by James Tow
as possible. Luckily, the rooms were relatively small. Searching the second floor was a breeze, but unfortunately there was no sign of the Rocket Boys or of the capsule.
“We’re moving to the next floor,” I said with haste. The whole second floor wasn’t fully checked, but the Rocket Boys would have shown themselves by now.
Spenser led the way up to the third floor. He checked left, then right. When he turned right, a loud gunshot echoed from down the hall. Spenser fell backward with the gunshot. Gabriel pulled out a smoke grenade from my pocket, pulled the pin, and tossed it down the hall. Using the smokescreen as cover, I kicked down the nearest door and drug Spenser by his vest into the room. I knelt beside him—speechless. A small caliber bullet shot straight through his neck. He choked, twitched, bled, and I was frozen—watching the life leave his eyes.
He took my hand into his and squeezed. Tears poured from his eyes as he mouthed, “Don’t stop.” His body went limp. We all stood watching the lifeless body. Chris and Keith both had silent tears running down their faces.
I stood up and Gabriel asked, “Still a game?”
I threw my M4 rifle at Keith’s feet and grabbed his M60 machine gun. “Take his body,” I told Chris.
“Planned on it,” he replied wiping the tears from his eyes.
I started through the door, but Gabriel grabbed my shoulder and stopped me. He took the other smoke grenade from my left leg pocket and threw it down the hall. Seconds later, and taking both of his fragmentation grenades, he rolled one down the hall and threw the second one further. He held his arm in front of me until the first grenade exploded. Screams followed the explosion.
He let me go, and I started down the hall firing the massive gun mindlessly through the smoke. Gabriel and Keith followed close behind on opposite sides. On the other side of the smoke were two bodies, rolling on the ground, moaning in pain. The grenades did serious damage to the hotel’s interior. We approached one of the holes in the wall that the grenade created—blue light emanated from the dark room on the other side. I looked inside the hole to see a third downed Rocket Boy and a bright blue capsule lying on the bed. The Rocket Boy reached for his weapon several feet away, but Gabriel fired two rounds into his reaching arm.
I climbed through the hole and kicked away his weapon.
The bed was inset within the left wall, and the two foot long tube sat on the dusty pillows. Carefully, I lifted the capsule in my hands. It was metal with a glass shield where the blue light shown through. I walked it over to Keith. “Hold this,” I told him. He was reluctant, but took it.
“To the fourth floor,” I told Gabriel and Keith.
As we made our way up, I saw Chris carrying Spenser’s body back down to the second floor.
“Over here pigs!” John called out when we reached the next floor. To our left was a Rocket Boy poking out from a doorway. He let out a rain of fire upon us that forced us back onto the stairs. Using the scope on the M4 while on the stairs, Keith shot out the shooter’s leg. I proceeded down the hall—Gabriel watched my back as he walked backwards behind me. I dropped the M60 next to the downed Rocket Boy. I reached for the fragmentation grenade attached to his vest. He grabbed my wrist—trying to stop me. I dropped my knee on his face and he let go with the pain.
Gabriel and I stepped into the room and peeked around the corner—waiting for John to show himself. He slowly peered out from the last doorway on the left side of the hall. I pulled the pin on the grenade and rolled it in his direction—it stopped just before his hiding spot. Right before the explosion, John leaped to across the hall and into another room. The blast shook the floor from under our feet. I pulled out my pistol from the holster of my right leg. I raced down the hall to catch John before he could recover. I caught him scrambling, on his hands and knees, for his gun in front of him. I quickly pounced on him—putting my hand on the back of his head forcing him to the ground.
“Where’s Gabriel?” he asked.
“Shut up,” I said and looked up to see a large metal box with a biohazard symbol. “In here Keith!” I called out. Keith walked in, seconds later, holding the capsule. He opened the heavy door, and set the capsule inside.
“Game over,” I told John and let him go. He got to his feet and ran out of the room. I walked out to see him open a door in front of Gabriel, and run down the hall—up a flight of maintenance steps which I assume leads to the roof.
“Where the hell is he going?” I asked Gabriel.
He stood staring in the room that John just opened for him.
“Gabriel?”
He dropped his gun, and pulled the scarf down to reveal a face of melancholy.
“Gabriel?” I asked again.
He stepped inside the room. I walked to the doorway, and saw the cause of his effect. A T.V. sat on the bed with a DVD player next to it. On the T.V. was an old home video. A stunning young woman, in a red and white dress, was dancing by herself under a starry night in an empty parking lot.
“You’re too beautiful, you know that?” a voice said from behind the camera. She smiled—a gorgeous smile.
Gabriel broke down in sobs and collapsed against the wall—tears running down his face.
“Come here,” the voice said and the camera was set down on the back of a car. The young Gabriel, in a white tuxedo, ran in front of the camera. She fell into his arms and they started dancing under the moonlight.
Gabriel’s weeping became severe as we watched the young couple dance. I was frozen with the sadness I felt for him. This is what has been eating him. This is why he is who he is. It was something near paranormal…watching my old brother, filled with joy, dancing with his love while also watching my new brother collapse with agony. And much like the paranormal, I don’t know how to help him.
The couple stopped and held each other. “Will you stay with me?” she asked in a whisper.
“Forever and always,” he said.
Gabriel covered his eyes with his palms as he continued to shed tears. He banged his head against the wall a force that sent fissures through my body.
I didn’t know what to say. What do you say in this situation? ‘It’s ok?’ ‘You’ll be alright?’ ‘Hang in there champ?’ It’s garbage like that that will set him off.
He stopped, and got to his feet.
“Gabriel?” I ask in a whisper—my voice is frozen too.
Without saying a word, he pulls the blade out from his vest and storms down the hall toward the maintenance steps.
“Gabriel…it’s over. There is no need for this,” I pleaded, trying to keep up with him. “Pollick is just trying to get in your head.” He says nothing.
“Gabriel…” I say and grab his left shoulder. With alacrity, he turns around and slams my head into the wall. All I see is him staring at me, as I slip into oblivion.
“Paul…Paul…Paul,” someone says while shaking me. I come round to see Keith staring at me with anxious eyes. I realize where I am, and jump to my feet. Keith grabs me as I stumble around.
“How long have I been out?” I ask trying to think past my splitting headache.
“A couple minutes at most…Where…”
That’s too long. “Go down and meet up with Chris,” I demanded while trying to run down the hall.
“But we won…”
“Do it!” I yell at him. He takes off down the stairs, and I go up to the roof. My legs are weak as I run up the metal steps, but I push through it. There’s so much damage Gabriel could have done in a matter of minutes…to John and to himself.
I open the door to see a full moon beaming down at me. I observed the area to try and find a sign of Gabriel or John. The awkward roof structure made it difficult to see—it was like they placed random pyramids throughout the roof.
A scream tears my attention to behind me. I run up, and then down the roof shape as fast as I can. I reach the edge of the roof to see Gabriel and John on the adjacent building. John, facing me, was on the farthest corner of the roof. Gabriel stood in front of him—his back t
o me. John was on his back holding his arm up to Gabriel—crying. I look closer to see John has severe lacerations all across his body—and was missing an arm.
“Please! He asked me to do it! Please!” John pleaded—still sliding backwards, but ran out of roof. Gabriel advanced as John got to his knees.
“GABRIEL!” I bellowed, but he doesn’t budge. I take a few steps back and hop over the threshold.
“Gabriel! Don’t do this!” I yell, but he connects a powerful push-kick to John’s face.
“NOOOO!” I screamed as John is launched off the roof. The faint thud tells me when John lands.
Silence ensued.
“Gabriel! What have you done?!” I cried, but it was useless. He stood, staring at the sky, with his back facing me.
“Look at me,” I snarled, but nothing.
“LOOK AT ME!” I repeated in a roar. He slowly turned to only show his crazed, yet tortured, eyes with his scarf covering his face.
“Is this what you want Gabriel?! Just kill everybody?!” I raved.
“You’re right…” he scoffed. “I’m no better than the scum I fight. But this is what I want.”
Again, I was speechless. I turned, disgusted with him, and walked away.
“Kill me,” Gabriel said.
“What?” I asked turning around.
“I want you to kill me,” he murmured. “I can’t take this Paul…I just can’t.”
This isn’t my brother speaking.
Without giving me time to think, he charges. He rammed his shoulder into my chest—almost pushing me off the roof. I
