Exact Reverse Opposite
A pair of birds soar above him and Jesse is certain. Jesse is certain that they will be the last living things he will ever see. Jack asks if they’re good to go and Mr. White, Walter, says nothing. The birds are out of his sight now, so Jesse shuts his eyes, ready to leave this world. And there’s a shot, but there’s no pain. A painless death, Jesse thought. He was lucky. But then there was another shot and another and he could still feel the ground beneath his knees, he was still breathing, breathing so hard that he hadn’t heard the Nazi guys yelling.
He opened his eyes, and it was all still there, the desert and sky stretching before him endlessly. Mr. White was there. His jaw was hanging slack and his eyes were staring beyond Jesse. Jesse dared to turn around and he found three bodies laying a few feet behind them, blood dripping around their heads. He looked to his side and found another on the ground and still one more running. That last one dropped and Jesse heard dirt scuffle behind him. He turned, Mr. White was running and Jesse remained on his knees, staring as if this was a horror movie. Then Mr. White went down, but it looked more like his leg had given out than he had died. Sure enough, a loud pained yell erupted from the older man. He was alive. Jesse remained where he was, having lost all sense of self-preservation one minute ago.
Mr. White began to crawl. He was using his legs and arms and slithering on his belly. Jesse stayed put, watching. He heard a distant engine roar and turned to the West. A dust cloud was rising rapidly and some small vehicle was heading straight for them. Jesse had no idea of who it might be. He rose slowly to his feet, but his legs were threatening to give way. The car stopped and one man got out. A man that Jesse had been certain he would never see again.
I must be dead.
The bald head, his height and build…Jesse’s mind worked frantically to comprehend what was happening and how it was even possible. The Sun shone heavy on this man’s back, as if he were carrying it with him. It wasn’t until Jesse saw his eyes, their whites and irises, so much bluer than the meth he cooked, that Jesse accepted that he was seeing the impossible.
“Hello, Kid,” Mike said, with a small smile though his face showed his concern. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Mike…” Jesse whispered, slowly stumbling towards him. “Mike?”
“It’s me, Jesse,” Mike reassured, stepping forward and opening his arms.
Jesse clambered into them and hugged him back tight.
“Not too hard, Kid…My gunshot wound.”
“Mike!” Jesse breathed. “You’re here.”
“That’s right, Kid. I am. I heard about what was happening down here and I couldn’t stay away.”
Mike looked away from Jesse, staring with hatred over to his left.
“And I’m not done yet.”
Mike gently pushed Jesse away and walked over to the inching Walter, who’d made it to one of Jack’s trucks and was desperately tugging at the handle. Jesse looked on, mystified, as Mike easily lifted Mr. White up and flung him to the ground at Jesse’s feet. Mike pressed a foot on his neck.
“You got anything you want to say to my Kid here?”
Mr. White’s eyes rolled up and stared at Jesse with such fury that Jesse stepped back. After a few moments of heavy breathing, the former chemistry teacher snarled and hissed, “Yes…”
“Well, say it. We’re losing daylight,” Mike said matter-of-factly.
“I let Jane die.”
Jesse’s eyes widened and though he didn’t understand how that was possible, he felt his heart drop into his stomach.
“I was there, and I watched her die,” Walter spat. “I could have saved her but I didn’t.”
Jesse dropped back to his knees with his head reeling and his heart screaming in his chest.
“Son of a bitch!” Mike shouted, kicking Walter in the ribs so hard that Jesse heard one crack. Mike reached down and gripped the howling meth cook by the collar, pulling them up so their faces met. “You don’t have cancer, Walter. You ARE a cancer! What happened to your brother-in-law down there is YOUR fault, not Jesse’s.”
“He’s a RAT,” Walter spit to Mike’s face.
“I don’t give a shit!” Mike shouted. “He wouldn’t have done what he did if you had used your goddamn sense and not poisoned his girlfriend’s CHILD!”
Mike decked him, smashing his glasses into one eye. He punched again, purposely breaking his nose. And again, and again. Mr. White’s face was turning into a bloody-pulp.
“Mike,” Jesse said softly, watching from a distance. “Mike.”
Mike held his fist back an inch from Walter’s unrecognizable face. He looked at Jesse. Even though his eyes were filled with rage, Jesse knew it was for Mr. White and not for him.
“Mike…can we just go? Please?” Jesse asked softly, his voice breaking.
“He hasn’t apologized.”
“I don’t want his apology,” Jesse said honestly, staring emptily down at what was left of Mr. White.
“He hasn’t paid for anything he’s done to you.”
Jesse looked down at Mr. White, then glanced over at where his brother-in-law was buried.
“Yes, he has.”
Mike sighed. His Kid had such a good heart.
“Alright Kid, let’s go,” he said, motioning for Jesse to follow him to the car.
If Mike had it his way, Walter would have been given a bullet the same place he’d wanted Jesse to catch one, but for Jesse’s sake he wouldn’t go that route. They climbed into the car and Mike sighed again, looking over at Jesse.
“Kid, we’re gonna need to pick up your girlfriend and your son.”
Jesse looked at him, dazed and confused.
“I know you probably don’t agree with me, but I think Walter’s a real danger to them at the moment. If he can’t get to you or me, he’ll get to them. They should come with us.”
Jesse nodded slowly and asked, “What about Kaylee?”
“I talked to her mom before we got here. She’s not happy, but she’s ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
“Will we…will we all live together?”
“Probably not,” Mike said, looking more than a little unhappy about that fact. “But I won’t leave you if you don’t want me to, Kid.”
“I don’t want you to.”
Mike and Jesse looked at each other for a moment, just drinking each other’s presence in. They’d been apart for only a few months and already so much had gone wrong.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“I’m glad you’re okay too. And I'm going to do my damnedest to keep you that way.”
Mike started the engine and they drove far away, neither looking back at Walter. Jesse swore he’d never look back at him again.
He opened his eyes, and it was all still there, the desert and sky stretching before him endlessly. Mr. White was there. His jaw was hanging slack and his eyes were staring beyond Jesse. Jesse dared to turn around and he found three bodies laying a few feet behind them, blood dripping around their heads. He looked to his side and found another on the ground and still one more running. That last one dropped and Jesse heard dirt scuffle behind him. He turned, Mr. White was running and Jesse remained on his knees, staring as if this was a horror movie. Then Mr. White went down, but it looked more like his leg had given out than he had died. Sure enough, a loud pained yell erupted from the older man. He was alive. Jesse remained where he was, having lost all sense of self-preservation one minute ago.
Mr. White began to crawl. He was using his legs and arms and slithering on his belly. Jesse stayed put, watching. He heard a distant engine roar and turned to the West. A dust cloud was rising rapidly and some small vehicle was heading straight for them. Jesse had no idea of who it might be. He rose slowly to his feet, but his legs were threatening to give way. The car stopped and one man got out. A man that Jesse had been certain he would never see again.
I must be dead.
The bald head, his height and build…Jesse’s mind worked frantically to comprehend what was happening and how it was even possible. The Sun shone heavy on this man’s back, as if he were carrying it with him. It wasn’t until Jesse saw his eyes, their whites and irises, so much bluer than the meth he cooked, that Jesse accepted that he was seeing the impossible.
“Hello, Kid,” Mike said, with a small smile though his face showed his concern. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Mike…” Jesse whispered, slowly stumbling towards him. “Mike?”
“It’s me, Jesse,” Mike reassured, stepping forward and opening his arms.
Jesse clambered into them and hugged him back tight.
“Not too hard, Kid…My gunshot wound.”
“Mike!” Jesse breathed. “You’re here.”
“That’s right, Kid. I am. I heard about what was happening down here and I couldn’t stay away.”
Mike looked away from Jesse, staring with hatred over to his left.
“And I’m not done yet.”
Mike gently pushed Jesse away and walked over to the inching Walter, who’d made it to one of Jack’s trucks and was desperately tugging at the handle. Jesse looked on, mystified, as Mike easily lifted Mr. White up and flung him to the ground at Jesse’s feet. Mike pressed a foot on his neck.
“You got anything you want to say to my Kid here?”
Mr. White’s eyes rolled up and stared at Jesse with such fury that Jesse stepped back. After a few moments of heavy breathing, the former chemistry teacher snarled and hissed, “Yes…”
“Well, say it. We’re losing daylight,” Mike said matter-of-factly.
“I let Jane die.”
Jesse’s eyes widened and though he didn’t understand how that was possible, he felt his heart drop into his stomach.
“I was there, and I watched her die,” Walter spat. “I could have saved her but I didn’t.”
Jesse dropped back to his knees with his head reeling and his heart screaming in his chest.
“Son of a bitch!” Mike shouted, kicking Walter in the ribs so hard that Jesse heard one crack. Mike reached down and gripped the howling meth cook by the collar, pulling them up so their faces met. “You don’t have cancer, Walter. You ARE a cancer! What happened to your brother-in-law down there is YOUR fault, not Jesse’s.”
“He’s a RAT,” Walter spit to Mike’s face.
“I don’t give a shit!” Mike shouted. “He wouldn’t have done what he did if you had used your goddamn sense and not poisoned his girlfriend’s CHILD!”
Mike decked him, smashing his glasses into one eye. He punched again, purposely breaking his nose. And again, and again. Mr. White’s face was turning into a bloody-pulp.
“Mike,” Jesse said softly, watching from a distance. “Mike.”
Mike held his fist back an inch from Walter’s unrecognizable face. He looked at Jesse. Even though his eyes were filled with rage, Jesse knew it was for Mr. White and not for him.
“Mike…can we just go? Please?” Jesse asked softly, his voice breaking.
“He hasn’t apologized.”
“I don’t want his apology,” Jesse said honestly, staring emptily down at what was left of Mr. White.
“He hasn’t paid for anything he’s done to you.”
Jesse looked down at Mr. White, then glanced over at where his brother-in-law was buried.
“Yes, he has.”
Mike sighed. His Kid had such a good heart.
“Alright Kid, let’s go,” he said, motioning for Jesse to follow him to the car.
If Mike had it his way, Walter would have been given a bullet the same place he’d wanted Jesse to catch one, but for Jesse’s sake he wouldn’t go that route. They climbed into the car and Mike sighed again, looking over at Jesse.
“Kid, we’re gonna need to pick up your girlfriend and your son.”
Jesse looked at him, dazed and confused.
“I know you probably don’t agree with me, but I think Walter’s a real danger to them at the moment. If he can’t get to you or me, he’ll get to them. They should come with us.”
Jesse nodded slowly and asked, “What about Kaylee?”
“I talked to her mom before we got here. She’s not happy, but she’s ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
“Will we…will we all live together?”
“Probably not,” Mike said, looking more than a little unhappy about that fact. “But I won’t leave you if you don’t want me to, Kid.”
“I don’t want you to.”
Mike and Jesse looked at each other for a moment, just drinking each other’s presence in. They’d been apart for only a few months and already so much had gone wrong.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“I’m glad you’re okay too. And I'm going to do my damnedest to keep you that way.”
Mike started the engine and they drove far away, neither looking back at Walter. Jesse swore he’d never look back at him again.