This or That

The brisk air smacked against Bryan's face. Holding one of his hands out did little to block the rush of wind from agitating his skin. The only thing that could possibly help would be to stop running. Of course he couldn't stop running. To stop would mean to die and to die would mean to become That.

The old buildings of Brick Town seemed to close in around him. The rough red bricks and mortared walls seemed to crumble ever so slightly as if the vacant dwellings were slowly moving in an attempt to block his escape.

The sweat pouring down his neck felt as if it were freezing to his skin. He could feel his body begin to weaken from the run. His legs were reaching their give point. Each step seemed harder and harder to master as he lumbered down the vacant street.

Finally, one leg gave. Bryan tumbled as his foot seemed to deceive him by not catching purchase to a ground that should have been there. His knee found the ground his foot had missed and the rest of his body found it just as easily. Pain erupted in his shoulder as he plunged into the sidewalk. He could see the seeping of blood starting infect the fabric of his torn shirt.

Groveling upon the asphalt of a new walk way the city had just finished laying a couple of days prior, Bryan thought about the last couple of weeks. He thought of the events that sent him down a path; a path not unlike the one he had just fallen upon. A path as dark as night that had just been finished. Events that seemed to have taken him when he was at his weakest had pushed him in this direction. Sending him down a path towards That.




Three Weeks Earlier
Chapter 1

The building was empty and Bryan sat alone in his chair. The class had gone smoothly for once and he had little work left to close out his day. Bryan mused to himself out loud, "How ironic is it that I am a trainer for a telecommunications company that handles calls for some of the largest phone and cable networks in the US, and I still have to wait fifteen minutes for this damn computer to boot?"

The computer finally finished booting when his cell phone began to ring in the rhythm of the Oklahoma Sooners' fight song. He chuckled to himself due to the fact that he was in Brownsville, Texas and most likely the only Sooner football fan this far South.

Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he glanced at the glowing name on the display. It blinked with the words mom and dad. The unusual call from his parents unnerved Bryan. It was 11:30 pm and he hadn't heard from them in close to three months.

Opening the phone he began to speak, but the voice of his sister stopped him.

"Bubba, do you have a minute?" His sister's voice was subdued and he could hear the intentional calmness she was trying to portray.

"Of course I have a minute for you Anna."

Anna spoke into the phone as calmly as she could, "Dad is in the hospital. He is getting his legs amputated due to infection." The last was said in a hurry to prevent any changes in her voice.

Bryan's heart fell. He had never been one to stay in touch with anyone. He wasn't sure if it was due to laziness or apathy, but lately he had been trying to remedy this fact. He was currently working on a way to head back to Oklahoma in order to fix his broken relationships with his friends and family. His stomach began to turn at the thought of loosing his father before he had the chance to mend their relationship.

Bryan returned the favor by trying to keep calm, "Is he going to be ok?" Bryan was angry with himself for not being able to come up with anything better to say.

Anna finally broke and said, "Hold on."

Bryan could hear his mother in the background consoling his sister and then she took over for his sister. "Bryan, I don't think your father is going to make it. His liver disease has caused some problems. He is in surgery right now, but the doctor says it doesn't look good."

The words hit him hard. His mother was never one to beat around the bush. Her answers were straight forward and always honest. He knew, without a doubt, that his father would not survive the night. This knowledge brought back the last eight years of his life. The five years of his life he wasted in the Army, and the other three that he had spent here in Brownsville. He thought about all the Christmas's and other holidays he had missed and the fact he hadn't even bothered to call his family or friends during those times. He thought about all the time that had been lost while he was out filling his need for compulsion.

The next morning was a mixture of confusion and comprehension. Bryan sat with his roommate in the front room of their rented house. He was currently putting together a red zone drive with his Raiders and his roommate was digging in with his goal line defense. Bryan could hear the annoying voice of Madden as he analyzed an obviously dropped ball by his tight end.

The familiar fight song of OU began to play and Bryan paused the game. Putting down the controller and reaching for his phone, Bryan knew this was the call. Without looking at the display, Bryan answered.

"Hi mom, what word do you have?"

Bryan heard his mother say, with more strength than he could believe one person to possess, "He passed this morning at 3:00 am."

His world tilted ever so slightly. Everything around him began to feel like it wasn't actually there. Reality felt like a crude joke. An emptiness began to fill him where grief should have been. Coolly he replied, "I am sorry. I will head home right away."

With that, Bryan closed his phone and pressed start on the controller. He was looking at 2nd and goal and he knew just the play to pick.





I have taken the advice from someone on here who was extremely helpful and shortened this entry to chapter... I also fixed the spacing.

I HAVE POSTED THIS TO SEE IF I SHOULD CONTINUE WRITING THIS OR NOT. I AM LOOKING FOR REVIEWS ON ENTERTAINMENT VALUE. WOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK OR NOT. ALL REVIEWS ARE MORE THEN WELCOME.