Hunting Darwin: Blood Winter

Chapter 14: Innocence

Stephen gasped for air as he opened his eyes and pulled himself up. He rubbed his temples and brushed his face with his palms and sat down in horror and disbelief. His eyes clouded with tears but he fought so hard to hold it back and just swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

"I...I can't...unsee that", He looked up and around with heavy breath and sighs. He looked down at the unconscious Darwin and closed his eyes.

Few hours ago, Darwin lost consciousness after their battle with the Black Pentagram. His mind got the whole out of him and he couldn't fight the wave of flashback bad memories about his innocent and tragic past. Stephen carried him back home and lay him down the couch. He then asked Hubert about what just happened and Hubert keeps on explaining over and over again. So instead of verbally expressing the sequence of events in his life. He instead asked Stephen to lay down beside Darwin without touching his skin and casted a spell that bridged their minds together.

Hubert took Stephen inside Darwin's past back when he's still a human. There he'd seen how beautiful and quiet his gifted life is and with the love of his parents, how he grew up to be a kind, humble, courteous and innocent boy. But he'd also seen the doom of his sunshine and the fallout of his entire family. How his body and spirit was brutally killed and how he rose up into something he is right now.

"I'm sorry you have to see that Tep. It could be a way to understand my big brother", Hubert in his alter state pulled down the spell with his hands.

"Why'd you show me a very wonderful life and then a very tragic end? I can't remember to forget it", Stephen dug his face in his palms and rested his elbows on his legs.

"It wasn't suppose to feel that way", Hubert countered.

"But it broke my heart...Not just because of what happened to him but because people didn't get to see or understand what he had been through his life", Stephen's voice almost broke at the end of his sentence.

They both shared a look when Darwin let out a deep sigh and his breathing slowed down. Hubert then rushed to his side and lift his head.

"Brother...hey...you'll be fine", Hubert touched his face and leaned his forehead next to him. Stephen grabbed his hand and shook his shoulder.

"He's fighting...his alter self is killing him back again", Hubert looked at Stephen with a concerned look.

"How do we return him to his normal state?", Stephen tightened his grip with his hands.

"Hey, Vampire boy. We still need to fight and kill each other, remember? So please wake up...", Stephen locked Darwin's hands with his hands and looked straight into his face.

Darwin's breathing went back to normal and Hubert lay his head back to the soft pillow again. Stephen pulled back and crashed his back to the couch across Darwin and shut his eyes.

"You need to rest Tep", Hubert looked at with concerned.

"Hmmmm, yeah I guess I have to", He stood and took another glance at Darwin and then walked towards the stairs. He heard a glittering sound behind and saw Hubert in his real form sitting behind Darwin with a gloomy face. He held a stuffed toy that looked like a small bird with his hands and rested his chin on top of it.

"Uhhhh, you need a coffee? or milk? or chocolate?", Stephen smiled at his adorable sad face.

"No dada Tep, I'll just watch out for Dada here", Hubert gave him a pout and a small smile. Stephen just nodded and went upstairs. He broke into his room and took a shower and then met his slumber.

Morning came after a tragic night...

Stephen yawned at his hands as he walked out of the room and into the stairs. He took a glance at the couch and saw that Darwin is gone. Hubert sleeping soundly like a wasted baby bear on the floor with his stuffed toy away from him.