I’m pretty sure I’m on the verge of a breakdown as I nervously watch the stare-off between Roland and Brian.
I’ve always figured his ultimate stubbornness would land him in trouble one day, but this opens up a whole other dimension of trouble. I silently try to convince him to do just as Roland asks, even if it’s not true, because frankly, I have no idea what Roland is capable of exactly.
“Come on, Nick! You know me!” Brian’s voice drifts through the fog that seems all around me, “Don’t tell me you actually believe this lunatic!”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore, Brian!” I suddenly yell as I find my voice back. “I mean, what the hell are you doing here, in this room?” I wave my hands around wildly, motioning at the dark, filthy motel room that reeks of alcohol and sweat.
Brian looks at me for a few second before he lowers his head in shame, “I- I don’t know, I’ve messed up, okay? Big time,” he mutters to the ground, “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“What happened to you?” I say, my voice only a bit more than a whisper, “You’re not the Brian I remember.”
“Of course he’s not!” Roland booms, “Who are you trying to fool, Thom?”
“Shut up!” I snap at him, slowly standing up before walking over to them, “Just… just let me talk to him for a minute, alright?”
Roland’s eyes shoot fire as I deliberately ignore him, leaning over to force Brian to look at me. “What happened, Brian?”
He swallows, nervously looking from me to Roland, back to me again, “I- I’m not sure. I don’t know what I was thinking, Nick,” he states, looking to the ground again. I hear Roland scoffing behind us, clearly annoyed. I ignore him, my heart aching for the ragged man before me. I remember being totally out of it, all those years ago. I had gotten myself in far too deep, didn’t think anything was ever going to be alright again, or that anyone was going to forgive me for the terrible things I’d said and done.
“It’s okay, Frick,” I mutter softly, “We’ll get through this, we always get through it.”
“I’m sorry,” he chokes and I smile softly, only then taking sides.
“Oh come on!” Roland yells, “You can’t tell me you actually believe this crap! You said it yourself, Carter, he would never abandon his family, no matter what!”
Brian winces at the mention of his family, slumping in the chair as a sign of defeat. Roland jumps up, lashing out at him in anger. Brian grunts as Roland’s fist connects with his abdomen, doubling over in pain, his hands still tied behind the chair.
“I’ve had it up to here with your bullshit, Burker!” Roland roars outrageous, taking another swing, this time directed at his face.
In record speed, I jump up, noticing vaguely that Roland isn’t paying attention to anything else than throwing punches at a bound captive. As inconspicuously as I can manage, I sneak over to the plastic bag, slowly slipping out a needle. Without wasting any more time, I sprint towards Roland’s back, pulling him off of Brian. I wrap my arm around his neck and sink the needle into his skin, pushing at the top of the syringe.
“What th-” Roland starts before his legs give out. I let him slip to the ground slowly, pulling the needle back out.
“Here’s a taste of your own medicine, creep!” I smile triumphantly.
Brian watches me with one wide eye, the other one swollen shut, and his mouth wide-open in astonishment. After I’ve retrieved a pair of scissors from the bag, I walk over to him, cutting him loose.
“What did you give him?” Brian asks in a rushed voice.
I shrug, not really caring, the bag still in my hands. I look into it as I say, “When- when we were younger, what did you always say to me before we went on a plane?”
“Are you kidding me?” Brian scoffs incredulously.
“Just answer the question,” I state, carefully wrapping my fingers around another needle and holding it tight.
“You were afraid of flying,” Brian sighs, “so I told you I was scared too and that we could scream as loud as we wanted during take-offs.”
I smile, nodding slowly, “That always made me feel a little better,” I admit. “Come on, we should go.” Walking over to Roland’s now limp form, I snatch the car-keys from his pockets, grab the plastic medical bag tight and open the door, watching as Brian stumbles through the room, collecting some of his clothes. I wait impatiently for him to finish packing his meagre belongings as I hold open the door for him.
“Where are we going?” he questions as we walk towards the car.
“We’ve got work to do,” I grumble as I step into the driver’s side, disregarding the bag to the backseat. Brian eyes it suspiciously, as he slowly takes a seat next to me.
“What?”
“Do you have a phone?” I ask and see him shaking his head.
“That’s okay,” I mutter, planning ahead, “We’ll have to find a phone somewhere, so we can call the others, tell’em you’re coming back.”
Brian swallows with difficulty, not really liking the idea, “they’ll never let me come back, I’ve screwed up too much,” he mutters dejectedly.
“Yeah, well, everyone deserves a second chance,” I state stubbornly as I steer the car towards the main road.
Brian gives me a small smile, “Thanks for, you know… believing me.”
I clench my jaw, not daring to look at him, “Yeah… sure…”
Author's Chapter Notes:
I'm on a roll today ^^
