World Eater

5

“GOOD AFTERNOON, AL,” SARIEL SAID, GREETING ALZAR WITH A SMILE AS HE TOSSED HIS BACKPACK INTO THE BACK OF HIS CAR.

Sariel was in his early thirties, but the wrinkles under his eyes made him look much older. Messy blond hair draped against his shoulders, and two tired blue eyes peered at him from behind thick glasses.

“How was school?” Sariel asked.

“Meh,” Alzar muttered, pulling his seatbelt around his waist. He propped himself against the window, cutting his eyes at Sariel.

Sariel’s hands trembled on the steering wheel, a side effect of the medication he was on. Antipsychotics stopped his hallucinations, at the expense of his health. He slept frequently, and his muscles twitched.

Sariel had been driving Alzar to school ever since he could remember. When he turned sixteen, he tried to get his license, but Alzar found his nerves couldn't handle being behind the wheel.

“The principal called,” Sariel murmured casually, “Did you switch again?”

Alzar furiously dug at his arm, avoiding Sariel’s gaze.

“Alzar, it's okay. Do you want to talk about it? What happened?

“It's nothing,” Alzar snapped, sitting his head on the window. A hot blush settled on his cheeks, and he tried to remedy it by scratching another scab off his back.

Alzar turned the knob on the radio, drowning out any possible conversation with the local news. As Sariel drove further out of town, trees become more heavy, and static fringed the sound. The ride turned bumpy as they turned off the main highway and onto a gravel road.

Alzar sighed, closing his eyes. The forty-five minute drive from school to home was boring. He had already memorized every small farm and landmark that lined the way home. Right now, they were probably passing by the abandoned trailer with the sofa in the front yard.

Alzar cracked his eyes open at nearly two o'clock, just in time to see Sariel parking in front of their house. Their driveway was nearly a mile long, which planted their house deep in the middle of nowhere. A thick forest created most of the yard, which Alzar found to be his safe haven. It was tranquil, the kind of silence Alzar loved to use to get away from his worries.

Grabbing his backpack from the backseat, Alzar rushed by Sariel, who moved slowly, stilted. He threw off his shoes at the door, the cold hardwood floors welcoming him home. The smell of ripe garbage hit his nose immediately. Sariel must have forgotten to take out the trash.

Passing by Sariel’s bedroom, Alzar darted up the rickety staircase that formed a barrier between their bedrooms. Alzar had the second floor all to himself, while Sariel stuck to the lower floor. Slinking into his bedroom, Alzar shut the door, moving immediately to the large tank sitting by his bed.

“Did you miss me, Cephas?” Alzar cooed, his shoulders relaxing for the first time that day.

Inside the tank, a mottled brown snake flicked his tongue. Alzar grinned, running his fingers down his smooth scales. Cephas coiled around his arm, the sores on his flesh comforted by the touch of his pet.

Yawning, he placed Cephas back into his tank, flopping onto his bed. His headache had lessened, the pressure between his temples only a mere annoyance now. Alzar let his eyes droop shut. It was barely evening time and he was utterly exhausted.