Necrocide

Chapter 64

Harry slowly backed away from Aaron, whose clenched fist made it obvious he wasn't exactly in a good mood. This marked the second time in three days that Aaron ever witnessed a Deadman show fear. Even Kyle and Jade seemed a little on edge.

"Why aren't you happy, mate?" Harry asked. "We're long-lost brothers. Isn't it great that we've finally found each other?"

Aaron shoved him away. "You don't even know who I am!" he shouted.

"What do you mean? You're Aaron O'Connor. And I'm your brother Harry O'Connor."

"Did you even know my last name before reading that document?" Aaron asked coldly.

"Of course. I heard Bloodletter screaming it at the top of his lungs the other day."

"I don't give a shit who you heard say it! If you really loved me, you would've remembered me! My name, my face, how you left alone in London since I was five years old!"

"Hold on, mate," Kyle chimed in, extending his hand out to maintain peace between them. "You didn't seem too excited to see him either, bruv. I'm not trying to start anymore conflict, but I'm just saying that it took you some time to realize the two of you were related."

"There's a difference, Kyle!" Aaron growled. "I didn't recognize him. That doesn't mean I've forgotten him!"

"So now you're saying you didn't even recognize me?" Harry asked, slowly growing agitated. "You're starting to sound very hypocritical, mate. I know you're angry, but at least plan out your arguments first."

"Smart realization coming from a wanker who didn't even know what a fucking deer was."

"But Harry's got a point," Kyle continued. "You're making a big deal about a problem that you're equally guilty of."

"I don't think that's gonna help, guys," Jade said.

A vein was popping out of Aaron's forehead. No one could tell if it was part of the Ambrosia or his anger. "The only mistake I made was not knowing your name and face, and the face thing was because of how long it's been! But I still knew I had someone out there! I still knew that I wasn't alone in an orphanage for all my life!"

"Then why are you mad then?" Harry asked. "You said you had your friends. You had your Jonah and your Nika and the others to be your family."

"I'm mad because everyone I know disappears in the end! Mum and Dad are dead, Mr. and Mrs. Hecox are dead, Natalya hates my guts, and all of my other friends are either gonna hunt me down or get hunted down by Colonel Schaefer! Even you are dead!"

"I didn't want to die, mate!" Harry replied sorrowfully. "I know you don't want to, either. And even though I can't recall anything from before my resurrection, I have no doubt I loved you as a brother. I might not remember the concept of family, but I do understand the desire to be a part of something."

A single tear left Aaron's eye. "Oh yeah?" he said. "You love me so much, huh? Then tell me what you were even doing here. I remember exactly what you said the night you left me behind in London! If you really love me as a brother, tell me why you left!"

Harry couldn't respond, neither could Kyle or Jade. Harry was the only who would've been able to redeem or ruin it for himself anyway. But his silence spoke volumes as he gazed at the floor with the kind of sadness one could only find in a man who had lost everything. And in a way, Harry was that person. He didn't ask to be trapped in this grey area between alive and dead with a limited amount of humanity until his hunger took control. He didn't ask to wander the world for eternity without a single memory of the days when he could still feel. He didn't ask to be transformed into this quasi-immortal creature whose only purpose was to feed on his former allies.