Howie’s sight faded in and out as he tried to make out who the figure was hovering above him, speaking his name.
“Are you Howie Dorough?” Dan’s fingers fumbled on the cell phone keypad for the familiar digits of the police station as he tried to keep Howie awake. “Hey stay with me buddy.”
Howie’s body began to shake, Jesus he was so cold.
“Hello.” A familiar voice grumbled other end of the line.
“Sergeant Cox is that you?” Dan yelled the words into the phone adrenaline racing through his veins.
“Who the fuck is this?” Cox tipped back the last gulp of coffee listening intently to the man on the other end of the line.
“Howie, Howie stay with me.” Dan leaned down into Howie’s face slapping his cheeks with his free hand. “Sergeant it’s Dan Fortis-“
“Fortis I thought I told you I don’t have anything to say to scum reporters like you I-“
“I found Howie Dorough.” Despite the short-cropped hair, weight loss and pale gray complexion Dan was one hundred percent positive that the man before him was Howie Dorough.
“Is this some sort of a joke Fortis?”
“No this isn’t some fucking joke Cox.” Dan continued slapping Howie’s cheeks his eyes rolling back into his head before trying to re-focus again.
“Nick-” Howie was shaking his head back and forth as he grabbed for the front of Dan’s shirt.
“What, what did you say?” Dan held the phone away from his ear leaning in to better hear what Howie was trying to say as he pulled the frail young man into his lap.
“Nick….he’s-“ Howie stopped choking on his words “He’s going…..to….to kill Nick.” Pausing Howie’s body stiffened before falling limp in Dan’s arms.
“Cox, get me a fucking ambulance to the burned out house on Demont and Rush Street and you get your ass over to the hospital.”
“Why should I believe anything you have to say Fortis?”
“Because as we speak, the guy who killed Brian Littrell is on his way to the hospital to finish Nick Carter off.” Tossing the phone to the floor Dan lay Howie down and quickly began administering CPR.
* * *
Taking a deep breath Nick slowly opened his eyes.
Had he been shot?
Looking down he could see that there was a light blood spatter on the sheets as well as his forearms but as far as he could tell he was in no pain.
Tossing back the sheet, the gun still clutched tightly in his trembling hand, he looked at his chest, arms and legs. Everything appeared to be intact and bullet free.
Leaning forward he peered over the side of the bed.
“Shit.” He saw the blood first, dark and shiny as it spread slowly across the white tiled floor. And then he saw Mo’s crumpled body lying on the floor at the foot of his bed, still holding his gun in his right hand.
“I killed him.” Nick whispered tears pooling in his eyes. “I fucking killed him.” Closing his eyes a shudder ran through his body as he tried to catch his breath. “Brian…. what do I do now?” Shaking his head back and forth he half expected Brian to come to him in some sort of vision and show him the way out of the mess his life had become.
But there was nothing.
He was all alone.
Looking around the room Nick knew he had done what he needed to do. He’d taken the life of the man who had taken the life of his best friend.
And now it was time for him to join Brian on the other side.
Closing his eyes he raised the gun slowly to his head pressing the gun into his right temple just as the door to the room burst open and Kevin appeared in the doorway.
“Nick.” Kevin shouted making his way into the room a frantic look in his eyes. “Nick what are you doing?” Stopping as the door closed behind him, Kevin surveyed the grisly scene before him. The security guards body on the floor covered in blood and Nick lying in the hospital bed a gun pointed to his own head.
“Ha.” Nick let out a loud laugh at the irony of the moment. “Now you decide to come and see me? You got lousy timing Kev.” Chewing nervously on his bottom lip Nick opened his eyes, digging the gun hard into his temple.
“What happened Nick? Are you okay did he hurt you?” Kevin asked in a soft low voice.
“I killed him.” Nick pointed with his free hand to Mo’s body on the ground. “I killed that mother fucker and now I’m going to end this nightmare once and for all…..for me, for you, for everybody.”
Mo’s eyes fluttered slightly as he watched the scene playing out before him.
He knew that he had been shot, the searing pain in his right arm was enough to make him want to puke. Son of a bitch he’d never expected that miserable little shit to actually pull the trigger. So he had not been prepared when the bullet from Nick’s gun tore into his right arm, jerking his hand at the precise moment he pulled the trigger on his own gun the bullett plowing into the wall behind Nick’s head, missing him completely before Mo fell to the ground.
“Jesus Nick.” Kevin raked his hands over and over through his hair his eyes glued to the gun at Nick’s temple “You don’t want to die too.”
“Don’t I?” Nick raised his eyebrows in amusement, a smile spreading across his face.
“Nick please.” Kevin held out his hand gesturing for the gun. “Give me the gun.”
“Why, so you can shoot me yourself? No fucking way I earned this privilege not you Kev.”
“I don’t want to shoot you Nick I want to help you.”
“You wanted me dead Kevin so I’m giving you your wish.”
“Jesus Nick.” Kevin took a step forward. “Don’t do this. Is this really the way you want it all to end?” Kevin took another step forward reaching a hand out to Nick both men oblivious to Mo moving on the floor below.
“Yes.” Tears pooled in Nick’s eyes as he nodded his head a desperate look on his face. “Yes Kevin this is how I want it all to end. Please just let me go.”
“Nick-“
“Please Kevin, please.” Nick pleaded. “Let me go.” Slowly sitting up Mo readjusted the gun in his slick bloody hands, just as Nick’s finger began to depress the trigger of the gun pointed at his own head.
“Surprise boys.” Mo whispered.
“NO.” Lunging forward Kevin grabbed the gun from Nick’s hand as he turned and began firing……….
BAM
BAM
BAM
BAM
BAM
BAM
Pulling the trigger over and over Kevin emptied the bullets one by one into Mo’s body until there was nothing left but the hollow clicking of the trigger pushing on the empty chambers in the clip of the gun.
Stumbling backwards Kevin dropped the gun to the floor just as Sergeant Cox and his men burst through the door.