September 2, 2007

08:50

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I don't wake up early, the only reason I'm ever awake before noon is 'cause I hadn't been to bed yet. But today I had a weird dream that kept me up, I can't remember it too well, it was hazy.

I was in the middle of the woods, alone, looking for something or maybe someone? I felt lost but I knew where I was, maybe it was because of whatever I was looking for.

I shuffled out of the bedroom and took a shower. I stared down at the drain, watching as my black hair dye bled into the water. I was trying to make sense of the dream, but with my drug-addled subconscious who knows?

"Hey," I nodded to Conner, who was already showered, dressed, and working on his computer at the desk in our living room.

"Hey," he glanced up at me, he sounded surprised, "You're up early."

"Yeah, had a weird night." I sat on the armrest of the couch, "Whatcha doin'?"

"Ah, you know, being unemployed." He joked but it fell kind of flat, "Looking for a job, looking for a hunt..."

"Got anything?"

"Mm, Blockbuster's hiring, but if I have to work another customer service job I'm going to go postal."

"No, I meant the hunt."

"Oh," he chuckled, "Yeah right, sorry. I've got a few things to go over, Aaron and Nate have work so I figured we could restock our supplies."

"Cool, what happened to Court?"

He raised his eyebrows with an annoyed look, "Boyfriend's."

"Oh, sorry."

He gave me a weird look, "Why? What did you do?"

"I meant about her boyfriend, I know you don't like talking about him."

He shrugged, "Why would I care?"

I crossed my arms, "Seriously?"

"What?"

I laughed, "Dude, you've had a crush on her forever!"

He rolled his eyes, "I'm twenty-five years old, Parker, that's way too old to still be having crushes."

"I still have a crush on Jessica Rabbit!"

"That's because you're basically eight."

"Hey! I'm at least twelve!"

Conner rolled his eyes at me again, "Will you just go get ready?"

I stood up flaring my hands out, "So bossy!"

My back was turned but I knew he was flipping me off.

I have a checklist for leaving the apartment for vampiric reasons. Like the three layers of sunscreen and long sleeves so my skin doesn't blister, the darkest pair of sunglasses I could find so my eyes didn't get french fried outta my skull. The smudgy eyeliner was a choice, but also a necessity.

Conner locked up the apartment on our way out.

"We're walking?" I whimpered.

"There's a church two blocks away, besides my car's making a weird noise."

"What's up with it now?"

"Well, if I knew anything about cars, I would guess that it hates me."

"Fair." I pulled up my hood, "What do we need?"

"The usual, holy water, bullets. Aaron also asked for a few things, extra holy water, empty bottles, seltzer tablets, and this terrifies me the most, a water carbonator?"

I snorted, "What's he up to now?"

Con shrugged, "I try not to ask too many questions, us mere common folk wouldn't understand the answers anyway."

"Coming from the guy that puts the dick in valedictorian."

He rolled his eyes and walked ahead of me but I could hear a chuckle.

We got to the church, the smell of candle wax and polished wood took me back to the time I was in the sixth grade and my mother was begging a priest to "Have the devil release me from his grasp".

"You got it?" Conner got my attention.

"Please, I'm a professional sinner." I jokingly winked at him and went to talk to the priest.

"'Scuse me, uh, father?"

The older man turned to look at me, "How may I help you?"

"I was wondering if you were still doing confession?"

"Certainly." He gestured for me to follow him. I took the opportunity while his back was turned to stick my tongue out at Conner.

As I got in the booth the priest said a short prayer that I mumbled along to.

"Please,"

"Oof," I leaned against the wood wall, "Where to start, uh, drugs, drugs, drugs, liquor, one-night stands with men and women, sometimes both, uh,"

He didn't say anything but I knew I got a reaction.

"Oh, I stole my friend's weed and told him he smoked it already, I've done that a few times."

"... Well, the bible does speak of redemption and..."

There was a light tapping on the other side of the hollow wall, my signal from Conner.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a redemption kinda guy, more learn my lesson by passing out in gutters."

It was quiet for a little bit.

"...Son, I'm not sure I know how to help you."

I may be a horrible person but I honestly take pride in that.

I shrugged, "Eh, what are you gonna do." I opened the door to the confessional, "Thanks anyway, father."

"Um, I must say we have a very nice "recovery" program here at the church. Let me get you a brochure." He left and I ran to Conner.

I grabbed Con by the arm, "Hurry up, we gotta go."

He awkwardly shoved the flasks in his pockets, "What did you do?"

"He's trying to get me in rehab, we gotta go!"

We burst out of the church doors without further incident and headed to the store.

Con and I went in different directions. He's lame and likes to pay for stuff, I'm more of the "take what I can get my grubby little hands on" kind of guy. But Conner knows me too well and made me empty my pockets and apologize to the manager before we left.

"Now what?" I unwrapped the candy bar they weren't able to take from me.

"Bu... Where did you get that? They pat you down!"

I shrugged, "They never check the underwear."

"I'm disgusted, but relieved to know you're wearing underwear for once and a little afraid to ask where you found some."

"They're yours." I held the candy bar in front of him, "Want some?"

He cringed, "God, no. Anyway, we need bullets."

I groaned, "Does that mean..."

"Yes," He cut me off, "And do me a favor and stay quiet this time, I don't feel like getting punched today."

"He called me a pill head whore knock-off goth fuck living in a box that had been stuck more times than a pin cushion!" I whined.

Con hid his laugh, "I know, just because it was true doesn't make it any better. Just be quiet, okay?"

I crossed my arms, "Aaron said he could melt silver! Why don't you just let him do it?"

"Because he said he thought he could melt silver, and I like living in an apartment building that isn't burned to the ground, besides where are we going to get silver?"

"I could rob my parents."

He rolled his eyes.

"Come on, they'll never expect it a fourth time!"

"You know what? I changed my mind, start being quiet now."

I glared at him.

We stopped at a nice shady alley, I was disappointed it wasn't for anything fun.

A tall guy was waiting for us, Alex. The only other hunter Conner knew and the only one that could get his hands on pure silver bullets for cheap, but he's a major dick. I gotta be honest, I'm kinda into that.

"Stephens, Wilson." He raised an eyebrow at us.

"It's Win." I corrected him.

"Oh, just figured since it doesn't seem like you do a lot of that."

Conner just patted my shoulder, "We've got places to be."

"Uh-huh, $100."

"Wait, last month it was $75."

"Alright alright, fine, I'll drop the price back down," he held the box over Con's head, "If, you set me up on a date with your hot little thing of a blonde friend."

"Mm," Conner made a face, "You know, I think Aaron's seeing someone."

"Funny, $100."

He sighed, "Do you have twenty bucks?"

"But that's my pill money," I whined.

He shot me a look.

I leaned over Conner to hand Alex the twenty, "Y'know... I'm free."

Conner smacked the back of my head.

We said our goodbyes as Conner kept me from climbing him.

We got back to the apartment and we dumped the bags on the kitchen counter.

"Here," Con said, he tossed a styrofoam meat tray on the counter in front of me, "This is yours."

"Nuh-uh,"

"We talked about this, you have to eat something."

"... When did you get that?"

"When you were busy trying to stuff a PlayStation in your pants."

"It was an Xbox, I already have a PlayStation in my pants." I winked at him.

"You know what, for that you owe me." He slid the steak across the counter to me.

It was a standoff.

"Parker," He sighed and leaned across the counter to put his hand on my shoulder, "I'm worried about you, just do it for me."

I groaned and wiggled around so he knew I was throwing a fit, "Why do you always play that card?"

"Because the orphan card isn't going to help me much right now."

I crossed my arms, "Fine, one condition, I'm getting blasted first."

Conner went to say something, but he stopped himself, "I don't need to know."

"... This feels like a trap."

"It's not a trap, if that's what it's going to take for you to care for yourself then I don't need to know about it."

"Fine."

Con's never been a fan of me doing drugs but honestly, at this point, it's just who I am so he deals with it.

I locked myself in the bathroom, took a handful of pills, and did whatever I had leftover from the weekend.

The one good thing about being dead already, no more ODs.