“Maybe I have forgotten what young men are like,” whispered Tapestry.
“Well,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of chances in the near future to remember.”
She smiled at him, and then frowned.
“I probably shouldn’t tell Melanie about this,” she said.
“She’s not stupid. She’ll probably figure it out even if you try to keep it secret.”
“Maybe,” said Tapestry. “Maybe not.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. Malcolm sighed and tried to empty his mind.
What was the point of this? Do I feel something for her that’s real, or am I just mad at Rose?
He couldn’t answer his own questions, and decided not to try to, at least not yet. He closed his eyes and accepted the peace he and Tapestry had found… for a couple of seconds.
“Is that… smoke?” he asked, sniffing the air. Tapestry blinked her eyes open and furrowed her brow.
“That’s definitely smoke,” she said. “Do you think…?”
“The heat demon!” finished Malcolm.
He jumped up from the couch and gathered his clothes.
CHAPTER 36
“Malcolm, we won’t stand a chance against it. Think about what we’ve seen this demon do!”
Tapestry stood in front of the door, her clothes back on and arms outstretched.
“I am thinking about what I’ve seen it do,” said Malcolm.
The aftermath of what it did to my family. I saw that.
“You’re going to get yourself killed!” she hissed. “Multi’s strategy is solid. We should focus on luring it out of town, away from people. Once we have it isolated, we can call in help from the Champion Authority to put it down.”
Malcolm forced himself to take a deep breath. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he wasn’t sure whether it was from fear, or excitement. It was the emotion of vengeance, and there was something unique and determined about it.
“Tapestry, I’m going out there,” he said. “You can either come with me, or get out of my way.”
She glared at him, but relented.
“Promise me,” she said. “That you won’t attack. At least not right away. Give me time to call in Multi and Morph. We can still make the strategy work.”
“I promise,” said Malcolm.
Fingers crossed. Sorry, Tapestry.
The two of them headed out onto the street and followed the smoke. It wasn’t hard, especially as they drew closer and heard the sounds that went with it. Malcolm could hear the scraping of metal, like a car crash. He could also hear the roar of fire and, of course, the screams.
He started to round the final corner when Tapestry grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. She brought his face in close to his. Malcolm briefly thought she was going to kiss him, but instead, she just whispered something.
“We split up,” she said. “Head the demon off from both directions. We watch it, and wait for the others to get here.”
Malcolm nodded, though he had his own ideas. Tapestry doubled back down the street. He knew it would take her at least a minute to get into position. He licked his lips.
The heat demon stood in the center of one of Vanderbrook’s largest streets, basking in mayhem. The monster wore a jacket with a hood, which it kept over its head. A half dozen bodies, along with at least twenty charred and mangled cars, were displayed around it in a circle. Fires blazed inside all the nearby buildings, and everywhere, people were screaming.
Malcolm took a deep breath and swallowed. Many of those people, or at least their loved ones, would go on to live with the same emptiness that he’d lived with for the past five years. He wasn’t alright with that.
He broke into a sprint, pushing himself forward with the wind, knowing that he’d only get a single chance at what he intended. He was approaching the demon from its blind side, which meant that he got a free hit. All he needed to do was make it count.
Malcolm manipulated the wind, calling several sharp, steel shards from one of the mangled cars. For a moment, he swirled them around him, as though he was standing at the center of a tiny tornado. Then, drawing within a dozen paces of the demon, he threw his hand forward, and the metal shrapnel along with it.
The heat demon reacted faster than Malcolm would have thought possible. It spun, turning to face Malcolm and sweeping up a hand. The air wavered with heat, melting the metal into molten puddles. The demon’s hood blew back from the wind, and Malcolm saw its face. He stared, in disbelief, at the face of his own brother.
“Finally!” shouted Danny. “Fucking shit, Malcolm. I’ve been trying to draw you out for days now! Thought you’d never take the hint!”
CHAPTER 37
Malcolm shook his head slowly, too stunned by the revelation to think, let alone act. Danny’s face had been easy for him to remember, given how many photos his brother had left on the internet in his wake. The dark eyes, the strong jaw, the undeniable features of his brother Danny.
It was hearing his brother’s voice that shook him to the core, along with Danny’s manner of speaking. He swore a lot. He was a fan of crude puns and playful insults. He was an asshole, which most people who’d known him would have openly admitted. And he was standing right in front of Malcolm.
“Come on, little bro,” said Danny, chuckling. “Don’t look so fucking surprised! You remember how tough I was! Shouldn’t have given up on me.”
“Danny…” Malcolm forced himself to breathe, focusing back on the situation at hand. “What are you doing here? You… can’t be doing this.”
Danny laughed and walked in closer. It was only then that Malcolm saw the features that weren’t a part of his memory of his brother. Danny’s skin was a light shade of red, as though he’d gotten a sunburn over his entire body. His skull underneath his black hair was misshapen. Tiny, spike like bumps pushed up against the skin, giving him the appearance of having a demonic crown.
“The explosions!” laughed Danny. “I knew you’d get it eventually! It was such a big thing for me, I knew it was for you, too. I don’t remember everything, but I remember that.”
“You mean…” Malcolm steadied himself. “The explosion that killed mom?”
Danny looked confused. He frowned and ran a hand through his hair, making a noise as though he was trying to remember.
If he’s anything like Rose, he might not be able to.
“Malcolm,” said Danny. “You’re my fucking brother, and I fucking love you. I’d almost forgotten… But then I saw you, on the TV. Wind Runner, hah! Shit’s hilarious!”
“Danny…” said Malcolm, shaking his head. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t… just stand here and let you do this?”
“You banged that chick on Instagram, the hot one, right?” said Danny, oblivious to Malcolm’s conflict. “That’s fucking awesome! You got the Caldwell gift with girls, that’s for sure.”
Something moved off to their left. Danny spun and launched a fireball at a man trying to push his way out of a destroyed car. Malcolm shouted and tried to do push it away with a gust of wind, but it was already too late.
The fireball hit, and the man was instantly incinerated down to the bone, with only a charred skeleton remaining. A cold chill ran down Malcolm’s neck. He tried to say something to his brother, the monster standing next to him. He couldn’t find the words.
“Reunited and it feeeels so good!” Danny slapped Malcolm on the back, grinning at him. “We’re going to have so much fun. The Caldwell brothers, all grown up and ready to cause mayhem.”
The heat of the fires surrounding was enough to make Malcolm sweat, but his face felt cold. A sickening sense of dread stirred within him. He took a step back, putting space between himself and his brother.
“You killed her,” said Malcolm. “Danny… It was you. Mom died because of you and your powers.”
He’s the one I’ve dreamed of taking revenge on, all this time…
Danny was frowning, as though he was trying to thin
k of a word on the tip of his tongue. He shook his head after a couple of seconds and then shrugged.
“I don’t fucking know,” he said. “Hey, let’s go get some drinks after this? Drink some beer, get wasted… We can do whatever we want! The champions can’t stop me, and soon enough, they won’t be able to stop you either.”
He grinned at Malcolm and held out his hand. There was so much there, in that gesture. Malcolm stared at his brother, completely overwhelmed. People screamed nearby and ambulance sirens echoed in the distance.
“Malcolm!” shouted Tapestry. “Get down!”
Malcolm reacted without thinking, ducking out of the way. Tapestry leapt out from behind a burning car and opened fire with her pistol. The bullets melted before getting within a couple of inches of Danny, and he immediately turned in Tapestry’s direction.
“Stupid bitch,” he muttered.
Danny casually waved a hand at her, launching a soccer sized fireball at high speed. It struck Tapestry in the chest with a small explosion, knocking her back. She screamed, hitting the ground hard and immediately rolling to pat out the flames.
“Danny!” Malcolm gritted his teeth. He launched himself at his brother, pulling back his fist and throwing a fast, wind assisted punch.
His attack landed, hitting Danny square in the jaw. Malcolm watched his brother recoil while also feeling his knuckles burn from the heat at the point of contact.
“Hey!” shouted Danny. “Chill the fuck out, Malcolm!”
“You don’t get to kill her,” he said. “You don’t get to kill anyone else! I won’t let you!”
Danny stood up, glaring at him. One of the intersections was still visible down the street from them, and Danny lazily launched a fireball the size of a car toward it. Malcolm watched in horror as it hit one of the firetrucks set up on the perimeter of the destruction, exploding with enough force to take out the building behind it in a deafening eruption.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” said Danny. “Fuck, Malcolm. Look at me! I don’t have to play around like a little bitch anymore. Nobody can stop me, not even you, bro.”
Malcolm gritted his teeth. He launched himself at Danny again, this time twisting into a drop kick with all the wind pushing him forward that he could summon. His feet came within a foot of striking Danny’s chest before Danny countered. Fire exploded against Malcolm’s feet and legs, not enough to burn him severely, but enough to knock him back.
He hit the concrete hard, his head making painful contact as he rolled. Malcolm groaned, slowly pulling himself up and feeling the familiar daze of a minor concussion. Danny was standing over Tapestry, holding one hand out and blasting out fire flamethrower style over her body.
“She’s a fucking regenerator!” laughed Danny. “Oh man, these ones are the best. They hang on for so long… It’s like cooking a pig on a spit.”
“You bastard!” shouted Malcolm. “I’m not going to let you do this!”
He tried a different tactic. Instead of trying to attack Danny head on, Malcolm jumped into the air, using his wind manipulation at full strength to lift himself mostly into flight. He rose ten or so feet above Danny before letting himself drop, falling on top of his brother.
Danny was ready for him, but Malcolm was expecting the counter. As Danny tossed a fireball in his direction, Malcolm used the wind to roll himself to the side. He landed on his feet, his knees groaning from the impact.
Immediately, he swept a kick at Danny’s feet, sweeping his legs out from under him. Malcolm leapt on top of his brother, trying to wrestle him into submission. He realized his mistake instantly. It was like trying to wrestle a hot stove.
“Do you feel that, Malcolm?” shouted Danny. “Do you fucking feel that? I don’t even have to fucking try against you!”
A tingle ran through Malcolm, separate from the heat and pain of Danny’s aura. He could feel his mimicry stealing Danny’s power, adding a new, intangible tool to his arsenal. He pushed off his brother and rolled to dodge the fireball Danny threw as a follow up.
“Don’t do this, Danny!” yelled Malcolm. “You… you weren’t always like this!”
Danny laughed.
“They call me Hothead now,” he said. “It’s a nice nickname, don’t you think?”
Malcolm thought back to the brother that he remembered from his childhood. Danny had been in the eyes of many people, an asshole. He’d been an alcoholic and a womanizer. He’d barely been able to hold down a job most of the time, and still lived at home in his 20s. But he’d been Malcolm’s brother, and Malcolm had never doubted in his goodness.
Should I have? Is just what Danny would have done with superpowers? Maybe he was always like this…
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” said Danny. “Fuck you Malcolm. Quit being so high and mighty.”
He threw another fireball, not at Malcolm, but at Tapestry.
“She’s a girlfriend of yours, isn’t she?” asked Danny. “Come on, you gonna pick her over me? Grow the fuck up, Malcolm. We’re family.”
Malcolm blinked, unable to believe Danny’s self-centered point of view. The chaos around them was still unfolding.
Brave EMTs were sneaking around behind burning and destroyed cars, pulling people to safety. Firefighters were working to put out the flames on the edge of the destruction. Police officers were waiting, ready to intervene even though it was impossible for them to make any kind of contribution to the battle.
“Danny!” shouted Malcolm. “I won’t let you do this!”
He reached out, feeling the heat of the fires around him. Danny was walking back over to Tapestry, smiling as he prepared to continue torturing her. Malcolm moved in closer to one of the car fires, using Danny’s heat absorption power to suck up the flames.
I have to kill him. Otherwise, it’s on me if he kills anyone else.
Danny wasn’t paying attention to him, and it gave Malcolm the time he needed to focus the heat energy into a usable form. His brother had made it look effortless, and Malcolm bit his lip in frustration as a fireball formed in his hand with agonizing slowness.
“She just keeps healing!” shouted Danny, all of his focus on Tapestry. “Oh fuck, this is too funny. Does that hurt? Am I… hurting you right now?”
Tapestry’s screams were the only response she could give. Malcolm felt a cold, calculated rage take hold of him. He pushed more heat into the fireball, building it into something the size a large beach ball, and then hurled it at Danny. He gave it a push with the wind, the extra burst of oxygen boosting its size even further.
It hit Danny hard, knocking him far enough away from Tapestry to put an end to his sadistic torture. He landed at a weird angle, his body crumpling down on his head and neck. He didn’t move once he was down.
The hand Malcolm had thrown the fireball with was shaking. He swallowed, and then hurried over to his fellow champion.
CHAPTER 38
“Tapestry!” said Malcolm. “Hey, hey… stay with me.”
Her chest was charred, and only small scraps of cloth remained of her shirt. Malcolm cradled her, lifting her upright. Her face was a mask of pain and fear. Malcolm slicked back her blonde hair, which had come loose from its pony tail at some point.
“I can’t take… anymore,” she whispered. “I can barely regenerate. This isn’t like the fire at the apartment complex. Malcolm, I can’t keep using my powers…”
“It’s okay,” said Malcolm. “It’s over. He’s…”
Danny moved. Malcolm watched as his brother slowly pulled himself to his feet, staggering slightly, but not injured enough to be out of commission. He slowly turned around, and met Malcolm’s gaze. His eyes were glowing red, like rubies set into a statue.
“You…” said Danny, his voice deep, menacing, and alien.
Malcolm pushed Tapestry behind the nearby wreck of a car and stood to face his brother. He had no idea what else he could do. Fear took hold as Danny lifted his hands, preparing to unleash another fire blast.
&nb
sp; “This isn’t you, Danny,” said Malcolm. “Please…just stop. You can still stop this, you don’t have to…”
Danny’s eyes flared red. Fire coalesced in his hands. Malcolm tried to pull in as much heat as he could to throw a fireball of his own, but he wasn’t as used to manipulating the energy as Danny was.
“You aren’t a monster, Danny,” he said. “You’re my brother!”
The face of the demon staring back at him seemed to rail against Malcolm’s hope. He could still see Danny there. It wasn’t as though he was gone, but the hate, the lust, the addiction to power had Danny in its grasp.
He might not be a monster, but it doesn’t change what I have to do.
The moon was out overhead, full and intense. The screaming had died down, though the crackle of burning buildings and cars still gave off an evil, ambient hum. Malcolm stared at the heat demon, at his brother, and waited for him to make his move.
Danny let out an inhuman roar and pulled his arms back, preparing to throw his accumulated heat forward to end Malcolm’s life. He made it halfway into the movement and then froze, his movement arrested. Tendrils of shadow held him in place, wrapped around him like long, dark pythons.
Rose appeared from behind a burning bus, only stepping out far enough in the open to see Malcolm, and for him to see her. She met his gaze and gave a slow nod.
Danny roared and struggled against the shadow bonds, his eyes glowing even deeper red. He was falling further into the trap of his powers, becoming a true demon and losing the last of his humanity. Malcolm couldn’t watch it, and knew that he had to be the one to bring it to an end.
“Danny!” he shouted. “This ends here!”
Malcolm stuck his hand into a nearby car fire, sucking up heat as fast as he could. He redirected it, focusing it outward, making the fireball faster than he had before. This time, it was at least as wide across as he was. Malcolm held it over his head as it formed, sweating with concentration.
Wind Runner: The Complete Collection Page 17
