I got the gun.
Now it's time to end this backstabbing pig once and for all. With my finger on the trigger, there's no turning back. But the strange is that when I'm ready to shoot him, Vincent is just putting his hands down, not planning to fight back.
Then I remembered that before this, we visited the hospital for his estranged wife Carol because they're going to have a baby. It was a girl, he said. I wondered if he followed my advice in writing a letter to Carol in order to patch things up between them. I always write letters to Linda if ever our relationship turned sour or some shit.
Then I thought back to my family. Linda has always supported me, criminal or not. Alex... wasn't supportive of me being the former. I could see how upset he was at me when I returned because he now knew what I did. He even lifted the ladder up from the treehouse when I tried to follow him there. It's a good thing I patched things up with him when I repaired the sign. Hell, we had a game of basketball before running with Vincent again.
Back to the fight, I'm not sure what to do anymore. One part of me wants to kill this son of a bitch for setting me up this whole time, the other who is getting tired with all this fighting and just wanted to end without him dying. If I kill him, how will I face Alex after this? How will Carol react to the news, let alone having a baby girl who will grow up without ever knowing who her father was?
As these questions raised my head, I made my choice. I choose control.
With a deep breath, I put the gun down. Vincent is right, I needed to calm down because if I did, it would save us a lot of trouble without having to kill each other.
"Leo..." Vincent muttered, looking tired.
"Don't you have a family to go back to?" I asked the obvious question.
"What?"
"You're right, Vincent. I need to calm down, and that's what I'm doing right now. I'm gonna give you the chance to go back to your wife and baby girl. They're waiting for you at home, especially the baby whom I'm gonna feel guilty if I took her father away right here and now."
Maybe this explanation is all I needed to calm down. When did I start using words instead of violence to solve this problem?
"Leo... I don't know what to say," Vincent said as I helped him stand up.
"Just say you're going home with them. Don't you wanna patch things up with Carol and watch your newborn girl grow up?"
"Yes, yes I do, Leo."
"Good, that's what I thought. I don't wanna face Alex with the news that I just killed an innocent man because I was angry with him for being an undercover cop all this time. That's why I'm giving you the chance to stop this fight. It would save us a lot of trouble."
"Since when you are the cool-headed one?" Vincent grinned at me.
Just then, we heard the sirens blaring nearby. It would be a matter of time before the cops get here.
"Just tell your cop buddies that I died. You shot me. That should get them off my back," I gave the gun to Vincent before heading to the nearby stairway to make my escape.
"Will I see you again after this?" Vincent asked.
"If you're able to recognize me with a new name or look or some shit, I guess you can. For now, I need to be alone and think if we can still be friends after what you've done to me. I'm still not over with you being a cop," I told him.
"I'll respect that," he said before taking my leave.
I don't know what's going to happen to our future from here and out, but I'm happy I was able to control myself for the first time in my life.
Author's Note: Happy ending for a gritty jailbreak drama video game, wouldn't you agree?