Post by Tha Nightmare 187 on Feb 6, 2011 3:28:35 GMT -5
It was a hot Saturday morning in Los Angeles, California.
Adrian found himself plopped down on a couch with a remote control in his hand, flipping through the channels on the television to find something interesting to watch. Nothing. There was nothing to watch. Los Angeles News. He quickly changes to the next channel after a report of some liquor store being robbed the night before. Los Angeles Weather. He could predict the weather without needing all those gadgets they use. Sunny. All day, everyday. There was literally no point in having a news channel in the state of California. There was hardly any change in the weather here. He changed the channel again. The next channel had some cartoon on it. Some kid with a big yellow mouse with red cheeks and electrical powers. He changed the channel again. This time when he changed the channel, a young child's voice caught the attention of Adrian. He turned his head to look at where the source of the voice had come from...
: "Hey! Change it back! I like that show!"
"What? This?"
He changed the channel back to the cartoon that was on. Some red head and her purple haired pretty boy partner were trying to steal this yellow mouse now. He raised an eyebrow at the television. What the heck was this? Guess he didn't watch that much television because he had no clue what this show was or what was going on in it. Then he looks back over at the kid beside him. The child looked back at him and nodded.
: "Can we watch it?"
"Uh... Sure, kiddo. What's this show all about, Alex?"
Alex: "It's these people. And they collect these animals. And they have to catch them all."
"Ah. I see."
He really didn't see. What was the point of collecting all those animals? What would people do with a million different pets? He didn't know. All Adrian knew was that his little brother liked this show and he wanted to watch it. Why not check this thing out? Their mother should be back soon with Allison and some groceries for lunch. He was tasked with watching his brother until she got back. He didn't have anything to do today. He didn't need to check back with the crew. He didn't need to drop off any product or money. There were no jobs he had to do. He was sort of on a 'day off' from his less than legal activities. It was nice to get some time to relax. A few minutes pass by and Adrian sits there with a puzzled look on his face when the red head and the pretty boy on the cartoon have their plans foiled and end up 'blasting off again' as they put it. Strange ass show. His concentration was broken once again. It wasn't by his younger brother, but by some other voices. Voices that were coming from outside of his house. He wanted to just ignore it and forget about them. But something told him that he should probably take a look out the window to see what it was. His paranoia wouldn't stop bothering him.
"I'll be back real quick."
...He said to his brother, who didn't answer him because his eyes were glued to the television screen. Then he pushed himself off of the couch and proceeded to step across the living room of the house. He approached the window that faced out to the front porch. The blinds were down to keep the sunlight limited because it was at just the right angle in the sky to shine right into the living room. He hated being blinded by sunlight. Adrian raised a hand up and stuck a finger in between the blinds to push it down. Peeking through the blinds, he was looking for the source of the outside voices. They didn't sound friendly, but he also didn't understand what they were saying. It certainly wasn't English. He knew that much. His eyes scanned the outside of his house and he saw some people outside of his house.
"What the Fuck is going on out there?"
...Adrian says under his breath, trying to keep his voice down so Alex didn't hear him. The people outside of his house were all men. He counted five of them. They were dressed in similar clothing. They all looked like they were of Asian descent. He didn't know what exactly. He personally couldn't tell a Japanese from a Chinese. Or a Chinese from a Laotian. And so on... But these guys looked familiar. Well, not really familiar. He thought that he's seen this style of dress before. Then he noticed one detail that each man shared. There was a tattoo they all had on their faces. It was a tattoo of a dragon. He knew that tattoo too. The men were looked toward the house. Shit. Did they see him? He knew where these guys were from. He'd done business with them in the past. It didn't go well. It continued to not go well for awhile. You could say they weren't exactly a fan of his. The guys were looking at his house. They must know he lives here. Then he saw something that literally made his heart sink. They were drawing guns at the house. His eyes widened and he turned to where his brother sat unaware on the couch. Adrian quickly rushed toward his brother and screamed...
"QUICK! GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR!"
The next thing he knew, automatic gunfire began to ring out into the neighborhood from the men outside. Bullets penetrated through his house. Splintering wood, shattering glass, the bullets destroying everything in it's path. Adrian lunged forward and grabbed his brother off of the couch. Then he dropped to the floor with his arms wrapped around his brother. Taking him behind the couch and staying low to the floor. He kept his brother's head buried into his chest, trying to protect him from the bullets that flew above them. Fluff from the couch flutter through the air and debris from random things exploded to their left and their right. If anyone was going to be hurt today, he would rather it be him. He knew they were here for him. They meant business if they were going to send people to his home with automatic rifles. How the fuck did they find out where he lived? It was at this point he felt a burning sensation in the back of his shoulder the hit pretty hard. He clenched in pain because he had never felt something so excruciating before.
"AHHHH!"
He screamed out and clutched his brother closer to his body. Son of a bitch. Is that what it feels like to be shot? He had never felt a bullet pierce his skin before now. It hurt like Hell. It fucking burned. He could feel his back leaking blood onto the floor. After a brief moment, the gunfire stopped. They must be reloading. He began to release his tight grip on his brother. He wanted to see if he was okay. He hadn't been crying or making any noises since he tackled him onto the floor. He hadn't been shaking or fidgeting. He needed to make sure he was alright. He began to pull back to look at his brother and his body... His body... It was limp. Adrian's eyes bugged out at the sight and he began to shake Alex.
"Alex!? Kiddo!? You awake?!"
Adrian shook him again. Still nothing. Did he faint? Oh dear fucking God. He better have fainted. Adrian reached down and checked under his brother's neck for a pulse. He froze up when there was... nothing. Nothing at all. Adrian then began to look down at the shoulder where he was bleeding out of in front of him. There was a hole through his skin. All the way through his body. He looked down at his brother Alex and noticed there was a hole too. It was there. There was a hole through his shirt with blood seeping out from his chest. It went through. The fucking bullet went through! It pierced his body and hit his brother. His eyes watered up when he realized what had happened. His brother... His flesh and blood... Alex... His kid brother... Was dead. Right in his fucking arms. Because of him. Because of some shit he did. Because he pissed some people off. Because they wanted him dead. His kid brother was now a lifeless body in his arms.
"Oh... my... God... What have I done...?"
In a sudden instant, the head of his brother turned forward and faced upward. A look of confusion and horror washed over Adrian's face. Then Alex's eyes opened and all that was there was white. Pure white. Pure white dead eyes. Staring back up at Adrian and that child's voice spoke to him again in a cold and distant voice. Saying...
Alex: "Adrian..."
"I'M SORRY!"
...Screamed out Adrian, sitting up so hard in his bed that he almost folded himself in half. His breathing was heavy. His body soaked from the cold sweat pouring from his pores. It was a dream. It was all just a dream. It was no longer the year 2000. It was the present. It was 2011. He was no longer in his California home. He was no longer eighteen years old. He was no longer holding his brother in his arms. He was back in his New York apartment. He was twenty nine. His body marked with the scars from the past eleven years that he's been living this life. His bed was surrounded by empty bottles of liquor that have been gathering since he's moved into the place. It was all just a dream. He had had the nightmare again. The same nightmare that has been haunting him these same eleven years. The guilt burdening him each day of his life. It tormented him. Reminding him of what he had done. Reminding him who he was. Reminding him of what happens to those close to him. He fucking wished that bullet had only been a few inches lower. If only that bullet had pierced his heart... Maybe his brother would be lucky enough to have been missed. Maybe he would be with his brother right now in the afterlife. Ugh... He lifted a hand up to his forehead. His cheeks were damp. He must've been crying in his sleep. He said in a weak voice...
"I'm... I'm... sorry..."
Murda: "The dream again?"
...His dark shadow said, leaning up against the wall of the bedroom. He must've sensed the disturbance. It was a disturbance he was all too familiar with. It was the moment that he had come into existence. The dark shadow had been around for it all. He'd been more like The Wizard of Oz. He was the Man Behind the Curtain. He was the puppet master. Pulling on Adrian's strings while not making his presence known. He had just been playing possum for awhile until that night in Chicago when Adrian needed him most. That night with the revolver and his enemy Teck. Playing Russian Roulette to settle their differences once and for all. He knew about the nightmare. It always brought a man who was never known to shed a tear to simply break down. His dark shadow just drew a breath and let out a heavy sigh. Then he suggested the remedy for such a night like this...
Murda: "How about a drink?"
"Yeah. Something hard and strong..."
Adrian found himself plopped down on a couch with a remote control in his hand, flipping through the channels on the television to find something interesting to watch. Nothing. There was nothing to watch. Los Angeles News. He quickly changes to the next channel after a report of some liquor store being robbed the night before. Los Angeles Weather. He could predict the weather without needing all those gadgets they use. Sunny. All day, everyday. There was literally no point in having a news channel in the state of California. There was hardly any change in the weather here. He changed the channel again. The next channel had some cartoon on it. Some kid with a big yellow mouse with red cheeks and electrical powers. He changed the channel again. This time when he changed the channel, a young child's voice caught the attention of Adrian. He turned his head to look at where the source of the voice had come from...
: "Hey! Change it back! I like that show!""What? This?"
He changed the channel back to the cartoon that was on. Some red head and her purple haired pretty boy partner were trying to steal this yellow mouse now. He raised an eyebrow at the television. What the heck was this? Guess he didn't watch that much television because he had no clue what this show was or what was going on in it. Then he looks back over at the kid beside him. The child looked back at him and nodded.
: "Can we watch it?""Uh... Sure, kiddo. What's this show all about, Alex?"
Alex: "It's these people. And they collect these animals. And they have to catch them all."
"Ah. I see."
He really didn't see. What was the point of collecting all those animals? What would people do with a million different pets? He didn't know. All Adrian knew was that his little brother liked this show and he wanted to watch it. Why not check this thing out? Their mother should be back soon with Allison and some groceries for lunch. He was tasked with watching his brother until she got back. He didn't have anything to do today. He didn't need to check back with the crew. He didn't need to drop off any product or money. There were no jobs he had to do. He was sort of on a 'day off' from his less than legal activities. It was nice to get some time to relax. A few minutes pass by and Adrian sits there with a puzzled look on his face when the red head and the pretty boy on the cartoon have their plans foiled and end up 'blasting off again' as they put it. Strange ass show. His concentration was broken once again. It wasn't by his younger brother, but by some other voices. Voices that were coming from outside of his house. He wanted to just ignore it and forget about them. But something told him that he should probably take a look out the window to see what it was. His paranoia wouldn't stop bothering him.
"I'll be back real quick."
...He said to his brother, who didn't answer him because his eyes were glued to the television screen. Then he pushed himself off of the couch and proceeded to step across the living room of the house. He approached the window that faced out to the front porch. The blinds were down to keep the sunlight limited because it was at just the right angle in the sky to shine right into the living room. He hated being blinded by sunlight. Adrian raised a hand up and stuck a finger in between the blinds to push it down. Peeking through the blinds, he was looking for the source of the outside voices. They didn't sound friendly, but he also didn't understand what they were saying. It certainly wasn't English. He knew that much. His eyes scanned the outside of his house and he saw some people outside of his house.
"What the Fuck is going on out there?"
...Adrian says under his breath, trying to keep his voice down so Alex didn't hear him. The people outside of his house were all men. He counted five of them. They were dressed in similar clothing. They all looked like they were of Asian descent. He didn't know what exactly. He personally couldn't tell a Japanese from a Chinese. Or a Chinese from a Laotian. And so on... But these guys looked familiar. Well, not really familiar. He thought that he's seen this style of dress before. Then he noticed one detail that each man shared. There was a tattoo they all had on their faces. It was a tattoo of a dragon. He knew that tattoo too. The men were looked toward the house. Shit. Did they see him? He knew where these guys were from. He'd done business with them in the past. It didn't go well. It continued to not go well for awhile. You could say they weren't exactly a fan of his. The guys were looking at his house. They must know he lives here. Then he saw something that literally made his heart sink. They were drawing guns at the house. His eyes widened and he turned to where his brother sat unaware on the couch. Adrian quickly rushed toward his brother and screamed...
"QUICK! GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR!"
The next thing he knew, automatic gunfire began to ring out into the neighborhood from the men outside. Bullets penetrated through his house. Splintering wood, shattering glass, the bullets destroying everything in it's path. Adrian lunged forward and grabbed his brother off of the couch. Then he dropped to the floor with his arms wrapped around his brother. Taking him behind the couch and staying low to the floor. He kept his brother's head buried into his chest, trying to protect him from the bullets that flew above them. Fluff from the couch flutter through the air and debris from random things exploded to their left and their right. If anyone was going to be hurt today, he would rather it be him. He knew they were here for him. They meant business if they were going to send people to his home with automatic rifles. How the fuck did they find out where he lived? It was at this point he felt a burning sensation in the back of his shoulder the hit pretty hard. He clenched in pain because he had never felt something so excruciating before.
"AHHHH!"
He screamed out and clutched his brother closer to his body. Son of a bitch. Is that what it feels like to be shot? He had never felt a bullet pierce his skin before now. It hurt like Hell. It fucking burned. He could feel his back leaking blood onto the floor. After a brief moment, the gunfire stopped. They must be reloading. He began to release his tight grip on his brother. He wanted to see if he was okay. He hadn't been crying or making any noises since he tackled him onto the floor. He hadn't been shaking or fidgeting. He needed to make sure he was alright. He began to pull back to look at his brother and his body... His body... It was limp. Adrian's eyes bugged out at the sight and he began to shake Alex.
"Alex!? Kiddo!? You awake?!"
Adrian shook him again. Still nothing. Did he faint? Oh dear fucking God. He better have fainted. Adrian reached down and checked under his brother's neck for a pulse. He froze up when there was... nothing. Nothing at all. Adrian then began to look down at the shoulder where he was bleeding out of in front of him. There was a hole through his skin. All the way through his body. He looked down at his brother Alex and noticed there was a hole too. It was there. There was a hole through his shirt with blood seeping out from his chest. It went through. The fucking bullet went through! It pierced his body and hit his brother. His eyes watered up when he realized what had happened. His brother... His flesh and blood... Alex... His kid brother... Was dead. Right in his fucking arms. Because of him. Because of some shit he did. Because he pissed some people off. Because they wanted him dead. His kid brother was now a lifeless body in his arms.
"Oh... my... God... What have I done...?"
In a sudden instant, the head of his brother turned forward and faced upward. A look of confusion and horror washed over Adrian's face. Then Alex's eyes opened and all that was there was white. Pure white. Pure white dead eyes. Staring back up at Adrian and that child's voice spoke to him again in a cold and distant voice. Saying...
Alex: "Adrian..."
"I'M SORRY!"
...Screamed out Adrian, sitting up so hard in his bed that he almost folded himself in half. His breathing was heavy. His body soaked from the cold sweat pouring from his pores. It was a dream. It was all just a dream. It was no longer the year 2000. It was the present. It was 2011. He was no longer in his California home. He was no longer eighteen years old. He was no longer holding his brother in his arms. He was back in his New York apartment. He was twenty nine. His body marked with the scars from the past eleven years that he's been living this life. His bed was surrounded by empty bottles of liquor that have been gathering since he's moved into the place. It was all just a dream. He had had the nightmare again. The same nightmare that has been haunting him these same eleven years. The guilt burdening him each day of his life. It tormented him. Reminding him of what he had done. Reminding him who he was. Reminding him of what happens to those close to him. He fucking wished that bullet had only been a few inches lower. If only that bullet had pierced his heart... Maybe his brother would be lucky enough to have been missed. Maybe he would be with his brother right now in the afterlife. Ugh... He lifted a hand up to his forehead. His cheeks were damp. He must've been crying in his sleep. He said in a weak voice...
"I'm... I'm... sorry..."
Murda: "The dream again?"
...His dark shadow said, leaning up against the wall of the bedroom. He must've sensed the disturbance. It was a disturbance he was all too familiar with. It was the moment that he had come into existence. The dark shadow had been around for it all. He'd been more like The Wizard of Oz. He was the Man Behind the Curtain. He was the puppet master. Pulling on Adrian's strings while not making his presence known. He had just been playing possum for awhile until that night in Chicago when Adrian needed him most. That night with the revolver and his enemy Teck. Playing Russian Roulette to settle their differences once and for all. He knew about the nightmare. It always brought a man who was never known to shed a tear to simply break down. His dark shadow just drew a breath and let out a heavy sigh. Then he suggested the remedy for such a night like this...
Murda: "How about a drink?"
"Yeah. Something hard and strong..."
