Authors note: First off by the time you read this it will be almost a month since Chapter 27 by far the longest I've put between chapters. Life got a little crazy for awhile and I also am working on something that I hope will turn into a major announcement in a couple of more chapters. Now onto this chapter. Like Chapter 26 this was originally two smaller chapters but I merged them. Also like 26 it has quite a bit of background information. Now if you have read Lex Talionis, the opening sequence of this chapter will look very familiar as it is the closing scene of Lex Chapter 5 but from Megan's POV. Although the views and votes on Lex were very close to what I get on this series I cannot assume everyone has read Lex. For those who have, and are awaiting the aftermath chapter, this chapter as well as 29 will deal with facets of it that cannot be done from Mark's viewpoint. This is part of the delay of Lex 6 as after several failed outlines I realized it couldn't all be done in one chapter from one point of view. The events that happen after Lex will affect the end of SWB so need to be put in SWB for the people who did not read Lex (And why didn't you?). On another note after this chapter and 29 the stage is completely set for the final few chapters. As everything from the past will be established and all the clues and hints are there to answer several of the questions left unanswered that will be wrapped up soon. Hope you enjoy and as always thank you for reading. Lovecraft68
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I was standing outside of Mitch's desperately trying to talk the police into breaking down the door and go upstairs where I knew my brother was trying to kill Max Thompson. I, of course, had told them the opposite; that I had called Mark and he was scared because Max was at his house and looking for him. The older of the two cops patiently explained to me that even though the truck next to my brother's car belonged to Max, it didn't mean anything. No one was answering the bell or the phone, and they had no cause other than my story, to break down a door. I started to try again when the younger cop had smirked and said that, according to what he found running my name, I wasn't exactly a reliable source. The older cop started to tell him to knock it off when he was cut off by a long muffled howl coming from the window over us. As the three of us stood looking around it came again and even louder.
"What the fuck is that a dog?" The young cop asked.
"That's a person." The older cop whispered.
With no further hesitation he took three steps and, slamming his shoulder into the old door, forced it open. He continued into the hallway with me and the younger cop right behind him. No sooner had we started up the stairs, then another long inhuman scream echoed through the hallway. The scream had frozen all three of us where we stood and I felt my stomach clench as, somewhere in that long animal like howl, I recognized my brother's voice. The howl was followed by a few seconds of silence then the hallway was shattered by an ear splitting shriek of agony that sent a chill through me.
"Jesus Christ!"
The older cop exclaimed and immediately ran up the stairs and down the hall way towards the door to my brother's apartment. The younger cop told me to get behind him and followed after. I brought up the rear my legs feeling as if they were sinking in mud and I could barely move. Another shriek echoed through the hallway followed by another. The older cop pounded once on Mark's door and when the only response was a heart stopping wail of pure anguish followed by what sounded like sobbing, through his shoulder against the door. The door held and I could hear my brother screaming. I whimpered out loud when I heard the words.
"Are... you... still...making... noise?!?!"
There was a pause between each word followed by a sickening sound of flesh on flesh. The cop stepped back from the door and lashed out with his foot kicking it just under the doorknob. The door exploded inward and the cop stepped into the doorway and stopped. Even from several feet away I saw the color drain from his face and he whispered;
"Oh my god."
Shaking his head as if snapping himself out of a trance he stepped into the apartment and I heard him call my brother's name and tell him to stop. The younger cop joined him in the doorway and I quickly followed standing behind him and looking over his shoulder into Mark's apartment. The first thing I saw was Max Thompson or what was left of him sprawled on the floor against the couch. He was covered with blood and I could see with the crystal clarity that one experiences in states of shock that his leg was snapped down backwards. His other leg was kicking rapidly and I realized he was twitching. Mark was standing over him with a silver platter in his hand ready to swing it down into Max's skull. In an instant I knew it had been my brother's plan all along; Max had all but killed my brother like that 7 years ago and Mark was going to return the favor. The cop yelled again and Mark turned around to face us.
I stepped back and brought my hands to my mouth in order not to scream. My brother was as blood soaked as Max and when he turned I could see that his left eye was shut and that entire side of his face was badly swollen. Mark's right eye however was blazing and in an instant I knew that after all these years he had finally lost it. Mark's eye was so dark it appeared black and his mouth was twisted into a vicious snarl that made him look more like a rabid animal than a human. As I stared Mark's lip curled up and I saw that even his teeth were bloodstained.