Immediately, he swept a kick at Danny’s feet, sweeping his legs out from under him. Malcolm leapt on top of his brother, trying to wrestle him into submission. He realized his mistake instantly. It was like trying to wrestle a hot stove.
“Do you feel that, Malcolm?” shouted Danny. “Do you fucking feel that? I don’t even have to fucking try against you!”
A tingle ran through Malcolm, separate from the heat and pain of Danny’s aura. He could feel his mimicry stealing Danny’s power, adding a new, intangible tool to his arsenal. He pushed off his brother and rolled to dodge the fireball Danny threw as a follow up.
“Don’t do this, Danny!” yelled Malcolm. “You… you weren’t always like this!”
Danny laughed.
“They call me Hothead now,” he said. “It’s a nice nickname, don’t you think?”
Malcolm thought back to the brother that he remembered from his childhood. Danny had been in the eyes of many people, an asshole. He’d been an alcoholic and a womanizer. He’d barely been able to hold down a job most of the time, and still lived at home in his 20s. But he’d been Malcolm’s brother, and Malcolm had never doubted in his goodness.
Should I have? Is just what Danny would have done with superpowers? Maybe he was always like this…
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” said Danny. “Fuck you Malcolm. Quit being so high and mighty.”
He threw another fireball, not at Malcolm, but at Tapestry.
“She’s a girlfriend of yours, isn’t she?” asked Danny. “Come on, you gonna pick her over me? Grow the fuck up, Malcolm. We’re family.”
Malcolm blinked, unable to believe Danny’s self-centered point of view. The chaos around them was still unfolding.
Brave EMTs were sneaking around behind burning and destroyed cars, pulling people to safety. Firefighters were working to put out the flames on the edge of the destruction. Police officers were waiting, ready to intervene even though it was impossible for them to make any kind of contribution to the battle.
“Danny!” shouted Malcolm. “I won’t let you do this!”
He reached out, feeling the heat of the fires around him. Danny was walking back over to Tapestry, smiling as he prepared to continue torturing her. Malcolm moved in closer to one of the car fires, using Danny’s heat absorption power to suck up the flames.
I have to kill him. Otherwise, it’s on me if he kills anyone else.
Danny wasn’t paying attention to him, and it gave Malcolm the time he needed to focus the heat energy into a usable form. His brother had made it look effortless, and Malcolm bit his lip in frustration as a fireball formed in his hand with agonizing slowness.
“She just keeps healing!” shouted Danny, all of his focus on Tapestry. “Oh fuck, this is too funny. Does that hurt? Am I… hurting you right now?”
Tapestry’s screams were the only response she could give. Malcolm felt a cold, calculated rage take hold of him. He pushed more heat into the fireball, building it into something the size a large beach ball, and then hurled it at Danny. He gave it a push with the wind, the extra burst of oxygen boosting its size even further.
It hit Danny hard, knocking him far enough away from Tapestry to put an end to his sadistic torture. He landed at a weird angle, his body crumpling down on his head and neck. He didn’t move once he was down.
The hand Malcolm had thrown the fireball with was shaking. He swallowed, and then hurried over to his fellow champion.
CHAPTER 38
“Tapestry!” said Malcolm. “Hey, hey… stay with me.”
Her chest was charred, and only small scraps of cloth remained of her shirt. Malcolm cradled her, lifting her upright. Her face was a mask of pain and fear. Malcolm slicked back her blonde hair, which had come loose from its pony tail at some point.
“I can’t take… anymore,” she whispered. “I can barely regenerate. This isn’t like the fire at the apartment complex. Malcolm, I can’t keep using my powers…”
“It’s okay,” said Malcolm. “It’s over. He’s…”
Danny moved. Malcolm watched as his brother slowly pulled himself to his feet, staggering slightly, but not injured enough to be out of commission. He slowly turned around, and met Malcolm’s gaze. His eyes were glowing red, like rubies set into a statue.
“You…” said Danny, his voice deep, menacing, and alien.
Malcolm pushed Tapestry behind the nearby wreck of a car and stood to face his brother. He had no idea what else he could do. Fear took hold as Danny lifted his hands, preparing to unleash another fire blast.
“This isn’t you, Danny,” said Malcolm. “Please…just stop. You can still stop this, you don’t have to…”
Danny’s eyes flared red. Fire coalesced in his hands. Malcolm tried to pull in as much heat as he could to throw a fireball of his own, but he wasn’t as used to manipulating the energy as Danny was.
“You aren’t a monster, Danny,” he said. “You’re my brother!”
The face of the demon staring back at him seemed to rail against Malcolm’s hope. He could still see Danny there. It wasn’t as though he was gone, but the hate, the lust, the addiction to power had Danny in its grasp.
He might not be a monster, but it doesn’t change what I have to do.
The moon was out overhead, full and intense. The screaming had died down, though the crackle of burning buildings and cars still gave off an evil, ambient hum. Malcolm stared at the heat demon, at his brother, and waited for him to make his move.
Danny let out an inhuman roar and pulled his arms back, preparing to throw his accumulated heat forward to end Malcolm’s life. He made it halfway into the movement and then froze, his movement arrested. Tendrils of shadow held him in place, wrapped around him like long, dark pythons.
Rose appeared from behind a burning bus, only stepping out far enough in the open to see Malcolm, and for him to see her. She met his gaze and gave a slow nod.
Danny roared and struggled against the shadow bonds, his eyes glowing even deeper red. He was falling further into the trap of his powers, becoming a true demon and losing the last of his humanity. Malcolm couldn’t watch it, and knew that he had to be the one to bring it to an end.
“Danny!” he shouted. “This ends here!”
Malcolm stuck his hand into a nearby car fire, sucking up heat as fast as he could. He redirected it, focusing it outward, making the fireball faster than he had before. This time, it was at least as wide across as he was. Malcolm held it over his head as it formed, sweating with concentration.
“Fuck you!” screamed Danny. He was struggling against Rose’s shadows, and already had one arm loose. He threw a blast of flame in her direction, and Rose let out a cry as it scorched the side of her leg.
Malcolm’s fireball wasn’t ready yet, and Danny was almost completely free from the tendrils. He cursed as his brother turned his gaze onto him, preparing to attack and take advantage of Malcolm’s dropped guard.
Gunshots rang out, one of them making it through Danny’s defensive fire shield and punching into his shoulder. Tapestry had dragged herself back into the street and up onto one knee. Her pistol was still sighted on Danny, and she fired another round for good measure, which didn’t land.
“It’s over!” shouted Malcolm. “I’m sorry!”
Malcolm launched his fireball. Danny was still looking toward Rose, and only glanced back in time to see the blast heading his way. It struck him full in the face and chest.
Malcolm wasn’t sure whether the fire would damage him, given the nature of his abilities, but it seemed to. The blast was bright white and painful to look at. All he could hear was Danny’s high pitched, wordless scream.