0:03

My name is Marcus and I'm an alcoholic.

0:06

I know what you're thinking, this is just another

0:08

sob story about some loser whose life

0:10

went off the rails after he found the bottle, right?

0:14

Well it's not exactly that simple.

0:17

Bill, my sponsor at Alcoholics Anonymous,

0:19

suggested that should I ever hope to get clean,

0:22

I'd have to face my demons, once and for

0:24

all.

0:25

While he has no reason to suspect

0:27

that my demons are far more literal than

0:29

the average addict, I think he's right

0:31

nonetheless.

0:33

This is my fourth or fifth time trying

0:35

to kick the bucket. I can't say for

0:37

sure, as so much of my personal history

0:40

is somewhat cluttered, or otherwise

0:42

hidden beneath the dredges at the bottom of

0:44

one bottle or another. At one

0:46

point, I even branched out into other methods

0:49

of tucking away reality behind the veil. But

0:51

the overdose that almost punched my ticket

0:54

was enough to convince me to stick to more

0:56

of an ingested form of inebriation.

0:59

Yeah, booze isn't exactly risk-free

1:01

and all, but it takes a bit more work to

1:03

drink too much of that, while it only takes

1:06

one needle to lead me right to the threshold

1:08

of death's door. Excuses,

1:10

right? Yeah, we addicts are full

1:12

of those. Always something to defend

1:14

our actions, whether reasonable or not.

1:17

This isn't about defending my years of intoxication,

1:20

but the things I wished to drown away

1:22

in the first place. A confession

1:25

of my sins, so to speak.

1:27

I was fourteen when it happened, as me

1:29

and my fellow Boy Scouts spent the weekend out

1:31

in the wilderness some miles from my home. It

1:34

was Liam who talked us into joining up that summer,

1:37

and while I was a little apprehensive at first,

1:39

as I'd never been much of an outdoorsy type,

1:42

John, Malcolm, and Ian were on board

1:44

as soon as it was suggested.

1:46

They were basically my only friends, so

1:49

I wasn't about to be the odd man out, but

1:51

I'd much rather be at home with my Playstation 2

1:54

and Xbox than tossing and turning in

1:56

a sleeping bag for a few days. Not

1:58

only that, but I felt like

1:59

we were getting a little too old for such things.

2:02

Once we were out there, though, I ended up having

2:05

a lot more fun than I had anticipated.

2:07

Gilroy, the scout leader, was in his

2:09

early twenties, so he wasn't too uptight

2:12

or anything, just sort of laid back. He

2:14

was the uncle of one kid named Benny, who

2:16

had been part of the troop longer than any of us.

2:19

He was an alright kid, a bit of a know-it-all

2:22

and a stickler for the code, as he called

2:24

it, but

2:25

even he managed to relax and chill out

2:27

some once we got out to the lake. We

2:29

spent a good amount of time that first afternoon fishing

2:32

and cutting up. I almost impaled

2:34

John's ear with my hook at one point, but

2:36

he turned just in time to allow it to

2:39

do no more than tap the back of his head.

2:41

I was about as coordinated as a drunken

2:43

breakdancer back then,

2:45

still am for that matter, though the

2:47

drink is likely a factor in that.

2:49

John looked shocked at first, as we

2:52

both just stared at one another when my line

2:54

finally dropped limp in the grass, but

2:56

we were cracking up within seconds.

2:59

Though I would have felt awful if I

3:01

had jabbed the damn thing into his lobe, I

3:03

often wonder if a trip to the emergency room

3:05

would have saved us from those events that still

3:07

haunt me.

3:09

When the sun went down on that Saturday, the 28th of

3:11

September, 2002, we set a bonfire, around

3:15

which we would take turns telling scary stories.

3:18

Whether this was simply something of a tradition,

3:21

to gather around the controlled blaze

3:23

and let our imaginations fly, or

3:25

we just wanted to inspire each other to have

3:27

a little extra trouble sleeping that night, with

3:30

urban legends and folklore keeping our eyes

3:32

wide and alert, I couldn't say.

3:35

Whatever the case, I was a little excited

3:37

about this, as I had always been the creative

3:40

child,

3:40

while my older brother had been a more intellectual

3:43

and logical mind. When we were

3:45

just kids, I assumed that was my father's

3:47

way of avoiding saying that I was the stupid one,

3:50

as he was quite the intelligent man himself,

3:53

but I loved my ability to daydream about far

3:56

off and wondrous places.

3:57

These days, my creativity only...

3:59

It tortures me even more with the things I've

4:02

been through.

4:03

After the sun went down, a gentle wind began

4:05

to caress the lakeside by which we were

4:07

spending the night. As the temperature

4:09

dropped, the heat of the fire was a most

4:11

welcome sensation to my goose flesh.

4:14

With the warmth easing our collectively shivering

4:17

frames, we all sat in a circle around

4:19

the fire, passing the flashlight that would

4:21

serve as our microphone from one to the next.

4:24

While I hadn't necessarily been prepared for this,

4:26

as it wasn't discussed until the sun fell to

4:29

rest for the night, I never had a hard

4:31

time throwing together an impromptu tale.

4:34

I barely paid attention to most of the stories that

4:36

would come before mine, as I was mentally

4:38

preparing for the task at hand, one

4:40

that I was most certainly taking more seriously

4:42

than anyone else.

4:44

That's what I thought at the time, anyway.

4:46

The first handful of tall tales couldn't

4:49

so much as break through the wall formed around

4:51

me, inwardly mapping out my tale.

4:54

The fifth kid to speak up, Reggie, I

4:56

think was his name, almost grabbed my attention,

4:59

but when the climax ramped up to something bordering

5:01

on intents, the boy in the story woke

5:03

up, revealing it was all just a dream in

5:05

the end.

5:06

I know these were just silly campfire

5:08

stories told by children anywhere from 10 to 14,

5:11

but I always saw

5:13

that sort of ending as a cop-out, even

5:15

if it was just made up on the fly by a sixth

5:18

grader. I just rolled my eyes

5:20

before blocking out the next story, the

5:22

second one to involve a monster under the bed.

5:25

Even John and Malcolm couldn't produce anything

5:27

of high enough quality to distract me from

5:29

my world-building and character development.

5:32

There were 14 of us in all, not counting

5:35

Gilroy, who came off far too enthusiastic

5:37

about every tale that was spun.

5:40

But I had made sure to sit next to Benny,

5:42

who volunteered to speak first that night, as

5:44

I wanted mine to be the last.

5:47

Not only did I want the extra time to craft

5:49

my tale before the clockwise rotation

5:51

would lead all eyes to me, but

5:54

I was certain mine would be amazing, assuring

5:56

that everyone would have trouble sleeping that night.

5:59

was practically watering with anticipation

6:02

until the flashlight was handed to Liam.

6:04

From the second he began to speak, I couldn't

6:06

hope to distract myself from his story, one

6:09

that sticks to my mind like gorilla

6:11

glue to this day.

6:12

With the light shining under his chin,

6:15

as was the tradition for such tales spun

6:17

around a fire, his voice sounded

6:19

both somber and sinister as he spoke.

6:22

While other kids had joked and laughed during every

6:24

story that came before, nobody spoke

6:26

during this one, nor did even one

6:28

eye drift from the boy highlighted by

6:30

the illumination of the torchlight and flickering

6:33

flames.

6:34

Whether it was the words he spoke or the

6:36

way he spoke them, I can still recall

6:38

every syllable even after all these years.

6:42

He called this tale,

6:44

The Betrayal of the King.

6:49

Barnaby King was not a child that any parent

6:51

hoped for. Not only was he hideously

6:53

deformed, something that inspired the

6:55

nurse to scream out when he was brought into

6:57

this world, but he would prove to

7:00

be more than a handful to his mother and father. He

7:02

did not cry when he was born, nor did

7:05

he scream out from the shocking and jarring

7:07

transition into this world, only

7:09

gazed up at his mother with those tiny,

7:11

black and empty eyes.

7:13

While Catherine and Harold King were in equal

7:16

stages of horror as they stared down at

7:18

their newborn abomination, they

7:20

attempted not to reflect this feeling to one

7:22

another, only to bravely face the cards

7:25

they had been dealt. As the years

7:27

passed by, the kings would turn away

7:29

visitors to their home, even their parents

7:31

who had hoped to be part of their grandson's life. While

7:34

they never explained the reasoning behind why they

7:36

would refuse them entry to their home, it

7:39

would never stop their loved ones from trying.

7:41

It was Harold, more so than Catherine, who

7:43

would not allow young Barnaby to be seen

7:45

by any prying eyes. Whether

7:48

it was shame that inspired this, or simply

7:50

those fears that he would never speak aloud,

7:52

his wife was uncertain.

7:54

Of course, she shared his feelings, regardless

7:57

of how hard she fought to convince herself that she

7:59

loved him. loved her child.

8:01

Yes, his nature seemed as grotesque

8:03

as his face, but she hoped she could find

8:05

a way to change both aspects for the better

8:07

someday.

8:09

By the time Barnaby reached his tenth year

8:11

in this earth,

8:12

his parents had confined him to the basement.

8:14

This was something that they were certain was necessary

8:17

after he began his late night outings some

8:19

months prior.

8:20

It wasn't until Harold noticed the blood trail

8:23

leading from the woods behind the house to a

8:25

mutilated corpse of a squirrel halfway

8:27

buried next to the patio that he understood

8:29

something was amiss.

8:31

The night after Catherine had allowed her sleeping

8:33

pills to kick in, he stayed awake to keep

8:35

an eye on things.

8:37

He snuck out to his tool shed at the rear of the

8:39

backyard, right next to the tree line, making

8:41

sure to remain as silent as possible so

8:44

as not to alert any wildlife to his presence.

8:47

Though he had a sneaking suspicion of who

8:49

indeed was responsible for the strewn apart

8:51

remains of the forest creature, he desperately

8:54

hoped he was mistaken.

8:56

When he saw young Barnaby stealthily

8:58

creeping from the back door through the split

9:00

wood of the shed's wall, he felt his back

9:02

tense with the knowledge that his first impression

9:05

had been the right one.

9:06

The boy darted those black eyes from

9:08

one side to the other as he snuck softly

9:11

across the yard, hunched over with slick

9:13

drool seeping from that enlarged and

9:15

low-hanging underbite.

9:17

Finding himself reluctant to follow his

9:19

son into the woods as he watched him pass

9:21

his view from the shed, Harold realized

9:24

that he had not fully thought this through.

9:26

Yes, the boy was small for his age, but

9:29

his father still wore some scars left

9:31

in the wake of the jagged teeth from those early

9:33

years.

9:34

He couldn't help but feel that should Barnaby

9:37

not locate something to satiate his hunger,

9:39

he would turn those ankle-biters to his father

9:42

once more.

9:43

He still argued with himself that his own

9:45

flesh and blood could not truly be capable

9:47

of such a grievous act, regardless

9:49

of his late-night jaunt into the woods. It

9:52

was as he waged this inner debate, uncertain

9:55

of how much time passed, that he noticed

9:57

his son coming back into view.

10:00

he held in between the elongated fingers

10:02

of his left hand was wriggling and squealing,

10:04

but the child paid its moans no mind. Harold

10:08

had to cover his mouth to prevent a similarly

10:10

pitch shriek from escaping when the boy raised

10:12

the panicked animal to his lips. The

10:15

horrified sounds of the poor creature combined

10:17

with the tearing of its fur-lined flesh caused

10:20

the man hidden away in the shed to close his

10:22

eyes, lest his dinner retching to the

10:24

floor expose him.

10:25

Uncovering his ears, he could not

10:28

fully block away the moist, ripping

10:30

and snapping of bones as Barnaby

10:32

finished his snack.

10:34

Once those gruesome noises dissipated,

10:36

a reluctant Harold glanced back through the split

10:38

wood to see the boy still holding what was

10:41

left of the blood-soaked rabbit in the hand

10:43

that hung below his knees. Again,

10:46

he glanced from one side to the next as

10:48

he approached the house, kneeling and pulling

10:50

away a loose board beneath the patio, stashing

10:53

the beast away.

10:54

After the work was done, he crept into

10:56

his home, taking one more glance behind

10:59

him. Harold could swear that blackened

11:01

eye gazed directly into the wide and

11:03

trembling one that peered through the gap in the wood,

11:06

but when his son gently closed the door behind

11:09

him, he finally allowed a shaking breath

11:11

to escape his lips.

11:13

Surprisingly, it wasn't difficult to

11:15

convince Barnaby to relocate to the basement,

11:17

though

11:18

at the time he was not yet

11:20

aware he would remain locked away behind

11:22

a heavy and padlocked door.

11:25

Harold had performed the renovations himself,

11:27

being quite adept in working with his hands,

11:29

as any seasoned contractor should be.

11:32

He was just as glad of the soundproofing

11:34

as the sturdy walls and doors by the time

11:36

the boy understood his new circumstances.

11:40

The kings would make sure their son was fed through

11:42

a slot in the door. He had a full

11:44

bathroom fitted with a shower in his apartment

11:46

below ground level, as well as cable,

11:49

gaming systems and plenty of books to entertain

11:51

him. His measures were taken to

11:53

ease their conscience, more than their son's

11:56

needs, of course, but it was enough

11:58

to help them sleep at night, as well as

11:59

as resuming activities that they had not indulged

12:02

in since Barnaby came along.

12:04

When Lillian was born, something

12:06

that filled the couple with terror as they feared

12:08

another demon spawn had taken root in Catherine's

12:11

womb, they were thrilled to see that they

12:13

finally had a child that they had always hoped for.

12:16

She was the light of their lives, and just

12:18

as beautiful as her mother was at such a young

12:20

age. Naturally, they

12:22

planned to never introduce their children to one

12:24

another,

12:25

something that would require a lot more work as

12:27

she grew older.

12:29

This came and went, each

12:31

one bringing new and wonderful experiences

12:33

with the kings and their little girl.

12:36

She was a well-behaved child for the most part,

12:38

aside from the time when she got in a scuffle with

12:40

the boy at school.

12:42

Harold boiled over with rage when she informed

12:44

him that the older kid was teasing her before pushing

12:46

her around.

12:48

Having been something of a hothead in his youth,

12:50

one prone to lashing out at others should he

12:52

find a reason to, Lily's father

12:55

had to compose himself after hearing this.

12:57

While he was tempted to go to the boy's house and confront

13:00

him for what he did, he swore he would never

13:02

return to his old and impulsive ways.

13:04

When his daughter assured him all was well, how

13:07

the kid left her alone after she sank her teeth

13:09

into his arms, Harold let go of his rage.

13:12

He was, however, quite concerned

13:14

about the possibility of Lily having ingested

13:16

any of the blood, had she even

13:19

bit down hard enough to break the skin.

13:21

While she understood his concerns, especially

13:24

with all of the potential illnesses out there that

13:26

she may or may not have exposed herself to,

13:29

her father was relieved to hear that she had not

13:31

caused any more damage than some bruising with

13:33

her bite.

13:34

While the kings would attend every event they

13:36

could at their daughter's school, talent shows

13:38

and plays, track meets and all, they

13:41

felt no guilt about neglecting Barnaby.

13:43

Lily was an outgoing girl with a great

13:46

many friends, and her parents did everything

13:48

they could to please her, while only

13:50

granting minimal efforts to assure themselves

13:52

that their son maintained his sorrowful existence.

13:55

It was on the eve of young Lily's 11th

13:57

birthday that their happy life took a far

13:59

more brutal turn,

14:01

one that would rip their world apart in a matter

14:03

of minutes at most. Unbeknownst

14:06

to Catherine and Harold, their daughter

14:08

had been aware of their sibling for some years by

14:10

this point. Though they had never been

14:12

able to meet face to face, they had found

14:14

a way to communicate. When she

14:16

was much smaller and far lighter on her

14:18

feet, she had followed behind her father

14:21

as he carried the nightly meal to her brother. While

14:23

they always made sure she was otherwise occupied

14:26

or distracted when one of them would make those excursions

14:29

to the basement, twice a day the

14:31

kings had not noticed that she had grown steadily

14:33

more aware of their more erratic behavior

14:36

at those times of the day. Being

14:38

a curious child, as many would be under

14:40

such circumstances, she planned out

14:42

her investigation for a solid week before

14:44

taking the plunge. Her heart

14:47

was positively racing as she crept behind

14:49

her father, making sure to duck down

14:51

or hide behind whatever furniture she may be

14:53

closest to should he look to be about

14:55

to turn. Though tracking her

14:57

target through the quiet large house ended

15:00

when he reached the door to the basement as

15:02

he locked it behind him, she knew now

15:04

what her next steps would be. Harold

15:07

kept the keys to the entrance to the stairway

15:09

that led to the apartment below, hanging

15:11

with those others from the loop of his belt.

15:14

She would have to work more stealthily than ever

15:16

to retrieve this while her parents slept, but

15:18

she was certain she could pull it off.

15:20

When her loving guardians tucked her in that night,

15:23

she would not allow sleep to take her.

15:25

While it wasn't easy to keep herself awake, especially

15:28

given the fact that she had to resist the urge

15:30

to play or otherwise occupy her mind

15:32

in the darkness of her room,

15:34

she managed to battle away slumber.

15:37

It was around two in the morning when she made her move,

15:39

creaking open the door to her room before approaching

15:42

the one occupied by her folks.

15:44

Though she was fully prepared with an excuse,

15:47

one involving nightmares that sprung her eyes

15:49

back open, leading her to seek refuge

15:51

in her parents' bed, she was still increasingly

15:53

nervous as she entered the room.

15:55

She moved swiftly and silently as

15:57

she clutched her hands around the keys, sitting on the floor.

15:59

the nightstand, squeezing them tightly

16:02

to not allow a potential jingle to alert

16:04

her father.

16:05

She was panting for breath as she made her way

16:07

back into the hallway, but she had achieved

16:09

the first part of her goal.

16:11

It didn't take her tiny legs long to reach

16:13

the locked door and her fingers were tingling

16:16

with anticipation, quickly turning

16:18

to frustration as she tried one key

16:20

after the other.

16:21

With another heavy and trembling sigh,

16:24

she finally located the correct key, splaying

16:26

open the door before her.

16:28

Barnaby was scared at first when she

16:31

spoke softly through the flap in the heavy

16:33

entrance to his apartment.

16:34

His fear momentarily gave way to anger

16:37

when she revealed who she was,

16:39

something that made the little girl afraid, leading

16:41

her to begin to back away. His rage

16:43

dissipated quickly when the only friendly

16:46

voice he had ever heard began to fade,

16:48

inspiring him to practically beg her to

16:50

stay.

16:51

For hours they spoke that night, eventually

16:54

allowing the boy to grow comfortable with his sister

16:57

enough to lean his face down through the thin

16:59

flap through which his meals were delivered.

17:02

She gasped at first, even seeing only

17:04

the portion of him that she could make out, but

17:06

when she reached her tiny fingers through the

17:08

slender opening to touch the rough texture

17:11

of her brother's cheek, he felt a warmth

17:13

he had never known. Before Lily

17:15

returned to her bedroom, Barnaby confessed

17:17

to his sister his efforts to escape. While

17:20

he had achieved no more than the slightest of

17:22

splits at the top of the wall between him

17:24

and the outside world, over years

17:26

of scraping away at it with plastic cutlery

17:29

provided with the meals, it was enough for

17:31

something. Each day from then,

17:33

sometimes multiple times if the coast was

17:35

clear enough, the two would pass notes back

17:38

and forth.

17:39

Though Lily would occasionally make late night

17:41

stealth missions to converse with her brother, she

17:44

could not risk overdoing it, as her father

17:46

could be quite perceptive at times.

17:49

Still, while she had all in life

17:51

for which a girl could ask, she finally

17:53

had that one thing that money could not buy,

17:55

an older brother,

17:57

after years of such meager forms of communication.

19:59

spring opened the door at the top of the stairs.

20:02

Though it took some time to decipher which key

20:04

went to which lock, that only made her

20:06

smile that much more genuine when she truly

20:09

looked upon her brother face to face

20:11

for the first time.

20:13

Yes, those small, blackened eyes

20:15

and low-hanging jaw lined with

20:18

needle-thin teeth unsettled her somewhat,

20:20

even with the teasing glances through the slot

20:22

in the bottom of the door. The small, upturned

20:25

nose and pointed ears, with scraggly,

20:28

long ginger hair hanging beside them

20:30

were equally as jarring, but his expression,

20:33

if that's what she could call it, only held

20:35

love behind it. They embraced

20:38

one another, each leaking tears upon

20:40

their sibling's shoulder.

20:41

Barnaby had never known this sensation

20:44

to truly feel wanted and adored. All

20:46

he was familiar with was contempt and hatred

20:49

for having the nerve to be brought into this world,

20:51

but Lily only saw her brother with those

20:53

glossy eyes, not the monster

20:56

their father knew him to be. It

20:58

was while they were packing up his belongings, what

21:00

little he had, that a sound inspired

21:03

both of their faces to grow cold from blood

21:05

loss. The front door of the house

21:07

being unlocked and opened, followed by

21:09

frenzy curses spitting from their mother's

21:11

lips when she seemingly saw the basement

21:13

door ajar, Lily asked her brother

21:15

to stay behind as she walked up the stairs

21:17

to find Catherine already standing in the doorway,

21:20

looking as pale and shocked as the young

21:22

girl felt.

21:23

Barnaby heard his sister as she attempted

21:26

to convince her mother to grant the boy freedom, something

21:28

she seemed unwilling to hear. He

21:31

tried to cover his ears to block out the argument

21:33

between mother and daughter as it grew more

21:35

frenzied, but it was of little use.

21:38

Finally, hopeful that he could somehow aid

21:40

in this debate, he slowly paced up the

21:42

steps for the first time in years.

21:44

He walked through the doorway to see his mother

21:46

on the phone, demanding that her husband return

21:49

to his home immediately.

21:50

She screamed so loudly when she turned

21:53

to see her son, the Barnaby thought her

21:55

hair may just turn white from the shock, as

21:58

it was his father who would bring him his meals.

21:59

He had not so much as heard Catherine's

22:02

voice in so long, let alone see

22:04

her face, but he could easily recognize

22:06

that expression of hatred and disgust she

22:08

gave him.

22:10

Be it from the trembling of his extremities,

22:12

or just the shame of those old, familiar

22:14

looks the sight of him would bring, he was

22:16

only vaguely aware of what happened next, at

22:19

first anyway. As

22:21

he and the woman who birthed him stare at

22:23

one another, each in their own initial stages

22:26

of anguish, their shared expressions

22:28

turned to horror when little Lillian leapt on

22:30

her mother, sinking her teeth into the meaty

22:32

tissue of her throat. As the blood

22:34

practically gushed against the walls, Barnaby

22:37

fell to his knees, barely able to wrap

22:39

his mind around what he was witnessing. When

22:42

his sister pulled her head back, tearing away

22:44

the grizzled, sticky fibers, her mother

22:46

just glared at her in shock as she fell to the

22:48

floor.

22:49

Barnaby asked,

22:52

shaking his head from side to side. She

22:56

replied, wiping her mouth with the back of her

22:59

arm, smearing her mother's blood across

23:01

her cheek in the process.

23:03

She still looked upon her brother with a loving

23:05

affection, even as her face began to

23:07

contort and her body grew.

23:09

She

23:12

said as her appearance finalized its transition,

23:15

leaving her a carbon copy of the woman who

23:17

lay dead on the floor.

23:18

You don't have to live like that, not

23:20

if you don't want to.

23:22

She lay her hand on the mutated face

23:24

of her brother, allowing him to convince himself

23:26

for a moment that his mother had finally accepted

23:28

him. Though she had already dragged

23:31

the body to the basement when their father arrived

23:33

back home. She had not a

23:35

chance to clean away the shimmering crimson puddle

23:37

left in its wake, nor the drag marks

23:39

that led to the door. Harold demanded

23:42

to know what had happened, terrified that Barnaby

23:44

had gotten loose and devoured his darling baby

23:46

girl.

23:47

Lily disposed of him just as quickly as

23:50

she had his wife, this time luring

23:52

him into an embrace, digging her teeth deep

23:54

into his throat when his guard was down. Her

23:57

brother had not witnessed this one, as he lingered

23:59

in the basement. with the remnants of his mother, something

24:02

he had not the slightest desire to be trapped beside.

24:05

Regardless of his sister's insistence, he

24:07

hid away while she dealt with their father. When

24:10

she walked back down the stairs, this time

24:12

wearing Harold's face, she dropped his body

24:15

beside his wife before she knelt beside

24:17

the only family she cared about. They

24:19

lied to us, she said again,

24:22

caressing his face with her sticky and stained

24:24

hand. They would never let you

24:26

lose. It had to be done. Barnaby did

24:28

not speak, only gazed with his tiny

24:31

black eyes as wide as they were capable

24:33

of growing.

24:34

After Lily dipped her hand into the pool

24:36

of blood surrounding her mother, she held

24:38

it to her brother's face.

24:40

It's easy, she said, pulling

24:42

his recoiling head back to face her. I

24:45

learned it long ago, what we can do. I

24:47

know you can do it too. As she pressed

24:49

her other hand onto the low-hanging jaw, she

24:52

poured the blood cupped in her palm.

24:54

When Barnaby attempted to turn away and

24:56

spit out the foul-tasting fluid, she

24:58

slapped his mouth back shut, holding it

25:00

in place until he swallowed.

25:03

It took some hours, as well as a

25:05

lot of convincing from his sister, some

25:07

debating, retching, and even arguing,

25:09

but by the time night fell, the boy

25:11

stood his mother's image while Lily

25:14

maintained her father's form. Anyone

25:16

you drink, you can become them, she

25:19

said, mimicking Harold's voice. That's

25:21

what I found, anyway.

25:23

Never tried an animal, but it might

25:25

work too.

25:26

Barnaby nodded, only replying to

25:28

her when expected.

25:30

Though she had lied to her father about breaking

25:32

the skin of the older boy who bullied her when she

25:34

was younger, she was well aware of

25:36

what his concerns truly were at the time.

25:39

When she gazed into the bathroom mirror after

25:41

fleeing from the child as he attempted to stop

25:43

the flow of blood, she saw not herself,

25:46

but the boy she left leaking fluids onto

25:48

the ground.

25:49

She never understood why Harold King

25:52

had turned his back on what she believed him to

25:54

be, the exact thing she

25:56

and her brother were, but it

25:58

was this neglect of their god-gouge. given gifts

26:00

that fueled the hatred she grew towards him.

26:03

Had he allowed his children to learn what they were

26:05

capable of at an earlier age, her

26:07

brother need never have been locked away from the

26:09

world,

26:10

as he could have taken any face he chose,

26:13

rather than being led to believe he was a monster

26:15

this whole time.

26:17

Though Barnaby had despised his parents for

26:19

as long as he could remember, he never wanted this.

26:22

He was ashamed of these instincts that led him

26:24

to feed on the wildlife behind their home when

26:26

he was far too young to understand why.

26:29

Admittedly, he could have never predicted this,

26:31

but he would not continue to be part of it.

26:34

That much he swore to himself.

26:36

Some hours after the two lay down to rest,

26:39

Lily back in her bedroom, having returned

26:41

to her smaller proportions and Barnaby

26:44

still wearing his mother's face,

26:45

he crept out into the night,

26:47

not unlike how he had in his younger years.

26:50

He would not seek out anything to fulfill those

26:52

once-forgotten urges,

26:54

nor would he return to the house in which he had been

26:56

imprisoned.

26:57

While he did love his sister, he could not

26:59

stay with her,

27:00

not after witnessing what she was capable of.

27:03

The young girl was heartbroken when she awoke

27:05

the following morning, to find no trace

27:08

of her beloved brother. Her temper

27:10

raged, inspiring her to beat holes in the

27:12

walls and tip and break the furniture her parents

27:14

had worked hard to accumulate.

27:17

As time went on, she grew bitter and

27:19

resentful of the ones she had set free, the

27:21

ones she had killed for.

27:23

She swore she would track him down some day

27:25

and make him pay for leaving her alone.

27:28

Something she was now so close to, she

27:30

could practically smell his fear.

27:36

Every eye around the campfire was glued to Liam

27:39

when he finished his tale,

27:40

as he cut his gaze from one of us to the next

27:43

with the madness and fury behind his reddening

27:45

stare. I finally understood

27:47

that this was not simply some story he made

27:50

up for the sake of scaring his fellow scouts,

27:52

but that Lillian King herself sat

27:54

before us, hidden away behind the

27:56

boy I called a friend.

27:58

I couldn't help but wonder. has he continued to

28:01

drift his widened eyes from one of us to

28:03

the next if this was the same kid

28:05

I had known for a few years now.

28:07

Or if Lillian had recently claimed

28:09

his image for herself.

28:11

That inner debate was the least of my concerns

28:13

at the time, however, as the rage behind

28:16

his glare seemed to be shining through so

28:18

much more intensely as he blinked between

28:20

us. Even Gilroy, the one

28:22

who was supposed to be the responsible adult taking

28:24

care of us kids, was just staring on

28:27

with his lower lip quivering.

28:29

I wanted to call out to him and demand that he

28:31

take control of this situation, but as

28:33

I attempted to form words, I could barely

28:35

manage so much as a squeak. I know

28:38

you're here, part of me, Liam

28:40

said, effectively snapping my attention away

28:42

from the dumbfounded scout leader. I

28:44

can smell you! Just show yourself

28:47

and no one else needs to get hurt!

28:49

What the hell, Liam? Ian said,

28:51

getting to his feet. You freak this all out, okay?

28:54

You don't gotta keep up the act. Yeah,

28:57

John added, it was a cool story and all,

28:59

but- Shut up! Liam barked,

29:02

staring knives at those I thought to be his friends.

29:04

I know that neither of you are him, but

29:07

I swear I'll gut you both if he doesn't

29:09

man up and face what's coming to him! With

29:12

that, while my eyes darted from the boy

29:14

I thought I knew to the two whose expressions

29:16

quickly transitioned from agitated to stunned,

29:19

the scuffling of feet broke

29:20

me from attempting to wrap my mind around

29:22

everything.

29:23

Whether it was the fury behind Liam's words

29:25

that sent everyone running in varying directions,

29:28

or that hateful malice behind his gaze, I

29:30

couldn't say, but when he screamed out

29:33

in anguish after the others scattered, I

29:35

felt inspired to flee as well.

29:37

As I broke through the treeline, paying little

29:39

attention to which direction anyone else was

29:41

headed, I heard the furious yell come

29:43

from behind, behind where we left

29:46

that bonfire crackling. I

29:48

still wouldn't look back, even when the scampering

29:50

footballs around me grew more muffled, signaling

29:53

that I was likely alone on my chosen path

29:55

of retreat. When a blood-curdling

29:58

squeal reached my ears, I had to- I assumed

30:00

that my friend had caught up to at least one of the

30:02

fleeing children. As much as I hated

30:04

the idea of any of us ending up bloody

30:06

upon the dried autumn leaves, I

30:09

couldn't help but hope that the one he found was

30:11

the one he sought. I felt guilty,

30:13

free from wishing for something like that, but

30:16

one body left in the wake of all of this was

30:18

a far better outcome than all of us. That's

30:21

what I told myself anyway. Regardless

30:23

of how that squeal from somewhere to my left practically

30:26

drained the strength from my legs, I still

30:28

pushed on through the pain in my side and

30:30

the burning in my lungs. I

30:32

almost considered stopping for a moment to catch my

30:34

breath, but two more agonized wails

30:37

and quick succession convinced me I could not

30:39

risk it. While those swiftly

30:41

silenced howls seemed further off than the ones

30:43

before, I had to find a place to hide

30:46

if I hoped to survive this, something

30:48

that was no simple task with how dark my

30:50

surroundings were. Finally, having no

30:52

hope of resisting my weakening extremities

30:54

giving out, I slid to the ground, tearing

30:57

my arm across a broken tree branch in

30:59

the process. I wanted to curse

31:01

aloud when the jagged wood split my flesh,

31:03

but I slapped my hand to my mouth before

31:06

my skidding across the leaves came to a halt.

31:09

As I lay there, gripping one hand around

31:11

my leaking wound and the other over my

31:13

mouth, biting down to keep from screaming

31:15

from the pain and fear,

31:17

I could make out another sound over that

31:19

of my quickly paced heartbeat.

31:21

The feet crunching across the dried leaves

31:23

belonged to more than one person, but

31:25

I couldn't tell if they ran side by side

31:28

or if one was chasing the other. With

31:30

them drawing closer by the second, I could only

31:32

hope they would not make out the sounds of me burying

31:34

myself beneath the leaves over their own footsteps.

31:38

They were close enough to touch moments later, each

31:40

of the four feet stopping only a yard or so

31:43

from where I lay,

31:44

attempting to keep my shivering from exposing

31:46

me.

31:47

Even with the darkness around me, the moon

31:49

shining from above illuminated my surroundings

31:52

was enough to make out the shoes as I peered

31:54

through the poorly constructed cocoon,

31:56

but I could only hope that it wasn't bright enough

31:58

for them to see me.

31:59

While the two heaved, seemingly attempting

32:02

to collect their breath, I was far too

32:04

scared to risk revealing myself,

32:06

even if they were likely just as innocent as

32:08

I was in all of this. I think

32:10

he got Reggie. One

32:14

of them said, still gasping between words,

32:17

John too, the other replied, sounding

32:19

equally as winded.

32:21

I clenched my jaw, feeling a spike

32:23

run through my chest when they mentioned John,

32:26

but I had hoped they may be simply mistaken

32:28

given the circumstances.

32:30

With how exhausted the two sounded, I

32:32

couldn't pinpoint the voices, though they

32:34

were both familiar.

32:36

Either way, that wasn't enough for me to know if

32:38

I could trust them.

32:40

I had spoken to all of the guys at one point or

32:42

another, but my friends were the only ones

32:44

I had any interest in spending time with.

32:46

I was never exactly a social butterfly,

32:49

even before all of this, but I couldn't

32:51

reveal myself until I knew for sure if these

32:53

two were friends or just some of the other guys

32:55

who may be quick to toss me to the wolves and

32:58

make a break for it if it came down to that.

33:01

I told you Liam had been acting funny.

33:03

The more familiar sounding voice spoke,

33:05

now that the wheezing had calmed down.

33:07

So what? Malcolm

33:09

said in that annoyed tone he would get when feeling

33:12

argumentative. You trying to claim you knew

33:14

this shit was coming? Dude, I'm

33:16

just saying I knew something was off

33:18

with him. There

33:19

ain't no way anyone could have called this.

33:22

I let out a shaky and relieved breath when

33:24

I realized the other voice belonged to Ian. Suddenly

33:27

feeling almost desperate to share the company of

33:30

friends, I grew more aware of how ridiculous

33:32

I had been acting. I almost wished

33:34

I could just slink away unnoticed to show

33:36

up on foot claiming that I couldn't believe I found

33:39

them. That would likely be far

33:41

less embarrassing than the way things went. Um,

33:44

don't freak out guys. I said, pushing

33:47

a hand through the blanket of leaves like a newly

33:49

reincarnated member of the undead, breaking

33:51

free of its coffin. Both

33:54

voices said, combined with a few more colorful

33:56

words, I said,

33:58

finally sitting up straight by myself. before pushing up from

34:00

the ground. It's me, I

34:03

chuckled, feeling my face flush. Holy…

34:06

You scared the shit out of me,

34:09

Ian said, holding a hand out to help me

34:11

up.

34:12

Keeping my voice low, I explained to

34:14

them somewhat of my motivations behind smuggling

34:17

myself away beneath the leaves, something

34:19

that made us all laugh a bit, though mine were

34:21

not quite as genuine, being still a bit

34:23

awkward and ashamed. When we

34:25

cloned back down to something more somber, Malcolm

34:28

told us what he'd witnessed.

34:30

John, it would seem, was indeed dead,

34:32

or at least in pretty rough shape.

34:35

From what he saw, he was ducked behind a

34:37

thick tree when Liam came leaping out of

34:39

nowhere. Our friend didn't have a chance to

34:41

avoid the teeth chomping into his neck.

34:43

I just knew I was screwed when he was done with

34:45

them,

34:46

Malcolm said, staring down at his feet.

34:48

I stayed tucked behind that tree, feeling

34:51

like I was going to puke. I just knew

34:53

he was coming for me when I heard him stomping closer,

34:56

but when someone yelled from a ways off, he

34:58

took off after him.

35:00

I didn't move again until I was sure he'd gone,

35:02

then I just didn't stop running until I came

35:04

across Ian. Damn, they gave

35:06

me a heart attack too,

35:08

Ian said, gripping his chest.

35:11

Ian had seen Liam tackling Reggie

35:13

from a distance, but he didn't stick around

35:15

to see what happened next.

35:17

We all got silent for a few minutes, each

35:19

of us reflecting on our shame for leaving our

35:21

friends behind.

35:22

It was that very thing that left us so distracted

35:25

when someone else came plundering towards us. The

35:28

scream for

35:30

us to run as he pushed through the trees. Before

35:33

I had a chance to fully take in the side of the only

35:36

adult who had shared our company tearing through

35:38

the branches, I felt him slam into

35:40

me.

35:41

Having paid little attention to my surroundings,

35:44

what I could make out of them anyway, I was

35:46

not only shocked by the impact of the shaggy-haired,

35:49

lanky man, but of the steep hill

35:51

we found ourselves rolling down seconds later.

35:54

Ian called after me, only moments before

35:56

his ear-piercing shriek interrupted whatever

35:58

he had hoped to say next.

36:00

In all honesty, I can't say whether it

36:03

was he or Malcolm who released that agonized

36:05

whale, but that would be an unnecessary

36:07

debate when the other joined in.

36:10

When the twin chorus of horrified howls

36:12

turned to gargled coughs and sputters, I

36:14

was barely aware of the snapping of my ribs

36:16

against the rocks and twigs I rolled across.

36:20

When our tumble came to a halt, I felt

36:22

my consciousness struggling to hold on, before

36:24

everything faded before my eyes.

36:27

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was screaming

36:29

out to my body, begging it to reawaken

36:32

before my old friend caught up with me. When

36:34

my eyes blinked back open, I was immediately

36:37

aware of the significant amount of pain my body

36:39

was in, as well as the guy my limbs

36:41

were intertwined with. From where

36:44

we lay now, sprawled out at the base

36:46

of the hill, there was far less light, making

36:48

my new surroundings all the more hidden behind

36:50

the darkness, but the pain I was

36:53

in was clear as day.

36:54

I said,

36:57

wintzing from the agony, screaming from my ribs

36:59

as I nudged Gilroy. I

37:02

think so, he replied, slipping

37:04

his legs from mine.

37:06

I felt around the ground, hoping to find

37:08

it level enough to attempt to push my broken

37:10

body from its grip, but when I finally

37:13

got to my feet, I was sure my eyes

37:15

were playing tricks on me, or that the

37:17

darkness was messing with my head. When

37:19

I turned my gaze to that of the scout leader, the

37:22

one eye and my fellow scouts had put our faith

37:24

in, I did not see the shaggy-haired,

37:26

skinny man, but my own spitting

37:29

image staring back at me.

37:30

What the hell? He said, backing

37:33

away from me, holding his hands out before him.

37:35

No way, I replied, unable

37:37

to think of anything else to say,

37:39

other than questioning why he was backing away

37:41

from me when he was the one who stole my face.

37:44

As we just stared at one another, both of us

37:46

wearing the same slack-jawed expression, something

37:49

in the back of my mind was yelling at me to start

37:51

running again. While just about

37:54

every inch of my body was in pain, I

37:56

knew I had to convince my legs to get moving.

37:59

aware that I was face to face with Barnaby

38:02

King, but I was certain that his vengeful

38:04

sister would not simply have taken for granted

38:06

that her work here was done. It

38:09

was as my mind was conjuring these facts,

38:11

wrestling through the clutter of everything else this

38:14

night had presented me with that I felt the

38:16

breath on the back of my neck.

38:17

You're the only one left now. A

38:19

voice spoke from behind me. Not

38:21

that of my friend, but a more feminine

38:24

one. You could have made this so much easier. You

38:26

know that, right? It's your fault

38:28

they're all dead. The voice was emotionless,

38:31

yet gravelled in a way, youthful

38:33

and aged at the same time.

38:35

Though I was frozen in place, as was

38:37

the other kid wearing my skin, I felt

38:39

my body seemingly move of its own accord,

38:42

turning in place to look upon what was surely

38:44

to be the last thing I ever saw.

38:47

While my subconscious fought to sprint away from

38:49

my inevitable demise, my eyes'

38:51

desperation to see what had become of Liam

38:53

took the wheel. When they met the

38:56

empty stare of what stood there, the horror

38:58

of what I looked upon threatened to stop my

39:00

heart before Lily and King would have the

39:02

opportunity to. I couldn't

39:05

tell if the thing was smiling or if it was

39:07

just the effect of that exaggerated underbite

39:09

hanging low with those needle-like

39:11

teeth stained with the blood of my fellow

39:13

scouts.

39:15

It looked like the face of an anglerfish, but

39:17

with slightly pointed ears in place of

39:19

the fins on each side.

39:21

Those small, spherical black eyes

39:24

glared into me, with nothing remotely

39:26

human behind them.

39:27

I felt my feet shuffling against the dried

39:29

leaves that still wore my blood, steadily

39:32

backing away from this creature as its body

39:34

heaved with breath, contorting the

39:36

stretched and torn uniform that was wrapped

39:39

around its slender and hunched frame. I

39:42

couldn't take my eyes off it, even when it

39:44

began to move closer, closing

39:46

the small gap I had made between us with two

39:48

long strides. "'Lillian,'

39:51

I said, almost hoping I could reason with

39:53

it."

39:54

It nodded in response, not so

39:56

much as blinking those hauntingly dark

39:58

eyes. Had she altered the story

40:01

she told us to switch her and her brother's

40:03

places? Was she the deformed

40:05

and forgotten one while he was the favorite

40:07

child of her parents?

40:09

Could this be the true form of whatever her father

40:11

truly was? What he was ashamed

40:14

to have passed on to his son?

40:15

At the end of the day, when all of this was

40:18

said and done, I suppose none of these questions

40:20

would matter.

40:21

As soon as I felt those lengthy teeth dug

40:23

into my already shredded shoulder, I

40:26

knew my curiosities would die with me.

40:28

She wasn't aggressive with her bite.

40:30

In all honesty, there was something of a

40:32

tenderness to the way she drooped one hand

40:35

over the side she wasn't chewing on.

40:37

With her other pressed my lower back. When

40:39

she pulled back, tearing away a strip of my

40:42

flesh with her, allowing the blood to gush

40:44

from the open wound, I closed my eyes

40:46

as I fell to my knees. Run!

40:49

My clone called out as he attacked my would-be

40:51

murderer, pushing me back as he tackled

40:53

her, saving me from her following attack.

40:56

Though my shirt was heavily dampened by the constant

40:59

flow of my bodily fluids, I needed

41:01

no second demand to encourage me to get moving.

41:04

It wasn't easy to push one leg in front of the other,

41:07

not at first anyway. It was more

41:09

the shock of everything that had only just occurred

41:11

than the pain at the moment. Likely

41:13

the blood loss was a factor as well, but

41:16

even as my ruined shoulder collided with the thick

41:18

trunk of a tree, I continued forcing

41:20

myself forward, not so much as looking

41:22

back.

41:23

I was so unfamiliar with this area that

41:25

it was impossible to know if I would succeed in my

41:27

escape, but I had to try. Some

41:30

minutes later, a time frame that I was fully

41:33

uncertain of between my fear and quickly

41:35

dwindling energy, I noticed that only

41:37

silence surrounded me.

41:39

No longer did I hear the beastly siblings

41:41

tearing into each other, nor could I make

41:43

out even the smallest of forest critters nearby.

41:46

Being unable to know if Liam or Lillian,

41:49

whoever the hell that was, could still be

41:51

intent on hunting me down if she survived

41:53

the battle,

41:55

I still would not stop,

41:56

when I finally became aware of a new sound,

41:59

that of engines.

41:59

humming and wheels rolling across the tarmac,

42:02

the side of headlights ahead allowed me to think

42:05

I may just see the other side of this after all.

42:08

I almost sprinted right into the road when I cleared

42:10

the tree line, skidding to a halt before

42:12

I met the front end of a speeding sedan. I

42:15

screamed out with every ounce of energy I had,

42:17

praying to the gods to allow my pleas to be

42:20

heard by someone, or anyone. I

42:22

was barely holding onto consciousness when I noticed

42:24

still headlights casting my elongated

42:27

shadow before me.

42:28

It wouldn't be until some time later, after

42:30

reawakening on a surprisingly comfortable hospital

42:33

bed, that I would officially meet the middle-aged

42:35

truck driver who spotted me before I fell

42:37

into the black.

42:39

Over the following days, I would recall

42:41

the devastating events of that ill-fated camping

42:43

trip to a variety of official-looking

42:45

individuals, two police officers

42:47

being the first, as soon as my doctor

42:49

cleared me to answer their questions.

42:52

Though I could only assist them with what I

42:54

had personally witnessed, some of which

42:56

was quite foggy through the trauma of it all.

42:59

I quickly grew exhausted from repeating the

43:01

same words over and over again. While

43:04

I would not be privy to many aspects of their

43:06

investigation, I was informed that I

43:08

was the lone survivor of the wrath of Lillian

43:10

King, someone who was nowhere

43:13

to be found when the dust settled. Whether

43:16

she wore another's face by the time the battle

43:18

reached its bloody conclusion, or that she

43:20

fled before the blue lights flickered across

43:22

the trees, I can't say. The

43:24

police were quite puzzled about the mangled

43:26

corpse of my doppelganger, as was I,

43:29

truth be told. A police

43:31

car remained parked outside my childhood home

43:33

for some weeks after I was cleared to come home.

43:36

When the body of the true Liam Holbrook was

43:38

discovered, some days after that night, it

43:40

would be taken for granted that Lillian King

43:42

was still out there somewhere. Given

43:45

my recollection of the story she told, the

43:47

authorities felt content in the knowledge that she

43:49

would have no reason to seek me out, but

43:51

wanted to keep an eye on things nonetheless. I

43:54

would have a significant amount of physical therapy

43:57

to endure when I was able, in addition

43:59

to the psychological.

43:59

logical counselling I maintained to this day.

44:02

Those first three months after the brutal murder

44:04

of my only friends in this world were the worst,

44:07

but the anguish eased in time. Unfortunately,

44:10

the more I grew aware of what truly occurred

44:12

that night, the less stable my mental health

44:14

became.

44:16

Perhaps it's simply the fact that I was far

44:18

more resistant to use my gifts than my sister

44:20

that caused this particular transition to be

44:23

so jarring.

44:24

I had been Jacob Gilroy for so many years

44:27

that I had almost allowed myself to believe it

44:29

was my true identity. I had lived

44:31

on the streets for some time after fleeing my home,

44:33

still dressed as my mother, so to speak. Having

44:36

been cooped up in that basement for so long, I

44:39

had not the slightest understanding of how to make

44:41

it in this world, so I ended up

44:43

amongst my fellow lost souls.

44:45

The real Gilroy was a friend I made during

44:47

those times, one who inadvertently

44:50

poisoned himself to death with a needle in his

44:52

arm.

44:53

Fortunately, I only needed a sample

44:55

of his blood to become him, so the

44:57

toxins he fed into his veins only caused

45:00

me a fleeting euphoria.

45:02

Being the first time I willingly became

45:04

another, I had been aware of how fully

45:06

we embrace our new skin,

45:08

as well as the memories of those costumes we

45:10

don. The troubled life my

45:12

friend lived was all I knew for those months

45:14

following his death, even up to the second

45:17

the contents of that needle put his life to a

45:19

premature end. These recollections

45:22

pushed my own personal history back for a time,

45:24

hiding them behind the curtains of the life I

45:26

adopted. I even felt scared

45:29

when I saw the face I wore upon that dead

45:31

man before me when I opened my eyes.

45:34

Seeing this as a sign, I managed to

45:36

get my life together,

45:37

Gilroy's life, that is, but

45:40

Gilroy I was, for all intents

45:42

and purposes. Once my fractured

45:44

brain rebuilt the memories of my true lineage,

45:47

I maintained those I had adopted as well.

45:50

It can be distracting, mind you, carrying

45:53

multiple lifetimes in my head, understanding

45:55

which memories are my own and which ones I

45:58

stole,

45:58

but I can only imagine.

45:59

how many poor souls my sister

46:02

has locked away in hers by this point. Why

46:05

I never stole the full experience of my mother's

46:07

existence, I cannot say.

46:09

Perhaps it was simply the fact that she was my blood.

46:12

Maybe it was due to my resisting that first

46:14

change.

46:16

I suppose there are some aspects of my life

46:18

I may never fully understand, nor

46:20

the facts of what I even am for that matter.

46:23

But in this case, though,

46:25

with the blood transfer being accidental

46:27

as we tumbled down that hill together, I

46:29

was fully immersed in the reality of this new

46:31

face by the time my eyes blinked back

46:33

to awareness.

46:35

I would say that I can only imagine what was going

46:37

through Marcus's head when he saw me looking

46:39

back at him, but I would have to believe

46:42

we were on the same page at the time. Likely

46:44

we both saw each other as the one Lily

46:47

sought out, but I can't even begin

46:49

to understand why he was so willing to sacrifice

46:51

himself to grant me freedom. When

46:54

I awakened in that hospital, my heart ached

46:56

for the friends I lost, those that Marcus

46:58

lost anyway. When the pain

47:01

gave way to anger, I wanted nothing

47:03

more than to inflict as much of that agony

47:05

upon the one who took them from me.

47:07

It could be that it was that very thing that inspired

47:10

the true Marcus to attack my sister, the

47:12

desire for revenge rather than an effort

47:14

to save me. I suppose there

47:16

is no way to know that for sure in the end.

47:19

Perhaps even after all these years, I do

47:21

not fully understand the boy whose life I

47:23

claimed for my own

47:24

once he had no more use for it.

47:27

If nothing else, I can take some solace

47:29

in the fact that his parents need not have mourned

47:31

his passing, though they did bear

47:33

witness to my self-destruction. I

47:36

can't help but wonder if my turning to the bottle

47:38

were some lingering effects of being Gilroy

47:41

for so long.

47:42

All things considered,

47:43

I suppose none of this really matters as I

47:45

am doomed to face the destiny I fled from

47:48

back then. Should I ever hope

47:50

to truly battle my inner demons, I

47:52

must track down the very literal one I allowed

47:54

so many lives to be lost to. Whichever

47:57

way it goes, should I survive this encounter

47:59

or not? If not, it will never bring back those

48:02

I let fall to my sister's lust for revenge.

48:05

Maybe it would be best if neither of us survive our next

48:07

meeting.

48:08

Just wipe away the stain our parents smeared

48:10

upon this world altogether.

48:13

If that is the way it goes, I think I'm

48:15

alright with it.

48:16

Perhaps it is well overdue that my stolen

48:18

parents finally be given a chance to mourn

48:21

the death of their youngest son.

48:23

That's probably the least I can do for them.

48:26

I think when all is said and done, we must all

48:28

face our demons in the end. No matter

48:30

how far we run or how hard we

48:32

try to hide from them, these things

48:34

cannot be avoided. I wish

48:37

I had understood that much back then. Between

48:39

my cowardice and my sister's fury, we

48:42

both allowed innocent blood to be spilled. It's

48:45

my fault as much as hers.

48:46

What happened to the scouts I both watched over

48:49

and considered friends? Sometimes

48:51

I wonder if those whose lives I've stole

48:54

live on within me, as well as

48:56

the great many I'm certain my sister has

48:58

inside her head. After all,

49:00

we were all just memories in the end. Nothing

49:04

more than tales to be told around the campfire.