BRUCIE

FOUR

He had made it to Lameer's backyard and did not hesitate to throw himself against the sturdy brown backdoor. The sun bore into the back of his sweaty neck as he pounded the closed entrance at the peak of his voice "Lameer it's Brucie open the door!" he screamed in fear. He looked around the empty, trimmed yard and spotted a mob of them running from the direction of his house. Feeling the heart dance around in his small chest he took aim and fired twice. The high velocity bullets struck one of them across the chest and he fell on the road face forward against the scorching asphalt. When the door had been yanked open he quickly lost his balance and fell inside flat on his back. S he was dumbstruck at the shape that he was in as well as the weapon that he was holding and quickly closed and bolted the hardwood door. The inside was dark and his exposure to the sun made it almost impossible to see who had granted him safety upon a cold wooden floor.

"Jesus Christ," he heard her say and noticed how her dark figure had stepped away from him.

As his eyes slowly adjusted he realized that it was none other than Lameer standing before him in a long purple blouse that covered her underwear and holding what appeared to be a bloody baseball bat. Her eyes were filled with dredd as he rose to his feet in a weakened stance and placed his left hand on the right side of his neck.

"I'm guessing you didn't get my messages," she said in a soft sad tone.

"What are you talking about?" he looked right past her explicit morning clothing and to the melancholy in her young face. A face of aspiring compassion and natural beauty, one that had never seen the modifications of make up despite the worldly influence.

She seemed upset beyond words and a savage seriousness lingered in her pink coloured eyes that had never been there before. She held the bat in one hand but appeared prepared to use its lethal advantage.

"I guess it doesn't matter now," she replied and eyed the large handgun in his left hand as well as the trail of blood that ran from his neck and dripped to the floor.

"It really is good to see you Brucie," she halfed smiled and took a step back when he approached "Brucie - you're bleeding - I think you know what has to happen here."

"My father did this to me. You couldn't possibly imagine how I feel right now," he stated with a serious edge in his teenage voice.

"I know exactly how you feel Brucie. My mother is upstairs in the bathtub, it took a couple of swings to calm her but when I finally did I realized she wasn't my mother anymore. Even in a pool of her own blood she was biting, screaming and groaning. I watched her like that for a couple of hours till I put her out of her misery and cracked her skull open," she held the bat in both hands now as tears trickled down her dark plump cheeks "I'm sorry Brucie, but if I knew you were bitten - you wouldn't have been in here."

Brucie realized how heavily draped the entire house was and the overturned coffee table in the livingroom behind her. He white blod stained walls and the dark patches in her blouse where blood had stained her and slowly lifted the gun to meet her chest. "Lameer - you are my friend - you are my best friend. Please don't let me have to do this," he felt a stream of warm tears leave his eyes.

"You'll have a hard time understanding Brucie but - you won't make it either way, and I won't endanger myself with you in here," she pouted her lips as she said this and noticed the slow pigment change in his sclera. "Get out Brucie," he voice was sof but stern "You have a gun, you'll be able to defend yourself long enough. There's the door," she made the suggestion with her head and her faced aged a little with the decision.

He placed a shaky hand on the doorknob and lowered the large handgun and his ears were deafened by its scream.