Michael walked away from Gabriel. Gabriel was unmoving, questioning whether or not he should trust his brother. He seemed to have no choice but to fight off the raiders with him, so he did.
Gabriel slowly got up off the floor, sobbing quietly about the death of his mother.
"Come, Brother." Said Michael.
Gabriel looked at him with hatred in his eyes. There was nothing else he could do but fight with him.
They walked together, Gabriel stood a few paces behind Michael, untrusting of his brother.
They heard the first sign of a raider, footsteps rushing outside a house. Michael signaled Gabriel to crouch behind bins.
They saw an unkempt, rugged raider, rushing around a house, trying to find unlocked doors. He was like a stray dog attacking a child. He was in a manic state, drooling from his mouth, crazed eyes showing the bloodthirst he had.
Michael stood. He aimed his gun slowly.
Crack
The gunshot was like the crack of a whip, soaring through the air straight at the raider, tearing through his heart with deadly precision.
The man screamed out, howling in pain like a wolf. He slowly drifted toward the wall of the house and laid his back against it. He got quieter, then he went silent, his heart an unbeating mess.
He was dead. Michael killed again, just like that. It was as if there was a switch inside him that he could turn off, maybe it was always off.
"Let's go" Michael whispered into Gabriel's ear.
Gabriel followed Michael down the street.
"We should've chosen a more discreet path." Said Gabriel.
"We'll be fi-"
Crack Crack Crack
Three gunshots sounded out, and red dust on the ground was thrown up violently around them.
Neither of them were hit. They ran toward a building.
Crack
The shooter missed again, hitting a post box, the bullet reverberating inside as it failed to pass through the back.
They got to the other side of the wall.
"He's south, toward Leah's old house." Michael was calm in this perilous situation.
Gabriel didn't speak, he was still not over anything.
He felt hate. Hate for the Raiders, hate for Michael. He hated everything. He was letting his emotions cloud his judgment
He ran out from behind the wall, sprinting towards the house he was being shot from.
"That stupid sod." Michael walked slowly after him.
Crack Crack
Two bullets shot toward Gabriel with unnerving speed, but they missed again.
'This guy has some bad aim'
Gabriel entered the building, running through the living room and to the bottom of the stairs.
The man stood at the top, his thin, grey hair and bulging eyes making him look like a zombie.
He looked enraged, staring at Gabriel with his crazed eyes. He didn't shoot at Gabriel for some reason.
"Stupid kid."
The man dived down the stairs, landing on Gabriel, knocking the gun out of his hand.
He beat Gabriel, sitting on his chest, throwing heavy punches at his head. Gabriel covered up, blocking his head in hopes of surviving.
Crack
Michael shot a bullet, he shot past the man.
Michael kept him at gunpoint "Stand up. Now!"
The man slowly got up.
"Now I'll let you two fight, but it's going to be fair."
The man instantly charged towards Gabriel, throwing his right hand towards Gabriel's nose
Gabriel, caught off guard by the man's ferociousness, couldn't react in time to block the punch.
The punch connected with his lower jaw, stunning him momentarily.
Gabriel drifted backward, with the man still charging toward him.
The man threw his left hand forward. This time, Gabriel being on guard, slipped the punch, throwing his right hand in an uppercut motion, hitting the man directly on the chin.
The man dropped to the ground, stunned by the punch. Gabriel, taken over by rage, dived on the man, screaming like a Viking. He pounded the man's nose into his face, breaking all the bones in his face.
Gabriel came back to reality, his hands covered in blood as he sat on the man. The man was hardly breathing, his face made a bloody mess by Gabriel. Gabriel's arms were shaking, he couldn't believe what he had done.
Michael smiled his fake smile. His eyes unchanging in the conflict.
"Good job, Brother, now finish him." Michael grinned hideously while staring at the man, his face contorting like a serial killer after the kill.
Gabriel was paralyzed, he was ashamed of himself.
'What have I done?'
"Finish him," Michael said threateningly.
Gabriel lifted his gun.
Crack
He killed him. He killed a person. All because of his psycho brother. He went against all of his morals, the faith his mother had taught him, and the values that she instilled in him, all gone, all because of Michael.
Gabriel cried, his tears were exhausted, he never wanted to hurt anyone, he didn't think it would ever come to this. The blood covering his hands painted his face a crimson red. Gabriel felt a rush, Gabriel felt... happy? He felt happy that he had killed one of the people that contributed to his mother's death. He felt satisfied. Gabriel smiled a crazed smile as he was crying
Michael smiled menacingly, "Well done. Now let's go"
'Is this what Michael feels like when he kills? Does he get a rush of excitement? Does he feel satisfied? I don't like it but I do, I just killed somebody, but they deserved it. Is that so bad?'
They departed from the old house. They took a more stealthy approach this time. Weaving in and out of dilapidated buildings.
The gunshots around them had slowed in frequency.
They saw another raider. He was small, but he kept himself well groomed, wearing clean clothes, with combed, black hair. He looked like a butler.
"Kill him, Gabriel," Michael said quietly.
Gabriel didn't hesitate this time, he raised his gun and fired.
Crack
Gabriel missed. The man spun around, raising his gun to his hip.
Crack Crack
Gabriel felt a sharp pain in his arm. There was a hole through his left bicep. Blood ran down his arm.
"Shit!" Screamed Gabriel.
Michael stood still, a blank expression on his face. Slowly lifting his gun, he aimed it at the man who was now running to get behind the building.
Crack
The man dropped, thudding as he landed on the ground, blood pouring out of his stomach.
Michael walked slowly down to the man. Gabriel was holding his arm in immense pain, a hole penetrating through.
As Michael approached the well-groomed man, another raider jumped out from behind a wall.
Michael reacted quickly.
Crack
The man dropped to the ground, killed instantly by Michael.
Michael was a walking calamity, everywhere he went, bodies piled up as he killed without remorse.
Michael reached the well-groomed man. He ripped off the man's shirt and walked back to Gabriel. Gabriel was still bleeding profusely from his arm. Michael took the man's shirt and made a makeshift bandage, tying it around Gabriel's arm.
"This should do for now."
Gabriel and Michael walked through the town.
They reached somewhere familiar.
The Church.