Necrocide

Chapter 72

"Aaron!" Kyle yelled, standing beside Harry. "Wake up!"

And just like the many times before, Aaron jerked up from the floor, but this time without a scream. The color in his eyes had vanished, and he glared back up at his friends with a lifeless stare. He was twitching monstrously, and only animalistic screeches left his tongue when he tried to speak. A strand of saliva dangled out of his mouth as he spoke.

"Oh no," Kyle whispered. "He can't be gone already."

"I wouldn't be surprised, mate," Harry replied sullenly. "He lost a lot of blood during the attack. The Ambrosia must've had a field day taking over him after that."

A pain-filled wail escaped Aaron's throat as he fought back against the monster inside him and returned from the darkness. The color reappeared in his eyes, and he had regained control of his movement and speech. "Where the hell am I?" he asked.

"We're in the Dead Center, remember?" Harry replied. "We were attacked by the DZI."

"We were?" A shiver went down Aaron's spine. He felt colder than ever. "Where did I go? Why am I so cold?"

"I don't blame you for asking," Kyle replied. "Everything that's happened today is taking a toll on all of us. Especially what happened to Edgar."

Aaron gasped. "Where is he?!"

"Bloodletter buried him in the center of town," Harry replied. "He and Jade should still be there. Not sure if it's best to disturb them."

"Don't worry." Aaron rose to his feet and studied his mangled, blood-soaked clothing. "I'll take the evidence and be on my way. You'll never have to see me again."

"That sounds a bit much, don't you think?"

"I'm afraid not, Harry. I've already decided what I'm going to do once I've finally delivered the evidence."

A burst pipe hung from the ceiling of the destroyed building the three of them were in. Water poured out of the edge as a makeshift shower, and a pool formed on the floor beneath the pipe. Aaron ripped his shirt off and walked over to the cataract, rinsing the blood off his body. The water was freezing cold, a far cry from the warm showers he took in the last few days. All the blood gathered up in a large puddle at his feet, and eventually he could no longer see his feet through the dark crimson fluid. As Harry and Kyle awkwardly watched Aaron cleanse himself, they couldn't help but notice he was as white as paper. If he laid still enough, he could've been mistaken for an actual corpse.

"What are you gonna do once you've completed your mission, Aaron?" Harry asked nervously.

"S-s-simple," Aaron replied shivering from the coldness of the water. He stepped out of the waterfall descending from the pipe and looked down as the blood dripped down his bare chest and arms. "Once I've let my friends know the truth, I plan on ending my own life."

Harry and Kyle's mouths gaped open in horror. "You can't be serious!" Kyle shouted.

"Yes, sir," Aaron replied frighteningly nonchalant. "It took me a while to think about, but I've concluded that it is the only way I can go out peacefully without bringing further harm to my friends."

"What about me, mate?!" Harry asked. "I'm your brother! You don't want to forget me, do you?"

Aaron made his way toward the door, not even bothering to look back at Harry and Kyle. "It took you long enough to learn that," he replied coldly. "I don't want to have to go through the same thing, forgetting everyone that ever mattered to me. I'd rather die knowing that their lives have been improved than live without the knowledge that I used to see them as people and not prey."