Bloodhearts

Chapter six: Danger.

"Don't look at those," Cory says as he enters the living room with two glasses of water in his hands. He knows I'm looking at the pictures of his younger self, the ones where he's smiling like a dork and like nothing in the world could ever get to him. He's still like that. Maybe that's what bothers me - and intrigues me.

"Are you getting embarrassed now?" I tease, picking up a picture just to see how he'll react. He lunges for me, trying to get the picture out of my hands. He's awfully close. Stares into my eyes.

"Give me that," he says and his chest repeatedly rubs against mine since he's trying to reach up high. Problem is I'm much taller than him. I chuckle and he chuckles too as I watch him fight to get it back until he gets hold of the damn thing - and my hand. It's like a thousand volts go through us. I stare at him wide-eyed. He does the same. The picture is in his hand now, but he doesn't move. His blue eyes shine. I can't look away. This is bad and I know it. My eyes land on his lips and he breathes in deeply. My brain doesn't register anything but him. I don't know why, but I'm leaning towards him and my lips land on his and we kiss. It's just a simple kiss. My hands are at his waist and his are at my neck, caressing it slowly and it's driving me completely mad.  I can't stop kissing him in that moment. 

I never imagined this could happen...

... Only, there's always that point where you realize what it is you're doing.

I jolt back, like I've been stung by something and feel myself start to panic. I pull away from him. His breathing is ragged, his eyes sad yet calm - just like he was expecting me to react this way. He wants to say something, but as soon as he opens his mouth to speak, I turn around and leave the house. The door slams behind me.

I sit in my car, my head spinning like crazy. I don't even want to think about what just happened. I don't want to know what it means. I start up my car and serve out on the road, racing home. It's a good thing the police aren't out today, I think, when I swing onto my street. I seriously hope my dad isn't home, but with my luck he most likely is. I get my answer when I pull up on our driveway and see the expensive Mercedes S5 parked in the garage.

Scowling, I slam my door shut and move inside, bracing myself for whatever happens next. You never know what mood my father's in. His mood swings are worse than any teenager's.

"James?" his voice echoes through the hallway almost before I step inside.

"Yeah, dad, it's me," I call out and hang up my jacket. I decide to just go into the kitchen where I find him sitting by the counter, reading a stack of important looking documents.

"Were you out?" he asks me and I don't like the small talk tone of voice he uses. It always means he has something to say.

"Yeah," I say.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" he asks, making me take the seat across from him.

I almost fall into the trap then until the clock saves me. "No, I'm always getting home at this point," I say and he seems to take the bait. Did I really spend that much time with Cory? We sit in uncomfortable silence until I realize that the documents he's going through are mine.

"Where did you get those?" I ask him quietly. I can feel myself getting angry.

He doesn't look up at me. "Found them in your room," he says. "I went up to look for you... You weren't there."

I frown and for a moment I forget who I'm talking to. "What's your point?" I say sharply.

His head snaps up. The eyes rest on me like I'm being interviewed in a murder case. "You will show me respect, boy," he orders.

I turn my hands into fists under the table. "Those are mine," I say. I hate it when he snoops around in my room. I don't understand why he has to know about everything I have and own in this world, which isn't much under his watch.

"Is there a specific reason you've decided to defy me or is it because you've seriously think you have nothing better to do?" He looks me over. "I don't understand you, James. I give you everything you could possibly need and you still don't seem to give a damn about your old father's wishes. And that's despite the fact that I am feeding you, housing you and most importantly letting you finish an education you will not even need."

"You still don't know that, dad," I argue.

He kills me with a simple glare. "You might think you know everything because you get good grades, young man, but you don't. I have seen it, in fact I see it every day, and it's coming whether you want to believe it or not. There's a reason we're shutting down compromised areas. So I'm gonna tell you one more time; there are still a few spots open on the leader's course. Do yourself a favor, son, and sign up instead of wasting your time commanding useless high school boys around in football games. You are a soldier."

I clench my teeth. "I like football, dad."

"I don't care!" he throws back at me. "James, you are better than that! You can be a better leader commanding my troops! You should start taking some responsibility not just for yourself, but for your family! For the goddamn country even!"

I get up from the chair, seething up. I don't say a word, I just take my documents from him and go to my room, slamming the door. There's no way this day could get any worse. I want to become a professional football player, knowing that the ones they educate over the next few years will probably be the last ones. It's not that I don't want to fight, I just don't want to do it my dad's way. I don't want to be bossed around anymore. I wanna make my own decisions in life while I can. Just five years ago, there was nothing he wanted more for me than to become a professional athlete, but since this stupid plague has started to infect the world, saving this dysfunctional family and America has been his biggest priority. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't give a shit about what I want, he just wants to save the whole damned world.

...

When my eyes open, I see the floor covered in bodies, now truly dead. Two of the living have fallen. It's two young boys. Although, that's not the issue the living can worry about right now; there's a boney standing 'face' to face with Cory and it doesn't look so happy. Cory holds his ground and corks his gun. He shallows thickly and never breaks eye contact with the thing. If you can call those empty sockets eyes. It roars angrily ay him and it wants to attack... until Jason shoots it in the head and it sinks to the ground. It doesn't get up again.

That's when I learn what it means to breathe a sigh of relief. I can't believe they made it through. That boney was serious danger and I had no idea it was possible to shoot one before now. That means even the boneys aren't invincible no matter what they want us to believe. What you gotta understand about boneys is that they are controlling the world of my kind. No questions asked. They preach the right way to exist. Go against them and you die, or steal their meal, you also die. Their mission is to make us believe that they are the ultimate life form and therefore invincible - but I guess it isn't that simple.