Schism

Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Bryan and Jess jerked away from each other at the scream.  He turned toward the window, then to the door.  It hadn't sounded like it came from outside.  It sounded closer.  "Crap."

Jess was turning in a slow circle, her head still cocked.  "What?"

Bryan wasn't sure if she was talking to him, but answered.  "That was William."

He pulled his gun and stayed close to Jess.  It was the kiss.  He hadn't been able to stop himself, and that kiss was what had pushed William over the edge.

"No!  She's mine!"  It wasn't from outside.  William was in the building somewhere.  The hallway? 

Bryan raised his gun and pulled Jess away from the door, but she pushed his hand away.  "That doesn't sound like William," she said.

"Go to the bedroom.  Lock the door."  Bryan pulled at her again.

There was another scream.  "Mine!"

"Harold?"  Jess asked.

Bryan wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her to the bedroom.  He didn't know what she was talking about, but it didn't matter.  He had to try to protect her.  The front door shuddered with one solid blow from the hallway.  "Jess...please," he said as he pulled at her.

She stopped fighting and hurried into the bedroom.  Bryan heard the door thump again.  He paced toward it, gun high.  If he could catch William in the doorway or the hall, he might be able to stop him.

It was a stupid thought.  Nothing he could do would stop William.  He knew that.  But he'd try.  He'd try to protect her.

The door shuddered with another blow and splinters shot out from around the latch.  As he tightened his finger on the trigger, Bryan noticed the screaming had stopped.  He had to be sure William was right at the door.  Perhaps William wouldn't be able to get out of the way if he couldn't see Bryan.  "William?" he said.

William's voice came through the door.  "Open the door."  He sounded tired.

Bryan tried to steady his breathing and his hands.

"Open the door," William said.  "She's in danger."

"No shit."  But Bryan stopped his finger over the trigger.  Why had William said that?  Why had he said Jess was in danger as if the danger was something external, not coming from William?  Was he playing on the doubts Bryan still felt?  He knew it was stupid, but Bryan crept toward the door.

He twisted the knob, gun still at chest level.  It creaked and the strike plate fell away from the door jamb as it opened.

William stood outside.  He looked down from Bryan's face to the gun.  His head was cocked to one side, just as Jessica's had been only a minute ago.  Bryan knew he was listening to the voices again.  He had a good idea what they were, finally, and it scared him more than ever. 

"Move back," he said.

He watched William obey and step back into the hall.  Bryan stepped further into the doorway so William couldn't get to his sides or back.  "Turn around.  Hands on the wall or I'll kill you right now."

William simply stared back at him.  Bryan tried to keep the gun steady.  Even if Meyers and Hayes got here at this moment, it would be too late.  William could kill them all.

"Just do it.  Please."  Bryan tightened his trigger finger.

Before he could see the movement, Bryan felt his hand jerked to the side.  He stumbled a step and saw William's hands latch over the gun.  For half a second, the gun pointed at his heart, and then William pointed the barrel down, set it against the outside of Bryan's thigh, away from the big artery.  Right there, it would go through the top of his leg, maybe graze the right side of his ass.  If William fired, Bryan wouldn't be able to sit for a month, but he’d live.  William didn't want him dead, even after all Bryan had done to him.  Bryan looked up, met William's eyes.

"You would have shot me," William said.

Then William turned his head away, looked down the hall.  Bryan turned.  The door to the next apartment swung inward and a short man in a work shirt and jeans stomped out into the hall.  "You!  It's not fair!  It's not fair!"

Bryan could only stare.  Even dark red and grimacing, the face was familiar.  It was the same maintenance man from his old apartment.  The one who had followed Claire around.  The man screamed again and ran down the hall.

Bryan felt William let go of the gun.  "That's him.  The fire starter," Bryan said.

William nodded back.  "One of them.  The other is coming."

Before Bryan could ask who the other one was, William sprinted down the hall.  He stood a moment as it all sank in.  The FBI profiler had been right, it was a maintenance man, someone living under the radar.  Bryan hadn't even thought about the man after the fire that had killed his family.  This man had started the fire in his car, and had done it somehow from a distance, but that was nothing.  This was the man who had killed his family.  He turned into the apartment and called to Jess.  "Wait here.  I'll be back." 

As he reached the vestibule and turned at the basement stairway, Bryan saw the red hair and white bandages coming in the exterior door.  He shouted at Westen as he ran down the stairs.  "Goddamn it!  Get out of here!"

*

(Author’s note:  I can’t believe it, but we’re at the beginning of the end of the book.  Take a deep breath while you can…you might not get a chance for a while.  Thank you to everyone for all your support and kind words.  It means the world to me!  See you in act 3!)