Bullet with Butterfly Wings

I'm re-posting this story with a new chapter. The reason I'm re-posting it is because I thought of a title, and yes, I know it's the same as the Smashing Pumpkins song. It just seems to fit the overall story. So here it is.

Chapter 0
The Three Beginnings

Chapter 0 Part I: Nathan
Blow after blow landed upon my already broken face. I saw red, and nothing else. I heard nothing, just the repeated sound of a fist connecting with someone’s head. My head. I was in too much pain to register what was happening to me. My surroundings were the blood stained walls of an alley, and the only people present were my attacker and myself. A kick planted itself in my ribs and I lost my balance. I connected with a thick wall; it took me a few seconds to realize that it was the ground. While I was on the ground, the man above me stomped hard on my fingers, and I heard a sound similar to the snapping of twigs, and realized my fingers were shattered. The man above me started to kick me more, and I was sure he would rupture my lungs. I could not breath, I could not think. I could hardly feel the pain anymore, my body refused to accept that much injury. I coughed up blood and mucus, then the man kicked my head, forcing my face into the sickening mixture. I was on the brink of death, but for the first time in my life, I didn’t want to die.

Chapter 0 Part II: Alendria
My tears darkened the white sheets on the bed I was tied to. I was in a dark room, alone except for the man who was sitting at a desk near me. I had no idea where my clothes were; I had not seen them in four days. I had not seen anything in four days except for this room and that animal of a man. For four days, for ninety-six hours I had endured this man and his torture. He fashioned erotic pleasure from me with all sorts of tools that would no doubt leave me scarred for life, not that it would matter. If I were to stay here much longer, I was sure I would die. There was a blowtorch in the corner, that was one of his favorite tools. I’m sure he loved to hear my unhumanlike screams as he used me as an outlet for his lust. I could not help but cry silently in the bed and wait for him to either feed me or enter me. At first I would anticipate his visits with deepest horror and dread, but I no longer was afraid, I was just hurt and ashamed. I could no longer dream of my parents, my younger sister or pet cat. It felt like years since I had seen them. In fact, I could no longer dream, for often he would wake me whenever I submerged to unconsciousness just to use me again. I had lost track of the time and date, I had lost all hope.

Chapter 0 Part III: Alex
My best friend Nathan was found near death in an alley not far from the bar my father would so frequently visit. When my mother and I arrived at the hospital, they said he would not make it through the night. He was badly beaten; his face was a gnarled mess of flesh, he was littered with cuts and bruises and gashes. His right eyelid had been torn off; the doctors said if he survived they would have to sew it back on. The fingers on his right hand were an unrecognizable mess of skin. I could not see him below the chest, he was underneath a blanket, but I could see a jagged spike pointing the blanket up. The doctors told me it was his shinbone; it had been broken and torn through the skin. He was sitting next to a girl who looked as badly beaten as he, if not more, though the doctors said that her case was not related. I was shocked. I had no idea why anyone would do this to him, he was nobody special, just another student at Extoria academy who was majoring in Literature and Music. He hoped to be a teacher, preferably English but he would not mind teaching music or instructing a school choir. We were both beginning our sophomore years there, having both turned nineteen the previous year. The beeps on his monitor started to get out of time and the doctors started yelling. I was rushed out of the room as they wheeled him to an intensive care unit. I sat down in the waiting room until they finished. He was lying in his bed, unconscious, and I realized that this was the first of many times that I would see a dying man. I started to weep, and my mother guided me from the room. She offered to drive me home but I refused; I did not want to deal with my father, who would most likely be hung over. I sat in the waiting room and must have nodded off, because I was awoken my the shouts of doctors. I ran to Nathan’s bed, but all that greeted me were IV tubes with bloody pieces of flesh at the end. Nathan had survived the night, but for whatever reason, had run away.

Chapter 1
The Bounty

“How can anyone live with an $8 million price on their head?â€
The man who was addressing me looked very fake. He wore a cheap tux and shoes that had been scuffed from years of wear. He spoke with an overexadurated British accent, which led me to believe that he was trying to appear upper class, when in fact, he was not. As for the poster he was referring to, it was hanging on the town bulletin board. The paper was torn by what looked like bullet holes, but anyone who looked at it could still read it. At the top were large, bold letters exclaiming “REWARD!†and below that, a picture of a man. The man had long, shaggy brown hair that went down to his shoulders. His bans were swept to the side, covering one of his eyes. His eyes, however, were striking blue. Even though it was just a photograph, I could look into his eyes and see years of a tarnished past and a troubled mind. The one visible eyelid was alarmingly attached by about six stitches, and two of them were broken. In addition to his eyelid injury, his face held many scars. His nose appeared to have been broken in the past, which made the man look even more intimidating. In the photo, the man was scowling, he gave off a look that just simply said “Come and get me, if you can.†Under the photo was the mans name printed in large letters, along with the bounty, which was currently $8 million, but if the man continued on his current rate, the bounty would be upped to $10 million by the end of the week. The man had been pegged with a price for simply a year, but he was the number one most wanted man in the galaxy. His homicidal rampages were so frequent that the news played them after all of the other news, since the fact that Nathan Hall had killed was no longer “newsâ€. This man was the reason that I had come to this part of Earth. Hardly anyone lived on Earth anymore, and even fewer lived in this part. Los Angeles used to be one of the top cities on the planet, but the sharp decrease in Earth’s population had turned it into just another California town. But it was rumored that Nathan Hall had been seen here, and I was going to get that $8 million bounty.
“Alex! Are you coming?†asked a voice behind me. I turned to face the most beautiful girl on the planet. Alendria. A smooth, flowing name, the same as her smooth, flowing body and smooth, flowing blonde hair. She was waiting for me on her airbike; mine was next to hers, resting about two feet above the ground. I strode over, ignoring the phony man in the tux, and mounted my bike. I put on my dark red leather jacket and airbike goggles. Alendria copied me, except her jacket was dark green. “Where are we going?†she asked.
“It was rumored he was sighted on the south side of town, near Hollywood.†I responded.
She nodded. “Let’s go.†She accelerated and whipped by me on the airbike. I planted my feet in the footholds and turned on the accelerator to follow. We were going to find Nathan Hall.

Alex’s dirty blonde hair whipped back as we rode our airbikes south toward Hollywood. I had been asking him to cut his hair for ages, but he refused. He was too obsessed with finding Nathan to keep care of himself properly. A blonde beard was to beginning to grow, and since it was never cleaned, I didn’t enjoy kissing him much. But he was too obsessed with his goal to even pay much attention to me. I loved him; he had been the first to notice me when I woke up from my coma. I was so scared, I couldn’t remember anything and the bed next to me was stained with blood and chunks of flesh, but he saw me panicking and calmed me down before getting help. After that our relationship progressed, until he saw in the paper a reward offered for the finding and/or killing of one Nathan Hall. Nathan used to be his best friend, until he ran from the hospital after one of the most severe cases in the hospital’s history. When he ran, doctors figured he wouldn’t get far; he was in such terrible condition. But his body never was found, and no one knew where he was until the bounty. Apparently he had gone on a rampage in San Diego and killed the mayor of San Diego and his family in their mansion. Alex was shellshocked, he had expected Nathan to die within hours of running from the hospital, and even though it wasn’t easy, he accepted that his best friend was gone. When Nathan’s photograph appeared on the front page of the news, Alex was left speechless. I worried about him, since the bounty on Nathan was raised to $1 million, and his death count had reached twenty-six, Alex was determined to find him and find out what happened that night a year before, and why he was no longer the friend he knew. Alex had grown cold and distant, and to be honest, it scared me. Alex had practically bought out the munitions shop on the way, and kept all his weapons and ammo in his airbike compartments. I sighed, then felt a familiar sensation in my bladder. I tapped a button on my goggles to activate the ACS (Airbike communications system). “Alex, I need to take a quick stop.†It took him a few seconds to respond.
“You should have gone when we stopped earlier. There’s a bar up ahead. We’ll stop thereâ€

We entered the bar, and I watched Alendria hurry off to the women’s restroom. The barkeep was listening to the radio as about a dozen customers quietly drank. Just then, I felt the familiar confused feeling in his heart that I felt whenever I thought of Nathan as the radio announcer rattled of his latest murders.
“This just in, a whole science facility in suburban Poway was destroyed. Police have the facility surrounded, and it is apparent that Hall has not left the building. Hall’s bounty has been raised to $10 million, and he is wanted dead or alive.â€
“That kid’s just a pussy!†shouted a large, muscular man with a fiery red Mohawk and large eyes. “I don’t know what the fuss is about, I’ve seen his picture, he just looks like a prettyboy ******!â€
I couldn’t suppress a grin. This man was a boastful fake, and obviously had no idea what kind of a man Nathan had turned into.
“In fact, I’m gonna head over to that science center right now and bash his brains in!†There was a wild look in the man’s eyes as he leapt from his seat and tossed some coins at the barkeep. He started to exit the bar, but I put my arm in front of him.
“What’s the big idea, *******?†he asked me. I had to look up to him since he looked about six five, but I was not intimidated.
“You could not take on Nathan Hall for more than three seconds.â€
“Oh yeah? What are you, his secret admirer or something?†The man took out a laseraxe and ignited the blade. A laserax could slice through a human arm with the lightest touch. The barkeep was shouting, but we ignored him.
“No, just a friend of his. But take my advice and don’t challenge him, unless you like the look of your blood splattered on the wall.â€
The man shouted at me, “Punkass!†and raised his weapon. I started to pull out my gun but fumbled with it, and the man brought the ax down on my shoulder. I dropped to my knees and rolled to the side, ignoring the searing white-hot pain in my shoulder and I fired two shots into the man’s head. He fell over on a table where his skull shattered with an oddly satisfying crack. At about that time, Alendria came back from the bathroom.
“Alex!†She shouted and ran towards me. “Your shoulder!â€
I grabbed my shoulder and stood up. “Come on, we’re heading for Poway.â€

Chapter 2
Explanations and Exclamations

The sun cast a red glow over the desert, creating a beautiful canopy of sand and mountains that made forget the problems I faced for just one second. But the feeling left quicker than it arrived, as I was nearing Kansman Labs, the place the mayor had told me about back about a year earlier.
I stopped and gazed at the dark building. One of the leading genetic research facilities in the solar system. And if the mayor was to be trusted, then it was where I would find the answers I needed.
The building may have looked menacing or intimidating to some, but I no longer felt those feelings. I strode toward the building with confidence, even though it was one of Earth’s top twenty guarded facilities.
Then I felt the familiar feeling. The feeling I had been feeling for about a year. It felt like someone was pressing down on the back of my neck lightly, right above my back.
I dove to the right just as the rock a few feet in front of me exploded in a mass of gunfire. I wheeled around, drawing my weapon. The long silver gun never seemed clumsy, never awkward. I picked it up and immediately it felt like it should be there, like it was an extension of my arm. I fired several rounds and hit my mark; the guard let out a cry and fell down several hundred feet. I never heard the bone-shattering thud, I was already running.

The security surrounding this place was tight, but nothing I haven’t been able to get past before. Several more guards were foolish enough to stand in my way. Now they are crumpled corpses. I had reached the door untouched by gunfire. Cautiously, I opened the door. Several guards were running towards it, having heard the commotion. Upon seeing me, their eyes grew wide and two of them ran off to get help, but they didn’t reach the end of the hall, as I projected bullets in the back of their heads. The others didn’t pause to register their friends deaths, they immediately opened fire on me. Ducking, I felt the bullets fly just above my head and shatter the thick wall behind me. Adrenaline pumping thirty times a normal mans, I wheeled on one foot and let six shots rain from my firearm. There were seven men, but six was all I needed.

To me, it all went in slow motion. The first three bullets knocked their targets to the ground. The next pummeled a guard in the chest, a dark liquid erupting from where it hit. This next bullet was the one that needed to succeed.
The projectile entered one of the guards forehead, his eyes didn’t have time to widen, though they did bulge unnaturally from his sockets. The bullet passed through his brain and exited through the back of his cranium. The guard standing behind him barely even had time to register the crimson flow bursting from the man in front of him before the same bullet penetrated his right eye. The bullet, slowed by its journey through the other guard’s head, stopped about halfway through the right side of the other guard’s brain. That was all it needed though, the walls were stained red and both men were dead.
The last bullet knocked the last guard back into the wall, he died with his concentrated expression paralyzed permanently on his face.
All seven were dead. I strode over to the guard who still had a bullet lodged in his cerebrum. This bullet was blessed, and could still service me. I reached my thumb and my pointer finger into his eye socket to retrieve the bullet, just as the next wave of security came around the corner.
The last image they saw on this planet would be a long, brown haired teenager reaching into the head of a dead body, pulling out a bullet, loading it into a gun, and smiling at them as he shot each one of them dead.

My airbike was not nearly going fast enough. I had to get to the Kansman Science Labs before Nathan left. Alendria was following closely behind me, squinting even though she was wearing protective goggles. We were going much too fast to talk on ACS. Finally, we saw the outline of the facility on the desert horizon. I pressed my foot down on the gas harder, even though we were already going as fast as the bikes would go. Alendria struggled to keep up. I felt strange as we pulled up. This was the closest I had come to finding Nathan. I didn’t know what I would do if we met face to face.

“That’s all I know, I swear.†The man was looking death straight in the eye. That is, he was looking me straight in the eyes. He wasn’t even paying attention to my gun, which was touching the small hairs on his neck. I knew he wasn’t lying, I could sense it. He knew my ways; he knew that I wouldn’t let him live after what he put upon me, and he knew that the only way he could satisfy me was to tell me what I wanted to know. We were the only two people here who were alive; everyone else lay on the ground or collapsed against walls with bullet wounds littered across their bodies. Each time I fired the bullet that had killed two guards at once when I first entered, I fished it out of the man it killed. As a result, my fingers were stained red with the raw blood of the dead. This bullet was special, it wasn’t like the others; I sensed that since the beginning. While killing is a terrible thing, when this small metal projectile killed, it would only be to service a greater good, eventually leading to an ultimate vindication, and an ultimate justification. Now that I had finished with the man, my finger tensed on the trigger. “Wait.†It wasn’t a request; he wasn’t bargaining with the man who held his life by a thread, it was a command. I stopped. “Let me bid farewell to my wife and daughter before I leave this cursed realm.†Then, I felt something. A presence, a familiar one. One that I had not felt for almost a year. I knew who it was. I closed my eyes and wondered. Why would he be here? Of course he would have heard of what I had done; my reputation had reached parts of the universe I had not even thought of. So it was natural that he would worry about me, but I had no idea that he would care about me enough to try and find me. I didn’t consider that anyone would care about me at all, but he had followed my trail. I opened my eyes and looked out the window. I already knew who he was, but part of me needed to see for myself, and sure enough, I saw the blonde haired teen who I had shared most of my life with. He was gazing up at the science center several floors below me, scanning the windows. I knew he would see me, and when our eyes met, he froze. He looked shocked, but also happy. I looked down at my thick boots and felt a part of me break. He was my best friend, and he cared about me, and wanted to find me. This man’s family cared about him, how could I kill him and leave them alone? I did something I had never done before. I lowered my weapon without firing, and turned to leave. I h what I wanted, why did I need to kill? I turned and started to stride out of the room. The man spoke.
“This isn’t like you. Now I could kill you where you stand.â€
I paused before answering. “You created me. You should know how impossible that is.â€
I shut the door behind me. There were other things that needed to be done.