Beyond The Sea Blue Light

This Feeling That Something Ain't Right

My heart hammers in my chest as I throw myself against the door, Jack right beside me as we hear the bullets pinging against the outside of the metal.

"Alex, get them out of here," Jack orders.

"As soon as we open that door, they are going to cut us down," Alex counters. "How the hell are we going to get out?"

"We'll find a way," Jack sighs. "You guys get down. Kellin and I will draw them away so the three of you can run like hell to the exit, okay?"

Alex looks like he's going to argue but Jack stares him down. "We have to save them," he says. "Get them out. Then come back to get us."

Alex finally nods. "Okay," he says. "Promise me you'll be careful."

Jack smiles. "Promise, Lex." He turns to face me. "Ready?"

"Thought you'd never ask," I grin at him before we duck behind the door, on either side of it. Jack takes a deep breath. "Now!" he says, pulling it open. He disappears from sight in an instant as the bullets fly. Bullets fly in, thudding against the wall. I hear the metal pinging against the wall as I pull the gun from my waistband, flicking the safety off. The footsteps grow nearer and nearer, the shadows of several men falling across the doorway. I look over to where Jack seems to be hiding, invisible. What are we going to do now? That's when I hear Jack yell.

"Over here!" he taunts. "You missed me." The shadows freeze, spinning around. I hold my breath as they retreat farther away before I slip around the corner. How the hell did he get out without being hit? I crouch in the shadows, ignoring the broken glass digging into my palms as I peer around. There are two men, sweeping their guns back and forth as they hunt for Jack. Every so often, he shoves over something, making the two guards jump, but other than that, he's nowhere to be found.

I almost jump out of my skin in fright as Jack appears a few feet to my left. He holds up three fingers, silently counting down as the two of us charge around the corner.

My first shot misses, ricocheting off the walls. The second one catches one guard in the kneecap, blood bursting across his uniform. Jack disappeared the moment I stepped out, but the other guard falls to the ground, his legs knocked out by an invisible force. Behind me, I can hear the retreating footsteps of Alex, Tay, and Jenna as they run.

I turn toward Jack when another shot echoes through the hallway. Pain sears through my shoulder as I gasp, blood blooming across my shirt. Jack's eyes widen and he charges forward, only to be stopped by a gun pointed to his forehead.

"Nice to see you, dear brother," Ronnie snarls.

For a moment, no one seems to be breathing. Ronnie glares at Jack, who stares back in defiance all the same, as if there wasn't a gun pointed at his face.

"Stop it." Jack speaks first, his voice echoing through the now silent hallway. "You don't want to do this."

"You have no clue what I want to do," Ronnie sneers. "You're not so powerful, are you now, Jacky? One move and I can splatter your brains against the wall over there. This is what vengeance feels like."

"You want to talk to me about vengeance?" Jack's whole body is shaking, his fists clenched at his sides. "You destroyed my whole life!"

"Your kind destroyed mine!" Ronnie yells. "It's all because of you that I lost everything!"

"You sent me here!" Jack is screaming too. "You were the one who called them. How could you?"

"Because you are a freak and a monster and you deserve to be locked up."

"I'm your brother!" Jack screeches. "I thought that it would mean at least something to you." The memory of the two of them walking, arms around each other, grinning is too strong in my mind. What happened to them?

"Half brother," Ronnie sneers. "We're not blood. You're one of them."

"I was your brother!" Jack spits. "We were brothers! You said that it didn't matter that we had different fathers. You said that you would love me no matter what."

"That was before you became one of them!" Ronnie screams. "When you became one of the things I hated most."

Jack's lip trembles as he stares his brother down. "I had no control over it," he says. "You think I asked for any of this? You think I wanted to be this?"

"He wasn't asking for any of it!" Ronnie yells. "He was killed by monsters—monsters like you! I loved him and he was murdered! The love of my life was killed by your kind. Don't you see? The only way I can make up for it is if your kind is gone. And that includes you."

"Don't," Jack pleads. "You're better than this. You said it yourself, when we were little. You didn't want to be like Dad. You were going to be better."

Ronnie's hand shakes, the gun trembling in his grasp. His eyes are glistening, sweat beading on his forehead. His lips move, but no sound comes out. "I—" he rasps. "Jack—" Before I can move, there's a loud flash as the gun goes off.

Jack looks up at his brother, shock written across his face. Blood spreads across his chest, soaking his white shirt a bright, vivid scarlet as he stumbles forward. I let out a scream as Jack sinks to his knees as Ronnie backs away slowly, before turning tail and fleeing away.