Nocturnal

All the Teeth

A hand gently pulled at his shoulder.

“Bryan, we have to go.”

Bryan ignored John. He cradled Robin closer. He should have never let her out of his sight.

He couldn’t handle the whiplash of emotions — fury, blind hatred, a crippling sensation of loss, the desire to punish, to kill. She was gone … he couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything other than to gently rock her body.

“Bryan, I’m so sorry, but we have to go. You’re wanted for murder. Get up!”

Bryan shook his head. “I don’t want to go. I want to be with her.”

Now a hand on each shoulder, lifting him.

“Bryan, she’s gone. Everyone thinks you killed two cops. They’re going to shoot as soon as they see you. Get up!”

Dead. Robin was dead.

He would make them pay for this. Not an eye for an eye, not a tooth for a tooth — all the eyes … all the teeth.

Bryan leaned in and kissed Robin’s forehead one last time. His lips stayed there — pulling away was the hardest thing he had ever done.

He gently set her down, then he stood.

He looked across the floor at the three other corpses — Max, who hadn’t done anything wrong, the big-headed member of Marie’s Children, and Billy, broken and shot as he tried to avenge his master’s death.

Blood continued to spread across the hardwood.

“John, get Emma.”

“Bryan, we don’t have time to—”

“Get the fucking dog!”

John leaned back, a little scared. Bryan didn’t give a shit. He wasn’t about to ignore Robin’s final wish.

John ran to the sink and grabbed a dish towel. He placed it over Emma’s torn face and scooped her up. Emma yelped horribly, then tried to get away, tried to lurch toward Robin’s body.

“Shhhhh,” John said. He squeezed the dog tighter. “Bryan, I’m leaving. Hurry.”

John ran out of the apartment.

After all the noise and chaos, now there was only silence.

Bryan took a final look at the love of his life.

“All the eyes,” he said. “All the teeth.”

He walked out of the apartment.