~ 36 ~

 The Fat Lady is Singing whilst Surrounded by a Herd of Flying Pigs

 + AJ +

 Time stood still.

Really, there’s no other way to explain it. Seeing the guys turn the corner and walk towards us, I felt the most incredible surge of adrenaline. They were alive. Believe me, I had my doubts. As I sat there on the stoop talking to Nick, inside I was convinced that there was no way Kevin and Howie made it. There was no way we were going to see a happy ending to this. We were forever going to be trapped in this new hell, just Brian, Nick and I having to fend for ourselves. Eventually just Brian and I because Nick was not going to make it and then what if something were to happen to B? I’d be all alone in this horrible place. I’d kill myself if that happened. There’s no way I would want to live here alone.

No fucking way!

All those thoughts went out of my mind as I saw Kevin and Howie coming towards us. Suddenly I saw the happy ending I so desperately wanted. Us saying our heartfelt goodbyes to the people we had met here who helped us. Vowing that we would do our best to change our world so it wouldn’t end up being anything like this one, even if it meant hunting down Donald Trump and killing him myself. Looking back one last time as we stepped right through the tear in the universe and back to our home, I’d be Grateful for the experience and even though it was a nightmare, it also changed me for the better. I liked this scenario much better then the first one!

I grabbed Howie and Kevin in such a big bear hug that I almost knocked them both over. I didn’t care though, I was just happy to know they were okay. Everything was going to be okay.

Yeah, right.

“It’s nice to see you too!”  Kevin said as he pulled away from me and grabbed the back of my neck in a loving manner.

“We weren’t sure if you…I mean we…”

Howie smiled this time, “I know, but we’re okay.”

“Did you kill the other Nick?”

Kevin looked concerned, “No, we…” He squinted to get a closer look at something which made me turn around, “No! Nick, don’t!”

Time stood still.

As we all watched the drama unfold. There were two Nicks staring at each other. Our Nick was standing on the stoop staring at the other one who was holding something shiny in his hand. Before my brain had time to process it was a knife, it was being plunged into our Nick’s stomach.

This time it was Kevin who almost knocked me over as he pushed past me and towards Nick who was holding his stomach and looking shocked; the other Nick looked at us before he took off down the street.

“Jesus Christ.” Howie whispered as he looked at me and then slowly started to jog towards Kevin who had grabbed Nick as he fell to the ground.

“No.” I stopped where I was. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to get any closer to what was happening, hoping that maybe if I stayed just far enough away, it would play out like a movie and nothing more.

It was Alan who broke me out of my frozen state. He grabbed my shoulder as his son ran past me. He didn’t say anything because he knew there was nothing to say, so we both stood there and watched as Kevin held Nick while rocking back and forth.

With the aide of Alan, who seemed to be pushing me back towards Matt’s house, I kept saying “This can’t be happening,” Over and over again.

There was so much blood, too much.

Howie ran after the other Nick, not sure why. It was clear that one was just a cold blooded murderer. No, not a murderer because if he was a murderer that would mean that, “He’s not dead is he?”

Kevin was still rocking Nick in his arms, blood all over his already dirty shirt. He didn’t seem to hear me. It was as if he was in his own little world. Nick’s eyes were closed; he wasn’t moving and was very pale, almost gray.

Nick was dead.

Nick, the kid who always followed me around and tried to steal my things just to be funny, the one who got on my very last nerve every chance he had. He played so many pranks on me that I used to have dreams of revenge. I probably have stabbed him more than once in those dreams. This was not a dream though. Nick, the kid who always told me he wanted to be like me was laying dead less than a foot away from where I was standing.

Brian, Charlie, Matt and Larry came running out of the building just as Howie made his way back towards us, all alone.

“No no no no no no no…” Brian was mumbling to himself as he sat beside his cousin, staring at his dead best friend cradled in his arms.

“I tried to get him but he was too fast.”

“Guys, we need to get inside. We’re bringing too much attention to ourselves and if anyone sees…”

Matt didn’t mean to sound cold. That was the way it was here. People were in the tattletaleing business. No one moved. We all just stared down at the body of someone who was much too young to be dead. It didn’t matter if anyone saw us. I could care less if we were caught. Nick was dead; soon we’d all be dead. Let them just come now and get it over with. I’m pretty sure that was the thought we all had. Maybe not the others who were used to living in this place but I could see in my brother’s eyes, that we had just given up.

Game Over.

“Guys, we need to go inside, now.” This time it was the more commanding voice of Don who walked past us and opened the front door.

This time Kevin nodded, still in a state I’d never quite seen him in before. He stood up with Nick in his arms and almost went down because of the dead weight. By instinct I grabbed for Nick before he fell to the ground and caught his shoulder. His limp arm fell beside me and I let out a cry.

I’m not sure what happened next. It’s all one big blur but we managed to get inside and back up to the apartment. Nick was placed on the bed where Kevin and Brian sat vigil. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t bring myself to go in that room and neither could Howie.

The others just stood around the kitchen trying to let us grieve but running out of patience. Losing people was routine for them, but it was all new to us, well, almost all of us. Howie went through this not too long ago with his sister. At the time, I tried to imagine the pain he was going through but just couldn’t do it.

Now I know.

“Why were you outside?”

It took me a few minutes to realize Matt was talking to me. “I told you to stay put.”

“Nick needed some air. He wasn’t feeling good. We just stepped out for a few minutes.”

“A few minutes is all it takes.” Charlie answered, clearly with a sad edge to his tone.

I wanted to punch him, but he was right. My eyes wandered back to the bedroom and Nick as Alan continued the conversation. “He must have watched where we were going and followed us back here.”

“I told him he should have killed that kid.”

“I doubt he ever thought something like this would happen.”

“Yeah, well what they need to realize is, they aren’t in Kansas anymore. You can’t tell someone that he needs to die so that his double can live and not expect that his own will to survive wouldn’t kick in. Stupid!”

“Maybe it was stupid, but he was a human being.” Howie was now standing so close to Don it looked like he was getting ready to punch him in the face. “He was just a kid who didn’t deserve to die anymore than our Nicky did.”

“Well, now your Nicky is dead and you can be happy that the other one will now live to a nice old age, unless he’s caught again which is the most likely scenario. And this time they will just kill him. What a waste!”

With that being said, Howie did what we have all wanted to do since Don came into our lives. He punched him right in the face. I probably would have high-fived him if I wasn’t numbed by grief.

I have to give Don credit because I’m sure he could have easily torn D a new asshole. I could tell it took every ounce of his being to not hit him back, but he didn’t. Instead he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and walked away.

Howie turned toward Alan, “I’m sorry, but he had that coming to him.”

Alan didn’t say anything, instead he grabbed Howie’s arm and squeezed tightly, nodding as he ushered Charlie and everyone else out of the room, leaving just the two of us and our thoughts behind.

Kevin walked out a few seconds later, blood stains still all over his shirt. “What happened out here? I thought I heard a fight.”

His voice was monotone and scary. This wasn’t Kevin anymore. I think he died with Nick. I think in a way we all just did.

“Howie punched Don in the face.”

Kevin looked over at Howie who defended his actions, “He deserved it.”

“Doesn’t matter…” He sat down at the table and ran his hands through his hair. “Nothing much matters anymore.”

“Is it possible he’s…alive?” The hopeful tone in Howie’s voice made it seem almost possible.

Kevin shook his head as tears pooled in his eyes.

I decided at that point, I needed to go in and see him, so I walked past the crying Kevin and Howie and into the bedroom where Brian sat on the bed, his hand on Nick’s still one. A sheet was covering him up to his neck but there was blood coming through it from his abdomen. His eyes were closed and his lips gray. Any hope I had of walking in and seeing him alive was gone.

Nick was dead.

“He had so many things he wanted to do.” Brian never took his eyes off of his best friend as he talked. “We were going to get houses right next to each other. Our children were going to be best friends. We were going to be in this group until we were so old we wouldn’t be able to walk anymore. He’s not even 21, how is this possible?”

He looked up to me at that point, as if I had all the answers, but I had nothing for him. Instead, I sat down beside my little brother and grabbed his other hand. It was cold and slightly stiff.

I bent down and kissed his forehead, “Goodbye Nick, I love you. Don’t be scared, most likely we’ll see you soon.”

We just sat there in silence for the rest of the day as it turned to night because time no longer mattered.