The Mandela Catalogue

In Shock (Fox POV)

(IN FOX'S POV INCASE YOU GET CONFUSED!)

(TW/ mentions of suicide, gayness, pills and death? )

I wake up in the morning with Bee in my lap.
"heh, Morning Bee." I say, I stretch out and yawn.
I check the time on my phone, 10am.
I get out of bed to check on Damien, I quietly open his door to see him sitting up, staring at his phone. He doesn't seem to be doing anything on it and it isn't playing sound.

"you OK there?" I ask
He doesn't reply.
"hey you OK?" I ask again
Still no reply.
I walk up to him.
"have you slept? What's wrong?" I say sitting next to him.
"whatever your going through, you can talk to me OK?" I say, I get up to leave but he tugs my sleeve.
"h-he died." he says
"who?" I ask

"Cooper, my childhood friend- H-he got killed by an- And he texted me before he- it was my fault- I couldn't stop him" he says, he starts to cry.
"hey it's not your fault!" I say
"he didn't listen to you."
"people come and go, it's OK"
I hug him. He hugs back. Pepper nibbles his ear.

_____________

An hour passes

Im sat on the sofa next to where Michael is sleeping. And on the other sofa Jackie watches TV under the covers.

"hey, I didn't get your pronouns?" I ask Jackie.
"oh, I guess it isn't that easy to tell with short hair ha, they/them. But I wouldn't care if you used she/her either." they say smiling.
"oh, thanks!" I say
"no problem! what are yours and Damiens?" they ask
"my are he/him. Damiens are any" I say
"any?"
"he goes by all pronouns, he doesn't care which you use."
"ah" they say, looking back at the TV.
Max looks up from Michaels lap as Damien comes in.
Damien goes in the kitchen, takes some pills, gets a slice of bread and then goes back in his room.

I sigh sadly.
"what's wrong with him?" Jackie asks
"his friend got killed by an alternate last night, we should get him some space" I say
"I think he needs a nice warm bath with some whiskey or something." they say.
"that could be a good idea actually." I say getting up.

(a few moments later)

I pop my head into Damiens room.
"hey." I say
Damiens under his covers and all I can see is the top of his hair, Pepper is sat on his shoulder.
"hi." he says muffled.
"I made you a bath." I say.
"why?"
"cause I thought it'd make you feel better and I wanna do something nice for you."
"you didn't have to-"
"I wanted to"
he moves the covers down so I could see his eyes.
"is there bubbles?"
"yes, and it's very warm too."
"thank you."
"I don't mind, you wanna get in before it gets cold."
"OK."

I close his door and go to sit on the sofa. a few minutes pass and I hear his bedroom door open then close.
"did you actually do it?"
"we don't have whiskey so I only did the bath."
"want me to get the whiskey."
"wha- no- how old even are you?"
"I'm 25"
"oh"
"I don't look that young do I?"
"I mean-"
they throw a pillow at me.
"hey!"

"would you two be a bit quiet I'm trying to sleep!" Michael says.
"oh shush you old man" Jackie says
I look confused.
"I've lived here nearly my whole life, me and Michael kind of know each other cause I'm a regular" Jackie says.
"ohhh" I say.
Bee meows at me.
"you hungry?" I ask
I check the time, 11:30 Time passes quick.

"aw, I nearly forgot to feed you. Should put on a timer next time." I say, getting up and scratching her head. She follows me to the kitchen, meowing. I get her food bowl and put in some wet cat food, she immediately starts eating it.
"woah, don't eat so fast" I say stroking her.
I go back to the living room to see the TV off and everyone, Michael, Jackie and Max, are sat up.
"what's going on"
"there was a bang."
"where."
"in the bathroom"
"shit"
I go to the bathroom door and knock.
"Damien you OK?"
No reply
"Damien!?" I yell.
I open the door and Damien is under the water.

I pull him up and he inhales.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" I yell
"I'M SORRY!" he yells
"WHY?"
"what?"
I take a moment to process.
"whyd you do it?"
"I just blacked out and then woke up to you pulling me up!" he says
"wait so you didn't just try to-"
"No!"
"oh my god Damien don't scare us like that."
"they thought you got caught by an alternate. I thought you tried to kill yourself!"
"I'm sorry!"
"you really need sleep."
"i guess I do"
"when your done, and don't fall asleep again, go back to bed OK."
"OK"
I close the bathroom door and sit on the sofa again.
"I heard you yell, what happened?" Jackie asks
"Well I found him under the water cause he had blacked out, he didn't sleep last night." I say.
"aw, hope he gets better soon. That makes him sound sick."
"it does" I agree.

A while later, I hear the water start going down the drain. Damien comes out in a black robe and a wet Pepper. He comes up behind me.
"can I hug you"
"why?"
"I want a hug"
"but your wet"
I pause
"fine"
I feel his arms come up around me and embrace me, then he walks into his room and closes his door.
"I think he might be gay too"
"I mean he hasn't told me- wait I never told you I was gay."
"I can just feel it."
"never say that again please"
Jackie bursts out laughing.
"I hate you" they glare

_______________

A few hours passed.

I woke up from the couch to see Michael watching TV.
"what time is it" I groan, sitting up.
"2:30" he says looking up at me.
The room goes dark.
"i had to turn it off cause it was being weird" he says
"just keep it down in here OK." I say going to lock the door with my phone torch.

I go to walk to my room when I see a figure standing in the hallway.
"AGAHAHA!" I shine my torch on it, it was Damien.
"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT DAMIEN" I yell/whisper.
He smirks slightly and goes to the kitchen.
"what you doing up at this time?" he asks
"could say the same to you" I say going over to him.
He gets a mug and puts it in the coffee machine.
"nono, not tonight Damien. You need sleep!" I say taking the mug.
"but I need it!"
"you don't?"
"I do!"
"give me a good enough reason.",
he looks down and mumbles
"what?"
"I keep having nightmares ok."
"what about"
"coop"
I sigh.
"you wanna sleep in my room tonight or something"
"why?"
"it could help to not be alone."
He stares at the floor for a bit.
"maybe." he says, I put the mug back.

I walk to my room and set up a little bed on the floor for Damien, he walks in 10 mins later with a cup of tea.
"coulda made me one" I joke
"meh"
I lay on my bed and Damien sits down on his.
"can I get Pepper?" Damien suddenly asks.
"you can if you want?" I say
"she says quiet until like 10 in the morning if your OK with that."
"yeah it's fine" I say turning on my side, back facing Damien.
I hear him leave the room.

I fall asleep.

~~~~~~~~~

I stand in the kitchen, dripping wet. My little brother had just sprayed me with the hose.
"go upstairs with your brother and dry off in the bathroom. I'll call you when lunch is ready" mum says.
I climb up the stairs on all fours, like a kid... I mean, I was a kid.
I look down at my brother climbing up too. We enter the bathroom and we get into towels.

"I saw the man in my room again last night!" he says
"what did he look like?"
"he was tall! With black scribbles as eyes! And a big grin! He doesn't like mummy." he says.
I hear mum call from downstairs.
We both go to go downstairs when I hear a noise in my brothers room, I look in his room down the hall but then on my left quickly caught my attention.
My brother slips and falls down the stairs. He had hit his head. He was only 3. He had passed away in the hospital.

What was the weirdest thing though, not my brother falling, not the noise in his room, not dad arriving from work just after the incident...

It was the tall man, in his room, exactly as my brother described him, but he wasn't smiling. He was frowning...

(this is a gay+horror if you don't know, I gotta add a bit of 🏳️‍🌈)