GFD 12: Blood Ties - 17. Chapter 17

It began with a pulse of unimaginable power...surging through me, from my shoulders, down my arms, and then glowing warmly in the palms of my hands. It starts off feeling like you're holding a loaded gun in your hands. A smoking firecracker with a very short fuse left before detonation. Most would fantasize that having such power at your fingertips would be 'exhilarating'. But the truth is, it's quite the opposite. It's frightening. Beyond anything that you've ever known. Because you can only have so much power before it takes control over you. Lashes out without your consent. And I had reached that point a long long time ago.

Dion, no matter how hard he fought, was taking some heavy damage from Alec's highly psychotic movements. Rage was so heartless in his attacks, and even with his emotions shut down...Dion was simply not going to be a match. I had to do something. I wasn't going to let one of my closest friends die for this! Get up, Justin.....

I SAID GET UP, JUSTIN!!!!

Whatever pieces of myself I lose in doing this...I hope I can just find a way to get them back later. But for now....

I needed more power than my normal conscience would allow me to have.

Letting the energy take over was like slowly sinking into a pit of molten lava. Clouding everything, burying it deep inside, and soon...I felt myself slowly rising from the floor once again. I didn't want to sink too deep. Needed to keep my head above it to make sure I don't completely go nuts with this dark side in control. But whether or not I can keep that balance....depends on the fight itself.

I'm sorry, Com. I know you taught me to use my instincts, and not let them use me. But this time...there's no other way...

I stood up, and SHOT forward at top speed...ramming my shoulder into Alec's back and slamming him hard, face first, into a fucking wall! Surprising both him AND Dion in the middle of their scuffle, their conflict came to an abrupt end...and he was left with ME to deal with. But even when caught off guard, Alec was quick to retaliate, his fury firing up to blaze even hotter than before.

With gnashed teeth and a growl, he used his arms to push away from the wall, and I backed up just in time as he spun around to slash at my throat. I think he was expecting to be fighting the same boy he was tangling with just a few moments before....but he wasn't. My extras all kicked into a frenzy at once, cycling faster than my mind could calculate, and already...I could feel myself spinning out of control.

Alec's eyes were glowing with such a deep shade of crimson....it was like nothing that I had ever seen in a vampire before! Those eyes were so distracting that I was beginning to take some damage to my face and ribs just staring at them. Trying to mentally interfere with my fighting instincts was slowing me down. Stiffening me up. I had to let go....just a little bit more. Just a little at the time. Incrementally losing my sanity. I had to be ever so easy with it. Even when my whole body was lit up like a Christmas tree...nearly ACHING with power! What happens...

...If I give in completely?

Alec struck out, and I caught his wrist, he kicked one of my legs out from under me, but with a twist of my hips, I was able to spin around without losing my balance. He pulled his hand out of my grip, and I swung my leg around to sweep him off of his feet. And yet, he popped right back up and continued fighting as though he hadn't felt it.

He seemed to get faster...stronger. I ducked and dodged all I could, but I slipped up somewhere. And that's when Alec took a hold of my fist, and sank his extended fangs DEEP into the tender meat of my forearm! I screamed out in pain, and pressed my hand on Alec's forehead in an attempt to pry his hungry teeth off of me! We spun around in circles, his bite holding steady, with me unable to wrestle his jaws open...and still defending himself with a free arm as my blood poured out of the edges of his lips!

Finally, I reached out a hand to grab a handful of his side, gripping it tightly! He hardly had any fat on him at all, but before he could wiggle his slender frame away from me, I felt an electric current shoot down my arm and give him one HELL of a shock! At first, it made him bite down even harder on me, causing us both a jolt of pain! But when he opened his mouth to shout out in agony, I pulled my arm back, and delivered a kick to his chest that knocked him back up against the wall. I held my arm, blood gushing from the wound...and all of the sudden, my body began using Rain's extra to heal itself. But it was super accelerated somehow. Even more so than any other time that I had used it. And it began to heal and re-energize other parts of me as well. Alec didn't give me much of a chance to breathe, and came at me again, his psychotic whirlwind of varied techniques delivered at lightning speed. My body continued to heal as I fought him off, and soon I was feeling stronger than I was before. But that's when the harmful side effects kicked in....

The physical pain began to transform itself into emotional pain. A GREAT deal of it! For every physical scar that was healed...another painful scar was opened internally. Thoughts of suicide of my past abuse, or Richie wasting away in this hospital, of not being able to save Jarrod in the IceZone, of hurting Taryn by mistake and fleeing the lot...sooooo much pain. Sooooo much all at once! It became almost unbearable. And the more misery I felt, the stronger Alec got. Absorbing it into the black hole of his soul as our deadly dance found a new balance. And I began to take some heavy hits all over again. Too fast! Can't think! Alec's fingernails sharpened themselves, and he cut bloody shreds into the back of my shirt, then slashing me across the right cheek, and spin kicking me over a lounge chair in the waiting room.

I tried to get up, but Alec was already running in the opposite direction...trying to get back to Taryn!

The wires that were holding him and the others in place had almost been loosened completely...but just as Jeremy got free, Alec knocked him to the floor, and then wrapped his fingers around his brother's neck. They could almost see each other eye to eye now...Alec, a slightly smaller version of his big brother, both now frozen forever at the same age. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this!" He said with a smirk, and quickly lifted Taryn's head to brutally sink his fangs into the side of his neck!

He screamed.....

I heard my boyfriend...the light of my life...scream in pain!

And then saw my best friend, Dion jump in to pull Alec off of him! Not knowing what the fates had planned for him if he continued to feed into his role in the circle. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't....not by myself.

As I watched Taryn bleed down the front of his shirt, and Dion get his arm pinned behind him while Alec took some stabs at his kidneys with his nails...I realized that I had to go deeper. I needed the madness. The more the realization crept up on me, the more I wanted it. The more my curiosity got the better of me. What does it feel like....to go further?

I continued to sink in. Until there was hardly anything left of me at all. I began to feel like that 'other' me in the dream....in fact, I could almost feel him smiling at my willingness to submit. And I walked toward Alec with my head slightly tilted downward, feeling the Earth tremble beneath my feet, drawing energy from the entire hospital in through the tips of my fingers. And hearing the low growl of the monster within...echoing in my ears.

Alec turned to me, and unleashed a fury of punches and kicks that I managed to block....one-handed. The anger inside got worse, and the pain brought to the surface from Rain's extra only fed it more. I quickly reached out an arm to snatch that little son of a bitch by his reddish brown hair, and without a thought...I swung him around to slam him through a glass case in the lobby! It shattered instantly, and he rolled back down to the floor. He was dazed for a moment, sore and bleeding, and I stood still...waiting for the fucker to get up again and FACE me!

I heard myself say to Rain and Jeremy, "Take Taryn and Richie...and get them out of here. This isn't finished yet." It was spoken with such a deep and darkened tone that I hardly recognized it as my own voice. I felt Dion's extra shutting down all feelings of mercy, all feelings of restraint...it was becoming harder to listen to my conscience anymore.

Alec got to his feet, and enraged, he turned the giant metal frame of the glass case over and kicked it at me! It slid across the floor in my direction but I flipped right over it. Reaching a hand back without looking to stop the case from sliding any further...just seconds before it collided with Richie and Jeremy on the floor. I started walking towards him again, and Alec was more than ready for me. It was then that Jenna attempted to get him from behind, and he dodged, spinning around to kick her broken arm, and push her away. Dion was next to jump forward, but Alec dispatched him with a few well placed kicks to his legs and stomach. I continued to move forward...measuring every step...awaiting my turn.

Alec ran at me, and I was suddenly finding it easy to read his every move before he even made it. He was a JOKE! A pathetic...FUCKING...*JOKE*!!! My muscles tensed, my teeth grinded...and the madness....that glorious madness...began to truly take the effect it was supposed to have. And the demon in me began to rise up with hatred in its heart. The kind of hatred that brought peace to the mind ready to murder its opponent.

I felt INSULTED!!! Arrogant! And at one point, as Alec shrieked in frustration, I opened my hand and slapped him across the face! Then used a brain geyser blast to knock him back up against the wall ten feet away!

Dion and Jenna got up to stand at my side, but I used both hands to brutally push them back. "I TOLD you to *GO*!" I said, just as Alec rushed in to attack all three of us. Jenna and Dion were trying their best to help me. To keep up with what Alec and I were doing. But in my mind they were just as WEAK and useless as Alec was! I began to physically PUSH them away in between dodging Alec's blows! Neither one of them could understand, but my fury began to get just as bad as Alec's...and I began to take it out on them as well.

Somehow, Alec found an opening, and he jumped up to the wall to run around us to the hallway, just as Rain, Jeremy, and Taryn, had gotten a 'still unconscious' Richie to a position where they could carry him again. They attempted to turn and make a break for the elevators, but Alec charged after them! However...something strange happened. He 'tripped' over something and fell to the floor. And I thought that I detected movement elsewhere in that hallway, but didn't have time to pinpoint it. Alec opened wide and a slick golden liquid poured out of his mouth! A sludge like oil, covering the entire hallway in a slippery substance that slid under the others' feet and prevented them from keeping their balance. All four of them fell down, and couldn't get any friction whatsoever to stand back up again! Then Alec hopped up to walk along the wall on the left and come after them.

Without a moment's hesitation, I jumped to one of the side walls, and sprang back and forth, zig zag motion, between them to catch up to Alec before he could reach the others. I avoided the floor completely, and then moved to the ceiling to grab Alec by the back of his neck and physically pull him off of the wall to drop him into his own organic 'mess'.

Alec began to slip up himself, and I moved to the ceiling to give Taryn my hand. He took it, and I lifted him up and swung him to a part of the hall not covered in ooze, then went back for the others. But Alec was not to be outdone! Even as he was fighting for a foothold.

I saw Alec on his hands and knees begin to breathe what looked like pure, ice cold, vapors. And he froze the slippery substance surround him. I only had a few seconds more to act. I told Rain and Jeremy to hand me Richie and to HANG ON! Using all the strength I had, I walked along the ceiling, carrying all three of them with me until I could get them over a part of the floor that would allow them to grab a foothold!

"NO!!!" Alec screamed! And blew out more of the vapors until the floor around him was frozen solid in a circle. And then, with a downward punch of his fist, and a combination of Jeremy's vibration extra....he shattered the frozen ooze into shards, and stood on his feet again!

"JUSTIN!!! LOOK OUT!!!" Taryn shouted, and just as I tossed them all to the floor, with Jeremy and Rain breaking poor Richie's fall...I turned to battle Alec on the side wall. Even from this angle, his skills were beyond compare. I could barely protect myself, much less deliver any damaging strikes of my own. So once again...I let myself go. And my hidden tempers began to burn without limitation.

Moving to the ceiling himself, Alec and I began to trade blows with one another viciously. Punch for punch, kick for kick. And every time he tried to move towards Taryn and the others, I made sure to grab him by the back of the neck and get his attention back on me! Unfortunately though, both Dion and Jenna REFUSED to let me fight him alone!

They couldn't walk on walls the way we could, but did their best to join in the conflict from the ground. And as my ego and anger fused themselves together and truly took hold of me, thoughts of dispatching them as well entered my mind.

What was I doing? What was I thinking??? I didn't have much time to think. 'Rage' was pushing me too hard and too fast to really concentrate on much of anything. I found myself fighting blindly, with nothing but hatred and arsenic lacing my every movement. My body was 'learning'. And before long, my movements were just as unstable and insane as his were. Fight it, Justin!!!! Keep your head! You're letting him force you into a whole other state of mind! STOP IT!!!!

I saw Alec grab Jenna by the hair, and lift her off of the ground, and when Dion reacted...he tossed her in Dion's direction, knowing that he'd move to catch her. Knowing that I'd be distracted by what happened to them both. And he slid right out from under my attention, chasing Jeremy and Rain before they could get Richie and Taryn to safety.

They were all waiting at the elevator for it to reach our floor, and Alec hopped down from the wall to grab Taryn and throw him to the floor. Rain moved to help him, but he kicked her backwards against a nearby drinking fountain. Taryn attempted to run, but Alec ran him down easily with the abilities coursing through him. He took a hold of my boyfriend, and slammed him against a wall, delivering as many bone crushing blows to his chest and face as he could before I was able to get to them. feeling the ANGER building faster than I was ready for, I began to have a knock down, drag out, BRAWL with Rage in the middle of the hall! To the point where even if we BLOCKED a punch, it would leave a bruise!

"You're not gonna be able to stop me, blondie! Not this time!" He growled.

"You CAN'T have him!"

"Stay out of this! It has nothing to do with you!"

"I don't fucking CARE!!!" I shouted, and with a snarl, Alec attacked me with an unrelenting series of punches and kicks until I was forced backwards into the waiting room. And suddenly, he grabbed a hold of my wrist...and I felt a demonic energy run all the way up to my shoulder and numb my entire arm! Leaving me defenseless on the right side! A few well placed kicks and I was easily LOSING this fight! The effects of that extra were slowly wearing off, but despite my attempts to stall him, it wasn't happening fast enough. And suddenly...I had taken a full impact punch to my jaw...and a kick to the center of the stomach that had lifted me off of my feet. The elevator doors opened, and Alec was quick to run towards them...but even before I got back on my feet, I saw him...being 'interfered' with, and he began swinging at the air around him. For a moment, I thought I caught sight of a blur, but Jenna jumped in and before she could even get started, Alec had nearly put her head through a wall. Dion attempted to protect her, but was nearly decapitated with a roundhouse kick that sent him spinning to the floor. I raced forward, and reached out fro Alec's throat....but what I saw...was NOT my hand.

It was dark. Surrounded by shadows. And my vision had been tinted red by their combatative glow. A deep guttural growl rattled around in my chest just seconds before it exploded into the air around us, and the amount of muscle in my grip could NOT be broken as Alec's thin throat filled the palm of my hand. I effortlessly lifted him from the ground, and when he fought to get free, I slammed the back of his head against the wall. It wasn't my arm....it was the Beast's arm. And it was thriving off of my aggression. Gaining power. Building a brand new 'form'. And you wanna know something...I LIKED it!

Alec kicked and screamed like the brat he was, and with an angry impulse I threw him across the room like a rag doll! His slender body smashed through a table, and I paused as I felt the shadows around me swallowing me up in a fit of eternal darkness. They wrapped their cold dark tentacles around my arms and legs...swirling with all the pain and hatred they possessed...and the Beast devoured them whole! Oh, how that evil creature soooo loved the suffering of those in the vicinity. Between the mental manipulations of my other self, the fury of 'Rage's' attacks, and the Beast seeking out a new energy source...I was too divided in my focus to actually stand a chance against an enemy so vicious. So determined to hit its target.

Alec rolled forward, and his strikes began to aim for my legs to knock me off balance. I dodged and moved just as fast, if not faster, than he was. But he kept PUSHING me...and I kept having to let myself go even deeper into madness to defend myself. The harder I fought, the more I felt the horrors of my life seeping into the deepest parts of my mind. Memories long forgotten, or perhaps suppressed instinctively to keep me from crying myself to sleep every night. It was THAT battle that was taking its toll on me. I felt Alec's fingernails slash at me, slicing my arm open! I pushed him backwards, and connected a spin kick to his jaw. He came at me full force with his razor sharp nails pointed downwards like a pair of demonic talons. I dodged as best as I could, but when he cut me, he cut DEEP, and my shirt was drenched with blood from his attack. I felt my hand reach out and grab a hold of his wrist all on its own. And when he tried to cut me again, I grabbed his other hand, holding his two 'weapons' steady as he struggled to get free. Our legs kicked out and stepped back and forth against one another, spinning and trying to gain the leverage for him to break free and for me to hold on. We struggled for a moment, and that's when Alec jerked forward in an attempt to bite me in the FACE! Fangs down, eyes glowing, I saw Alec fight even harder from whatever skills and abilities he was picking up from me. He used his fangs to try to bite at my arms, my chest...anything he thought that he could get his teeth on. But I held him still and managed to dodge at the same time. If I let him go, he was sure to cut me to ribbons. But being this close to those teeth for much longer wasn't such a good idea either.

He tried to bite my throat out, and I had to raise my knee up between us and press it against his chest to keep him from coming close enough. He snapped and screamed in frustration...but when he saw me balancing on one foot to keep him at bay, he swept my leg from under me and got his hands free.

He DOVE towards me and I quickly rolled back to my feet. His speedy slashes became too much for me to even SEE, much less effectively block! My body began to react even more instinctively, trying to protect me like it always has. But this time, the strikes were more brutal. More merciless. I found myself delivering blows that could easily KILL someone where they stood! If Alec hadn't been skilled enough to dodge them...they could have done some real damage. The madness swelled, and soon, Alec and I were an even match. Each one raising the stakes for the other. The stronger I got, the stronger he got. And vice versa. It was then that I felt a change in me that I really didn't expect at all.

Somehow, the dark energies within me began to 'reach out' beyond just me. It was as if it had become agitated with my restraint...and instead found a much more reckless appeal in Alec's pain instead. The Beast within took notice...and was drawn to Alec's fury. Lured in by his pain. It had only gotten a taste, but it would have all of the heartless rage it would ever need to finally return to full strength...if only it could latch itself onto such a powerful host. Alec and I continued to fight with one another furiously, but I could feel the demon trying to get out. Trying to connect with him. And if that happened, there would be no stopping him at all. I had to cut it off. I sucked the energy back in and attempted to hold it steady, but Alec kept slamming his fist into me as hard as he could! Forcing me to let go again.

It was a tug of war with the creature stuck in the middle. Alec was feeding off of me, the Beast was feeding off of both of us, and the only way to stay alive was to submit more and more of my sanity to the darkness creeping up around me. Somewhere along the way, I had a major brain freeze...and Alec took advantage of my lack of focus. I was able to see him spinning just seconds before he delivered a harsh kick to my stomach that sent me flying backwards against the cracked hospital windows! By the time I had caught my breath, Alec charged right at me with another side kick, and I heard the glass shatter as my boy flew through it, the shards and sharp edges cutting me as my body flew out into the open air.

Seven stories up. SEVEN! I felt myself freefalling with the rest of the glass and debris, my stomach still hurting from the impact of the blow! And then came the inevitable 'thud' when I hit the grassy lawn outside! I think I might have blacked out for a few moments, my head foggy and disoriented from the sudden drop. I rolled to the side, holding my stomach, coughing as I had the wind knocked out of me from slamming into the ground so hard. There was shattered glass surrounding me, so I had to be careful...but even in my dizzy state...I could almost feel Taryn being hurt back up on the 7th floor of the hospital. No doubt, Alec was ripping into every last one of my friends inside...and I was too far away to help them. Too far away to stop him.

The shadows continued to swirl around me, feeding me power that I didn't want. I rejected the madness, and that only made the energy long for Alec's rage all the more. It was an impossible balance to maintain...but no matter what happens...I had to get back up there and help my friends! GET....THE FUCK....UP!!!!

I felt the ache, the intense pain...but with all the determination I could muster, I put both of my hands on the grassy lawn, and I pushed myself up to my knees. I felt my stomach heaving as my breath started to pick up. I felt my vision turn an ever deeper shade of crimson, and my fingers dug into the dirt with frustration. That Beast was trying DESPERATELY to get out! And it took every thing I had to hold it in. I remember what happened with Natpea back at the warehouse....and if I let it take control again, there's no telling what I'm gonna do or WHO I'm gonna hurt! My friends included. I could hear sirens in the distance. The sound of screeching tires. It wouldn't take them long before they got here. I didn't have much longer to solve this problem. Trying to calm down enough to act without going mad proved to be difficult. Like trying to swallow an entire apple without chewing. A part of me wanted it soooooo badly! It CRAVED the release of giving Alec exactly what he deserved. It was the same feeling that I felt punching that fucking school bully in the face over and over and OVER again!!! Finally getting a sense of JUSTICE from his pain! His warm blood staining the heated fury of my tightly clenched fists! I needed to feel that again. That power. That control of the situation. That undeniable domination of an enemy that was so far beneath me! And yet...here I was trying to hold it all in. Trying to keep it from getting out. And it was proving to be no more effective than diving on a live grenade to keep it from murdering your whole platoon. It was going to get out. It was searching for ways to break me down from the inside as fast as it could. I was running out of places to redirect it.

But the creature insisted, and my very soul began to vomit up bits and pieces of the Beast to the surface. And within a minute or two, I felt large black wings growing out of my shoulders. Dark, leathery wings. A demon's wings. And all on their own...they began to flap awkwardly to physically 'push' the air beneath me and lift me off of the ground. I wasn't in control. I didn't have any idea what I was doing...but I suddenly found myself, not touching the ground at all...and those powerful wings took me back up to the second floor...and to Alec.

When I got to the broken window, I had to retract the wings to fit inside. I heard the noises of conflict coming from by the elevator, and ran to see what was happening. Jenn and Dion had both been injured even worse than before, Jeremy was in a corner, trying to protect Richie as best as he could, and Rain was left to bleed inside of an open elevator that she was trying to keep open with her hand....the door closing on it over and over again, only to feel the 'intrusion' of her arm with its sensor and then open up again. But what really captured my attention was Alec standing back against the wall....with Taryn's arm twisted back behind his back. Holding him by the throat...resting his chin on his brother's shoulder...waiting for me to return.

I took a very CAREFUL stance when I saw him, and Alec was cautious to keep Taryn in front of him, merely peeking out from over his shoulder. When he saw me, he cursed me with a demonic smile, and proudly displayed his 'checkmate' in front of my eyes. I looked down at the floor, and both Dion and Jenna looked as if they had nearly been beaten to a point of uselessness now. Alec's demonic grin forced me to keep my distance, and he kept his free hand...sharp fingernails drawn...at Taryn's throat. "It took you longer than I expected." He said. "I was beginning to think you didn't want to join the party."

"Let him go..." I said.

"Oh, come on now....how pointless is it for you to even SAY that?" He told me. "It's pointless for you to try to bargain with me at this point. We're beyond that now. We were beyond that before this conflict even began."

"Alec....I'm only going to tell you one more time..."

He tilted his head for a moment, his evil gaze fixed on me. "Funny. You know my name...and yet, I don't know yours. Now how is that? Has big brother been talking about me again? Huh?" He raised his pinky finger and dragged it across Taryn's face...leaving a thin river of blood to trickle down Taryn's beautiful face while he winced from the pain. "Mmmm...I LOVE seeing him bleed for me! You know that?"

"DON'T!!!" I shouted, hoping to keep him from doing any more damage. "This is our fight. Leave Taryn out of this."

"OUR fight?" Alec laughed. "Dude, I don't even fucking KNOW you!!! But you DO make for one hell of an opponent, I'll give you that! I've been going back and forth, searching the darkness for someone who could actually give me a challenge worth speaking of. And YOU...haven't failed to impress me! You give me a workout that's actually worth my time. Can't say the same for your deadbeat friends though."

"Let him go." I said again. "Please...let's you and me finish this. There's no need to bring Taryn into this, he's innocent."

"INNOCENT???" Alec sneered, the anger returning and quickly boiling out of control. "Is that what you think? That he's innocent??? No no no....don't be fooled by the little 'China Doll's' sweet smile and boyish charm. There is NOTHING 'innocent' about this boy. Not at ALL!" I attempted to take a slow step forward, but he grabbed Taryn's throat tighter. "CAREFUL!!! You don't want me piercing your little boyfriend's heart while you watch, now do you?" He told me, and I was forced to back off. Even though Taryn watched me with tears streaming from his eyes. "You wanna know how long it's been? How long since I've laid eyes on my big brother. Ten years. Ten...long....years. And you wouldn't BELIEVE how much hatred I've built up over that amount of town time!!! What made you think for one moment that I'd let you just FORGET about me???"

Taryn, with tears flooding his eyes, said, "I LOVED you Alec! I didn't have a choice! You were SICK! You needed help, and I didn't know how to help you..."

"***LIES***!!!!!" Alec shouted! He cut another long painful mark into Taryn's face, but he made sure to keep him between us to prevent me from rushing in to attack him. "You LEFT me, Taryn!!! YOU LEFT ME TO SUFFER ALL ALONE!!!!" Holding Taryn tight, Alec used his fangs to bite own on Taryn's shoulder, causing him to yelp out loud. But when I stepped forward, he stepped back again....keeping his distance. "You knew what would happen if you left me in that house! You KNEW! But you did it anyway! YOU dragged me out into the streets...and then you ABANDONED me! You ran out, leaving me to be abused and RAPED by that son of a bitch!!! Did you think I'd just forget??? That I'd somehow get rid of the agonizing HATED I felt for you???"

"I tried...." Taryn sobbed. "...I did everything I could to keep us safe." 'Us'. It was a word that I didn't anticipate. Us. How much of Taryn's past was a blindspot to me. How many questions had I avoided to give him peace of mind? "Nobody would listen, Alec. Nobody would...."

"You were supposed to *MAKE* them listen, Taryn!!!! You were supposed to look out for me! *YOU* were the FAGGOT!!! NOT me!!! Do you know what it's like...to have a grown man's tongue slithering into your mouth when you're too young to understand what he's even doing to you? Or to have to bite down on a pillow to keep from screaming while someone violates you night after night? Chuck wanted YOU, Taryn....and when he couldn't have you....he settled for me. He made it a punishment for you running away from home." Alec snarled angrily. "You have no IDEA how much it hurt, Taryn! The things he did to me....the things he forced me to endure! I swear...he used to fuck me EXTRA hard just to punish me for not being you. His pretty little 'China doll'. There were days when he had to call me in sick to school because I couldn't even walk after what he did to me!" He gripped Taryn's throat even harder. Cutting off his air supply. "And while you were out here....laughing and playing in the dark with your friends...I was taking the ultimate hit for the team, wasn't I? Left behind to ROT emotionally in that house! You really fucked up by coming back that night, Taryn!!! You should have led me to believe that you were DEAD! At least THEN I could have had some closure! But no...when you showed your fucking FACE at our house again...and I realized what you had become...I started longing...no....ACHING for this moment! The moment where I get to hear you scream like I screamed! Watch you cry like I cried! And feel the life and the light drain out of you the way it was drained out of me. You OWE me, Taryn! And it's time for me to collect!"

"Alec...PLEASE don't!" I shouted.

Taryn sniffled, "I loved you...with all that I had to give!"

And Alec merely replied, "Awww, of course you did. You've got a lot of 'heart', big brother. So I hope you don't mind me taking it out of your fucking CHEST and having a little look see, now do you? 'About the size of a fist'...isn't that what they say?"

I couldn't take anymore, I moved forward, and Alec was quick RIP his sharp nails across Taryn's throat, blood gushing out to land on my face as I watched him fall to his knees. "TARYN!!!!!!!" My angel....my sweet sweet angel! He held his throat, the blood still running freely from the gaping wound. I rushed to catch him as he fell forward, and his green eyes were wide open in horror. He couldn't even speak...his vocal chords had been cut. It brought me SUCH unbelievable pain to see my soul mate so damaged. So helpless. I was paralyzed by the shock of it.

"Don't get too comfortable, Taryn." Alec grinned wickedly. "I'm just getting STARTED with the carnival of painful delights I have planned for you! I'm saving the heart for last!"

"Baby? Baby hold on...please..." I sobbed. I tried to stop the blood from pouring out, but it just kept coming. My eyes were too blurry to see, and I just tried to hold him tight as his body began to shake violently in reaction to the pain. "Taryn, PLEASE, baby...stay with me..."

"How touching." Alec sneered. "He's not hurt that bad. Not YET anyway. I'll give you two a few minutes to say goodbye if you'd like." But then, I saw Alec suddenly jump. He turned around quickly, and swung at the air. It was an odd and unexpected 'twitch', but it distracted him just long enough for Dion to suddenly blindside Alec and nearly take his head clear off of his shoulders!

Dion tackled him to the floor, getting him far away from Taryn. "Rain's holding the door! Jeremy's got Richie! Get Taryn out of here! GO!!! While I can still hold him!!!"

But Alec didn't allow Dion's heroics stop him for long. Once the element of surprise had worn off...he began to ram his fists into Dion's face and chest as hard as he possibly could. No....no....the circle can't end like this! It CAN'T! I was holding Taryn....and I didn't want to let him go. I couldn't BEAR to let him go!!! My boyfriend was bleeding himself dry in my arms, for Christ sake!!!

Dion could barely defend himself, taking hits all over. And when he did land a punch or kick, Alec became so infuriated that he struck back even harder. I could see it happening. I could see the events unfolding before my eyes. And by the time I had dragged Taryn to the side to keep him safe, ready to run in and help..........

....It was already too late.

Alec pushed Dion so hard that he nearly went through the hospital wall! And he tossed Dion to the floor, reaching in through the hole to rip out a long metal pipe. Sharp and jagged at one end!

Dion attempted to get up, but Rage dispatched him quickly and knocked him back into the corner, the metal pipe bruising him with every swing. And I screamed out loud as Alec raised the pipe high, the metal spinning wildly in his fingertips....and then....with a spin...Alec forced the silver colored spear forward with a STABBING motion...

...And it pierced straight through a still beating heart.

Everything from the drawing was just as I had pictured it. Just as I had seen it. Dion in the corner, on the floor...looking on in horror at the sharp end of the pipe...dripping with blood.

However....

...It wasn't Dion's heart that had been punctured.

It began as a fuzzy image in the corner of my eye at first. But it began to get clearer as the extra wore off, and more blood poured from the fatal wound. It made sense now, but now was too late. The signature that I had been secretly sensing since we left the lot, that had followed us to the hospital, and now had made the ultimate sacrifice...for the only boy he ever loved.

The profound sadness in Dion's eyes was enough to drown out every other emotion in the room. And standing before him, impaled, back to front....was Dylan...just now becoming visible again.

Losing his concentration to control his abilities....as his body began to shut down, and his life in darkness met it's fate.

The circle...was complete at last.