Author Notes: In case anyone gets confused, these are Chapters labeled "Dream" on them are flashbacks to Jethro's past, and allowing him to see them through a different perspective. There will a dream sequences every one or two chapters.
Jethro opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. When he finally came to, he raised his head up, to see a place too familiar to him.
"Oh bloody, hell…." The entire world was black and white, and he was sitting at his kitchen table at his old home in Australia. He turned his head and was startled at what he saw.
"G'day!" said another Jethro in a raspy voice, he sat across from Jethro.
"What the…." Jethro said, he then realized that the other Jethro was him, but when he was sixteen, "What is this? A memory, a dream?" he asked.
"I don't know, but this is a quite a show." Young Jethro said with a smirk.
"Quit, playin' games with me, ya know damn straight what this is."
"Haha, no seriously, I got no clue, I've neva knew."
"What do you mean?"
"Trust me…and then you'll see."
"Tch no way I'm trustin' you."
"Fine, but this is shit here, is all set in time."
"So this IS a memory"
"There ya go, mate."
"Don't call me mate, I ain't ya mate." Snapped Jethro , Young Jethro look offended.
"Huh? Why not, aint our true selves our bestest friends, I mean they're all ya got."
"No, you're the devil, and I don't make friends with the demonic." Replied Jethro.
"Well if I'm the devil, shouldn't I have horns ,and hooves. Sheared skin, and bushy beard?"
"I see all that on ya." Then Jethro noticed a revolver on the center of the round kitchen table. He quickly reached for it, but material just went through his finger tips. Young Jethro smiled, amused almost, and picked up the revolver and spins it around his index finger.
"Jealous?"
"Tch, hardly…". Young Jethro put the revolver back where it was. The two Jethros stared at each other, like a Mexican standoff. Then there was knock at the door.
"Oh, don't worry, I'll get it , don't be sorry, it's not too much work, since you can't touch or feel." Young Jethro got up and walked casually around table and opened the door. Jethro got up from his seat to see who it was. The door swung open and out from the murky abbess, an old grey cat, with brown eyes walked in.
"Cabele?" Jethro couldn't believe his eyes. He rushed up to grab him by the shoulders, but like the revolver, Cabele passed through him.
"Ya, can't touch anythin', ya can't speak to anyone, ain't that a shame?" Young Jethro closed the door shut, and then looked at Cabele.
"Jethro, my boy, you wanted to see me?" asked Cabele.
"Yeah" Young Jethro shot a quick glare at Jethro. Cabele look behind him, curious of what Young Jethro looked at, but then decided to forget about it.
"I'm… sorry for ya loss, Jethro. I mean, ya mother was a good women, and ye sista…. her life was too short for this tragedy…"
"Yeah, thanks…." Young Jethro said, faking apathy. Cabele sighed he stood there shuffling his feet a bit. Looking for words to continue the conversation.
"Tell me…Jethro, when do you plan, to bury your mother and sista?"
"I don't know, it neva occurred to me bury them." Young Jethro said. Jethro was shocked to hear his reply, but then only to remember why he said such a thing before in the past.
"Oh…..I-I see…" Cabele , too, was shocked to hear such a response, "Well, how old was ya sista?"
"Around her early teens, maybe fourteen, thirteen, it doesn't matter now. She's dead just like any other person."
"O-oh…" Cabele sighed, he wiped his face with his hand, "Jethro, me and my… good mates decided that this conflict had gone too far, between the NAAC and the Four Aces. Their fighting has caused two deaths on our own kin. So we've decided to no longa stay non-alignment, we shall fight against both groups." Cabele stopped, he looked at Young Jethro to see his reaction, he walked over and sat at his spot at the kitchen table and leaned back on the chair, Cabele continued, "I know this is hard to ask to you, but we need every amount of man power we can get, we need you to help us fight." Young Jethro just sat there, starring at Cabele, he yawned.
"I had a feelin' you were goin' to say that." Young Jethro replied, "Cabele"
"Yes, Jethro?"
"I'm surprised you didn't noticed the gun on the table, ya usually spot things like that."
Cabele looked down at the table, he had fear in his eyes for a split second, but then quickly calmed down.
"Ah, yes….that's a .357 revolver ain't it?"
"Yeah, I'm impressed." Young Jethro stopped leaning in the chair, and picked up the revolver and started to turn the cylinder.
"Jethro…" Young Jethro continued to turn cylinder, not even looking up. "Are you off that cough syrup, Jethro?"
He, stopped turning the cylinder, and then got up and pointed the gun at Cabele. The old cat did not look altered by the action.
"Yeah, I finally gave up on that shit." Young Jethro started to walk towards Cabele, until he was point blank, with the gun pointed at Cabele's head. Jethro watched in silence and he wanted to speak, he wanted to yell "Run Cabele!" but he knew he wouldn't hear.
"Jethro, I know what you're planning to do, and it might not work…killing me, and those other two leaders might resolve everything, but only temporarily….and when it raises up again, it will be even more catastrophic than now." Cabele said, calmly. Young Jethro continued to point the gun at Cabele. "Jethro, I see that you are headstrong with your decision, and no matta what I say, it ain't gunna change ya mind…"
"Yeah…" Young Jethro adjusted his grip with the gun.
"Jethro, do you believe in karma?"
"No…"
Cabele chuckled, "Oh course you don't, you weren't much of a religious boy… neither were ya fatha…Jethro, if you do this, will you be ready to face the consequences for your actions?"
"Sure."
Cabele closed his eyes, "Good…" , he then reached down and took out a cigarette, he lit it and took a long drag on it, as if he was taking his last smoke, "Jethro, if you were ever in a situation like this, again…how many times will you shoot, regardless if the man is dead or alive?"
Young Jethro pondered the question, then answered, "Probably 'till I'm satisfied with the squeeze of the trigger."
Cabele smiled, "Good answer…" Then suddenly the black and white world began to distort around Jethro, then he felt like he was being dragged through a tunnel, with the scene of himself and Cabele slowly shrinking away.
"NO! CABELE!" shouted Jethro, he wanted to move towards the scene but the unknown force wouldn't let him.
BANG!
Jethro saw Cabele's body shook by the bullet, he saw his blood all over.
"NO!" Jethro screamed
BANG!
Cabele's body fell to the floor, the image got smaller, and smaller through that tunnel.
BANG!
The motionless body recoiled from the bullet, more blood.
"NO! STOP!" Jethro covered his ears, and closed his eyes.
BANG!
The sound of the gun shot, and the spilling of blood ,echoed in the tunnel. Jethro still covered his ears and eyes. He crouched down, shaking his head.
BANG!
This time, the echo was unbearable, it continued over and over again. Then after awhile he didn't hear it.
Jethro opened his eyes, the world was all white. He's ears felt wet for some reason. He quickly uncovered his ears, and looked at his hands, they were covered in blood.
"Oh my god!" He then turned around and saw Young Jethro, blood all over his face and his clothes. He has the revolver in his hand, holding the barrel and sticking the grip into Jethro's hands.
"Your turn." He said with an evil smile on his face.
Then Jethro got pulled back into the tunnel , back to the bloody mess. He closed his eyes, during that tunnel ride. When the pulling stopped, he was afraid to open his eyes, but he did. There, he had the gun in his hands, and looked down at the bullet riddled corpse of Cabele. His arm began to move on its own, pointing the gun at the body.
"No! NO! Stop!" screamed Jethro. His finger began to pull at the trigger, Jethro tried with his might, to stop it, but it was too much. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't, he wanted to close his eyes, but they wouldn't permit it. He watched, in horror as he pulled that trigger, launching that final bullet in to the body.
BANG!
This is what I've done…. I can't escape it… even if I try….