Blood Brothers (Chapter 11)

[florida20]

I decided to get all Dark Tower and start incorporating some of my other stories into the Blood Brothers series. It’s not a crazy stretch; I’ve always seen these characters as living in the same world anyway. Understanding future events will only require having read the first 10 chapters to Blood Brothers. Reading the referenced stories isn’t necessary for comprehension but would help flesh out the world these characters live in. Also, the old stories aren’t all referenced in this chapter but will be in those that follow.

Oh, and I altered the perspective from first person to third for the remainder of the story…

PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:
Chapter I | Chapter 2-4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

REFERENCED STORIES:

THE CHEST
Parts 1 thru 4 | Parts 5-8,9,10 | Part 11 | Parts 12,13 | Parts 14,15 | Part 16 |Part 17 |Part 18

THE MENTORS
Chapters 1 & 2 | Chapter 3 |Chapters 4&5 |Chapters 6&7 |Chapters 8&9 |Chapter 10 | Chapter 11&12 |Chapter 13 |Chapter 14 |Chapter 15&16 |Chapter 17 |Chapter 18

THE INNOCENT BYSTANDER:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

BLOOD BROTHERS – CHAPTER 11:

Craig walked through the halls of Freemont High School in on a warm Monday morning in western Pennsylvania, where he was a senior with only one thing on his mind: graduation. Each hand grasping a strap of his backpack, he strolled up to Derek, who’d been his friend since middle school.

“Hey bud,” Craig said to his friends back. “What do you say we—“ he cut off as Derek turned to faced him. “Holy shit!”

Craig knew Derek had started working out a few months earlier, although his friend always denied it, saying working out was for meatheads. Deny all he wanted, Derek had put about ten pounds of solid muscle on his once slightly pudgy 170 lb 5’10” frame. And he knew Derek liked it; he’d caught his buddy feeling his flexed arms or pecs when he thought no one was looking. But something happened in the three days since they last saw each other. That something made the previous months’ bulk look like nothing. Derek was now slightly taller than Craig’s 5’11”. Hard pecs bulged from beneath his t-shirt and prominent traps bubbled from his shoulders. Derek smiled a half-smile that, until now, had always been his best feature.

“I know right?” he said as he flexed his arm, sending a ball of hard muscle poking up in his sleeves. “Maybe I should start working out. If playing video games can do this then imagine what a weight room could do to me.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “But you hate sports,” I said somewhat pleadingly. “You don’t even like to sweat.”

Derek shrugged, making the balls of his shoulders stand out in bold relief. “Maybe that was the old me,” he said simply then smiled again as he grabbed the bottom of his shirt. “Besides,” he said as he lifted the fabric and revealed a chiseled set of brick-like abs. “These feel a lot better than getting some lame sword upgrade in Warcraft.”

Then Derek walked by me, leaving me only to stare at the bulges that danced across his back as he strolled away. What had happened to my friend?

* * *

Cindy turned over in bed, seeing the sleeping silhouette of her boyfriend lying naked beside her in the early morning light. Yesterday was their one year anniversary and they’d celebrated by eating like kings then making love until the wee hours of the morning. He’d worn her out well before they finally fell asleep. Jordan had so much energy now that he was exercising more. Well, she thought wryly, he needed to work off all that food he’d eaten the night before. She’d never seen someone eat so much in her life.

She smiled as she stretched under the covers. Her boyfriend was becoming a stud, even if he still had a bit of a beer gut and love handles. Cindy reached over and gingerly spooned him in a hug. He moved a little and her hand brushed his stomach. She gasped. It was hard as a rock. She rubbed her hands up and down his now ripped midsection and bulging pecs. She sat up and pulled the sheets back from her slowly waking boyfriend and revealed the hulking figure of a young bodybuilder. She almost screamed, thinking him an intruder, before Jordan turned and looked at her with that familiar face she so adored. Those sleepy eyes immediately filled with worry when they focused on her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting up.

“You’re,” she started. “You’re huge.”

He looked at her curiously, then followed her eyes with his own and looked down at his body. He was greeted with the chiseled body of a fitness model. “Holy fuck,” Blake exclaimed as he tenderly touched his naked body. Carla couldn’t control herself. She lunged at him, grabbing his dick with one hand and his boulder of an ass with the other and practically threw him on the bed. He let her. There would be a time for questions, but that time wasn’t now.

* * *

Blake Baer sat on the ragged brown loveseat across from his weeping mother and strange doctor, bare from the waste up and mind racing. After nearly being killed by a suddenly massive Jesse, he want ready for some Come-to-Jesus session with these strangers. Although over 6’2” and over 260 pounds of solid muscle, his scared and guilty demeanor made him look every bit the young teenager he was. Blake’s father, who he hadn’t noticed when he walked in, was pacing in the back of the kitchen, his face blank. Another man in a dark suit stood in the same corner he’d occupied when Blake ran in a few moments earlier. The silence made the young man want to scream, but he kept his mouth shut.

Dr. Thornton was the one who broke the silence. “Well, Blake,” he said, pulling a pair of glasses out of his breast pocket and putting them on. “Looks like we’ve had a busy day.” He looked down at a small open file in his lap. “This record of your sports physical last fall says 5’7” 145 pounds. Does that sound accurate?”

Blake’s stomach dropped but he wasn’t surprised the man breached this subject. “Yes,” he said simply.
The doctor looked at the young man over the rims of his glasses. “Would you say you’ve surpassed those stats since then, son?”

Blake said the only thing that came to mind. “I’ve been working out a lot.”

He thought he heard the strange doctor chuckle, but Blake was surprised that it was actually his father, who gave him a small grin from the kitchen. Blake found himself grinning back. No one else seemed to notice the exchange.

“While that may be true,” Dr. Thornton said as he closed the file. “One cannot justify adding what looks to be over a hundred pounds of muscle mass in less than six months by simply working out.”
Blake raised his arms in a ‘who knows’ gesture, sending a cascade of ripples across his shoulders and delts. “What do you want me to say?”

“Well, what I’m going to say is that you are walking around with stolen government property,” the doctor said patiently.

“I didn’t steal anything,” Blake said defensively.

“Nonetheless,” the doctors said calmly. “It doesn’t belong to you.”

A fear started to bubble in Blake’s gut. In a way it was far worse than the fear Jesse had filled him with by threatening to break every bone in his body. His defenses rose before he even knew what they were. “What? You’re going to take this away from me?” The suddenly angry teen put his hands on the arms of the seat and made as if to get up. His arms, chest and shoulders flexed and swelled as veins popped up across his upper torso. It was as if he were filling up the room. The doctor, although not a pipsqueak himself, couldn’t have weighed more than 190. The man in the corner wasn’t much bigger. “You can try, doc. But I think you’ll find it more difficult than you think.”

The doctor wasn’t fazed, although Blake’s mom looked as if she didn’t even recognize her son. Thornton was about to say something when a repetitive thud started to echo from the front yard. It sounded like footsteps, from a giant.

“Oh fuck,” Blake whispered, which earned him a glare from his mom. It’s Jesse! Blake thought. Panic started to well up in his gut as the front door opened. But behind that door was not Jesse but the most sculpted person Blake had ever seen. Although only 6’4” or so, this newcomer was so vascular Blake wouldn’t have believed he was wearing skin if it weren’t flesh colored. He was somewhat young by his model-like face, perhaps twenty. He wore a black Under Armor-style shirt with sleeves that did nothing to hide a body that could have claimed Mr. Universe without a dissenting voice. Bulging vein-covered arms that that reminded Blake of hastily carved boulders ballooned from the skin-tight sleeves. Those veins ran uninterrupted all the way to the man’s wrist. Every bulge and crevice of the man’s body was easily visible through the shirt. He wore strange baggy pants; Blake’s parents would have called them Hammer Pants. They hid the definition of the legs they contained but their shape left no doubt that a pair of oak trunks dwelled beneath those folds.

Although built like a horse, this guy still had human proportions. However, there was just something about him that screamed mass. Maybe it was the fact that the floor boards beneath his feet groaned loudly beneath each of his footsteps. Regardless, any thought Blake had of overpowering this group came to a screeching halt.

The doctor looked at the muscle monster, who remained standing in the entry way. “Neutralized?” he asked.

The new guy raised his hand and gave the doctor a thumbs up, the simple act of doing so making his arm explode in fibrous bulges and deep ravines. Blake’s mom stared at the newcomer with what could only be described as lust. She slumped in her chair, head back and eyes dreamy.

“Good,” the doc said, turning back to Blake. “I have no intension of taking anything away from you unless you provide us with no other alternative.” His tone made clear that particular alternative was very much a possibility, although Blake didn’t exactly how it was possible to take someone’s body mass away.

“What do you want me to do?” Blake asked.

Blake’s mom sniffed audibly and his dad stopped pacing. He now leaned intently against the refrigerator door, arms crossed in front of him. The doctor leaned back and removed his glasses. He looked down as he cleaned them with his tie. He could have been thirty, or fifty. His age was hard to determine.

“I can’t tell you everything, young man,” he began but his eyes told Blake they might all know soon enoigh. “But I can tell you that your…skills … will be needed.”

“Jesus! He’s a minor,” Blake’s mother moaned, finally breaking her gaze away from the stone wall of a man in the corner. Blake’s dad came up and rested his hands comfortingly on her shoulders.

“Be that as it may,” the doctor continued. “It is his choice to make.” He turned back to Blake. “There are others like you, many others. And there are more every day. Some are with us.” He stopped and looked at the ball of muscle still standing at the stoop. “And some aren’t. We need help ensuring those against us are neutralized.”

“Killed?” Blake barked, his voice cracking.

The doctor shook his head no. “Neutralized.” He took a deep breath. “I can only offer you this. If you wish to join us, we will take you to safety with others like you. There you will help us. If you wish to stay and live your life normally, we will remove the virus you have from your body and leave you alone forever.”

“Is that what you mean by neutralized?” Blake asked, voice shaking slightly.

The doctor nodded. “Until a month ago, we would have simply cured you and let you return to your normal form. But times have…changed.”

Blake looked at his parents, who stared at him intently. “Why –“

“—aren’t I asking your parents to make the decision?” the doctor completed. “Because they said it was yours to make. And they’re right.”

Blake’s mouth hung open. He knew his parents well enough to know they’d have him “neutralized” with no questions asked if the alternative was to have him sent to some muscle squad god knew where. His dad’s eyes were stone and his mother seemed to be putting all her will into not gazing at the bulldozer at the door.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Blake asked.

His dad’s mouth pursed and his face turned a dark red. “Finish telling him,” he said through gritted teeth.

The doctor looked at Blake again, face blank. “The neutralization process can be painful. You will lose the mass you’ve acquired quickly and...violently. There is pain but that’s not what makes this difficult. The loss of body mass and removal of the virus can have mental consequences. It has thrown people into deep depressions. Some have taken their own life.” He paused, his eyes flickering for a moment. “You being a somewhat mild case will probably keep your symptoms from getting too severe.”

Blake’s dad stood up and away from his mom’s shoulder, eyes flashing. “You son of a bitch, what have you done to my SON?” He raised a fist that had an obvious objective. However, in the time it took to rear back and start his hand forward, the behemoth in the corner crossed the ten feet that separated them and had the man’s forearm in his grip. His father made a noticeable attempt to continue the punch, putting his entire body into the effort. His arm and the hand that held it didn’t move a single millimeter. It was as if he was struggling against stone. Meanwhile, Blake’s mom, now sitting under the two of them, was suddenly breathing deeply. A moan even made its way from her lips. Blake’s father looked at her like she was mad.

Dr. Thornton didn’t seem to even notice but responded calmly. “I have done nothing to your son,” he said. “This is a result of his actions. So Blake, what is your decision?”

“Can I think about it for a few days?” Blake asked immediately. The doctor shook his head.

“I’m afraid not.”

“Will I get to see my parents?”

“Yes, as often as you like unless there are pressing matters that need your attention. You may speak with your parents via a series of communications options. We will also ensure you continue to receive an education as well.” He paused as if hesitant to add more. Blake was surprised to see a glimmer of emotion behind those nearly black eyes. “Blake, we are at the beginning of a brave new world here and I don’t proclaim to have all the answers. I can tell you that we’re on the same side here.”
Blake looked at his parents, who were both already looking intently at him, although his mom was acting as if there was a mouse up her skirt that she was trying to ignore. He tried to read them through their expressions but didn’t know if he was reading their minds or his own. But he knew his decision the second the choice was offered. “I’ll go with you,” he said finally.

His parents noticeably deflated but they seemed to expect such an answer. His mother got up and hugged him. She felt warm and her face was flushed but she seemed to be getting a hold of herself. “You call us every day, she said through a shaky voice. “If you don’t, I’ll come there myself and take you home.” She turned to the muscular guy in the under armor who was still holding his dad’s hand. “I don’t care who I have to go through.” She stood up and turned, very obviously struggling to contain herself. “Release my husband, you lummox.”

The man did as he was told without pause. After a few minutes to say goodbye and gather what turned out to be only a handful of personal belongings (none of his clothes fit any longer), Blake found himself walking out of the home he’d lived in his whole life.

During those last few minutes, Blake heard his father threaten everything from the police to law suits but they were obviously arguments hashed out before he came home. Out of the house how, the four of them left Blake’s parents behind as they walked towards a semi-truck that was now parked awkwardly on the curb.

“I’m Nick,” the man his mom called a lummox said as they strolled out. He held out his hand. Blake took it with is free hand, immediately amazed at the feel of power coming from him. It really was like shaking hands with animated stone; there was no give to his flesh at all. Looking at the ground behind them in the fading sunlight, there were noticeable indentions in the ground where Nick had stepped. Those steps almost made the earth shake. How heavy was this guy?

The doctor and the man in the suit got in the front of the truck while Nick took Blake to the back container. Swinging the door open revealed what appeared to be a living space, complete with a large couch, kitchenette and a door to another room in the back. It would have looked like a standard RV except everything was a few sizes too big and looked a lot more expensive. Blake climbed up and was followed gingerly by Nick, who caused the whole container to drop a few inches when he stepped in.

Jesus, Blake thought as he steadied himself against the now oscillating floor.

Blake tried his best to act like everything was normal but knew he looked like a scared little kid. He sat down on the couch, feet just barely touching the floor. It was as hard as a rock. The engine started up and a moment later Blake felt a lurch as it started moving. Nick pulled his shirt off as he made his way towards the kitchen, throwing it carelessly next to Blake after he did. The process was surprisingly easy considering how snug it was. A quick examination revealed it to be made of a strange elastic material. It stretched as easily as a slinky. Blake found his concentration broken by the god now rustling through the full sized refrigerator. His back could have been a stunt double for the Rocky Mountains. Yet again Blake couldn’t get over how…hard he looked.

“Hungry?” the beast asked as he pulled out a few liter sized containers from the fridge.
As usual, Blake wasn’t exactly hungry but still craved food. “Yes,” he said as he got up and made his way to the bar between the two of them. He picked up one of the bottles, surprised at its weight, opened the lid, and grimaced as he looked inside.

“What the hell is this?” he asked. “It looks like stale grits.”

Nick smirked as he downed the contents of a container in a single gulp. After wiping his mouth he said, “That is the most nutritious and digestible stuff on earth. Unlike most food, your body will actually absorb almost every bit of that.” He saw Blake’s blank stare and rolled his eyes. “You ever see the Matrix, kid?” Blake nodded. “It’s what they ate.”

Blake swirled the stuff around a bit before closing his eyes and throwing a bit down his throat. It hit his stomach like a brick but actually wasn’t too bad. “If it’s so good for you, why isn’t it in stores?”
Nick shrugged as he opened up another. “Probably because these things cost over a hundred bucks a pop. Or maybe it’s because most people don’t want a drink with 3300 calories in it.” Blake’s jaw dropped. “We’re a big group of guys, kid. A steak just doesn’t cut it anymore.”

A thump from forward the forward compartment broke the conversation. “Ah,” Nick said. “Looks like our friend finally woke up.” He started to make his way to the door in the front of the cab.

A curious Blake followed his new acquaintance to a large room that took up the front half of the container. “Wakey, wakey, hands of snakey,” Nick said with exaggerated excitement. Blake couldn’t immediately see who he was speaking to, as Nicks bare back and shoulders took up the entire width of the door.

A voice groaned in a mix of sleepiness and pain as Nick continued into the room. Blake went in as well identifying a form lying naked on the floor. Blake’s jaw dropped as recognition flooded home. It was Jesse.

What have I gotten myself into?

[mario2007]

More please!!!! I love this story.

[rododoro3]

Thank you for another amazing chapter.
I wonder how the relationship between Nick and Blake is going to play out, and how the other characters introduced are going to be influenced.
If you keep this going, I'd be ecstatic

[timaanv]

awesome story keep up good work!

this jesse charcter is a real jerk though if memory recalls i hope someone stomps his head with size 18 boot but well see how story goes.

Thanks!