Chapter 4: "I'm not your father!"
Alex lay asleep next Jonathan in his bed. He jumped awake and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. He was in the process of getting up when Jonathan screamed and jumped up. Alex's eyes were big and so were Jonathan's.
"Uncle Jon?"
Jonathan looked at Alex as though he hadn't seen him in years, then grabbed him and hugged him tightly. Alex wasn't surprised. After a moment, Jonathan let him go.
He didn't know how long he had been asleep since he hadn't meant to sleep at all, knowing have nightmares. Every night since the deaths, he had been sleepless. Nightmares of Evy and Rick casually driving along suddenly filled with the sound of crashing steel and the most horrible thing he'd ever heard. Evy's cry out would end abruptly as the car flipped endlessly. But he had grown used to this dream, though he still woke up in cold sweats. This nightmare had been much worse.
He'd been standing in the warehouse, Alex by his side. From a distance he heard Fiona's frightened cries and suddenly, they seized. Panicked, he began to run in the direction the cries had come from. Then he turned, remembering his nephew, just in time to hear a gunshot then see his nephew collapse, bleeding profusely from the chest. As Jonathan fell to his knees the world around him turned to pitch black nothingness and he came to a horrible realization. He was alone.
He dressed and met Alex in the kitchen. Alex drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. Jonathan looked at him and saw that he was expecting something. "What?" Jonathan asked.
Alex sighed. "What's your plan for getting back my sister?" Jonathan made coffee, and sat beside Alex with his cup. Alex continues staring at him.
"We go to the warehouse with the money." He said finally.
"You're going to pay the half a million?" Alex asked, exasperated. Jonathan looked at him, surprised. "Well, what do you suggest we do?"
"Fight them!" Alex said, as though it was an option all along. "Don't pay them for something a price can not match. Geez Uncle Jon! I thought you were braver than---"
"I can't fight them!" Jonathan interrupted, yelling, "I can't fight anyone! I'm not the man your father was! I'm not your father! I can't do what he did! So don't talk to me like I'm a Med-Jai or something for Christ's sakes!"
As soon as he said it, he regretted it, seeing the tears and look of hurt that came over his nephews face. "Alex, " he started to apologize, but Alex was already up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door.
"Way to go Johnny!", Jonathan said to himself, "You're half of all he has in the world and you have to pull something like that."
Alex lay asleep next Jonathan in his bed. He jumped awake and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. He was in the process of getting up when Jonathan screamed and jumped up. Alex's eyes were big and so were Jonathan's.
"Uncle Jon?"
Jonathan looked at Alex as though he hadn't seen him in years, then grabbed him and hugged him tightly. Alex wasn't surprised. After a moment, Jonathan let him go.
He didn't know how long he had been asleep since he hadn't meant to sleep at all, knowing have nightmares. Every night since the deaths, he had been sleepless. Nightmares of Evy and Rick casually driving along suddenly filled with the sound of crashing steel and the most horrible thing he'd ever heard. Evy's cry out would end abruptly as the car flipped endlessly. But he had grown used to this dream, though he still woke up in cold sweats. This nightmare had been much worse.
He'd been standing in the warehouse, Alex by his side. From a distance he heard Fiona's frightened cries and suddenly, they seized. Panicked, he began to run in the direction the cries had come from. Then he turned, remembering his nephew, just in time to hear a gunshot then see his nephew collapse, bleeding profusely from the chest. As Jonathan fell to his knees the world around him turned to pitch black nothingness and he came to a horrible realization. He was alone.
He dressed and met Alex in the kitchen. Alex drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. Jonathan looked at him and saw that he was expecting something. "What?" Jonathan asked.
Alex sighed. "What's your plan for getting back my sister?" Jonathan made coffee, and sat beside Alex with his cup. Alex continues staring at him.
"We go to the warehouse with the money." He said finally.
"You're going to pay the half a million?" Alex asked, exasperated. Jonathan looked at him, surprised. "Well, what do you suggest we do?"
"Fight them!" Alex said, as though it was an option all along. "Don't pay them for something a price can not match. Geez Uncle Jon! I thought you were braver than---"
"I can't fight them!" Jonathan interrupted, yelling, "I can't fight anyone! I'm not the man your father was! I'm not your father! I can't do what he did! So don't talk to me like I'm a Med-Jai or something for Christ's sakes!"
As soon as he said it, he regretted it, seeing the tears and look of hurt that came over his nephews face. "Alex, " he started to apologize, but Alex was already up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door.
"Way to go Johnny!", Jonathan said to himself, "You're half of all he has in the world and you have to pull something like that."