Our Brother Madness

Our Brother Madness Part II

Dimitri got off the bus, his shaking had stopped. He was further down town, the day was still nice but the streets had grown unclean and crowded with men and women in dress clothes. He felt out of place, but he always felt out of place here in this world If only he could drift away.

"Society is dying, " He whispered to himself as he walked, hands in his jacket's pocket. "I wonder how long it'll last now. It's pretty close to breaking."

People always looked at him when he talked to himself, he didn't really care. Talking to himself was a way to relieve the stress of the world, in fact it was a way for him relieve himself of the world. He didn't want to be here, around freinds the thought of leaving this place dissolved, but never did it totally leave his thoughts, his mind.

To leave, it would be so wonderful. Never come back and just go off in blazing starlight, to some new world, some new dimension of existence or reality. For so long, his drugs had given him his blazing starlight, yet no longer.

Now he was stuck here, and the monsters just grew and grew around him like tall annoying weeds.

People walked past him, uncaring if they pushed him around as they went on their busy way. They didn't care, in fact they probably enjoyed pushing a punk like him around. Something to distract them to the fabric they had sewn, the life they lived. Dimitri wondered how it was like, seeing these clones with briefcase lives, glasses and a good car, a new rolex a diamond ring, he wondered what it was that go them going.

He soon came upon Ryan's house, it wasn't too far from the bus stop. The house was old and broken down, it used to be an apartment building till the owner just abandoned it, no one had really bought it either. Ryan had just moved in. He had even less then Dimitri, but the place was cool with them.

It was nice because of how open and big it was, unlike Dimitir's stuffy apartment. Ryan had hosted a few memorable parties here, but most of their group's fun was had at Yester. An old club a few miles away from Ryan's, it played local music and it was a very fitting crowd for them to be in.

Dimitri walked up the cracked stairs that led to Ryan's door, with a knock he yelled up, "Yo Ryan, I'm here."

A window from the second story opened up, Ryan's voice could be heard, "Come on up dude. Wait till you see what I bought."

Dimitri opened the door and entered. The entire building was made of wood, it's brown insides were welcoming to him, compared to the stone of his apartment building. The smell of summer littered and rolled around the air, engulfng the house in full with its wondrous smell. It was mix, the smell of summer, and the smell of weed.

Delicious, green weed.

Dimitri walked past the living room and up the creaky staircase. He walked across the balcony, passing old portraits that hadn't bee dusted in years, ruining them. A door was opened at the end, and when Dimitri entered, he saw Ryan sitting on a computer chair, looking intently at his own true worldly possession, a laptop.

A long time ago he had hijacked electricity and the net from his next door neighbours. He was thinking about adding a television set, but was too afraid they'd catch on. Their kid was always on the net playing some random game, so Ryan never was really caught for it.

Ryan turned around and stood up, his shaggy black dyed hair bouncing as he moved. His hair always seemed wet, yet it never was, it had the look of just getting out of the shower or the pool. Dimitri was always envious of his friend for that, since the girls seemed to love him for it. In a way, Dimitri was envious of a lot of things, more so then just Ryan and his house.

"How's it going," Dimitri gave a hug to his best pal, a pat on the back.

The two were identical in almost everyway but the face. Other then that, the only minor difference was some personality and the fact that Dimitri's pinky finger nail was extremely long, all the better for snorting coke.

"It's been going good," He smiled. "Look around at what I bought!"

Dimitri looked around, there was not much in the room. There was the laptop on a dusty table that nestled against the wall, an open window with a wilting rose in a vase sitting upon the seal, the on a small box was a bong with a camera next to it.

"You made or bought another pink bong?" Dimitri laughed. "What is it with you and that color?"

"No!" Ryan groaned. "I bought a camera dude. It's digital. It's going be sweet."

"How the hell did you get the money?"

"I... uh... borrowed some dough. Don't worry dude, I'm good for it."

Dimitri laughed, "Ryan, you're never good for it."

Ryan had always been terrible at paying people back. He was a good guy, and intended the best, but somehow it never seem to come out that way for him. In his mind, he had many ambitions but perhaps the weed had killed the drive, perhaps the endless hours of sleep had killed his motivation. Perhaps his life had ended years ago, when Dimitri gave him the first blunt.

Ryan's eyes widened and he went over to the camera, turned it on and looked back at his friend, "Oh yes I am. I've been looking online, and get this, I'll become an artistic photographer! People pay some big bucks for it. I've seen people do it and sell these pictures to people for hundreds!"

"Damn dude," Dimitri sighed. "You got to stop watching the infomercials."

"Hey," Ryan set down the camera. "One day I'll find an infomercial that tells the truth."

Dimitri sat in the computer chair, "Anyways, want to go hangout at Yester?"

He shurgged, "Sure, why not? I got nothing better to do."

"Hey, bring your camera, maybe you'll find something artistic."

"I think I may. Wait a second, whose taking us to Yester? You know I don't drive, and I don't want to go if we have to just leave early to catch the bus."

"Don't worry man, I got it all planned," Dimitri smiled. "Now hand me that bong."

"Ha ha, alright, if you say so," Ryan smiled and handed Dimitri the pink bong already read to be smoked.

After a few hits, Dimitri told Ryan who was picking them up. The two wrestled around for a bit, a custom they'd done forever in their years of friendship. Dimitri usually won, he was the stronger one of the two after all and slightly bigger. With their rituals done, the two walked outside and sat in a couple of lawn chairs that Ryan had bought a long time ago, when he was thinking about changing the old building into a restaurant.

An old man passed them, he hobbled with a cane and glasses as thick as fingers. He was a dying man, an old man whose days had been spent, and only thoughts of yester left to amuse him in his diseased body. It made Dimitri depressed just looking at it, Ryan didn't notice the old man, nor did he really care.

But Dimitri did. Dimitri cared so much for that feeble old man.

"One day we'll be like him," Dimitri said, staring at the alley where the old man had turned. "One day we'll be dying just like him, days spent, the guns empty. Nothing left to shoot, just us dying, just us decaying like him. We'll hobble past people like us, young people, people in their prime, and we'll wonder where it all had gone."

"What are you talking about man?" Ryan smiled. "I'm never growing old."

"If only Ryan," Dimitri turned and looked at his friend, he took a long swig of his beer. "God, how great that'd be. If only the world was idealistic, then maybe we would."

Ryan replied, "Hey man, if the world was idealistic, we'd be communist, don't become a commy on me now, heh."

Dimitri chuckled and looked away. As they waited for the sun to fall, he could only but wonder, how would he look then? Children of his own? Or would the only spawn he left behind in this world be nothing but soiled pants with shit in his underwear. Dead and gone, dead and gone with the drugs, no more family to speak, no little Dimitri's crying out daddy.

As the conversation became silent, Dimitri turned his head away from his friend, as a tear suppressed was now release. Sliding down his cheek, he looked at the falling evening. Was he falling? Was he a gun without a shot?

"Just another Russian roulette," He whispered.

Next to hm, came Ryan's response, "Never heard a better definition of life."

"God I hope she hurries the hell up," Dimitri said, shivering suddenly.

"Yeah."

"It's getting so cold out here."

End of part II