"It's good I threw up outside here. I can't let my brother see me in such a pathetic state," Anyasu said, while wiping his mouth with his sleeve. After relieving the contents of his stomach, a strange calm had washed over him. He could think more rationally than before.
He stood at a crossroad. A part of him didn't want to see his brother and tell him all, but the situation demanded it. His hands grazed the freezing, metal door handle. He could feel his pulse accelerate and his vision went blurry. There was so much to apologise for, wasn't there?
Maybe he isn't up right now. Maybe he's resting from his injuries. If that's the case, I can watch over him.
With that thought, he breathed in deeply and forced the door open. He expected to be greeted with an encompassing darkness, with only the whites of Inuwa's bedding reflected. Annoyingly, to his infinite chagrin, there Inuwa was. The lights were on; a sickening yellow greeted the dazed Anyasu, and Inuwa sat on the bed upright, staring daggers into the cracked walls of the department.
"Inuwa."
"What is it?" Inuwa asked, annoyed. His void-like irises seemed to stare deeply into Anyasu's soul. Sometimes, Anyasu couldn't tell what the boy was thinking. Fond memories bubbled up to the surface, where Inuwa, with his head in the clouds, would often be incredibly unintentionally funny.
"I want t–"
"Save it for another day when I'm not injured," Inuwa said.
Why was he being so difficult? Anyasu could barely understand. Was it because of the fact he was leaving?
"No, I need to speak with you NOW," Anyasu replied.
"What is it about then?"
"About that time, when we were young and naive and I wan–"
"I don't care about that. Leave me alone; I want to sleep," Inuwa cut him off. His black eyes portrayed a deep-rooted frustration, yet there seemed to be a heavy, intense emotion gathering within him, evidenced by the dark circles underneath his eyes– as if the very weight of his emotions was too much for his eyes to bear.
Then, Inuwa suddenly turned over on his side. The white of his bedsheet bleached out his appearance, and Anyasu was left staring at nothing. He balled his fists in frustration; if his brother wasn't upset about that one regret, then what was he upset about? The thought irked Anyasu more than he'd like to admit.
"Inuwa," he called out.
Silence.
"Inuwa," he called out again.
More silence.
"Inuwa," he called out a third time.
Only to be met with the aggressive howling of the calm nightly winds. It would be insane to call out a fourth time, so Anyasu resolved to take a different approach.
"I know you can hear me, Inuwa, so I'm going to lay it all out," Anyasu said, taking in a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for everything. I didn't want to leave you alone. It's just… It's just that I hate living feeling like I'm being restrained. It's not like I hated you, or hated anyone; it's just that I know– that I could do so much more without being tied back by responsibility or family. I guess you could say that family is my kryptonite," he chuckled, low and deep. Then, inching closer to the body contained within the bag, he continued, while twirling his finger around his cheek.
"I've realised, I can't really do anything properly when I'm worried about you, Inuwa. Just seeing you get hurt was enough for me to want to drop everything I was doing to come visit you. I care about you so much. In fact, even though you are family, I would've taken you with me, wherever I went, because I love you. So please, turn to face me and let us talk."
Slowly, the body reanimated. It shifted over, rotating a full 180 degrees before Inuwa's pitch-black eyes met Anyasu's golden eyes.
"You got one thing wrong. You wouldn't drop everything. Today I was injured; a bear tore through my chest like I was made of warm butter! Yet, no one! No one! Was there when I woke up! I've been left alone here for hours! Yet, not a single soul bothered to visit me!" Inuwa shouted, "In this dark, depressing, depraved, dismal place! What kind of brother lets their siblings stay here willingly?"
A lump nestled itself within Anyasu's throat.
"I–I thought that you were with Clarissa," Anyasu countered weakly.
"So you didn't bother to check?!" Inuwa shouted.
"But usually, both of you are together so–"
"I understand that we're usually together, but I was just severely injured! And you didn't bother checking up on me!"
"True," Anyasu replied, his eyes downcast.
"So do you really care? Or are you just finding excuses?"
"No! I really do care! Inuwa! Listen to me!" Anyasu cupped Inuwa's cheeks in his hands. From this angle, his brother seemed to have tears welling up at the sides of his eyes. Responding to that, Anyasu gripped Inuwa tightly, wrapping him around his arms. His brother stared, wide-eyed.
"Inuwa… so this is what you've been upset about, and I do agree. Your brother was a real piece of shit today. I'll try to be more attentive next time," Anyasu concluded as Inuwa's eyes closed slowly. "But first, it would be an insult to not say anything about the situation outside," Anyasu's tone took on a lower sound, and his voice seemed to choke up at the end. Seeing this, Inuwa grew wary.
"What about the situation outside?" Inuwa replied softly.
"They're all dead– Clarissa, Edgar, Davee, Larkins," Anyasu choked out.
Inuwa's eyes widened.
That can't be true- no way that's true, but it's from Anyasu; would he ever lie about something like that? But if it's true, then there's no way they could visit me. That means, while I was lying about uselessly, they were out– fighting presumably for their lives. Wow, I really am a parasite.
Before long, an uncontrollable stream of tears flowed down Inuwa's face. The reality of such an idea had begun to take root in his mind. Yet, he was still lost for words. An indescribable pit opened up within Inuwa's heart as his mind was swallowed up.
Seeing Inuwa break down, Anyasu recoiled. His brother's eyes had never looked so animated yet so sorrowful before. Then, with a grimace, he wrapped Inuwa even more tightly in their brotherly hug. Ugly tears streamed down their faces as they both struggled to comprehend the reality of the situation.
"I'm sorry," Anyasu grimaced.
"No, don't be. It wasn't your fault in the first place," muttered Inuwa, who still sounded nasal. "Who, or what killed them?" Inuwa asked with a dark clarity. His voice sounded grave and dire.
"What are you planning to do, Inuwa?!" Anyasu shouted. Anyasu knew that Inuwa could be incredibly insightful at times, and he often had his head nestled deep within the clouds. A combination of both these traits meant that he was an amazing planner.
Yet, Anyasu knew the danger. No plan could beat that creature.
"What are you planning to do, Inuwa?!"
Inuwa felt the anger and frustration well up inside him. The searing emotional gas fuelling his feelings gave him the energy to escape his bandages. He clawed his way out of Anyasu's tight embrace and with a resolute growl he made his declaration.
"I don't want anyone to be hurt anymore. That's why I'll kill him–"
"There isn't anyone left to be hurt anymore!" Anyasu reprimanded him.
At that, Inuwa backed off in pure shock. Did his brother really just say that? Did his brother really say such a cold, pragmatic thing? If even the warmth emanating from his brother was perverted by the enemy. Then–
His brother was right; there really was no one left for him to save. While he slept like a pampered fool and fumed about being left alone, his friends were out dying. A grin wore its way across his features, contrasted by the upward curl of his eyebrows that indicated sorrow.
He really was naive, wasn't he?
I wish I could control my emotions better…. Inuwa mused with an obvious frown. Suddenly, he didn't like being himself. Sighing, he turned to his brother and shot him a crooked grin.
"O-oh. My bad, I'm sorry for reminding you," said Anyasu.
Inuwa smiled back. Then, with tears budding at the corners of his eyes, he spoke up.
"We're both gonna die here, aren't we? You were with Davee, right?"
Anyasu broke down crying. He felt overcome with a sickening sorrow that threatened to stab his heart out and wring him dry of any emotion other than sheer, debilitating despair. They were currently experiencing a tragedy upon the set that was once so peaceful and lively.
For a 14-year-old boy, the idea of death occurring should have been something completely foreign. But, like a pendulum, fate ushered both the boys in opposite directions to prosperity.
"Inuwa. Hold my hand– please," Anyasu said. Inuwa did so; his hand trembled within Anyasu's grip.
There, they sat. Awaiting certain death. The wind outside grew stronger and more forceful. The whistles seemed to be calling out to the boys. The transparent curtains were blown forwards by the wind, revealing the jewelled night sky.
Twinkling, twinkling. The night sky twinkled. The moon centrepiece gazed at the boys. It seemed to radiate a sickening calmness, blithe to the tragedy occurring beneath it.
At that notion, Inuwa couldn't help but feel repulsed yet– somewhat intrigued. Was tonight a super-moon? The brightness and its radiance seemed to indicate so.
The boy with void-like, space-like irises suddenly found himself drawn to the slightly darker patches on the moon. From the Sea of Fertility, to the Sea of Rain, to the Sea of Crises. Then finally, he laid his eyes upon one of the largest patches on the moon: The Ocean of Storms.
His heart reflected the idea of an 'Ocean of Storms' quite well right now, didn't it?
Never before had he swung from a desperate, callous rage to a debilitating calm so quickly.
Humans and pendulums are alike, swinging from one extreme to another in a wretched, blithe alacrity.
Finally, a small chuckle escaped Inuwa's lips. Those chuckles roared tremendously. Then, he erupted out into giggles. The tremors of such giggles spilt over to the nearby Anyasu, and soon he was caught in the seismic song of sorrow.
The sight of the moon was beautiful. It reminded him of the moments he shared with Anyasu when they were younger.
Soon enough, the laughter died down.
Inuwa started to stare obstinately at Anyasu.
Noticing this, Anyasu peered back at Inuwa curiously, his head craned towards him.
"What's up, Inu?" Anyasu had gone back to calling him his old nickname.
"The moon– It's so beautiful, isn't it?" said Inuwa.
"Personally, I prefer the sun, but yeah, it is beautiful," Anyasu replied.
Inuwa looked at him with a hint of contempt.
"You're supposed to say it's the most beautiful– dumbass," said Inuwa.
"Ha-ha. I'm sorry; I guess it is incredibly beautiful. In fact, I bet it's amazing to stare at after fighting on a bloodied battlefield," Anyasu admitted with a grin.
Intrigued, Inuwa tilted his head.
"Why is it that blood is easier to stare at under the moon?"
"If I were to guess, It'd be because blood looks darker under the moon."
"I don't think so. I bet it's because the moon makes us calmer, so it's easier to think rationally."
"You have a good point," Anyasu said, "Maybe it's both?"
"Yeah… maybe it's both."
It was getting late.
"I'm sleepy."
"Me too."
They were both so tired.
"Good… night…"
"Night…"
The pain finally wore away.
A spike gaped out from both Inuwa's and Anyasu's chests. Blood trailed out of their mouths, and their eyes reflected extreme dark circles. However, contrary to the deeply saddening situation the brothers found themselves in, there resided a slight grin on both their faces.
Soon, strength left both their limbs, and they collapsed over into a bloodied heap. The sheets of the bed were stained in red, and red dripped down in spurts down the bed onto the floor. They were both dead.
Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.
Foreign feet touched sacred blood.
"They were right. Blood is easier to look at under the moon's wretched gaze," Vector added. His expression was dark. There were steaming tears cascading down his face. He had lost the sun.
Swiftly and silently, Vector uttered a phrase. Then, a chasm opened up beneath him, and he assimilated into its darkness. He was unworthy of the light, yet he still felt that the dark was too venomous for one such as himself. What a contrary individual he was.
The next day, on the 3rd of June 2022, news would resound of multiple dead bodies being discovered in garbage bags. But the greatest shock of them all would come with the discovery of 300 corpses stored within lockers and classrooms in the biggest school in the area. The last bodies discovered appeared to be two brothers who were both locked in a tight embrace.
The bodies identified appeared to be Inuwa Shantarra and Anyasu Shantarra.
Strangely, when forensics teams tried to pull the brothers apart, they found it impossible to do so. Their embrace was so strong that it was deemed easier to just leave them. They became a symbol of brothership and love.
The culprit remains unknown, but today, the world has lost hundreds of talented, skilled and independent students as well as a prospective politician. It's unknown what they would have contributed to society.
Yet, the losses were unrecoverable.
Many believed it to be a supernatural event, but data reveals that there was human DNA found on everybody. Yet, it was untraceable.
Subsequently, the search was deemed inconclusive.
Forensic experts went with the second most plausible outcome.
A gas leak of carbon monoxide occurred earlier in the day, and students didn't realise.
There were trace amounts of monoxide present within the building and at a park. Yet, it was in such small amounts that only a few would be affected.
Therefore, the case was deemed a freak loss of life. The world wept for a week. Yet the earth's spin never slowed.
It was to be deemed a mystery by the press and a tragedy to loved ones. Families collapsed, senates reacted, division proliferated, and billionaires profited.
Sadly– or maybe fortunately- the people of the world would never understand.
As all the souls who did had been sent to the place where souls were born, cradled, developed and released.
To the stars themselves.