Chapter 26: Brotherhood

  Garret sat on the log opposite Alex. He was not cheery and happy like Alex was so used to. Nor was he grimly serious like he sometimes was during a fight. Those were the two modes that Alex always found his friend in. Now he seemed to be in a mode that Alex had never seen before, anxious, worried.

  "Can't sleep?" Alex asked.

  "Nah," Garret said. He poked at the fire with a stick like a homesick boy scout on a camping trip. Alex watched him for a few seconds. Garret wasn't usually this quiet. It was typically difficult to make him shut up, and now...

  "I'm thinking we start on that badger den tomorrow." Alex broke the silence first.

  "Sounds good," Garret replied.

  "I don't know where it is exactly, but if we move in the direction where those three ambushed me, I think we will start getting closer and-"

  "Are we stuck here?" Garret interrupted.

  He finally looked up, his eyes holding the same scared expression that Alex had expected. It was the same expression Alex was trying to suppress from showing on his own face.

  Alex sighed and rubbed his eyes. He knew what was coming. The conversation. This was the conversation Alex didn't want to have. Part of that was because he didn't have an answer, and partly because he too was afraid of what that answer would be.

  "I don't know man, I don't know."

  "I've got- to- ...The life of magic and swords... Fighting goblins and dragons. I've dreamed of stuff like this," Garret said, but Alex didn't hear any joy in his voice. For a guy supposedly living his dream, he wasn't happy to be doing it.

  "So?" Alex asked.

  "So, I’m here," Garret threw the stick into the fire. "I'm here and he's not."

  Garret stood and began to pace. Alex didn't stand up, and he didn't speak. He just watched his friend as he worked through his thoughts. This wasn't Alex's normal Garret, the one he knew. He wasn't sure how to help him. If Garret was going to open up and show Alex a new side of him, Alex had to give him the space to do it.

  Garret continued his pacing. Alex watched.

  "If we can't get powerful enough to survive, to get back home. Are we just stuck in this world forever?"

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  "I don't know."

  "Even if we could get back, how long will it take?" Garret began pacing faster. "Years? Decades? How long?

  "I don't know."

  "I can't be here playing swords and sorcerers for years." Garret's voice began to rise at this point. "Michael is waiting at home. I'm all he has. I take care of him, and if I'm stuck here, what's going to happen?"

  "Your brother." Alex understood now.

  Alex knew Garret had a younger brother. There were things you learned about your teammates after a while. Talking about your life during a round of beers, or just during lunch. Garret's little brother was fifteen, and Garret took care of him on his own.

  "When it happened, when our parents... the government was going to put him into the system," Garret said. "He begged me, not to let that happen and I promised him I wouldn't leave him alone. I promised him, Alex."

  "I know."

  "No, you don't!" Garret stopped his pacing. He looked at Alex with anger in his eyes. "Your parents are still alive. Your brother can take care of himself like anyone else can. Without me, Michael has nobody, absolutely nobody."

  Alex held up his hands in surrender. "I don't know exactly. You're right. And yes, Michael needs you and he is alone."

  He dropped his hands and stepped towards Garret. The guy still looked ready to punch Alex, but Alex wasn't worried about that. He brought his hands down on Garret's shoulders and squeezed. Even with his enhanced strength, it wasn't enough to hurt him.

  "Garret, listen to me," Alex's voice came out calm, but there was a waver to it that he couldn’t stop from coming out. A creep of fear and worry that crawled into his voice box and refused to leave. "Michael is alone back home, but here right now, you aren't alone. You have me, and the Captain, Allie, Henry and even Devon. We are all in this together."

  He gave the guy a small shake and fist bumped his shoulder. "We're a team asshole, don't forget that. We are going to get out of here and get you back to your brother. We will get Henry out of here and back to his wife and daughter. Allie will get back to her parents. The captain, back to his son. And-" Alex wavered here a moment.

  "And get Devon back to his unicorn figurines?" Garret asked.

  Alex laughed and nodded. "Yeah, man. We will do all of that. And I will get back to my superstar brother, and finally have something to rub in his face."

  The two of them laughed together. Laughed at the fear and the stress, and the absurdity of it all. Just two scared, ignorant jackasses, laughing. And for a moment, it was enough. They sat on the log in front of the fire, existing.

  "Thanks, man," Garret said.

  "You're welcome," Alex said. "Anytime."

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