Eli was barely staying afloat before the apocalypse. Working long shifts, taking care of his younger brother, and just trying to figure out what to do with his life.
When he finds his mom trying to take a chunk out of her youngest son though, Eli...
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Stopping in front of Reds shared room, I paused. Staring at the wooden door, racking my knuckles on the door I pushed it open. The door swung open easily, she was standing in front of her bed, thumbing through the pages of the books I had left on her bed; plenty more where that came from hiding underneath my bed.
"We need to clean you up," I told her, kneeling on the ground in front of her as she sat on the bed, holding one of the three books in her hands.
Holding onto the rag and peroxide I had brought up with me, I poured it onto the clean rag, lightly dabbing it onto the glass wounds on her legs. Her jeans ripped open to the point of being able to see the wounds with ease.
The bubbles showing on her skin told me that the medicine was doing its job, she didn't read the book like she usually would though. She just sat with it in her hand, staring at the cover blankly.
She wasn't acting like herself, and I knew why. But I had no idea what to say or do, but just fix her up.
Once her cuts were all cleaned up, all that was left was the bruising I went to get up but stopped when Red put her hand on my shoulder. Staying where I was, she took the rag and began cleaning under my nose and neck, wiping away the blood that had left my nose.
"Thank you," I told her, taking the medicine and getting up. When she stood up, ready to follow and put up a front I stopped her.
Shaking my head, she frowned, "Stay here, rest. Javier will be fine, you nap for a few hours."
As she got back into bed, I left the room; shutting the door firmly behind me.
Scrubbing my hand down my face, I sighed. Walking into the room I shared with my little brother, the sight of him lying on the ground in front of the door with tears marking his cheeks and Luna lying next to him; I shook my head, at myself.
I was all this boy had left and I was acting like the dead person who still haunted my own dreams.
Picking up the small boy, he stirred in my arms. Luna getting up on instinct and following us to the bed. "Eli?" His tired voice rang out as I pulled him closer to my chest.
"Yea, bud." I sighed, "It's me." He nodded against my chest, pushing against me. Sitting next to my head on the bed as I laid down.
He was quiet, I was able to close my eyes and almost nod off until he began talking again, timidly. "Is Javier okay?"
"I don't know bud, he got hurt."
"Did he get hurt by someone alive, or someone dead?" His voice soft, making my heart clench as he pulled on the coarse strands of my hair.
"He got bit." I truthfully told the toddler who knew more than he should. "We tried to save him."
"I hope it works," Mason whispered laying on my side.
