Haven't heard from my brother in two years... Phone numbers keep changing, Straight to voicemail. Got his last known address from mom, She hasn't seen him either, Says he's doing fine... She can't look at me when she says it. I'm driving out to check on him... GPS says this is it. But this...can't be right. Trailers broken down, haphazard... Tarps, rust and exposed wiring. So much junk...can hardly see the ground. This can't be where he lives... Faces in the windows... All of them watching. Then I see him, Peeking through torn curtains, Oh god...that's him... Skin like leather left in the sun. Covered in sores he can't stop picking... All his teeth gone. He looks seventy... He's thirty-two. Man comes out with a shotgun, Chemical burns on his arms... Cocks it... "You got the wrong place, bud..." My brother runs out, Still knows my face, Calms him down. "That's my brother, man, he's cool" Waves me inside... I follow him in. Calling it a shack is generous, One wall's just gone, No AC, no electricity, Smell of chemicals and rot. He's talking fast... Looking everywhere, Jumping from thought to thought. Trying to sell me things. "Got some copper wire, real copper, Ripped it out myself. Or this motorcycle, just needs work, I'll sell you just the parts if you want Good parts, man, real good" He won't look at me, Just keeps talking, Hands shaking, Eyes darting. "Or I mean, if you got cash, Just cash is fine, I'm good for it, I'll pay you back, You know I'm good for it." The blight has him good... His eyes change, Not recognition anymore... Opportunity... "You looking to buy? I got the best stuff, Better than anyone in three counties, Can hook you up right now, Family discount." That toothless smile... Trying to close a deal, This isn't my brother anymore... This is what's left... I don't say anything, I just can't form words... He's still talking numbers, Price per gram, Purity percentages... Words I don't understand. About poison I don't want. I stand up and say goodbye... He's already thinking about his next fix. Get to my car, Something's under it... Trying to steal parts. Tweaking...twitching... I yell... They scatter into their trailer. Even here... they come for you... I get in, Lock the doors, Start driving. Check the mirror, The whole park's watching me leave, Three miles down the highway, I pull over... And I break down crying... Grief for what's still happening, My brother's still breathing, Still talking, Still smiling with no teeth. But he's already gone... The blight took him... Hollowed him out... Left something... walking around... In his skin...
