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To kill a human being is, after all, the least injury you can do him.
-Henry James
The pain would've been the most consuming factor in all of the bloodshed and turmoil if Marko had known it was only him. He was almost torn to shreds and yet he rose like a phoenix from the ashes but the same could not have been said for his brothers.
When he discovered that the cave was empty, warning sirens alarmed in his head. He could tell from the distant laughter and the crowds on the boardwalk and beach that it was daylight hours. The smashed up clock in the corner confirmed it for him. Normally, his brothers were here, and so was Star, and Laddie.
Usually, he wouldn't have even noticed that she was missing, he never took much notice of her coming and goings: sure, she was fun to toy with, but in the end she was unimportant and replaceable. He never thought he would long to hear her concerns about his rowdy behaviour, or even her scolding for his missteps.
Marko had never dealt with boredom well. He always had something; anything do distract him. He had never realised how desolate and lifeless the cave was, and for a fleeting moment he had wondered if his immortal life had only just accumulated to this. Maybe it was his own fault for horsing around all this years, not finding meaning in anything except which girl he would fuck and kill next. Maybe that was why his brothers weren’t there, maybe it was his fault. Maybe if he had-
No.
He wouldn’t allow himself to think like that. There was a perfectly acceptable reason why the boys were there. Dwayne wouldn’t have let them leave him behind like that, and David like the cave to much to leave it behind like it was a motel room.
The hours passed quickly after that. Marko had to focus on where he would go once he could leave for the streets of Santa Carla to keep his mind of the gaping wound that was in his chest not too long ago. Despite his rapid healing, each breath felt sharp, as if the splinters from the stake he had been pierced with were slowly traveling throughout his veins, teasing an imminent and torturous death.
It was during this did his attention spin out onto Michael. Michael had been an enigma wrapped in a mystery from the start; Marko didn’t really understand the boy, but he kept David off his case. He quickly came to the decision that he could live without Michael, and Star, but no amount of thinking and internal debate swayed him from knowing that he had to find his brothers.
When the sun eventually finished its descent and the moon began to rise, Marko sped out of the cave, wincing only slightly at the rapid movement. He moved swiftly through the crowds of people at the boardwalk, eyes darting left and right in search of his kin but to no avail. He was sure the security guard was eyeing him up, waiting for him to start some of his usual trouble. Instead, he ducked his head down and made his way to the video store but once again he came up empty.
The pain radiating from his chest grew tenfold when he saw that the store was closed. The lights were off, and he couldn’t hear anybody inside. Maybe they had left him after all. He had turned to walk away, back to the board walk to find some poor soul to prey upon when he heard a familiar laughter coming down from the alleyway behind the store.
He froze, trying to home in on the sound. His abilities were hindered by his recent injury, but Marko persevered through the temporary weakness. It was clearly Star; he could recognise her voice easily after living with her; the other voice wasn’t too familiar, but It was hard to connect the dots: Michael. They were laughing about something, nay someone tripping over. He couldn’t quite make out who they were talking about, but he didn’t need too.
Marko almost moved to go meet them in the alley, but he hesitated. What if they didn’t know about what happened to his brothers? He would have to tell them… He was nearly convinced that they didn’t know, how else would they be so happy and carefree. And yet, another part of himself argued back. What if they did know? What if they had something to do with it…? And what if they didn’t care that they were dead?
Swallowing his pride and his fear, Marko straightened his shoulders and pushed forward to enter the alley. He could see how Star felt comfortable in a place like this; it looked eerily similar to the cave. Tall dark walls surrounding you on both sides, the sound of people screaming and laughing in the distance, and the subtle light coming towards the entrance. He stood in that light so that they would be sure to see him.
“Marko!” Star gasped, stepping back so that he body was shielded by Michael. Coward. “What happe- How are you here?”
The vampire slinked forward, Star’s reaction giving him enough of a clue to realise of her and Michael’s involvement in his brothers’ disappearance. “You see, that’s what I was gonna ask you.”
“Back off dude.” Michael interrupted, continuing to push Star behind him.
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll finish the job…” he smirked at Marko, taunting him. “…like I did with the others.”
Marko lowly growled, moving to lunge at Michael as he imagined how God damn satisfying it would be to rip of his jugular with nothing but his teeth. He wouldn’t even drink from him, just let him there to bleed out at his mercy. And as for Star, he would drag her death out, ensuring that she felt the pain he would without his brothers tenfold. He halted his movements when a wave of weakness thrashed through his veins from his lack of sustenance.
“What is it?” Michael continued to prod. “Can’t fight me… too pathetic to try again?”
Marko laughed; if he didn’t feel every breath stabbing him he may have enjoyed it more. But despite the pain of his injuries and the tidal wave of grief that had hit him, Marko laughed deeply and truly.
“Did you forget Michael. We are forever. If I came back, what makes you think the others won’t. That we won’t wait for you to be at your most vulnerable and take it all away.” Marko stalked forward. “I can wait until you have everything and snatch it back. Maybe I’ll start with the princess behind you.”
Michael looked around the alley to find anything to fight Marko with, but as he whipped his head up to meet the vampire’s steely gaze again, he was left with an empty alley and the threats still hanging in the air. The now human pair waited in the dim light for a moment before they rushed to the solace of the crowded boardwalk.
Everything seemed as it was meant to, but not even Michael could stop the chill coming up from his spine as his heard Marko speak once more.
“I will come for you one day Michael. Not today, maybe not tomorrow. But I will come, and I will take it all away.”