Here you go. I suddenly had the urge to write a chapter.


Neither sibling could deny that their fondest memories of each other coincided with bouts of reciprocal mutilation. Their propensity for violence was clear, and manifested during all of their quarrels, but an unavoidable consequence was that they knew each other inside and out. Of course, this unintentional bond didn't interfere with the habitual escalation that left them with their insides out, but it did give the siblings a sense that their quarrels could bring out more than just their organs.

Perhaps this intuition was what led them to agree to spend their Friday afternoon at the park together. They had temporarily bonded over the stress of schoolwork and the need for recuperation, but it was unlikely that either sibling had forgotten what happened the last time they had been in prolonged contact with one another, or the time before that, or...

But on that quiet evening, as they sat by the stream on a secluded park bench, neither saying a word for full minutes, the naive observer would be greeted with a picture of serene, unfettered affection. That picture would likely say a thousand words too few about the relationship between Alex and Alyssa, not to mention the events of the next few hours. Nevertheless, the first thousand words would suffice for a few minutes yet; Alyssa hand rested on her brother's as they faced the rushing water with half-lidded eyes.

Then Alyssa's eyes sparked, and she hastily retracted her hand, embarrassed. Time seemed to start again, and Alex glanced sidelong at his sister.

“What's the matter?” he asked in a mildly teasing tone. “Saving that hand for someone else?”

Still a bit flushed, Alyssa attempted to save face. “H-huh? Oh, naw, I just realized I let my hand touch YOU.” She felt a familiar energy rekindle inside her. “It's okay though, I could stick it in a toilet and it would come out cleaner.”

Alex sighed. It was nice while it lasted; might as well play along. “I guess it's for the best, then. I could probably get an STD just by shaking your hand, seeing where it's been.”

Alyssa paused and cocked her head. “A what?”

Damn. Now he had to explain the joke. The price to pay for being more well-read, or so he liked to think. “That was a disease you could only get by having sex with someone.”

“I guess you don't have to worry about that one, then!” laughed Alyssa. “You have a defense mechanism!”

She wouldn't dare go there. Alex was genuinely upset at where this was going. His sister never even apologize--

“Your dick falls off on the first date!” Alyssa delivered the killing blow with a smile. On some level, she was conscious of the fact that her brother just wanted some peace and quiet, but something compelled her to instigate, to possibly ruin their weekend, to make things the way they always were.

“Oh come on! I know you did it in my sleep, it was a fucking clean cut!”

“Like when you switched our genders while I slept? Well, I guess it's no wonder you wanted to dump that pathetic body on someone else.”

That was it. Anger washed over him, and before Alyssa could react, he grabbed the nearest stone and cracked it against the side of her head with all his might.

He went back to sitting quietly for a while, his breaths gradually steadying, avoiding looking at the mess he'd made of his sister. In the silence that ensued, he was almost able to ignore the fact that he'd just pulverized Alyssa's skull. Just the sound of rushing water, birds chirping, sporadic choking noises...

God damn it. He finally decided to face his handiwork. His sister had fallen backwards off the bench, so that she lay on her back with her splayed legs twitching slightly. Her right eye was dangling from its socket, and her jaw was completely destroyed, her chin sinking into her throat like a deflated inner tube. The sight was utterly pitiful.

Another gagging sound brought Alex back to his senses, and he realized that the sagging tissue was blocking her windpipe. Not wanting to have to deal with a full revival, not to mention explaining that to their parents, Alex sprung into action. Pulling at the pile of rubble that had been her face was getting him nowhere fast, and the spasms were getting more frantic. Despite knowing that it probably wasn't as bad as it looked, Alex was filled by a primal sense of urgency upon hearing those sounds. Thinking quickly, he unsheathed his trusty knife and began sawing away at his sister's throat. He sat her up and pulled back her head, letting the hole open. There was an audible suction as she took a deep breath through the new opening, but she was still hyperventilating. Having to keep her neck bent was also not an ideal arrangement, and rendered the duo immobile.

Alex hypothesized that his sister's destroyed brain was likely doing more harm than good at this point, and that if he wanted her body's decentralized nervous system to take over, he's have to do the unthinkable.

He quickly did the unthinkable, and crammed his sister's destroyed head in his schoolbag.

Peering in at the mess now sandwiched between his books and papers, he wondered how long her head would take to heal on its own. He's probably need to keep it somewhere less cramped, but still hidden... his nightstand drawer? No, too little air. Under his bed? Too creepy. Maybe--

A rustling noise drew his attention back in his sister's direction. That is, her body's direction. Which was currently standing up and extending its arms, as if feeling for something to hold on to. Its shoulders were hunched, and it was pawing at the air so timidly, that it—no, she—gave Alex the impression that she was frightened. He may have been the younger sibling, but, well, she was a head shorter now, and her posture brought forth a pang of sympathy in Alex. Dropping the bag—squish—he strode towards her and clasped her hand. Alyssa's body seemed to tense up momentarily as she stopped probing and felt the hand that had just taken hold of her. After her other hand brushed down his arm and across his chest, Alyssa's body seemed to come to a realization, and she slumped against him.

Alex was confused. Wasn't she just on autopilot now? What did her body care who she was with? What did that have to do with standing upright, eating and breathing? But he couldn't help but feel that as her rather noisy breaths slowed, and she wrapped her arms around him, she was showing more complex emotions.

Now that one crisis had been averted, Alex decided to experiment. He tapped his sister on the shoulder. Without letting go of him, she pushed off of him and appeared to stand to attention.

“So, I guess we're going to have to get you home.”

No response.

“Fuck.”

He tugged her hand twice instead, and began walking. After stumbling initially, she seemed to understand, and began walking behind him. Retrieving the bag with care this time, Alex considered his options. Walking home with a headless sister wasn't ideal, so he would have to obscure the deficit without also blocking her airways. Her real head was out of the question in its current state. Perhaps her clothing might help...

The hoodie didn't exactly stand up on its own, and worse yet, it caused her to choke whenever it fell over her neck stump. After a few attempts, Alyssa's body was holding her arms over her stump, as if protecting it. Alex sighed and squeezed her hand once, signaling defeat. Slowly, she lowered her arms and pulled him close again. Looking down at her exposed cross section, Alex had a sudden burst of inspiration. He grabbed a sharp, sturdy looking stick from the ground and positioned it above a fleshy spot that didn't look too important. Hesitating, he first squeezed Alyssa's hand and pressed the stick against her stump, not wanting to surprise her and possibly send her running away in a blind panic. Still squeezing, he jammed it in full force.

Alyssa doubled over but soon recovered, although she seemed displeased as she probed the foreign object with her free hand. Now that the scaffolding was in place, Alex pulled up the hood. The shape was... disappointing. But it would have to do.

Alex wished there had been at least one person around to be fooled by his craftsmanship, but it was shortly past dinner time, and the sun was already down. By the time they reached the house, it was dark, and the aroma of cooking fish prompted him to sneak in through the back door, unseen by his parents. He tiptoed up the stairs, his sister clumsily following, and ushered her into her room where he sat her down on the bed. Removing the stick, Alex patted her shoulder again.

“Wait here,” he instructed, as if hoping that the words would be transmitted through the gesture. When she didn't move for a while, he turned, satisfied, and headed to dinner.

“Hi, honey,” greeted his mother. “When did you come home? Didn't you go to the park with your sister?”

“Oh, we got back a while ago.” He added, “It was fun. Uh, relaxing. Nothing to worry about.” He instantly regretted the last comment.

“I'm glad you're spending time together for a change.” She paused, suddenly suspicious. “Speaking of which, where is Alyssa?”

“She went to her room early. School, you know? That's why we wanted to relax today.”

Remarkably, this seemed to convince his mother that they hadn't torn each other to shreds that day. After all, he didn't have a mark on him. He'd have to have rendered his sister helpless in cold blood. These thoughts left Alex feeling miserable as he ate in silence. After getting halfway through his baked salmon, he pulled back his chair.

“I'll just bring the rest up to Alyssa's room,” he said, excusing himself. His mother gave him a warm smile, proud that her son was finally learning to take care of his sister.

Meanwhile, Alex dumped his sister's decapitated head onto the bed next to her body, which was now lying prone on the soft sheets. He examined the damage. Amazingly, she was less misshapen than before, with only her missing teeth and dangling eyeball to show for his earlier treatment of her. He shook her as gently as he could, letting those loose teeth fall out of her mouth rather than down her throat, then pressed her eyeball back into place. Perhaps her brain would take some time to recover, and her jaw was still fragile, but some prodding with a rubber dildo (what? He used the smallest one he could find under her nightstand!) revealed that her throat was open for business. The business of respiration, that is. From here on, it was standard procedure; both children had no shortage of medical supplies in their rooms, and her neck was soon wrapped snugly with bandages, air flowing through her gaping mouth at regular intervals.

Eventually, he stopped holding it open as he felt warmth in her lips return, and after pulling her covers up, nothing looked out of the ordinary. As he prepared to leave, he glanced back at his sleeping sister. She looked so peaceful there that Alex almost forgot about the storm that would be waiting for him when she woke up. He gave her a quick peck on the forehead before retiring to his room.

---

-

Alex rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Saturday morning. He yawned, relieved that he'd have the whole weekend to relax with--

Oh. Right. As if on cue, his sister's door opened and she stepped out, stretching. Their eyes met, Alex's full of remorse, bracing himself for the fully deserved punishment she was about to serve--

“Mornin', bro.” She mumbled, as she groggily ambled downstairs.

Alex was stunned. Grasping her shoulder, he stammered, “A-aren't you mad at me?”

Alyssa looked confused, as if trying to guess which wrongdoing he was referring to. “I will be soon, if you don't stop touching... me.” She paused, as if suddenly remembering. Alex held his breath.

“Oh yeah, I had a weirdest dream last night. It was pitch dark, but I know you were in it. You were guiding me through an evil forest full of monsters that tried to choke me, and had pointy fangs...”

Alex let out his breath. “Huh. Some dream,” he managed.

“I guess I can't stay mad at my little bro,” she cooed, pinching his cheek lightly. “Especially when he even protects me in my dreams.”

She brought her hand up to her neck, which suddenly itched at the memory. Alex's heart sank.

“Um. What is this?”