Death Comes With Open Arms

Chapter 2: With Death Comes New Life

As I make my way through the town, the glint of a blade shines from a store nearby me. Perfect. I'll see Noah then circle back and finish this. I continue down the path and stop at a rather small cottage. It has few rooms and houses many people. A lower-class family resides there, and many swarm in their small living room. The house is slowly breaking, its roof starting to cave in and the stairs to the front door starting to rot. It gives a rather haunting feeling aside from the candlelight and many silhouettes dancing through the curtains. I walk up to the front door and lightly knock on the front door. I quickly step back before the front door swings open and two, muscular arms wrap around me. "Thy!" a feminine voice yells, "Noah! Your girlfriend is here!" This is the usual welcome I get from Mrs. Elsher. I guess it's normal for such a large family. I, myself, am not used to it even though I've been here many times, and Noah and I have been dating for three years now. I met him and his mother the first time I ran away. At the time, my parents had this dog that would guard me and the flowers, especially the flowers. I snuck out and it caught my scent and we played a game of lion and prey. His family sheltered me until it gave up and left. I look at the doorway and Noah, a rather tall and muscular boy with dark, wavy, medium-length hair, almond brown eyes, tanned skin, and sharp features, stands there, smiling at me. "Hey, Thee," he says, hugging me once Mrs. Elsher lets me out of her grip. "Hi, Noah," I say, hugging him tightly. I've missed him. Though I saw him a week ago, it felt like forever. "You didn't forget about us meeting with the others today, did you?" I ask. "Nope," Noah says as he lets go of me. "Mom, I'm going to be gone for a few hours. The chores are done and Amelia, Charlotta, Geneviève, Lorelei, and Dahlia are in bed," Noah says. "Thank you, Noah. Go have fun with your friends. Be responsible," Mrs. Elsher says. "We will," Noah says as he grabs his bag, the soft clang of glass bottles sounding from it. We never listen to the last rule. We're teenagers. We want to have fun. I cling onto Noah's left arm as we walk towards a dark street and down it, to Billie, Verona, and Ryker's houses. We knock on each of their doors, each answering within a minute or two. Except for Ryker, as usual. "Up here," says a deep voice, the puff of cigarette smoke flying past us. We look up at the roof and there sits a tall and muscular boy with dark skin, dark brown, almost black eyes, and long, braided, black hair. He has a long scar starting at his forehead and over his right eye, probably from street fights. "Get down here before we're caught. It's past curfew and no one is supposed to be out," Noah hisses out. "Okay, okay. I'm coming," Ryker says as he jumps down from the roof, casting off a scent of vanilla. He looks at me and winks before getting elbowed by Noah. "Ouch," Ryker says. "Hands off," Noah snaps. "Didn't even touch her," Ryker says, chuckling some. Noah sticks close to me and pulls me closer to him by my waist. Ryker walks ahead and grabs Billie's hand, who swats it away and holds Verona's. Verona's scarlet red hair hangs down to her upper thighs, waving as she walks. She looks back at us and giggles as she lifts hers and Billie's hands up in the air for us to see. Her icy blue eyes practically glow with excitement, contrasting with her pale skin and freckles. Many golden bracelets decorate her wrists, matching her white cropped top and baggy, ripped, blue jeans secured by a decorative belt. Billie ignores their hands and continues to walk. Spray paint stains her skin and matches her multi-colored beanie, which used to be just black, and her black jacket with her black sweatpants, which somehow all match. Her short, chin-length, black hair pokes out from under her beanie, which frames her heart-shaped face. Heavy, dark eyeshadow decorates her eyelids, along with siren-style eyeliner, which contrasts with her blue eyes. Dark lipstick lines her plump and luscious lips, along with blush on her deathly pale cheeks, standing out some with her high cheekbones. Her skin is very pale, she almost looks dead, but is hot at the same time. Drawn-on freckles decorate her face, probably from Verona. Billie doesn't  wear makeup, meaning that she and Verona were hanging out together again. They need to start dating. Verona has had the biggest crush on Billie since I met her. This girl practically has Billie's life memorized by heart. Kind of creepy if you ask me, but they're cute. Billie likes Verona too but, surprisingly, is too shy to say anything. Verona's family is very nice but Billie's is harsh. They wouldn't approve and I think that's what she's scared of, not being accepted. She's already the most different out of all of them. I look at Ryker. He's an interesting one. Noah is a casual "good boy" but not. Ryker is unpredictable. I think that's what catches my attention about him, and he knows it. He loves to flirt with everyone, but he's hard to read. That's what makes him the most dangerous. He has a lot of cigarettes and beer though. A lot. Maybe that's why we keep him around. Though, when Noah is gone, I have my own fun around here. When you've been trapped in the same place your whole life, you want to explore like a kid in a candy store. Noah doesn't know, he's the only one who doesn't. He's also the only one who would care. No one in this group cares. Ryker is a player, Verona is a sheltered, rich crackhead, and Billie is an alcohol-addicted street painter. I, myself, like to see the town from a different angle. Many different angles. While everyone sees this place as a jail, I see it as my home and a new place to explore. Seeing the new surroundings is refreshing. Noah gently taps my shoulder and asks, "Are you alright?" I was zoning out again. A bad habit of mine from being alone. I'm going insane. "Yeah, I'm fine," I say. "You sure? You've been staring off for a while," Noah says. "Yup. All good here," I say, faking a smile. They believe it and continue walking. I just want to get drunk and high so this feeling disappears. I don't know what it is, a sinking feeling. I hate it. I feel hated by the world but at the same time, I don't care. I can't wait until after this meet-up. I'll leave my mark and then leave this hell. "We're here," Ryker says as he walks into an alleyway. Good. "Did you bring the booze?" Billie asks as she sets down a bag. "Yup. Cigarettes?" Noah asks as he sets down his bag with a clang from the glass bottles knocking into one another. "Yeah," Ryker says. "I brought some paint," Billie says. "I brought some stuff... If you guys want to have some... More fun," Verona says, chuckling as she sets her purse on the ground. "What kind of fun?" I ask, trying to hide a grin. "Fun that if we get caught, we're screwed," Verona says, her brown eyes shining with mischief. "I like where this is going," Billie says, leaning against the wall by Verona and lighting a cigarette she took from Ryker. "How did you get that?" Ryker asks. "You left it wide open. You're too easy to steal from," Billie says, taking a puff from the cigarette and then blowing out. Verona chuckles and leans against the wall. Billie pulls her into her arms and puts a cigarette into Verona's mouth before lighting it. Verona looks at Billie then at me and Noah, trying to hide her little grin. Sometimes it annoys me how much this girl likes Billie. She's the only thing she talks about, it gets aggravating. I take a beer from Noah's bag and Ryker walks over to me, popping my cap off with the blade of his knife. I have to admit, it was kind of hot. He hands it back to me and asks, "Where's your knife at?" "Snapped," I say, taking a swig of the beer. The alcohol burns as it goes down. Refreshing. "From what?" Ryker asks. I look at him, signaling him to mind his own business. "Alright," he says as Noah puts his hand on his shoulder. He walks away back over to Billie and Verona, flirting with them some. Sometimes I regret getting with Noah so fast. He's sweet but he's no fun. Though, he's much more trustworthy than Ryker. But, I like to have my life unpredictable. It takes my mind off of home and gives me something to keep me occupied. Ryker would be pretty good at that. I sigh and quietly mutter, "No, this counts as cheating. No." Noah walks over to me and gently pulls me into his arms. I almost dump my beer and look up at him, giving him a look. He isn't looking at me. Instead, he's looking at Ryker. If I could describe how jealous he is of him, I would. He's insecure to the point he's very protective of me. Maybe that's something else that makes Ryker hot, he's confident. I don't think Noah realizes that pushes me away more than bringing me closer. I groan quietly as I take another swig of the beer. Noah looks at me with a confused expression. "I'm fine," I say. I just want to get high or drunk and forget all of my problems and other shit. I look at Ryker and say, "Ryke, toss me a joint." Ryker nods and tosses me a cigarette. Damn. Cigarettes do barely anything. They only last as long as the joint itself does. There's got to be something better. Verona, as if she read my mind, walks over to me and slides something into my hand. She uses her body to shield it from the others and puts it in my mouth, taking the cigarette away to switch them. I raise an eyebrow and she lights the object she gave me. It looks like a cigarette but the tobacco, or what I assume is tobacco, is colored differently. It is more of a yellow-green than its usual darker green. I take a hit from it and almost instantly, my mind clears. "Holy shit," I say, putting the joint between my middle and ring finger with shock. Verona giggles softly and leans back against the wall by Billie. "Are you alright, Thy?" Noah asks. "Oh, yeah. I'm great," I say, flashing Verona a look of thanks. I don't know what this is or how she got it but damn does this work better than cigarettes? Burns less too. I hand Noah my bottle of beer and say, "You can have the rest." "You're not finishing it? You usually have three or four of these. Are you feeling okay?" Noah asks. "Oh. I feel great," I say, laughing softly and taking another hit from the joint. Damn. This is really strong. Verona has one of the joints in her mouth as well, sharing it with Billie. I glance at Noah and offer him the joint. He shakes his head and takes a drink of the beer. He's never been a smoker. Boring. I huff and put the joint back into my mouth before a large hand takes it out and pokes my lips playfully. Ryker chuckles and takes a hit from the joint then puts it back into my mouth. I stand there with a visible look of shock plastered on my face. "That's some good ass weed, Nick. Where'd you get it?" Ryker asks as I still stand there. "I have my secrets," Verona says. So it's weed. That explains a lot. Tobacco doesn't make me feel this good. Plus, tobacco doesn't slow down my reaction time. I can feel my face burning up from a blush that crept across it. Ryker knows, I can see his little smirk, though his back is almost fully to me. Noah grumbles with aggravation and takes another drink of the beer, finishing it before opening another and guzzling it down. That's the problem with Noah. He's a pussy. He acts all tough then lets people walk all over him and drinks his pain away. Then, he becomes aggressive. It got bad to the point where he and Ryker got into a fight. That's why Ryker has a scar on his eye. He even has a line down his pupil like a line in his vision, a barrier. Like most people, we want what we can't have. So, instead of teaching Ryker a lesson, it made him get more touchy and he tests Noah more. It pisses him off and, honestly, it's kind of funny. I know Ryker can take Noah out easily, we all do, Ryker just finds enjoyment in teasing him rather than beating his head in. I don't blame him. It's an easy way to take anger out or not get bored. I'm not complaining. Ryker looks hot when he's all smug and Noah looks hot when pissed. Win-win. I snap back into reality when I hear Verona yelp, her head whipping around to look at Billie. Billie laughs and says, "Don't be so jumpy. I'm not going to hurt you." She's definitely high. Billie doesn't act like this. I look at Ryker, who is perched up on a fire escape ladder and sipping something in a bottle. I look at Noah, who's sitting on the ground by me. He's drunk, no doubt. He has at least five beer bottles at his feet. Is he chugging those or was I zoned out for a while? Ryker looks down at me and we make eye contact. He motions me up and shakes his bottle. I climb up to him and ask, "What's in the bottle?" "A better drink than beer," Ryker says, unscrewing the lid, "Want to try?" "Sure," I say. I take the bottle and take a big gulp of it, letting it run down the back of my throat. It burns as it goes down, but not a bad burn. It's refreshing. I swallow it down and blink a few times. "Holy shit!" I exclaim. "I know, right?" Ryker asks, taking his bottle and taking a drink. "What is that?" I ask, trying to take the bottle back. Ryker swats my hand away and says, "Nope. You're not getting drunk from this on my watch." I quickly snatch the bottle from Ryker and run away, jumping down from the fire escape. "Thyra!" Ryker yells, jumping down and running after me. "Shit!" I yell, laughter escaping me. "Thee is gonna die," Billie says, taking a puff from a cigarette as I run past. I take off down the road and try to run away from Ryker. He's fast. After a few seconds, he grabs my waist and yanks me back, prying the bottle from my fingers. "Sly little fucker," he says, chuckling softly. I smile smugly at him and say, "Come onnnn. You won't share?" "I did when I let you try it," Ryker says. "Awwww," I say. Ryker rolls his eyes and chuckles. "Let's get back to the alley before we get caught," he says. I nod in agreement and we walk back to the alleyway. "You two have fun? You took a bit to get back," Billie says, playfully grinning at us. "Ran far," I say. I'm starting to wish we took longer. "You wish something happened," Ryker says playfully. I can feel my face heat up and I look behind us. Noah looks rough. He's knocked out and leaned against the brick wall with a beer in his hand. I sigh and Billie looks at me. "Why don't you break up with him?" she asks. "Huh?" I ask, looking at Billie with shock. "You're obviously not interested and it's weighing you both down," Billie says. "I'm fine. I'm... Happy," I say. Billie gives me a look and says, "Your tone of voice says otherwise." I huff quietly and mutter, "There'd be no point in doing it anyway." Verona raises an eyebrow and asks, "Why not?" "Just doesn't," I say, leaning against the wall. Verona nods and says, "Okay." "I'm going to head out," I say, stopping when I see the light of a torch. "Who's in here?" asks a loud, masculine voice. "Shit," Billie hisses as she grabs her bag and lifts Noah up, "Ryker." "On it," Ryker says, grabbing Noah and slinging him over his shoulder then grabbing his and Noah's bags. I quickly grab our trash and throw it into the dumpster near us before climbing up the fire escape. Verona grabs her purse and quickly follows us. "Fuck, you two," Billie hisses at me and Ryker. "Shut your trap and move," Ryker quietly hisses. We scramble up the fire escape and put our hoods over our heads to hide ourselves. We climb onto the roof of a nearby house and run. Noah stirs and looks around him before vomiting on the ground. "Shit, Noah. You better pray that you didn't get any of that on my jacket or you're going home to your parents drunk as fuck," Ryker hisses. "He's already weighing us down. Just leave him at his doorstep. Whatever happens, happens," Billie says as she runs. Ryker sighs and breaks from the group, jumping onto another rooftop to get to Noah's house. I continue to run with them but slip and tumble off of the roof and onto the street. "Ouch," I whisper, holding my bleeding knee, "Damn." I hear footsteps near me as blood runs down my leg. It lands on the ground, glowing, red light illuminating the road around it. "What the hell?" I whisper as a flower, the same flowers as the ones in the warehouse, sprouts from the droplets my blood made. "Over here!" yells a voice as the footsteps come closer. I quickly spring to my feet and bolt towards my house, unlocking the door and closing the door behind me.