Thicker Than Blood

Chapter 14: Death and a funeral

I sat in the chair in the back of the room watching the people walk with their heads hung and clouds of darkness overhead pass me to go up and pay their respects. Not many people showed up. There was a decent crowd, probably about thirty people, but it seemed like it was mostly family members. If I recall Mitchell mentioning before, Liam kept to himself throughout his years at our school. My observation during his graduation was that he was only around his parents, the other students didn't really talk to him – except one meek and goth looking girl. She wasn't here, but that's assuming she even heard. It wasn't in the newspapers and I'm sure it was because of Alec's influence, but there were police here. It was painfully obvious he had been killed, and where we left him to make it look that way probably aided in that decision. The other girl had died that night as well – an allergic reaction or something. I'm not sure from what, but Mitchell's the one with the medical doctor degree, so I believed him.

Alec was the first one that showed this late morning, and now he was puffing his chest out as he talked to the plain clothed police. I wondered if he knew who they were. I knew because I overheard them when they stood in the back watching us parade down the aisle to look at the job Death, and steal, provided. Mitchell and I hadn't talked or seen each other in a few days since we had lost Liam's help, and it seemed he had attached himself to Alec. I should say he'd become Alec's shadow, but Alec didn't seem to care, assuming he even knew. Mitchell was a few paces back, lumbering in the dark that surrounded Alec, his face unreadable. I wanted to approach him, meaning Mitchell – definitely not Alec – but I got the distinct feeling he had a mission to attend to, so I left him alone.

There were flowers all around, mostly roses and some white flowers that I wasn't sure what they were. The funeral director stayed in the front by the casket and the lights were dimmed casting eerie glows and dancing shadows on the blue velvet – I knew they were velvet because I touched them – curtains. Liam liked comic books, for there were many life-size comic book hero cutouts fanning from his coffin. Hulk was doing his famous hulk smash, Ironman's mask was off, and Robert Downey Jr. stared into my soul, while Chris Evans, as Captain America, stood to ward off evil. In my head it was almost comical how they pointed and glared, like they could save him. Hell, like they could save me.

It was my turn to walk up to and see him. The cutouts seemed to be watching me, as if they knew I was the evil that took him. I wasn't holding the knife, but I had killed him, nonetheless. My guilt was manifesting itself into strange movements I caught out of the corner of my eye, I even imagined Liam sitting up and saying it was a joke, but he just laid there – and I just stared. I knew that behind me were some others waiting to say something, to touch him one last time, but my body wouldn't move from its' spot. Finally, I looked up and saw Mitchell and the two cops watching me. Mitchell gestured for me to move on, and I obliged.

Moving over to the side, I continued to watch Mitchell leave to go outside. I followed him. He lit a cigarette, puffing into the air. "What do you need Harry?" Mitchell's voice grumbled.

"What did you do with them specifically? More importantly, how are you doing? And... I wanted to thank you for patching me up." I was beginning to ramble on, but I couldn't stop myself from continuing. The funeral was bothering me because it just shoved my own mortality into my face.

Mitchell was seemingly calm, calmer than when Liam died. He began at a normal volume, "I'm ok. I just needed time..." then his voice dropped to a whisper, "I don't think here's the place to discuss things," sighing, "you're welcome." He took another drag, "I do think we need to talk to him." Mitchell's eyes travelled the room till they landed on the aforementioned him, Alec.
"You think he'll actually talk to us?" Looking at Alec, he seemed to be in his element, the crocodile tears brimming in his eyes. Alec doesn't strike me as a person who'd cry at his own parents' funeral.