THE VIGILANTE: THE SERIES[BOOK 2]

Ep.13 - Endgame

The moonlight brought sorrow over these hallowed grounds. The sounds of crickets filled the air. The strong odor of decay filled my nose. The soft winds of the night brought chills down my spine. I was once a boy plagued by the issues of any normal teenager, and now, I was faced with a dire ultimatum. How could I come to grips with such a life altering decision? Why is this power bestowed upon me? I was torn in two, while angels and devils played with my mind. A girl I've fantasized is being held against her will by a polarizing mongrel. Everything about this felt fictitious, but it wasn't real, this was a real choice I had to make. I lost myself in the words embedded on my uncle's tombstone. I tried to picture his face, his smile, but I couldn't bring myself to. Finally, I found the words to say.

"Unc, I uh-I don't know what to do." I said, standing over his tombstone. 

"This man he's-he's dangerous, vicious. He may live by a code, but it is covered in blood, and...I'm afraid it's going to get on my hands. You always told me that a choice like that is not yours to make, that it is over you, that people don't deserve that kind of power. But I learned the truth, we don't deserve that kind of power because we don't deserve to carry that kind of burden. I don't know if I can do this." I prayed to hear his voice, just a sound, something to comfort me. I kneeled down in front of his tombstone, fighting back my tears.

 
"I want to honor-...I want to do the right thing. But where does the line end? What's beyond the line?"

I buried my head to the sound of nothingness. I checked my watch and it's almost time. I pulled the revolver out of my pocket, teasing the trigger. I had to trust that I would make the right decision.

I hopped down onto the rooftop, looking down over the street, looking down over my city. More than anything tonight, we needed a hero, or at least someone to stop this madman. I had my suit on, and I was prepared. Suddenly, I heard this scuffing sound in the distance. I looked over the rooftop, trying to find the sound. I could hear someone mumbling. I found her, Danielle, tied to the wall. I ran over to her, tugging at the zip ties around her wrist. I pulled the cloth from her mouth.

"Jake! Jake!" she cried out.

"Relax, okay. I'm here. I'm going to get you out of this." I said, rubbing her head.

"Hey, kid." Adrian said from up top. I slowly moved away from her, edging closer to him. "Didn't think you'd show."

"Not even in your nightmares." I replied.

"You know, usually I would've just shot you clean, you would've had a quick death. This time however, I'm going to take my time killing you, right after I kill her." He said. 

I pulled the gun from my back pocket. I could see the smirk on his face. He stepped right in front of me. 

"So what's it gonna be 'hero'?" He said. I stepped back and stretched my arm. I softly placed the end of the barrel in the center of his forehead. He closed his eyes, waiting for his end. 

I pulled the trigger. CLICK!.....

He opened his eyes with my brain still intact. I threw the gun down. 

"I'm not like you." I said. 

His face turned red. He pulled his pistol; I swiped his arm and kicked it far away. I pulled out my blast knuckles, striking him in his stomach. He crumbled to his knees. I drove my knee across his face, he rolled through it onto his feet. I pulled my batons, swinging at him. He continued to dip and dodge my strikes, grabbing my wrists. It was a true power struggle. We were locked into each other's eyes, face-to-face, a battle against two polarizing morales. He grabbed one of my batons from my hand, striking me across my helmet. I threw my other one at him, he ducked out of the way. I jumped at him, but he caught me in the air. I maneuvered, locking my legs around his arm and head, bending my torso backwards while I clenched his wrist. He pounded at me chest, but I fought to keep my grip. He pulled a knife out and drove it into my torso. I cried out from the pain; it pierced my jacket, but didn't get all the way through. He pulled the knife out, I released my grip. I hopped up onto the platform, jumping onto his back. He threw me over his shoulders, slamming me on the rooftop. He rained down punches, I tried to move but I was stuck on my back. He slammed and pounded, driving his fists down onto my forearms. One punch broke through, pounding my head into the ground. My ears started ringing. I tried to get up to my feet, but he drove his foot into my helmet. I fell to the ground, peering up to three skies. I made it up to my knees, but I rose to find myself staring down the barrel. 

"Game over, kid." He said. He pulled the trigger.........

.......no bullet. He stared at the revolver. 

"I guess you shoot blanks." I mumbled. 

He punched me square in my helmet, cracking it. My eyes widened as the gust of wind splashed on my skin, under my mask. Suddenly, a light lit up the sky. The sound of spinning rotors and a squeaky megaphone flew up into the sky. 

"LCPD, lower your weapon or we will open fire." It was the commissioner, and some officers inside of a chopper. 

"Mike, no."I whispered to myself. 

The shooter ducked down behind the wall, and pulled out his sniper. He fired two shots, one hitting an officer and the other tagging the tail of the chopper. The chopped began spinning, and came crashing down into the street. He ran over to the edge of the roof, I charged behind him. I drove my shoulder into his back, forcing the sniper over the edge. He tossed over his shoulder, I returned the favor, shifting my weight. He searched the rooftop, looking for his pistol. He found it and ran over to it, close to Danielle. He picked it up, and I grabbed at his wrist. We tussled for control, fighting to the bitter end to not let him fire. Another chopper arrived, this time with an even brighter blinding light. He misfired. BANG! The gun was so close to my head, the shockwave made my ear bleed. I fell to my knees. I fought to keep focus. The light, the ground, the girl! I looked and he grabbed at Danielle. 

"No!" I yelled. I blindly tossed my Nightblade in their direction. It cut his wrist, knocking the gun from his hand. I looked again, finding my Nightblade lodged into the wall.. Danielle had got free. She ran for the rooftop door. He chased after him, so I grabbed him. I locked my arm around his neck, and my other around his right arm.

I pulled him, but he reached down and grabbed the gun. 

"Don't do it Adrian!" I yelled, trying to hold him back. He was too strong, but with all my might I was not letting go. My heart began to race. He slowly began to raise his aim. 

"Stop this!" He continued to raise it. 

"I'm begging you!" Danielle was pulling at the door with all her might. 

"GO! GO! GO!" I yelled to her. 

"It won't open." She cried out. 

His arm stretched higher and higher. The lights became more blinding, shining over the entire roof. 

The winds vastly blowing, the noise piercing the skies. 

He aimed to take his shot. 

He locked in, one eye, one shot, one kill. 

I freed his arm and-"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" SNAP! 

Everything turned black. I slowly opened my eyes. The roof was covered in light, the winds still blowing. Danielle was ducked down by the door, unharmed. I looked down. His body, lifeless and cold, laying below my feet. I gazed into his open eye, as his face buried into the pavement, but there was no sign of vision. I stood over his corpse, not halting the contouring and bruising on his neck. I slowly raised my trembling hands, gazing deeply into my palms.

And just like, I had become vengeance.

THE END

IS IT REALLY?