Coming into work late...

Micheal hurriedly rushed down the hallway and skidded into the library. Being light he was naturally fast, but still only made it late because he overslept that morning. The night before was plagued with nightmares and hallucinations, thus keeping him up again. The bags under his coal black eyes only accentuated that fact. He breathed heavily as he walked through the doors of the library, exhausted after running a great distance. The Infected boy staggered in, tripping occasionally on his skeletal leg, which he feared was coming a bit loose after the repair job Olive gave him on both limbs. Occasionally he let out a small shriek when he felt that they were coming loose. His face reddened, but he calmed down after a bit when he realized he was alone. Michael made it to a small table by a row of scifi books. The Infected boy's eyes darted back and forth, making sure of himself that no one was there, and he picked up "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and began to read intently. Michael, being an aspiring writer himself, had read the book hundreds of times before, but the same smile appeared on his face every time he opened the pages. His coal eyes seemed to sparkle slightly, almost how when the beginnings of a diamond are found in real coal.

Bart just came from a very relaxing long nap in the park. He decided to return since it was about time for his brother to come out of his art class. He did told Jabez to just find him in the library if he is done. As he arrive, he noticed that people did come in the library in such a day. I guess they didn't mind if the librarian was out to begin with, he wouldn't. Bart entered quietly, since it is the library, and noticed his reliable assistant, Michael, as diligent as always. He made his way towards the nearest bookshelf to Michael, and grabbed a book.

He turned to him and smiled gently, "Hello Michael, it's nice to know your a very diligent worker." Bart gracefully walked towards his desk, and begins to read the random book he grabbed. It was a romantic novel, about a beast.... he chuckled at the random book, and begins to read.

The Librarian is IN.

Michael instantly looked up from his book and his face flushed scarlet. "I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean t-to be slacking off!" He snapped the book shut and placed it down in front of him. His eyes darted in almost every direction in worry and he expected a scolding after what he did. Paranoia of what he might do in reply made tiny beads of sweat roll down his face and he started to hyperventilate softly. It seemed that every cell in his Infected body was quaking with nervousness. He was thankful his bones weren't shaking thanks to the salve Olive made for them, but still very embarrased. "Y-You st-startled me..."

"I did" Bart started, "I'm sorry... I though I used a gentle voice, but I'll be more careful with approaching you then." He remembers the kid going to the clinic, "Are you alright?" Bart places his book down, "I hope I don't give you a heart attack."

Bart wasn't the type to kill anyone, he never even eaten the food a Witch should consume, like dead things...or human flesh.... or something? He wouldn't kill a fly! Well.... he did kill his parents, but that was that. He had his reasons, and he swore to never harm anyone, unless it concerns protecting his brother Jabez.

He looks at his watch, concerned somehow, as he looks outside the library. "I hope to befriend you though, it's out of the blue, but I don't want to fight with co-workers......."

"And you're not slacking, I actually left the library to sleep, and here you are, taking over nicely."

Michael smiled weakly and waved it off. "D-Don't worry! It was just that Olive wanted to fix my bones from coming loose! Though she may have to do another treatment on my leg..."

The Infected blushed slightly at Bart's friendly comments. "Oh....um....thank you.... I'm sure we'd make good friends...." He didn't want to reject Bart's offer, but he still seemed a bit irked by his prescence considering the awful experience with a Witch that had him Infected and his limbs mutilated. He swallowed, as if covering up the fear and paranoia welling up inside him.

Michael looked around and in his peripheral vision noticed absolutely nothing changed from when he first arrived in the library. His face burned with embarrasment at Bart's praise. "Th-thank you....nothing happened actually...."

"I'm glad~" Bart smiled in relief, he thought his assistant might reject him, and would hate him. The fair and handsome witch stares at his newly found companion in fascination. "Don't take this the wrong way," He starts into a conversation, "But you're cute~" Cute, as if "a child" or "pet" cute... not hitting on him or anything. Just to make things clear. But saying it out of the blue would actually sound gay...err....yeah. But Bart would continue glaze upon his assistant with awe, thinking how cute Michael is for a common infected zombie kid.

In the back of his mind, Bart starts to worry for some reason, wondering if it's his "Motherly Intuitions" kicking in. He looks outside the library once more, and returns his attention back to Michael. "So~~~~ did you and Olive go on a date?" He chuckles softly, "I mean, you just came here too right? So that means you've been out for a long time yourself."

Silly Witch Bart starts prying into things he shouldn't, but he was just too giddy to have made a new friend in his new job. "Do you like her?"

Michael blushed a darker red at the fact Bart said he was cute. No one ever told him that except for his mom... "Thank you...." Mikey didn't just wanna sit there and blush, but a smile tugged slightly on his lips. This guy was a scary Witch, yes, but he was starting to feel like a father or older brother in a way. Nothing like that bastard of a father he used to have.

As for the latter questions, Michael's eyes widened. "N-No! Sh-She just fixed my bones up and bought me lunch for the day. Th-That's all!" He was starting to not like the annoying scarlet painted across his face. "She did ask me if I had a girlfriend though....but she wasn't implying to date me...."

Bart chuckles faintly at Michael's response. How adorable, he thought. Could it be that his assistant never dated a girl before? Or at least, doesn't know if a girl likes him or not? From Bart's experience, if a girl asked if a boy has a girlfriend, she should at least be a tad interested about the guy. Then again, meeting Olive earlier, she must be very friendly, right? He wanted to tease his assistant a bit more.

"I see," he starts, "What would you do if I told you that from what you told me..." he prolongs the tension, "...Olive might actually be interested in you?" He smiles teasingly.

The witch stands up, leaves his comfortable chair, and approaches Michael. as he reaches his destination, he grabs a chair and seats inches away from the common infected. He giggles a bit.... but then..... something catches his attention.......as a strange feeling starts to build up from out of nowhere.

His eyes starts to look for the source... as he ends up looking at the doors of the library that leads to the hallways.

.........??...?

The still quietness inside the library echoes throughout the whole place, as the clock ticks loudly on the background. Bart started to feel indifferent now, his heartbeat beats louder than anything else he can hear. A whisper..... a soft quiet whisper..... Feed me. His heart constricts. It might not be obvious on the outside, but Bart is struggling hard. He tries to compose his expression into a normal one, hiding the intense pain that he is suffering in his chest, the burning sensation of heat from his blood that was cold for all those years of being a witch. And to top that, he is an abnormal infected, and not the hybrid... just... abnormal.

Hence forth, his mutated hand. He seems easy to digest.

Bart pressed hard upon his right hand, as if choking the life out of it. As he attempts to kill it, he starts to unable to breathe properly, and his consciousness is fading fast. He can see how worried his new formed friend is, as he looks at Bart with those eyes......Eyes....

His head falls on Michael's shoulder, as he pants in pain, he tries to utter some words to him...

"...Sorry.......I'll be fine, don't worry about me........it's.....normal......heh..." He chuckles in a faint steady tone.

".....I'll just rest here a bit..... I hope you don't mind...."

Bart is now unconscious, as he looks like he is only sleeping on the young man's fragile yet steady shoulders.

The permanant blush across Michael's face seemed to spread rapidly. "W-Well....i-i uh...." He stammered, trying to come up with a response. The Common Infected jumped a little bit when Bart came and sat closer to him, thus invading the paranoid boy's personal space.

He kept stammering, trying to compose a comeback in his head, then noticed his boss seeming to struggle from a sort of pain. The boy's mind raced. "S-Sir? D-Do you need help?" The witch's head slowly fell onto Michael's shoulders as he fell unconscious. Micheal's shoulders seemed to struggle in keeping his boss somewhat upright. "Sir?! Are you okay? Sir!"

Why won't you give in..? It'll be easier if you just....GIVE......IN...

Bart who is unconscious drifts away to a place called.... memories. Sinking deep within his forgotten memories of his dreadful past. It's been awhile since he is reminded of those times way way back. Bart is now in a nightmare of continues flash backs of his past, one in particular is the time when his trauma started. His memory plays back in a dream setting where he is talking to his best friend Dennis about the "infected" and how he doesn't believe in them.

A younger Bart is seen with his short hair, wearing a black framed glasses, and a lab gown. Bart was still working for a famous research that was discovered by his parents. Dennis, his good old pal is a thin young man with a red curly hair, and a skinny structure as his body built. Like Bart, he is blessed with good looks, and is also tall. But the two of them never focused on their looks, since all they ever think and care about is their research. Bunch of nerds.

Bart is talking with Dennis, "My parents told me to pick Jabez from school again. I can't believe they expect me to work under them and be some kind of nanny to that kid!"

"You mean your little brother?" Dennis replies, as he fixes his things since he is about to go home.

"Yeah," He grunts, "My brother."

Dennis is about to leave when he starts to ramble about this infected he saw on news, "Hey Bart! Have you heard about the infected that destroyed this whole city in one night! That, that--!"

"Tank, yeah, my parents were watching that last night," Bart interrupted annoyingly.

"Wasn't it the best infected ever created yet!? It's so cool!!!" Dennis continues enthusiastically.

"It's probably special effects... besides, people make these crazy movies and series about this stupid zombies and it's just annoying."

"You still don't believe in what's going on aren't you? Those things you see on the media is true! And soon enough you'll see it with your own eyes!"

"Yeah...whatever."

As he dreams about that time, he starts to whimper, "Dennis....No..." He nuzzles unto Michael's shoulder, "Don't....leave.......me...."

Dennis leaves, as Bart goes to find his little brother who seems to have left early. "Where's Jabez?" Bart asks the teacher.

"Jabez left early with his parents." replies the teacher.

"I see, thank you."

He leaves the school and returns to the lab with an angry face. He hated the fact that his efforts are wasted, and that he could have done something with research instead! He is now frustrated as he buries himself with books and information.

Later, he hears a strange noise somewhere in the lab... he follows the noise and ends up entering a secret door that leads to an underground study where he witnesses something bad.

"Dennis!?!!!"

Dennis is in the hands of an infected, being eaten alive. The infected is not a normal one, since he can speak.... it can speak. The infected also looked descent, with a full black attire. He finishes with Dennis, as he looks at Bart.

"Don't act so surprised, your research is bound to be hunted down."

"What are you talking about!"

"I am an assassin who was ordered to kill everyone in this research, and collect the abnormal infected. And I have started with him, since I saw him first."

Dennis lays down dead. Bart who swallowed his vomit, runs away from the assassin and started to vomit again while running, as he stumbles to a room where he sees a gigantic tube filled with what seems to be the chemical he has been improving with his research. Inside the life sized tube is none other than his little brother...

"Jabez"

Bart wakes up on Michael's steady shoulder, as he tries to recollect his memory. "I'm sorry, I guess I was tired," he tries to hide his pain with a smile, trying to stand up, but fails... and falls back to Michael. "No...I can stand...!" He tries one more time, but fails again... and this time, he falls hard on Michael as he ends up on the floor with his assistant. He buries his face on Michael with embarrassment, "Sorry... are you hurt?"

He tries to move... but is unable to...

"I can't seem to move at all, this has never happened to me before. I'd like to move... but I guess I can't." Bart is already turning red as he is unable to move from a very awkward position. "You can push me away if you can... then again I am dead weight right now... can you move?"

Michael attempts to shake his boss awake. "Sir! Please wake up!" He hears the Witch mutter something about not leaving him. The boy sighs. "I won't leave you. Just wake up!" He's about afraid to shake him awake now because of the very short distance between his claws and Mikey's skin, bringing back memories of the Witch who put him and his mother into their predicament.

Michael is seen cowering next to his unconscious mother's body.The wound the Witch left in her abdomen was bleeding all over the carpeted floor. As the startled Witch drew closer. Michael stammered, normally very silver-toungued, but now speechless in the eyes of his death

The Infected was broken out of his horrible memory when his boss finally awakened. The Witch's face was buried in Michael shoulder again. "Sorry... are you hurt?" He tries to move... but is unable to... "I can't seem to move at all, this has never happened to me before. I'd like to move... but I guess I can't." Bart is already turning red as he is unable to move from a very awkward position. "You can push me away if you can... then again I am dead weight right now... can you move?"

"N-No, it's fine..." Michael replied, smiling to prove he was unharmed....sort of. "You seemed like you were in a lot of pain."

The awkward position of being on top of a man is already very embarrassing for Bart. But his body is still unable to move. He asks one more time to check if his assistant is still alive and breathing.

"I know I'm not fat and all... but I still think I'm heavy... at least...... heavier than you. Are you alright?"

He looks at Michael, their face almost touching, and they are breathing each other's air. From looking directly at Michael's eyes. He then realized that his eyes are not all black, there is this slight hint of red hidden beneath all the pure charcoal black in Michael's eyes. It's not like he is hitting on him or anything, and his only intentions are to comment on his eyes.

"Wow Michael, I have never seen such an interesting combination of eye color. And all this time I thought you only had black eyes." He realized that he is making things more awkward between the two of them, since they are already lying on the floor, him being on top of Michael. "Sorry," he looks away from the source of his fascination, "I guess this is getting kind of awkward for you..."

He attempts to move again, and is able to at least role away from Michael's fragile frame. He is now laying beside his aide, as he turns to his face one more time, "Well... that's the best I can do... at least now," he smiles teasingly, "I'm not on top of you... hehe." He chuckles a bit to hide his shame, but was glad that Michael doesn't seem to be the type who complains.

"Thanks," He looks up at the beautiful ceiling of the library, "For not leaving me when I was unconscious..." He looks back at Michael, looking deep into his eyes, "Your a good kid, and I like you for that."

Bart releases a smile that releases all the stress in his back, laying side by side with his new found friend. "I'm glad you're my library aide."

Michael's face was completely flushed once he realized the position he was in. The boy was about to jump and scream when the sane part of him convinced him to stay quiet. "N-No....i-it's fine......Y-You aren't heavy....."

"Wow Michael, I have never seen such an interesting combination of eye color. And all this time I thought you only had black eyes." Michael cocked his head to the side life a confused puppy. "D-Do I?" Michael had never really noticed his eye color was anything but just plain black.

"I guess this is getting kind of awkward for you..." Michael nodded and slid out from underneath Bart.

"I'm glad that you like me sir." Michael gave him a smile back, fully opening up to his new boss.