At seventeen, my brother Brad had a stroke and woke up trapped in his body. The doctors diagnosed him with Locked-In Syndrome: a rare neurological disease that paralyzes all muscles except those that control eye movement. If you ask me, it’s a fate worse than death.

Before his stroke, Brad was everything I wanted to be: athletic, outgoing, and a hit with the ladies. I was the complete inverse. My classmates were shocked when they found out we were related.

Brad and I had a strained relationship. I was envious of what he had and he was ashamed of what I was — a social outcast with a pension for saying the wrong thing. I’d like to say we grew closer after his diagnosis, but we didn’t.

His well-being become my parents' obsession and eventually destroyed their marriage. Our family was in tatters and I didn’t hide my resentment. Brad knew it, and his hatred for me grew.

Sometimes I’d be tasked with changing his clothes, and if my mom was too tired, his diaper as well. The stares he gave me made my blood run cold. His eyes were pits of darkness. I knew he wanted me dead without a word passing from his lips.

It didn’t help that my life changed for the better as his went the other way. I started to lift weights and grew into my lanky frame. Girls started to notice me and I made friends with the popular kids. I became the “new Brad”, even hanging out with some of his old buddies. Brad seethed with jealous rage. I could feel it bursting from his every pore. I’m sure he felt like I stole his life, and in a way, I did. The truth was that Brad getting sick was the best thing that ever happened to me.

That all changed on one fateful night. I had stumbled home late from a party at Brads ex-girlfriends house — who I was hooking up with. I was tipsy and beaming with joy. As I passed by Brad's room, I stopped dead in my tracks. Hush whispers floated into the hallway.

“I can give you it all back. Everything you lost can be reclaimed. But nothing in life is free. Are you willing to pay the price?”

“Y….e….s….”

“What a pleasure to hear. Such a smart boy. Let me give you a taste of what’s to come. This one’s on the house.”

I stood frozen in the hallway. What was I hearing? I cupped my ear to the door and listened intently.

Joyful sobs echoed from his room. “I don’t care what the price is. I’ll do anything. This is worth it”

I took a step back and covered my mouth to repress a shocked squeal. That was Brad's voice. There was no mistaking it. Its deep timbre and gruff edges were unmistakable.

“I thought you’d feel that way. God has taken so much from you and I’m here to give it back. All I ask is a soul for a soul. Blood for blood.”

“Gladly. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for years.”

Footsteps crept across the bedroom floor. The way they bounced against the hardwood sounded like clogs. A rush of cold air passed over me. The lights in the house flickered. Shadows twisted and reveled in the darkness.

“It is done. You have half an hour. If a soul has not been claimed by then, your body becomes a prison once again.”

“Not a problem. You’ll have your soul. Blood will be spilled, and I’ll be the one to do it.”

My heart started racing and my muscles tensed. I snuck into my room, turning the lock. Holding my breath, I slid under my bed and gripped a pocket knife I kept in my bedside drawer.

Brad was a mountain of a man. If he gunning for me, I stood no chance against him. My best bet was to hide and pray to whoever would listen. The man was an animal; The junkyard dog was off the leash and I was red meat.

Footsteps raced down the hall and lurched to a stop in front of my room. “Hey bro! You’re not gonna believe this — I’m cured. It’s a miracle! Let me in. I want to show you the new me.”

I didn’t budge. My lips quivered with fear. I embraced the darkness as a shield of protection.

“Didn’t you hear me. I’m all better! Come on and let me in. I want to have a brother-to-brother chat. We’re long overdue.” His tone was sickly sweet.

I remained quiet. My fingers wrapped fiercely around the handle of the pocket knife. Stuffed into a pile of foul-smelling clothes, I waited in anticipation.

Brad began to knock, calling for me. The knocking grew progressively more intense. Soon, it turned into fists slamming against the door. I could hear the wood splintering as his rage spilled into open view.

“Open the fucking door!” He repeated over and over again.

BOOM. The frame splintered. Seconds later, it burst open. A faint light from the hallway spilled in, mostly blocked by Brad's massive frame.

“Here’s Braddy!” He laughed sinisterly at his joke. “Come out, come out wherever you are.”

“Twenty minutes left Brad.” A voice echoed from somewhere unseen.

“I know you’re in here. Why are you hiding me you fucking little bitch! Aren’t you happy that I’m all better?” The rage simmering below the surface boiled over. Brad turned over my desk and screamed with primal fury.

I lay motionless. If Brad found me there was little I could do. He began to tear through my closet, throwing clothes across the floors.

“Found you!” Brad's head popped underneath the bed. His face was twisted in a wicked smile. “We need to have a talk bro.”

His burly arm grabbed my collar. As he pulled me into the open, I plunged the knife into his hand. Brad wailed in pain. His face turned bright red, practically foaming at the mouth.

I rolled over to my side and shot to my feet. Before I could make it a foot, Brad kicked my legs out from underneath me. Falling to the floor, I grabbed for anything to catch myself. My fingers landed on the knife. It fell with me, leaving behind a gaping hole in Brad's hand. He didn’t even flinch.

“I’ve wanted to say something to you for years. You looked down on me ever since my life went to shit. You loved finally being better than me. That all changes tonight.” Brad towered over me. His smirk said it all.

I coughed up blood as Brad kicked me repeatedly in the ribs. Stars filled my vision.

“Please….Im sorry….don’t do this…” I gurgled through a mouthful of blood.

“Sorry? No, you’re not sorry — you’re begging.” Brad picked up a weight I’d propped against the wall. “Lifting weight now, huh? That’s my thing, bro.”

Brad lifted the weight high over his head. He stood there silently, relishing the moment.

“Ten minutes left.” A velvety voice whispered from the shadows.

“I only need one,” Brad replied smugly.

Howling with laughter, Brad swung the weight towards my temple. Almost simultaneously I flailed my legs and connected with his shin. His momentum sent him hurdling forward. The weight missed my head by inches and Brad crashed on to me.

A torrent of blood stained my shirt. Brad had fallen directly on the pocket knife, piercing his chest; a happy accident. He gasped for air, lungs filling with fluid. Within a minute he stopped breathing. The twisted look of hatred never left his face. Even in death, his eyes were trained on me with laser-like focus.

A faceless entity stepped out of the darkness. Its cloven feet clicked against the hardwood, black wings caressing the ceiling. Long, spindly fingers interlocked, tapping against each other.

“You bastard; you goddamn bastard. A soul for a soul?” I yelled

“No need for such harsh words child. You took the same deal all those years ago. Isn’t it only fair your brother would get the same opportunity?” Its words dripped with sadism.

“You said I could have his life! I paid your price. You told me this was forever.”

“Oh, but it is — but that only extends to Brad's life. You see I didn’t offer him his life back; I offered him yours. He didn’t take me up on it though. Another life was just taken. What happened here was pure revenge.”

The entity pointed a skeletal finger down the hall. Heart racing, I made my way to my mother’s room. I pushed open the door and screamed.

My mom was dead. A frothy substance pooled around her mouth. An overturned cup of tea lay next to her. Her eyes were blood red, limbs splayed in a tortured position. She’d died in horrible agony, that much was clear.

“The deal has been accepted. Two brothers damned to the same fate. I’ll make my leave now. See you soon; sooner than you think.

“Hey bro. Have you seen mom?” A cold hand clutched my shoulder.