Burned Alive

2

James had never imagined that he would live his life the way he had. Ever since the day of the fire, he had lived a double life.

In one, he watched his own son become scarred for life, and then watch him suffer in mental institutions time and time again. Yet he had to force a smile and go see Gage, and try to bring some light into the ever darkening mind of his son.

While in the other life, he had to be like a father to Gage's own brother. The one that James had led Gage to believe had died in the fire twenty years ago.

James was the keeper of a secret that had been hidden for twenty years, but even he knew that he couldn't keep it for forever. One day, he would have to let it be found out and he was terrified of what that would mean, not only for himself but for Gage and his half-brother, Tera.

It was a secret that James had decided had been hidden for too long.
_______________

He locked the car doors and walked up to the door, trying to keep his hands from shaking. He knocked twice before the front door opened and Tera, the man who had been like a son to James, stood in front of him.

"James? It's midnight. Something wrong?" Oh, how James wanted to turn back and just walk away. He didn't want to say what he knew he had to. But we walked into the house, heading straight for the kitchen table and setting his keys on the tabletop and then turning again and to face a very confused Tera.

"What's happened?" Tera asked, stepping closer. He couldn't remember the last time James had looked so worried.

And James was even more worried than he looked. He looked around the room, trying to calm himself, knowing that he needed to keep calm, Tera would react enough for the both of them when he heard the secret.

James once again looked at Tera, wondering just how he would react. Tera could have a terrifying appearance at first glance, but underneath the long black hair, piercings, tattoos, overly serious attitude, and piercing glare, he was a normal human. One that James had watched grow up from the time he was a baby.

"James? Tell me what's wrong." Tera snapped James back to the world, and he took a deep breath.

"It's about Gage." Tera froze.

The whole atmosphere seemed to change. A cold, empty, silent air stood in the room as the two men stared at each other. That name, Tera hadn't heard it in nearly twenty years.

"Gage? James, Gage died like....years and years ago." Tera scoffed, though there was emotion behind his words and his eyes.

"Twenty years ago." James corrected Tera.

"Whatever, he's gone. Don't...don't bring him up now. It's dead and buried." Tera turned and started to walk away, anger in his words.

"But it's not. He's not." Tera paused and slowly turned back around and James saw the feared fury in the brown eyes of the man.

"What?"

"Gage is alive. He's breathing like you, he's moving like you, he's alive like you. He was never dead." James watched the disbelief and the anger building in Tera.

"That's not the truth. Tell me the truth." Tera spoke slowly, deeply, and above all, angrily.

"He was pulled out of the fire." James explained.

"So you're telling me...that my brother...has been alive these past twenty years. That he survived that damn fire, and made it out perfectly fine. And you never thought to tell me?!" Tera shouted so loudly that the Windows rattled.

"He didn't make it out perfectly fine, Tera."