Page 58 of Bearly Familiar


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There was nothing in his voice that would signal how he was feeling. He sounded empty, almost annoyed at this whole situation, and Rene admired him. Here she was, about to come undone, but he was keeping it together for them all.

“Send him over,” Hyde gave Jesse clear instructions.

The look on Jesse’s face revealed that he was reluctant to do so. It took him a second to do as he was told, almost propelling Culore’s body forward. Culore walked slowly. The chair he was tied to was a heavy burden, and he had to take extra care not to fall down together with it. After several steps, he was by Ozul’s side, who immediately jumped to his aid, setting him loose.

The look on Culore’s face was one of undying hate, his heart knew no forgiveness. His fingers clenched in a fist, as his eyes sent daggers towards Hyde.

Everyone was on edge. They all knew that just because the hostages were exchange

d, that didn’t mean that it was all finally over. It was actually far from it. This was the moment that would determine the rest of their lives, and it was a decision more difficult than any they had faced so far.

Jesse stood by Hyde’s side. He was like a cocked gun, ready to attack and give his life for Hyde, if need be. Hyde felt the same way. The same clan blood flowed through their veins, they were brothers for eternity, and nothing could ever break that bond.

Parker cowered in his mother’s arms. His eyes searched for Rene, but she was standing by Hyde’s side, knowing that it wasn’t her place to soothe the boy right now. His mother was there. So instead, she stood by her two men, giving them moral support.

Ozul was by Culore’s side. They were all waiting for him to make the next move. As far as Hyde was concerned, he would have just walked out of there, no words necessary. But, he couldn’t trust Culore, not after seeing that this had already happened once, and he came after them again. He was sure that Culore would never stop. He would never let them go. They would never be free of his shadow. They would be constantly followed by fear and what kind of life that would be?

“Your move, Culore,” Hyde growled slowly, clenching his fists.

He was unwilling to fight again, but he was still ready to do it, to defend the ones he loved.

Instead of a reply, Culore laughed wickedly, staring down Hyde.

“You think you won, don’t you?” Culore hissed.

“I think we both won,” Hyde corrected him. “No one got hurt. I got my son back. You are free to turn around and leave. What is that if not a win-win situation?”

“You know I’ll never do that,” Culore grinned.

“What’s stopping you?”

“Your existence.”

“My existence isn’t preventing you from ruling all the clans,” Hyde shook his head. “How many of ours are you ready to kill before you realize that it is better to work together, than to rule those who do not wish to have you as their leader?”

“Shut the fuck up, you don’t know anything!” Culore snarled, baring his teeth, feeling the hairs on his back stand on end.

“I don’t know much, but I know one thing. If you were fated to be the leader of all clans, don’t you think that it would have happened by now? But, you wasted time chasing down someone who isn’t even your enemy. You are your worst enemy, Culore.”

“I said, shut up!” he repeated, louder this time.

“I will ask you one last time, Culore,” Hyde pleaded, making sure to say his name as many times as possible, “just turn around and leave. I don’t care what you do back in the old country. My life is no longer there. It is here and I won’t be going back for anyone.”

Culore seemed to consider it for one, hopeful moment. His eyes gleamed and Hyde actually thought he might listen to him. Rene watched on, filled with a strange sense of hope. She had already envisioned their lives together, happy and content, hidden away from the world, and this man threatened that dream. She wanted to jump at him and claw out his eyes, to teach him a lesson never to mess with her men again, but that was all in her head. Reality was much different, and all she could do was look on as Hyde’s words were deciding their destiny. Equally simple as it was complicated, they all waited for the outcome of this decisive moment.

As if arising out of some mythical story about an antagonist’s inability to counteract his own super ego, Culore drew Ozul’s knife from Ozul’s pocket. The blade blinded everyone who dared look at it. Rene suddenly saw everything in slow motion. All colors disappeared, and now, it was a picture in black and white, the only perspective that was allowed to her as an innocent spectator.

Culore dashed at Hyde, all the darkness inside of him finally surfacing out of his deep subconscious, out into the open. A vision of Hyde jumping forward to meet him, to get him away from Parker and Rene, opened up before her. It was a clash of titans, of the god-like and demonic, and she had no idea who would claim their victory once it was all over.

She glanced at Jesse, but he, just like Ozul, remained to the side, allowing the two heroes to finally bring their epic battle to its end.

The knife in Culore’s hand traveled swiftly, even though still in slow motion for Rene and her intimate reality of this event, a world that wouldn’t grant her the fulfillment of her wishes, but made her fight for them. Hyde’s hands clenched at Culore’s arm, keeping it at a safe distance, as the two men growled and spat at each other, trying to hurt the other one more than he could hurt them.

Rene felt like screaming, just like the previous time. Her mind became the mind of a child, on the verge of tears, petrified that she could lose what she loved the most.

The two men fell to the ground, wrestling, tossing and turning. Rene didn’t take her eyes off the blade for a second. The longer it lasted, the more tired the enemies had become, their movements slowing down, but the intensity of the blows remaining. Hyde was now moving more heavily, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep that blade at bay.

A few more seconds passed, and he subdued Culore. The blade was in Hyde’s hand, the tip pressing against his jugular vein a little too close for comfort. They panted heavily. Hyde’s face was flushed, there were streaks of sweat on his temples. Rene prayed it was all over, but from the looks of it, she was wrong.

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