A final version of a fiction project I was working on. Please let me know what you all think!

The forest howled in response to their arrival, as it warned of the peril ahead. The boy's feet stomped rapidly and spread across the grass like wildfire. The sun had disappeared just as the journey began, a beautiful peach colored sky faded away. All that's left were the sprinkle of stars and the mystery of the moon. The darkness hid the boys now, but it was no matter. They knew how to find them.

The sirens wailed on.

Ian was in the lead, as he always was. He guided their way through any adventure and storm. He was the chosen one, the boy they called upon when danger struck. He would bring them out, far from the worry and stress with the skill of mind that he was born with. Ian was the face of the team, a true leader. That's the kind of boy he was, that's the kind of man he may become.

Their sharp breaths whispered through the air and crunched leaves snapped as they ran by. Adrenaline coursed through their veins with anxiety mixed into their blood. There would be no sleep tonight, not until there was safety. As hopeful as they were, each passing second could ruin their chances of surviving.

The sirens wailed on.

Harper was the eldest, the unlucky one. He got too close and couldn't escape. Harper let the poison get to him, then it started to spread in phases. A blast of pain, itchiness, a tired voice with migraines, drowning in obligations. But he wasn't one to complain, he was the head of the pack in another way; Harper was the guinea pig, the first of the three. Now he had to pay the price as it manifested into an illness, a required stage of life. A plague that tore apart their bond, their life.

The sirens wailed on.

Mercury was faster than Ian and much stronger than Harper, but his temper was what sold him short. As Harper gagged on his breath, the poison broke into hives and aged his face. Patches of green slime splotched on his skin. It was Mercury's job to hold onto him. Carry him, drag him along. No one gets left behind, Ian always ordered. But even Mercury had his limits. The pressure on his shoulders was hard to ignore, sweat showering over him as the shrieks grew louder. But he would be tough. Relentless. He would fight beside his brothers, through thick and thin.

The sirens continued.

With a sigh of relief, they caught sight of the treehouse, their beacon of hope. Mercury's cry of joy loudest among them as Harper's arm tightened around his neck. He would have no time left to fix the damage done, but to slow the spread and beat the odds, that was the goal.

Ian replayed his last request, the plan that would free them all.

When it's my turn, take me away. Promise me you'll fight when I cannot. When my skin fades and my mind blanks. I want to make you promise me you won't let me be one of them. Harper's steady voice rang vividly through Ian.

I promise Harper, I swear to you. That was the vow he made years ago. A promise he'd keep, even if it killed him.

The end goal was so near. All that was left to do was bring his brother to high ground.

Get him up, Ian whispered urgently, the crack in his voice concerned Mercury slightly. Still, he bit his tongue and held back a retort. He thought better than to argue now. Of all the plans Ian and Mercury fought over, this one would not be up for debate, no matter how impossible the odds seemed.

There was a wooden ladder connected to the bark of the house, unsettling and incompetent. There was no other way up, but the slanted angle of the wood's position gave Mercury a chance. He would have to swing him on his back and climb. No easy task, even for him, but there was no other option. Mercury glanced up at the treehouse, his eyes swelled with urgency. It was his time now to save his family. Would he be able to bring his brother to safety? He hoped with all his might that he could.

There were many things Mercury wanted to say, but he decided to settle for a quick agreement. Watch my back. He gave a nod to Ian and with a grunt, lifted Harper on his back. His legs wound around Mercury's waist and his arms rested on his neck. Harper groaned in his ear as the rest of his body hung on Mercury's back. He took a shaky step then breathed. His fear was blazing more than he'd admit, the stress hit him harder than the rest. It made his stomach churn in response. There was no time to back down, there was no time at all.

The sirens drew closer.

Seconds before the climb, Harper heaved. The poison made Mercury cry out, as Harper collapsed backward with a gasp. Both brothers were on the floor now, Harper quivered on the floor. Mercury itched his scolding shoulder.

Ian could only stare at both brothers in pain. He kneeled to examine the damage. Mercury would survive, the splotches would be gone within the hour. It was the sight of Harper that caused chills to run down Ian's spine like cold snow blanketed his skin. The usual composure of him was overtaken by the monster awakening inside. His T-shirt wrinkled and torn, the blue in his irises were eaten alive by a hole that rolled his eyes back. He jerked violently as the boys surrounded his convulsing body. Ian struggled to lift him, then Mercury joined in. With fear aching their bones and their fidgety brother spazzing out, both would try to bring their brother to the top. But each attempt would fail. Harper's stroke could not be contained.

The spotlights would be on them in minutes. The bark of sirens rang in their ears. There was no use. His destiny has been decided the day he was born. All of ours was. No amount of labor could erase the future of Harper.

So Ian went back in time instead. He reminisced of the moments spent together. The secrets of the life after the change, the grins he shared with his brother that stretched ear to ear when they mocked the elders. The expectations of reality, the horrors of the new world. Stories of the other life and the resentment of responsibility and duty. They perched on their treehouse, eyes blazed with youth and possibility. That's where Harper would speak the most.

I'm never going there. I hope I die before then. Harper never faltered when he spoke, and Ian remembered the disdain, the disgust that spat through his mouth. His older brother was the test, the first to bear the weight, but he was fearless. But even the most composed of the three could not control the blaze of the venom soaking up his young soul.

Mercury couldn't believe the sight, but unlike Ian, he wished so badly for death to close around his brother's throat. He was almost tempted to finish the deed himself as they failed to contain him, their strength waned. Anything but to see him tomorrow refreshed and new. But Mercury's heart was stronger than his mind, he would not murder his brother tonight. He'd merely hoped Harper would be dead before they reached them.

The sirens traveled nearer.

The two boys glanced at one another, the other fighting the demon inside, twisting with agony on the damp ground. The splotches of green muck pressed to him like new skin. Older flesh. It was a sight even the devil turned away from.

It was an unspoken language that passed between the brothers, time had now run out. It was not on their side. A breeze blew on their faces as if the forest laughed at their defeat.

More than a wail, the sirens screeched, blinding spotlights pointed at them. Ian vaguely heard Mercury swear under his breath when they swarmed them. The men with the sirens, the distress call. The lost boys have been found! It was over. The swat team of force circled the boys with weapons and orders, but there was no weapon greater than time itself.

The sirens had come.

It was their mother who ran to the boys first, her disheveled bun crumbled over her face like rain and waves drenched her cheeks. She was decent for what she was, their mother after all.

My boys, there you are! Breathless, her arms clung to her children. She sunk to greet her three sons. Two rested motionless, their bodies frozen solid. The other choked on his bubbling saliva, his twitching past the point of no return.

It's Harper's time, he's growing sick now. Taking him away only made him suffer more. Mom's hand tenderly caressed Ian's face, and she sniffled once.

It's hard to understand, her voice uttered, I know, but this is how it works. It's for the best. Your time will come too. Mom kissed Mercury's head as he turned away, then kissed paralyzed Ian. With a wave of her hand, the men gathered Harper, blotched and disoriented from excruciating agony, and marched him away.

Mercury's rampage then unleashed. Jumbled words mixed with punches and kicks landed him on the ground. One man struck him twice before he escorted the squad to the vehicle, packed their brother, and loaded the crew for the next mission. Ian sat still, blank and empty. Worthless and defeated. He broke his brother's vow. He couldn't keep his promise.

The sirens moved on.

Their mother left them to their boyish devices, to cope with the past. Mercury screamed loud into the night. A wolf under the glow of the moon. Ian was a statue and daydreamed far into the forest.

As he stared, Ian listened to the trees swaying, his brother weeping, and the faint sound of a chirp in the night. It wasn't until he looked up that Ian realized, the last souvenir Harper would ever remember of his young self was the light of the stars. The sun had set on his last days. He would not be the Harper they knew, but a faint memory of a boy forced to grow up.

A few feet away, Mercury crouched. He clenched his shoulder and examined the green filth that burned his skin. His hand vibrated to the torture, but Mercury felt no regret. His mind was fuzzy, but his heart was gone. He knew what life would be after. He knew his turn was next. So Mercury brought his hand to his lips.

Ian's piercing pleads drowned out the croak deep within Mercury. By the time Ian hurried to his brother, it was too late. The sores were already forming on Mercury's premature face, his body failed rapidly and sizzled his skin away. He was not yet ready for the change.

Ian wept over his brother's body, he murmured his goodbyes and spoke of their moments together. Another brother had dissolved from the tragedy of a new life. Ian's strength and courage had come undone, it crumbled like dirt under their shoes. There was no one left to comfort him but the bittersweet tears that slide down his cheek, capturing moments of a fonder life.

He would not leave his side. Even as the night fell numb and the sky stayed buried behind clouds, Ian would stay by him. If there was any promise he could keep, this one would be unbroken.

It won't be until the last siren had ceased and the wind had gone to sleep. Until the boys would finally be found. It wouldn't be until he heard his mother cry once more as they dragged him away from their shattered paradise and soured dreams. Only then would Ian let go.

But for now, the sirens wailed on...