I remember that night so clearly. That night filled with the most beautiful melody I’d ever heard. I watched, mesmerized by your amazing piano solo. Your fingers danced to the melody so naturally, it seemed almost surreal. That night, you subconsciously made me feel safe, secure, and bound to be happy forever. That night, I truly believed you would have an amazing future. That night, was the night everything ended for all of us. 

The theatre house had been old and worn. Your performance was supposed to be the last ever held there. Since the place was being torn down, no one bothered to take proper care of it in its final days.

Hey Cain, do you remember the very first words anyone uttered as you were playing? ‘”What’s that flickering?”’ the man had asked. Flickering? All of our eyes had been affixed solely on you until now. Everyone looked up at the ceiling. They were all just in time to see it. The theatre lights flickered once or twice and without warning, exploded.  The fire formed around you and began spreading towards us. You knew there was no way for you to escape as the flames surrounded your first and final stage. And just like a good, dedicated pianist, you finished you solo down to the last note. So many lives were lost that night. And out of everyone, only two people survived.

Me, and you. But our family and friends were gone. And we, the survivors, were scarred forever. My back was charred and your hands were burnt beyond use. I remember the tears you cried that night. They were happy tears, for you had gotten your wish; to play your music for an audience. But they were also tears full of sheer sorrow. In one night, our family had become broken, damaged. The two of us were ruined forever. But you suffered the most, didn’t you? You could no longer play the music you loved so much. Your crying stopped and everything stood still when they broke the news about your body.

That horrified look on your face, I remember it all too well. You still remember what they told you, right Cain? They told you that you could never leave the hospital. For your disease would spread to the entire world instantly; your incurable, unknown, wretched disease that eats away at your body day by painful day. You can never die, not until your body is completely devoured from the inside and all that’s left are your skeletal remains. Those useless rich idiots didn’t even know whether it was something you’d been born with or if it was something you acquired during the accident. I hate them…don’t you? No, of course not, you’re too kind. You’re incapable of hatred. I don’t know whether I admire or despise that about you.

I no longer have sweet dreams. My mind is consumed by nightmares. Do you know what happens in those nightmares of mine? No? Neither do I. I’m told I mutter “What’s that flickering?” and begin screaming like a madman afterwards. Apparently, I have terrible nightmares, but my sanity chooses to stay intact, thus I never remember what I dreamt of. I can take a pretty decent guess as to what I was dreaming about though. It was probably that night, wasn’t it? Hah…Of course it was.

Even now, I don’t remember much of what happened. It all seemed to flash by so quickly. I remember who saved me. My back had caught on fire, but the man didn’t care. He grabbed me by the ankles and swung me as close to the exit as he could. It was pitch black for a few seconds until I heard Mother’s voice. She told me to get up, to run as fast as I possibly could. But I couldn’t. I was in excruciating pain. I couldn’t move an inch. But then…that was you, right? You’re hands…they couldn’t carry me no matter what. You kicked me away from the burning building instead. I looked up and watched, helpless as you fell to the ground. That satisfied look you wore sickens me. You thought ‘At least I saved my little brother’, right? How cruel of you. I should have died that night.

Since then, I’ve been trying to make your dream come true. Trying my hardest to learn how to play your beloved instrument as well as you had. But why has it come to this?

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“So Cain, how’re you doing today?” the doctor asked. “It seems like only the tip of your left index finger was eaten off today! This could mean the disease is slowing down! How about that? Isn’t it great news?” Cain turned his misshapen face towards the doctor. “Stop lying to me.” The doctor cringed. He sighed and motioned for me to come in. I had been peeking in through the glass of the door. The nurse must have told him I was there.

When I entered, Cain’s face lit up, even if only for a second, I knew he was relived to have me in here with him. He finally had an ally by his side instead of all these enemies. The nurse and doctor took they’re leave. They knew we liked to be left alone.
“He keeps lying to me, Erin. I know just how bad my situation is. I know how much of me deteriorates each day.”
“He’s just trying to make you feel better, I guess.”
“Yeah, right, like someone in this state can ever ‘feel better’. Don’t make me laugh.”
“Hey, Cain, I…I’m learning the piano now so that—“

“ERIN, YOU IDIOT! Why would you dedicate so much time to something that can be taken away from you in seconds? Who are you trying to please here? Our parents are gone, so they can’t clap for you. I don’t have the hands to clap either. And I…I hate that wretched thing.”

I’d never seen you so terrifyingly angry in my life. Tears began rolling down my face as I sunk to the cold, hard ground of the hospital that had become your home. I never thought I’d see the day when your kind eyes would beam with so much hatred. I never thought that the day would come when my only family would destroy my final ounce of faith in humanity.

Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I pretend I’m alright. But I’m afraid that was the last straw. I feel like I should be sorry to you, but I simply can’t feel nothing of the sort. Its okay, I’ll go quietly. You won’t even know I left because no one in this world cares about what happens to us. You’ll just think of me as a bad brother who abandoned you. I’ll be going first, big bro. Hopefully, someday, we can meet each other in hell.