Chapter Text
“Kev—”
A large hand slapped itself over his mouth and AJ tried smacking it off until he saw the look in Kevin’s eyes.
It was pure fear and panic. And it wasn’t even directed at him. He was looking to the side and AJ struggled to look that way to see what the hell was causing that look, but Kevin’s grip on his face intensified.
He tried saying his name again, but it came out sounding like a muffled moan.
Jesus fucking Christ if you don’t get your hand off me—
“Get out.” Kevin whispered.
AJ frowned.
“Don’t look back, just get the hell out of here.” Kevin said and in one quick motion, he’d been pulled off the bed and pushed out the door.
AJ shook his head and turned around just in time to see Brian sitting up.
AJ gasped. He was awake! “Brian–!” he started excitedly.
Kevin looked back angrily and in one quick motion, the door was shut. AJ hadn’t even seen him near the door.
AJ fiddled with the door handle, trying to force his way inside but it was like double bolted or something.
“Kevin! Open the fucking door!” He yelled, “What the hell is going on—” he broke into a series of coughs.
Just moments ago he’d been gasping for breath.
He placed a hand on his throat and flinched. It hurt like hell.
“Shit.” He must’ve scratched too hard this time.
AJ sped walked to the nearest bathroom and switched the lights on. What he saw in the mirror nearly made him shit his pants.
Above the scratches stood two red handprints squeezed around his throat. Some parts were already bruising a dark purple.
“No way.” AJ said, placing his hand over one of them. They were smaller than his own and he took one look back in the direction of Brian’s room.
“Fucking hell.” He had to call Howie.
AJ ran out and went downstairs, his eyes focusing on the house phone and grabbed it.
It was only when he was waiting for Howie to pick up that he realized how eerily silent the house was. All that noise and Brian’s parents hadn’t come to check on them.
He looked around. They weren’t down here.
He swallowed thickly. It hurt.
They should still be in the house. Unless they went somewhere before Kevin got here.
“Hello?”
AJ jumped when Howies voice pierced his ear.
“Where are you guys?”
“We got like ten minutes until we get there, why?”
He looked behind him, suddenly feeling uneasy. His hands trembled and he could feel cold sweat running down his back.
“Alex?”
“He’s here.” He said.
“What?”
“Kevin’s here!” He said through gritted teeth, then let out a wheeze, momentarily dropping the phone and kneeling.
Whatever the fuck Howie was saying, AJ couldn’t understand from here.
“Shit.” He mumbled and grabbed the dangling phone.
“—if you don’t fucking answer me right now—” it was Nick.
“Calm the fuck down.” AJ snapped. His free hand scratched his throat. The air was getting thicker.
“What the hell is going on?”
“I said Kevin’s here, moron. He fucking kicked me out of the room and I don’t know where Brian’s parents are.” He said rapidly, “Hurry the fuck up this shit doesn’t feel right.”
“Is he okay?” Nick demanded. His voice seemed far away. Howie must’ve activated the speaker again.
“I don’t know. Shit.” It was all coming to him. The realization of what could’ve happened had Kevin not shown up. What Brian had been doing—
He couldn’t breathe.
“Alex, are you okay?! What’s wrong?” Howie asked.
“I’m driving faster, fuck this shit.” Nick exclaimed in the background.
“I have to get out, fuck. I’m sorry.” He wheezed and reached up to hang the phone up.
AJ practically ran out of the house and fell on his knees the second he touched the grass. Immediately, it got easier to breathe, though he still felt pain in his throat.
He took a deep and shaky breath.
It was like he’d been driven out of the house.
It took him a while to recover but once he did, he took a moment to look around. It must be early in the evening. The sun had yet to set and the air was warm. It was slightly windy.
Brian’s parents' car was nowhere to be seen and AJ felt a little relieved at that, but at the same time he wished they were here.
Any minute now he’d see Nick and Howie pulling up. Nick must be driving like crazy.
AJ looked up and noticed a figure casually sitting on one of the many tree branches. It was leaning back, its head turned to the direction of Brian’s room.
A cold chill ran down his spine when the figure turned its attention to him. A large condescending smile spread across its face.
Hours ago
“Do you live here?” Kevin asked, eyeing the place.
The man smiled widely, making his sharp fangs visible to Kevin.
“Of course not.” He replied. “I live in many places.”
“But it seems…well lived in.” Kevin said. He crossed his arms in an attempt to look casual and unbothered.
Surprisingly, he didn’t feel afraid. Something told him the man wasn’t going to do anything to him.
But he did feel uncomfortable.
“You can stop that now.” The man said.
Kevin frowned, “I didn’t do anything.”
The man smiled again and then placed his hand over his heart and moved it forwards and backwards in an imitation of a heartbeat.
Kevin blinked several times in confusion, but it didn’t take him that long to understand what he meant and he finally relaxed his body until he no longer heard his heartbeat. He placed a hand over his chest. He could no longer feel it either.
“We’re heartless, Kevin.” The man said.
He felt empty all of a sudden and sad. It was like a large part of what was left of his humanity was gone.
“What else don’t I know?” Kevin said.
“You have lots to learn.” The man replied.
Kevin looked around again. The way everything looked normal was unsettling.
“Why don’t you come upstairs? You’re here to talk to me, aren’t you?”
Kevin nodded and slowly made his way up, noting that the floor didn’t creak with each step. The floor was wooden, but it was like he was on carpet. It was so strange.
“You look famished.” The man said once he reached the top, “Already running out?”
Kevin rolled his eyes, “It’s not like you gave me a lot.”
“You made your choice.” The man said.
Kevin bit back a response and shook his head. This wasn’t what he was here for.
“The things you said to Howie—”
A large toothy grin spread across the man’s face. He was doing that a lot and Kevin couldn’t help but feel as if he were being mocked.
“—how much of it was true?”
“How long did it take you to figure out it was me?” The man asked instead.
Kevin sighed. “Look, I’m in a hurry—”
The man waved a hand and suddenly the air seemed suffocating and silence rushed into his ears loudly. One look behind him and he could spot an open window. The branches on trees weren’t moving. It had been windy when he got here.
A small shaky breath escaped his lips. To him, this would be the most terrifying power the man possessed: to be stuck in time with him while the world remained clueless. A second to humans would be a million to him and a lot could happen in that million.
“Not with me.” The said simply. “Haven’t you ever heard of not rushing things? The situation you got us into isn’t exactly a quick fix you know.” He waved his hand again. Time was moving once more.
“Me?” Kevin said. “If you hadn’t went after Brian—”
“You guys certainly love the blame game. Oh, if only, if only— though, I do play it from time to time.” The man said. “What are you here for, Kevin?”
Kevin gripped the rail tightly, feeling it crack under the pressure. Sharp pieces of wood pierced the palm of his hand. He let go of it immediately and wiped his hand on his pants.
“Are you hungry?” The man asked.
“Yes.”
“See how easy that was?” The man said. “Follow me.”
Kevin resisted the urge to roll his eyes and followed him down the hall.
He took in all the details, noticing paintings and pottery decorating the place. There was a pot full of dead flowers on top of a small round table. Its petals seemed hard but when Kevin touched them, they were soft.
Frowning, Kevin pulled one off and continued following the man, bringing the petal to his nose. It smelled beautiful and reminded him of spring. He dropped it after a few more sniffs.
He looked up, noting the lights turned on with their movement.
The memory of him getting turned sprung into his mind and a small burst of panic exploded in his chest. His legs trembled with every step and he pushed that memory back down. He wasn’t here to start crying.
The man took him to a large room and Kevin frowned even further. He wondered how old this house was because he could see a mix of old and new in here. Most of it looks old. Much older to the point where he suspects there was arsenic in the wallpaper.
He watches the man reach into a small refrigerator and pull out a bag of blood.
Kevin flinched.
There was a large bed at the back and a nightstand on each side. A huge window stood next to it, covered by a dark curtain.
A glass full of blood invaded his eyesight.
“Here.” The man said.
Kevin took it and muttered a thank you. There was ice in the glass as if it were whiskey. Huh. Kevin never thought of drinking it like that. He took a sip and then another. It tasted good.
“That one was donated today.” The man said. “It’s almost fresh.”
Kevin licked his lips, nodding.
The man led him to the area near a television. There was a couch and a coffee table. He gestured at the couch and Kevin took a seat while the man stayed standing up.
“You didn’t change your eye color.” Kevin said.
“Huh?”
“When you were impersonating that kid.” Kevin said, “You’re the only one I know with eyes like that.”
“Well, I didn’t exactly have time to look at every detail.” The man chuckled. “Howie sure moves fast.”
“And I felt something.” Kevin said. “Like something was tugging me inside when I saw you.”
“Towards me?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the connection I was talking about. It’s only felt when we’re in close proximity. It goes away after a while. I doubt you’re feeling it now.”
Kevin nodded.
“I didn’t always control him. That kid. Even after he was dead, his spirit still came through.” The man said. “A lot of what he said to Howie was from his perspective. When you met him, it was both of us. He gave up in the end. I left your little detective a surprise.”
Kevin blinked. “Is Johnson dead?”
“No. I won’t be the one to kill him.” The man said.
“What do you mean?”
The man merely smiled. “We’re not here to talk about him.”
Kevin sighed and shook his head. “You wouldn’t have encouraged me to come here if there wasn’t something that could be done to help Brian. So tell me.”
The man raised his eyebrows. “What do I get in exchange?”
“Me.”
“Oh?” The man said, “And why should I believe that? Last time you didn’t follow through.”
“Last time I was angry and afraid.” Kevin said, “This time I’m not.”
The man set his own glass down on the coffee table and leaned against the couch across Kevin. “That’s not enough reassurance.”
Kevin took the final sip from his glass. His hands were trembling.
“Brian told me you offered him to take his memories away.” Kevin said, placing the empty glass on the coffee table as well. Then he placed his hands on his lap and crossed his legs.
“I did.” The man said.
“Can you really do that? Take people’s memories away?” He asked.
“I can. It takes a while but it’s not as hard as it used to be.” The man replied, “Why?”
“If you save Brian and I stay with you, that won’t stop any of them from trying to find me. Especially Nick.” Kevin said, his voice growing soft.
The man froze, confusion written on his face. “What are you saying?”
Kevin swallowed the lump in his throat.
“You want me to make them forget about you?” The man said in realization. His face genuinely looked worried that Kevin thought that maybe he was taking things too far to ensure their safety.
“If you do that— if you save Brian, I’ll stay. I promise.” Kevin said, “Their life will be a blink of an eye compared to mine, right? I might as well face that heartache now instead of decades from now.”
“You know if they forget you, the entire world will have to forget you too. Do you know how hard that is to do?” The man asked, frowning. “I’ve never done something like that before. There’s billions of people involved in this equation.”
“This is how I want to prove to you that I’ll stay. All you need is my company and all I need is Brian's survival.”
“And you’re willing to give this all up so that he can live?” The man asked, “This group… the fame…your relationship with Nick? You’re giving it all up for him?”
Kevin nodded. “Yes.”
“I find that hard to believe.” The man said.
“Well, believe it—”
Suddenly, a loud thump behind him caught their attention. It came from outside the room.
He sharply faced the door and stood up. The man didn’t move a muscle. There was a crack between the door and the doorway and Kevin felt eyes looking at him.
With one last glance at the man, Kevin made his way to the door and swung it open.
There was no one there.
“It’s an old house, Kevin. It makes noises.” The man said softly. “Ghosts tend to roam around here given their… unfortunate ending.”
Kevin looked around, still searching for a possible explanation for that noise.
“I don’t think you realize what you’re asking of me.” The man said.
“I think I do.” Kevin replied, keeping his eyes on the wall across him.
“When you want to visit your mother and she calls the cops because a stranger is on her doorstep, what will you do?”
“I don’t need your made up scenarios.” Kevin said, blocking the wave of emotion that hit him. “I want Brian to live. I want him to forget all that happened so he can move on. That’s what I want. I don’t care what it takes.”
The man didn’t say anything for a while and Kevin took that time to calm himself down and blink away any tears that’d formed in that short amount of time.
“Let me think about it.” The man said.
Kevin turned around. “But Brian—”
“He can wait. He won’t die while I’m thinking about this.” The man said. “I suggest you think about what you’re asking me to do as well instead of acting like the brave man you think you are. I can’t have you regretting this decision.”
Kevin frowned.
The man stood up and pointed to the right, “You can take the room at the end of the hall. I’m going for a walk.”
“You’re gonna find them, aren’t you?” Kevin said.
The man smirked, “I’ll look, but I won’t touch—not much.”
Kevin swallowed the lump in his throat painfully, “You better not tell them.”
“What do you take me for? I never break my promises first.” He said, walking past him.
Kevin felt a hot burning sensation of guilt spread across his chest at that.
He watched him leave and once he heard that door shut, he shakily made his way to the guest room.
‘Jack’ liked scaring people. If he couldn’t bring people close to him then he can drive them away. He can hurt them and make them pay. He can make them regret until they come back begging for mercy. He was good at that.
Kevin was proof of that.
Kentucky wasn’t his home anymore. He hasn’t had a home in centuries and believes he’ll never find a new one. Home was where his family was and they were gone. Some of them had been buried in places where schools and businesses now stood. He could feel their anguish and fear whenever he walked by while the rest of the world went on without realizing the history that had occurred there.
He can remember their cries for help and the way his relatives placed their hands over his ears and sang him lullabies. He remembered his mother and father but not their faces. He wished he could, but every attempt to recover those memories were futile.
Witches were as scarce as Vampires and none of them had a spell in which he could see his parents. He didn’t beg though. Their kind went through the exact same thing as his. It’d been even worse.
He did, though, ask to forget about them. And it worked.
For a while at least.
‘Jack’ felt a smile spread across his face.
Nothing is forever.
He knew where Brian was. He could feel it. His life was depleting rapidly and he knew he had a couple of days at most before he passed on. He would’ve gone, but causing that kid to freak out on him wasn’t on his agenda. At this stage, Brian couldn’t handle any sort of panic or hysteria. It would be too exhausting for him and could send him into a sort of coma.
So he went somewhere else.
There were many churches near him, but none of them had what he wanted except for this one. And it was unfortunate, but he was never going to have him. Not if he agrees to Kevin’s proposition.
He recognized Howies hair from the moment he entered the church and felt a chill run down his body. It was full of disappointment and excitement.
‘Jack’ passed by him and sat near the front. There was an old couple lighting a candle up and whispering prayers that made his scoff.
Agreeing with Kevin would mean giving up a lot. Both of them would.
There weren’t a lot of Vampires left. He hasn’t seen one in years beside Kevin and he had to make him. The Vampires who first claimed Tony were no longer here either.
He wanted to be with his kind. He wanted what he had before the massacre. And he was about to get it. He could feel it. Even if he had to give up on Brian and Howie. He was going to have it.
He heard Howie moving and he smiled. He just loved scaring people so he stood up as well and cornered him, enjoying the way Howies eyes held fear and recognition.
He could feel the body that he was possessing trying to ask Howie for help. This body was practically begging for him to release him.
Well that was never going to happen and he planned to dispose of this body after leaving this place. What a silly human.
When Howie slapped him he knew what he said next was going to fuck him up for the rest of his life. It was the least he could do after his plans for him were ruined. Kevin would never let him lay a hand on Howie after this. He would’ve given anything to taste him but he wasn’t going to.
Howie would always think of him before going to sleep. He was always going to look behind his shoulder and fear every new person that approached him. Trust will no longer come easy for him.
The way Howie looked at him was so intoxicating. He wanted his blood. He wanted that shit and what made it better was not having it.
“Have a nice day.” He told him and smoothed out his hair and walked away, releasing the claim on him.
His decision was made. Now all he had to do was make a plan.
As he stepped out of the church, he looked in the direction he knew Nick Carter was. It would’ve been great to kill him after everything he caused.
Kevin wouldn’t allow him to, but that didn’t mean anything. There was always one day.
And then there was the other one he never had the pleasure of meeting.
If he got back to the house right now then Kevin would have time to stop it.
‘Jack’ tugged on his collar and then dug his nails into his collarbone area. The body grunted in pain.
It was time to dispose of this body.
Kevin cried for a long time.
There were other ways. He’s listened to every single voicemail AJ left him. It was exactly what he'd been waiting for. They did their part.
But that was it. Just other ways. Even if he smashed his head to a pulp Brian would still remember.
That had to come first. It had to. If he ever had the chance to kill him then he would take it, but Brian had to forget. It didn’t matter to him anymore. All he wanted was for Brian to forget and live. He wanted the rest of them to live normally too. To forget the fear of being hunted.
Because deep down he knew if the man didn’t kill them then he would.
He didn't know how to control himself as well as he thought he could. That time with Nick was proof enough. There was a lot he didn’t know that the man does.
Kevin stared at his phone. Voicemail after voicemail, text after text. They wouldn’t stop coming and he wished their worrying could bring him some sort of peace with what he was about to do.
He had gone back to the man’s room and taken out more bags of blood and drank them all and he still felt hungry. Eventually he’d have to get some from a human directly and that frightened him.
Kevin shook his head. He didn’t want to think about that now.
The screen on the outer part of his phone lit up and it began to ring. It was Nick again.
He wanted to ignore it again. To turn his phone off and forget his voice.
Kevin flipped it open and pressed it against his ear. His lips formed the word “hello” but no sound came out of them.
“Kevin?! Hey, baby, where are you?!”
He stood up and walked towards the window, silently pulling back the curtain and looking outside. The windows were tinted and everything seemed darker than it really was. He couldn’t tell if people were walking by.
“Kevin, please.”
Tears welled up in his eyes and his index and middle finger began to press on the top of his phone, ready to close it.
As if sensing that, Nick rapidly said, “Listen, just listen to me, god damnit. I know you can hear me, Kevin—”
His voice sounded like loud static in his ears. He couldn’t make out what he was saying, but he could feel every emotion pouring out of him and hurt.
He could feel a single tear stream down his cheek. Oh, Nick.
There wasn’t any other way for him. There wasn’t. It didn’t matter what the others thought. There was no other way and he was going to make sure it stayed that way until he got what he wanted. He’ll cross that bridge when he gets there.
“—just come back to me.”
Kevin watched the blurry figures of what he assumed were people. He didn’t know what time it was.
“—You have no idea how much I love you—.”
He took a sharp breath. He loved him too. He wanted to say that to him so badly. He missed him. He wanted to apologize and—
The front door opened and closed, telling him the man was back.
Kevin shoved his phone into his pocket and turned around, backing up against the window, listening to his footsteps.
“Kevin?” He heard Nick whisper and it hurt him when he snapped that phone shut.
The man walked in with a strange smile on his face, eyeing Kevin’s pocket and then the wall.
“Well?” Kevin said.
“Sit down.”
Kevin moved to the bed and sat down. The sheets were soft.
“You’re the first to ever use it. I never had a need for it.” The man said.
“Where were you?”
“Always to the point. I can never have a good conversation with you.” The man said, walking over to the window and closing the curtain. “Well except that one time. Whatever happened to that frog?”
“It was a toad— you know, I’m really not in the mood for this.”
The man sighed before pulling up a chair and sitting across from him. He leaned back in a casual manner.
“Seriously, where were you?” Kevin tried again.
“Oh, I may have scared one of them.” The man smiled, “I’m not really going to do anything to him, but seeing his feathers all ruffled is so fun.”
“Who?” Kevin snapped.
“Howie is so easy to scare. He hides it well, you know. He doesn’t like it when I touch his hair. I wonder what he’ll make of it— oh don’t look at me like that. I didn’t hurt him. I wouldn’t risk angering you while we’re still under negotiations.”
Kevin glared at him. “Don’t get near them.”
“You make this so hard for me.” The man said. “I said I didn’t hurt him. I won’t hurt any of them.”
He blinked. “So you’ll help me?”
“Have you thought about what you’re doing?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think so.”
“I have. The sooner he forgets about me the better.” Kevin said quickly.
The man gave him a pointed look, resting his head against his thumb and index finger.
“The memory wipe only lasts so long on the intended person. Everyone else will just be collateral. People will make conspiracy theories about you. In the back of some of their heads, they’ll know there was a fifth member of the Backstreet Boys but they’ll never truly remember.” The man said. “Brian will remember one day.”
Kevin shook his head, “I don’t— I don’t care if it frees Brian from these nightmares for a week or for 50 years. He needs to live a normal life.”
“I wouldn’t call the life of a celebrity as living a normal life.”
“As normal as it can be under those circumstances.” Kevin gritted his teeth.
“What will you do when he remembers?” The man said, “He could hate you for it.”
“He’ll understand why.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”
The man narrowed his eyes. There was a hint of mischief in them that he didn’t like.
“Spit it out. You’re dying to tell me something.” Kevin said.
“There is a way around that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Brian and the rest of the world won’t remember you. Every trace of you will be gone. Your pictures… articles about you… your voice in songs…”
“How?” Kevin frowned. “You just said—”
“It’s just a small loophole. Centuries ago I paid a witch to erase my memories of my parents. It worked. It lasted for 82 years until I saw something that triggered my memories and unlocked everything.” The man explained.
“Why did you—?”
“That’s not important.” The man said. “I went looking for answers. There had to be someone tasked with remembering the subject for it to work completely. I didn’t do that and the people that should’ve remembered them were no longer alive.”
Kevin felt a dreadful pool in the pit of his stomach. “Someone is going to remember all of this.”
The man laughed gleefully. “Yep! And it can’t be me since I’m the “spell caster”—” he rolled his eyes, “—nor you since you’re the one requesting this. And get this, that person has to agree.”
“What if they never get triggered? You said yours lasted 82 years. That’s a lifetime.”
“I’m wiping the memory of the entire world with Brian as the main subject, Kevin. If one of the billions of people sees something or hears something that makes them go, ‘oh, wasn’t there another guy in this group?’ and then they go ahead and post it online? It triggers the people who read that and causes a domino effect until it reaches Brian and all your hard work is gone. A trigger can happen within months or years.” The man said. “If you weren’t a face the entire world knew then it would’ve been easier.”
“Oh.” Kevin said.
“So who will it be?” The man asked.
Kevin thought about many people, but in the end it’s just the 5 of them that know about this. Counting Brian and himself out leaves three of them.
AJ couldn’t keep a secret and Nick would eventually explode and say something.
“Howie.” Kevin said.
The man’s eyes widened in amusement.
“You’d already chosen him.” Kevin accused.
“Well, he seems to be the brains of the group, so yes.”
“I’m not sure I like this fascination of yours with Howie. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
The man smiled sweetly. “I won’t do anything. Cross my heart.”
“You don’t have one.”
“Cross my brain? Come on Kevin, laugh a little.” He said.
Kevin snorted, “Whatever. Explain to me how we’re gonna do this. And quick. I don’t care if you say there’s no rush, there is for me.”
“You’re so anal.”
Kevin sighed.
“Remember how I healed your legs?” The man said.
“You bit my wrist.”
“Yeah. It’s kind of like that. I’m the one who bit him first and I should be the one to do the healing as it’s safer and guarantees full healing.” The man said, “But I don’t think you’re going to let me near him.”
Kevin nodded. “If I do it, what are his chances?”
“80-95%. It’ll take a while before he’s completely recovered. With me it’s 100%, but like I said, you’ll want it to be you.” The man explained.
“I think I can live with that.”
Jack gave him a look. “Well, just make sure you do it right or else you being an overprotective cousin can result in more damage.”
“If I don’t do it right, then what happens?” He asked.
“He’ll heal, but you can cause him to get…loopy.” The man said.
Kevin hummed. “How do I do it right?”
“When you bite him, you should only drink half of his blood, it’s just enough to get rid of what I put inside. Don’t drink everything or you could kill him. Make sure he doesn’t pass out because he has to drink some of yours. About 5 drops should do it.” The man said.
“Okay.”
“Make sure he drinks it.” The man said.
Kevin nodded.
“He’ll pass out after but that’s just his body recovering. When he wakes up he will be just fine.”
“Since I’ll be the one doing it instead of you, what will be some of the effects of that?”
“He can get tired easily, he might get insomnia, he could develop a disease, his personality could be affected. There’s many things that could happen, but not all of them will. We’ll just have to see.”
“Oh.”
“Are you sure you want to risk that?” The man said.
“Yes.” He said sharply.
“You’re quite selfish, Kevin Richardson.”
“You’re one to talk.”
The man smiled, like he’d been doing all day.
“All this just so that Brian can live.” The man said. “I still have a hard time believing you’re not lying to me. How is this worth it?”
“…he’s my cousin.”
“And Nick?”
Kevin lowered his eyes, “He can do better than me.”
“Who can be better than you?”
“That’s none of my business.” Kevin said.
“I just don’t understand. You’ll lose everything for him.”
Kevin looked at him, “Tell me, if there was a way to go back and stop the massacre of your people would you do it? Even if it hurts you in the process? Wouldn’t you do anything for your people to live life like before?”
The smile was wiped off of his face.
“That’s called being human. It’s empathy. It’s love.” Kevin said. “I don’t think you’ve felt any of that in so long. If you did, I doubt you even knew what it was.”
The man stared at him for a long time and there was some sort of coldness settling in his golden eyes that Kevin wasn’t sure he liked.
“Well.” The man said, his voice losing all the emotion he’s been showing him all day. He stood up. “I better get ready. Meet me at the door in 5 minutes.”
A grin spread across Kevin’s face as soon as the man was out of sight. He could feel it tugging on his face and a low laugh escaped from him.
All he had to do was play his part.
Kevin waited four minutes before going downstairs. The man was already there, his hair pulled back into a long braid, staring at himself in the mirror.
It took a second for Kevin to realize that he had a reflection. It took even longer for him to realize he also had one. He had overlooked that. It was just one of the many things stories got wrong.
“You may want to hurry up.” The man said, fixing his collar.
“I thought you said there wasn’t any rush.”
“Now there is.” The man said, heading towards the door and pulling it.
“Why?
“Let’s say intent wasn’t the only thing I injected into Brian.”
Kevin froze. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“He’s going to kill someone.” The man smiled. “And he won’t realize it until he wakes up.”
Running was something Kevin never really thought about because right now he was going unbelievably fast. The wind was hitting his face at full force but he could still see everything despite how much he was squinting his eyes.
The man was behind him, laughing. He seemed to find enjoyment out of the entire situation and if Kevin wasn’t so focused on Brian he’d kill him.
No. He was waiting until Brian recovered. Until the spell worked its magic. He just had to play his part.
He knew where’s Brian’s house was by heart even if he didn’t possess one. He could point to the direction of the house with his eyes closed.
When he reached the house he stopped and turned to look at the man, who sighed and waved his hand. They took several steps back and hid behind a large tree and waited a few minutes.
His aunt and uncle walked out talking animatedly with each other and got into their car, driving away.
They waited a few more minutes before stepping out.
“You’re welcome.” The man said.
Kevin nodded and watched him swing himself up the tree.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” The man said.
Maybe it was the fear of what he might see that made him hesitate but he went inside anyway.
He ran upstairs, his steps loud and shaky.
He burst into Brian’s room and nearly shrieked at the sight of Brian sitting on top of AJ and choking the life out of him.
“Get off him!” He yelled and pulled Brian off, flinging him to the side. Brian fell off the bed, hitting the wall with a sickening thump. The impact caused the nightstand next to him to shake, making the lamp on top of it fall on him.
He hovered over AJ, shaking him.
“AJ, oh my god, wake up!” He whispered, his eyes darting from AJ to Brian who was still lying back as if Kevin had knocked him out, but Kevin could see him blinking.
AJ’s eyes snapped open and got impossibly wide once he realized who he was.
“Kev—”
He slapped his mouth over him because Brian groaned.
Kevin waited a few seconds, fearful that Brian might do something.
AJ slapped his wrist and Kevin tightened his hand.
AJ moaned and tried kicking him off.
Kevin grew annoyed and whispered, “Get out.”
AJ frowned.
“Don’t look back, just get the hell out of here.” Kevin said, wasting no time to pull him off the bed and pushed him out of the room.
Kevin looked back at Brian who was now openly glaring at him. He sat up.
He heard a gasp and turned just in time to see AJ jumping at the sight. “Brian—!”
Kevin angrily waved his hand and the door shut in his face. He silenced the outside world when AJ began hitting the door.
“You—” Brian started.
“I’m sorry.” Kevin said, walking around the bed so he was closer to him. He grabbed the lamp and placed it back on the nightstand and held his hand out to help him up only for a weak fist to hit him square in the chest.
“I hate you. I hate you!”
Kevin grabbed his wrists, ignoring the gasp of pain escaping his cousin and pulled him to his feet.
“I’m sorry.” He said again.
Brian tried pulling away. He felt so angry. He didn’t understand why. Somehow Kevin was here and AJ was gone. He didn’t know what happened. He just felt so angry.
Kevin pulled him closer until he was stuck in a cold embrace. He pushed against his chest, small whimpers escaped his dry lips.
Kevin was shaking.
He felt so confused.
A large hand placed itself on his hair, running its fingers through his curls gently and somehow that lessened his anger but not enough. Brian allowed himself to sob.
“Brian.”
The lump in his throat hurt and his frame shuddered with every sob. He couldn’t form a single word from the millions that were running through his mind. His hand formed a fist again and he began to hit him again.
“Fuck you—” he choked out “—fuck you! You piece of shit!”
“Brian.” Kevin said, struggling to sit down on the bed with him on his lap.
“Shut up! Fuck you— I hate you!”
“Don’t say that, please.”
“Where were you?!” Brian cried, giving up and leaning against the strong chest. He couldn’t hear his heartbeat. He finally figured it wasn’t real, didn’t he?
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Kevin.” Brian sobbed.
“I’m really sorry.” Kevin whispered, tightening his embrace, “Are you okay?”
Brian shook his head. He gave Kevin one last weak punch before finally wrapping his arms around him.
Relief began to flood him all of a sudden and he tried to make himself as small as possible, just so he could feel safe.
Kevin began to hum a song that wasn’t familiar to him yet it felt so incredibly nostalgic. It made him think of when they were children. Of the days when life felt like magic with eternal sunshine.
Slowly, his anger disappeared until he was only sniffling.
“I know how to help you.” Kevin said after a while, “That’s why I was gone. I didn’t mean to take so long, but I’m back.”
Brian froze, “What?” His voice sounds nasally.
“When you wake up, everything will be just like before.” Kevin said.
“Really?” He said.
“Yeah.”
“You’re such a liar, Kevin. I’m not gonna make it past this week.” Brian whispered, “I can feel myself shutting down. It’s scary. I’m so scared. AJ promised me I’ll be fine but it doesn’t feel like it. Why do I feel like this? Help me.”
“I promise.”
“Don’t promise me anything, please. Why are you—”
“I promise.” Kevin said.
Brian pulled away to look at him, his eyes wide and teary. Kevin gave him a strange look and that was when he first realized that Kevin was in defense mode. He was sitting so still.
Kevin let him go slowly, allowing him to sit on the bed with his feet tucked underneath him.
“How?” He demanded. “And where’s AJ?”
Kevin looked away. “He’s outside.”
“Why?”
“That’s not important.”
Brian could tell he was hiding something. “You’re such a liar.”
“I know.”
Brian waited but Kevin wasn’t saying anything else. He was just looking at him with that fucking expression as if he was going to attack him, like he was fucking animal backed into a corner.
“What did I do?” He asked.
“Nothing.”
“Stop fucking lying!” He cried, his voice cracking embarrassingly, his eyes tearing up again. “What did I do?!”
“Nothing!” Kevin yelled, his expression quickly changing into one of anger.
Brian flinched and looked away, focusing on the bruises around his wrists. He didn’t like the fact that he was starting to feel afraid of Kevin of all people.
That's when he began to feel it again.
Someone that wasn’t Kevin was watching him and he hunched over a bit. His hands began to shake and his eyes teared up even more.
“Brian?”
“Who else is here?” Brian asked.
“No one.”
Brian shook his head. He couldn’t take him lying anymore and began to look behind him only for Kevin to grab his face and make eye contact.
“Kevin?” Brian said.
“I’m going to explain how this is going to go.” Kevin said, “And I want you to listen carefully because I don’t want to scare you.”
“Scare me?” Brian asked, pulling away from his hand, “I thought you said you knew how to help me?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m referring to.” He said calmly.
“But why would it scare me?”
“I have to bite you.”
Brian could feel his heart drop. “What?”
“I have to take everything that he…put in you out.” Kevin explained slowly, “Once that’s done, you have to take some of my blood. That’s it. You’ll be fine.”
He shook his head, “No… what if it goes wrong?”
“No, don’t think that. It’ll be fine. Trust me.” Kevin said, “Do you trust me enough to do this for you?”
“How did you find out?”
“That’s not important.”
“It is to me.”
“Then I’ll explain it to you when you wake up.”
“What if I don’t wake up?”
“You will.”
Brian looked away again. “I’m scared.”
“It’ll hurt.” Kevin said, “But not for long.”
“I talked to AJ about what happened.” Brian said randomly.
Kevin let out a heavy sigh. “Did you?”
“He promised me I’ll be okay.”
“You will.”
“Somehow I can’t believe either of you even though I want to.”
“Why not?”
“Did I do something to AJ?” Brian asked.
“No.”
“Then why are you looking at me like that?”
“Brian, we’ll talk about this later.” Kevin said, wrapping his hand around his wrist, “Please trust me on this.”
He shook his head, trying to pull his arm away.
“Lie down.” Kevin said.
“No.”
Kevin seemed to be losing his patience with every second. “Brian, do you want to get better or not?”
He nodded.
“Then lie down.”
Brian hesitantly did as he was told. When he tried looking at the window behind him, Kevin grabbed his face again, this time more harshly.
“Eyes on me.”
“I want AJ in here.” Brian said.
“He’s outside.” Kevin said again.
“Why?”
“Brian, just stop with all the questions, please!” Kevin exclaimed. “You’re making this harder than it already is.”
Brian shrunk back. He allowed Kevin to maneuver him so his head was on his lap. He watched his cousin's eyes dart to the window and then back at him, his expression more confident.
The feeling of being watched got stronger. It had to be him.
With his free hand, he patted the bed until it was under a pillow.
His heart began to race the longer Kevin held his wrist. He thought back to the scar on Kevin’s own wrist and immediately knew what was going to happen.
“Close your eyes.” Kevin said.
“I want AJ in here.” He whispered.
“Okay.” Kevin replied, but he knew it was a lie.
Brian closed his eyes.
Kevin waited a few seconds. If he did this wrong he could cause more damage than good.
The man said to drain half of him but how would he know how much was half? He doesn’t know how to drink from a human.
“Brian.”
“Hmm?” His voice had a hint of panic.
“Do not, under any circumstances, open your eyes, do you hear me?” He said, eyeing the man who was watching them with an amused look.
“Why?”
“I won’t repeat myself. Do as I say.”
Kevin watched him try to swallow, his mouth downturned. The bandage on his throat was turning red, filling his nose with the sweet scent of fresh blood.
“Okay.” Brian said in a voice so small.
Kevin gestured at the man with a nod.
The man’s eyes widened.
“Get in here.” Kevin said in a low voice.
The man grinned, looked down to his right once, waved, and then was in the room in just a few seconds.
He had the brains to stay quiet, waiting for Kevin to make the first move.
Kevin sighed.
The man leaned in, his mouth near Kevin’s ear.
“Think about what you’re about to do.” He whispered. “You could accidentally kill him.”
“Kevin?” Brian said.
“Shut up.” Kevin said.
The man pulled away and stood in a way that was waiting for permission.
“Do it.” Kevin said.
The man held his hand out and Kevin handed him his wrist.
The second his fingers touched him, Brian’s eyes snapped open and he screamed.
“Brian, no!” Kevin exclaimed, watching in horror as his cousin drew a pair of scissors from under his pillow and stabbed the man right in the middle of his forehead.
The man groaned in pain and let Brian go, stumbling back.
Kevin tried to hold him back, but Brian seemed to possess a sudden burst of adrenaline and pulled himself out of Kevin’s arms.
“Stop it!” Kevin screamed.
Brian pushed the man and climbed over him, bringing the scissors down over and over again, causing blood to splatter over his face and clothes.
Kevin ran over, once again attempting to pull him off.
The man couldn’t die now! He needed him!
“Brian!”
“Don’t touch me!” Brian cried.
“You don’t understand! Don’t kill him—!” he cried out in pain and stumbled against the bed. He pulled the scissors out of his arm and threw them as far as he could.
Brian pulled his cross necklace off and stabbed the end of it right into the man’s left eye and Kevin could see steam coming out of it.
“Don’t ever touch me again!” Brian was screaming, pulling the cross out and stabbing him in the same spot.
The man kicked him off and Kevin once again tried to grab him only for Brian struggle against him.
“Stop it!” Kevin cried.
Brian snapped his head back, hitting Kevin on the jaw.
“Jesus Christ, Brian— calm the fuck down!”
“Fuck you! I hate you! I hate you both! Leave me alone!” Brian said and brought the cross to Kevin’s face making him let go.
Brian scrambled away from him, pushing himself into a corner. Blood ran down his throat and his eyes were wide with fear.
“You idiot!” Kevin growled. His face felt like it was burning.
The man groaned again. His hands weakly went to his head.
Kevin crawled over to him and hissed at the sight. “Fuck, your fucking eye is gone!” His forehead looked caved in. What the hell had Brian done?
The man punched him, “Fucking heal him already!”
“But what if—”
“That shit had been blessed! I can’t fucking—augh!”
Kevin nursed his cheek before he took his sweater off and threw it at the man who pressed it against his face, curling to his side.
“AJ— Alex!” Brian screamed the second Kevin turned to him.
“He can’t hear you!” Kevin exclaimed, “Why did you do that?!”
“Get the hell away from me, Kevin! How could you—!”
“He was trying to help!”
“Get away!”
“I’m not going to hurt you!” Kevin yelled.
“Kevin, if you don’t fucking do it already—” the man grumbled.
“I’m sorry.” Kevin whispered and grabbed Brian from his spot, ignoring his screams and cries for help.
He grabbed his wrist and ignored the desperate punches from Brian’s free hand.
Kevin whispered another apology and sank his teeth into his thin wrist.
Brian cried out, begging for him to stop because it hurts, but Kevin ignored him.
It tasted good. It was the best thing he’d ever tasted in his life. It was sweet and it slid down his throat like velvet. He wanted more.
Brian became limp and Kevin used that moment to hold him closer and to get comfortable.
The more he drank, the less Brian cried.
“You’re killing him!” The man cried from his spot on the floor, “Wake up!”
Kevin flinched and pulled away, feeling chunks of flesh go with him. Fear pooled his stomach and he shakily bit his own wrist, right above his fading scar and forced Brian’s mouth open.
Something in his chest burned at the expression in Brian’s eyes.
“I’m sorry.” He said again and squeezed his own wrist until his blood dropped into his cousin's mouth. “Swallow it.”
Brian did.
“Good. Good job. You’re doing great.” Kevin said, feeling himself begin to sweat. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to— he wasn’t supposed to be— believe me.”
The look in his eyes did not leave.
“Stop looking at me like that.” Kevin said. “Stop it.”
Brian’s eyes rolled back and he passed out.
Kevin let go of him and let out a sigh of relief. He rested a hand on his forehead and ran it through his sweaty hair. He was sure he messed something up, but he will see when Brian wakes up. Right now he has another problem in his hands.
The man was lying still on the floor and Kevin stood up, trying to assess the damage. He didn’t seem to be awake.
He knelt before him and pulled the sweater off his face and winced. His forehead was caved in down to the bottom of where his left eye was supposed to be. Blood was spreading across the carpet and made a squishing noise whenever he pressed his hand on it.
“Wake up.” Kevin said, tapping him. “You better not be dead.”
But he remembered AJ’s voicemails. Brian must’ve known as well. His aim had been perfect.
“Shit.” He said. Then waved his hand. It was no longer silent and he could hear his bandmates arguing outside. All of them were here.
Kevin took a deep breath. He had to go back to the man’s house and find the way to take Brian’s memories away. Brian was so stupid to attack him like that. He told him not to open his eyes.
Kevin looked back at Brian. He was lying on the bed in an uncomfortable position, blood stained the sheets. His bloody wrist hung over the edge of the bed, dripping blood.
Then he took another look at the man’s unconscious form. He could still be alive which meant that their deal was still in effect. He needed him alive, but in the case he wasn’t…
He had to act quick.
The argument outside got louder. AJ and Nick seemed to be in each other's faces while Howie tried to calm them down.
Kevin placed a hand on the cold door knob and twisted it open. Cool air hit his face and he walked out. His shoes squelched with each step and one look down showed him the massive stains he was leaving on the carpet.
Aunt Jackie and Uncle Harold won’t be pleased.
He walked down the stairs slowly, placing a hand on the handrail, leaving red behind.
The front door was open and he could see the three of them waving their hands around.
“I can’t fucking believe—” Nick said.
“Shut the hell up, oh my fucking god, Nick!” AJ exclaimed.
“Guys, please.” Howie said.
Kevin stood in the doorway. “Listen to Howie.” He said and all conversation stopped.
The three of them looked at him in horror. He knew he looked terrifying with all the blood stained around his mouth and his clothes. He could hear the drip— drip— drip of his own blood still flowing from his wrist and onto the floor. It’ll take a while before the vein closes.
“Shit.” Nick said.
“Is Brian okay?!” AJ asked, his eyes wide with panic.
He nodded. “Call Johnson. Now. Brian needs to go to a hospital— he’s fine.” He grabbed AJ’s arm, stopping him from running into the house. “There’s a dead body in there too.”
The color drained from Howies face.
“Call him.” Kevin ordered.
“Are you okay?” Nick asked.
“Never been better.” Kevin said, “I have something I need to take care of. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
“No! Wait—!” Nick started, but Kevin was gone.