fatal. I could feel it. He was gasping, and I walked toward him, gun still pointed at him in case he tried anything. He continued fighting for his breath, facedown, as I approached. Everything was blurry from the water trickling in my eyes, but the blur that was Frank became clearer and clearer the closer I got.
“Where’s Mia?!” I screamed. I walked closer and closer, until finally . . . I turned him over.
To my complete shock and horror . . .
It was Red. Red lay there, dying! In the middle of chasing Frank, in the middle of wiping my face, I had shot the only man who had ever been there for me.
“Red!” I yelled. “I’m so sorry!”
He was choking on his own blood. Spitting it up. His body was convulsing.
“No, Red!” I placed my hands over the bullet wound in his sternum. Trying to stop the blood, I pushed down even harder. Red’s body went limp.
“No, no, no no, no!” I began to sob. “I . . . I didn’t mean to—”
“FLYNN!” Mia shouted from the other end of the aisle. “What are you doing?!”
I grabbed the gun, looking in her direction.
“Yeah, killer, what are you doing?” Frank said with a joker-like grin.
He had a gun to Mia’s head, his left hand clenching the back of her neck. He was using her like a shield.
“Let her go!” I yelled, rising to my feet.
“Flynn, what the fuck?! How could you?!” said Mia, sobbing.
“No, Mia, I didn’t kill Red. I didn’t kill him, I promise!”
The water from the sprinklers intensified.
“What the hell is going on?!” she yelled.
“Frank, let her go!” I said. “Mia, I thought it was Frank, but he was using Red as a diversion! I didn’t mean to, I swear!”
Then she said something that fucked up my entire world.
“Flynn!” she shrieked. “Red never came with us! Why are you doing this?”
“What do you mean, Red never came with us?” I said, utterly confused. “Mia, he’s right there—”
As I motioned to the body, I saw there was no corpse.
“Hahahaha.” Frank laughed, like some evil villain.
“Oh, my god, what the fuck is going on?!” I screamed at Frank. “What are you doing? Where is Red?”
“Red’s dead, baby!” Frank said.
“That’s impossible!” I said, shaking my head profusely.
“Is it?” Frank replied. “Think about it, man.”
“Think about what?!” I said, taken aback.
“I AM RED, you idiot!” Frank yelled.
“No, that’s impossible!” I took a step back.
“Let me go!” Mia yelled. Quickly, I tried to process everything going on.
“Think about it, man. You have a dog that doesn’t exist and he wears a red collar. I gave you the red ball that you bounce when you’re looking for inspiration. The chess pieces were red and white, and let’s not forget . . . his name is fucking RED!”
My eyes widened. “What about—about . . . the moment in the garden! Outside, under the tree when he—”
“Split his hand open with a razor blade and healed it in, like, ten seconds? Haha, you’re so naive, man. You really think some sixtysomething-year-old dude is gonna give you that bullshit speech about manifestation and then heal himself . . . right in front of you?”
“I don’t understand, Frank! Why do it, then?”
“Because, Flynn, I needed you to believe it all. I needed you to make me real in your head, because if you made me real, if you gave me power . . . then I could kill you! You can’t kill a man who doesn’t physically exist, but a man who exists only in your head? He can kill you if you give him power over your body.” He gave a wicked grin. “So I used Red as a way for you to open yourself up. I used him to coach you into making me truly real in your mind, thus . . . taking over your body.”
“But . . . why? Why do this? It’s not like you can live without me!” I said, slowly moving closer.
“Nuh uh,” said Frank, motioning me back with the pistol.
“Let me go!” Mia shouted.
“I don’t plan to live without you, Flynn. You’re Batman, and I’m your Joker. Without each other, there is . . . nothing. Kinda poetic, if you ask me.”
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
“I’m gonna kill us both, fuck!” he said. “Why must I spell everything out for you?”
“Frank, don’t do this,” I pleaded. “I don’t understand! Why end yourself?”
“Because,” Frank said, then smiled, “it didn’t work out this time. Every awakening from the delusion I