The pick-up had smashed into the guard rails that blocked the road from the slanting hillside that ran downwards into a mass ditch. The front of the pick-up had caved in completely,and the windsheild had collapsed inwards,shattering the glass. Smoke billowed from the engine on the front of the pick-up in fumes of grey,and black.
The roof of the pick-up had been completely ripped off,leaving jagged marks where the metal was once connected. Inside ,Edgar was nowhere to be seen. The front seat was empty,and so was the back of the pick-up where the weapons were tied down.
There were tyre skids on the road - curved,and all over the place where the pick-up had been veered violently across both lanes. There had been no cars coming either way,so there was nobody else involved in the 'accident'.
This is what Alan seen when he arrived where his brother indicated,and it took him a moment for it to sink it. He felt like letting loose of his stomach contents again as he surveyed the damage."Edgar?" Alan called weakly as he walked around the smashed pick-up. He wafted away some smoke from the engine,and he looked over the guard rails with a hammering heart.
His stomach lurched when he looked over the edge. The drop was at least fifty feet,and it was covered with rocks and plants. There were trees,close together,lining the ditch and creating a thick of shadows. His stomach didn't lurch because of the drop - he was used to big heights,since he went flying in the sky - but the fact that he spotted his brother's red headband,caught on a branch that was sticking out of the hillside."Fuck,Edgar.." Alan breathed,swallowing the lump in his throat.
Suddenly,Alan's anger built up and he slammed his palm against the front of the pick-up,looking up at the sky as he yelled: "SAM!" The name echoed around the hillside."YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!" Alan screamed,his face drawing up red as he,once more,slammed his palm against the pick-up. The front bumper of the vehicle fell off,and clanged to the tarmac on the road.
Alan went to the back of the pick-up and started untying the weapons. He collected them: a sling to put around his shoulder that held stakes,and Holy Water balloons; garlic garlands that he stuffed under his belt; and from the front seat of the pick-up,he collected the H.W.B.B.C that he held in his hands firmly.
He would be able to follow the scent of Edgar,and hear his brother's heart-beat. His sibling's blood was louder to hear. Alan adjusted his green beret,before jumping over the guard rails,where he picked up Edgar's headband,before flying off in the direction the heart-beat thumped.
Edgar had fallen that fifty-something-feet after being dragged from the front seat of his pick-up,and dropped over the guard rails. But,he was still alive,yet badly injured.
He was on the ground of the ditch,with a huge gash running the length of his waist to the centre of his back. It hurt like Hell,and the blood was running freely onto the dirt below him. He had hit his head over six times during the fall down the hillside,and all he could see was black blurs of dots as he regained his sight to look about the ditch area.
Sam was nowhere to be seen,but Edgar knew he was still present. He was probably hiding,and waiting until Edgar stood up,to knock him back down again. The wind rustled the trees,and there was complete silence,save for the desperate breaths of Edgar as he sat up on his elbows. His head was pounding,and his heart was just as rugged - he could hear the blood rushing to his head,and thumping in his ears. He felt hot,and he squeezed his eyes tightly as the pain of the gash on his back seized up.
The trees seemed to whisper loudly,and Edgar groaned. They seemed to be calling his name,but Edgar knew it was just his mind screwing with him. After all,he had just fallen down the hillside,and it was a pretty long drop to be whacking your head off rocks,and scraping your skin from thorn ridden plants.
A shadow loomed over-head and Edgar looked up slowly. He expected it to be Sam,but it wasn't - it was Alan,but he was totally oblivious and flew past."Alan!" Edgar called out,but he ended up spluttering out blood,rather than words. He wiped his mouth,and looked down at the blood."Fuck.." Edgar said,then thought of an idea.
Spitting up more blood,Edgar created a pool of it in his hand. It was warm. Then,sitting up properly,he threw the liquid in the air and watched as it dispersed in a hazy daze of maroon,before landing back on himself and on the ground.
And sure enough,the shadow came back in a flash and Alan was a few feet away."Here." Edgar said,and Alan rushed over,dropping to one knee and lifting Edgar in a sitting position."Wait,wait,wait - wait." Edgar quickly said,pain burning his back."I'm hurt,don't move me." He explained,turning to the side to show his brother the gash.
"Did Sam do that?" Alan asked,looking at the gash and sneering. In the darkness,Alan's yellow eyes stood out like a cat in a hedge,and Edgar could tell he was ready to murder. Or - which he hoped not - the blood had brought out the vampire in Alan,and he was supressing the urge to get at him.
"No - it was the fall that did it. Hit my back on a sharp rock." Edgar explained,lying back down again as he couldn't sit up anymore.
"You fell down the hillside?" Alan nearly shouted,standing up."He pushed you,didn't he? DIDN'T YOU,SAM?" Alan yelled,his yellow eyes scanning the ditch in search of the blonde."You best get your arse out here,or I'll come and drag it out myself." Alan threatened,and Edgar could see his fangs in the moonlight.
A figure emerged from a gap in the trees,and a smirking Sam stepped forward,with his hands in his coat pocket."Oh, baby bros come to save his big bro." Sam teased,walking towards The Frog Brothers with a broad grin."This is just like old times,eh? Us three,together again. 'Cept we're surrounded by trees,instead of comics." Sam commented,chuckling briefly.
"You've gone too far,Emerson." Alan said,moving forward,gripping the Bazooka in his hand. The barel was pointed at Sam,and Alan was more than ready to blast Sam's head off.
"I've gone too far?" Sam replied."What about you? You left Edgar on his own,and look where it's put him. All because you were a coward,and couldn't even face up to the fact that you're a monster. You just simply ran away with your tail between your legs,and fell into self-pity,whilst leaving your brother in meloncholy. You're selfish,you know that,Alan? Selfish. I'm surprised Edgar even talks to you -"
"Alan,don't listen to him." Edgar whispered,looking up at his brother.
"- and even visits you. You don't deserve to be forgiven. You've done no good to Edgar,and all you care about is yourself. You've been wallowing in your own remorse for what you've become,and hadn't spared a single thought for your brother - your brother did everything for you - " Sam continued.
"Alan,I took back the things I said. You're still my brother,and I don't care what you've become. You're still my brother." Edgar continued,trying to grasp his brothers attention,but Alan continued to stare at Sam with an unreadable expression. But Edgar knew Alan was listening.
"- and how do you repay him? By running off,and letting him decrease. You left him for a year,and didn't even think to visit him." Sam made a disgusted face,and shook his head at Alan.
"But,I did!" Alan replied,taking a step forward."I came back to visit him,but I noticed the comic store was shut down,and I was.."
"Scared to see him,right? Scared to what he'd say for you leaving him. You thought he hated you. Despised you. Well,he does. He may not show it,but inside,he hates your guts." Sam spat out,the grin still visible.
Edgar couldn't believe that Sam was saying all this,and he grasped the bottom of his brother's pant legs to draw his attention,but Alan had stepped forward again,and Edgar's grip was lost."Alan,don't listen to him. It's not true." Edgar tried desparately,but the pain in his back caused him to quiet down again and he bit down on the bottom of his lip,drawing blood.
Alan remained quiet,and Edgar could see he was struggling to come to a decision. The bottom left side of his mouth trembled slightly; Edgar knew that was his brother's small indicated that he was confused,or distressed. Both,by the current situation he was in.
Sam was a mere four feet away,and he had a cheery glint in his eye that made Edgar disgusted. The bastard was having fun by tormenting his brother.
"Nothing to say?" Sam asked,his tone amused.
"Alan,remember our small talk in your taxidermy station? Remember,I told you we were cool." Edgar said,attempting to sit up again. Some of the pain was gone,but it was now a dull numb that made him drowsy."Alan,look at me. Alan." Edgar tried,and he could see his brother turning his head slightly,listening."Remember bro: Truth,justice and what? What was it,Alan? Truth,justice and?"
Alan's mouth trembled again."And..and the American Way." He replied,quietly.
"And the American Way. Yeah,that's right." Edgar replied,nodding his head."Truth,justice and the American Way. Say it."
"Truth.." Alan began,but choked and stopped.
"Truth,yeah." Edgar said.
"Truth,Justice..and.." Alan carried on.".. the American Way." Both Frogs said in unison.
Alan smiled lightly,and turned back to look at Sam. He was about to say the motto again - with more confidence - ,but Sam had advanced towards him,quicker than Alan could react. Edgar watched in sheer terror as Sam took out a stake from under his coat,and stabbed it forcefully in Alan's chest,twisting it to make sure it went through.
"Yeah,Truth,Justice and the American fucking Way." Sam hissed,keeping his grip on the stake that had been stabbed into Alan's chest as he stared straight into his eyes. Blue eyes stared into widened brown ones.
Edgar felt like everything had come crashing down as he let out a choked breath. Frogs never cry,but Edgar couldn't stop the warm tears that fell from his eyes. Through blurred vision,Edgar watched as Alan fell down to his knees. Edgar let out a mangled cry,his voice straining out continuous lines of no's. "No..no,no - no,no. Alan,no!" He whispered,forgetting the searing pain from the gash as his heart missed a couple of beats.
Edgar looked up as he heard Sam approaching."Sam." Edgar growled through his tears,glaring hard at the vampire in front of him.
"Shame." Sam replied,snickering before kicking Edgar in the face and walking off.
Edgar couldn't stand up,but he damn right could aim. Sneering,he reached over to Alan where he grasped the stake that was in one of the sling pockets. It was large,and it had been recently pen-knived to create a sharper point."My mission was to kill you.." Edgar began,sitting up slightly and holding up the stake in the air."..and I'm always successful,Sam." He concluded,before using the last of his energy to forcefully throw the stake towards Sam.
Sam listened to Edgar's words with a content smile on his face. He didn't need to answer,since there was no point. He had just killed Alan,and he didn't need to be around anymore. He continued walking away with a graceful glide in his step,and a merry heart.
Blood suddenly spurted in a large quantity,splattering the trees in front of Sam. Sam's expression dropped,and he looked down at his chest; a sharp,large stake was sticking out from his torso where his heart was situated. He stared down at it for a moment,and felt the sudden wave of pain that pierced his body. His vision went black,and he let out a turmoiled yell that echoed through the forest.
Edgar watched as Sam's body imploded,and the yell eventually died out. All that was left of Sam was the black coat he wore,that landed on the ditch floor in a heap. The coat was covered in the ash of Sam,and the stake landed on the coat in a neat arrow.
Edgar stared at the heap of Sam for a moment longer,before turning his attention back to Alan.
But,Alan was no longer there.
"No.." Edgar said,his voice shaking as he reached over to the spot where Alan lay. The blood stained stake was there,but it was lonesome."Alan..no.." Edgar said again,before letting out a bursting sob,his hand curling around the dry dust that was in Alan's place. The dry dust sifted through his fingers,and Edgar dropped his head onto his arm as he continued to let out tears. He had let his brother die.