Brink by Mikel Parry
Chapter 33 - Timed mercy

CH – TIMED MERCY

The tornado of light came to a mind-numbing stop. It spewed out a bloodied, battered, barely alive Thomas. He rolled onto the floor and gazed aimlessly up at the ceiling. Every facet of his being had been taken to its limits. Glancing down, he saw his hand firmly pressed into his side. A river of blood oozed its way between his fingers, assuring him that his time was coming to a close. Looking across from him, he saw his hat. The singed red feather, the worn-out details; it had been through hell and back. He reached out for it. His shaky fingers grasped the edge, feeling along its now rough surface. Miraculously, it had made the journey. As to how, he had no idea. Clutching it tightly, he slowly rose to his feet. The effort took an insane amount of concentration. His life essence was draining away.

Just one last time . . . Just one last time . . .

Turning his head, he saw her. Jena. Her face was filled with pure terror. He saw himself trying to shield her from the bullet that had been fired from the would-be killer. His brilliant mind had put him at the absolute precipice of Jena’s untimely end. There, floating in midair, was the bullet. It had taken everything from him that day. But now it seemed so harmless, stuck in time here.

Approaching Jena, his heart swelled with pure emotion. It was almost too much to bear. Their potential life together could never be; he knew that. And yet he had returned. Why? He felt himself begin to shake. His body was shutting down. Perhaps this was meant to be, both murdered, side-by-side. It was poetic, if not appropriate. In death they would finally be together again. He looked down at his wounds. Blood soaked hands stared back at him. .

Suddenly, even in his weakened state, something hit him that had eluded him thus far. Time was an incredibly powerful force. One that dictated the ultimatums of everything it touched. And yet, in some intimate sense, it was his. Apart from the universe, he had his time. His choices and decisions dictated his time. Until now, his sole purpose had been to return to Jena’s side. But he couldn’t change her time; only his. The idea came so forcefully that it blotted out all other aspects of his mind. He knew what he needed to do.

Walking to his former self he could see the fear in his eyes. Only it wasn’t fear for his self, but for Jena. In that acute moment, he had shed all of his concerns for anything else. It was an act as pure and powerful as any. His love had made him a willing sacrifice, though he had been narrowly spared that day. Instead, she had been taken. His intent had been to save her then, as it was now. Looking himself in the eyes, his heart pounded like a war drum. He was going to finish the job. Grabbing onto his past self’s shoulders, he began to scream aloud.

“She’s gone and you can never have her back! We can never have her back! But that doesn’t mean we can’t save her!”

With every fiber of his being he began pushing on his frozen body. He let out a wail of excruciating pain as he leaned in. But his efforts weren’t to move him away from the danger, but rather into it. He was trying like mad to put his old self into the path of destruction that had changed his world forever.

“Come on, Tommy! You’ve got to help me! We can save her!” he screamed aloud.

Tears streamed down his face, mixing with blood and filth. His heart was aching with pain and realization. No matter what the result, she would never be with him again. But his intent was as powerful as ever. His love for her transcended both time and space. It was love that had brought him here, and it was love that he was willing to give everything up for; even his own life. Screaming from the very depths of his soul, he gave one last herculean effort to displace his past self the few inches he needed to put it into the path of the bullet. Just as it seemed that his efforts were in vain, and that the last of his life force had left him, a massive burst of light enveloped the room.

Tommy! Keep going!

The light began to spin uncontrollably around, fragmenting the room into a million pieces. But at the center of the commotion remained Thomas. His efforts continued as he pressed on valiantly. He would not be deterred. With a mind-shattering blast of energy and force, his froze body slid to the side just enough to take its intended place. A tornado consumed the room whole, including him. In a flash of light, it all disappeared.