Static Reflections: Book 1 of The M... - Chapter 59: Chapter 59

When Adam came to, he felt the chill of the cold pond water and arms go around his waist, pulling him. At the same time, he felt something hard gripped within his right hand. Knowing it was a weapon somehow, the otter held it tighter. The arms pulled him to the surface of the water, and he heard the voice of Tyler.
"Bluh . . . come on!" Tyler sputtered. "Land is behind us!"
Adam quickly brought the knife out of the water, turning around and penetrating it right into Tyler's cheek before he could even register what was happening.
The canine was in utter shock as it happened, pain searing his face. He yelped and pushed the body of Adam away, the otter taking the knife with it. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! " he yelled.
The water splashed violently as he turned around, quickly rushing to the edge of the pond, pursued by Adam. He crawled out, soaked from head to toe, fumbling his hands on the ground to grab the gun, bullets, and car keys (which he shoved in his pocket) while the otter followed. Tyler ran off into the woods, and Adam pursued him with the knife.
Warmth and the taste of iron filled Tyler's maw as blood ran from the hole in his cheek on both sides and dribbled down his chin. He panted heavily and ran as fast as he could. "Leave me the fuck alone!" The stuff in his mouth slid down his tongue and into his throat with each word.
Tyler thought about turning around and using the gun for defense, but he couldn't risk hurting Boris. If it really came down to it, then maybe.
"I'm sorry, Tyler!" Adam yelled. "But I have to!"
The German shepherd stumbled, and he yelped as he tried to make his way back to the car, dripping with water. "Why the fuck are you doing this, dude?! Is Absalom making you?!"
"It's nothing personal! This is my only chance to see Neil again!"
"What?! Are you crazy?!" Tyler yelled, looking down at the ground. He scanned quickly and then picked up a sizable rock as he moved, turning around and stopping. Adam kept running as Tyler chucked the stone right at his head, knocking him onto his back.
Tyler spent the time he bought himself on continuing his retreat to the car, pain burning the entire right side of his face. His heart was pounding, and his muscles were on fire. The German shepherd looked back and found the otter was no longer there, having disappeared just like in the picture.
The canine had no time to think as the crunching of his wet shoes on the ground filled his ears, the wind ripping past them. The wind made the entire flight more chilling.
The trees and foliage around him became one big blur as he focused on his destination. Why is Adam trying to kill me all of a sudden?! It has to be Absalom! But I can't fight him! That's still Boris in—
Tyler cried out as his foot descended upon a misshapen stone, and the nerves there sent hot electricity up his leg. The dog was sent tumbling to the ground, dirt and pine needles becoming stuck to his fur. The pistol and box of bullets flew into the air and landed in the dirt somewhere. He wriggled on the ground, groaning as the numbness in his right foot took over, causing extreme discomfort. "FUCK! Fuck! Rghh . . ." He winced and hissed as he grabbed his leg.
Tyler tossed his head around as blood continued to pour from his cheek wound and mouth. There was still no sight of Adam. The German shepherd twisted his body and began crawling along the ground quickly as he willed the nerves in his foot to snap out of it.
Hearing a slight ringing in his ears, Tyler crawled for only a few minutes before getting up and sprinting out of the woods. He quickly dug into his pocket and unlocked the doors to the almost black-looking car in the darkness. The lights flashed red in the black, lingering with him a little bit after.
Tyler rushed around to the driver's side, pulling the door open and getting inside, shoving the keys into the ignition, and bringing the car to life. His eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror, seeing his silhouette as well as an otter's in the backseat. He gasped, and he moved forward, the figure shoving the blade between the headrest as he did.
"Fuck!" Adam's voice rang, and he changed trajectory, leaning up and trying to stab Tyler's neck from the side.
The canine brought his hand up, pushing against it, as Adam fought against him, and they battled against each other, the knife's tip growing closer to Tyler's neck as the otter somehow was winning. How did he even get in here?! What the hell?!
"Just fuckin' die, dude!" Adam yelled, pushing harder against him. "You're . . . making this harder than it needs to be!"
"F-fuck you!" Tyler shouted back, warmth still filling his mouth and throat. As best as he tried to keep the dagger at bay, it seemed that the otter was almost guaranteed this victory. The canine bent his arm back, straining as he searched the side of the door. He found the handle just as the knife's tip met his neck and the door swung open. Tyler thrust himself backward out of the car, somehow able to tumble out and land on his feet, already turning to run away.
Adam was quick to wriggle himself into the front seat, and he didn't even waste time closing the door before putting the car into drive and speeding the vehicle forward into the grass after Tyler.
The German shepherd yelled as the car pursued him quickly, bumping through the grass and barreling right for him. Before it could collide, he leaped out of the way, fleeing in the opposite direction.
Adam pulled a U-turn and sent the car after the dog as fast as it would go. Tyler turned around, blinded by the encroaching headlights. "FUCK!" He launched himself onto the hood of the car, the momentum of the machine causing him to roll up the windshield, across the top, bounce off the trunk, and hit the ground, right onto his stomach.
Tyler groaned, every muscle hurting after that. He groaned and panted as the car swerved to a stop. A loud slam of the door and footsteps approaching in the grass later, the canine knew he was done for. Adam grabbed him and turned him around, seeing his dirt-covered body and clothes, both of them splashed by the glow of the cherry taillights. "I was going for your throat back in the pond, and fuckin' missed."
"G-get away from me . . . ." Tyler mumbled, holding his hands up weakly. Blood stained his teeth and ran from the corner of his mouth and nostrils. "Don't . . . ."
Adam looked at the Blade of the Mirror, sighing. "I'm sorry, man. I have to if I wanna see Neil again. At least I'll forget I even did this . . . ."
"Boris . . ." Tyler sputtered, moving his head deliriously. "I know you're still with me . . . Just . . . wake up . . . ."
Adam looked down, turning the knife in his hand, preparing to go in for the kill. "He's gone . . . It's just me. Guess I'll see you again wherever our Souls go when we die."
The otter raised the blade, and as soon as he did, the scene around him flashed into something else. Instead of grass, he was now on a wooden floor, and where Tyler had been, there was nothing. He looked up, glancing around. "What the . . . What the hell are you doing, Absalom?! I was about to do it!"
"No," someone said, the tapping of shoes on the floor filling Adam's ears. He looked toward the sound, seeing the suited otter walking up to him. Adam's eyes widened. "Oh, god . . . You must be that Boris guy."
The other otter nodded. "I am, and you're about to kill my friend."
"I have to!" Adam told him, quickly standing up. The Blade of the Mirror was still gripped in his hand. "It's the only way I can get Neil back!"
"I heard you telling that to Tyler," Boris stated. "Tell me, what did you mean?"
"How did you hear it?!" Adam gasped.
"I heard and saw everything," Boris explained. "While you were talking to Absalom, I was right there. I know everything he showed you and told you. Yet, somehow, I still exist even though I'm you."
"I-I don't understand . . . ." Adam shook his head.
"It's complicated, I know," the other animal sighed. "My point is, I knew you were going to kill Tyler. While you chased him, I tried to figure out that if Absalom shared a body with me and could bring me to that world, maybe I could do the same to you. I'm happy to find that it worked."
"H-h-how were you able to do that?" Adam swallowed nervously, already feeling the fixed past with Neil slip through his fingers.
"It must have something to do with the Soul and mind," Boris told him. "Luckily, I was able to bring you here before you killed Tyler."
Adam's lip quivered. "You gotta send me back . . . Absalom's gonna give me the future with Neil I've always wanted . . . Please, you just gotta!"
"No!" Boris snapped. "Don't you see? He's lying to you! Absalom is pure evil!"
"He has the power to do it!" Adam argued. "I've read about it!"
"What he didn't tell you is that your failed ritual cost him his powers," Boris revealed. "That's why he's so weak now. In the process of summoning him, you successfully brought him forth but were unable to do it at full power."
"You mean . . . Neil is stuck as that deer?" Adam sniffed. "He can't be."
Boris looked down. ". . . I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you things can be different, but we can't go back and change the things that already happened. We have to live in the present and deal with our mistakes. I'm still dealing with yours. Maybe I always will."
Adam studied the blade and shook his head. "N-no. Neil . . . I . . . ."
Boris stepped closer. "Please, don't kill Tyler. It won't bring you anything but pain."
"I never . . . ." Adam sniffled. "I just wanted to be with him . . . ."
"I know," Boris stated. "Before all of this, I made a lot of mistakes, too. I was a real jerk. But I began to change and deal with my mistakes. All you can do is try to improve."
Adam felt tears roll down his cheek. "Fuck! What do I do now?"
"There's someone I want you to see," Boris said, looking past him. Footsteps approached from behind.
Adam turned around and felt his heart just about stopped when he saw the goat he so desperately longed for walking up to him. "N-Neil?!" He ran up to him and wrapped his arm around the goat. Niel picked him up and spun him around, the two sharing a kiss. "Babe . . . I thought I'd never see you again!"
"I know," Neil said, pressing their foreheads together. "Please, don't kill this animal for me. It's not worth it."
Adam clutched the goat's yellow shirt. "It is! It is worth it to be with you again! Please . . ."
Neil placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled back their heads, looking into his eyes. "Adam . . . I'm gone. You know that, right?"
"I can't!" Adam cried. "I can't leave you! I love you more than anything, Neil! I wanted to get married and have a family! Remember the small house we always talked about? Please listen to me . . ."
Neil exhaled. "I'll always love you, Adam, but you need to let go. It just isn't possible anymore. Don't sacrifice this innocent animal who's already had a very hard life just to be with me. If you take his life, you'll only be left with a dead body and a forgotten memory."
Adam sobbed, resting his head on the goat's chest. "I can't live without you . . . I don't want to."
"Then don't live without me," responded Neil. "Remember me and keep living for me. Be happy and find a man who will take care of you for me. We had our chance, fun bun, and it's long gone. You need to let go."
Adam shook violently, clutching him tighter. "Neil . . ."
"It's your choice," the goat said, grabbing his chin and kissing him deeply, one last time. And Adam knew it. "Goodbye, Adam."
When Adam opened his eyes after the kiss, Neil was gone. He continued to sniffle and sobbed as he turned around, seeing Boris there. Before he even could control himself, he fell to his knees, the fresh tears spilling from his eyes endlessly. He was deeply sad and confused and he slowly started to understand that this whole thing was wrong. Adam slowly looked up at Boris, his tear ducts still flowing. "W-what about you . . . ?"
"I'm stuck here, for now," Boris stated. "Like Neil said, you have a choice to make now. I'll see you again."
"Wait, I'm not ready!" Adam yelled, but he was back on his knees, straddling Tyler and holding the knife, ready to strike. The otter looked at it, gasping and throwing it aside. "Tyler!" he yelped, tears stinging his eyes.
The German shepherd groaned. "Wh-what are you . . . ?"
Adam buried his face in his hands. "I can't! I can't kill you! I just can't do it! Fuck!" He hit the grass to either side angrily. "FUCK!!!"
"Hey . . . what's going on?" the weak animal asked.
"Neil's gone!" Adam wailed. "Why did I kid myself thinking I could get him back?!"
Tyler blinked slowly, blood and grass smeared all over his face. "So you're not gonna kill me?"
Adam sniffed. "I have to face it . . . Our love was left back in the 80s. I have to live today . . . ." He looked at the dark red hole in Tyler's cheek. "I need to help you!" Adam got off and went back to the car, maneuvering it close to the German shepherd. His heart was incredibly heavy, and it grew heavier every moment. The waterworks didn't quit.
Getting out again, he opened the door for Boris's friend, helping him up slowly. It didn't help that the canine was taller than him. Tyler got into the passenger seat, and Adam got back in, sighing. He wiped his face as he spoke. "You think you're gonna have the strength to navigate me back to the mansion?"
Tyler slowly shook his head.
"Fuck . . ." Adam whispered. "Oh, yeah." He dug in his jeans pocket and pulled out Tyler's Rhiphone. "You left this on the side of the pond. I stole it when I saw it cause I wanted it . . . b-but you should have it."
Tyler took it back, opening the device and the internet browser. He typed quite a few words, then handed the phone back to Adam. "I don't trust you, but . . . follow these instructions, and you'll be able to . . . get to the manor . . . ." He told him the address he would need.
Adam retrieved it from his hand, glancing at the tiny machine's screen, seeing a step-by-step process on how to use the car's navigation system. The otter, determined to make up for his mistakes, sighed and watched as Tyler succumbed to his injuries, passing out in the seat.
"Shit, you're bleeding a lot...What should I do...?" The otter looked forward, his eyes scanning outside the windshield as he sat in thought. Finally, a plan sprung from the dirt of his mind and he slipped his shirt off, feeling the chill of the AC against his bare torso. He leaned over and opened Tyler's muzzle, wrapping the black shirt around his head in a makeshift gag. Adam spread the fabric of the cotton out on his cheek, the wound already sticking against it.
He sat back, looking at his handiwork before he sat back and gripped the wheel, looking into the darkness ahead. "Let's get you home."