Dead Till Dawn

prologue

~ ☂️ ~

Tears stained his cheeks as he loomed in the doorway to his bedroom. The figure sleeping peacefully in the expensive looking bed was blissfully unaware of his boyfriend's actions, but his ghost companion was. The ghost in question's face held a look of heartbreak but his eyes shone with understanding for he knew Dempsey would not leave without reason. And with one look into the ghost's eyes, he knew what he must do.

Gently pulling and expensive black duffel from the equally expensive closet, Dempsey filled it with as much as he could before grabbing the letter from his brother and unlatching the window. A viscous, icy gust of wind threw itself forward, goose bumps raising on his arms as he pulled his coat tighter. Body shaking with both sadness and cold he climbed through the window and worked his way down the side of the building. Overhead, thunder boomed and black clouds rest above ready to pour, and they did so as he started taking long strides towards the parking lot; black loafers shining in the moonlight as they slapped against the sidewalk. His black jeans clung to his body and his once styled brown hair hung in limp curls over his forehead. The rain was relentless as the boy's walls finally broke down.

Blood pounded in her ears. His heart thudded in his chest. His hands shook. His feet tingled. His vision disfigured, as if he were looking through a fish-eye lens. He had to get away. He couldn't stay near that damned apartment any longer. He couldn't look at it. There was too much of a risk of someone walking out and trying to talk him out of his decision. He was stranded. Drive, and he could cause an accident. Not drive, and he was still too close to what happened.

He turned the key in the ignition, took a long, slow deep breath, then rounded the corner out of sight. There. They wouldn't know she was there. They wouldn't follow her. She was out of sight. That was all that mattered.

He clutched the steering wheel, his hands wrapped so tightly around it that his bitten down nails dug into his palms. Breathing was hard. Really hard. As if he'd just run the London Marathon.

He cried harder, his chest growing tight as bile rose in his throat. His cheeks flushed and the that sweat formed on his tanned forehead began to drip alongside the tears that continued to pour out of his bloodshot, chocolate eyes. The world seemed to spin. Eyes squinted he tried to focus and make sense of the road that in his mind seemed like an abstract work of art. He drove well over the speed limit as the overwhelming emotion began to leak into a feeling of numbness.

Tires crunched on the asphalt, the car taking a sharp turn into a parking lot. The flashy vehicle standing out against all the low-end ones already parked up. Twisting the key, the rumbling of the engine died out and the driver looked over at the crisp white envelope sitting on the passenger seat, 'Dempsey' was printed on the top in an elegant scrawl. He ripped the seal open fingers pinching and extracting a letter containing directions to a cheap apartment in Hunts Point, South Bronx. An emotionless chuckle fell from his chapped lips as he thought about the aforementioned area. It was a run-down neighbourhood in the south of New York that his parents, Hudson and Tamara Ludwig, always looked down their noses on. Any time they had been in the area on business the pair avoided Hunts Point like it held infestations of the plague.

A smirk on his lips, Dempsey twisted the key again before letting his expression drop into a scowl as he drove off. The journey he was making lasted several hours but once he arrived, he began to take in his surroundings. The apartment building was run down, cracked windows and rotting window ledges contributed to this fact, and graffiti decorated the faded bricks on the lower levels. Stepping out the car, he was hit with the familiar stench of weed that was part of his ex-boyfriend's everyday scent. A man dressed in a black tracksuit and a large coat was tucked away in the corner, seemingly attempting to appear inconspicuous but his poor attempt was enough to coax another light chuckle from the brunette boy. The rain had stopped by now but, as his steps fell onto them, weeds dripped droplets onto his glossy shoes.

The inside was worse than the outside. Swirls decorated the green carpet and wallpaper was peeling from the walls, there was rat poop in the corner and rats running amuck on the carpet. The trashcan was overflowing and the lady behind the desk was as aged as the crumbling building. Her voice was croaky as she spoke "Alright love? What's yer name, can I get yer anything else? Hookers? Weed?"

"Dempsey Ludwig. I just want my key." He was taken aback at her questions, but no emotion was shown.

"Here yer go, apartment 68."

The woman's wrinkled fingers brushed Dempsey's palm as he grabbed the rusted key and started off towards the stairs with one thought in his mind: rehab.

And that was what he did, forgetting about Klaus, his dear boyfriend, and leaving his high-end life for one where struggle was extremely familiar.

Across the state, Klaus sat up in bed realising the absence of his beloved. Scrambling to his feet he dashed about the apartment before shivering in cold and taking notice of the open window. Now flushed with anger Klaus spun on his bare heel, sending a murderous glare towards his brother, it worsening upon viewing his guilty expression. His mind was void of his usual want for drugs. Screaming out at the ghost, he began to break down. Dempsey Ludwig was the best thing Klaus ever had. He wasn't temporary in Klaus' life but a constant. His cries were those of a broken man calling out for a love ripped away like a band aid; except this was a hundred times more painful. Klaus Hargreeves didn't just want Dempsey Ludwig; oh no, it was something on much more of an extreme level. Need.

09/12/20.
Prologue up, meet Dempsey. He's so precious I adore him!

© CASPIIANS , 2020