Hear the drum pounding out of time

[Zachary Mark Flaherty]

Zach sighed. His black hair was over his face, hiding his red eyes. Ember was gone. She was dead. He gave her the pneumonia that he had, and her little immune system just couldn't handle it. It been three days since she was gone, and all he did was just sit there, and mope around. When Sydney was gone, he wouldn't stop crying. His heart was broken. it was just a little worse then when he found out about Garrett. Both times, he was sick when he lost people he cared about it.

He had a guitar case next to him, closed and locked. The guitar was still in it though. He sat there, on the bench with his head down. Tears were again running down his face. There wasn't anything that he could do that would have saved her. She caught it, and before they even realized it, she was doomed. She died in her sleep. Zach was in panic when she didn't wake up. He picked her up, he shook her a little, he tried to make sure she was breathing. She wasn't. He was crushed. He lost his baby girl. His pride and joy, ripped from him.

He sighed and looked down at the guitar. He took out his keys and opened up the guitar case. He picked up the black and red guitar and looked at it. He hadn't played his guitar in over a year and a half. He sighed. He started to play, and he could play the guitar very well, even after a year. It was an acoustic one, and he didn't care if people looked at him, he was to upset to care.

[Hugo Daniel McDawson]

Hugo walked into the mall. He felt new, and beatuiful. It was odd to hear thoes two word flow out of Hugo's mouth. He spent too many hours hating his body. it was rather sad, really. He wore a thift store steal, a black dress with grey and white lace. His shoes matched, but no way in hell that Hugo found these at any theift store. Merry Christmas is where thoes bad boys came from. He moved a lock of his very own brown hair out of his face, it was finally long enough to wear without a wig. He will still wear wigs, but it's nice to not have to wear them 24/7.

Hugo looked around, yes, the boy did love the attention he got with this dress. His basked in the glow. Untill he saw a sad figure play the guitarr. He knew who it was all at once. He click-clacked over to Zach, he sat down next to the boy "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, normally Zach is sucking face with Sydney or play Mr.Mom with Ember. It was wired to see the man without either one.

[Zachary Mark Flaherty]

Zach sobbed to himself as he played the guitar. He was playing "Set fire to the third bar" by Snow patrol. He couldn't help but play the sad songs that he knew. He was to upset about Ember to be happy. All he did was mope around. He didn't do anything anymore. He wouldn't leave the apartment. They had given Ember a little funeral yesterday, and now Sydney was at work. He bit his lip. He needed to start to cheer up.

Zach looked up as he heard someone sit down. Staring though his black hair, he looked at Hugo. He stopped playing and bit his lip. Tears running down his face he said,"Ember...she's...dead.." He choked out before he turned away from Hugo. He hated it when people saw him cry. It made him look weak, which Zach was far from. Zach was strong, but this was worse then when Garrett died. He wiped his eyes with is sleeve and looked back at Hugo.

"You look..nice Hugo." He said, pain in his voice cracking. He coughed for a moment. He couldn't breath well when he cried. That's why he didn't like crying. He had problems breathing. He looked at the red and black guitar. He played more of the same song that he was playing before.

[Hugo Daniel McDawson]

Hugo listened to the song. His face full of worry. Something was majorly off. He wasn't sure yet.

His eyes grew wide "oh my god. Zach!" He gasped, he wasn't sure if he should wrap his arms around Zach, or leave him alone. His eyes started to water, then Zach looked away. Poor Little Ember, the little little baby. She was cute as hell. Hugo wiped his face before Zach could see him. "I'm so sorry, Zach" He muttered, he reached out to patt Zach on the shoulder, but put his hand down, Zach probaly didn't want Hugo to touch him.

Hugo laughed and blushed "Thank you" He said, sniffling. He couldn't believe Zach just said he was pretty. if he wasn't soo worried about poor Zach, he'd be having an amazing fan-girl moment. He's never been called pretty by Zach, it was amazing.

[Zachary Mark Flaherty]

Zach looked at him. "It's my fault. I had pneumonia again, and so, she got it because she loved to play with me. And she had my immune system... and now she's dead." He said. "She's gone. Like Garrett." He mumbled. He wiped his face again. He couldn't stop crying. His daughter, gone. Her life, ended so fast. He wanted her to grow up, and have a good life. but now she couldn't. She was six feet under now.

He kept playing. He was trying to hard to get his mind off his baby girl. Though, he couldn't. Eliza stopped talking to him again. Gabriel hated him, more then usual. Sydney was busy, and his only person to keep him amused until Sydney was home was gone. Dead. She was gone. He sobbed more. Zach stopped playing and put his elbows on the guitar and put his face in his hands. He sobbed.

"It's all my fault she's gone. Its my fault that I'm loosing everyone. First Kyle, then others, then Garrett...now my own daughter." He said, his voice cracking again. He couldn't loose more people, he would end up killing himself.

[Hugo Daniel McDawson]

"Zach, It's not your fault. You got sick, she was a baby. Anything could have...gotten her sick" He said, he really did reach out and touch Zach's shoulder. He felt so bad to see Zach like this, he dug around in his pruse and pulled out a tissue. He offered it to Zach. "Here" He muttered, he looked away, no man, even Hugo who accounts himself as a woman, wants to be watched when crying. A single tear raced down his face. He brushed it off, quickly. No reason Zach should have to deal with Hugo's own roller coster emotions.

"I'm sure Garrett is watching over her" He added, he looked up tp the ceiling of the mall ina "garrett, you better be watching her" sort of way. He licked his top lip, then made an icky face, lip gloss. He sighed "Here, want me to get you any food, or something, Zach?" He offered. "Eating makes me feel better" He offered, awkwardly.

[Zachary Mark Flaherty]

Zach looked at him. "Yes it is. I'm always sick. I was the one gave it to her. We brought her to the doctor and they said it was pneumonia that killed her. She was my baby girl. And she was taken from me!" He said. He bit his lip, drawing blood into his mouth, but he didn't care. He just didn't have it in him to fight with himself about anything. He tried to stop crying and Hugo handed him a tissue. "No. Its fine." he said.

He pushed Hugo's hand away from his face. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked Hugo. "I-I'm sorry." He said. "You know.. for everything." He added. Why was he just now feeling bad for what he did to hugo? Maybe it was because now Hugo was helping him. He didn't really know. He sighed and looked at hugo.

"No. I'm not hungry" He said. Truth was, he wasn't hungry at all anymore. You could see it in his face, his body. He hadn't eaten in a while, and he probably wasn't going to anytime soon.

[Hugo Daniel McDawson]

Hugo looked down, awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Zach" He said, frowning, he smoothed down his skirt, it wrinkled from sitting. He bit his lip. Okay. It's nearing the 'hugo will either give you a hug or break down' point for the woman. He looked at the stories in the area. He kept a frown on his face "Zach, anyone could have gotten her sick. Babies get sick. It's like, part of their.. thing. Poor Ember just wasn't strong enough to handel it" He looked at him "Don't blame yourself." He added, he tucked the tissue back into his purse.

"Hey, man. We were both douche bags to eachother. I'm sorry too, though" He said, smiling at Zach. He sat down next to Zach, again. He looked at his shoes He wasn't quiet sure what to say "Okay, but if you need anything, you got my number, right?" He asked, blinking at Zach. Was he really offerig his number to Zach? Yup.

[Zachary Mark Flaherty]

Zach looked at him. "It's okay.. i guess." He said. He looked down at his guitar. He started to play it again. At least he stopped crying. "I guess so." He said. He frowned. He looked at him again. "I still feel like its my fault though." he said. He looked down, part of his bangs moved and showed a lot of his face. The skin was stuck to his bones, and he looked rather dehydrated. He didn't drink anything, eat anything, do anything since Ember died.

"Yeah well... I probably broke your ribs, and did a lot more shit to you.. that you didn't really need...I'm just..sorry..." He said. He sighed. He really was sorry about this. He didn't need to be as mean as he was to Hugo.He looked at him. "No...I don't.." He said. He didn't have Hugo's number, and he wasn't sure if he wanted it or not. But he sighed.

He continued to play his guitar. He didn't know what to do anymore. He couldn't do anything right. He couldn't be a good enough father for ember to make her life meaningful. Now she was gone, and she wasn't coming back.

[Hugo Daniel McDawson]

Hugo sighed and ran his hands over his own arms. This horrid mood wasn't helping his own emotional state. The girl looked at Zach "Dude, you need something to drink. Killing yourself wouldn't Ember or Garrett or..Kyle happy" He said, looking over the other man's face "Let me get you something, please?" He more begged, then offered.Zach's death would be horrid, Sdyney would be crushed. That would be the 3rd person to die since Hugo met all these people. Holy shit.

Hugo worked his fingers over, watching Zach. "Oh..well.. uhm..you can have it if you want." Hugo said, digging aroun in his purse, he pulled out a tissue and wrote down his number. He offered it to Zach "Don't hesist to use it, man." He added. Hugo smiled "You only cracked one rib. I may be...limp wristed but I'm not glass" He joked, trying his hardest to lighten this dark mood.

[Zachary Mark Flaherty]

He looked at Hugo. He stared at him. "You don't know anything do you...Kyle was my brother when I was about four. He hung himself when he was our age. I was the one that found his body in the shower.." He said. He looked at him. "I'm fine.. I swear." He said. He was lying through his teeth, and at the moment he wasn't even trying to hide that he was lying. He sighed. "I'm a mess. I know.." He said after a moment. He stopped playing. "I haven't eaten because I've been sick, drink because I'm sick. And now I'm to depressed to do anything." He said.

He looked at him. He took the tissue from him, and stuffed it into his pocket. "I won't.." He said. He looked down, his hair still showing a lot of his very skinny face. He played his guitar a little. "Sorry about that... and I know that i nearly drowned you, but I was the one that ended up with the broken leg...i still don't understand how I would beat you up, yet I was the one that was hurt more. Like the bathroom.." He said.

[Kavan Stone]

Hugo rolled his eyes "Of course I don't know who Kyle is. You've never really talked to me" He snapped, then his face suddendly turned sad "Ohmigod, Zach. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such a bitch. It's these pills I'm taking" He wailed. He felt horridly about snapping at Zach. He was dealing with sooo much, Hugo shouldn't be such a Bitch. Hugo frowned and looked down at the ground "I'm sorry" He added again. the poor child on the heromoans looked like he was about to cry from getting mad at Zach.

He gulped and laughed, weakly "I always had help in thoes fights, if you remember" He said, grinning, softly at Zach "I mean, Gabby and the monster" He laughed. Gaberial would murder him if he learned at Hugo just gave him the nickname 'gabby"

[Zachary Mark Flaherty]

Zach sighed. "Yeah.." he said. He looked down. "Yeah...Probably the closest thing to family I've ever had was him." He said, biting his lip. Why was he even telling Hugo all of this. Sydney didn't even know about Kyle. And now,...Hugo did. "What's the date today?" He asked. He knew that it was soon to when Kyle died, but he wasn't exactly sure what today was. "If its the seventh....then...its the day Kyle died.." He said. He bit his lip again. The rings in his lips pressed against his lips, making them turn white.

"Its fine." He said. He looked at him "it's fine." He said again. He looked at him. "Yeah. Now i have to tell Gabriel that Ember's gone. She loved him to bits." He said. Great. Gabriel was going to kill him. Zach made the baby sick, which killed her. So, it was all his fault. He hung his head down. He brushed the hair from his face, his face skinny and he sighed again.

[Audric Serge Rousseau]

Hugo sighed. He was bored. Pure and utterly simple. Not that hanging with Zach is borning, but this morese mood is annoying. He understood why Zach was upset, and he couldn't even being to feel what Zach is feeling. Nor, honsetly did he want too. He felt an urge to make Zach happy.

Zach needed sme cheering up. If there is one thing Hugo can do, it's cheer people up "Zach. You, Me and a beer" He said, "Let's gooo" He added, he didn't even ask if Zach /wanted/ to go or not "We need to take your mind off of all this heavy thinking" He rambled on "I'm all dressed up and want to gooo" He said. He figured that if he talked enough, Zach would give in.

[Zachary Mark Flaherty]

Zach looked at him. Beer? He smiled instantly. "Sure!" He said, a little to much happiness in his voice. Sure, his daughter just died, but he hadn't drank in a while, so it would be a nice change. And besides, its wasn't just him there. Hugo was there. Sydney would understand, or so he hoped she would.

Zach drunk was a very good Zach that a lot of people didn't see. The happy, go lucky one that was helpful and loud. Not his sober depressed, selfish, asshole he usually was. He smiled at him. "I haven't drank since...the few nights before Sydney and i..you know...made ember.." He said, his heart shattering at that thought of Ember. He sighed. He looked at him.

"Whenever you want to go.." He said sadly. He sighed again. He needed beer, and a lot of it.