The Dawning

Redlick, Pennsylvania.

Late December, 1987.

Redlick, is a small town. The population is 1,700, there are more souls out in the city. The town felt like a desert.

Farmland dominated the town. The smell of animal manure. Often lingered into the air.

Throughout the region, there are very few businesses. My Mother Clair Oaks, owned the local morgue.

~Until she passed away. ~

Randomly in the middle of the night.

Me and my younger brother, Robert Oaks, made funeral arrangements. Everyone in town showed up. On that day, where it was snowing like a blizzard.

People sobbing.

Crying.

We stood outside. In the freezing cold. The snow fall was heavy, making it hard to see. Each breath you took, it was visible to the naked eye.

The wooden casket. Getting covered in snow. Rotting each minute Robert, cried his heart out.

Weeping, tears flowing down. His face was red, crying along with the folks. Surrounding the cemetery.

I felt nothing.

The human behavior is strange. When there not on an embalming table...

The wooden casket. Slowly went into the dark, deep, dirt hole. Each inch, it went inside of the hole.

Robert, looked away not wanting. Our mother, to disappear into the nothingness.

A loud bang. Heavy and hollowed sound. Echoed throughout the thick air. When the casket finally laid at the bottom.

I looked around at the souls. The faces that shown. To the funeral, focusing on their expressions.

They all appeared, crying. One old man, whispering prayers. A simple bible verse..

The graveyard workers picked up the shovel. Started to throw heavy, piles of dirt. Into the hole, covering my mother's grave...

~Month Later~

I inherited the morgue. Robert, he inherited the animal farm. Also, our mother's house.

Ever since, the funeral we haven't spoken.

People who worked for my mother, left the morgue. I was left alone, which kept me busy.

Barley eating or sleeping. Never bothered me once.

People in town started to make rumors. That i was sad and depressed.

Which i don't feel a fucking thing.

People will always assume but never know the full truth...

In the autopsy room, opening up a chest cavity. Focused and properly cutting the skin.

Making a Y, mark on the chest.

Then i heard the entrance door, slam, echoing throughout the quiet building.

"Hello, Neil?"

A familiar voice; echoing down the empty hall. I lifted my head, taking off my bloody gloves.

Leaving them on the embalming table.

While the body was cold as the metal, it was laying on.

Soon as i approached the metal, heavy door.

Robert stood in the hallway. I haven't seen him in a month.

His messy, blonde, long hair. Looked like he was stressed, his blue eyes shined in the dim light. Tired and depressed screamed on his pale face.

His expression, on his face. Appeared shocked and discoloration. Soaked through his skin. Looking at me, like i was a corpse in a casket.

"Neil, you look sick? Have you been eating?"

He said; in a shocking tone. I focused on his body movements. Trying to understand, why he was shocked?

"I forgot."

I said; looking into his blue eyes. While i slowly walked down the hallway. He started to follow behind.

"You forgot? To eat in a month? -- Your hair is long and you haven't shaved. Go home and get some rest."

He said; while he followed me, into the office room.

My long, black, hair is messy. My dull green eyes never showed any mercy.

My bones showed through my skin. Like a stray dog on a street. My beard was tangled and messy.

"I'm busy, i have no time."

I said; with no expression in my voice. He looked at me, like i was a mental patient.

I stood there looking at him.

"People in town, told me, you looked awful. I didn't want to believe it. - Neil, you look awful."

He said; in a caring tone. Confused by his warming nature?

"I'm fine, you should leave now."

"Leave! - Neil, you rot away in this morgue. You're going to go home and get some rest."

He said; answering me, quickly. He took a deep sigh. While i looked at his hands. The hint of dried animal blood.

In between his fingernails. Definitely was questionable, why he didn't wash his hands properly?

"You should wash your hands."

"Out of everything. You're worried about my hands? - I'm taking you home."

He said; while he looked up at me, getting irritated. He seemed confused by the nature of this conversation.

"I'm saying that you should wash your hands. You wouldn't be good at cleaning up a dead body."

"What? -- Come on let's take you home."

He said; in a confused tone. Getting uncomfortable by the conversation.

I wanted him to get better. At cleaning blood off of his hands.

After i cleaned the morgue. Robert waited for me in the office. Making sure i will go home, which i didn't understand.

Why, he cared so much. His weak emotions will get him nowhere.

I haven't been outside, in weeks nor days. Soon as i stepped outside.

The cold-harsh rain pouring down. The melted snow surrounding the town.

The smell of animal manure still lingered. In the thick, foggy, air. We walked down the sidewalk.

Approaching Robert's, brown beat up truck. On the other side of the road, I noticed a stranger.

Smoking a menthol cigarette. His perplexed smile, the way his black, hair laid perfectly down. Slicked back with hair gel made him look like the rich folk.

Out in the city, that was miles away.

His brown eyes kept looking at us. I focused on the man.

I was looking at his body movements. He appeared to be very expressive.

Soon as i got into the passenger seat.

I focused on the road. Looking away from the stranger, who kept their eyes on us.

Even when Robert, drove off. He kept his wondering, brown eyes on the truck.

Robert, kept talking. Telling me about the farm. How much he loves it. I mostly blocked the sound of his voice out.

Keeping my mind blank like a sheet of paper. My eyes focused on the road.

I rather it be silent, than loud.

I hated music and most importantly.

When people talked, especially about their feelings.

Soon as he pulled up to the apartment complex. I still focused on the road.

Not paying attention to my brother, or what he was talking about..

"Alright, go on and get some rest. Call me for anything."

"Fine."

I said; not even looking at him. I got out of the truck.

While he sat in his truck. Watching me walk inside of the building.

The smell of rusty old pipes, lingered into my nostrils.

While i walked up the stone, cold stairs. Going up, three flights of stairs.

Until i approached my apartment room.

The lights flickered in the hallway.

A bad wiring that the owner didn't want to fix. Soon as i unlocked the door.

The apartment smelled like rotten food. Nats and flies flew around.

Going into the hallway as well.

I turned on the light that was the entrance way. The long hallway that went into the living room. I took off my boots.

Throwing them down near the entrance door not caring.

I walked into the kitchen that had flies and bugs. Since i haven't been home for a while. The food and the beverages gone rotten.

The smell didn't bother me; some people would've vomited. Just by the scent of the apartment.

I went into the bathroom. Removing my clothes, one by one.

Revealing my naked body to the cold empty apartment. I took a long icy- cold shower.

Taking my time, after my shower. I put on white- shirt and gray sweatpants. I walked into my only one room.

My bed laid on the floor. It didn't have a bed frame it had only one pillow.

Also an black, bed sheet as my blanket.

The wooden floors creaking, beneath my cold feet. A centipede crawled across the floor.

While i laid down, my feet hanged off the twin sized bed.

The darkness surrounded the apartment. The ringing sound of silence filled my ears.

Making me, drift off into sleep..

~Robert's Pov~

I pulled into my driveway. Noticing the sheriff, Redlick police, head chief.

Standing beside his car.

Smoking a cigar, his hat kept it lit. While the rain was rushing down.

I got out of my truck. He smiled big at me, confused what Mr. Javier wanted?

The cold, wet rain pouring down on us.

"Well, I see you finally. Took your psycho ass brother, back home. Mother fucker, kept scaring the whole town again."

He said; in a southern accent.

"My brother is okay. I understand, what he did. When he was younger was scary. He's okay now, sir."

I said; defending my brother.

He looked up at me, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Defending your crazy brother, makes you look bad, son. He went to many mental hospitals, growing up. Definitely, when he bashed someone's skull open. Just with a metal pipe he found."

"He's gotten better, i believe in him. He's a good man, -- plus he was a kid when he did that."

"He told me, he wanted to know? How it felt to crack someone's head open."

He said; looking at me, while i stayed quiet.

Not really knowing what to say?

I took a deep sigh, feeling embarrassed. That Neil, isn't normal...

He got into his vehicle. Winding down the window. I looked down at him. While he poked his head out.

"You better, Keep an eye out on that thing. You call a brother, who knows what that man is capable of?"

He said; yelling out.

Driving off slowly. I stood there in the driveway. Looking like a crazy, fool.

People in town, never liked Neil because of the way. He is quiet, has no expression on his face.

He hardly blinks, when you speak to him. To describe Neil, it's like he's a real-life corpse.

He had no emotions in his blood stream. Even if i wanted to believe, that he does...

His dull green eyes that never shine.

Always told me, otherwise.

Only if i knew, what Neil was planning or thinking in his mind?..

Hell, i couldn't tell you?...