"Time to get up!" a cheery voice echoes throughout the dark, dirty house to the figure huddled under a thin blanket.

A groan slips from the pile, "God, T. Can't let me sleep in at all."

A dark head and tanned body uncurls to stand, bare feet meeting with the ice cold floor and sending a shiver up his spine.

He pads through the house soft thumps as his feet strike the ground, and smiles at the older teenager in the kitchen. Pleasant nonsense fills the shadowed room, the only interruption being scraps of silverware and the chewing of food.

"How'd you sleep Ryan?" T asks as he collects the plates and wanders over to place them in the water filled sink.

Ryan smiles widely, dark bangs swept away from his equally dark eyes. "Wonderfully! Though this house gives me the creeps."

T laughs, "That's what mother used to say." As if this flipped a switch, Ryan frowns deeply, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

"God Ry! I forgot!" T wraps his hands around the younger sobbing boy.

"No it's already been a month. I need to get over it." Ryan shoves off the hands and stalks to the living room, flipping a switch to chase away the shadows and wishes it was as easy to chase away his fears.

So engrossed with his thoughts and the TV. he doesn't notice the clink of metal before T is sitting down besides him.

"Its okay, Mom would want us to be together."

A snarl is his only response for the moment, "Like hell! I'm moving! Getting out of this fucking house!"

T stiffens, muscles tensing like a cat waiting for the right moment to pounce.

"Y-you want to leave?" Fear in his voice, trembling and weak.

The younger shakes his head like a rapid dog with a bone, "Yes, I can't live here."

T closes his eye briefly, a small smile dancing across his face. "Too bad. That's what Mom said too."

Ryan jerks backwards, blinking in confusion as he ends up sprawled on the cold, hard floor.
"What do you mean? Mom went missing, remember T?"

T laughs, his voice hollow and deranged, empty of all emotion.

"Nope. Couldn't let her leave. She's not allowed." He advances, causing Ryan to crawl backwards hopelessly.

"T! I don't und-AAAHHH!"

He's cut off by the appearance of a kitchen steak knife in his stomach.

Gasping with bloody lips and using shaking hands to press against the wound, Ryan can only watch with wide eyes as T kneels beside him to brush a strand of hair off his forehead.
"It's alright little brother. You're never going to be alone again. And I'll never leave you."

"B-bas-tard-d" He chokes out, trying to ignore the darkness along his vision much like the shadows at the edge of the room.

"Go to sleep, Ry." T cradles the limp, blood soaked body in his arms, a loving smile on his face.

"No one can ever leave me."