Old Wounds

by Ren Hamilton

  “Forgive me, Zirub.” Allisto reached his arms toward Shep. “I’ve been confused. The void put strange thoughts in my mind. It...” He coughed out a sob. “It tortures me still.”

  “I forgive you.” Shep took a step closer, then paused when headlights descended from the steep road up to his left. Palumbo’s Jeep barreled onto the street and screeched to a halt on the other side of them. Palumbo, Margol, and Klee hopped out, but stayed where they were. “Mr. Shepherd, I must advise you to step back a few feet,” Palumbo said, pulling his gun.

  Allisto looked over his shoulder, then raised his hands to Shep again. “They want to kill me. Please. Help me, brother. I’m sorry for what I did. It wasn’t me!”

  Shep was vaguely aware of another engine approaching, coming down the hill through the trees on his right, headlights blanching him. But his only thought was that he needed to put his body close to Allisto, so they wouldn’t shoot him.

  “Don’t shoot,” Shep shouted to Palumbo, raising his arms. “Everyone hang on a minute, we’re just talking here.”

  “Shep!” Palumbo said. “Stop moving. Go no further.”

  “Allisto!” Margol called out.

  Allisto’s head twisted to Margol, then jerked the other way when he saw Juris get out of Litner’s vehicle. “You all look so healthy, my brothers,” he called out, then snickered. “So spry. Practically human now, aren’t you?”

  “Allisto, we love you,” Shep said as he slowly approached. “I want to make you well again. Please.”

  “I love you too,” Allisto wept, his expression changing in a flash. “I’m so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, Zirub.” His grimace transformed into a smile. “Never before now, at least.”

  Shep never saw it coming until the cuff of his jeans burst into flames, traveling up to his knee. He quickly slapped the fire out with his hands, growling as the flesh of his calf stung with a burning singe. Once he was sure the flames were out, his eyes lifted to his brother. “Don’t do that again, Allisto.”

  “That’s what you get!” Allisto cackled. “You say you love me? Liar liar pants on fire!”

  “You need to listen to me.” Shep took two steps.

  “Shepherd, stop!” he heard Litner shout. “No closer.”

  Eyes still on his brother, he held a hand up in the direction of the voice. “No one is to interfere,” Shep shouted.

  “He just set you on fire, man,” Palumbo said.

  Shep shook his head. “No interfering. No matter what.” Taking a step closer, he paused, still leaving a reasonable distance between him and Allisto. “I didn’t know what happened to you, Allisto. I’m so sorry. How can you think we don’t care? That we just left you behind?”

  “Don’t be sad for me, Zirub. I’m happy about your new life. So happy. You deserve your city by the lake. I understand why you forgot me.” He flinched, gripping his ribs. “And why you broke my fucking ribs and shot my fucking wings off!”

  “I’m sorry for that, but we needed you to slow down so we could talk. What city by the lake? Do you mean in Vermont?”

  “I don’t know what it is called! The place where you went to celebrate being rid of me and have such fun.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” Shep shouted. “We’ve been devastated, all of us without you!”

  Allisto’s grimace turned to a grin, and he straightened his back, eyes blazing gold. “Come closer. I want to hug you. Come cuddle your brother.” He snickered. “You selfish fucking pig.”

  “Try to think straight, Allisto. We didn’t know you were in the void. You know we love you.”

  “He’s right,” Juris called out. “We all love you, brother. Please, listen to Shep. Come back to Vermont with us. We’ll make you well, no matter how long it takes.”

  Allisto glanced at Juris, and a loose tree branch catapulted across the road and smashed into him. Juris was thrown onto his back. “Juris!” Shep screamed.

  “I’m okay,” Juris called back, but he didn’t sound okay. He climbed to his feet and tossed the branch off him, then wiped blood from his mouth. “Allisto. Did you do that?”

  “Sorry, Juris!” Allisto said. “You talk too much. I wanted shut your mouth.”

  Juris spit blood onto the ground. “You could have just asked.”

  “But then I would not get to make you bleed,” Allisto said, then cackled, stumbling in a circle in the middle of the road. “Going to make you all bleed tonight, yes.”

  “Don’t fucking hurt anybody else, Allisto,” Shep said.

  “Why not?” Allisto turned to face Shep. “You hurt me! When you abandoned me and moved to your new city and dined and fornicated and celebrated my death. Where you drank and laughed, happy that I was gone!”

  “What is he talking about?” Margol said. “Allisto, someone’s been lying to you! We’ve been in hiding. We’ve been working, not celebrating.”

  “Allisto,” Shep said softly. “None of what you’re saying is true.”

  “It’s true,” Allisto hissed. “It’s all true. You laughed while I suffered. I was too much trouble for you because I would not adapt to this disgusting place, so you celebrated my passing. The messengers told me.”

  “Messengers?” Klee shouted. “Messengers lie, Allisto! You know this! They are troublemakers!”

  “No,” Allisto said. “They told me the truth. You all sat and feasted and clinked glasses and said, ‘Now we are four!’ and were happy about it.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” Shep shouted. “Allisto, it’s us! You know us!”

  Allisto stumbled, hands slapping the sides of his head. He moaned, “No, no, not again. Go away. Stop this.”

  “What’s wrong?” Shep started toward him.

  “Shepherd wait!” Juris said.

  Moaning, Allisto fell to his knees. “Get out of me!” He sobbed. “Get out!” He gagged, then coughed. “Oh no. Not again.” He spat on the ground.

  “He’s sick, Juris,” Shep said. “I just want to help him.”

  “He’s going to hurt you,” Juris said, touching his bleeding lip with his fingers. “He’s not sick. He’s faking.”

  Gagging again, Allisto moaned, back jerking with dry heaves.

  “I think he’s really sick,” Shep said.

  “I am sick.” Allisto’s head lifted and he bared teeth at Shep, eyes glinting yellow. “It’s the void. It keeps coming back. Its darkness is inside me now, poisoning me. I can never…escape it.”

  “That’s not true,” Shep said. “That’s not how the void works. It’s in your mind. I can help.”

  “You abandoned me there!”

  Shep took a step back at the timbre of Allisto’s voice, rattling like a threatened tiger. “Damnit Allisto I would never abandon you! I love you.”

  “You never loved any of us.” Allisto got to his feet again, stumbling before catching himself. He pointed at Shep. “You dragged us here with lies. You were never planning on us getting back home.” He turned and glanced around at the other brothers. “He is never going to take you home!”

  “Allisto!” Klee sobbed. “Please.”

  “Shut up!” Allisto barked. “Shut up, Klee, sniveling dog. Your days of weeping and bowing and licking Zirub’s feet are over. And you.” He turned back to Shep and his inhuman screech echoed into the night as he dove at him.

  Shep thrust out a blast of energy to defend himself and Allisto smashed into it, tumbling back. He screamed as his broken wings scraped along the road, and Shep winced. “I’m sorry, Allisto, but please stop fighting me!” Out of the corner of his eye, Shep saw Litner raising a weapon. “Don’t!” Shep shouted. “Unless I call for you, do not interfere!”

  Allisto was climbing to his feet, a deep growl starting in his throat. He glared at Shep with eyes like flames. “I want to see you die,” he hissed, and Shep’s feet went out from under him as a forced knocked him backwards. As soon as he landed, Allisto threw another blast, and Shep rolled violently across the road, slamming into a tree on the wood’s edge.

&n
bsp; “Shepherd,” Litner called out.

  “Stay back!” Shep shouted, grunting in pain. “No shooting.”

  Allisto stumbled toward Shep, dragging one leg, wincing as he held his ribs. “Die already!”

  Brushing a branch off himself, Shep got to his feet. “You’re not going to kill me, Allisto.”

  “I’m gonna take your fucking head off,” Allisto said, his voice so distorted he didn’t sound anything close to human, and he flung another wave of energy. Shep saw it coming and countered with a blast of his own. Their energy met somewhere in the middle, deflecting them, and they both went hurling back.

  Leaves blew violently off the trees, swirling in the air. Shep rolled, stood, and ran toward Allisto, who was still on his back. With a guttural cry, Shep threw himself onto his brother. “Stop fighting and listen to me!”

  Allisto tried to push him off, but Shep clung on and they rolled across the road. With a snarling shriek, Allisto bit into Shep’s face. Shep screamed and tried to pull back, but Allisto tightened his jaw, ripping the flesh. Getting his thumb inside his brother’s mouth, Shep dragged and tugged at Allisto’s face, stretching the skin, until finally the biting stopped. He felt hot blood flowing down his cheek, but there wasn’t much pain. He knew it would come later, but for now his adrenaline was coursing, and he was numb.

  He punched Allisto in the mouth as hard as he could. Allisto’s head jerked back, but came down and butted Shep in the forehead, making him see stars.

  Then Shep was on his back, Allisto on top of him, face twisted in a sneer. “You want to fight like a human? I can do that.” He slammed his fist down three times, beating Shep’s face. “That’s it,” he said, hitting him again, his fist coming away red. “Bleed, Zirub! Bleed.”

  “Shep!” Palumbo shouted. “Let me take the shot.”

  Gurgling through the blood in his mouth, Shep roared. “No!” Then he got an arm between Allisto’s legs, gripped behind his knee and rolled backwards, flipping him down on the pavement. Hooking Allisto around the neck, he dragged him to his feet.

  Shep blinked blood out of his eyes, his face throbbing. Allisto twisted in Shep’s arms and tried to break free, but Shep held him tight, jerking him back and forth. “Stop fighting me!” Shep screamed. “Stop! We all love you! Just stop!”

  “Never,” Allisto said. “Never.”

  “You have to,” Shep said, his voice pleading. “You have to, or you leave me no choice.”

  “You think you can kill me, brother?” Allisto twisted and broke Shep’s hold. He snatched a handful of Shep’s curls and ripped the hair from his head, then punched him hard in the chest. Shep doubled over, and Allisto kicked him in the head. He went down onto his ass.

  Diving on him, Allisto got his hands around Shep’s throat, squeezing. Real panic rose when Shep felt the strength in Allisto’s grip, crushing his neck. “This is where your flesh ends, Zirub.” He leaned in close, lips to Shep’s ear, and whispered, “As soon as the breath leaves you, I’m going to kill those lawmen, then I’m going to kill Juris. Then Margol. Then Klee. But first I’m going to torture them. Remove their limbs and leave them bleeding in the road before I set them on fire.”

  Shep tried to pry Allisto’s fingers from his neck. He couldn’t breathe and his head drummed with blinding pain. He heard the footfalls of the others, and knew the brothers were coming, to put themselves in danger for him. And Allisto would kill them. Using all the strength he had left, Shep grabbed Allisto’s hair, then kneed him hard in the groin.

  The fingers released and he gasped for air, but held onto his brother’s black curls, dragging them both to their feet. As Allisto threw a punch to his abdomen, Shep stopped his hand, then twisted his arm brutally, shifting it behind his back. Howling, Allisto tried to wriggle from his grip, and almost managed to free himself until Shep threw a solid punch into one of the broken wing stumps.

  A shrieking roar pierced the night as Allisto’s back arched. Shep hooked one of Allisto’s legs and lifted. He summoned everything he had, letting his unnatural strength fire hot and free and blow through his limbs. I’ve lost this brother, he thought. I can’t lose the others.

  Using his extraordinary speed, he dragged Allisto’s body into a spin. His thigh muscles ached but he kept on spinning, the momentum taking hold as the trees and bodies around him became a blur.

  Then he launched his brother skyward. Blinking and wiping the blood from his eyes, he gazed up as Allisto’s form got smaller, paused, then began to drop again. “Wesley,” he choked out. “Do it.”

  As Allisto plummeted from the sky, a fierce cry rang out, but it was human this time—a desperate and anguished scream from directly behind Shep. He felt Wesley’s essence, the power of his former Sword in a gust of heat that made him stumble. Then Allisto’s body shattered above them.

  A glob of something wet and warm splashed onto Shep’s head. Another hit his face. He swatted at it, stepping back, as the dark road splashed with blood and bits of flesh.

  He watched it rain down, making wet, slapping sounds. A quick glance around, and he released a heavy sigh of relief at the sight of Juris, Margol, and Klee, alive and unharmed.

  Destroy the apple; save the vase, Shep thought, his mind ready to shatter like Allisto’s body.

  His brothers shuffled closer to Shep, all of them staring at the blood puddles forming, their hair dotted with it. Litner was looking directly at Shep, his mouth hanging open. “Shep, your face. That bite. It’s really bad.”

  “I’ll heal,” he rasped, and began to shiver.

  “Shep,” Wesley cried. “I’m sorry.”

  Klee dropped to his knees on the road, scraping up the bits of flesh, gathering them. “Klee, what are you doing?” Shep croaked out, his voice hurting his throat. “Come here.” His mind cleared as concern for his baby brother muscled in. “Klee, stop that.”

  “Klee, come on, get up,” Margol said. “Please,” he sobbed. “Stop doing that.”

  Klee picked up a glob of flesh off the road, cupping it in his hands. “Help me,” he said to them, scraping more bloody scraps up. “Come on, we have to pick him up!”

  Shep took a wincing step, then dropped to his knees. “Klee,” he sighed. “Stop.”

  “Help me, damn it!” Klee said, fingers frantically clawing at the road. “Allisto is hurt. We have to pick him up.”

  “Hey.” Shep yanked him roughly up by the shirt. “Hey, look at me.”

  Klee’s awareness seemed to return slightly as he looked into Shep’s eyes, his fair skin dotted with blood droplets. His big eyes blinked rapidly as he held the bloody scraps tight against his chest. “Have to pick him up.”

  Shep slapped him across the face, and Klee flinched, dropping the globs of flesh he held. “Klee look at me.”

  He blinked. “But we have to...Zirub...” he sobbed out. “Zirub?”

  Shep nodded. “I’m here. You’re okay.”

  Klee’s face grimaced, his breath hitching as he looked around.

  “It’s over, Klee,” Shep said softly. “It’s over.”

  “No.” Klee’s body curled up as grief took him. “Allisto is gone again.”

  Klee collapsed against Shep’s chest and Shep caught him. As he pulled his brother into a strong embrace, bloody fingers caressing his blond curls, Shep surrendered to his own grief. Allisto was gone. Again. He wept into Klee’s soft hair, then looked up at his remaining brothers, their eyes raw with pain. He let out a sob and reached for them, and they moved in, encircling him on the road.

  They fell to their knees and wept with him, clinging to each other, as their brother’s blood rained delicately upon their heads.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Unable to resist the strange pull any longer, Wesley approached Joey’s bedroom door and knocked.

  Joey’s hoarse voice called out, “Come in.”

  Wesley opened the door and stepped into the room. Joey sat on the floor beside his bed in gray jogging pants and a black tee shirt. He removed his earbuds, s
et his phone down, and looked up at Wesley. His blue eyes were visible again, but the whites were splotched with red, and the bruises around them remained. Ghosts of scars slashed down his cheeks.

  Wesley sat cross-legged in front of him, leaving four feet of space between them. They stared at each other. Eyes locked, energy swept between them, but it was no longer violent and conflicted. It was strangely soft and unified. Wesley said nothing. He didn’t know if it was only him who’d felt the pull, and was wary to anger Joey, knowing how strongly he felt about him, and considering his weakened state.

  Joey blinked his black lashes, only barely visible within his swollen lids. “I feel you,” he said, his voice still gravelly from being choked.

  Wesley nodded. “I feel you, too.”

  Joey rubbed his hands roughly over his eyes, and Wesley wanted to admonish him not to injure himself. But he stretched his back, groaning in pleasure, then lowered his hands to his lap and blinked at Wesley. “Is this because we drank each other’s blood? I guess I should ask Shep, not you.”

  Wesley shrugged. “That’s my assumption. But ask him. This is all new to me. I only know I feel connected to you in a way I can’t describe.”

  Joey leaned forward, arms on his knees. “I can’t read your exact thoughts, it’s more like...impressions. But they’re so clear.”

  Wesley nodded. “Same for me.”

  Joey sighed and rested his back against the wall, puffy eyes blinking. “You’re not what I thought you were.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t want to be the Sword. You really do want to be away from Shep.”

  “That’s very true. In fact, I can’t wait to get home. Put this behind me.”

  Joey cocked his head. “Why?”

  “Why do I want to go home?”

  “Why don’t you want to be with Shep?” He shrugged his shoulders, then winced, as though the action hurt. “Being at his side is all I want. I don’t get it.”