Brother (Alternate Universe)

Death

Chris was 15 years old.
Nick and Matt were 6 years old. When the crash took place.

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Death.
Nothing you want to experience, or for better words, nothing you'd want someone you care about to experience. It happens all the time, it's happening all around us. All animals, including humans, all of us die at some point. Whether or not it's by our own hand, by someone else's hand, natural causes, unnatural causes, etc..

A few years ago, Chris Sturniolo and his two younger brothers were informed of some heartbreaking news. Their parents met a tragic end on their way home from a night out. Jimmy, the father, was driving a bit fast and he didn't see the car next to him. So when he switched lanes, he and the large truck next to them collided. The impact sent Mary Lou, the mother, into the dashboard and the car began to spin out of control. It spun onto the other side of the intersection, causing a semi-truck to collide and kill both of them on impact. When Chris got the news that his parents had been killed in a car accident, his world was flipped upside down. His blood ran cold and he looked down at his two sleeping brothers on the couch, wondering what he was supposed to do. He still had school, and he had been dealing with some mental health problems for a while, he couldn't take care of them! Where would they go? What would he do? Thankfully, the state allowed Chris to get emancipated at the age of 16. So he was eligible by law to take care of his brothers.

He was scared, sad, confused and angry. It didn't help that his brothers never stopped asking him where their parents were. Chris didn't tell them for a while, not until.. he finally did. But when he did, he was too far gone inside his head to be comforting. In fact, he stopped being comforting by the one year mark. His words became sharp and uninviting, the hands that were once used for hugging and holding, now were only used to hit, throw, punch.. anything but love. He was just a kid, yeah maybe not in the eyes of the law. But anybody with a brain knows that 15 year olds shouldn't be thrown into a forever long babysitting job.

Except, for Chris.. it wasn't a job. These weren't ordinary kids, either. They were his brothers, and now, they were practically his children. He loved them, sure, but.. he couldn't take all of this at once. He shouldn't have had to. Because these things don't always play out the right way. For the babies, Nick and Matt, they were confused, scared and lost without their momma. They loved Chris, he was their older brother and they'd always love him. But he became scary, and mean. Violent and unforgiving. They began to believe that he didn't love them anymore, and that frightened them beyond belief.

Matt stopped talking at the age of 7, after being hit for the first time by Chris. The burning pain that shot through the little boys body when he was struck, sent terror through him. He looked up at Chris when it happened, eyes filled with confused tears that threatened to boil over at any second. Chris looked down at the bleeding boy and scoffed slightly, his eyes were wide, Matt couldn't read him very well. But it was almost like he was surprised at what he had done. Matt ran out of the kitchen before Chris could say or do anything, and from that day forth, the little twin never said anything else. Unless he was whispering to Nick.

Nick was hit more often, he didn't back down from Chris unless he resorted to violence. This changed over the course of the first year, and some of the second. What changed? Well, Nick wouldn't listen to Chris and go to sleep. He wasn't tired, and he was trying to tend to Matt, who had gotten hurt from a separate reason. Chris got angry, very angry, he walked over to the young boy and picked him up by the throat, lifting him with ease. "Go. The fuck. To bed!" Chris yelled, tightening his grip on the boy after every few words. Nick began to cry and gasp pathetically for air. Begging Chris to just let him go.

He went to bed after that, and never tried to challenge his brothers authority again. At least, not that much.

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[Present day, August 1st. Years later]

"Nick, Matt. Get up, we're going to the store."
Chris's flat, monotoned voice forced Nick's eyes open almost immediately. He looked over at his elder brother feom his shared bed, but Chris wasn't in the doorway anymore. Which meant that they needed to get up, immediately.
Nick began to shake Matt awake, after a minute, Matt woke up. Or rather, he jolted awake and sat up at the speed of light. Nick whispered to Matt that Chris wanted them to get up, Matt complied and the two of them got out of bed and got dressed. The boys were turning 10 today, one year closer to helping their older brother. Who was now 19, and in deep addictions with alcohol and a few other choice drugs. Most of which put him to sleep.

Nick and Matt hurriedly went into the living room, seeing Chris in the middle of the room. Standing still and looking absently out of the window, the two boys just stood there, waiting for Chris to acknowledge them. Which he does, peeling his gaze from the window, his eyes settle on his two brothers. His facial expression is still, void of any emotion. Nick and Matt recognize the elders pain somehow and they stay silent. "Go get in the car, Matt. Nick stay here for a second" he mumbles, motioning with his head for Matt to leave. Which he does. Once he's gone, Chris fixes his gaze upon Nick, looking a bit more irritated than a few seconds ago. Nick looks up at him, feeling his heart begin to race when he sees Chris's irritated expression.

"I'm only gonna ask you this one time.. and I expect an honest answer" Chris starts, his voice wavering between calm and angry. Nick nods quickly. "Uh- yes sir.." he says quietly. Chris narrows his eyes at Nick before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a sloppily folded up piece of paper. Nick's breathing catches in his throat, and he hopes that isn't what he thinks it is. Chris keeps his eyes on Nick as he unfolds the paper. Once it's unfolded, Nick recognizes it immediately. Chris catches onto the recognition and tightens his grip on the paper, which had a phone number on it.

Crouching down to Nick's level, Chris holds out the note. "What is this." He says flatly, Nick looks at the note, then at Chris. He begins to shake his head, but a quick and sharp smack to the mouth makes him think twice. "Don't lie to me, mother fucker! What is it!" Chris yells, shaking the note at Nick. Tears fill the younger boys eyes and he holds his mouth, whimpering slightly at the pain. "I-I don't know! I promise I don't know, C-chrissy!" He lies. Chris furrows his eyebrows and gets closer to Nick. He sets the paper down on the ground and holds Nick's shoulders tightly. "Is that your final answer, Nick?" Chris asks, his tone of voice suddenly calm. It scared Nick, and made the boy shake his head. Chris nods slightly and loosens his grip on Nick. "Right, so what is it.. where did you get that from?" He asks softly. Nick swallows thickly and glances down at the ground.

"I got it from.. the ground, outside.." he lies again, but Chris seems to take this answer, because he lets Nick go and picks up the note, crumpling it up. "Now go get in the car." He orders, Nick nods and scurries off. Praying that Chris didn't throw away that therapists number.

The twins had a plan, a plan to help their big brother. Of course, it would take years for this plan to be set into place.. but they were determined to get their big brother back. They had to. Otherwise, they might be losing him very soon.

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