» Fri May 27, 2011 8:27 am The 10mm pistol's handle felt smooth and cool against Donnie's rough and sweaty hands. The hands themselves shook violently, as if he were suffering from Parkinson's Disease. But he was not, for he was barely over fourteen years of age and Donnie probably couldn't even spell Parkinson's Disease. He had grown up in the wastelands after all, and education was the least of his worries.
"Shut up!" Donnie yelled, and the covered his mouth out of fear of waking up his sleeping father. He looked inside, and sure enough the old man was still snoring up a storm. Donnie let out a sigh of relief and then sat Indian-style against the wall outside his father's room.
Why should I shut up? Someone has to light a fire under your good-for-nothing ass, and that sure the hell doesn't seem to be you. You should be ashamed of yourself, Donald. What would your mother think?
"Don't call me Donald!" Donnie whispered loudly. "Then he added solemnly, "Mama wouldn't care, she'd be too busy with the drugs. That's all she did?"
No, no, no! You little twerp, this is why you are such a [censored]! Mom overdoes on purpose, [censored]! She wasn't addicted!. She wanted to get out, and she took the course she deemed necessary. And to be honest, Donald?..if you can't go through with what you have to do?maybe you should think of following in her footsteps. I mean?
"I said don't call me Donald!" he whispered, a little too loud. His father stirred in the next room, and Donnie fearfully poked his head around the corner to have a look see. Frank, his father, rotated to the right side of the bed and continued to snore. Donnie sighed again and then rubbed his aching head.
Look at you?always so nervous. I always told you not to be such a twerp, Donald. Why didn't you listen? If you did, maybe I wouldn't have gone and left that night?and then maybe I wouldn't have gotten caught by those raiders?..and maybe?just maybe?..they wouldn't have torn my limbs off one by one. Do you ever think about that at night, Donald? Do you ever think that perhaps if you would have intervened between me and dad just once, everything would have worked out? What did you think when you found my scattered body that day, hmm?
Donnie began to cry softly, wiping the tears from his face as fast as he could. Then he hit his head with his free palm. "Leave me alone!"
I wonder what mom would have thought?.I'll never know of course, since she went and killed herself a few days before I even left. What a shame, Donald, don't you think? How do you feel about being such a cowardly twerp? Because of you, mom and I are dead, and we aren't coming back. Hell, I'm more surprised you're still alive yourself. I think it's because dad knows he can treat you like a little [censored], and you'll do exactly what he says. You're too soft, Donnie. But that has to end tonight.
"Please?.leave me alone!"
Then [censored] do me one favor for once! Can you do that? If you can I'll leave you alone?but I think it'll be more of your doing that will bring about my own departure."
"I?I can't do it, Benny!"
Sure you can, twerp. You're already holding the gun in your hand. All you have to do is pull the trigger and BOOM, everything is fixed. He doesn't deserve to live anyway, and you know that, Donald. He hit me and mom, and he hits you all the time. And don't [censored] tell me he doesn't, you little [censored]head. I see it all the time.
"You?you do?"
Of course, [censored]!
"But how? Why didn't you say anything sooner? Donnie asked angrily.
Because you just last night summoned me of course. Jesus, twerp, you're getting stupider by the day. It doesn't matter though, intelligence is overrated. Mom spent all her life reading books and writing [censored] stories all the time, and look where it got her?
"But?but she chose to leave!" Donnie replied in defense of his mother. "She saw how bad things were and took her life! She took the-"
Coward way out? Yeah, you nailed it on the head, twerp.
"NO! She was brave to have taken her life, and-"
Brave? Are you [censored] kidding me? Goddammit twerp, listen to yourself! She took the coward way out, as did I. I don't want you to end up like us. [censored] stand up for yourself and pull the [censored] trigger!
"I can't, I told you!"
Tears were streaming down Donnie's face now, and suddenly he heard a creek from his father's bed. He had gotten up and was already cursing and throwing around empty beer and whiskey bottles.
Look, twerp, he's awake now. Finish him off before he takes the gun away from you! There's no telling what he'll do if he stops you?
"I?I don't think I can. I?I?"
Enough [censored]ing, twerp! Grow some [censored] balls and blow his [censored] head off!
"What da' hell ya' doin?" His father asked, his voice slurred from his liquid breakfast earlier in the day. He was standing outside the door now, and Donnie was crouched against the wall. Once Frank saw the gun his eyes lit up in anger. "Whad'ya doin' w'dat?" He reached for the gun, but Donnie rolled out the way and ran to the end of the hallway, roughly ten yards or so away.
Now?do it now!
"I CAN'T!"
"Wha' da' [censored] you talkin' to?" His father asked, looking around for someone else, but of course there was nobody there. He shrugged it off and began lumbering towards his son, staggering the entire way and bumping into the dirty walls.
Hurry, twerp, he's coming! End this [censored]! End this [censored] and free mom, me, and even you!
"I can't, Benny!" Donnie cried, the tears still falling down his face. His father was only a few yards away.
DO IT!
Outside the house, a pack of three Molerats were scouring about, sniffing through the old and abandoned trash bags lying through the sides of the cracked concrete sidewalk. Suddenly a bang came from within the house and the mutated creatures quit their sniffing and directed their attention to the house. About twenty seconds later another bang sounded, and the creatures took off into the night, never looking back.
