Fiction logo

Twin Flames Burn Separately

Just because you're family, doesn't mean you can't kick a little ass.

By Joshua TrevilcockPublished 2 years ago 13 min read
Like

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. Too many people find comfort in the idea that they are planet bound. That because there is something sturdy and understandable under their feet they’re allowed to have nothing to be afraid of. However, most people are not from Qiusty.

The stars are out in full force this beautiful night, with nothing but the neon flickers of ‘Dixon’s Gas Station’ interrupting the serenity. It turns on and off with an obnoxious buzz. The big letters say way more than just the name; the flickers are out of sync, and both A’s are significantly discolored. The pumps all drip and only half of them work. Still, it’s the only pump for miles around.

A short and plump purple man walks to the front door and opens it. A curt ring announces his entrance. His suit is pretty roughed up and the sweats are a-drippin, but that doesn’t take anything away from his swagger, he definitely thinks he owns the place. He walks up to the cash register, where a young light bluish alien with braces stands behind the counter.

The purple man says, “15 Taneal on pump number 7, please” and hands the cash register his cardring.

The bluish braces kid removes his currency wand from its stand and scans the ring. He turns back to the register and after a few waves of his tentacle and a click, “Want your receipt?”

The purple guy chuckles, and grabs a pack of sour candies. He rudely opens the pack, dumps a bit into his hand, and downs the batch. He shoves the half eaten pack of candies back on the counter, winks, and turns to leave.

A hooded figure blocks his path.

The man, still chewing the candy, looks up at the new presence, “Eh, ’scuse me pal.”

The hooded figure doesn’t move, “I need you to stay for a moment.”

The purple guy takes a step back. “Yeah?”

The purple guy throws a right punch. The hooded figure moves like lightning, catches his fist and grabs him by the throat. The little purple man squirms.

“Yes please.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A run-down building stains the urban night city sky. More neon letter's shine, “Gimpy's”. A young man in a brown trench coat walks up to the front door. He looks too and fro, then clicks his watch. A wanted hologram of a chubby and purple man pops up. Above the list of things he’s wanted for, the young man can see the name of the score, “Joey Tenor.”Joey Tenor's, the purple man, list of accusations include creature trafficking, mail fraud, and indecent display of public nudity.

Kai, the young man, scrolls the wanted hologram. "50,000 dead. 100,000 alive" He shrugs, circles the "100,000 alive" and clicks the hologram away. He turns to face the building, slicks his hair back, and walks in.

Even before Kai walks through the doors of the building, alien techno music blasts the air. Creatures of all shapes and sizes walk the grounds, some dancing and some drinking. Kai quietly navigates to the bar. He calls over the bartender, a yellowish creature with four feathered covered arms. “One Stenok flah, please.”

The bartender nods and pours him a drink. Kai pulls out his cardring for the bartender to scan, and looks around. At the far end sits a hooded figure. Kai is about to take a step when the bartender slides him his drink.

Kai grabs the drink and brings it to his mouth. Someone shoves him from behind, causing severe drink spillage. He places the drink on the counter and turns to see a young woman with a devilish smile, also wearing a brown trench coat.

Through that devilish smile she says, “What's up, little guy?”

Kai stands up, but reaches for his drink, ”What are you doing here?”

She smiles. ”What are you doing here?”

Kai scoffs and downs the glass, “I asked you first.”

She wears that obnoxious smile. Kai clenches his jaw and places his empty cup on the counter. “I'm on a business trip.”

She chuckles, “What kind of business?”

He snaps at her, “The non-of-ya business kind.”

Embarrassed at his terribly immature response, he walks to the other side of the room, leaving Ti at the bar. She remains smiling, then turns to the bartender and orders a drink.

Kai lightly smacks his forehead, when he sees Joey Tenor walk in through the door, followed by four tall aliens in suits. The purple guy wears a nice three piece suit.

Kai turns away, clicks his watch for the wanted hologram again, then turns back to Joey Tenor. It's a match.

Joey Tenor saunters through the crowd, his posse fanning out. Kai smirks. He clicks away the hologram and begins to file through the crowd.

He spots Ti at the bar downing a shot glass. She flicks the bartender a coin, then stands and starts stomping in the direction of the bathroom. Joey Tenor also walks towards the bathroom. The smile melts off Kai's face. Ti discreetly pulls out a small handle. She gently slides her thumb across it to release a plasma blade. She never takes her eyes off Joey Tenor.

Kai starts to shove through the crowd.

Joey Tenor is almost in the bathroom; Ti walks even faster. Kai begins to sweat as he shoves through the throng of people.

Ti smirks and raises her knife.

Joey Tenor stops in front of the bathroom door. She points her knife, reels back and throws.

The knife whistles through the air.

Kai dives and catches it. He lands hard on the ground right behind Joey Tenor. The fall startles Joey and steals the subtle attention of a few people in the crowd.

The small man turns around to see Kai on the floor. Kai hides the knife behind his back. “Uh… Hey, handsome.” Joey Tenor scoffs and walks into the bathroom. Kai stands up and stomps towards Ti. He holds up the knife. A few more people notice the scene.

The woman reaches to get back her knife. Kai grabs her wrist. “A plasma knife? Did you also bring a bucket to clean up the mess? What was your plan?”

She snickers and pushes past Kai. “Ti, don’t make me shoot you.”

Ti, the woman, slowly turns to face Kai. “Yeah? You wanna reach for it?”

After a moment, she finds her smiles again, reaches over and gives Kai two love slaps on the cheek. He slaps away her hand and resheathes her knife.

She scratches her eyebrow, “Bubby, give it back.”

“Ti, get the fuck out of my way.”

Ti socks Kai in the face. The room stops. Kai turns back to Ti, blood running down his nose.

A loud flushing sound rings through the room. All eyes face the bathroom door. Joey walks out and notices all the eyeballs in his direction.

There’s a stillness in the air.

Ten different creatures rush to grab the purple man.

Ti grabs Kai's blaster and turns to fire at Joey Tenor.

Joey dives back into the bathroom.

Kai grabs her arm and elbows her. He disarms her and points the gun at her. She kicks it out of his hand. Chaos ensues. Every bounty hunter fights another for the purple man and everyone who isn’t a bounty hunter exits the building.

Two blaster shots are fired in the air. BOOSH BOOSH. Everyone stops. Two bounty hunters lie dead on the ground. The bartender holds four sawed off shotguns, one in each arm.

In his particular alien dialect, the bartender says, “Get out of my bar.

Every bounty hunter points their weapons at the bar and fires off a few rounds. The bartender lets off two more blasts and crouches behind his counter. It's a war. Creatures fight with their blasters and hand to hand.

Ti and Kai brawling styles could not be more different. Ti lands a solid right hook, left uppercut combination, sending Kai into the women's bathroom.

He flies through the door and lands on the ground. He looks up and sees a female creature. She shakes her head demeaningly. Kai nods. “Ma'am.” She tsk's and walks out.

Police sirens fill the air.

His eyes shoot open, he stands up as the bathroom alternates green and purple lights as the police cars pass the building.

He walks up to the bathroom door and peaks outside. The police bust in and start a fire fight with the rest of the bounty hunters. “Ah crap.”

He closes the door. He looks around, in each stall. The firing stops. There’s lots of shouting. Kai snaps back to the window from before. He climbs up and through the window to land on the ground outside the bar. He clicks his watch and sees the "100,000 alive" circled. He shouts in frustration and clicks away the hologram.

He walks towards the front of the building. He peaks around the corner. Police officers are shoving hand cuffed Bounty hunters into police cars. Joey Tenor is escorted by a cop into his own vehicle.

Kai spots Ti. Joey gets into his car and turns it on.

Ti struggles and shoves her police officer over.

Joey pulls out of the parking space.

Ti sprints in the direction of Kai, pursued by a few cops.

Joey drives around the corner.

Ti gets tazed and falls over.

Kai scoffs, “Damn it.”

Kai grabs his ankle blaster and sets it to stun. He turns the corner and fires two shots at the pursuing cops. The purple man drives away. The rest of the cops look to face Kai and Ti. Kai runs over to Ti and unlocks her restraints. The other cops approach. Kai helps Ti to her feet.

“Sorry.”

Kai glances back at the pursuing police, “What?”

Ti head butts Kai, takes his blaster. She shoves him backwards, into a cop. She blasts another two and sprints away.

Kai, dazed, looks around as he’s handcuffed. The Police march Kai to the back of a squad car, throw him in. Kai faces the window with a bloody nose. He slowly inches a small screwdriver out of his sleeve into his right hand.

Beep beep. The gas light glows. Empty.

“Seriously? Come on, we've been over this how many times? And the damn car is still-”

“Ey, I don’t need another ear full from the guy who forgot the Chief's favorite-”

They continue arguing and Kai rolls his eyes.

The police car pulls up to a gas pump at the gas station, “Dixon’s gas station”. They park the car next to a pump. Kai discreetly clicks open the handcuffs. Both cops are outside still arguing. Kai looks around the inside of the vehicle for a way to escape.

“Evening sir.”

Kai looks up. Joey Tenor, his suit not so crisp, walks into the gas station. Kai turns away from the window and clicks his now free watch hand.

The wanted poster pops up. Beneath the rewards says, “UNCLAIMED”. Kai mouths a “yes”. He looks back over to the cops, completely unaware of him. He knocks on the window with his forehead.

The cops look at the window. Kai innocently shouts, “I gotta pee.”

The cops look at each other. “Nope. Definitely your turn.”

The second cop sighs, and opens the door, and assists Kai out. Kai winks to the other cop and starts walking to the convenience store.

The door dings as Kai and the cop enter the little store. It’s completely still, no movement. Kai and the cop look at each other and take a few steps further in. There’s a small whimper from behind the counter. They slowly walk up to see the gas station attendant huddled in a corner.

The cop draws his blaster, but the hooded man sprints forward, grabs the Cop's arm, and breaks it.

Kai slips off his handcuffs, grabs a pen from the counter, and dives into one of the aisles. He takes a breath, stands, and throws the pen at the hooded man.

The hooded man catches it right before it hits his face. He elbows the cop unconscious.

The hooded man clicks his watch. A wanted hologram of Kai pops up.

Kai turns a corner. The hooded man clicks off his watch, "You know the drill, you're worth more alive.”

Kai looks around for a weapon. “How ‘bout you take the purple guy, and I walk away?”

The hooded guy smiles. “You're worth double.”

Flattered, Kai mouths "double". “Well, that's kind but-”

Kai leaps from behind for a super man punch. “I'm not for sale.”

The punch lands, knocking back the hood. It's an older man, gray hair, a few wrinkles and scars. Kai looks shocked, “Randy?”

Randy sends Kai flying with a massive punch to the chest.

Outside, a person in a familiar trench coat enters the scene on a motorcycle. The second cop still stands by the pump.

Back inside the little gas station store, Kai's getting pummeled. He tries to land anything, but Randy is faster and stronger. “Every punch is less money for me.”

Kai slips a right jab, and throws a left hook. It connects. Randy eats the punch and grabs Kai by the throat. Kai chokes back, “That's the idea.”

The front door dings. Randy turns to face the door.

Ti brandishes her blaster and blasts Randy. He drops Kai. Kai gasps for air. Ti smirks. “Stand up, bubby.”

She walks past him to inspect Randy. Kai slowly reaches for the blaster in her hand. “That's... mine…”

She walks over to Kai and extends a hand. Kai reaches for it when-

Randy comes up from behind and grabs Ti by the hair. Kai dives and tackles Randy back to the ground, freeing Ti.

Randy breaks out of Kai’s headlock, reverses, and slams Kai to the ground. Ti runs up and spartan kicks Randy to the wall. Kai stands and connects with a left hook.

Ti roundhouse kicks him in the face. Kai kicks out his knees, Randy falls, but before he reaches the ground, Kai and Ti TKO him with a double uppercut. Randy smashes into a vending machine and slumps over, unconscious. Kai and Ti catch their breath. Once again, that ridiculous front door dings.

The cop who was by the gas pump walks in. He sees the mess that is the little store. He draws his blaster. “Hands above your head!”

Kai and Ti look at each other. Ti discreetly turns the setting on the blaster to stun, quick draws and fires, stunning the cop. He drops to the ground and the door swings closed.

There’s a shuffling sound somewhere inside the store.

The siblings look around for the source of the noise. Kai walks towards the broom closet, he opens it. Joey Tenor is inside, tape over his mouth and rope around his arms. Kai smiles. He turns around to face Ti. “Guess who's-”

Ti points the blaster to Kai's face. She smirks. Kai dead pans. “Son of a bi-”

Kai falls to the ground as the world goes black.

Sci Fi
Like

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.