Metal

Brotherhood

I didn’t fall back asleep rest of the night. I was too scared of what my mind would fathom up next in my sleep to attack me. I guess I’ll always be just a slave to the fears my past presented to me. I’d ask why me, but who would I ask? I knew that no amount of therapy and pills could fix me. So I guess I have to just learn to deal with this problem myself.

I was still lying in my bed, just staring at the window to my right. I just stayed there and watched the storm that was going on outside. The rain was pouring down so violently. I felt bad for any strays outside that had the misfortune to get stuck in this nasty weather. Mother Nature could be a cruel being sometimes. Every now and then the room would get illuminated from a lightning bolt from the storm.  All of this reminded me of the first time I had met my brother Dante.

************

The weather was same that day as it was that night. It felt as though someone had hurt Mother Nature and she was just releasing her tears onto the world. The rain was coming down so hard. The violent winds were her screams and they would leave you feeling so chilled. The thunder just kept booming as if it represented her bitterness.

I don’t know how I had made it out alive from that forest, but I knew that I had not left unharmed. The hellhound had left his mark on my left forearm. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound looked bad. It looked as though it was getting infected. Whenever I would just poke it, puss would come out. I couldn’t go to the hospital, they would just throw me out. Sheriffs law was that anyone caught helping the parasite, that parasite being me, would be punished. Though no one would help me even if that law wasn’t created. They all just saw me as a parasite, not a person.

I couldn’t even seek refuge in my box, the rain had completely soaked through the cardboard. The refrigerator box and everything that was inside of it was ruined. I had nothing left except the tattered clothes I was wearing coated in my own blood. I still hadn’t even eaten. I was surprised that I hadn’t just passed out yet from the hunger and died. But it wouldn't even matter if I lived or not. The world would not stop if I just dropped dead on the spot at this very moment. There would be absolutely no person in this town that would miss me.

So there I was, just sitting next to my ruined “home” with no hope left, not that I had any hope to begin with. What was I suppose to do? I had no one to help me. I was so drained of energy that I couldn’t even get up. I was just getting even more wet with every passing moment and the cold wind was not making my situation any better. I just put my hands on my face and broke down. For the first time in a long time I just let the tears flow It was just me, the world, and a broken dream in this alleyway. I just wanted to go numb, I never felt so alone.

And that's when it happened.

My crying halted the moment I felt the rain stop hitting me. I lived in this world long enough to know that life never cuts you a break no matter how hard you beg. It was probably someone looming over me just waiting for me to look up just so they could punch me in the ace or kick me. That wouldn’t be a first. I looked up and braced myself for the worse.

Now this was a first. Instead of some grown man or woman with hatred in their eyes looking down at me, there was a this Hispanic boy my age. He was wearing a clean long sleeve black t-shirt and blue jeans. He had beanie on, covering his raven black hair. He looked like he was doing way better than me. He allowed himself to get wet as he held an umbrella over my head. We remained where we were and just studied each other.

We then just stared into each others eyes, and for that one moment in my life I didn’t feel so alone in this world. Instead of the cold stares I was so used to getting, there was this warmth in his brown eyes, but behind the warmth I could feel  this loneliness and bitter resentment. Almost as if the world had wronged him like it did to me. The look on his face was not threatening, but concerned.

He broke the silence. “Dante.”

I was confused. “What?” I asked.

The boy said it again. “Dante, that’s my name.”

I couldn’t hide the feeling of stupidity I felt. I  was just so not used to someone actually talking to me. And I could tell he knew how I felt. He smiled at me as he asked me a question. “What’s your name?”

I stayed silent. I didn’t know what to say. What was I suppose to say? I never really had a name to begin with. Except for the title of parasite the Sheriff and this town had given me.

Dante looked at me confused. “What’s the matter? Don’t you know your own name?”

I shook my head no.

Dante sounded even more confused. “Did you forget it?”

Again, I just shook my head no.

“Then what’s your name.”

My voice cracked as I spoke. “I don’t have one.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Dante stayed silent. He continued to hold the umbrella over my head, but he decided to sit next to me. He looked up at the sky and remained silent for a really long time.

He continued to look up at the sky. “Adam.”

I was confused again. “What?”

Dante turned his head an looked at me. “Well you said you don’t have a name so I came up with one. For now one, your name is Adam Aeterna.” He grinned. “Now you can’t say you don’t have a name!”

I just sat there in shock. Until now, I didn’t have a name. Everyone just called me a parasite. I couldn’t help but cry. It always felt as though I wasn’t even a person.

Until now.

Dante looked scared when he saw me beginning to ball my eye out again. “I’m sorry! I’ll think of something better! Please stop crying!”

I made an attempt to stop crying but I just couldn’t stop. I sobbed, “No, it’s not your fault!”

Dante looked at me with concern. “Then why are you weeping?”

 kept sobbing. “No one ever cared about me enough to even give me a real name.”

Dante put his free hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” He looked down and saw the wound on my arm. He looked shocked. “How did you get hurt?”

“The Sheriff sent his hellhound after me.”

Dante had a look of fury on his face. He just couldn’t believe how cruel I was treated. “Why would he do that?!”

I didn’t want to answer.

Dante wanted to know. “Answer me! Why would that monster do that to you?”

I broke. “I was digging through his trash trying to find something to eat, alright! I was just so hungry! I couldn’t help it! Is this what you wanted to hear! I’m just some homeless bum that no one cares about!” I looked at Dante as I let those bitter tears flow. “Do you know what its like to lose your humanity and not even feel like person? To feel unloved! Do you?!”

Dante took me by surprise and embraced me in a hug. There was sincerity to his voice. “Just trust me when I say I know how you feel.” He let go and got up. He held his hand out to me. “Let’s make a pact. From this moment on, we’re brothers. I promise to always have your back if you have mine. Deal?”

I extended my hand t shake his, but I hesitated. What if this was a plan by the  Sheriff to finally kill me? What if he just goes back on his word and just hurts me? What if, eventually, he will think I’m a freak like everyone else? But then again, what did I have to lose? So I shook his hand.

I finally stopped crying. I wiped my eyes and shook his hand. “Deal.”