I'm Not Dead

[ C H . 2 5 ]

Nicole left the office first.

She told me to wait a couple of minutes to avoid anyone seeing us leave at the same time. While I waited, I grabbed a black sharpie off Joe's desk and took the liberty of drawing a snaggle tooth and monocle over every photo he had displayed of himself. The mutilation of his memories was almost as satisfying as bending his wife over his desk. He was a cruel, heartless man who needed to be put in his place.

After a minute or two passed, I combed my fingers through my disheveled hair, tied the drawstring of my pants, and cautiously poked my head out of the room. No one was on either side of the hall. Smirking, I whistled a pleasant tune as I limped back outside to clean Jokers off the lawn. Upon crossing the porch, I tipped my invisible hat to Joe, who grunted in response.

"Took you long enough."

"I had to take care of business."

Not bothering to entertain his reaction, I hobbled back out onto the lawn and continued whistling my song as I dragged Jokers away. Even though my body was tired from my recent workout, my adrenaline glands kept me upright. My encounter with Nicole had been incredibly exciting and I couldn't wait to initiate it again later. For once, my mind was on something else other than death and despair.

A few hours later, after a silent afternoon with Lorenzo, we managed to mend the fence and clear the lawn of Jokers. Joe had us throw the pile we made into the woods a mile down the road. He said the smell would deter live ones from coming near the house. I didn't poke holes in it, I just smiled smugly in response as Lorenzo asked Joe about borrowing some tools to fix the truck.

Now, Lorenzo and I were using bars of soap to scrub the dirt and blood off our hands in one of the many bathrooms. I didn't understand why a restroom needed two sinks, but I was grateful for it because I could continue ignoring him. Unfortunately, my brother had to much on his mind to let the stream of warm water fill the silence.

"About last night,"

Wondering if he was about to apologize, I glanced over at him. "What about it?"

"I was thinking about the Jokers that circled us in the woods and how they didn't attack us." He shook off his hands in the sink before grabbing a hand towel. "I have a theory."

Clenching my jaw, I took a deep breath in hopes it would ease my churning gut as I looked away from him.

Oblivious to my lack of response, he proceeded to spell out his theory for me.

"The Jokers have white pupils, right? Well, what if that's because the Vividus cause corneal opacity when they enter the brain?" He leaned back against the counter, wringing the towel between his dry hands.

Exhaling slowly, I vigorously scrubbing my hands. "What's corneal opacity?"

"It's when the cornea of your eye becomes scarred." He looked down at his feet as he continued fidgeting with the towel. "If they're blind, the Vividus probably use their other senses to hunt. Maybe they developed a form of echolocation like bats or a heightened sense of smell like wolves." He chewed his bottom lip. "If they track us by smell and sound, that's probably why they couldn't pinpoint our precise location. The smell of the forest and our lack of movement hid us. Then there's my theory about them having pack mentality—"

Finally snapping, I smacked the stream of water, causing clear droplets to splatter across the mirror. "Why don't you preach your theories to someone who cares? I'm pretty sure schools are closed until further notice, maybe you can help Mateo keep on top of his studies?" I finally snapped, before running my damp hands over my burning face. Of course, he wasn't going to apologize. He didn't think he was in the wrong.