Ed was a mess . There were needles in his left eye and he was bleeding profusely from the groin and chest . One crippled hand hung limp at his side . With the other , he pulled a safety pin from his own Adam ’ s apple . “ Hello brother ,” Edward said with a smile . “ Please stop ,” said Sean . He was starting to cry and was surprised to realize it was concern for Edward more than himself that moved him to tears . “ Doesn ’ t this hurt you too ?”
“ Yes ,” said Edward . “ But I ’ m good at pain .
I ’ m not going to stop . You have to stop me .” “ What do you mean ?” “ You know ,” said Edward . He waved his hand through the flame of the candle . Sean instantly felt his skin burn . “ You were the only person I ever trusted , and you betrayed me more deeply than anybody else . I ’ m going to torture myself until you kill me .”
“ I ’ m not going to kill you ,” insisted Sean . The pain was unbearable . He resisted another moment before tackling Edward . He felt the impact for both of them as the chair toppled . “ I ’ m not going to kill you .”
Edward stuck his tongue out at Sean like a child , then bit through it . Sean stifled a scream , which forced its way out as a growl . His rage exploded . He wrapped his hands around Edward ’ s neck and squeezed .
Sean felt Edward ’ s pulse pounding in his own chest , the struggle of an air starved heart like a sparrow in a cat ’ s clutches . He felt Edward ’ s hatred for him become one with his own shame . The fire of asphyxia burned in his chest and his vision darkened at the edges . He could feel Edward ’ s will resisting the urge to struggle , felt the will as it died too late to fight back . He felt shared life die between them and collapsed weeping on his brother .
He rolled away , staring into the darkness .
Title : “ Love Struck ” Artist : Jeffrey Flaster