Joshua kicked the gas pedal even harder. The engine made a strong *whirr* and the sleek Jaguar coiled forward at the push of the gear. Hans was yanked by the sudden speed of the car.

"Whatcha doin man?" Hans yelled out to Joshua, trying to pull himself together. He peered at the digital speedometer and it was registering a good fuckin number beyond 80. "Keep it slow, bro�"

The car was approaching the crossing and the traffic light turned to red.

"HEY!"

Joshua paid no attention to his brother's yell, and shoved the pedal even further.

"You know what red means little bro," Joshua hunched forward towards the steering wheel, as they were approaching the traffic lights. "It means go the hell FASTER!"

He changed the gear into its fourth, and applied even more force to the sickening pedal. The digital meter rolled past over 120, their speed offensively fast. Joshua didn't seem to care about the speed, but he wanted it to be even faster. Hans was panicking, as he was the one who borrowed the car from his dad. They had gone to the party, and all he can say about this strange behavior of his brother is that he had a little too much to drink.

"SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!"

They had passed the traffic lights, and fortunately, no other folks were driving this late at night, or morning. It was way past 2:00 am, and still, Joshua had no intention to sleep.

"You got problems, man�" Hans stared at both his mad-driven brother and the blurring road.

The road was curving towards the right, and they were climbing a slope. Still, Joshua didn't feel to release the pedal. He kept his dizzying speed. Hans, who was a little more responsible than his older brother, just closed his eyes in fear. It was not of what might happen to them, but to this expensive car which was their father's.

The car kept whining vroom, and Joshua felt more exhilarated. The car was still above the average speed when it bumped upwards.

*THUD*

The car, or Joshua, had hit something. Hans quickly opened his eyes in agitation.

"What was that," Hans' eyes shifted from the rearview mirror to the back of the car. Then he eyed Joshua strangely.

"What the fuck was that, Joshua?"

"Nothin' man, you're too fuckin paranoid�"

Joshua had known that it wasn't just a hump on the road, as only part of the car hunched upward. It could have been something less than that.

Joshua still pushed the pedal, but this time, it the engine didn't respond. It was as if the battery had run out. But that's impossible. The car was new.

"You're slowing down�" Hans tried to ask what was the matter.

"It's not me."

"What?"

"Look at my foot, it's still on the gas�"

Hans eyed the pedal, and it was true.

"Goddammit, Josh!"

"Josh looked at his brother. "What?! I didn't do nothin."

"You broke the fuckin pedal! What is dad gonna say bout this, huh?!"

They were still a few meters from the 'hump' and it made Joshua nervous. He knew that it wasn't what it's supposed to be. He frenziedly stared at the rearview mirror, trying to look at the dark figure that was still lying there.

"HEY! Do you hear what I say� HEY, listen to me, dammit!" Hans was yelling at his ill-reputed brother, but he noticed his brother's eyes somewhere.

"What�"

Hans followed the gaze and found himself staring at a crouched figure on the road. It took a few more seconds of pause until Hans realized that his dumb brother had hit someone.

"OH GOD�"

"Stay calm, bro. Stay the fuck calm�" Joshua tried to keep his voice as low and as calm as possible.

"Goddammit!"

Joshua reached for the doorknob. He was getting out of the car.

"Wha - What the hell you doin?!"

"Stay here�"

Hans looked at the body on the road behind the car, and he looked at his brother slowly coming towards it.

"HEY! Come back here, man�"

Hans was too late. Joshua already was a foot away from the thing.

"My God�"

What Joshua saw was beyond mortal imaginations. It was a body, but not of any that a 'normal being' had ever seen. The 'thing' had small, netted wings that looked like that of a bat, but the 'animal' that possessed it was a little too large to be a bat. The face was like that of a hound's, and it was covered in dark hair. Its mouth was protruding, with the teeth showing. No. They were more like fangs. Bloody fangs. The eyes were closed, but somehow, Joshua felt that the eyes were looking directly at him, even within those closed eyelids. The 'thing' whatever it was, was lying in a crouched position, which made it look like it was sleeping. But only it wasn't. As Joshua already knew, he had run over the disgusting thing. Maybe it was already dead. Joshua eyed the creature, to take a look at its other abominable features, but he had no time.

Back in the car, Hans was getting crazy. He didn't know what to do. He kept shouting at his brother.

"Get back in here, Josh�"

"Yeah, yeah," Joshua looked at the dead creature for the last time, and immediately turned around. Hans observed that his brother's walk was not the usual walk anymore. It seemed like he was nervous or something.

Joshua finally got himself in the car, but it was useless, the fucking pedal was broken.

"What was it?" Hans asked, still eyeing the dark figure on the road.

"Just a dead cat�" Joshua tried to keep what he saw a secret. But he was not that good at lying. "Let's get the hell out of here� you know how to fix the pedal temporarily?"

Hans tried to believe his brother, but he was still a little curious about it.

"Yeah, I can, but what are we going to explain to dad?" Hans reached down towards the pedal, and his position looked like he was sucking his brother's cock. He did a little wiring there, a little adjustment here, and it was done.

"You explain it to him, I'm not that good at lying�"

Joshua twisted the key and started the car. He pressed the pedal smoothly, and the engine now responded.

*vroomm*

Joshua peered at the rear view mirror, to take a look at the 'dead cat'.

Gone?!

"Oh shit�"

Hans again twisted his head and looked at the same direction his brother was looking.

"Where the fuck did the 'dead cat' go? I don't suppose this was his ninth life, do you?"

"Just shut the fuck up, we're going home�"

Instantly, Joshua pressed the pedal, this time, a little carefully.

The car was already far away from the 'living dead cat', but Hans noticed his brother being terrible silent, his eyes seriously on the road.

"Just what in the world did you see back there?"

"Forget it."

"Hell no, I'm forgetting it, c'mon, what was it?" Hans showed the giddy little brother expression on his face again.

"NOTHING, all right�"

"Yeah, whatever."

Joshua looked a lot nervous than usual. Hans couldn't help thinking about what hiss brother was thinking. But he figured, Joshua wouldn't tell him anyway, so there's no point in wasting his voice asking.

They were approaching of what might seem a gas station, but it was deserted. There were no lights in this part of town. And Joshua slowed down even more.

"What are you doing?"

Joshua didn't answer. Instead he reached down the driver's seat and he seemed to be getting something. When his left hand was already in sight, it revealed a pistol. Their dad's pistol.

"What the fuck--"

*BANG*

Joshua shot his brother right between the eyes. His hands were terrible trembling, but in his eyes, it seemed that he HAD to do it, even though it was against his will. It was his OWN brother for crying out loud.

--------------

Back in the house, Mr. Wilden was watching the news. It was almost three in the morning, but still, he wasn't asleep, or seemed sleepy. He was kind of appreciating the violence in the murders on the news. He seemed strangely happy about it. But he was interrupted by a knock.

*THUD*

*THUD*

Mr. Wilden stood up from the couch and made his way towards the front door, his eyes still watching the TV. He opened the door and saw his weary son, Joshua.

"What took you so long?"

"We had a party, dad,what the hell do you expect?"

"Mind your tongue, boy�" Mr. Wilden looked directly at his son's eyes. "So, did you do it?"

"GODDAMMIT, DAD!"

"DID you do it�:"

Joshua looked away from his dad, and fixed his eyes on the carpet below.

"Yes," he replied. "YES DAD, I FUCKIN DID IT!"

"Good�" his dad said. "Where is he?"

"He's in the trunk," instanly, Joshua pushed through his father and got in the house.

Mr. Wilden slowly got out of the house, eyeing the neighborhood for prying eyes. He jerked towards the trunk of the Jaguar and opened it.

There, the body of his dead son was lying, with the bullet wound on the forehead still freshly bleeding.

Mr. Wilden grinned.

"Hey, Josh, come out here�" he yelled.

Joshua slammed the door as he got out.

"What is it now?"

"Help me with your brother here�" He reached for Hans' head and lifted it from the trunk, almost yanking it loose. "So, did you tell him?"

"Yes�"

"Hah! Don't lie to me boy, it wasn't just a stinkin bat who you ran into�"

"OK, DAD," he yelled at his father. "You want to know the truth? Well, here it is� I HATE doing these things, dad, I hate to kill people whom I've grown to love, and most of all, I HATE being like YOU!"

"Ouch�" Mr. Wilden said. "Well, it's all part of growing up, son. When I was your age, I too was like you. My old man kept pushing me to do things which I didn't like to do, but I realized later that it was the RIGHT thing to do� We don't want normal people getting in our lives son, that's why your mother ended up below the dirt. Unfortunately, your brother inherited your mother's genes, and---"

"Yeah, Dad� I'm - I'm sorry�"

"I understand� So have you eaten yet?"

The End

Copyright 2001 by Dominic Sanchez.

Feel free to comment the author.