Crimson Butterfly - Chris and Melissa

Written for a contest on another website. We were given the basics (there was a new disease going around called 'Crimson Butterfly' due to the rash the victim gets and we're supposed to write a story about someone that has it. Here's my try.

           The halls of the hospital were dingy, crusted with dust and blood and for those forced to call this place home, the walls seemed to shrink in on them a little more each day.  The air, once filled with the hope of lives saved and new lives born, now was choked with despair and the sickly odor of the bodies not yet picked up and carted away.

In one of the main rooms, unofficially dubbed the playroom, many kids, ranging from the tender age of seven to the sometimes-awkward age of 19 milled about.  A few toys were scattered on the floor, the last remaining treasures of many of the younger children.  In one corner, playing with a slightly dirty toy rabbit was a girl no more then eight years old, with a playful smile on her face and a sparkle in tiered green eyes.  She turned, searching for her playmate.  When she saw him she smiled brighter.  “Christmas!  Patty wants you to come play!”  She called over to the older boy.  Dark green eyes glanced up from the scraps of paper he’d been writing on and looked over at the young girl, his hard face melting into a loving smile.

“Oh she does, does she?”  He asked as he stood and walked over to her, kneeling and ruffling slightly greasy brown locks.

“Uh huh, come on big brother.  Please?  Patty needs a dance buddy.”  Wide green eyes looked pleadingly up at her older brother who only chuckled and shook his head.

“Okay, Melissa.  Hold on,” Looking around he grabbed a nearby doll and sat down, smiling when almost immediately he found his lap occupied by the young girl.  But the smile began to slip when he felt the heat from the rash on her back seep into his skin even though they weren’t touching.

He quickly plastered a smile back on his face when Melissa turned and smiled up at him before turning back and they began to play.  Chris deepened his voice slightly as he made his doll bow and begin to dance with the rabbit.  Part of his mind drifted as it did often these days.  He thought of his parents, anger bubbling up as he remembered the last time he’d seen them.

-+-

“You’re just going to let them take her!”  Chris screamed, not believing what he was hearing.

“Chistopher Daniels Masterson.  You will lower your voice young man, and don’t speak to your mother that way,” His father snapped, but it didn’t faze his son at all.

“They’re going to help her, Chris.”  His mother said placating.  “They-”

“No one ever comes back from that damn ‘hospital’.  They take the kids there to die.”  He snarled, unbelieving that his parents were just going to let the damned doctors just cart his little sister off to some run down hospital.  He’d been out there before, as a dare with his friends and what he saw made his stomach turn.  Weeds were choking the place, windows were broken and the place just seemed to have a thick dark pall over it that even from the distance that they were at he could feel like a vise-grip on his heart.

“Watch your mouth.”  His father snapped, standing up.

“No.  I won’t watch my mouth and I’ll talk to whoever I want, however I want especially if it’s to two people that don’t give a rat’s a*s about their own daughter.  Who’s only eight.  Who is being carted off like some f*****g leper to a place to die and whose parents don’t give two s***s!”  His head snapped to the side as his lips split open from the back handed slap he just received from his father.

“You will lower your voice and watch your language,” The man growled, dark green eyes sparkling dangerously as they watched his son wipe the blood from his lips.

Chris opened his mouth to say something, to yell and berate the two adults in front of him.

“Christmas?”  A small voice cut through the angry haze clouding his mind and the three turned to see Melissa walk into the kitchen, a large blanket wrapped around thin shoulders and a fever flushed face looking timid.

All anger left the young man as he turned towards his sister.  “What’s up, Melissa?”

“I um, heard yelling.”  Pale green eyes looked from the three.

“Just a disagreement, little bit,” Chris said as he walked over and picked his little sister up, careful not to put too much pressure on her back.  “Let’s get you back into bed.”  With a last glare back at his parents he walked into his sister’s room and set her gently upon the bed, watching as she moved to lie on her stomach and cuddle her stuffed rabbit to her chest.  Chris sat down next to the low bed, resting his arm along the mattress.  Tentatively Melissa reached a hand out and placed it upon his, grasping it tiredly.

“Tell me a story, Christmas,” She asked quietly, punctuated by a wide yawn and a shiver.

Chris pulled the blanket higher up around her shoulders and tucked it gently around her as he tried to think of a story, his eyes glancing around.  They landed on a group of pictures that hung above her bed, drawn by Chris and given as a birthday gift.  It was of butterflies and faeries, playing and dancing in the wind.  Butterflies were one of Melissa’s favorite animals.  ‘Oh the irony.’  He thought angrily before settling back down and cleared his throat, “Well out in the forest, out where no humans can reach without the help of the woodland animals, lived a small village of fairies.  In the village there lived one named Melissa,” He smiled when he saw his sister grin wide.  “She was the kindest, most beautiful faery with the most beautiful wings.  They were like butterfly wings and always glowing in the sun.  Every day Melissa would go out and fly around, stopping often to play with the baby animals, jumping with the rabbits and swimming with the ducklings that called the forest home.  Everyone loved her, especially,”

“Christmas?”  She piped up.

Chris nodded, a lump forming in his throat, “Especially Christmas her older brother,”

“And head knight,” She interrupted again, green eyes sparkling.

“Hey, who’s telling the story?”  He asked.

“Just giving ideas.”

Chris laughed again.  “She was well loved by all, especially Christmas, her older brother and the head knight.  He was always there to protect her and always would be,” The last sentence was said with seriousness as his mind went back to reason for the argument with his parents.  Tears prinked his eyes, but he kept them back.  The young girl was scared enough as is; he didn’t want to add to the fear.

-+-

Melissa coughing violently against him pulled Chris immediately from his thoughts and he pulled her close, waiting for the coughing spell to cease.  They’d been coming more often, blood appearing with each hack that racked the small frame.

When she was done the young girl collapsed tiredly back against her brother, groaning at the pain.  Foggy green eyes opened and looked down, widening when she saw the blood covering their arms and the dolls as well.  Tears welled in her eyes.  “Oh, Chris.  I’m sorry,” She said frantically, trying to wipe away the crimson liquid.

“Hey, it’s okay honey, really.  Don’t worry about it,” Chris said softly, stopping the frantic moving hands and pulling a piece of clothe from his pocket.  Gently he began to wipe away the blood.  Soon however he found the cloth was no longer doing any good.

“Here,” A voice startled the young man and he looked up to see another of the ‘Crimson Butterfly’ victims, a boy around his age named Aiden.  He looked at the clean piece of cloth being held out to him and smiled.

“Thanks man,” Chris said as he took it and continued to clean up the blood.  “See Melissa.  All better.”  The brunette nodded, sniffling softly.  Chris wiped at her face, his brows furrowing when he noticed a diluted red spread on her cheeks.  ‘Oh god…no…’  He watched pale red tears run down her face.  Choking back his own frustrated tears he took a deep breath, “Hey come on now.  No more.”  It took a little bit but the tears finally stopped and Melissa yawned.

“I’m tiered.  I’mma gonna go take a nap,” She said softly, cradling the now blood flecked bunny to her chest.  Leaning over she kissed Chris on the cheek then hugged Aiden.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome Melissa,” Aiden said gently as the girl turned and walked off towards the hallway that would take her to her room.  Chris watched her go, part of him wanting to get up and see her tucked in, but another part, weighed down by grief kept him planted where he was.

“You’re a good big brother,” Aiden said as he sat down next to the brunette.

“I try,” Chris tried to say with some levity, but failed miserably.  “Where’s your blue headed shadow?”

Aiden chuckled, “Taking a nap.  We were up late with one of the young kids.”

“Which one?”  Chris asked.  They’d been here almost a month and had quickly gotten to know, at least by name, each of the others that had been carted off to this place.

“Mickey.”  The redhead said softly, sadly.  Chris didn’t need to ask how he was doing, it was obvious.  “He’d only developed the rash two weeks ago.  It progressed so quickly,” He whispered.

The disease didn’t seem to have a time table, sometimes the rash would takes months to grow, or in Mickey’s case it took only a few days for the disease to make the body succumb.  Chris clenched his fists, feeling his nails bite into his skin.

“I hate this…hate all of this.  It’s so stupid.  Like god got bored and decided to f**k with us,” He growled, eyes screwed shut as tears slipped down his face.  In the back of his mind he wondered what the kids at his school would think if they saw him now; 5’10” with a permanent chip on his muscled shoulders, carelessly mussed brown hair, a hard face and green eyes that only seemed to melt in the presence of his little sister.  ‘They’d probably be surprised to see that I actually can cry.’  Shaking the thoughts from his head he turned to Aiden.  “How’re you doin?”  There weren’t many 19 years olds there, most of the victims seemed to be kids, most of the ones left anyway, so a lot of the older kids bonded quickly.

Aiden shrugged, fiddling with the hem of his dark blue hoodie.  “Okay.”  That’s all that was said and Chris didn’t push.  “You?”

Chris sighed and rolled his shoulders.  He’d found the beginnings of the rash last night.  “Scared.”

Reviews

[bluessadmood]

this is a very sad story,its very hard when we see a family member having a disease when to cure is in hand and you know he end ,especially if its a child its a heartbreaking experience,i could see how the big brother is worried to death about the younger sister,and trying in all ways to make it easy for her,very sad and romantic writing full with emotions,very nice story indeed,i really loved it

[Hans von Lieven]

Though this is a really sad tale it is written with skill and compassion. Grammar and punctuation are good and the storyline flows in a logical manner to the tragic ending.

Good writing, well done.

Hans von Lieven

[BenightedWhispers]

Aw now that is not fair. You wrote this story for me; joking. The title caught my eye because my name used to be Akayoruchou, or Crimson Night Butterfly. Your writing is truely incredible. I to write to keep my sanity. Darkness is thrusted out of me and my pain quits protruding in unwanted places. Beautiful write. The drama, the emotion, the action, the pure love...all so perfect.

[talulu love]

its very sad but good good job continue writing

[Staci Brown]

this was an excellent short story hon. it easily stands alone on its own without further development. if you want to expand on the story that could work as well, but again, as is, a great piece of short fiction! loved the endearment, anger, angst, and tender touching moments between brother and sister..., while facing the unknown and death...

found two typo's to fix:

-+-

Melissa coughing violently against him pulled Chris immediately from his thoughts and he pulled her close, waiting for the coughing spell to cease. They'd been coming more often, blood appearing with each hack the racked the small frame.

blood appearing with each hack >>>that

[A LaDy NaMeD D]

this was very interesting and if you made this into a book. i would most definantly read it. It kept me hooked from begining to end.