Echoes, November and Incense

"Hey." I said in greetings when he entered.

"Hey, Walter, how things going?" Mr. Jones asked.

"Their going." I replied and smiled a little.

"That doesn't sound too great, but its better then not going, right?" Mr. Jones laughed a little before looking to Brandon. "You finish everything today?"

"Yep, everything is done Pops." Brandon paused the game.

"Now, when I say everything I mean even the things you didn't want to finish." Mr. Jones seemed to wait as if he was letting that sink in.

"Yes, I meant everything." Brandon frowned a little.

"Good, I am glad to hear that. Thank you." Mr. Jones nodded before taking off his glasses and folding them up. He looked around before his tone became less serious and he laughed a little. "Whoa, wait a minute...why are the two of you sitting in here in the dark with only the romantic light of the television?"

"What!?" I asked nearly coughing on air I sucked in. "What is that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing, Walter...just was asking a question, I don't want to get into you and Brandon's business or anything." He started laughing before walking in and picking up his son who hugged him with a laugh. "I think I am going to remove my youngest son from this peculiar situation."

"You're a sick man, pops!" Brandon began laughing.

"I beg to differ; I am not the one sitting here in the dark with a romantic glow and just his buddy...with the door closed." Mr. Jones continued to laugh even as he left the room with his youngest son. "You two have a good night...just don't go telling me about it." With that he closed the door and we could hear him laughing even on his way down the hall.

"Well then." I said dryly before getting up and turning on the light and sitting as far as possible on the couch, I was nearly on the arm.

"He's a sick individual." Brandon laughed and unpaused his game. "A sick, sick man..."

Just then the door opened and Mr. Jones was coming back to get a toy his son has left, he looked around the room noting the lights and where we were sitting by then. He suddenly bust into laughter as he walked out shaking his head.

We played for a couple of more hours before Brandon got to his feet and yawned. "Man, I am going to crash. You can have the bed if you want, man."

I rose a brow. "You kidding? And look like your undercover lover?" I picked up my covers and the extra blankets. "It isn't even the gay thing that bothers me; I would just like to think if I was then I would have much better taste." I picked up an extra pillow. "No, thank you. I will take my chances out here in the family room. Besides...I know what you and those girls be doing in that bed." I cringed. "I believe in sleeping in unsoiled places."

Brandon bust out laughing before he began walking to his room. "Fuck you, last time I will try and be a polite host, you rotten bastard. Anyway, catch you in the morning."

"See you then." I laid my blankets and pillows out under the window of the family room and opened it. Cool air slid in and on it was the scent of leaves and damp grass; it had a sort of calming affect on me. It felt good, the pale orange-yellow light of the street light painted the shadow of the blinds across my covers over my legs. I could hear the whisper of sprinklers on the front lawn. I took off my cross before whispering a quiet prayer then laying down to sleep, it took a while but I finally drifted off.

It was a dreamless sleep until the image began to form. It was me watching myself; I had been stripped of my clothing and was laying on a stone ground. A thing approached and the me watching tried to scream, to warn the me that was just laying there unconscious. When I could see what it was, it was a scaly, onyx colored monstrosity that loomed over me. It began horrors, rapping and tearing my unmoving body to pieces, but I could make no sound, only watch. It was terror, something wholly unbelievable and yet so real. I woke with a jolt and felt a scream trapped in my throat, I was covered in a sheen of sweat, had a small headache and my heart was racing. I sat there breathing in the dark, the cold night air felt good.

My hands were trembling when I pushed my covers away. I continued to sit there for sometime, it was 4 am when I looked over at the clock. I decided to get up and take a shower, when I was finished I dressed and sat on the couch after closing the window. I sat there thinking and not sleeping until the sun chased away the darkness and the house began to stir. I was grateful when the first hints of sunlight began touching the carpet through the windows.

"You're up early, Walter." Mr. Jones was entering the family room on his way to wake Brandon up. He was a firm believer in waking up early no matter what the day was and he applied the same rule to his oldest son. "You sleep okay?"

I smiled a little though I was getting another headache and the dream left me feeling cold. "Yes...thank you. I guess I just decided to get up early."

"Ah, well at least someone did." He smiled a little before going off and knocking on Brandon's door. "Well, wearing black as always I see. Guess no one is perfect."

"Would it be alright to get two aspirin?" I called after him before standing to my feet.

"Sure, go ahead. You didn't have to ask. There is a bottle in the downstairs bathroom." Mr. Jones knocked on Brandon's door as I walked off to get my aspirin. The house was filled with light due to all the large windows, it is practically glowing. Can't say I appreciated the full affect.

By the time I had taken the aspirin and splashed water on my face, Brandon was coming down the steps. "How'd you sleep, Walt?"

I smiled a little. "I slept well." It was my first and only lie of the day. I just didn't feel like going into it all. "So, what's on the agenda list today?"