El Muerte

By Debel

Antonio pressed his back against David, trying desperately to spread as much of himself between David and the threat of his brother as he could. It was his only thought. He knew that if David was going to die he was going to go with him. He would not be left behind in hell again.

"As much as I'd like to stand here all night and watch this heart-wrenching display, I suggest we move to a place where we won't be interrupted." Jonathan motioned with his head for them to move away from the house. His voice had changed. There was an edge of seriousness to it that was diamond sharp.

When they had moved some distance through the garden, David asked, unable to stand the uncertainty any longer, "Where the hell are we going, Jonathan?"

"Into the past," Jonathan answered.

Antonio looked up at David, who walked at his side. As they passed between the lights along the path the shadows shifted across his pale face and Antonio could sense the awful tenseness that had never left his body. His hand brushed David's cold one and his fingers automatically tangled with his lover's, trying to give him some of his warmth and reassurance.

"Unh unh! None of that now! No touching! Hands to yourself boys." Jonathan's voice was laughing at them.

The tightness in David uncoiled and he exploded, turning around with clenched fists, "Just fucking tell us where we're going or kill us now you fucking bastard!"

Antonio was between them again, his hands automatically reaching up to David's rage-stiffened face. "Rubio, don't!" he pleaded the words, suddenly terrified that David would force Jonathan's hand. If it had just been Jonathan and himself it would have been another matter, but he couldn't risk anything with David such an easy target.

"Listen to your lover, David. You were never very sensible about things." Jonathan stood back and waited as David slowly eased into the warmth of Antonio's embrace.

Antonio turned his head to stare at Jonathan, his eyes huge and as darkly beautiful as the exotic garden around them. When his voice came it was as if the garden itself had found its voice in the night. It was full of darkness and certain promises to be fulfilled. "We'll do as you ask, but if you harm him, Jonathan, I will kill you."

Jonathan stared at Antonio for long moments and just for a heartbeat his eyes flickered for Antonio's words came with soft certainty and Jonathan knew he was looking into the face of his own death. His fear hid behind bluster, "How charming and overly dramatic, both of you move, now."

David looked at his brother and asked again, "Where are we going, Jonathan?"

Jonathan put a hand to his chest in mock despair. "How soon we forget! I'm hurt David, I really am that you would forget our special place. It was so important to both of us, even if it was for such a brief time."

"The Garden House," David said and there was more than a touch of dread in his voice.

"Exactly!" Jonathan's voice was satisfied and then it turned threatening, "Now, shall we proceed?"

The Garden House was almost hidden in dense foliage. Its purpose was that of a guest house, but it had rarely been used. It was still maintained, but left to itself, almost forgotten in its quite and beautiful loneliness.

"Turn on the light, David, you remember where it is," Jonathan said as they entered the cottage. It was only one room which served as both a sitting and bedroom with a single bath. The light from a couple of lamps came on and Jonathan closed the door behind them. He motioned with his gun as he said, "Why don't you two have a seat on the bed."

Jonathan settled himself in a chair, crossed his legs and proceeded to light a cigarette with his free hand. "There now," he said taking in a deep breath and smiling at them through the smoke. "We can have a nice civilized discussion without too many hysterics."

"What do you want, Jonathan?" David asked, suddenly weary beyond words.

"What I've always wanted. You." Jonathan answered him playfully.

David shook his head. "You never wanted me Jonathan. You wanted what you thought I was. You thought you could take that away from me, but you couldn't. I loved you so much and you destroyed it. You destroyed it all in the end."

"You always had it so easy didn't you." Jonathan sneered, suddenly not so playful. "All the attention, all the charm. Everyone loved David, so sweet, so handsome, so much a chip off the old block. You know while you were winning all those swimming trophies in school I'd bring your team mates here and go down on them. It was surprising at the number of studs who like to have their cocks sucked or one shoved up their ass. I even had one call out your name, David, while I was fucking him. Do you remember Alex? I think he had a crush on you. We fucked like crazy that summer. The summer before they sent you away."

David ran his hand through his hair and sighed, "Why go over all of this now, Jonathan? What good does it do?"

"It does me a lot of good, dear brother. I love to see you suffer the way I've suffered. Living in your shadow as I have. Do you know what it feels like to live in someone else's shadow? Someone that looks exactly like you, that 'is' you or at least the person you think you could be if only you weren't being slowly suffocated. Father despised me and Cecile is about as warm as a cobra, you know that. Ever go to bed with a cobra, dear brother?"

David's face was shocked, his voice full of disbelief. "You never! I don't believe you!"

Jonathan smirked, "And why not? We did it, didn't we? I did it with her once, when I was very drunk. She seduced me and I let her. She never let me forget it and then I stopped caring anymore. About everything except you."

David shook his head. "We should never have slept together. Somehow I thought it would make things right between us again. We were so young and I loved you so much. I was crazy to help you. For God's sake, Jonathan, you're my twin. I needed you! I needed your love and I thought you needed mine. But it was a horrible mistake. You let them send me away. It was you they should have sent away. You need help, Jonathan."

Jonathan shrugged, the picture of unconcern. "You were talking too much. Telling awful lies about me. I couldn't let that go on David. Mother fixed it, of course. Do you know the sense of betrayal I felt? No, of course you don't. No one ever betrayed you, did they? Except Tom."

David sat up straight as he protested, "Tom and I were having trouble. He left. What does any of that have to do with this?"

"Why do you think you were having trouble?" Jonathan asked.

A growing coldness seemed to be seeping throughout David's body as he answered, "Tom wanted to work in Europe; I didn't want to leave We argued and he left."

Jonathan shook his head. "Tom was weak. He wasn't worthy of you David. But Tom didn't see that even after we fucked; he didn't see that he was wrong for you."

David shook his head in denial. "I don't believe you! God! I don't want to hear this!"

Jonathan remained calm, seeming to enjoy David's distress. "He wouldn't listen to reason. He was going to you and beg you to take him back. Imagine, after he's fucked me he expects you to welcome him with open arms. Of course he was going to confess everything to you. We had a little argument and I'm afraid he forced me to kill him. It was after that I realized how easy it was and then I had my answer. I knew what I had to do. Finally, I'd be free of you." There was a look of madness in Jonathan's eyes, a quietly reasoning madness.

David cried out, his voice full of pain, "It was you! All this time it was you and somehow I knew it. I just didn't want to believe it." He looked around the room, panicked as if he could flee what he had just heard and then he tried to calm himself and he looked at Jonathan, quietly imploring him, "I still love you Jonathan. We can get help for you. I'll be there for you. Don't do this please! I love you."

Jonathan's eyes opened wide. "You love me? How can I believe you. You who only want to send me away. But it won't work David. It didn't work before and it won't work now, but this one last time I'm going to take the most precious part of you into me and finally we'll be together always."

David struggled to reach Jonathan, refusing to give up. "What about Antonio? Let him go Jonathan. I brought him into this. Let him go, please. I'm begging you."

Jonathan shook his head, slowly. "How touching. Such devotion. No, brother. I can't do that. He's far too dangerous and besides I don't want you to get too lonely, the way I've been lonely. It will be the best for both of you. You'll be together for eternity. Isn't that romantic? I thought you'd be pleased. They'll discover your bodies. A lover's quarrel of some sort. You've an unstable mind, after all, David, these persecution complexes. A terrible tragedy."

Antonio said quietly, "You'll never get away with it, Jonathan."

Jonathan looked at him, a grin on his face. "They always say that in those wonderful old movies don't they, where the villain of the piece comes to a dreadful end. I'm sorry but this is real life and I've already gotten away with it once and I expect I will again."

He stood up and opened a drawer and pulled out a length of rope, keeping the gun pointed at them. He threw the coil of rope at Antonio. "Always be prepared, I say. Some of them liked it a bit rough. I want you to tie his hands behind his back, Antonio, but first undress, both of you."

Jonathan watched appreciatively as both men slowly removed their clothes. "Did you and David ever get into the rough stuff, Antonio? Dangerous types like you always disappointed me a bit. The promise was never fulfilled, but then again perhaps I was just expecting too much or I didn't have you to inspire me in the right direction."

Antonio shrugged. "I'd think you'd find it hard to top murder."

Jonathan considered the statement. "Yes, it is rather hard to surpass. I must say there is a certain visceral thrill that's hard to duplicate any other way. Are you almost ready? Ahhhh, how lovely you two are. So perfect together. One so darkly beautiful and the other so blonde and handsome, if I do say so myself. I don't know why I haven't done this before. It's like watching myself make love. I'm the ultimate voyeur. Sit down David and let your lover tie your hands behind you. Get on your knees in front of him Antonio. Surely you've been in this position before. I want you to start things off for me."

Antonio looked up into David's eyes as he settled himself between the long legs. He tried to push the thought of the gun aimed at them from his mind and rested his arms and hands on top of David's thighs, sliding them forward over the hardness of the muscles, noting the terrible tension in them. "I love you," he whispered and leaned forward to press his lips to David's. He didn't let the touch linger too long, it was too painful because he wanted so much more. Now that it was about to be taken from him, he realized how much he needed from David and how much David had given him. He didn't want to think it was all going to end so soon.

David closed his eyes at Antonio's touch and when he heard the words he only thought he had imagined it because he wanted to hear them so badly. There was only Antonio's mouth against his and then he was looking down at the dark head. "Loose. I want it loose," he whispered.

Antonio looked up, his eyes wide, questioning, and then he smiled and reached back to release his hair. He shook it slightly, still grinning into David's eyes and David answered his grin with one of his own and then the soft hair and lips were on his flesh and he closed his eyes on the world again. He pushed Jonathan out of it, out of the room and out of his mind. There was only Antonio and him and he groaned with the intense pleasure of it. He let his head fall back and then he collapsed on the bed. The pleasure rolled through his body, centering on his cock and the building pressure there. He struggled against his bonds, wanting to feel the silky head under his hands and hold it while he pumped into the warm mouth. The deep spasm within him started and he thought he felt Antonio's hand on his stomach searching for it and he tried to open his eyes; he felt a desperate need to see Antonio.

David cried out as Antonio was suddenly wrenched from him. He struggled to sit up, to control the mounting orgasm, to see clearly as Antonio was suddenly on his feet facing Jonathan and then the surprising explosion of the gun. David was startled at how loud such a small gun could be. It caused his body to jerk in reaction and then Antonio's body was jerking, as well, spinning around to slam against a wall, sliding down it. David cried out and managed to lever himself up to see the crumpled body on the floor, Antonio's face hidden from him by the long hair.

A blow struck him in the chest and he was knocked back onto the bed and another mouth covered him. His body revolted. He started to scream, but it was too late, he emptied himself into Jonathan and it was as if he were dying inside. He wanted to die. He turned his head to find Antonio, but he wasn't there. He was going crazy and no longer knew what was real; he closed his eyes again and waited for death to come and when the gunshot came his body jerked in answer to it, but he didn't feel the impact of the bullet, instead he opened his eyes and struggled to sit up.

Antonio lay on the floor beside the bed, his left side covered in blood and his eyes closed, Jonathan's gun in his hand. David fell on his knees beside him, wrenching desperately at the ropes, wanting to touch Antonio, to feel a heartbeat. He called his name repeatedly until the long lashes flickered open. There were even blood drops on them. There seemed to be blood everywhere.

Recognition came slowly into Antonio's eyes and he whispered, "Are you okay?" David could only nod his head. He didn't seem to have the strength to speak. "Dead? Is he dead?" David realized Antonio must be asking about Jonathan and fear suddenly clenched his stomach again. He struggled up enough to see that Jonathan lay on the floor. He seemed to be staring directly at David with a shocked, accusing look on his face, as if David would dare do something like this and then David fell beside Antonio again and nodded, trying to find his voice, finally he grated out, "Yes, he's dead." David only felt numbness when he thought of Jonathan. Instead he looked down at Antonio's face. His eyelids were starting to droop and David yelled at him, "Antonio are you all right? God! Of course you're not all right. Can you hear me? Antonio!"

Antonio's eyes came fully open and he gave David a small grin, "He let the gun drop." His lids started to droop again and he mumbled sleepily, "It hurts like hell. I love you." His eyes closed completely and this time David couldn't get a response. David lowered his forehead to rest on Antonio's chest and whispered, "I love you, too."