My Brother's Keeper #2

       "Well this is just great, I'm stuck God knows where, and now you're on the run. Just what did you hope to accomplish when you broke free? Look at you, you're wounded and almost dead. I had hoped you might stick around longer and find me, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen."

        "Victor, get out of my head. I don't need this right now. I'm a little preoccupied at the moment. I just killed our "dear" mother so that's makes finding you a little harder, not to mention you're right she wounded me and I'm half dead. Give me a break." Todd was alone for the first time since Blair had found him. Tea had been hovering and told him he couldn't get Starr out of trouble and now here comes Victor putting in his two cents worth. "You know this makes absolutely no sense, I'm on the run because you're dead, but you keep telling me you're not. How do I know you're not haunting me the way Irene is."

      "Whoa, Mommie Dearest is haunting you. Is she as bad in death as she was in life?"

        "I would think you would know Victor, she claims she's with you and you're both holding me a place in hell." Todd reached over carefully and added another log to the fire. "Tea was just here. She's looking for your murderer. For some reason, she really loved you."

         "Of course she loved me. I'm the lovable twin after all. Is she really alright?"

          "NO, She misses you and I don't think she wants any sympathy from me. She resents the fact that I came home and spoiled your lives. How do you think Irene did it?"

         "Did what?"

          "How do you think she pulled off this death of yours, Victor, there was a body. Whoever it was, was still alive when Tea arrived home. She watched you die, man. Tell me, have you been shot? I mean did Tea just think you died? Believe me, if you've been shot, you would feel it. God, my wound hasn't stopped hurting."

         "I don't know how Irene did it, but it wasn't me who got shot, you're right gunshot wounds hurt and I don't feel anything. I mean nothing on me hurts, I just feel like I'm floating. It actually isn't all that bad since I found out I could talk to you. For a while there I thought I was going crazy."

          "Join the club, this whole time I've been worried about doing just that. I'm not so sure you aren't just another figment of my imagination." Todd looked at the picture he was holding. It was a picture of his brother and Tea. "Say how did you know I was wounded."

          "I felt it. Everything was still and dark and suddenly this pain ripped through my shoulder and then it was gone. I'm guessing just like this two-way speak thing we have going on, that whole if one twin is hurt the other feels it thing also kicked in."

           Todd had just been wondering about that himself. "This isn't really working, you know that, Victor? For all I know, the infection is taking hold of me again and I'm delirious. How can I help you, I'm in worse straits right now? If Irene is behind what's going on with you, then we're up a creek. She's dead and she's not going to be telling me anything. So how do you propose I get you out of whatever mess you're in when I'm in deep shit myself?" There was silence. Victor had apparently left the building. "I knew it, I'm talking to myself. Which I guess is preferable to talking to dead people." He got up off the hearth and went in search of some water. That was when he heard that creak again. Why did it sound like someone was in the cabin?  He had to stop that, he was getting paranoid. He was the only one in the cabin. CREAK Damn it, there it is again. Todd wasn't sure what to do next, he sure as hell wasn't going to go looking for whoever was creeping around the cabin. Standing back up carefully he grabbed a log with his good arm and went to hide. Maybe whoever it was would just leave the way they came in. The way he was feeling, he probably wouldn't be able to put up too much of a fight.

           He thought back to that encounter he had with Irene when he first arrived at the Cabin. It had been horrifying, but nothing had happened since. Todd's shoulder was beginning to ache again and he felt tired just holding the log. He hadn't told Blair about Irene haunting him, she was already mad at him for involving Starr in his escape. He had to do something about that and soon. Tea should have just taken him back to jail. Starr had only been helping him because Irene had threatened the family and it hadn't been an idle threat. He really had lost it when Irene had gloated about killing his family. When he shot her it had seemed the right thing to do.  Hell, the law already thought he killed Victor and he certainly couldn't tell them that Victor was talking to him. They were convinced he had killed his brother out of hatred for stealing his life. If they knew about his conversations with Victor, Nora wouldn't think twice about having him shipped off to St. Ann's.  He hoped he wasn't crazy. Todd felt a cool breeze blowing behind him and he turned expecting to find the window opened, but what he saw chilled him to the bone. God not again.