First Down

by Paula Mabbel

  “How did you get them?”

  “David, the leader of the group is a hostile man, but he isn’t so smart,” Toby said as he grinned and gave a casual hero’s shrug.

  Jenson made a mental note to thank Toby later, but he was too preoccupied with thoughts of his brother to do it in the moment. He walked up to the door and gave it a gentle push. It glided open. Jenson could feel his eyes blinking back hot, salty tears as he took in and saw the stranger that was wearing his brother’s eyes. “I’m so sorry it took me this long,” Jenson said weakly. He walked over to his brother without hesitation.

  “You need to be careful, Jenson, I’m not sure how much of him is left,” Toby warned as he edged into the room.

  “He’s my brother,” Jenson roared, as he started to pull at the heavy cuffs that had cut into his brother’s arms and legs. “It’s going to be okay. I’m going to get you out of here,” he said quietly as he worked on freeing him.

  He didn’t notice the crazed look in his brother’s eyes at first. He was too lost in the reunion. He was too lost in his mind’s image of what it would be like to have his brother back. He continued to talk to him as he unfastened his shackles, but his brother did not speak back. He pulled on a final lock and managed to snap the system. The shackles fell to the floor and Jenson stepped back so that his brother could stand up for the first time in ten years.

  “I told you I would find your brother,” Jenson said, but the silence was starting to make him worry. “I told you that I’d get you back.”

  “You were too late. Look what they’ve done to me,” his brother cried out in an anguished voice that was full of hatred. “You are no better than them.” He took a swipe at Jenson, who just managed to roll out of the way.

  “Brother, please. I’ve come to help you.” Jenson begged his brother to see sense.

  “You can’t help me now,” his brother said flatly. “Only I can help me. I must exact revenge upon every one of those who have tortured me over the years. I must make them feel how I felt. No, I must make them feel worse,” his brother went on.

  “Brother, you cannot seek revenge against these people. They know all about our kind. They will kill you, and if they don’t, then their families will. We must walk away from this now, brother. We must be the better creature. We must hold our heads up high and go to a place where we can live out the rest of our days in peace,” Jenson said as he tried to appeal to his brother’s better nature.

  “No!”

  Jenson watched as his brother’s eyes started to burn. “You need to step back, Toby,” he said quickly. Wings shot out of his brother’s back. Jenson stood in awe for a moment. His brother’s wings were exceptional, their span was incredible and the deep purple tone of them was beautiful. He could feel the room growing smaller around him and his brother as he continued to shift. “We need to get out of here,” Jenson said, and he turned and pushed Toby out of the door.

  They ran back through the bar and didn’t stop until they were standing on the street outside. “What are we going to do?” Toby asked with eyes full of fear.

  “What have you done?” David’s voice played through the destruction that was being caused inside the bar that was pouring out into the street.

  “What have I done?” Jenson asked as he glared at the man who had made his brother crazy. “What have I done? My brother was a peaceful creature. My brother was a good man, and you’ve taken him and tortured him, turned him into the monster you always wanted. You think that dragons are evil? You should look in the mirror.”

  *******

  Toby knew there was only one thing left that they could do. They couldn’t let Jenson’s brother destroy the city in his pursuit of revenge. He could hear Jenson’s brother inside the bar. He must have fully shifted, because the cracks and smashing of windows were coming from all sides of the building. “We need to get him out of here,” Toby said quickly to Jenson.

  “Have you seen what you have done by releasing him? The whole city is going to burn, and it’s entirely your fault,” David spat at them.

  Toby could feel his anger surging. The situation was terrible. The danger was great, but that wasn’t what his mind was focusing on. He was thinking about the small man standing in front of him, the man who had started the ripple in the water that had led to this great wave. “You do not speak,” Toby said with his own voice trembling. “If people die today, their blood is on your hands. This has not happened because we released him. He was always meant to be free. This has happened because you captured him. You locked him up and you tortured him. You have driven a good man to evil, and when his soul gets judged, his misdeeds will not be weighed alongside it. Oh, no, they wait for you.”

  “You don’t understand what you’re talking about,” David said, but as he did he edged himself slowly away from Toby and Jenson.

  “I know that if your life is spared today, then you should count yourself undeservingly lucky,” Toby said, and then he turned to Jenson. “We need to get him away from the city. We need to make sure that he causes as little damage as possible. Do you think if we shift he will follow us?”

  “It might work, but it’s going to take more than just shifting,” Jenson said with a look of conflict in his eyes.

  “We must do what has to be done,” Toby said in a voice that sounded much braver than he was really feeling.

  Jenson nodded and then closed his eyes. A look of focus washed over his face, and Toby could see the small shoots of wings starting to tear through his shirt. Toby followed his lead and for a moment there was nothing but frustration. He pushed his mind harder. His bones started to slip and slide around his body. It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t pleasant. He opened his eyes when he was sure that his bones had stopped moving and found himself with almost a bird’s-eye view of the building that had been looming over him not a moment before.

  He watched as Jenson took to the sky, and he followed. The building below him turned red with flames as Jenson started to torch the place. Just as Toby was wondering why on Earth he was doing that, the roof split in two, and Jenson’s brother tore out of it and towards them.

  Toby got the message and started to fly, as quickly as he could, out to sea. It was the only safe place that they could take Jenson’s brother. He had no idea what they were going to do once they had him out there. They flew what felt like hours. Hours that were drenched in the constant panic of pursuit.

  It was only when Jenson started to fly lower and then land on a small island that Toby could see an end to their plan. He circled the island and landed next to Jenson, and then looked up to the sky. Jenson’s brother was only minutes away. Whatever they were going to do, they had to do it fast. Toby turned to Jenson with questioning eyes.

  “Don’t worry,” Jenson said. “I’ve got a plan.”

  Toby didn’t reply, he just watched as Jenson’s brother got closer.

  “You need to stay here,” Jenson said, and he took off to meet his brother in the sky.

  Toby did as he was told. He watched as the majestic green dragon met with the purple blur of his brother in the sky. It was true that Toby didn’t know what to expect, but what he saw was so unexpected that it made his mouth fall open in shock.

  Jenson was breathing fire on his brother. He was torching his wings, and his brother was letting out a pain-filled scream that seemed to move even the ocean, as its waves started to crash against each other. Jenson’s brother fell out of the sky and then Jenson quickly dove into the ocean after him. For a minute there was nothing. Toby was starting to wonder whether that was it, whether he’d ever see Jenson again, whether somehow the story had ended without a proper conclusion.

  The ocean waves became disturbed, though, and Jenson’s human head came crashing through the waters. He made his way to shore quickly and pulled his brother up with him. “It was the only thing I could do,” he explained through watery coughs. “I couldn’t kill him; it wouldn’t have been fair. So I’ve clipped his wings.”

 
“What does that mean?” Toby asked Jenson in slight confusion.

  “It means that he will live out the rest of his days on this island. He’ll be able to shift, but he won’t be able to fly. He’s safe, and so is everybody else.”

  “And what about you? What are you going to do?”

  “I’ve spent so long looking for my brother, but I accept I have other responsibilities now.”

  “Other responsibilities?”

  “You are not the only one tasked with looking after our egg. I think we must go back to the city. We must do something about this group, and we must ensure that our egg survives. My brother is safe here. He can walk around freely and I can visit. He’s going to be lost in anger for a very long time, but I have hope for him.”

  “So, I guess it’s just me and you then?” Toby asked him, as he looked out at the ocean’s horizon.

  “I guess so,” Jenson said with an easy smile.

  ******

  THE END

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  Here is a FREE 9000 word Gay Romance story “The Fire Within” by Joaquin Milhovich.

  The Fire Within

  Simon was tired of everything. He’d lived too long and seen too much. He could no longer experience the small beauties in life like flowers blooming and the sun rising. Instead, he could only see the never-ending struggle and strife of all living things. It had turned his world cold. He was ready for the end. He was thankful that he was finally reaching the point where he might find peace. All he had to do was make sure that everything went to plan and then he could find his final resting place, but when do things ever go exactly to plan?

  It was a cold, wet day in December when Simon walked down the grey streets of New York City to meet his partner. The wind was eager to send shivers down all who it touched and the rain felt more like falling ice than water. None of that bothered Simon, though. He had never felt cold in his entire life. He couldn’t. He wasn’t built to.

  He reached the small, dingy diner that he had agreed to meet Daniel at and tried to look through the grime-smeared windows to see whether he had arrived, but it was impossible. He sighed as he realized that he would have to go in and see. He pushed open the small swinging door and listened to the shrill clanging of the overhead bell that rang out when the door opened a certain amount.

  A small, redheaded waitress looked over at the sound of the noise and smiled at Simon. Simon shifted his gaze away from her without returning the smile and glanced over the booths that were lined up against the walls. There were several couples and families sitting around, eating the greasy food they had ordered and drinking the weak coffee, but none of them were Daniel.

  He took a booth close to the door and kept his eyes fixed to it. Daniel was late, although that wasn’t anything terribly new. Nevertheless Simon could feel his patience running thin. He’d waited hundreds of years to get to this stage in his life and now he had to wait even longer because Daniel didn’t know what a watch was.

  The shrill ring of the bell diverted his attention away from his thoughts and his eyes shifted back to the entrance. All his previous annoyance disappeared as a wet-looking Daniel stepped into the diner and scanned the tables for Simon.

  “I’m over here,” Simon called out to Daniel with a small wave.

  Daniel followed the sound of Simon’s voice and turned his eyes to look at him. “Sorry I’m late,” he said quietly when he had taken his seat in the booth opposite Simon.

  “I think I’m used to it by now,” Simon said with a gentle smile that gave away none of his previous annoyance.

  “Right,” Daniel said with a sharp nod before he pulled out a menu and started to pore over it with his eyes.

  Simon watched him for a moment in silence. He could tell that something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on what. There was just something about Daniel that didn’t seem right, and that pulled on Daniel’s curiosity as he waited for Simon to put them menu back down.

  “I don’t even know why I’m looking at that,” Daniel admitted after a few minutes had passed. He put the menu back in its holder and looked at Simon without meeting his eyes. “We need to talk,” he said with a look of discomfort on his face.

  “That much I can tell,” Simon said with a small nod, and then he waited for Daniel to explain what had happened.

  “I think that we should take some time apart,” Daniel said as he focused on the side of Simon’s cheek, so that his eyes wouldn’t meet Simon’s.

  Simon didn’t say anything for a moment. He could feel his stomach being gripped by worry as Daniel’s words sank into his brain. This couldn’t be happening, he thought, as he stared straight ahead at Daniel. This couldn’t be happening now. Not when he was so close to finding peace away from the struggle of living.

  “You can’t be serious,” Simon said, but he knew that Daniel was being deeply serious.

  “Look, I know that you think we have something really special,” Daniel said in a matter-of-fact, “but I don’t. I mean, life is too short to waste on the wrong people, right?”

  Simon laughed at Daniel’s turn of phrase. “Life is too short, huh?” he said, more to himself than to Daniel.

  “I’m glad you understand,” Daniel said with a small smile that didn’t make it to the corner of his lips, never mind his eyes.

  “I take it there is someone else?” Simon asked him with a cool voice that gave away none of the inner rage he was feeling.

  “Yes,” Daniel answered honestly.

  “How long has it been going on?” Simon asked, because he couldn’t help himself.

  “A few months with this guy, but in all honesty there have been others,” Daniel said with a small shrug, as though this revelation meant nothing.

  “You don’t seem to care at all,” Simon said, but without surprise. He’d spent too long walking the Earth to expect anything more from humans. They were all infinitely selfish when it came to their pursuits of happiness.

  “I do care,” Daniel disagreed. “It’s just, I’ve known for a while now that we haven’t been working, so it isn’t new to me.”

  “Did you not think to tell me all of this when you first figured it out?” Simon asked him. “I mean you could have saved us both a lot of time and effort if you had.”

  “I didn’t want to hurt you,” Daniel said with a shred of honesty in his voice.

  “Clearly, that’s why you have cheated on me behind my back and are telling me so casually now about it,” Simon said with his voice starting to get louder.

  “Listen, I’m going to go,” Daniel said dryly. “It’s obvious that you’re upset, and I don’t want an argument,” he finished as he stood up.

  “Of course you don’t,” Simon said under his breath bitterly, watching Daniel walk out of the dingy diner and out of his life.

  ********

  Several hours had passed since Simon had seen Daniel at the diner, but the passing time had done nothing but make him angrier. It wasn’t even anger born out of hurt. He didn’t really care that Daniel had cheated on him, and he didn’t overly care that Daniel didn’t want to be with him. It was the fact that his plans had now been ruined. It was the fact that he would have to start again with someone else before he could finally find his peace.

  He’d been walking the back streets of the city since he’d left the diner, but he’d put no real attention into where his feet were taking him. His thoughts were running too wildly in his head for him to be able to focus on anything else. He finally came to a stop when his eyes caught something they recognized in the darkness. It was small flower basket that was hanging from one of the apartment buildings, and it meant that Simon was on Daniel’s street.

  He thought about turning and walking away, but there was something in his gut that stopped him. If this had been a couple of hundred years ag
o, Simon wouldn’t have thought twice about seeking revenge for the wrongdoing that had been cast upon him, but times had changed and his abilities were no longer feared in the same way they once were. In fact, his abilities were thought to be nothing more than myth, and that was how most of the magical community liked it.

  He could feel his mind ticking over as he thought about his options. He couldn’t see why Daniel should get away with the disrespect he had shown, but he knew that if he did take revenge then the magical community would be in an uproar about it. To most of the magical creatures left on Earth the most important thing to them was secrecy, and they were happy to punish any creature that drew attention to the fact that they still walked among the humans.

  This knowledge wasn’t enough to stop him, though. His heart was burning with rage. His hands were trembling with unbridled anger. He had to do something or he was sure that he would combust from the fires that were raging in his stomach. He took another few steps, until he was standing outside the apartment block that Daniel lived in, and then paused for a moment.

  It would be so easy, he thought, to burn down the building and everyone within it. It would be so easy to destroy Daniel and walk away without Daniel ever knowing it was him, but that didn’t feel right. Simon had always been fair, if nothing else, and instead of torching the apartment, he rang the buzzer and waited for Daniel to answer.

  “Hello?” Daniel’s voice played through the crackling intercom system.

  “It’s Simon. I was hoping we could talk,” Simon said quickly, as he brought his face closer to the small microphone that had been built into the system.

  “I’m not sure there is anything left to talk about,” Daniel said without pushing the button that unlocked the door.

  “I think there is plenty to talk about,” Simon said in a cool and collected tone.

  “I’m sorry Simon, but you’re wrong. I think we’re best just going our separate ways,” Daniel said, and even through the crackling speaker, Simon could tell that he was shaking his head.