Brothers of Chaos (The Unstoppable Titans Book 1)

by Jerry Hart

Brothers wouldn’t do that to each other.

  CHAPTER 18

  Daniel wasn’t ashamed to admit he was scared. Alyssa was dead; Michael had killed her. Daniel’s imagination was working overtime as it reenacted her final moments. Why? he wondered. We’re the good guys. We’re not supposed to die like this. If we have to die, we’re supposed go out in a heroic act, and it’s not supposed to be painful. Not like that.

  He hoped she didn’t feel any pain, being slammed against a wall. Please, let her death have been quick.

  The theme music from the videogame had been turned off minutes ago; it had only made Daniel sadder.

  He glanced at D, standing in the middle of the armory. If only he had finished the robot, they could’ve taken it with them. It would’ve protected them—protected Alyssa. Daniel hated thinking of her now that she was gone, but he couldn’t help it. She hadn’t deserved what happened to her. None of them did, but most of all, her. She hadn’t been cut out for this line of work, if you could even call it work.

  No, it wasn’t a job. What was it?

  A hobby?

  No.

  Daniel cursed himself for even thinking that. Alyssa didn’t die because of a “hobby.” She died trying to make the world safer, trying to rid it of monsters that should not exist in the first place. She had been trying to do the right thing. She was the reason he had joined in the first place: She had always said he was the smartest person she knew.

  Daniel grabbed a screwdriver and went over to D. He was determined to finish this thing. He wasn’t going to let anyone else die if he could help it.

  He couldn’t figure out what was wrong, though. Why wouldn’t D respond to any of his commands? The robot just stood there, staring straight ahead. It was a four-hundred-pound paperweight. Daniel couldn’t stand to look at it anymore. He threw the screwdriver across the room, knocking over a bunch of papers from his worktable.

  “Crap!”

  He went over to pick them up; on the floor were his schematics for D as well as a book on robotics. He had built D using his natural intellect—intellect he’d wanted to apply to making videogames. That’s all he ever wanted to be: a videogame designer. He had barely even glanced at the book while constructing his broken masterpiece. He had wanted to make it look human, but he didn’t have the resources to do so. Also, Alyssa had insisted it wasn’t important to make it pretty, just functional…

  Alyssa.

  He told himself not to think of her now.

  He couldn’t help it. He missed her so much. He loved her, ever since he saw her for the first time at one of his softball games. He had been too afraid to tell her that, but he’d always complimented her whenever he could. He always looked at her when she wasn’t paying attention. At times he realized it seemed creepy, but he was fairly certain she had noticed him staring once. And he was even more certain she had even smiled at that.

  But she wouldn’t smile anymore.

  Daniel opened the book he’d just picked up, hoping beyond hope there would be something that would give him a clue as to what was wrong with his creation. He took the screwdriver and went around to the back of D’s head. He was about to unscrew the back panel when he heard a noise. It sounded like a polite knock at the front door.

  He put down the screwdriver and headed for the door. Without looking through the peephole, he opened it.

  Michael, Alyssa’s murderer, stood there, a smile on his face. Daniel slammed the door shut and put all the locks in place. He ran back to his worktable in the armory and grabbed his cell phone.

  Another polite knock on the door!

  Daniel tried to ignore it. His heart beat so hard he could barely handle the phone. He couldn’t remember which speed-dial entry Chris was under. He pressed “2” but that was his ex-girlfriend Amy. If he got out of this alive, he’d give her a call and see how she was doing.

  He pressed “3.”

  * * *

  Chris’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He answered, putting it on speakerphone so Owen could hear.

  “He’s here, at the front door!” Daniel’s voice sounded tiny through the speaker, but the fear in it was profound.

  “Oh God!” Chris screamed. “Don’t fight him. Just hide. We’re already on our way.”

  He hung up, his face filled with complete horror.

  “You won’t make it,” said Nikki. “You can’t help your friend.” She sounded like she was in a trance.

  Chris and Owen left as quickly as possible. Owen’s mind was already at work imagining what Michael was going to do—hell, what he was probably already doing—to Daniel. He had shown no mercy with Alyssa. He and Chris were hauling tail down the freeway a few minutes later, cops be damned. Owen almost hoped a cop would chase them, calling for backup while he was at it. More firepower was welcome when it came to Michael.

  * * *

  More knocking. No pounding on the door or anything like that. Just polite, patient knocking. But Daniel knew that wouldn’t last long. Sooner or later, Michael would blast his way in here and tear him to pieces. Those locks he’d installed on the door were strong and plentiful, but that’s not what was holding Michael back. He was just toying with Daniel.

  Daniel looked back to D rather pathetically. That robot was his only chance of surviving the encounter. But it still stood there, staring blankly…

  Wait! Daniel could have sworn he had just seen a flicker of light in the robot’s eyes—

  What was that? A noise from outside the front door. It sounded like keys. Did Michael have keys? To the door? But how?

  One lock turned. Then another. Then another. Michael was unlocking the door. In a few seconds, Daniel would be face to face with him. What would Michael do to him first? Would he gouge out his eyes? Would he rip off his limbs? Disembowel him? None of those thoughts were the least bit comforting. His heart was pounding so painfully in his chest, he was on the verge of vomiting.

  Another lock.

  Only one lock left. Daniel wished he’d put a few more on the door at that point.

  The last lock.

  That was it. Nothing more to do but open the door.

  And that’s when the door slowly opened. Michael smiled from the hallway.

  “May I come in?” he asked.

  This confused Daniel. Could Michael not come in unless he was invited? That rule was so popular with vampires. Daniel doubted it was true for him. And he was right, because Michael slowly walked into the condo.

  “I was just being polite.” He closed the door behind him and looked around, whistling to show he was impressed. “Nice place,” he continued. “Who paid for this?”

  Daniel didn’t answer. Anger was starting to replace his fear. He felt Michael already knew who paid for it, and it suddenly hit him where he’d gotten the keys.

  Alyssa.

  Michael walked into the armory, looking around the room. His eyes finally settled on D. His interest was piqued.

  “Is that your robot?”

  Daniel still didn’t answer. He wondered how long Michael would put up with his silence.

  “Why didn’t you just bust down the door?” he finally asked Michael.

  “Because I had keys. Besides, I don’t do the busting-down-doors thing. It’s too predictable.”

  Michael said all of this without looking at Daniel. His interest was completely on D.

  “Does this thing work?” he asked, picking up the remote.

  “Yes,” Daniel lied.

  “Really? Does it help you guys fight monsters?”

  Daniel stayed silent. His fear in his voice would betray his lie.

  Michael sat down on a stool by the worktable and stared at him. “Is it going to help you fight me?”

  “What are you doing here?” Daniel asked.

  “Waiting for your friends.”

  “Why?”

  Michael didn’t answer. Instead, he just stared, a subtle grin on his face. Daniel stood close by, too afraid to move.

  That’s when he suddenly r
emembered his Rejecter. It was in his pocket. He reached in slowly, grabbing hold of it.

  “Why did you kill Alyssa?” he asked in a low voice.

  “I was mad, and she was in the way,” Michael said, looking down at Daniel’s pocket, the smile leaving his face.

  “You seemed like such a cool guy at the party,” Daniel said. “Why are you doing this?”

  “I don’t want to have to hurt you, Daniel; I like you. But if you pull that thing out of your pocket, I’m going to hurt you very badly.”

  Daniel stood for a moment, weighing his options.

  Then he pulled out the tiny bomb as fast as he could. In a flash, Michael smacked him across the room. He landed hard on the floor, and was still.

  * * *

  Chris didn’t seem to care for the red traffic light he was approaching. He cared less about it than the last four he’d sped past. Owen glanced at the speedometer; it read ninety miles an hour. They still weren’t going fast enough.

  Owen gripped the dashboard. The cars they sped past were merely blurs at this speed. How far were they from headquarters? He looked back—there were no cops following them. This unnerved him. The two of them rode at a dangerous speed and there were no cops around?

  They passed Dahlgren Street—six more blocks. At this speed, it wouldn’t take long. Owen hoped Daniel was all right. He was a smart kid, and he had been tinkering with his robot before they’d left. Maybe he had gotten it to work. If so, it would put up a good defense until they got there.

  What would they do when they got there? They weren’t much of a challenge for Michael the first time. Owen had thrown a car at him, and yet, he still lived.

  But Owen figured if they were going to die, they would do it together. He just couldn’t stand the thought of Daniel dying alone. They were in this together.

  They were passing Travis Boulevard now. They were almost there.

  * * *

  Daniel barely hung on. Michael had tossed him around a few more times. Daniel knew it was only a matter of time before he would tire of him and end it all. But soon, Owen and Chris would run in, guns blazing, and take Michael out. They would blast his hide to the underworld.

  “I warned you, Daniel!” Michael shrieked as he threw Daniel across the room. “I told you not to do that!”

  Daniel landed so hard on the floor, his cast split open a little. The trunk full of Busters was right in front of him. He started to crawl toward it. The Rejecter he’d dropped was practically forgotten. Daniel didn’t want to hurt Michael; he wanted to kill him.

  Suddenly Michael lifted him up into the air. “I warned you, Daniel.”

  Daniel didn’t feel the floor when he hit it at what felt like a million miles an hour. He was paralyzed. He looked up. Michael’s face was expressionless. Daniel watched him walk away. Where he’d gone, Daniel didn’t know. He didn’t care anymore. He wanted to spend his last few seconds of life thinking of something good.

  He thought of Alyssa.

  He thought of the day they first moved into the condo. Owen and Chris were carrying the couch through the front door, with Chris leading. Suddenly he stopped walking and set his end down. Owen, standing out in the hall, looked at him quizzically.

  Chris grinned, and then Owen knew. He set down his end as well and stood there, waiting for Chris to make the first move. Daniel and Alyssa watched from the living room.

  Just then, Chris took off up the stairs. In one effortless leap, Owen was over the couch and right behind him. Daniel and Alyssa laughed as they listened to the two boys run around on the top floor.

  Owen said, “Mine!” a split second before Chris yelled, “Mi— Damn it!”

  Clearly Owen had picked the best room first. And then the two boys were laughing upstairs. No hard feelings.

  Daniel and Alyssa tended to the couch sticking through the doorway. They managed to get it in place in the center of the living room. After positioning it just right, they sat down together.

  “You don’t mind Owen getting the best room?” Daniel asked her.

  “Not really,” she said, shaking her head. “Besides, in my opinion, all the rooms are equally good. That’s how it is with the condos on the top floor in this building. That’s why I insisted on getting a place all the way up here.”

  “All the rooms are equally good?” Daniel scratched his head and screwed up his face, as if thinking really hard. “I guess they’re just that stupid they didn’t realize it.”

  Alyssa laughed so hard she had to clutch Daniel’s arm to keep from falling off the couch. Daniel laughed, too. When Chris and Owen finally came back downstairs, they too laughed, though they didn’t know why.

  “This is it, you guys,” Chris said after the laughing fit subsided. “This is the beginning of our new lives. As monster hunters.”

  “Sounds exciting,” said Owen.

  “Sounds scary,” said Daniel.

  “Sounds cheesy,” said Alyssa.

  And then they were all laughing again. That day, they were all happy. They were together.

  CHAPTER 19

  The Camaro approached the apartment building at a suicidal speed. Normally Chris would’ve parked in the garage, but he knew that wasn’t at all important. He parked right in front of the building, in the middle of the street. If anyone came around complaining, their loudmouth ramblings would fall on deaf ears. Chris and Owen jumped out of the car and ran inside the building. They would knock down anyone who got in their way.

  Chris had his cell phone to his ear. “He’s not picking up,” he said to Owen.

  They ran up the stairs. Owen wished they’d gotten something closer to ground floor, but it had been Alyssa who’d paid for the place. She had insisted on the top floor.

  Thinking of her acted as fuel. He felt himself running faster. He didn’t want to lose Daniel the same way he lost her. He ran right past Chris and was the first to reach their place.

  * * *

  Chris heard Owen scream. He didn’t dare come any closer; he wasn’t sure if he could handle what was inside. If it made Owen scream like that, then it must’ve been bad. Owen backed away from the door. Chris stepped forward. He was the leader. He had to face whatever it was, but he knew Daniel was dead. He knew it without seeing.

  Then he saw. His eyes confirmed what his brain already concluded moments earlier. Daniel’s body was lying motionless on the floor of the armory. Blood was pooling around him. Owen and Chris walked over to their friend; they noticed his eyes were wide open, but he was smiling.

  Neither Owen nor Chris noticed the redhead standing in the corner.

  Chris did notice something flying toward the both of them, though. Something small and red. It tapped him innocently on the chest and fell to the floor. Owen acted immediately; he grabbed the tiny bomb and threw it straight into the air. It exploded almost instantly, blowing a hole in the ceiling. The shockwave pushed them to the ground.

  * * *

  Owen was the first on his feet. Michael threw another Buster. Owen, realizing the redhead was trying to kill Chris, jumped into the air and spin-kicked the bomb back at Michael. It exploded, sending him out the window he’d been standing in front of. Chris and Owen ran to the window and looked down at the street. Michael had landed on Chris’s Camaro.

  They stood there for a while, both sure Michael wasn’t dead and would start moving any second.

  Twenty seconds went by. He wasn’t moving.

  “Stay here,” Owen said to Chris as he went over to D. He opened the back of its head and turned it on. Chris watched, hopeful it was finally working. If anybody could fix it, it was Daniel. He had been a genius. Chris was so confident in Daniel’s talent, he was willing to stand aside and let the robot take care of Michael from this point on. Speaking of Michael, Chris looked back down to the street—

  “Oh crap!” he screamed.

  Owen turned around and saw Chris backing away from the window. Something flew through, smashing the whole wall in like a wrecking ball. It was Michael. His
shirt was full of holes, and he had a few cuts on his face. That gave Owen a glimmer of hope: If Michael could be hurt, he could die.

  Before the dust could settle, Owen rammed Michael. The two of them flew through the hole. Instead of falling to the street below, they clung to the wall. They were just below the hole, trading kicks and punches with each other.

  Michael climbed up the wall, trying to get back inside, when Owen grabbed his ankle and pulled him off, swinging him at the wall below and smashing in the window, no doubt scaring whoever occupied that room.

  With all the strength he could muster, he swung Michael up over his head and let go, sending him up onto the roof.

  * * *

  Chris poked his head out the hole to see Owen climbing up the wall, digging his fingers deep into the bricks. In a matter of seconds, he was on the roof and out of sight.

  Chris ran over to the robot and started rummaging through the items and schematics on Daniel’s worktable, looking for the remote, but it was nowhere to be found.

  Focusing his attention back on the robot, he opened the panel on the back of its head. He hadn’t seen how Daniel turned it on the day he’d revealed it to them.

  Seconds ticked to minutes as Chris tried to figure it out, the whole time hearing the battle on the roof. He pressed a few buttons in the machine’s head, hoping something would happen. Nothing did.

  Chris was at his wit’s end. Finally he decided to just mess with everything—the wires, the microchips, everything—until the damn thing moved.

  That’s when a metallic hand grabbed Chris’s arm gently and pulled it away.

  D was online.

  * * *

  Owen and Michael continued trading punches. Michael’s face was bloody and bruised now, which reassured Owen. He knew it wouldn’t be long before Michael was defeated.

  Owen grabbed his arm and began swinging him around like a lasso. He released Michael; his body flew like a rag doll, and landed with a thud on the ground. Owen ran over to him, hoping to get a few cheap shots while the getting was good, but as soon as he got within reaching distance, Michael was on his feet again. He tackled Owen and the two of them fell on the ground hard.