He broke into a sprint, pushing himself forward with the wind, knowing that he’d only get a single chance at what he intended. He was approaching the demon from its blind side, which meant that he got a free hit. All he needed to do was make it count.
Malcolm manipulated the wind, calling several sharp, steel shards from one of the mangled cars. For a moment, he swirled them around him, as though he was standing at the center of a tiny tornado. Then, drawing within a dozen paces of the demon, he threw his hand forward, and the metal shrapnel along with it.
The heat demon reacted faster than Malcolm would have thought possible. It spun, turning to face Malcolm and sweeping up a hand. The air wavered with heat, melting the metal into molten puddles. The demon’s hood blew back from the wind, and Malcolm saw its face. He stared, in disbelief, at the face of his own brother.
“Finally!” shouted Danny. “Fucking shit, Malcolm. I’ve been trying to draw you out for days now! Thought you’d never take the hint!”
CHAPTER 37
Malcolm shook his head slowly, too stunned by the revelation to think, let alone act. Danny’s face had been easy for him to remember, given how many photos his brother had left on the internet in his wake. The dark eyes, the strong jaw, the undeniable features of his brother Danny.
It was hearing his brother’s voice that shook him to the core, along with Danny’s manner of speaking. He swore a lot. He was a fan of crude puns and playful insults. He was an asshole, which most people who’d known him would have openly admitted. And he was standing right in front of Malcolm.
“Come on, little bro,” said Danny, chuckling. “Don’t look so fucking surprised! You remember how tough I was! Shouldn’t have given up on me.”
“Danny…” Malcolm forced himself to breathe, focusing back on the situation at hand. “What are you doing here? You… can’t be doing this.”
Danny laughed and walked in closer. It was only then that Malcolm saw the features that weren’t a part of his memory of his brother. Danny’s skin was a light shade of red, as though he’d gotten a sunburn over his entire body. His skull underneath his black hair was misshapen. Tiny, spike like bumps pushed up against the skin, giving him the appearance of having a demonic crown.
“The explosions!” laughed Danny. “I knew you’d get it eventually! It was such a big thing for me, I knew it was for you, too. I don’t remember everything, but I remember that.”
“You mean…” Malcolm steadied himself. “The explosion that killed mom?”
Danny looked confused. He frowned and ran a hand through his hair, making a noise as though he was trying to remember.
If he’s anything like Rose, he might not be able to.
“Malcolm,” said Danny. “You’re my fucking brother, and I fucking love you. I’d almost forgotten… But then I saw you, on the TV. Wind Runner, hah! Shit’s hilarious!”
“Danny…” said Malcolm, shaking his head. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t… just stand here and let you do this?”
“You banged that chick on Instagram, the hot one, right?” said Danny, oblivious to Malcolm’s conflict. “That’s fucking awesome! You got the Caldwell gift with girls, that’s for sure.”
Something moved off to their left. Danny spun and launched a fireball at a man trying to push his way out of a destroyed car. Malcolm shouted and tried to do push it away with a gust of wind, but it was already too late.
The fireball hit, and the man was instantly incinerated down to the bone, with only a charred skeleton remaining. A cold chill ran down Malcolm’s neck. He tried to say something to his brother, the monster standing next to him. He couldn’t find the words.
“Reunited and it feeeels so good!” Danny slapped Malcolm on the back, grinning at him. “We’re going to have so much fun. The Caldwell brothers, all grown up and ready to cause mayhem.”
The heat of the fires surrounding was enough to make Malcolm sweat, but his face felt cold. A sickening sense of dread stirred within him. He took a step back, putting space between himself and his brother.
“You killed her,” said Malcolm. “Danny… It was you. Mom died because of you and your powers.”
He’s the one I’ve dreamed of taking revenge on, all this time…
Danny was frowning, as though he was trying to think of a word on the tip of his tongue. He shook his head after a couple of seconds and then shrugged.
“I don’t fucking know,” he said. “Hey, let’s go get some drinks after this? Drink some beer, get wasted… We can do whatever we want! The champions can’t stop me, and soon enough, they won’t be able to stop you either.”
He grinned at Malcolm and held out his hand. There was so much there, in that gesture. Malcolm stared at his brother, completely overwhelmed. People screamed nearby and ambulance sirens echoed in the distance.
“Malcolm!” shouted Tapestry. “Get down!”
Malcolm reacted without thinking, ducking out of the way. Tapestry leapt out from behind a burning car and opened fire with her pistol. The bullets melted before getting within a couple of inches of Danny, and he immediately turned in Tapestry’s direction.
“Stupid bitch,” he muttered.
Danny casually waved a hand at her, launching a soccer sized fireball at high speed. It struck Tapestry in the chest with a small explosion, knocking her back. She screamed, hitting the ground hard and immediately rolling to pat out the flames.
“Danny!” Malcolm gritted his teeth. He launched himself at his brother, pulling back his fist and throwing a fast, wind assisted punch.
His attack landed, hitting Danny square in the jaw. Malcolm watched his brother recoil while also feeling his knuckles burn from the heat at the point of contact.
“Hey!” shouted Danny. “Chill the fuck out, Malcolm!”
“You don’t get to kill her,” he said. “You don’t get to kill anyone else! I won’t let you!”
Danny stood up, glaring at him. One of the intersections was still visible down the street from them, and Danny lazily launched a fireball the size of a car toward it. Malcolm watched in horror as it hit one of the firetrucks set up on the perimeter of the destruction, exploding with enough force to take out the building behind it in a deafening eruption.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” said Danny. “Fuck, Malcolm. Look at me! I don’t have to play around like a little bitch anymore. Nobody can stop me, not even you, bro.”
Malcolm gritted his teeth. He launched himself at Danny again, this time twisting into a drop kick with all the wind pushing him forward that he could summon. His feet came within a foot of striking Danny’s chest before Danny countered. Fire exploded against Malcolm’s feet and legs, not enough to burn him severely, but enough to knock him back.
He hit the concrete hard, his head making painful contact as he rolled. Malcolm groaned, slowly pulling himself up and feeling the familiar daze of a minor concussion. Danny was standing over Tapestry, holding one hand out and blasting out fire flamethrower style over her body.
“She’s a fucking regenerator!” laughed Danny. “Oh man, these ones are the best. They hang on for so long… It’s like cooking a pig on a spit.”
“You bastard!” shouted Malcolm. “I’m not going to let you do this!”
He tried a different tactic. Instead of trying to attack Danny head on, Malcolm jumped into the air, using his wind manipulation at full strength to lift himself mostly into flight. He rose ten or so feet above Danny before letting himself drop, falling on top of his brother.
Danny was ready for him, but Malcolm was expecting the counter. As Danny tossed a fireball in his direction, Malcolm used the wind to roll himself to the side. He landed on his feet, his knees groaning from the impact.