The Longest Road (Book 3): The Other Side

by A. S. Thompson

  The threat was scary. Everything about it- the simplicity, the intimidation, the passionate resolve behind the six words- everything suggested not a possibility but a fact destined to come to fruition.

  Realizing this, Lizzy terminated the connection without a response.

  Steve winced in pain, but a moan from the other side of the room prompted him to flight. “Alex!” he shouted, rushing over to catch his cousin.

  Alex’s legs had given out from shock. "Whoa," he mumbled, unable to move. "What the fuck?"

  "You're alright, bro?"

  "No,” he replied, licking his lips and regaining some motor function. “I mean...what the fuck was that? Why did you shoot? You could have killed me!"

  "Well, I didn't."

  "That would be obvious.”

  Charlie led Mason and the remaining members of Team Two into the command room. “Everyone okay?”

  "Ya, we’re good. Sweep the area and make sure,” Steve reported, before resuming his explanation. “I thought we had this moment, like, you telepathed me to shoot?"

  "Fuck no!” Alex replied, stringing out the curse word. “If anything, I telepathed you to pull a Speed One and shoot the hostage! I mean that would make me Jeff Daniels, dead Dr. Evil over there would be an uglier Dennis Hopper, and you would be Keanu, but we both know I'd be Keanu-"

  Steve snorted, and that small dose of laughter caused his diaphragm to open up just enough. Until this moment, adrenaline and love had covered up what was now realized.

  “Wha-” Steve tried to say, but disorientation took over, and he rolled backward.

  “Steve? Steve? What’s wrong?”

  When Liz fired, she had not missed. In fact, her bullet struck Steve in the torso, favoring his right side. The dark colored and water-soaked T-shirt had masked up the wound.

  Steve coughed up bits of red saliva, then grabbed just above his hip where blood oozed in between his fingers.

  "Get some help over here!" Alex yelled, hovering over Steve.

  Charlie was the first to arrive. He pulled Steve’s hand away to examine the entry wound.

  “Charlie, what’s wrong? What can I do?”

  One eye had made it difficult for Charlie to focus and diagnose. “I-I don’t know yet-”

  “He’s dying,” MIA interrupted, matter-of-factly. The artificial intelligence’s laser projected image manifested over Steve. “My scans indicate no exit wound. Every spasm his nervous system induces is causing the bullet fragments to tear capillaries and increase internal bleeding. Additionally, his lung has collapsed. With immediate surgery, I calculate a fifty-five percent survival rate.”

  “Fikejs,” Charlie shouted, “take your men and find me any first aid equipment.”

  Alex looked upon his cousin’s whitening face. “Fifty-five...doesn't sound so bad, cuz,” he joked, hoping the light heartedness would keep Steve calm.

  “Steve, look at me,” Charlie said, snapping his fingers. “It’s hard, I know, but stay awake. You need to focus. Breath slowly, keep your eyes open.”

  “What are we going to do, Charlie?”

  “Steve needs blood and-”

  “And you can help him, right? Like you did with Dylan?”

  “I don’t know yet, Alex.”

  “Doctor Stone,” MIA declared, “your helicopter has landed and the pilot is awaiting your arrival.”

  Albert sneered at the red image. “Does it look like I’m going anywhere? I swear, for a perpetual learning machine your common sense has not improved.”

  Keeping both palms pressed against Steve’s stomach, Charlie used his shoulder to wipe the buildup of sweat from his forehead. “A helicopter? Travis, go after Fikejs and tell him to cancel that. Take the guys and get to that chopper. We can use it to fly back to Fullertown.”

  “Roger that. And I’ll call West and let him know that we need to prep for surgery and-”

  “I would not recommend that course of action,” interrupted MIA. “Based on an estimated flight time of twenty-five minutes from here to the emergency medical clinic located on Stuart Drive in Fullertown, New York, I believe too much time would elapse. For optimal results, surgery and blood transfusions would need to be performed immediately and in our sterile medical wing.”

  Alex shook off the remaining shock, rising quickly and determined. “Well come on, let’s get moving! Where the hell’s this medical wing? How do we get there?”

  Albert, though, showed his lack of concern by pulling out a chair and sitting haphazardly in it. “It won’t matter.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “Because he still needs blood, and we don’t keep any in storage at this facility. Our medical bay isn’t a fully functioning emergency room. The reality is, it existed to serve my mother’s own therapeutic needs. It’s not a surgical facility.”

  “That’s not entirely true, Doctor Stone,” declared MIA. “Indeed the medical wing is not a surgically ready facility, but it can be used for such purposes. And as you know, my programming allows me to engage in even the most complex of surgeries.”

  “Steve,” Charlie asked, gently slapping his face. “Steve, what type of blood are you?”

  “He’s O-Positive,” Alex answered for him.

  “Is anyone type-O blood?” Charlie called out.

  Holding one another up, Becca and TJ shook their heads no. “Sorry, mate, we’re A-positive.”

  Next to the New Zealanders, Mason, Ryan and Chesebro also called out blood types other than desired. “And Fikejs is B positive.”

  “I’m O-Negative!” Alex exclaimed, rolling up his sleeve. “Charlie, start a transfusion right away and stabilize Steve as best you can. We’ll take the chopper and haul ass back to Fullertown, and when we get there, we have more of my blood in storage and-”

  Albert rudely cleared his throat. “Since you would eventually discover it, I feel I should just tell you now. Your blood isn’t there, Alex.”

  “What are you talking about? I saw the bags and vials in the lab!”

  “Itwas there, Staff Sergeant Fikejs, but before we left on our field trip, I poured it out.”

  “You what!”

  “I did it to buy myself time in the unlikely event you were successful here,” Albert replied with a scowl. The remaining scar over his eye made him appear even more wicked. “Obviously, I didn’t know Alex would tag along.”

  "How much blood have you taken from him?" inquired MIA.

  "Two point nine seven pints in the last six days, and yes MIA, I know what that means."

  “What does that mean?” asked Travis.

  The red hologram turned to Alex and answered, “It means you cannot give any significant amount of blood or your body will endure Type Four hemorrhaging.”

  “Huh?”

  “It’s saying you’ll go into circulatory failure,” Charlie translated. “Basically, you give blood and you die.”

  Alex swiped up a handgun from the ground and marched over to Albert. He pulled the trigger, but at the exact moment, Travis deflected his arm to the side. The bullet missed Albert’s head by a fraction of an inch.

  “He’s not worth it, hermano.”

  “You would be wise to listen to him,” Albert said, rotating his jaw to accelerate the return of his hearing. “I am the only person who can save your cousin, but my help will require two things. One: That you will release me after it is done-”

  “Not gonna happen,” Travis replied bluntly. “So how ‘bout this, you don’t do it, and I’ll let Alex kill you.”

  “Very well. I will remain in your custody for the time being, but I want your word that my life will be spared.”

  “Fine. You said there were two things.”

  “Yes. The second will be a sacrifice.”

  “Sacrifice? What do you mean?” Alex asked, face flushed with anger.

  Albert rose from the cowardly crouch and answered, “I will allow MIA and her expertise to work alongside myself. In doing so, we will operate and stabilize your cousin, but since n
o one in here has the blood type Steve requires, you will need to supply the blood.”

  “His survivability has now decreased to fifty-three percent,” MIA recalculated. “Based on situational progress, I estimate his percentage of survivability will decrease two percent every five minutes.”

  “Do it. Take my blood, whatever you need.”

  Travis grabbed Alex by the shoulder and shook him. "Alex, are you crazy? You’ll die!”

  “I don’t care,” Alex said, looking at Steve. His cousin was unconscious and had been for some time. “He’s my family and I made my decision. Now, this is happening so you can stand here and debate it with yourself or you can help me save my cousin.”

  ***

  "You're an idiot for coming," Steve said, voice weak.

  "Guys! He’s conscious again!” Alex shouted, but Albert was busy slamming drawers and barking out orders to Travis and Charlie.

  Alex looked back to Steve and squeezed his hand. “I know, but I couldn’t let you go alone.”

  Steve groaned. “What’s happening? Where am I?”

  “Shh, try not to speak. You’re messed up, but we’re taking care of you.”

  A long moment of silence passed.

  "Alex...I love you, bro."

  Alex fought back tears. "I love you too."

  "Alex?”

  “You really should save your strength.”

  “Just one more thing...after this is all done...you and I...we...we start over. No more hate, promise?"

  Alex controlled the sobs, but he was unable to hold back the tears that now streamed down his cheeks.

  Across the table, Travis kept pressure on the wound. “You should tell him, Alex.”

  Despite the low volume, Travis’ words were audible.

  “Tell...me what?”

  Alex glowered at Travis. “Just that...the surgery might hurt, but you’re gonna be right as rain in no time.Isn’t that right, Travis?”

  Travis did not approve the lack of forthrightness but in the interest in keeping his promise, he remained an accomplice to the lie. “Ya, you’ll be alright, Steve.”

  "Okay. But Alex, you didn’t say it yet."

  “I promise, Steve-O. After this, no hate.”

  Steve’s chalky lips formed a faint smile.

  “Alright Steve, this is going to keep you asleep for the procedure,” Charlie said, injecting Steve with a clear liquid.

  “See you on the flip side,” Steve said, eyes blinking until they remained closed.

  “You two,” Albert said, pointing at Travis and Charlie. “You are to do exactly what I say, when I say it. Do not question me or my motives.”

  “Fine.”

  “But just know that if Steve dies, you die.”

  “And if you try anything, our friends are just outside the room, itching to skin you alive.”

  Albert sneered. “Then I better wash my hands and glove up first. Don’t want him dying from infection.”

  “Alex,” Charlie said, coming around the table to face him. “The amount of blood Steve needs will put you at over fifty percent blood loss. Thirty is pushing it, forty is redline...I have to ask you one more time, are you sure you want to do this?”

  “There are no maybes, no possibilities...you are gonna die, hermano.”

  Alex closed his eyes and breathed. When he opened them, they fixated on Steve, lying on the table, dying beside him. In that moment, despite the certain death that awaited him, Alex found clarity.

  “You take my blood for Steve, as much as he needs. Then use the rest for a vaccine. Okay?”

  It took everything for Travis to hold back tears. Charlie though, had wet streaks running from his good eye.

  “Ya. Understood,” they said, hugging him.

  Alex removed his shirt and lay on the table next to his cousin. The cold steel stung his skin, but he welcomed the sensation.

  MIA’s red image reported up-to-the-second vital signs, prompting Albert to say, “Shall we begin?”

  “Wait...I just wanna know one thing...is it going to hurt?”

  MIA appeared at Alex’s feet and took the liberty of answering the question.

  “As we draw the blood, you will begin to feel lightheaded. Shallow breaths will come next, followed by an increased heart rate. You will feel a strain in your chest, a numbness in your shoulder, and your extremities and lips will begin to tingle-”

  “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

  “That is just the beginning,” MIA continued, expressionless. “Then a coldness will overcome you. As your body struggles to make up the blood loss, you will endure uncontrollable seizure-like convulsions, during which you will experience a sensation similar to drowning; only this suffocation is not paired with euphoria. As you gasp for air and plead for help, you will face a new level of panic, anxiety and fear of impending death, but there will be no saving you, for ultimately your body will succumb to cardiac arrest. In summary, you will feel like you are going to sleep, but not in a pleasant way.”

  Alex looked at Steve and squeezed his cousin’s hand one final time. He smiled sadly then tilted his head back.

  “Let’s do this.”

  Epilogue

  “THE ONES WE LOVE, THE ONES WE LOST”

  After surgery, both Alex and Steve’s bodies were flown back to Fullertown. In order to facilitate proper healing, Steve was kept in a medically induced coma and monitored closely. After a few days, Albert ceased administering all comatose-inducing drugs and the wait began.

  Almost one week after being shot, Steve finally awoke by his own accord, though was bedridden for some time.

  Days later, Travis and Charlie were the first to visit. They knelt by Steve’s bedside and cried as they revealed Alex’s sacrifice.

  Steve joined them in tears, and each man sobbed until they could no longer. At the end, they answered his questions, and then left Steve to mourn privately.

  Downstairs in Tom Brason’s living room, the inner circle of friends awaited. Dark bags under her eyes, Jenny sat on the couch next to Lisa. Dylan and Eddy were also present, though still healing themselves. Matty helped West and Shanna prepare food for the group that had yet to leave the house.

  “How’d he take it?” asked West.

  Travis sighed. “As good as anyone could, I guess,” he replied, leaning back against the wall.

  “We figured we’d wait and tell him about the vaccine,” Charlie said, finding a spot next to Dylan on the couch.

  “I still can’t believe Alex snuck out without even me knowing,” West mumbled, shaking his head. “That boy really was made to be a Delta.”

  “West,” Matty called out, “how long did Albert say? One more week ‘til the vaccine is ready?”

  The questions shook the distressed Sergeant Major from his somber thoughts. “That’s the projection. And this time there is no way he is going to sabotage it.”

  “I’m sure everyone is exhausted and hungry,” Shanna said, interrupting the silence. “Come on, food’s ready.”

  While everyone ate, Dylan observed Lisa sitting alone without food. Unable to use sign language, he spoke slowly. “Mind if I sit?”

  Lisa sniffled and wiped her cheeks. “No, please.”

  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, meaning to give you, but I didn’t know when the right time would be. It’s been killing me not to tell you, but I was sworn to secrecy…”

  “What is it?”

  Dylan reached into his pocket and pulled out a Mini DV cassette. “The night before Alex left, he gave this to me. Told me to give it to you if he didn't come back. I would have given it to you sooner, but I-”

  “I understand,” Lisa replied gently. She accepted the tape and signed the words, “Thank you.”

  “Hey Charlie, toss me that camcorder, eh? Thanks. Lisa, you can play it with this.”

  Tape and camcorder in hand, Lisa rose. “Would you excuse me?”

  “Of course. There’s a room at the end of the hall if you want some priva
cy.”

  Lisa had stopped at the base of the stairs. “No, thank you though. Whatever’s on here, I think Steve should see it too.”

  ***

  “Are you ready?” Lisa asked, sitting on the corner of Steve’s bed. She had the camcorder loaded and was waiting to push play.

  Steve nodded.

  After a few seconds of blue screen, the camera picked up Alex as he sat back against the wall in an unfamiliar room.

  I’ll do my best to speak slowly so you can read my lips,” Alex began. “Lisa, if you're watching this, and I really hope you aren't, but if you are, I'm so sorry, baby. I'm sure you have been wondering why I went. I never meant to lie to you. It was never my intention to break the promise I made to you. But I realized if I didn’t go, I would be breaking a promise to myself.

  I never told anyone, but after Cully died, I made a promise to myself that I would never bury another family member. Last night, the entire night, after we, well, you know...I stayed awake. I stared at you, you looked so happy, so safe. In that moment, I knew I had to go. I had to make sure Steve came back home. I realize you won't be able to kick my ass for breaking my promise to you, but I just hope you know that I tried to do a good thing. And since you're watching this that means I didn't make it. Just saying that makes my stomach drop.

  Know that I love you and am the luckiest guy in the world to have had every single moment we shared together. You are so beautiful, smart, passionate, loving and you brighten everyone's life around you. You helped me love and live again and for that I can never thank you enough.

  I'm sorry for how things turned out...but I believe in life beyond and after you live a long and awesome life I will see you then. I know I will.

  Take care of the others, and please forgive me.

  I love you, always and forever.

  The recording ended and the camera cycled to a blue screen.

  “I’m gonna miss him, too,” Steve said, voice whimpering.

  And for a long while the two wept.

  Fullertown, New York

  January 1, 2010 (Present Day)

  0738 hours

  Lisa stood next to Steve, interlocking her fingers with his. Almost three weeks late, she grabbed her pregnant stomach. Whatever the sex of the baby, it was Alex's legacy.