Bleedingman

## Bleedingman by Chibi-Works

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

“Shit.” A blonde teen climbed down from a tree he was picking apples from. He had scratched himself on the bark and hadn’t noticed. He left the basket of apples he had collected next to the tree and rushed inside. His icy blue eyes snaked around the room searching for another life form. When he deemed it safe he calmly walked to the bathroom.

Inside the medicine cabinet there were epipens designed especially for him. He injected himself with it and sat by the sink holding a towel to his dripping scrape. Now this boy was special, special in a way he would rather not be. He was a hemophiliac meaning that these minor cuts and scrapes he acquired could kill him. His body had an inability to create the white blood cells he needed fast enough to cause clotting. This restricted most of his outside activities. It even left him an orphan.

His parents were told of his condition after one doctor visit because he wouldn’t stop bleeding after his tooth fell out. The doctor told the parents they would need special medication to keep him alive. He needed injections for the episodes they called ‘bleeds’. Now his parents were not wealthy, even in raising their son they were on the fence of aborting him when he was merely in her womb.

After the visit the parents had taken the child home, packed his things and sat him on the doorstep of a home. They told him they would come back when they could help him. He agreed as an innocent child would and he watched them go. They disappeared in the darkness of the street.

That was nearly ten years ago.

“Alex…?” an old frail voice called from the hall, the doorstep he was placed on belonged to the town’s organizer. She was short, old, very sweet and understanding. She raised Alex and even found enough money to buy his medication for his bleeds.

“Hi Nana, I um…” he tried to think of something creative to say, but the woozy feeling started coming to him. The old lady walked in with a very disapproving look on her face.

“Alex I thought I told you, you need to be more careful you know about your condition.” She scolded dragging a chair over for him to sit in. He sat holding the bloody towel firmly to his arm.

“I’m sorry Nana, I swear I didn’t even feel it. I was just getting you some apples for your pie from the tree.” He smiled sweetly trying to appeal to her better nature. In return she pinched his cheek.

“Oh you…” She smiled, “Doesn’t excuse your carelessness.” He groaned seeing his plan fail.

It had taken about twenty minutes but the bleeding finally stopped. He cleaned off his arm and his adoptive grandmother wrapped his wound tightly. She wanted to make sure it didn’t open up while he slept or something. The two then moved to the kitchen. She had made stew with a nice thick brown sauce with potatoes carrots and chunks of meat bobbing around the pot.

Smelling it made him salivate and seeing it made his stomach growl. He loved stew, it wasn’t the typical American favorite but he could at least say it was his. She made him a nice bowl and set it in front of him. The two sat and ate in silence.

“How are you feeling?” She glanced at him.

“It was another episode I feel fine, I'm pretty use to it now.” He smiled blowing on a big chunk of potato.

“Honey…” She placed her hand on his, “That’s not what I mint…”

He stared at her and placed the spoon back down into the bowl. Just a couple weeks before he had gotten word his best friend had taken his own life after he had gotten back from the emergency hospital trip. He saw him last before wishing him a fun camping trip; he hated himself for turning him down. He should have gone with him, or at least that’s what he thought. Perhaps if he had gone when Rubin asked he could have saved him.

“Okay.” He lied, picking the potato back up and stuffing it in his mouth. It was clearly written on his face that he wasn’t alright. But he also had the look of don't bother me mixed in.

His grandmother smiled, “So you wanted some apple pie?”

He looked up at her, some of his blonde hair falling over his eyes, “Yup.”

There was a smile on his face, this eased his grandmother. She stood from the table and walked outside to reclaim the basket in front of her apple tree. He was left alone in the house to stare at his soup for what felt like forever. He didn’t know what to do. His only friend was gone and he had school. Who knew what the kids were going to say to him. Kids at his school were senseless and stupid. They had no respect for their dead, orphans, elderly or living. Made Alex sick, angry even. But he couldn’t do anything to them. One cut and he is as good as dead.

He let out a deep sigh as his grandmother returned to the kitchen. She walked to the sink and began rinsing off the apples. She tossed him a deep red one. He caught it and took a long look at it.

“Have an apple honey.” She smiled, “Go find something safe to do while I clean these up okay?” He nodded with a chuckle and stood. He was halfway out of the dining room when she stopped him.

“Oh um, Alex honey I need you to get me some cinnamon from the store; seems I am out.” She smiled, “Can you?”

“Sure.” He walked over and collected a few dollars from her and kissed her cheek. “Be back soon Nana, love you.”

She returned his love with a hug, him being six feet made it hard for her to come close to reaching his cheek on her own. He left the house looking at his apple and smiling. Even if he didn’t have his friend his still had his grandmother, and to him that was enough. He just hoped his friend was in that ‘better place’ everyone always tries to comfort him with.

He made his way to the store and wandered down the spice isle looking for the cinnamon. After a few minutes of comparing prices and nitpicking his spice he found one he wanted, paid for it and took it home. On his way he saw a child sitting alone on the sidewalk. He curiously sat next to him.

“What are you doing out here alone?” Alex looked down at him.

“I…was at my doctor….and I ran away…I didn’t like him….” He looked up with his sunken brown eyes peering at Alex.

“Hey c’mon couldn’t be that bad?” Alex smiled.

“C…can I ha…have that?” The kid looked at the apple Alex hadn’t bit into.

“You hungry kid?” Alex handed it over.

“You…y-you have no idea.” He took the apple and bit into it.

“Rodger!” a shrill voice called out. The kid paled and ran from Alex. He was going to chase after him but the woman caught up to the hungry boy. He felt bad, this kid looked so tired. He sighed and brought himself to his feet. He then remembered the spice and made his way back to his home.

He moseyed up the stairs and stopped at the door. It was open, but he didn’t remember leaving it that way. He slowly crept inside taking the axe from behind the grandfather clock in the living room. He smelled burning in the kitchen and quietly walked over. His grandmother was on the floor out cold.

“Nana!” He screamed rushing over and lifting her. He places his hand over her mouth and nose just slightly to see if she was breathing. She wasn’t and he started to panic. Just as he was going to pick her up a man crept behind him and hit him in the head.

Alex fell onto the floor dazed, he felt his head throbbing. He reached to the back feeling a warm liquid drip. “No…” he looked at the blood on his hand. He was hit, he was bleeding…he was going to die.

Then he got angry. He let all his fear and calm outlook flood from him. He looked up to the crook standing above him. In his hand he saw the axe. Alex had forgotten he brought the axe into the open. There was a smile on the crooks face. It was twisted.

Alex watched the axe rise over the man’s head and in a frantic angry panic he attempted to scurry away. Then the throbbing in the back of his head turned into a sting and he felt his body hit the floor. He heard a second set of footsteps join the man. They sounded so…scared.

Everything went black for Alex. He knew he was dying, he didn’t want to die. He wanted to get them back. He wanted to do everything in his power to mutilate that twisted smile on his killers fucked up face. So as he stood in his mind seeing a light in his tunnel he turned from it. He saw a more frightening exit with red glows and floating mouths in this large clump of black goo.

It asked Alex if he wanted a second chance. Alex of course being flooded with anger agreed. In that moment Alex sold his soul. He only heard the creatures laugh before he opened his eyes.

He was lying on a table in some hospital. Beside him there was the axe in a tin with bloody rags and tools. He sat up, it was cold in there, but it didn’t bother him. He swung his legs over the side and stood up. His feet slapped the ground as he walked to the tin to pick up that axe. Now he just needed some clothes.

He walked towards the door picking the stiches from the back of his head. At the door a doctor greeted him. He looked down at the frozen frightened doctor. It made Alex smile.

“Fancy meeting you here doctor.” Alex laughed grabbing the doctor attempting to run from him. “You know…” he held the axe, “Those are some pretty nice scrubs dude.”

“Y-your suppose t-to be dead.” He begged holding his hands together, “P-please let me g-go!”

Alex’s smile grew wide and twisted, “But I want to see you bleed, doc.”

He swung the axe into the doctor repeatedly, he saw the blood squirt and pour from the body. He let it go and watch it squirm until it fell lifeless before him. He stripped him of the now bloody scrubs and put them on, they were kind of short for him but it would do. He stepped over the body and walked out into the hall. It was empty and just as cold as the place he was laying.

Just down the hall there was a new intern names Jessica, who was late; she was supposed to be in five minutes earlier to help with a body. She was supposed to clean up the remaining blood and close the wounds he had acquired on his head with the other doctor. She stopped spotting a tall blonde bleeding boy just standing in the hall.

“Excuse me!” She called out walking closer. “Are you okay…sir…” she stopped dead in her tracks. She saw the back of this bleeding man’s head. It was split right open. Blood was pouring from it falling onto the bloody scrubs he was wearing. In his hand she saw an axe dripping with blood. The man turned his head and smiled at her.

“Better than ever.”