The closer I get to Dax the more placid I become. At one point, I stop hearing or feeling my heartbeat, leaving only my empty shell behind. I don't quite remember when it started, but there is something clawing its way through my system that I haven't been able to place. 

Every chance I get, I glance over to the passenger seat where the gun is resting. My fingers continuously itch to hold the weapon in my hands again. When I was looking for it earlier, I thought that my intentions were clear. At first, the whole reason I needed the gun was to end Dax once and for all. To keep him from hurting anyone else I cared deeply about. But now, I realize this isn't to protect others.

It's a selfish suicide mission - a means to an end.

Pulling into the parking garage, I grab my ticket and watch the pole rise. It feels like an eternity passes before I can finally press on the gas again and find a place to park. There are plenty of open spaces at the moment, so I'm able to find a spot on the first floor. When the engine of my car cuts off, so does the link between my body and brain. The two parts of a whole suddenly severed.

Fear is not what's stopping me, but the realization that there isn't any fear. The gun is no confirmation that I'll kill Dax, or make it out alive, but yet I remain unafraid.
Unafraid of death. 

My arm breaks away from my temporary paralysis first and reaches for the gun. I don't have a holster, so I have to stuff it in the back rim of my pants. Surely Dax will be expecting me, but with Eddie gone, security will be at its weakest. 

The cold air welcomes me when I leave the car, but it barely registers. All sound falls away as I walk through the exit of the parking garage and across the street to Dax's building. Cars stop in the middle of the road to avoid hitting me, one only missing me by a couple inches, but I don't even flinch. They're undoubtedly honking, and cursing through rolled down windows, but it falls on deaf ears.

I round the building and enter through the back door before taking my gun out. The elevator is only around the corner, but it feels like it's miles away. Every step closer is a greater chance of getting caught. I stop at the corner and peek around it to make sure no one is waiting for the lift already.

When I see the coast is clear, I make a run for the elevator and press the button. The doors open without delay and I step right in.

Even though my mind is perfectly at ease, my heart is beating so rapidly in my chest that I fear it might burst. Sweat gathers on my palms and the pounding in my heart I've been drowning out for the past hour has returned with a vengeance. 

"C'mon, not now," I groan. My palms press against my temples in an attempt to relieve the pressure threatening to split my skull.

The pain is consistent, but I'm forced to snap out of it when I hear the doors open. Just like I suspected, someone is keeping guard of the entryway.

Braxton stands to attention right away, but instead of hostility, I'm met with confusion. "Austin, what are you-?" He stops himself when his gaze drops to the weapon in my hand. "Shit!"

He tries reaching for his shotgun, but I'm too fast. The gun is already pointed at his chest and he freezes, hands in the air. I step through the elevator doors and he lets out a heavy sigh.

"Come on, man. You really don't want to do this right now." He's talking as if this is more of an inconvenience to him than anything else. "Just put the gun down and get-"

"Shut up and walk!" I forcibly turn him towards the main room with the gun to his back. His limping slows us down a little, so I nudge him in the back in hopes he'll get the message and quicken his pace.

We make our way down the hallway and into the open space. Getting shot on sight is not one of my concerns - most of the guys here aren't allowed to carry within these walls, the right being reserved only for Dax's inner circle. Even with that knowledge, the sweat on my palms doesn't ease up.

"Dax!" His name booms from my throat in a strangled snarl, the echo filling the room. I look around, but the bastard's nowhere to be seen. "Where are you?"

I push Braxton once we're in the middle of the room. He sends me a judgemental look when his bad leg threatened to give out, but he maintains his balance.

Not one person makes a move, so I assume it's part of the protocol for situations like this. I'm the center of attention, but still, no one makes an effort to stop me. Not even Iker, who stands over the railing of the second floor. But, he does seem to be glaring down at me as if he is trying to figure out what my motive is.

"Dax!" There is still no sign of him and the anger takes over. I grab a hold of Braxton, my arm clutching him in a headlock and the gun raises to his temple.

Iker is the first to pull out his gun and others follow his lead. More than five barrels are now pointing at multiple sections of my body, but I don't want to welcome them yet. Not until Dax goes first. He must die first.

"Where is he?" My question is met with silence, once again. The only thing I hear is Braxton's growl of frustration when I put more pressure on his temple. "Dax, if you don't get out here night now, I'll-"

"I'm right here."

His voice comes from behind me and the hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stand on end. Braxton must have sensed my momentary setback because he doesn't hesitate. Faster than I can blink, the gun is swiped from my grip and I see his elbow dive into my ribs before I can stop him. I double over in pain, everything else fading around me when another hit collides with my nose. A metallic taste drains into my mouth, but the first hit numbed the pain of the second. 

Shapes blur around me, but I can't make out any other details. All I can focus on is the pounding in my head that feels like my skull is being split in half. My head spins and I feel like I'm going to pass out until I remember what I was doing and where I am.

The room starts to stabilize through the headache, my mind pushing to its fullest extent to make sense of the figures in the room. Three different people are circled around me, holding guns in my direction while I'm on my knees in front of the very person who I want to kill. 

Dax stares down at me, almost smirking, his eyes displaying triumph. The urge to put a bullet in his head is increasing with every second and my hatred is fueling me tremendously.

There's a calmness emanating from him right now that I could only relate to on my way here. "This is about your girlfriend, right?"

The smug look in Dax's eyes drives my rage.

An animalistic snarl tears at my throat as I get to my feet, my fist connecting with his jaw before I can stop myself. My knuckle aches when I pull back for another hit, but Daryl and some other lackey get a hold of me. They continue to hold me back even when I thrash to break free, like a rabid dog trying to break through the bars of a cage.

When I finally realize it's no use, I spit at his feet. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"You're gon' kill me?" Dax actually has the nerve to laugh. "You're doing a great job."
An enraged grunt expels from my lips as I tug at the grip on my right arm. "No, you are supposed to die! You came after my girlfriend, you son of a bitch!"

Dax sighs, grabbing my father's gun from his brother. "You lied to me. I take loyalty very seriously. You know this, but you lied to me when you said you weren't seeing Sabrina anymore, but you continued seeing her after you told me you broke up. I didn't want you to have any distractions, so I got rid of it." He shrugs. "I just thought I was just helping out a friend."

"My God." I chuckle, but it's void of humor. "You really are losing it without Eddie."

The observation provokes a dirty look from him, but he only clears his throat. "That's why you're going to help me get him back."

"Are you kidding?" Braxton laughs, not even bothering to cover it up. "You don't think I would have figured out a way if there was one. They are greater in numbers and intelligence. And what makes you think Eddie wants to come back?"

After rolling his eyes, Dax glares at his brother. "Are you serious?"

"Think about it," Braxton continues, "Antonio Torres made you the boss. Eddie probably assumed his older brother was going appoint him as the leader, but instead, he finds out he has to take orders from this little gringo puta who stole his thunder. What if Brandan King gave him an offer that was much better than being your second in command?"

"You make a good point, but why do you-"

"What if Eddie was mad enough to accept this offer?"

Everyone's attention is now on Braxton, confused faces scrunching in an attempt to figure out what he's getting at.

"That only reason that guy would ever come back is to bring you down." Braxton folds his arms over his chest, a cocky smile displaying whitened teeth. "So, what if they were on their way right now?" 

For the first time since I've met him, there's a bolt of fear in Dax's cold eyes that I've never seen before. "What did you do?"

"You know? All of my life, the one thing I wanted more than anything was to finally get away from your toxic shadow." Victory thrives in the gray orbs of the younger sibling as he looks at his older brother with such deep malice. "Now, I finally figured out how to escape you."

"Braxton." Dax's voice is actually shaking. "What the fuck did you do?"

"I accepted an offer."

"You fucking backstabbing, traitor!"

Most of the guns are now pointing at Braxton. The one that Dax is holding is inches away from the spot between his brother's eyes. Surprisingly, there's not an ounce of worry in them.

It suddenly all makes sense when I put it together. When Eddie, Braxton, and I went to Brandan King's place, they already knew Eddie was going to be taken. They had to. I had a feeling I was missing something that day, and I was right. Braxton must have been waiting for King to show up in the elevator earlier, but instead, I came in to crash the party.

"Go ahead and shoot me," he says. "Whether you kill me, or I'm saved by King, I'll be free of you either way."

"Bring him to his knees," Dax growls.

Iker is the one to help Braxton into the position before that very gun rests against his temple for the second time today. Dax's finger is on the trigger when I finally speak again.

"Come on, man," I plead. "You gotta let me go before King gets here."

Like I had hoped, Dax drops the gun to his side. Braxton was the only person in this place who was ever nice to me, and he doesn't deserve to die.

"It's over, okay?" I struggle against the guys who are still retraining me. "Don't you get it? You lost! If you just surrender to King, maybe all of this will go away. Tell him you'll stop fighting him and selling in his territories and this whole thing can end!"

"I will not lose this battle!" A hysterical look has taken over the fear in his eyes. "I've been working too hard clawing my way to the stop to let my brother ruin everything for me! King will not win."

"You're insane if you think you're getting out of this alive, brother!" Braxton's tone on that last word gave off the same vibe as a curse word.

"Shut up!" Dax points a hostile finger at his brother before turning his attention back on me. "I don't need Eddie, or anyone to come out on top. I've gotten this far, haven't I?There is nothing anyone, not even The Brandan King can do to stop me!"

"Your brother's right. You are insane!"

A sinister expression is etched on his face when he looks at me as well as the others around him. "You think I'm crazy, huh?" Laughter bubbles up his throat and he itches the back of his head with the gun. "Just wait how crazy I look when I kill my brother, Eddie, King, and anyone who's ever betrayed me! Everyone who's ever crossed me is going to be put down."

"It doesn't matter who you kill, Dax!" The resentment I still have for Dax hurting Sabrina drives my words. "You will always be a fucking psychopath!"

I feel Daryl loosen his hold on me as well as the other guy and they back away as Dax mutters curses under his breath. My only hope is that they too are losing faith in their leader and I can make my escape, but there's a sudden ringing in my ears that follows a loud bang, revealing why they were so eager to leave my side.

It doesn't fully register at first. A sudden warmth runs down my leg and for a second, I could have sworn I just peed myself, but a strain so familiar, yet so different spreads through my thigh. The smoking gun in Dax's hand offers a horrifying realization. When my pants tighten around my upper leg, the pressure is completely taken over by a throbbing torment.

"Ah, fuck!" My legs collapse underneath me while I push down on the hole in my jeans. Blood as thick as syrup seeps through my fingers as the pain reaches new levels.

Dax continues to rant, but I am completely zoning it out. My entire focus set on the dark substance oozing from my bullet wound until one voice cuts through everything.

"Austin!" It yells.

Blood turns to ice in my veins, and I fear my heart has stopped from the cold front that has taken over every bone and muscle in my body.

There's no way she could possibly be here. When I left her, she could barely move, and an ambulance was on the way. By now she was supposed to be at the hospital, getting the care she needs, not getting sucked into my screwed up problems, yet again.

Dax is no longer the center of attention, all heads turning to the small crowd of intruders appearing from the hallway. My eyes find Sabrina before anything else and suddenly, she's the only person in this universe. The bruises and cuts on her face remind of me of the turmoil I've already put her through in the span of only hours, but her eyes reveal days of torment. Tears are already falling freely and a hopeless cry leaves her lips when she notices my leg.

My eyes plead with her as I shake my head, hoping she'll get the message to stay calm and not try anything.

The rest of the world comes back into view, and I realize Eddie is the one escorting Sabrina, her arm in a tight grip as he pulls her along. A not so subtle wink is directed at me when our eyes meet. He recieves nothing more than a scowl from me in return, thought he deserves so much worse.

To my surprise, Whittney trails behind him, his arms secured by his brother, Jeremy, and another one of King's men.

King has all eyes on him but mine. Mine doesn't leave Sabrina.

"Now that I have all of your attention-" Brandan King smirks at the group as a whole. His guys circle us, all of them armed with guns. "-we can get started."

***

Only two chapters left and things aren't looking too good for the main characters, not only Aubrina and Whittney but for Dax, as well. The final plot twist is here - Eddie and Braxton have been working with Brandan King the whole time, which means Braxton really took one for the team when King shot him in the leg just to throw off any suspicions.

So many more questions have arisen this chapter instead of answers, though. Why is Sabrina here instead of at the hospital, and how did her and Whittney get there in the first place? What's going to happen to Dax? How are these three teens ever going to make it all out alive?

Brandan King is in the media, as well as the song Anachronism by Crywolf, who is a really great artist. I really recommend more of his music, because they're really intense songs that give off a good theatrical vibe, really great for chapter songs! Speaking of chapters, I hope this one was deserving of a vote! If so, please click that little star in the corner, and comment any thoughts you have. Would mean so much. (:

Until next time,

TheWriterD