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Ted hadn't had to wake up Pete for school in years, he always seemed to be on time and ready to go. Ted always got up early to see him off anyway though. He stumbled into the kitchen to find the scent of coffee tickling his nose and his brother sat at the table with toast.
“Mornin’ Petey.”, he muttered, walking past and ruffling his hair.
“Coffees on”, he responded simply, nodding over to the pot. Pete didn't drink coffee, but he always brewed a pot every morning for Ted. The kitchen remained quiet save for the sound of the coffee pouring into the mug, Ted sipped, and Pete crunched. They did this every day. Until Pete stood to relinquish his plate to the sink, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “I gotta head out before I miss the bus”, He mumbled, already halfway to the door.
“You sure you don't want me to drive you?”, Ted offered, already knowing the answer. Pete cast a glance out the window to Teds's beat-up car.
“No thanks.”, and with that, he was gone. Ted slumped against the counter, he loved his brother, but they definitely didn't have much to talk about.
Ted kept his work desk minimal, last thing he wanted was everybody at the office peaking in on his personal life. It mostly just held whatever he was working on at the moment, but he had two pictures framed on each corner. An old Christmas picture of the whole family, back when it was a whole. Pete couldn't have been older than four, being held by their mom. Their dad held her with a smile and a teenage Ted stood nestled into their arms. This was the last picture they ever took together. On the other side, he had a slightly more recent picture. In an attempt to bond with his brother, Ted had dragged him along to Watcher World. They took pictures in the big corny photo stand, squished into a hug by the Winky mascot. Seeing those pictures everyday reminds him what he has to work for, somebody's gotta take care of Pete.
At first, it was just one person, Mellisa coming out singing to the whole room, directing people into Mr Davidsons office. Then one after another they’d come out all singing that same damn song, choreographed and everything. Ted watched on from the water cooler as the routine in front of him continued, turning to an even more confused Charlotte.
“Did I miss a meeting?”, Ted whispered, Charlotte only shrugged.
“Your guess is as good as mine, maybe it's got something to do with that flash mob Paul saw earlier”. Something about the way they all sang in unison was almost sinister, it sent chills down Teds spine. “Maybe we should get out of here”, Charlotte began to suggest. That was until the door of Mr. Davidson's office swung open, An employee ran out, a scrape wound across his neck bleeding out a blue goop. He tried to scramble away, until a smiling Mr Davidson emerged and dragged him back in, singing all the way through. Just as quick as it happened, the man was back out good as new, another member of the choir.
“Make that we should really get out of here”, Ted spoke definitively, “Where's Bill?”
Ted tried to ignore the nagging voice in the back of his head as he, Bill, and Charlotte snuck out of the CCRP Technical offices, dodging former coworkers throwing show tunes their way. Every infected person only further weighed down his mind with thoughts of Peter. He had to be ok- had to be. Pete was a smart kid, he’d probably seen the craziness start and ran home. Right? As they got to the alleyway full of trashcans, Ted immediately pulled out his phone, dialing Pete's number. The contact picture of them together flashed on the screen as it rang, Teds breath was getting ragged. It rang and rang…but no answer. “Shit!”, he let out, throwing the phone at a nearby can, Charlotte jumped at the sudden noise. “I'm sorry”, he mumbled, laying his head in his hands. She scooted closer, seeing the concern on his face. She’d often run into Pete when she came over to the house and had grown quite close to him as well.
“I'm sure he's fine, Ted”, her touch comforted him but even she looked unsure.
“We don't know that Charlotte-”, Ted whispered, “he could be.. One of those fuckin’ things by now for all we know!”, His attempts to be quiet were quelled by the mass of emotions flooding up inside him. He didn't know where Pete was or if he was ok, all he could do was hope. He rubbed his temples and let out a deep sigh, attempting to calm himself. Bill came and sat on his other side, a similar look of distraught on his face. “I know how you feel Ted, even though Alice is off in Clivesdale. For once,I hope nothing bad is happening there”.
“Lord knows where Sam’s gone”, Charlotte trailed off.
The three of them sat together, huddled in the stinky alleyway as the world fell apart around them. The silence was almost comfortable though, at least better than the singing. That silence was broken, however, by the unmistakable sound of Paul Matthews's voice, Ted almost let out a sigh of relief that at least one more person was still safe, that was until he heard the voice of that crabby beanies barista. They’d escaped the infections just barely, but everyone at Beanies wasnt so lucky. Peter loved Beanies, ever since he was a kid he would always go there after school for a hot chocolate. That was probably where he had been, the last place he’d ever been.
Ted’s chest felt tight as he turned to Charlotte who began to say her sorries. He couldn't stand it. They had bigger fish to fry, he ignored her and turned to speak with Paul and that crabby barista, but the wheels in his brain kept turning. The undeniable fact that Peter was probably long dead by now. Ted had just one job, one job that he’d promised his father just before he died, “keep your brother safe”, and Ted vowed that he always would. He’d give his life for Pete in an instant,but now it was far too late. Sure, Ted had been called a failure before, but he’d never felt it more than in that moment. Pete had a bright future ahead of him, he was so excited for college, to finally leave Hatchetfield like nobody else in the family was able to. It seemed like nobody could get out of there, one way or another. His mother couldnt, his father couldnt, pete wont, and neither would he. It was all just going through the motions, and he could only seem to think of one thing. Peter, the last member of his family, was dead.
The drive to Hidgens’ mysterious home was silent save for Charlotte crying into Sam’s shoulder. The sight of his open blue brain made Ted ill for many reasons, All he could think of was the same thing happening to Pete. As blue ooze dripped down Sam’s chin, Ted opted to keep his eyes glued to the window, watching Hatchetfield fall apart.