by Sasha Leone
32
Angel
I kick through the office vent just in time to see Dante’s slimy fingers wrap around Cat’s shivering shoulder.
There’s no hesitation in me. My switchblade is drawn and cutting through the air before the vent’s metal grill can hit the floor.
Dante whips around and is immediately met by the sharp end of my blade. It digs into his shoulder and he yelps in pain.
Shit. That’s too loud. There are guards just outside.
Without wasting any time, I jump over the desk that stands between us and lunge at my fallen brother. He rolls on the ground, trying to grab his bearings and reach for whatever weapon he has tucked under his belt, but I’m on top of him before he can grab it.
“You!” he accuses, his dark eyes blazing like black fires. Cat’s warmth still lingers on his hands as he desperately tries to push me off of him. I settle him down with a hard punch right between the eyes. The crack cuts through the air...
And a baby starts crying.
“Where is he!?” I ask, looking up at Cat as Dante and I struggle on the floor. Blood pours out of my brother’s nose, but he has a wiry strength to him that makes him harder to deal with than any burly guard.
For a second, Cat doesn’t move. She stands there, frozen with shock. It’s like she didn’t expect me to make it on time. Now is no time for second thoughts, though. “Get Oscar!” I growl, just as Dante manages to connect a wild knee into my stomach. I crumble over and Cat finally snaps back to reality. Her eyes dart across the room and she races forward...
Only to catch herself on one of Dante’s flailing legs. She falls and Dante shouts.
“Guards!”
Fuck.
Dante has a tight grip around my forearm, and I can’t quite tear my hands up to his neck quick enough to shut him up forever. Instead, I have to grab his shirt around the chest and pound him into the ground.
“Fuck you!” he hisses as his knee just narrowly misses my gut again. “Guards!”
This time, there’s no mistaking that his voice got through those thick office doors. I hear heavy feet rushing our way and I rip my eyes off of Dante for long enough to see Cat picking Oscar up out of some kind of box embedded in the far wall.
“Through the vent, up to the roof!” I shout. “Then go west! But first...” with my one free hand, I reach for the flare gun holstered on my belt. When it’s out, I throw it towards Cat. “When you get on the roof fire it into the air!”
Just as I finish, Dante sweeps under my arm and I’m forced off of him. My back hits the ground with a crack and the office doors swing open.
Dante struggles free from my grip, but I kick at his leg and he stumbles forward, falling in front of the opening doors. For a split-second, his body blocks the oncoming guards. It’s enough to give Cat the window she needs to grab the flare gun and whisk Oscar into the vent. It also gives me enough time to draw my own gun.
Dante scrambles back onto his feet and his guards finally burst through the heavy doors. I greet each of them with a round of armor-piercing bullets. The big goons stumble through the doorway and are lifeless by the time they hit the carpet inside.
Dante, on the other hand, is just as alive as ever. A trail of blood follows him as he scurries out of the office before I can get a clear shot.
Fuck.
He heard me tell Cat where to go. He’s the only one who knows where her and Oscar are heading. He can’t live, not for a single second longer. This shit has gone on for long enough.
I push myself off the bloody ground and follow Dante’s dark trail through the white lobby. The door up ahead swings on its hinges and I’m pushing through it before it can settle down.
Dante doesn’t greet me on the other side of the doorway, but I can hear his voice screeching orders around the nearest corner. Heavy footsteps approach as my brother’s voice fades in the distance.
I immediately pull a stun grenade from my jacket pocket and unclasp the safety. Before the approaching footsteps can turn the corner, I’ve filled up the hallway with chaos. Bodies hit the floor and guns fire wildly. When the bullets cut through the windows, I jump out from behind the corner and spray the smoky hallway with bullets of my own.
There’s no waiting around for the smoke to clear. Dante’s getting away. All it takes is for him to tell one overzealous goon where Cat and Oscar are headed, and then everything falls apart. Catalina’s already done her part, now it’s time for me to finish mine.
When I round the next corner, though, there’s still no Dante. Instead, a pair of elevator doors stand under an analogue floor counter. Shit. It looks like Dante’s already almost at the ground floor.
There’s no time to take the stairs. I’m going to have to leave the same way I came in.
Up here, the windows are thick, and I have to shoot through the nearest one before it shatters enough for me to slip through. Luckily, the fire escape is close by. A short jump later and I’m winding down the rickety metal construction, ten steps at a time.
Before I can get all the way down, a bright red light fills up the sky above. I look up just in time to see the flare cascading beneath the dark clouds.
She did it!
The final battle has begun...
My feet hit the alley floor just as the first eruption shakes the city. The wind has finally picked up again, and it’s quickly followed by a sprinkling of rain.
I don’t pause to smell the fucking flowers, and it’s a good thing, because it means I turn the next corner just in time to see Dante ducking into an armored black jeep.
... But the door slams shut before I can open fire. I know these cars, they’re impossible to pierce with mere bullets. My only hope now is to make sure they crash. That means Cat is on her own—that’s okay, I trust her; there’s no way she’s lingering around waiting for me, and once she gets to Aldar, he’ll whisk her to safety.
I can’t come for her right now, because if this is all going to end tonight, then I’m going to have to kill my brother.
It’s a good thing I have just the tool to catch up to the motherfucker.
My bike is right where I left it, and soon enough, I’m racing down the alley, parallel to Dante’s car.
Hot wind whips across my face as I go faster and faster. The roar of my engine mixed with the howling wind masks all other noise, but I can still feel the vibrations in the air as the city explodes in a full blown revolution.
The warehouse district quickly ends, and I pursue Dante’s black car as it cuts through the rain ahead, speeding downtown.
In the distance, a huge fireball engulfs a building. It’s enough to make Dante’s driver swerve down the nearest street. I don’t know where they were planning on going before, but now I know for sure that they’re not going downtown. For once, downtown is where the action is and cowards like Dante stay as far away from that shit as possible.
I race after him, patiently waiting for my opportunity. My bike is so much smaller than his armed-car that there’s no point in rushing him head on, but if I can find the right spot, then I might be able to get his driver to crash...
Around the next corner is just such an opportunity. A flat iron buildings splits a fork in the road. I twist down on my throttle and speed through the hellish rain. Each drop smacks against my face like watery bullets, but I’m hardly phased. Not even the wind is strong enough to keep me from saddling up beside Dante’s car.
The second I see that his driver has decided to veer left down the forked path up ahead, I burst up beside them. My bike is unsteady in the storm as I unholster my gun and point it at the driver-side window. At the last second, he veers right, away from my barrel...
But it’s too late. He catches an outstretched medium and the car goes flying.
I barely avoid the front wheels as the upturned vehicle rolls across the wet road, but it’s still enough to make me skid to a crashing stop.
The soaking cement greets my shoulder with an unceremonious smack, and a lightning
strike of pain flashes through my entire body. There’s no time to waste, though, and I quickly, if painfully, push myself back onto my feet.
In the near distance, I see that my brother has had the same idea. He crawls out of the back door of the overturned truck, and stumbles onto the street. When he sees me nearby, he pulls the gun out of his holster and starts firing. I duck behind the flat iron as the bullets whizz through the rain.
Dante shouts orders and I check to make sure all of my weapons are fully loaded, then I peak around my slice of cover and start firing. My brother jumps behind the upturned car as his guards return fire.
I’m forced to flee for more cover as their bullets rain down on me even harder than the tropical storm that rages around us. White lightning strikes and orange fireballs light up the night as the revolution approaches these downtown outskirts.
It can’t come quickly enough. Dante’s armored truck is like a clown car of enemy combatants. Half a dozen heavily armed men volley constant fire in my direction. There’s no room to breathe...
And then I hear a familiar chant.
Through the rain and the wind and the fire comes a wave of my people.
Revolutionaries.
Each and every one of them is armed to the teeth. Dante’s men quickly have more than they can handle. Their firepower is trained away from me as the oncoming crowd fearlessly descends upon them.
I’m finally able to step out from behind the flat iron.
There’s no time to thank anyone; as much as I appreciate their help, I need to get to Dante before they do. Nobody is allowed to kill my brother but me.
“Revolutionaries!” I yell, fist held high as thunder erupts around me. Those of them who aren’t busy taking out Dante’s men turn to see me standing in the rain. A roar washes through the crowd, followed closely by a massive strike of lightning. The bright flash of light is enough for me to spot my little brother fleeing up a fire escape in the alleyway behind the swarmed car.
I immediately take off after him.
The people cheer for me as I make my final lunge for freedom.
The rails of the fire-escape are slippery and the steps are soaked, but I’m determined. Dante flops through the rain far more than I do, and by the time he’s pulled himself onto the roof, I’m close enough to take a shot.
It catches him in the foot.
Even through the storm, I can hear his curses.
I jump after him, and am immediately met with a flurry of bullets from Dante’s own gun.
Somehow, the only one that hits me just barely nicks my shoulder. Dante was never a good shot...
That doesn’t keep him from pulling the trigger over and over again—but soon enough, there are no more bullets left. His last ditch is to throw his empty gun my way, but that’s easy enough to dodge.
“You bastard!” he screeches at me as heavy rain pours down over our heads.
“Me!?” I shout back, incensed. “What did I ever do to you!? After mom and dad died, I saved you from the streets. I gave you the life of a prince!”
“I wanted to be king!” Dante hisses. A silent strike of lightning cuts through the clouds ahead.
“Well, you got to be king... for a while. How was it?”
He scrambles backwards on his ass, blood pouring from his wounded foot, as I step closer and closer. Dante looks away, unable to answer truthfully.
“That’s what I thought,” I grumble, filled with a heavy shame. A blast of thunder shakes the world and I stare down with a heavy pity at my crawling brother. “You took my son...”
A small primal part of me desperately wants Dante to beg for forgiveness. If he gives me the opportunity, then maybe I can forgive him...
“I took more than you know!” he shouts through the rain. “And I should have had that fucking whore before you ever got your hands on her...”
“What the fuck does that mean!?” I growl, my sympathy quickly evaporating.
“You’ll never know,” he smirks, a final cruelty. “I had my men go get her and your bastard son on the roof. They had orders: shoot to kill. They’re both probably long dead by now...”
With those last words, Dante lunges for his injured foot. I spot the hint of an ankle holster beneath his pants and I hesitate enough to let him get his fingers on the small pistol inside.
This is my brother, the last of my family; can I really kill him?
A flash of lightning fills the world with a blinding white light, and for a second, all is quiet and still.
That’s when it all becomes crystal clear.
Dante isn’t my family, not anymore.
I have my own family now, and they need my help.
When the flash of lightning fades, the barrel of my gun smokes and my brother lies dead at my feet.
The smoke fades with the rain and so does any last sliver of sympathy I held for my cruel brother. Slowly, sound rushes back into my ears. Below, I can hear people chanting my name.
I give them what they want.
This body isn’t my brother any more, it’s just a husk, a symbol of something dead and gone; something I killed, something we killed.
Dante’s corpse is heavy, but all of my pain and soreness has numbed in the storm. I pick him up and carry him over to the roof’s ledge. Without a second thought, I drop him to the streets below.
The cheers only get louder, but I have no heart to revel in any of it.
Nothing matters until I’m back with my true family. Nothing is complete until the other two pieces of my heart fall back into place.
I’m coming, Cat.
I’m coming, Oscar.
Daddy’s back.
33
Catalina
Brand new rays of sunlight break through the light grey clouds and a beam of warmth crosses over my arms.
Oscar shifts on my lap, and I stroke aside his shiny strands of dark hair.
“How’s he doing?” Juan’s voice is soft and gentle. He quietly places a steaming bowl on the table before me.
“He seems to be alright,” I respond, not able to take my eyes off of Oscar. “Thank you, Juan, for everything.”
An open silence drifts between us before Angel’s old advisor points towards the soup. “Courtesy of the wife,” he offers.
“Tell her thank you, as well. I can’t tell you how grateful we are for you and your family. We’ll never be able to repay you for letting us stay here.”
Juan waves his hand at me. “No need for repayments. We all survived the storm, and that’s what matters. Now, it’s time to rebuild.”
A heavy sadness catches in my throat. No one’s heard from Angel since last night—though, there have been rumors that he was spotted all around the city as it burned.
From what Juan has told me so far, the revolution has been won. After a vicious fight, and with all the old generals dead or captured, what remained of the army finally surrendered. Maybe Angel was there, helping the very people he inspired?
Juan’s been asking around, but so far, no one can say exactly where my dark savior went to after he left Oscar and I to escape on our own. Luckily, I was able to set off the flare he gave me and get to Aldar before any more trouble found us... but I don’t doubt that Angel was steeped in trouble for the rest of his night.
Dante is dead. They say Angel killed him.
As relieved as I am, I also feel bad for my vicious hero. No one should have to kill their own brother, no matter how cruel or terrible they are... but it was the only way.
A sigh escapes my lips and I look out over Juan’s property, filled with longing...
Suddenly, my vision of the horizon is interrupted by an approaching plume of dust.
“Is that...” Juan trails off as he hurries back inside.
Just as I stand up, the full force of the half-hidden sun breaks through the grey clouds above. The light nearly blinds me, but the warmth of it somehow assures me that I know who’s coming.
I turn from the balcony and race inside. Oscar gurgles awake a
nd I smother him in kisses as we bound down the stairs.
“Mama,” he smiles, pushing into me.
“Mama’s here,” I whisper, as we step through the open front door and into the brilliant sunlight.
... And so is daddy.
My vision blurs in the brightness, and I hear the roar of the bike before I see it pull to a stop at the end of Juan’s circular driveway. Nothing can get in the way of the gorgeous hunk who breaks through the light as he runs up to greet us. He looks exactly like the man who stood me up at that stuffy gala over two years ago.
“Angel!”
“Dada!”
Angel’s lips are on mine before another word can be spoken. I sink into his kiss and melt across his body. Butterflies kick up in my stomach and a whole flurry of them go for an endless jaunt across an open prairie field.
“I love you.” Those are the first words out of his mouth when he finally pulls away.
Even after all we’ve been through, all we’ve shared and lost, I never thought I’d hear him say it. It shocks me still, but then Oscar giggles in my arms and I know there’s only one response. The truth.
“I love you, too.”
“Dada!”
“I love you, too, buddy,” Angel laughs. His voice is low and deep and my heart rumbles peacefully under his hot breath.
The sunlight washes over us and it feels like we’re finally free from our nightmare.
... But what comes next?
Hopefully, a dream.
Angel wraps his big arms around me and we limp inside. I can feel the soreness in his muscles as we both lean on each other for support.
We’re a team. It’s how we make it to the kitchen, and it’s how we rescued Oscar from Dante’s evil grip. A younger me might not have told Angel about the call I got from his younger brother, but after all of our failures, I knew that neither of us could do what needed to be done alone.