That was a hell of a Christmas.
No sooner do I pull a beer out of the fridge than a knock erupts at the door.
“Go away,” I belt it out as I head for the couch and flip on the tube. I’ve got about six games recorded, and I plan on watching them all on repeat.
The pounding starts up again. It’s aggressive, angry, commanding, and a touch arrogant in nature. It’s not Skyla. It’s most likely not Logan. They’re both into shouting to alert me to their presence. Besides, they’ve got great news to celebrate. And good for them. I hope they’re reveling in it. The news will be the only bright spot they can cling to when I pull the rug out from beneath them.
Angry, pulsating, thunderous sounds emit from the door as the wood begins to split and crack.
“For shit’s sake,” I riot. “It’s unlocked.”
Damn idiot.
Wes strolls in and closes the door politely as if he never tried to break it down to begin with.
“You?” I laugh to myself. “Since when do you knock?”
“I’m a gentleman. I always knock before I take over the house.”
I avert my eyes. “Not this crap again. What do you want?”
“Just thought I’d swing by and spend some time with my little brother on this, the holiest day of the year.”
“Yes, well, I’m not feeling so holy at the moment, so you can show yourself to the door.”
“I’m not leaving.” Wes plants himself on the coffee table and effectively blocks my view of the game. “This crap the world is dealing with. It’s you, isn’t it? You’re destroying the world, Gage. You need to stop.”
“It’s not me. But if it was, why would I stop it? So I can join your ranks? Burn in Hell alongside you? No thanks.” A rumble of laughter rattles my chest. “You believe them, don’t you? You think this is all some grand delusion brought on by Demetri, and I am a glorified fool for going along with it. Don’t worry, Wes. I may have lost the people temporarily, but I’ll get them all back. And you will benefit right along with me.”
His dimples dig in. “Gage,” he whispers my name with marked disappointment. “You’re falling for his schemes. Demetri is stringing you along, and he’s using Skyla to do it. If you keep moving in his direction, you’ll confirm my theory. You’re not the brightest bulb.”
“Because I’m motivated by who I love? Newsflash, Wes: if those are the parameters to wisdom, you’re not the brightest bulb either.”
“True. But I don’t see the world through the lens Demetri is holding out for me anymore, and you shouldn’t either. Cooper showed me the book. He showed me how he was able to decode it with the help of Dudley and Ezrina. Coop is right, we were being spoon-fed bullshit by the heap full. We were never going to rot in Hell. Don’t you see? Demetri hit us where it hurt. In ourhearts. He knew we’d fall over backwards—not for him—for Laken, for Skyla, our children.”
“I’m not going to throw away everything I’ve worked for just because some book says otherwise. Why should I believe thisbook?”
“Why should you believeDemetri?” His exasperation with me hits new heights. “Did you know this little virus you’ve concocted—the damn thing is lighting the globe on fire.”
“I didn’t concoct shit. Although, I see how easy it is to blame me for everything that goes wrong. I’ll accept responsibility for some things, but not this crap.”
“Oh, it’s all you, buddy.” He swipes the remote from me and turns the channel to the news. And sure as hell, they’re showcasing it as if it were a global superstar. “There. How about you stop living in the past by way of watching old football games and tune into something real, something wicked that you are actually responsible for. You don’t play the gridiron anymore, Gage. You sit out on the sidelines and give the world the finger while you kill millions.” His voice ricochets off the walls. “Do you realize you’re about to obliterate a third of humanity in six months’ time if you keep up with these numbers? Seventy countries infected so far. A twenty percent death ratio. You’re off the rails if you don’t think those numbers won’t double in a month. Your kids, mine, they’re all susceptible.” He tosses the remote so hard it blows a hole right through the wall. “And did you know the Earth officially hastwomoons now? It’s as if we’re living in some sci-fi movie—a bad one at that. And you, my brother, just so happen to be starring in it.” He pulls me off the sofa by way of my shirt and rattles me. “Get it together. What’s the end game in all this?” His eyes widen, his expression grows vacant, and it’s as if it hit him all at once.
And then like a brick crashing through my brain, it hits me, too.
Hell. The serum.
This?Thisis what Demetri has in mind?
I get up and stagger to the door.
“Where are you going, Gage? There’s not a place on this planet you can run from yourself.”
I take off in an otherworldly sprint up the street. I don’t give a rip if Wes is next to me or if he’s gone to Hell for the night. I have one serious conversation to have with our father.
Demetri’s overgrown mansion comes up on me quickly, and before I know it, I’m taking a page out of Wesley’s book as I thunder over the door with my fist.
“Come in.” Demetri’s voice blares from somewhere inside as if he drilled the words into a megaphone.
