A PART OF HIM KNEW he should care more about dying. A part of him was relieved.

He was tired. More tired than a boy his age should ever be. His existence had only seemed to cause problems for the people foolish enough to stay around him. This was better for everyone.

A thunderous gunshot that shatters the tense atmosphere.

Gripping firmly on the pistol as he takes aim, Alejo’s eyes were locked on his target as the stream of bullets trailed after the fleeing assailant.

Wes cursed and darted across the stage as Alejo fired off at him.

“Alejo!” Santiago called, it did not surprise him that his friend disregarded his warning. He was now more appreciative of his friend's inability to listen than ever before.

“Be for real, you thought I was letting you do this without me.” Alejo shouted back a grin spread across his face.

While he did not have magic, Alejo knew most witches were not bulletproof.

There was no way Alejo was going to lose his friend again. It did not matter if he had to fight them with a gun or a pitcher if it meant saving the people he cared about he would make do.

Etienne burst through the doors, his shoulders dropped as he saw the man. “You scared the hell out of me.”

Santiago hopped off stage and ran to his mother to find a steady pulse. The tightness in his chest eased, Santiago turned to the boys. “Get them out of here.”

“Where are you going?” Alejo said.

“I don’t have my hands tied anymore.” Santiago growled, took off after Wes.

Santiago followed the sounds of Wes as he fumbled through the backstage hall. The light from the back entrance flashed as he passed through it.

Santiago swung it open and bolted down the back alley after him.

On the city sidewalk Wes roughly barreled through bystanders on the street.

Crossed the street headed towards Anderson park, Santiago hot on his heels. Wes realized he would not be able to outrun him.

Wes plucked a kid off his skateboard by the scruff of his neck.

The injured witch panted heavily, hand around the kid's throat was red with his own blood. “I guess it’s improv night.”

“Stop. You want to walk, fine you walk. Leave the kid.” Santiago’s jaw clenched tightly.

Passersby ran. Some pulled out their phones to call for help or record the situation as it unfolded. Others called out trying to plead to the man to let the kid go.

“You made me bleed. It’s about time you learned this, Santiago. In our world, we have one rule. Blood for blood.” He raised the blade ready to bury it in the kids chest.

Santiago did not think. He just moved.

In a blink Santiago had a hand around Wes’s throat and hand clamped around his wrist.

He could feel the surge as it ran through him like electrified adrenaline.

Wes sent him soaring back with his damaged hand.

A brave stranger quickly grabbed the boy and whisked him off into the safety of a nearby shop.

Fear and adrenaline filled the air as people scrambled for safety. Screams and cries echoed through the streets as people fled in every direction.

Some level headed individuals stood out from the pack to take charge and try to heard the crowd away from the scene as it unfolded. Amidst the chaos some resourceful bystanders took up improvised weapons and projectiles and started pelting them at Wes.

Wes grabbed at the chain-link fence and pulled it free like it was made of paper. Each line unbraided itself flattening into razor thin blades.

No. Santiago thought there were too many, moving too fast. He would never get them all out in time.

Their screams were like knives in Santiago’s ears.

There were kids.

They would all be torn to shreds.

Hurricane winds from behind made him stumble forward. The blades thrown back were buried into green grass churning up mounds of soil.

Santiago caught sight of the familiar pastel blue and pink of Skylar’s hair behind her raised palms.

Throngs of people fled into the open doorways of the nearby shops. Some ducked for cover behind cars.

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Before he could express any gratitude, she screamed for him to look out for the car Wes had ejected at him.

Santiago dodged it.

Even though he severed the magic weaving, the massive thing was too large for him to stop. Santiago dove only able to scoop Skylar out of the way.

As fast as his powers could push him, Santiago knew he would not make it to the others in time.

Etienne raised his hand. Santiago could see the energy emanating from the boy's chest down his arms and it spring out in millions of tiny strands. The vehicle came apart. The individual pieces wove around the fleeing bystanders and snapped back together in the middle of the empty street.

Santiago's eyes bugged as the taller boy marched forward.

“Damn,” Alejo said as he caught up to him. “They be feeding you good down in Orleans. Throwing cars around like Legos.”

Etienne smirked. “That ain’t all I got.”

Khalil called out to them, “Incoming!”

Metal squealed as it was bent. Wires snapped as the streetlights upended, the ground crackling loudly from the exposed wires.

“We need to get these people out of the line of fire.” Khalil said.

“He needs to go down first.” Etienne barked.

The two started arguing and Skylar screamed at both.

“SHUT UP!” Alejo said all of them turned to his friend, “He’s thinking.”

Before any of them could ask Santiago started, “Etienne can you take the pieces of the things you make and shape them how you want.”

Etienne nodded.

“We need cover.” He turned to the others, “Alejo and Khalil run point on getting people out. Skylar anything that gets passed Etienne’s wall you send it packing. I’ll keep him busy and draw his fire. When we get everyone clear we hit him with everything we got.”

They all split up.

Etienne crouched, his chest glowed with a blue light as he reached out. He pulled forth everything that was not bolted to the ground. He had never pushed himself to work with this many moving parts. Still, Etienne had no intention of losing before he got his pound of flesh.

Santiago ran.

He moved through the array of debris Wes had unleashed. Piece by piece he severed the ties chipping away at his enemies’ defenses.

Santiago could tell the connections were getting weaker with each wave. Wesley was burning out.

Wes knew it too.

A shooting pain ran through Santiago, he stumbled onto the asphalt. He clutched his head, vision blurred.

Santiago’s first thought was that Wes had gotten to him. Through the roar in his ears, he could hear him laughing.

“See you can’t control this power, Santiago.” He mocked, “It was never meant for a nothing like you.”

Santiago blacked out.

In the middle of the street, he sat up. He was alone now.

The sky was dark, not the dark of night. Pitch black. Not a star in the sky save for what appeared as a silvery haloed sun.

A growl emanated from the darkness. Two pinpricks of light stared back at him.

The harsh roar deafened him like a choir of thousands that screamed into his ears all at once vying to be heard.

Wes saw an opportunity and made his way to the boy. Santiago fell over limply as he was rolled over.

Blade poised he plunged it into his chest.

Wes blinked at the peculiar silver dust that wafted through the air. Not a drop of blood came from the wound. Pulling back the hilt there was no longer a blade attached to it.

Santiago was gone.

Wes staggered to his feet, turned quickly and found himself face to face with the boy. It was the hand on the back of his neck Wes felt before the one that had plunged itself into his chest cavity.

A garbled wheeze escaped him as his punctured lung filled with blood.

From the boy an unnatural growl of a voice that was more than his own. “Blood for blood.”

Santiago gripped onto the column of his spine and severed it. The man folded as he hit the floor.

It all came to a halt as Wes fell dead. Etienne peered from behind the cars spotting Santiago.

For a lingering moment those silver eyes stared into his. Etienne felt the gaze through every fiber of his being freezing him into place.

He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t move.

Santiago lunged at Etienne.

Reflexively the boy pulled part of the wall to shield himself from the attack.

A hand grasped frantically for him where it was wedged between the wall of debris. Santiago pounded each blow and blasted a hole Etienne struggled to seal.

Etienne fought for control. He could feel his hold being pried off of the manipulated objects. Sweat beaded on his brow, his muscles were on fire. He could see the darkening of skin spreading down his arms like burns from the overuse.

One heavy blow sent Etienne on his back on the asphalt.

Santiago leapt bringing his foot down a moment after Etienne rolled away the black ground cracked under his sneakers.

Etienne blocked one blow, the reverb as Santiago blasted through the meek shield he brought up sent him backwards into a tree.

Etienne screamed in pain as the foot came down on his leg and snapped his femur.

Santiago hands grasped for his throat.

He was thrown across the field. As he made a move to stand Santiago was brought back to the floor, crushed by an invisible force.

Skylar gritted their teeth, palms faced the ground as they struggled to pin the boy down. “I can’t—hold him!”

Santiago strained against the weight as he forced himself upright. Each weighted step inched him closer to Etienne.

“Santiago!” Guadalupe screamed from down the street.

The light flickered and Santiago’s head turned towards the woman.

“He’s not in his right mind. Stay away from him.” Skylar shouted urgently.

Guadalupe walked forward towards him despite the girls warning.

“Look at me!” Guadalupe ordered.

Gleaming eyes homed in on her. He made a move forward and Skylar pushed against him.

Santiago growled as he pushed onward towards her.

“You’re not going to hurt me. Do you know why?” She smiled, “Because my son, like his father before him, has a heart that can’t be beaten. Not when it comes to the people they love.”

“No amount of rage and pain can change that.” Her fingers brushed the boy’s cheek as his arms coiled around her.

“No!” Skylar screamed.

Santiago slumped heavily on his mother, face buried in her hair he murmured, “Mom, I don’t—I didn’t mean—"

Skylar rushed to Etienne and leaned his head back against the tree bark unconscious.

Guadalupe cried as she embraced him. “Dot, I love you so much.”