NEXT CHAPTER
Wick's words echoed in Chris's ears. Gabriel Kirkpatrick.
"We had Lost Souls watching the Kirkpatrick family from the very beginning," Wick said, "And when Gabriel was born, we thought perhaps he was the chosen one. In any case, he was special. When Gabriel was five, his mother was already several months pregnant with Chris. One night, the Master stole him while he was sleeping. We raised him to be one of us."
Gabriel looked dazed. "So I'm human."
"You're a half-breed!" Feather spat. "The Master was convinced that you would be useful. He hoped you'd forget your mother and your past life. But you continued having that silly dream. By the time you were 21 Wick and I realized you were leaning toward the good side. But no! The Master was certain we were being foolish."
Chris was too stunned to comment. Mom never mentioned a brother. Sometimes I saw her crying in the kitchen, holding a teddy bear. She told me it was money troubles
Wick clenched his fist. "Everything seemed to be going well until you (glaring at Chris) showed up. It's all your fault!"
Judging by Feather's fiery eyes, she was quickly losing her temper. Chris, still absorbing this shocking revelation, made no attempt to move when she put her wrists together. Wick did the same. Gabriel knew what they were planning to do.
"NNOOO!!!"
The green beams formed. Gabriel shoved Chris out of danger's way. He felt the familiar urge. It was an urge he often suppressed. As much as I hate this, it may save our lives.
Gabriel's eyes reddened. His fingernails sharpened into talons. His body changed into his Lost Soul form. He pounced on Feather, wrestling her to the ground. Feather screeched, slashing at Gabriel's face. Gabriel sank his teeth into her shoulder. "Enough!" Wick shouted as sparks flew out of his eyes. When they hit an object, they popped like firecrackers. Gabriel growled.
Chris's breathing steadied. Seeing Gabriel like this was in direct contrast to his easy-going personality. Oh wake up! What am I thinking? With these guys, there's no such thing as playing nice!
Using his mind, Chris picked Wick up off the ground. Before he hit a tree, Wick grabbed an extended branch, sticking his feet out to soften the blow.
"Come up and fight me, coward," he challenged with a chilling glimmer in his eyes. Chris met his dare, flying up to meet him head-on. Wick jumped for his throat. Chris dodged, flying around the other side of the tree, ducking into the tangle of branches. He expected Wick to follow him. But no one came.
Suddenly a branch slapped him. Chris wobbled, intense pain racing through his arm. Another branch wrapped around his body. "Ha ha ha," Wick laughed, "I'll bet you didn't know I can camouflage within my surroundings."
Down below, Gabriel wrestled Feather into a chokehold. She grunted in anger. Gabriel might have destroyed her on the spot, but the sounds of Chris struggling above stopped him. An idea came to mind. Gabriel possessed a rare ability that he preferred to use only in dire emergencies.
"Chris! Use your invisibility! Get down immediately!"
Chris wanted to smack himself. Why didn't I think of that? He did as ordered, and within several minutes, released himself from Wick's grip and landed beside his brother.
Light raindrops were falling. Gabriel held his breath. The corners of his eyes chilled. The color drained from his face, as if he were very cold.
Each raindrop instantaneously hardened into icicles. They pierced the ground, shattering upon impact. Three or four stabbed Feather. Wick fell next to her. They howled. Ice crackled onto the tree barks and hardened into the leaves. If there was one weakness Lost Souls possessed, it was extreme sensitivity to below-freezing temperatures and anything associated with winter. The winds heightened into a swirling blizzard around Wick and Feather.
"Wow!" Chris exclaimed, "You never told us."
"Like I said, when you're a demon you pick up a few things."
Emerald appeared in the distance. The ice ceased to fall. The mini-blizzard vanished.
"You nit wits!" She scolded, "Must I do everything for you? Gabriel was very close to winning. Now do what I hired you to do and get the job done! I want you at the park in five minutes!"
Gabriel cursed his bad luck. The only Lost Souls who were capable of stonewalling his power were Emerald, Gandor, and the Master.
Unfortunately his winter extravaganza left Gabriel feeling more tired than he liked. Chris licked his lips. "Take it easy, man. I'll take care of them."
"NO!" Gabriel protested as Chris ran at their adversaries, "They'll kill you!"
But like Gabriel, Chris was frustratingly stubborn. He charged. This pleased Wick, because it was exactly what he wanted. For the second time he put his wrists together. Feather followed his lead. The green fire blasted out.
Gabriel was fully aware of what he was doing. His reasons for doing it were, for the first time, out of true unselflessness. He loved his younger brother. That was all there was to it.
As the green fire aimed for Chris, Gabriel threw his body in front of him. Chris heard Gabriel's screams, smelt the smoke, and saw the ugly holes sizzle into his skin. Gabriel collapsed to his knees. Chris put his arm around his shoulder, stabilizing the mortally wounded man. With their mission complete, Wick and Feather disappeared.
Gabriel whimpered, coughing and choking. Chris gulped back tears. "No! Don't give up now. You're gonna make it. I know you will. You're strong. Please don't give up! I need you!"
Gabriel smiled. "I.have faith.in you. All of you. You.can.stop.Gandor. (Choking)."
Justin: "Chris! Where the heck are you! What's happening?"
Chris: "Quick! Send Ramona out in the forest at once. Gabriel's hurt, maybe even dying!"
Justin: "Don't worry, Ramona's on the way. In fact she's probably somewhere in your vicinity. Shout for her so she can hear you. JC just stumbled into the café. He must've regained consciousness. I told him his pigeon idea was ridiculous. Anyway, he sensed deep anxiety on your behalf. He's also traveling with Ramona."
Chris tuned Justin out. Justin was babbling to keep him preoccupied, but it wouldn't work. He began hollering for Ramona and JC. If only they would hurry!
Chris took Gabriel's limp hand. His shoulders shrank as he sobbed. Life had a way of really kicking you in the butt. To have found his brother, only to lose him ten minutes later was the ultimate cruelty.
When Ramona and JC arrived out of breath, this was how they found him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Justin paced nervously across the floor. Adam was crying. Cricket pried her way into the kitchen, desperately searching for milk. Ruby puffed at a cigarette.
Kellen raised his eyebrows. "Has anybody ever informed you that smoking cigarettes is hazardous to your health?"
"Nagging me about it is hazardous to your health," she retorted.
Chris, JC, and Ramona appeared in front of the bar. Chris was crying. JC helped him lay Gabriel's corpse onto the counter. Ramona looked grim.
"Oh man," Justin whispered, rushing to them. Ruby, Kellen, Dianna, Trace and Harper followed. Cricket ran out of the kitchen empty handed, but halted when she saw them gathered around a dead body. She snuck past, gathering Adam in her arms.
No words were exchanged. Dianna found a tablecloth on the floor. She retrieved it, covering Gabriel. They bowed their heads with respect. Some said prayers. Others said a few kind words. Cricket, in an attempt to stop Adam from crying his way through the makeshift funeral, started messing with the jukebox. I wonder if soft music will calm him.
The door slammed. Chris stood outside. He needed to be alone. Slam! JC joined him on the tattered porch. "There's no reason to feel ashamed for crying."
Chris sniffed. "I'm not ashamed."
"You and him became pretty good buddies, huh?"
Chris turned to JC. "Gabriel was my brother."
"What?!"
"Ask Wick. Gandor kidnapped Gabriel when he was five. Mom was pregnant with me. I guess she never mentioned it to me because it was too painful."
Justin poked his head out the door. "You guys might wanna come in. Cricket pressed the wrong button, and it started playing this song called 'Crawling in the Dark'. Listen."
After the song finished, Chris sat pensively. "Play it again, Cricket," he said. He wanted to really listen to the lyrics. They reminded him of Gabriel.
Verse one: "I will dedicate and sacrifice my everything for just a second's worth of my story's ending. And I wish I could know if the directions that I take and the choices that I make won't end up all for nothing."
Chorus: "Show me what it's for, make me understand it. I've been crawling in the dark, looking for the answer. Is there something more than what I've been handed? I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer."
Verse two: "Help me carry on. Assure me it's ok to use my heart and not my eyes to navigate the darkness. Will the ending be ever coming suddenly? Will I ever get to see the ending to my story?"
Repeat Chorus
Bridge: "So when and how will I know?......... How much further do I have to go? How much longer until I finally know? Because I'm looking and I just can't see what's in front of me, in front of me!"
Repeat Chorus
The song ended. A salty tear dripped off of Chris's nose. "All his life, he felt he never fit in. He was always looking for something more. He knew it wasn't the end of his story." He threw his hands up. "So this is it! It should have been me, darn it, it should be me lying on the bar! Wick murdered him!"
Justin put his arm on Chris's shoulder. "It's okay. We'll get even. Now we'd better hurry. Lance and Joey are the ones we need to worry about."
Ramona, JC, Chris, and Justin joined hands. They convinced everybody else to stay behind. After saying a prayer for good luck, Chris teleported them to the center of the town. From there they would find the park.