Bromance

Chapter Three: Dog Pile

Brody sat impatiently in the hallway across from his room staring at the door. He couldn't hear anything. It was the day right after the entire incident happened yesterday. He prayed that nothing truly real happened to Fang, that someone was just playing a cruel joke but as he woke up today and noticed that Fang was clenching himself like his body was a cage and he was trying to keep everything inside. The emotional spectacle quickly subsided as Miss Harriet walked in with the same cop from yesterday.

It has now been nearly two hours since the cop has been locked up in their room interrogating Fang about what happened yesterday and Brody was growing restless. Miss Harriet walked up the stairs and sat next to Brody.

"It'll be okay, Brody. Why don't you come downstairs and have some pancakes," Miss Harriet suggested.

"Can't. I can't eat, not with all of this happening. I need to know that Fang will be alright."

"He is. The police are going to do their best to put the man that did this to Fang behind bars."

"I need to stay. For Fang."

Miss Harriet let out a loud sigh and stood back up. She looked at the door then at Brody. She shook her head and went back down stairs. Suddenly the door opened and Fang walked out ignoring Brody.

"Hey Fang! How--."

The cop walked out and shook his head.

"What happened?" Brody asked concerned.

"You're friend is refusing to attend the hearing next week. If you all want that man to go to jail, he has to attend the hearing and testify. He's the only victim we have that's still alive. We need him."

Brody grabbed the man's shoulders and asked, "What do you mean the only live victim? Are you telling me there were others?"

"Yes, you want to see their graves? Or maybe you want to see the end result after he was done with them."

"I'll go talk to him."

"Well if you get him to testify next week, contact me. Here's my card," the cop said giving Brody his card.

Brody took the card and put it in his back pocket. Then they both walked down the stairs and noticed the front door was open with Fang being bombarded with news reporters, paparazzi, and journalists. They both rushed to Fang's side.

"Fang, how does it feel to be the only victim to survive the V predator?" a news reporter asked.

"I--um."

"What makes you different from the other victims?" asked a journalist.

"I--I have to go," Fang mumbled pushing the reporters, paparazzi, and journalists out of his way.

"Fang, wait up!" Brody yelled pushing his way through the crowd.

Fang sped up his pace further distancing himself from the crowd and Brody. Brody then ran after him. Fang looked behind himself and noticed Brody was close behind him so he ran as well.

"Leave me alone Brody!" Fang yelled.

Brody ran next to Fang and tackled Fang into a nearby yard. Fang tried to push Brody off of him but Brody grabbed his wrists and nailed him to the ground.

"I just want to help, don't you understand?" Brody asked.

"You're hurting me!" Fang gasped.

Brody quickly let go of Fang and stood up. Fang sat up and rubbed his wrists.

"I'm sorry, I--I was just--I shouldn't have been so rough with you," Brody apologized.

"I know. I don't know what's wrong with me. I pride myself in being a strong person inside and out but I just cracked. I just want to be alone."

"I can't give you that, Fang. You were alone yesterday and look what happened to you."

"I know but I--every time I close my eyes I see his face and it horrifies me."

"I'm sorry. Fang, I will do everything in my power to make sure no one ever touches you like that ever again but you have to attend that hearing next week and testify."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just told you! He horrifies me! If I see him again I won't be able to control my actions. If he goes to jail, I should too for adultery."

"It wasn't your fault."

"How can you say that with such promise? I knew what I was getting myself into."

"Fang."

Fang stood up and clenched his fists.

"I'm a slut, a whore. And yet you're still here. Why?"

"Because I know you're not. You're just in shock," Brody said pulling Fang into a hug.

Fang nestled his head into Brody's chest.

"But I'm not. I'm sorry, Brody. You just don't understand," Fang said as he swiftly punched Brody in the gut knocking the wind out of him.

A couple minutes later, Brody woke up inside the adoption home with the cop and Miss Harriet hovering over him.

"Where's Fang?" Brody asked clutching his stomach.

"We were hoping you could tell us," the cop said.

"You mean you don't know?" Brody asked.

"When I caught up to you, you were passed out on someone's yard. I'm guessing things didn't go well."

"I tried to help Fang, but he wouldn't listen. He was set on being alone. I have to find him."

"I've already sent some people to patrol for him."

"I don't think it's going to work. If he doesn't want to found, I doubt we'll find him," Brody said with his head in his hands.

"We'll find him, I promise. But for now, you just rest."

"I can't. Not with Fang out there all alone."

"You won't be helping anyone if you don't rest. Just trust me."

"No, I have to--."

"Please Brody, trust him. He knows what he's doing."

Brody sighed and sat up.

"You better be right," Brody said as went upstairs to his room.

Fang sat down an open field of grass. He had no idea where he was but he didn't care, all he wanted was to be alone. He looked all around him and he got what he wanted, complete loneliness. It felt nice since he didn't have to hear that damn cop badgering him about what happened to him yesterday and to top it all off he wants him to testify against Vince next week as if experiencing it once wasn't bad enough. While Fang was busy thinking to himself, he let down his guard as he was not listening to his surroundings.

"Fang Park?" a deep, manly voice asked from behind him.

Fang quickly stood up and turned around. In front of him were three men in black clothing and blank white masks.

"Who's asking?" Fang asked.

"Vince wants you out of the picture."

"You work for him?" Fang asked clenching his fists.

"Can't answer that."

"Well you can tell him that I'm not going to trial next week. I just want to put this all behind me."

"That's not good enough. They caught our master. Now we want you gone for good."

"We? I thought you said he wanted me out of the picture."

"We. He. It's all the same. As long as you're gone, they can't take him away from us."

"You're victims too. But they said all the other victims are dead."

"Faking death isn't that hard, Sweety."

"I'm not your Sweety so just leave me alone."

"That's not how we work. You're going to die just like us but for you, it'll be forever."

Fang put his fists in front of him and firmly spread his feet apart.

"Hey!" a scratchy, womanly voice from behind Fang yelled.

A tall, white teenage girl stood behind Fang. She had long, platinum blonde hair that stopped at the end of her backside. She wore a white button up shirt and you could see she had on a plain white tee underneath and a jet black knee long skirt. She also wore a navy blue letterman jacket.

"Stay out of this, miss. This isn't your business. Just run along to your mommy."

"Shouldn't people like you three stay in your designated cages till feeding time? And I don't cry to my mother any more. If I were you three and to tell you the truth I really am happy I'm not, I would run away to daddy. Oh wait, you can't," she said with her fists in front of her.

The young lady ran up to the three men and began brutally beating the three men to a pulp. After a few minutes, the three men put up their hands in surrender. They all got up and sprinted away. The woman sighed and turned to Fang.

"Fang Park I presume? The name's Evelyn MacIntyre," she said with her arm extended out.

"Thanks," Fang said shaking her hand. "How do you know who I am?"

"The news and my father."

"You're father?"

"He's a detective he works with Lucas."

"Lucas?"

"The cop that's interrogating you. So are you really not going to testify next week?"

"Yes. I don't want to relive that moment. It's too much. I just want to live my life without any more drama."

"I'm sorry to tell you this but drama is part of life. The way I see it drama is a test."

"A test? What do you mean?"

"Drama is a test for all living beings to see if they can adapt to certain situations and still live life. No matter where you go, what you do, or what's done to you, drama is there to test your well being. You have to look drama in its eyes and show it that you're here to stay, you're here to live. Otherwise, you'll let drama turn into stress and stress turns into anxiety that could eventually kill you."

"I wasn't thinking of killing myself. That goes against my morals. I just want to forget and move on."

"But what about the others?"

"They're still alive, you saw it."

"I didn't mean them. I meant the others that will become victims themselves under that scum goes after them. If you don't testify, he'll go after other people and there's a chance that they'll die for real."

"You don't know the future."

"Then do you think that after this whole ordeal is over that he'll stop?"

"That's not my problem."

"It is your problem and you're the solution. I can't force you to testify but I can sure as hell try my best to persuade you. To see the light."

"I'll think about it," Fang said with his head down.

"Well I hope you make the right decision. So do you want to come back to my place and wait for my father to come pick you up?"

"Sure."

"Miss Harriet, I can't sleep. Not while Fang's out there. You have to let me go and find him."

"It's already midnight, Brody. You're just going to have to wait till morning."

"No, I can't wait anymore. I'm going to go find him!" Brody said as he opened the front door.

"Whoa that was strange," Evelyn said as she just about to knock.

"Who are--."

Fang stepped to Evelyn's side and Brody grinned.

"I hope you're not too mad," Fang said with his head down.

Brody walked up to Fang and gave him a bear hug.

"Mad? I was so worried about you. I just about to go look for you."

"Well that explains the surprise door factor," Evelyn added.

Brody stared at Evelyn and gave her a confused look.

"I'm Evelyn. You can thank me for bringing back your boyfriend."

"Excuse me?" Brody asked.

"We're brothers, Evelyn."

Evelyn cocked her left eyebrow and frowned.

"Yeah right," Evelyn said to herself.

"Well thanks for bringing Fang back."

"I did more than that. I saved his life."

"Don't get cocky."

"Brody, she actually did save myself. The dead victims came for me and tried to kill me."

"She saved you from zombies? Did you hit your head?"

"Maybe I should explain," Evelyn's father said coming out from the shadows. "Let's go inside."

"So the first three victims aren't dead? They just faked their death to be with that bastard? Who would be stupid enough to do that?" Brody asked.

"He most likely brainwashed them."

"With what?"

"Fear itself."

"So if your partner hadn't caught him in the action, Fang would have become just like those three?"

"Most likely. If Fang hadn't fought back, he would have died, so to speak."

"You're going to testify, right Fang?" Brody asked turning to Fang.

"Yeah, I'm not going to let him hurt another kid. Like Evelyn said "I'm the solution.""

"Hey don't give me all the credit, I just showed you the light. You make your own decisions."

Fang got up and gave Evelyn a hug. As shocked as she was, she hugged Fang back. Fang let go and sat back down next to Brody.

"Oh father, don't forget what you wanted to tell Fang."

"Oh yes, Fang I would like to adopt you."

"Excuse me?" Fang asked surprised. "Did you just ask to adopt me?"

"Yes," Evelyn's father said calmly.

"I have to say no," Fang said.

"What?" Evelyn asked. "Why not?"

"Our adoption is a pair. We go together," Brody said.

"Right, can't leave poor boyfriend all alone for fear that he will cry himself to sleep."

"Watch your mouth, you little brat!" Brody barked.

"I'm afraid I can't watch it since that's physically impossible."

Brody quickly got up and Fang quickly grabbed Brody's left arm pulling Brody back. Fang stood up and glared at Brody. Brody looked away as we grinded his teeth.

"I'm sorry Evelyn but what he said is true. I'm leaving him. We're brothers till the end."

"Well that's no problem, I'll just adopt both of you."

"What?!" Evelyn and Brody said at once.

"Well Evelyn said that she wanted a brother and I've always wanted boys so if it's okay with all three of you, I would like to adopt both of you."

"Well Brody, Fang, how about it? Is that okay with you two?"

"Anywhere you go, I'll go," Brody whispered to Fang.

Fang nodded his head towards Miss Harriet.

"Well I guess you and I have some paper work to fill out Mister--."

"MacIntyre. Let me call my wife, I'm sure she'll be delighted about this."

Mr. MacIntyre followed Miss Harriet to her office leaving Evelyn with her newly adopted brothers.

"Looks like we're going to be siblings," Brody told Evelyn. "I'm sure you're pretty ticked about that."

"Then you don't know me very well. Just because you and I had a tiny argument doesn't mean I'm not grateful to have you as my brother."

"Well I'm going to go pack and say goodbye to everyone," Fang said walking upstairs.

At the end of the chapter, the same bickering around the room occurred with the readers. The author sighed, grabbed the man's hand, and walked to the back. The author took off his mask and so did the man.

"Finally, this mask was killing me, Brody. Can't we just tell them who we are? Why do we have to keep this up?"

"Well I was thinking it would give a little edge for today."

"You're fans just want to know who you are. Why don't you just give it to them?"

"I don't even think they read the book, Fang. They bicker about everything after every chapter. I bet they only bought the book cause of the cover."

"Well maybe you should have made the cover art a little less...homo."

"Fang."

"I'm just saying. You made the cover as an exaggerated image of you and me."

"Technically, Evelyn did since she drew it."

"Brody."

"Just saying."

Suddenly the door that Brody and Fang came through opened and a tall, white woman walked up to them.

"Who let the dog in?" Brody laughed.

"Oh very funny, Brody. Fang, Father wanted me to tell you that when this whole thing is done that he wants you to stop by the store and by a few things for him."

"And what are you doing exactly?" Fang asked.

"I have to go pick up Brad from school."

"I already moved out of the house and he still treats me like I'm the same kid he adopted twenty-two years ago. Can't mom do it?"

"She's on another book club meeting or something."

"Great."

Suddenly, one of the fans walked by and saw Brody and Fang's actual faces. The fan shrieked and ran up to Brody and Fang.

"OH MY GOSH! I FINALLY GET TO MEET THE HOTTEST GUYS IN THE WORLD!"

"Oh crap," Brody said.

"Oh fuck me," Fang sighed.

All of a sudden, all of the fans came rushing through the doors pouncing on Brody and Fang. Evelyn's eyes widened and slowly walked backwards away from the riot. Evelyn stumbled as she bumped into one of the fans.

"HOLY HELL! YOU'RE EVELYN!"

"Oh shit," Evelyn said clenching her skirt as more fans jumped on top of her.

Well here's the end of the third chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading. I'd love to read your comments about it.