#puppet stangst

He'd done it. Dr. Murray Birch had actually done it.

He'd burnt a man vampire alive and collected the ashes that remained, and made it into a potion that may or may not work.

'It didn't count', he told himself, that man was a vampire; vampires aren't people, they're monsters. Deep down he knew he didn't believe that, because if he did he would never subject his brother to his current plan.

Speaking of his brother - Leopold was asleep again. He'd spent most of his days in hospice asleep. Usually it was Murray or their parents with him, sometimes their brother Sherman. The palliative care nurses told them that even if he wasn't awake, it would still 'ease the transition' if he was surrounded by his loved ones in his final days.

Final days.

Not if Murray had anything to say about it, he thought to himself as he clutched Leo's hand in on of his own, while his other shaking hand clutched two syringes.

The disease had taken over his brothers body - his fur was limp and dull, his seams barely holding together; Leo was usually the larger of the two, but it was like all of the air was sucked out of his stuffing with how hollow yet compressed his entire body felt and looked.

"It's okay," Murray said in a voice that shook just like his ash covered hands, and he leaned over a pressed a gentle kiss to his twins crown. "I won't let anyone take you away from me. Everywhere we go-" He was cut off by a sound that made his soul fall out of his body.

He didn't need to turn around, instinctually he knew. It was the Hand Reaper, here to collect Leopold.

"It's not curtain call!" He said in a voice that was equal parts indignant, and afraid, as he took one syringe and stabbed it into Leo's chest, dumping the entire profane solution into him.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then, Murray felt as if it was just them in the room again, but he didn't know if he had circumvented the inevitable, or merely delayed it. He tightened the fingers he had laced with Leo's, his extra finger allowing his hand to completely cage his brothers.

"Everywhere we go, we go together. Including death, or undeath." He said, his conviction was real even if it was choked up, and he stabbed himself in the chest with the other syringe.

If Leopold couldn't live, then they would both become vampires, or they would both die.

There was no alternative that Murray could possibly accept.

Tagging @aroace-get-out-of-my-face, @maridrawss. And also, @stoicjewel for this lovely piece of art of this timeline.