[Summer – Sureal]

With no hesitation, Jennings leapt off of Poni and barked toward Penny, “Stay back!”

Jennings rushed to the front of the house and started pounding at the entrance. He yelled at the top of his lungs, “Isaac! Isaac! Get outta the house!"

No response heard from inside, and the panicking Jennings wasn’t thinking clearly. Instead, he focused on every quick second that passed outside could be a second closer to the demise of his only valued family member remaining. He looked around needing a more rational plan, pulling his pistol from his belt, he enacted the opposite and prepared to shoot his way into the building on impulse.

Just then, a loud crash rang from the back of the house with a muffled scream accompanying it. Jennings rushed to the back to see the blonde-haired man from earlier, this time rustling up Isaac from the dirt and holding a gun to his head. His attire was more visible than before. He had attempted to dress formally, but seemed unaware of any fashionable sense. Rather the man chose to wear puffed trousers and an oversized tie, resting on an oversized stained white shirt. His bowler cap only further displayed his marginally athletic frame, as well as his unfamiliarity to a sensible look.

“Put him down!” shouted Jennings in the most serious tone he's donned in weeks, if not longer.

The armed man held Isaac up, risking injury to the scrawny young man. In the heightened situation, it took but a second for Isaac to realize who was standing in front of him. A look of utter confusion blanketed Isaac's face, as he asked haltingly, “Johnny… Is that you?"

As the words traveled to Jennings, a shroud of darkness appeared as an aura around the two men. The hostage taker was clearly attempting to gain a grasp as to what his available options were at the moment. In an instant, the gunman spoke.

“Well, well. The cat was right. If it isn't JJ Cool, the wildest in the west,” mocked the armed man. “I honestly did-”

Jennings quickly drew his gun from his side, shooting three bullets toward his direction. Three incremental black holes, all sharing the appearance of the black aura that had appeared earlier, this time swallowing the bullets fired out of existence. It seemed at this rate that unless a plan was devised in a hurry, relying on bullets was useless. Agi had been known for that counter-balancing by this day and age.

“My, I know you're an outlaw. That doesn't mean you have to be an uncivilized prick and interrupt me mid-sentence, Jennings. Now as I was saying! I honestly didn't think you'd arrive this damn quickly. Can't say I'm disappointed however… Were you in a rush, must’ve cost a bum like you a pretty penny?"

“Cut the shit," retorted Jennings. “What do you want with us? Why the hell does your group want to hurt Isaac?"

“Let me guess, that's what that idiot I gave a fake Agi crystal to probably told you? Well guess I can't deny he had quite the vivid imagination. What, you don't think the $500,000 on your head isn't enough motivation for me to draw you out of hiding by myself? Maybe! Ooh ooh, I got it, maybe I'm working on a new art project and I want your brother's splattered brains as my muse?”

Isaac shuddered inwardly at the words emitted from this disturbed man and all while attempting to squirm free, to no avail. His eyes fixed on the end of the barrel being pointed in his direction by the brother he hadn’t seen in so long.

“Alas, I'm simply Dorello and I'm not here to kill your brother, Johnny boy… I'm here to kill you."

Dorello threw Isaac to the ground as the darkness emitting from him began to expand quickly before rushing toward Jennings. Barely evading the first attack, Jennings didn’t have time to fire a round before Dorello was in his face exchanging blows. The fight sustained itself that way until Jennings landed a sly, ice-covered uppercut to Dorello's mid-section, sending him backward.

While separated, Jennings found time to instruct Isaac to get out of the area. Seemingly in shock of the recent events, Isaac didn’t budge an inch and continued to stare at the fighting.

“I'm fucking serious Isaac! Get your will."

Dorello nixed a couple seconds, quickly responding by sending a dark force at Jennings' feet. Jennings jumped back and took aim once again, expecting the enemy to repeat a conjure, a way to negate the bullets. Jennings connected this time around, striking Dorello in the right foot, forcing him to drop to his knee.

“Ow fuck!” screamed Dorello. “Who aims for the foot?”

It seemed that was a convenient position for him as he reached into his right boot and snatched out a tiny gun. As he lifted his head to aim, a giant yet thin shard of ice flew through the air and into Dorello's skull at a pace unanticipated. The lightlessness surrounding him fizzled. He toppled over to his side. The now red-stained solid chunk of ice remains lodged in his forehead at a disturbing angle.

The heavy-breathing Jennings ran over to help Isaac up.

“It really is you brother," declared Isaac. “What's going on?" muttered the younger half-brother, attempting to avoid eye contact with the abhorrent surrounding scenery.

“I wish I could answer that Isaac, but I don't know what's happening here myself. All I know is that there are better places to be discussing this, let's get out of here for the time being," scrambled Jennings.

The two make it out toward the front where Poni and Penny waited. Penny hopped down to Jennings' side to make sure he's okay. They helped Isaac on Poni's back and Jennings turned his attention to his horse.

“I just need you to go that way a small bit, I’ll link up" instructed Jennings.

“I got you, we're a bit over capacity with all three, but I'll get us there," responded Poni.

After reaching their resting point, they all sit, hidden behind a small hill which harbored one of very few grass patches in the area. Surrounded by giant rocks and obscured from plain sight, but still able to glimpse at Isaac’s porch and front door at a fancy.

“Okay, I think we're covered. I need to take a fucking breather," exclaimed Jennings desperately. Lying on his back, he stared up at the clouds, each that drifted by seemed to represent a passing thought.

“Johnny… What the hell is going on here?” Isaac persisted.

Jennings explained that he'd heard of rumors that Isaac was in trouble from those few he trusted. “I'm just glad I got here in time," Jennings said with a smile directed toward Isaac. “Where's your mom and dad?"

“Oh you didn't know? They haven't lived at this house for at least a couple of years now, they got themselves a really big place over by Medmen's Barber Shop. I see them quite often but they don't live here with me anymore.”

Jennings nodded and thought for a bit before adding, “Alright well our next course of action is to get you someplace I know is safe. I was thinking probab-”, Jennings was interrupted by Isaac standing up from his resting slant.

“Sit back down," whispered Jennings intently. “There had to have been more people involved."

“Maybe this person is involved," said Isaac while pointing toward his front door.

A broad-shouldered chubby man, dressed in a light brown hooded cape approached the front door of Isaac's house, pacing his steps mildly. The man's face concealed by the hood, only a thick mustache was visible, until he removed the robed appearance and looked up, knocking on the door.

“Johnny… Isn't that dad?” asked Isaac, slowly rotating his head to face Jennings, his jaw couldn’t close if it wanted.