RED PARALLEL

Chapter 69: Fallen Angels

Song: Way Down We Go, by KALEO.

The skin and body burned, encaged. Imprisoned. Forced to hear a mountain of words, an avalanche of darkness. So dirty, so unbearable, yet so righteous for the one standing in front of Traviz, sucking the cigarette along with his tears, tears running down his white face and leaving a salty trail.

"Son? Owen?"

G.Klo's voice was strong enough to pass through the plenty of excessive and catatonic smoke, strong enough to burst a deep long cannon of light inside Traviz's chest, strong enough to make him find strength inside his lost self and refill him with hope. It was about time, why his father had taken so long? But the pale guy, so erroneously synced with Traviz's thoughts, spoke, staring deeply at the locked door:

"About time..."

How could a spine shiver so much after shivering so much? But it did, it shook and screamed, Owen unlocking the door to receive the special guest, the cold smoky gun hanging between his long fingers.

"No, no..." Traviz whispered, wishing he wasn't whispering but yelling, kicking away that gun, getting into the pickup, and running away with his dad, but no... "Dad! Dad! D-don't-"

"Come in, G.Klo'," Traviz heard Owen's calm voice. The smoke was blurring everything, he couldn't see his dad. But his dad saw the gun.

"Owen, drop the gun, please. Let's talk." G.Klo' spoke.

"You're a little late, man," Owen retorted. "But it's fine, you can join us. On my terms, of course."

"Owen, how's my son-"

"Get in."

Traviz saw the huge kind and warm mass approaching in slow steps. Owen made Traviz get up from the chair and stand up against the wall, while G.Klo' would sit.

"I must say I feel so honored staying in the same room as you, Daddy G, offering you a chair is the least I can do. Sit down, big man."

"My son," G.Klo' faced Traviz, deeply apologetic. "I'm sor-"

"OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Owen shot right on G.Klo's chest, and Big Father fell.

--

Song: Moondust, by James Young.

(Owen)

Troy tripped before reaching for his shot dad, and the boy yelled his lungs out, deafening the smoke and Owen's ears, piercing Owen's heart, shedding Owen's tears, choking Owen's chest. All the pain would reverberate in Owen's body, showing how catastrophic all that shit had turned into, the taste of the smoke so nauseating, the taste of revenge snapping quicker than the bullet because Troy wouldn't stop choking, lungs and throat and body out of himself, the beautiful boy destroyed on the ground, the cute adorable boy miserably calling for his dad, pleading the man to wake up and save him from the evil bastard.

Owen turned to the wall so he could erase the picture of his forever angel flouncing on the ground, friendship turning into berserk rage, a bucket of simple curses hitting his chest like cannons, making holes the size of the world, ripping all his soul, and there was no way to fix anything anymore. The golden angel was crying, the angel dust was intoxicating his veins, but he had promised to himself; it'd be that way, he should do the right thing, and the right thing was to go wrong. So fuck the pain, the pain had ravaged him so much he should feel nothing but relief, relief, relief.

Incapable of standing with his back to that thing he loved so much, Owen turned around, determined to kill the angel, to die, and to go with him to the skies, but no, heaven and hell would separate them-

"KILL ME, YOU BASTARD!" Troy screamed from behind. "COME ON, SUCKER, DO IT!"

"Troy..." Owen looked down, contemplating the solid surface of the carpet. "Death's a gift, Life is pain. Some people deserve to live, you know."

"KILL ME, KILL ME, K-"

"If I killed you, we'd still be apart, 'cause you'd be in heaven while I'd be in hell. There's no way we can be together. I can't stand living like this anymore. I want you, but I can't have you, 'cause you love something else, something that has always been above me. I was just your distraction."

"JUST PUT THAT GUN-"

"This is called breaking someone's heart, you idiot. Don't you understand this? I hope someone breaks your heart like this. Maybe you'll remember me, then. We could've been something if you weren't so idiot. And I would be fine if I weren't such a fool."

Not yet, not yet, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-

"I loved you more than you loved me. It's unfair. So nothing better than making you feel what is like to lose the ones you love. I hate all those Crib shits, all your beautiful dance, 'cause they took you from me."

"PHANTS, STOP-"

Owen fell hard with his knees on the ground, the tears burning his eyes and flooding his lungs. "Would I be something to you if I died, Troy?"

"Phants, please don't, I'm s-sorry, no-"

"Troy, I wish I were better and I wish you were less good. This just ain't fair."

I'm sorry, too.