Somewhat Dead

03: Rupture & Friends

[03: Rupture & Friends] edited. Leo in the media

Jaslynn Fine

"Good morning sleepyhead!" Someone shouted into my ear causing me to sit up abruptly on the couch I'd fallen asleep on the day before. I groaned, before looking up and seeing Sahaya standing above me with a joy filled grin.

"Sahaya?" I questioned and ran a hand through my hair.  Books were scattered all around the floor. I'd looked through them yesterday, they were all faded and rough to the touch. All of them in a language I couldn't understand or couldn't identify. After a while of looking, I'd fallen asleep under the light of a torch and the company of the old books.

Sahaya wore a different outfit from yesterday, today she wore a loose fitting black hoody with the word dope written over it in white curled font, a black beanie with a metal triangle on the front, some black and white Jordans, and some black leggings.

"C'mon, everyone's upstairs in the kitchen." She said and pulled me up from the couch, and dragging me up the staircase. Once we made it up the stairs, my mouth fell slightly open at what I saw. It was nothing like how it looked downstairs. The hallway reminded me of a palace, gold rimed the floorboards that were a glistening mahogany. There were paintings of people that looked hundreds of years old, all of them beautifully crafted and pleasing to the eye. A large crystal chandelier huge right in the middle of the ceiling, what seemed like millions of lights shined from it like stars in the night sky.

"Oh come on. It's not that nice. I'll give you a tour later." She didn't give me the chance to answer before she pulled me through a few hallways and finally to the kitchen where just like she said, the strange people I'd met yesterday were.

"Please! If I don't have any soon I'm going to die of hunger!" Leo looked at Jasper, you had narrowed his eyes at him. "Sorry." He apologized which caused Jaspers expression to become less murderous, and for him to nod once at him.

I frowned, confused at what had just gone on in front of me. Sahaya leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Jasper will tell you about it some day." I looked at her and went to ask her what he'd be telling me about, but decided against it. She wouldn't have whispered it to me for no reason.

"I'm not getting you McDonald's pancakes Leo, and that's the end of it!" Levi pressed, his tone tense and his forehead creased from his frustration.

"Just remember I saved you little brother." Leo says and rolls an apple around in his palm.

"I'm older than you." Levi counters and rolls his eyes.

"But I've been dead longer." Leo says and takes a bite out of the apple. "That has to count for something."

Wait...

"We can't eat anything." Levi says as his eyes focus on me, obviously having enough of the banter between himself and his younger brother. "I mean we can, but we can't taste it. Everything is like water. We feel it, we know we're consuming it, but it tastes like nothing. But, knowing this, Leo still mandates that there is something in the fridge at all times, and makes sure that for that to happen someone always has to go to the store."

"Hey," Leo shouts which comes out muffled by the apple in his mouth. He swallowed before continuing. "I have to keep in touch with at least some bit of my humanity right? Really, how is what I'm doing different from Pigeon, with her-you know-her chirping or whatever she does."

Raven growled at him from her spot next to the refrigerator, Leo simply took another bite from his apple uncaringly, the juice dripping down his pink lip which he quickly wiped onto his sleeve.

"Look, all I'm saying is, why is it so bad that I like to eat? I don't grow so I'm not getting fat, there's no chance of me getting diabetes or something, and food was something I always enjoyed twenty eight years ago. I'm not seeing a problem." Leo states and takes another bite of his Apple. Twenty eight?

Levi scoffed and walked over to his brother. "Of course you don't." He snatched the apple out of his hand and shot it into the thrash can. "You've got you're head too far in the take out menu."

Sahaya and Raven laughed as Jasper attempted to calm down Leo who was reaching over the counter towards Levi, who continued pissing him off more by standing just out of reach and pretending to shoot into the trash can and doing a victory dance everything he 'made it'.

As I was looking at all the commotion, it almost felt like it was normal. Like I was meant to be here. Like I was meant to be a part of this... this... whatever it is.

"Guys!"

We all turned are attention over to the doorway to the far left of the kitchen. Kamina stood there with wide eyes. "It's Braxton. The Rupture is starting." Suddenly everyone's attention turned to me. And I knew if it still could, my heart would be beating a mile a minute.

"We don't have much time!"

"Come on!"

It all happened in an instant. Levi, Jasper, and Kamina ran back through the kitchen door, and Leo picked me up bridle style before dashing us both into the hallway. I wrapped one hand around his neck, and the other clutched his shirt as a white hot pain exploded in my chest.

I called out as tears formed in the corners of my eyes. "Shh, it's okay." He attempted to coo, but it came out desperate and panicked. Almost as if he was trying to get himself to believe it too.

I noticed that we'd made it back down stairs just as he placed me back onto the stone slab I first woke up on.  But this time I wasn't the only one on it. I turned my head to the side, and was met with a man. Tattoos covered his neck and shoulders leading downward out of sight. His hair was closely cut on the sides but aloud to grow wildly at the top.  His eyes were closed so tightly you'd think it hurt him, his jaw locked tightly but you could still faintly see his teeth grinding.

I called out again when the pain traveled up into my throat. It felt like a thousand knives were being stabbed into me over and over and over again. My body jerking wildly off of the stone.

"Look, I still don't know you're name, but I need to you to do something for me." Leo spoke loudly from where he now kneeled next to me. "Take his hand," he reached over and took both of our hands and placed them in each other's. "And for the love of God, please don't let go."

He was pulled back by Jasper right after he spoke, and instantly by skin began to burn like I was in an oven. My lungs started to crave air I hadn't needed minutes before, and I started to gasp for any bit of oxygen I could possibly get. My heart started to pound at a in humane pace, and sweat rolled down my head. I could faintly hear the groans of the man next to me, before my heart pounded one more time, and then finally, stopped.