Boy in the Mist (Vampire BoyxBoy)

Story

     Raymond was a mess by the time the two reached Isaac's house. His breathing was staggered, and he was weeping quietly into Isaac's shoulder. He held onto Isaac as if he was holding on for dear life- like he was terrified of being left alone again.
"Do you want me to get you anything?" Isaac asked softly. Raymond hiccuped and shook his head. Isaac grabbed a box of tissues, leading Raymond to the bedroom.
"Are you okay?"
"No." Raymond leaned on Isaac, his silent crying now getting louder. "I want my Mum," he coughed. Isaac rubbed his back.
"I know. I can't bring her back, though."
"Why did he do this to me? What did I do?"
"Ray, I want you to talk to me. I want to know what happened, and you need to get it out of your system."
"I can't. I'll panic."
"You can't keep bottling this up. You're not going to panic, I promise. If you get uncomfortable, stop before it gets worse, okay?"
Raymond stared at the ground, wiping his eyes with a tissue. His eyes were hollow, and Isaac didn't like the blue color. It was so fake, so glassy.
"I got sick," Raymond said hoarsely. "I had some sort of fever. There was a large epidemic of it at the time, and there obviously wasn't much medicine for it. My father didn't have the proper equipment to care for me; he was more of a 'minor injuries' doctor. So, they sent me to a professional hospital.
"The doctor there was renowned for his treatment skills, so my family trusted him. So did I, to be honest. After a month or two, I was actually starting to feel better- until a second wave hit me. I had to go back to the hospital the same day I was let out. It was awful."
Raymond sniffled, bringing his hand up to his mouth. Isaac took his other hand and squeezed it.
"I..A few days later, the doctor sat down and told me that there was likely no hope for me. It was painful news, but it wasn't surprising. At least, not to me. He wanted me to stay a few more days so they could look me over one last time."
"How long were you in the hospital?" Isaac asked, moving closer to Raymond.
"Not long after that. About two days after our talk.." he paused. "Goodness, this is where it gets bad." He buried his face in his hands.
"I think I know what happened. You don't have to-"
"No. I have to. I must." Raymond took a deep breath. "I was asleep when, in the middle of the night, he came into my room. I didn't wake up until it was too late." His voice turned shaky. "I felt this terrible feeling in my neck- so bad that I could hardly move. I was in complete shock.
"It took a second for the pain to really set in. I screamed as loud as I could. It hurt like a gunshot, like a knife wound in my neck. He put a rag over my mouth and pinned me down by my arms. I felt like I couldn't scream loud enough. I was wailing, but no one came to help me."
Raymond was beginning to cry again. Isaac put his arm around him.
"My throat hurt. My head hurt. I didn't know what was going on. I kept coming in and out of consciousness, until I finally fainted. It was so peaceful then."
"Do you think he did that to help you? Like, so you didn't die?"
"If this was a movie, maybe," Raymond said, his voice oddly bitter. "This was pure malice. He carried me to a forest, threw me hard onto the ground, and told me, while I was barely conscious, that my family thought I was dead. I was a meal. Nothing but that."
Isaac stayed silent, guilt in his chest.
"I was on the ground in the woods for hours. I was shaking, twitching, rolling around in pain. I was crying really hard, but I couldn't scream. I felt bursts of pain in my stomach, which I think was my organs failing. Soon I was finally able to lift my hand up to feel my heartbeat, and then it just..stopped. I couldn't feel it anymore. All the pain stopped then, and I was sure I was dead. But I wasn't. When I woke up, I was able to stand and walk.
"I tried talking to my family, but my mother screamed that I was an impostor and that her 'real' son was dead. None of them believed me except my sister.
"I just want to know what I did," Raymond continued. "I didn't hurt him. I think I was a pretty polite patient. I don't know why he chose me. It's honestly a little weird to think that, if he hadn't picked me, I would be long gone by now. You wouldn't know who I was. There would be no vampire legend. I'd just be another man in the 1800s."
"I'm glad I got to meet you. I'm glad I can talk to you right now. I just wish it was in better circumstances."
"Thank you, Isaac. That means..that means a lot to me." Raymond tried to smile, but he couldn't stop himself from letting out another sob. Isaac hugged him, which seemed to calm him down a little. He leaned his head on Isaac's shoulder.
"Can I cry?" Raymond asked, his voice muffled by Isaac's shirt.
"You don't have to ask that. That's what I've been saying that you need to do."
Isaac had never seen anyone cry harder than Raymond did. He watched as Raymond scratched at his neck, punched the bed, and constantly checked himself for a heartbeat or a pulse, only to sob when there wasn't one. Isaac wished there was a better way to calm him down, but he wasn't the one with mesmerism powers.
The entire time, they were in each other's arms. The best he could do was be there.