off his head. "Malachi!" Salem yelled his name, hugging him tightly. "Gross. I just died, Salem. I was finally gone and you ruined that." Malachi said after he shoved him away. "You're not happy..? I did this for you! You're back. We can be together again." Salem said. "Oh, Salem.. I never liked you. In fact I can't stand you. You didn't realize that when I slit my own throat in front of you? I was using you, for your body. I mean, you were perfect, until you got attached." Malachi told him as he got up and brushed the remaining dirt off himself. Salem's smile faded as he came to realize what Malachi had said. It was over. He did the only thing he could, and ran. "Oh boy, here we go." Malachi said as he walked down the sidewalk, unsure of where to go now.

Malachi walked the street for what felt like hours. He didn't feel bad, but he wondered where Salem would end up. He eventually stopped in an alleyway, sitting with his bare back against the hard brick wall. "I feel so weird.." He said to himself, picking up a stray shard of glass. "God, fuck you, Salem." He said as he sliced down his abdomen with the glass. "That hurts.. Oh that hurts." He cried out as he dug into the wound, his vision going blurry. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a figure, a shorter figure with beautiful white hair.