“Is that your only weapon?” he asked casually, as if everything were normal and fine and…. freaking normal.
“What are you doing here Kane?” I hissed. I was so pissed I was out of bullets! Why couldn’t I have just one more? Just one more so I could put a bullet through his head?
I wondered if I really had one though if I would be capable of actually killing my brother.
My internal answer scared me a little bit.
“Trying not to die,” he said dryly. “We should get somewhere safe. Neither of us have a weapon and I’m injured.”
“You’re injured?” I asked before I could stop myself.
He grunted something unintelligible and then swayed again. I couldn’t tell if he was manipulating me or not. Was he really injured? And if so how severely?
Was he bleeding?
And then the most important thought was that if he was bleeding he was going to draw every Feeder around directly to this spot. I either had to kill him, drag his body away from the gift shop and somehow return without dying myself. Or I would have to take him with me. If I was going to leave him alive, I needed to stop the blood.
Who was I kidding? Like I could actually overpower Kane anyway.
“Are you bleeding?” I asked, desperate for him to say no. Please be a broken bone. Please be a broken bone. Please be a broken bone.
“Yes,” he groaned. He stuck out his leg and I could see his jeans torn from hip to knee cap, soaked with seemingly black blood. And that wasn’t the only place- his arm too was hanging at an awkward level and from the sleeve of his shirt blood dripped down his hand onto the ground below.
“Lord, what happened to you?” I gasped. Now that I looked closer his face was cut up and his neck had a huge gash in it. He swayed again and this time I could tell his wasn’t faking. He was about to pass out.
“I accidentally drove my motorcycle into a wall,” he tried to shrug, but the effort pushed him off balance and he stumbled.
I reached out an arm to steady him without even thinking it through. I hated him even more for this. I hated that he was here, that he had somehow found me. I hated that he was wounded and put me in a position to have sympathy for him. And I really, really hated that he was going to ruin my perfect bubble of something that felt almost like happiness with his dark cloud of evil. I would have to take him back with me.
He was forcing me to save him. And all because I wasn’t cruel enough to let him bleed out in the alley.
Besides I wouldn’t risk the feeding frenzy that came along with fresh flesh. I wouldn’t put the Parkers in danger because of him.
Although it didn’t escape my mind that I was putting them in danger by including Kane in their intimate circle.
And that’s when I knew I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t jeopardize any of them by bringing Kane into their midst. He was poison; pure, deadly venom and a direct link to my father.
“I’m going to leave you here,” I warned as I propped him against the building. “I’m not taking you with me.” I couldn’t- wouldn’t do this to Reagan or the Parkers. I cared about them too much.
Obviously more than my own family.
We would just leave tonight. We could handle this. And Kane would probably find a way to survive anyway. He was a fighter. Or a cockroach. One of the two.
“You’re going to what?” He sounded so incredulous, even while I could tell unconsciousness was pulling him under. “You can’t. Ty, Tyler, please.” He was panting now, his breaths uneven and rasping.
“Sorry, big brother,” I murmured, while pushing him easily against the wall. “I’m sure you’ll be fine, I just can’t…. You shouldn’t have followed me.”
“Tyler, you can’t leave me here. I’m family. I need you,” he growled hoarsely.
My heart hurt as he slid helplessly to the ground. Tears pricked at my eyes and I felt my resolve weaken. How could I really just leave him out here? Was I really this cruel?
And I knew this would change me. This was murder whether I wanted to acknowledge it or not. No matter what he had done to me, or how evil our father was, could I really do this?
“Ty, please,” he begged.
“Goddammit, Kane,” I winced. Because no matter what he did to me, I was not him. I wasn’t calloused or cold hearted. I wouldn’t end his life just to make my life easier, just to banish the soul-rot he brought with him. These emotions that I currently hated were what separated me from him.
His eyes- that had closed involuntarily- flickered open and in their black depths I saw true gratitude. “I’m so happy I found you.” His voice was a struggled whisper and for a moment he reminded me of the big brother I grew up with, the one that would take me fishing and threaten any boy that was mean to me.
But then his eyes closed and he slumped over unconscious. Well, hell, my plan to leave him behind might just pan out. How was I supposed to get him back to the gift shop now?
I squatted down in front of him and shoved my arms under his armpits. I lifted with my knees, grunted, pulled, tugged, did anything I could to lift him off the ground, but he was huge compared to my tiny frame. And I had no muscle to speak of.
I was sweating, and panting. And I just knew Feeders were going to show up from everywhere with the scent of his fresh blood in the air.
I changed positions and tried dragging him from the alley by his huge feet. But I got nowhere except I wasn’t quick enough to catch his head before it slammed against the gravelly pavement.
“Oops,” I muttered, but honestly what was one little concussion in the wake of all his other extensive injuries. Now that he was prone on the ground I could see that his side was cut open too. He must have drove his motorcycle over a cliff to rack up this many injuries. I wondered if I somehow managed to get him back to the gift shop if there would be any way to save him after so much loss of blood. And it wasn’t exactly like we had a medic waiting to tend to him.
What was he doing here?
Footsteps running drew my attention and I panicked immediately. Holy hell! I pulled harder, but could only manage to move him a few inches. He was so stinking heavy!
My ears rushed with sound, panic infused my blood. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t breathe. I had detachedly thought about death ever since Logan died as a sweet relief from this harsh life, but now that it was here, now that I was seconds away from facing it, I was too afraid to give into it.
I did want to live.
I did want to fight this.
I started to cry and shake, but still I tried to drag Kane to safety.
“Tyler?” Vaughan’s voice cut through my terror dazed mind and I looked up at him, blinking. “Tyler what are you doing?”
“I don’t know how he found me,” I sobbed- not making any sense.
Vaughan looked down at the body in the alley and then back at me. He had a gun raised and glanced around the alley before walking the remaining few feet to me. “Is he alive?”
“Yes,” I ground out bitterly. “And he’s injured.”
Vaughan chuckled a little at my scathing tone and put a hand on my shoulder. “Do we have to save him?”
I started crying harder, unable to contain the myriad of emotions pumping through me. “I don’t want to.”
Vaughan let out a long, frustrated breath and looked around again. Hendrix and Reagan appeared at the end of the alley and sprinted for us.
“What is it?” Hendrix demanded.
“Kane,” Vaughan answered immediately. “And before you get your hopes up, he’s not dead.”
“Is he infected?” Reagan asked carefully.
Vaughan looked to me, well, everyone looked to me and I wiped away some tears before shaking my head. “Not bit- just bloody. He said he crashed his motorcycle.”
There was silence as Hendrix and Vaughan sized each other up, having one of their silent conversations.
“No,” Reagan hissed, looking between the two brothers. “Nope, no, no way. Stop thinking it. Stop thinking it right now. We are not saving him.?
?? She shot me an impatient glance and then offered a sincere, “Sorry, Tyler. But no way. I’m not bringing him with us. Hell, no!”
“Reagan,” Hendrix chided patiently. “We can’t leave him here.”
“Yes we can!” She argued. “It’s not hard at all. We just walk away! He’s not even conscious. He won’t even know what happened!”
“Reagan.” Vaughan sounded shocked by her attitude. And I had to say I was a little surprised too. I expected this from me, but not from her.
She screamed out her frustration and stomped away. “I’m going back to help load the van. You two do whatever you need to so you can save the day. But just so everyone knows I am not on board with this.”
“Noted,” Hendrix called after her with a smirk on his mouth. He turned back to Vaughan and me, “She’s so feisty.”
“Spare us,” Vaughan growled. “You take the head, I’ll take the feet.”
“Maybe Reagan’s right,” I suggested- knowing this would end badly for us.
Vaughan met my gaze and showed me the steely, authoritative side of his personality. This was the leader. This was the man that could protect his family and get them through every day alive.
“Tyler, we’re not leaving a human being at the mercy of a city full of Feeders. No matter what kind of person he is, we have a responsibility to him as human beings.” Vaughan took a step closer to me and dropped his voice. “He’s not going to hurt you, Tyler. I won’t let him. We will control him. Keep him away from any weapons. And heal him. As soon as he’s better we’ll drop him off at the nearest settlement we find and be on our way. Trust me, I’m as anxious to be rid of him as you are.”
“I trust you, Vaughan,” I confessed and at that moment I realized that I actually did trust him. “I just don’t trust him.”
“You shouldn’t, Tyler. But he’s your brother. It might not hit you today, or even tomorrow, but if you let him die, if you’re responsible for what happens to him, one day it will come crashing down on you and crush you. And I will not let that happen to you.”
I nodded, because I couldn’t do or say anything else. Vaughan was speaking from experience. I knew that- I could see that. But I couldn’t reconcile the man standing in front of me with a man that would allow some of his family to die. It was a puzzle that didn’t fit together no matter how I turned the pieces.
But I would have to think about that later because Hendrix and Vaughan were lifting Kane and carrying him out of the alley.
“Did you take out those Feeders?” Vaughan asked when we drew close to the street again.
“I did,” I answered proudly.
“Good,” he grunted. “Then take the gun out of my back pocket and give us some cover. We cleared most of the area, but there is a lot of blood here.”
I obeyed, reaching forward and pulling the gun from his back pocket. It was small and light and I knew it was just one of the many weapons strapped to his personal arsenal. I checked the safety and pointed it away from the boys.
There wasn’t anything in between us and the gift shop where the van was out front. The rest of our party was busy moving in and out of the store, loading it as fast as they could. Reagan and Haley were keeping guard while the boys took over the packing.
“How lo ng do you think Reagan’s going to stay pissed at you?” Vaughan asked Hendrix in a low, amused voice.
“At us, dude. This was your decision.”
“Yeah, but I’m not her boyfriend,” Vaughan chuckled. “She’ll get over her anger towards me because she can punish you for as long as she wants.” Even I could hear the victory in Vaughan’s voice, but I didn’t think it was out of jealousy or hope. He was just happy to watch his younger brother suffer.
“Son of a bitch,” Hendrix growled when he realized Vaughan was right. He seemed to think about it for a while and then announced, “We’ll let him get better, wait till he makes his move, then I’ll shoot him- dead this time- and I’ll be her hero once again.” It was Hendrix’s turn to sound smug.
Vaughan snorted, clearly not believing it would be that simple.
I didn’t believe it either.
“Why are we bothering to save him if you’re just going to kill him later?” I asked as we neared the van.
“It’s one thing to kill him if he’s actively threatening us,” Hendrix explained. “Or threatening my girl. It’s another thing entirely if he’s unconscious and wounded. We’re bound by honor.”
Vaughan snorted again.
“Y’all are regular knights in shining armor,” I drawled.
Hendrix’s head snapped up and he looked me dead in the eyes. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “Would you mind passing that along to Reagan? I think she needs a little reminding.”
Thankfully, I was saved from having to respond to that because we approached the van. Reagan immediately turned away from us and stomped around the vehicle. Hendrix watched her with a furrowed brow, as if he really couldn’t believe she was mad at him.
Poor arrogant bastard.
Haley approached us carefully. She seemed to take in Kane with an intelligent but wary eye. Her gaze drifted over his injuries and then up to her his face where she lingered, memorizing his features with a confused frown.
“Put him in the back,” she finally instructed. “I laid some towels down. And some paper. And some more towels.”
The boys obeyed, albeit awkwardly. I was mildly thankful Kane was out. The trip to the back of the van would have been terribly painful had he been awake to experience it all.
“We’re leaving?” I asked obtusely when Haley and I were left alone.
“Yep,” she said simply. Uncomfortable silence passed between us in which she continued to stare at me but said nothing. Finally, she asked the question that Vaughan had somehow missed asking me. It was the one I had been expecting the moment Kane showed up. “Did you bring him here, Tyler?”
Her tone was cutting and cold and I felt a rip in our new, fragile friendship. I wanted to burst into tears because of it. Which was so silly. I was planning to leave these people anyway, so what did I care what they thought of me?
I shook my head, desperately trying to stay the tears that filled my eyes. “No, Haley. I swear I didn’t.”
She didn’t say anything, just nodded her head and walked away. I didn’t know if that meant she believed me or not, but I was too exhausted at the moment to find out. I reassured myself by knowing she would believe whatever she wanted to anyway, and I had been telling her the truth. My actions would speak for themselves.
Miller sidled up beside me and stared despondently into the van, “Is it him? Is it really Kane?”
I sniffled a yes, and put my arm around his shoulders.
“How did he find us?” Miller sounded absolutely despairing and the tears I had been holding back finally started to fall again.
“I don’t know, Mill.”
“Is he going to hurt us?” Miller asked sounding more like a little boy than I could ever remember.
“No, he’s not.” And then to emphasize my point, I said, ‘He might not even make it. He’s hurt really, really bad.”
“Good,” Miller mumbled and my heart clenched inside my chest. “Is he going to make us go back?”
“No,” I assured him and this time I felt the conviction all the way down to my toes. “Nobody can make us go back. Not ever, Miller. We will never go back there.”
Miller was silent for a long time while everyone else moved in a rush around us. We just stood there watching, frozen by our joint nightmare come to life.
Finally, when it was time to get in the van, Miller looked up at me so I turned to look down at him. Unshed tears shined in his eyes and with the mature tone of a man triple his age he said, “I love you, Tyler.”
“I love you too, Mill.”
He let go of me and climbed into the back of the van. He sat in the seat right in front of Kane and looked down at him with a hardened curiosity that had my chest hurting again. I heard Hendrix sug
gest that he sit up a few rows by Page, but Miller replied that it was his responsibility to watch Kane.
“I should strangle you!” Harrison growled at me while everyone else took their seats.
I jumped, shocked by his tone, his outrage and him in general- I had been lost in my painful thoughts.
“What?”
“I should strangle you! Do you know what I went through after you left? You lied to me! You coerced me into trusting you and then you just walked out of there like you didn’t have a care in the world! I went out of my mind wondering what happened to you and I couldn’t even go after you because you just disappeared!”
I sputtered trying to come up with an excuse but he was right. And we both knew it.
Plus there was the little fact that if I wouldn’t have wandered out into the night we might not ever have found Kane and we wouldn’t be in this stupid situation to begin with! But then Kane would be dead. And I didn’t know how to feel about that, or reconcile the guilt and heartache those thoughts brought.
“You’re so lucky that Vaughan showed up when he did! You could be dead right now!” Harrison was shaking with anger, and I guessed something like frustrated affection.
It was kind of flattering to know he cared enough about me to get this worked up. At the same time I realized how awful I had been to just leave him behind. I couldn’t imagine the kind of panic I would experience if the tables were reversed. At least I knew he could handle a weapon and take care of himself.
He didn’t have that kind of confidence in me- for good reason.
I acted on impulse and threw my body into his, wrapping my arms around his waist. “You’re right,” I mumbled into his chest. “I’m so sorry.”
He hesitantly returned the hug, awkwardly wrapping his arms around me. We stayed like that for a few moments but his body never relaxed. In fact, I got the impression he was trying to flex all his muscles.
He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. “Oh, um… Uh, I didn’t mean to yell at you like that.” He cleared his throat again. “I was just worried. Like, really worried. But I’m glad you’re alright.”
I laughed before I could stop myself. Boys were so easy.