Human vs. Phantom

Chapter-3 Episode-2 Suppeditat Animus Cupidine

Chapter-3

Episode-2

Suppeditat Animus Cupidine

“Here, this is to you, for this great day, your new life, cheers! Ah… man, I'm so freakin happy for you. For finally doing what our parents actually wanted us to do. For graduating from college. It was their dream you know, for us to have our own career and a nice life. So, Cheers to your graduation and for a new normal life that you are gonna live now,” I said raising my glass of champagne, raising a toast for him. Being happy was just an understatement of how I am feeling today. He has grown a lot. We have been on our own for so long that he is no longer just my little brother. He is my everything. To me, he is as important as a kid for his father. I am happy and proud today. Even if I now die, I will be fine leaving jimmy on his own.

I and Jimmy were celebrating his graduation ceremony as I promised him that I will attend this time, and to be honest, I know he was shocked to know that I actually attended it. I insisted him to attend the after-graduation party rather than sit alone with me in a bar. And he said that he had something to talk to me before I left for another hunt. I still send him to the party but he ditched the party quickly to come to this bar and celebrate with me.

I am gonna leave soon so he wanted to spend my remaining time in the city with me. He knew I don’t stay at a place for too long. Being on the road is my life now. I came here to meet him because I wanted to tell him something and also for his graduation. But now that the time has come, when I should tell him, I don’t think I can do it anymore. That… that pain, it is so deeply carved in our hearts that, ah…., that topic alone can disturb him, it could destroy him, us. So, I think I'm gonna keep it for later when he is ready for that. I don’t think he is now. And to tell the truth neither I am.

“Finally, your college is done. No more classes, boring assignments, and lectures that you can nag about. You must be happy now. So, what’s next? Any future plans? What are you going to do now? You have anything in your mind that you wanna do?” I asked again.

“yeah about that, uh… reeve I wanted to ask you something.” He said.

“yeah, sure! Go ahead and ask, you want my help with some girl problem? You need an expert’s advice; I can help you with that.” I advised him

“no, it’s not that Reeve, it’s something else.” He said again circling his fingers on the rim of his glass.

“Okay then what that is? Say it.” I said in a little frustration.

“What is it that you are hiding from me?” he asked shaking me to my nerves, I guess my face is actually an open book for him when it comes to lying or hiding from him. I wanted to say something to deny that but he jumped in again.

“You seemed to be stressed about that quite a lot lately. And don’t even try to lie to my face. You know you can’t lie to me. Do you care to share it with me?” Jimmy asked me what I was hiding? The reason that I came here that I still wasn’t ready to share. He wanted answers, but my mouth was completely sealed, I was lost at words. I couldn’t figure out what to say to him. How to avoid this situation.

“don’t try to fool me, you know you can lie to the world but you can’t lie to me. I know you reeve; I know you better than you know yourself. So, spill it, fast.” He said again making me think that maybe I should tell him. He had the right to know too, I know that of course. They were his parents too after all. But I was still contemplating whether to tell him or not. I have to make a decision, and sometimes you should do what scares you the most. This is what the feeling in my gut said. So I went with it.

“It is about our parents.” I hinted.

“what is it?” he asked.

“I found something about their deaths.” I again said.

“their deaths? What about that? What is there to find? You know what happened that day. What did the police say? What is different now?” he said almost crying.

“it wasn’t dad, Jim. It wasn’t him.” I said out loud what I wanted to tell him for so long. I could bear him misunderstand our father anymore.

“what do you mean it wasn’t our dad? Who else it could be? Every evidence was against them.” He argued

“I wasn’t our dad jimmy. He wasn’t the one who killed mom and himself like how the police said back then. It was something else, something dark and evil, it killed our parents and destroyed us. Not our dad. He is innocent, was. He always wanted to protect you, mom, me, us, we all.” I explained to him.

“no, this can't be true. I hated him so much for so many years. You can’t say that all that was for nothing. All my hatred for dad, it was all wrong?” he said crying.

“ever since they died, I knew it was more than we meet the eye. I always felt that inside me, in my heart that dad can never do something like that. He was a good man, the best man in my life. I always wanted to be like him. I know dad can never do that to mom. He loved us all. He loved our family. He always told me to protect mom and you. He can never even think of hurting you, me, or mom.” I tried to explain.

“I have been investigating that case for the past year and now I finally know who did this. I know what happened that night to mom and dad. So now I'm gonna go after it, hunt it down, and finish it with my own hands. I won’t let anyone else gets hurt. No other kids will lose their parents as we did. And then mom and dad can finally rest in peace.” I was telling him but then he suddenly stood up from his seat. He was enraged.

“What happened to you now? I knew you won’t be able to take it. That is why I wasn’t telling you this in the first place. Where are you going now?” I abrupted.

“it wasn’t that I couldn’t take it. You were wrong, I could take it. I am old enough to handle myself. I am not that scared kid anymore, who cried inside that closet the whole night when my parents were mauled. and I also know that you were trying to protect me but I have the right to know this Reeve. They were my parents too. Anything that concerns them, I should know it too. I still remember some flashes of mom and dad. What they used to look like? How did they sound like? I still remember my mom’s smile. I still dream about her playing with me. Even though I was young when they passed away, but I love them just how you love them.” He said fiercely.

“I know you might be hurt now. But I wanted to tell you, I really do. I just needed more time. We both do.” I tried to explain my point to him as I stood up from my seat too.

“I understand why you did what you did. I don’t have any hard feelings for you. But now you will have to understand what I wanted to do. It’s my life after all.” At that point, I knew what he was going to say next. He will say that he wanted to join me in hunting the killer of our parents. I never wanted him to do this, to live life as I do. I ain't no way to live. This life is trash. He has a college degree now; he can be whatever he wanted to be but not what I am.

“No, I know what you are going to say next. It’s not just you who know me, I know you pretty well too and for what you are going to say, the answer is no, a big no with a capital N. And I mean it Jim, I mean it damn well.” I wasn’t in the mood to argue with him. Today is a merry day. Not a day to fight.

“I mean it’s bad and dangerous enough for me to ask you for some research about my cases sometimes, but being out on the field. Every day in that nightmare, it’s is too dangerous. You are not used to a hunter’s life. I take all from us. I can’t push you in that hole too.” I said sharply. I was angry and exhausted from trying to keep him away from this mess. But he still insists on jumping in this dark pit. He always ignores my efforts.

I was fine with all the dangers this job brings me, I made peace with this life long ago. I knew I was meant for this. I will be fine even if I die in this fight but I can’t let Jimmy get hurt. I can’t bear him losing his life for something that can be avoided.

“You cannot stop me, Reeve. You know that. I want to punish the murderer of our parents just like you do. And you know I am trained enough for this. Uncle Ronnie had done a pretty well job in that. He trained us both for this life and I am not scared of the jeopardy I can fall into. You cannot stop me anymore reeve, you should know that.” He said hotly. I can understand his point of view but still, I had to protect him. This is something I can never stop doing in this lifetime. But I also know that he is now old enough to make his life decisions.

“Okay, but once we get our revenge, found that sucker, and kill him, you are out of this life. You will go back to a regular nine to five thingy thing, get a girlfriend, get married, and live a boring life et cetera et cetera. You're in?” I made a deal. It was the only way I can think of now to still protect him.

“Okay but until then I am in completely. So, no more hiding things from me, no matter how small and insignificant it is.” He said and I had no choice but to agree to his terms.

“You, now tell me what happened to mom and dad? Who killed them?” He demanded.

“Let’s go back to the motel, I have something to show you about that,” I said. We exited the bar and drove back to the motel in my Chevrolet.