Page 25 of Defy

Massive numbers start counting down on the screen. THREE…TWO…ONE…GO!

Zombies pop up on the screen and Luis starts taking aim and knocking them out one by one. Instinctively, I raise my plastic weapon and fire at the massive screen as well. None of my zombies are dying even though my shots are hitting them.

“You have to hit them in the head!” Luis says, a childlike laugh erupting from his throat.

At first, I don’t think I’ll get into it. Not only is it extremely juvenile, but I’ve taken so many lives that first-person shooter games never really held any appeal, but the graphics are sounrealistic and the pistol so clearly fake, that it’s easy to get lost in the competition of the game.

I down my first Jack and Coke faster than I intend to, getting lost in the moment, and when my second one appears out of nowhere, I immediately pick it up and take a sip.

Luis changes the game from 2-player to 1-player and challenges me to see who can take out the pack of zombies the fastest.

His score is pretty good. A minute and twenty-six seconds for fifty zombies, but I notice he wastes a lot of time double tapping them. Once I look around and see where the sensors are, I know I have him.

“A new record,” he boasts, shoulder checking me lightly on the way to his seat. “Good luck.” He actually flashes a wink at me which makes me laugh. Is this what it’s like for normal brothers? Nights out with drinks and games and sports bars? It’s almost nice. He reclaims his spot on the loveseat, so sure that he’s about to claim the victory over me, and grabs his drink to settle in.

Fifty-eight seconds later, I’ve killed his dreams along with the fifty zombies on the screen. I fired my plastic gun exactly fifty times, each hit landing directly between the eyes of the undead.

And that was left-handed. A reminder that my reputation was hard-earned and well-deserved.

Perhaps I should’ve let him have that win, but to think he’s a better shot than me would be a deadly mistake on his part. Not to mention, I could feel the eyes of the entire security team on me as I stepped up to the screen.

This game was a message:Not one of you stands a chance against me.

After proving my point, it’s time to patch the hole I just caused in Luis’ ego. “Beginner’s luck. That thing’s pretty cool.” I throw a thumb over my shoulder indicating the screen and ease back into the chair across from him, smiling to myself at his clenched jaw. Finally, I relent and lie. I need him to loosen up. “I think your trigger was sticky. I noticed your toy clicked a few times and mine didn’t.”

He seems to relax a little as he agrees, “Yeah, I thought I felt something.” Sliding his arms out of the sleeves of his suit jacket, he waves the waitress over again for drink number three.

Knowing Luis is salty from losing - we both know his toy wasn’t malfunctional - I try to stay calm as I ask Luis to tell me about Libby.

Luis sends a furtive glance around the room as if to ensure no one is eavesdropping. I try to shift in my seat to get closer to him, but it’s still too uncomfortable to lean forward, so I go back to my original position. His eyes sparkle. Instead of holding out and keeping his mouth shut – like he should – he spills his guts.

“First we need to finish Adriana’s story.”

I snarl like a wild animal.

“I know how her story ends.I was the one who fucking ended it.”

Luis slams his drink down on the low table in front of us, irritated at my persistence and suggestion that he’s wrong. “You don’t knowshit. Now shut the fuck up and let me talk.”

We stare each other down for about five seconds until I relent. This isn’t productive and Idowant answers so I roll my neck and try to relax. I wave a hand in his direction and nod my head. “Please, enlighten me.”

He picks his drink back up and takes a sip, before flipping a card over on the table – from green to red. I hadn’t noticed its presence before but I assume it’s some kind of signal.

He answers when he sees my eyebrow arch in question. “It means we aren’t to be disturbed, so you’ll have to wait for that drink. You’ll learn the rest of the colors soon enough.”

I nod once and then wait for him to continue and tell me what I want to know.

He sighs, casually picks a lint ball off his suit like we have all the time in the world, and then finally begins his story.

“When Adriana was killed, I was ten years old. Obviously too young for anyone to tell me any details of what happened. All I knew was that one day, our mother came to tell me that you and Adriana were both gone and it was going to be my job to make Dad proud and take over the family business. Naturally, I was excited but I was also confused because no one would answer my questions about where the two of you had gone and Mellie, do you remember Mellie?” He pauses to look at me.

I nod.

She was Luis’ nanny. The same age as me and adventurous in all the ways I was.

“Well, she told me that I was never to say your name or Adriana’s name again to anyone but her. If I was sad, I could only talk to her about it.”

I wave my hand again in ahurry the fuck upmotion. Luis could talk for days just to hear the sound of his own voice.

---