And then Ox pushed up, and Ox pushed down, and Livingstone tried to pull away, tried to stop him, but his fangs were caught in Ox’s hands, and his jaws creaked and groaned as his mouth opened wider and wider, tongue snaking out.
Ox said, “Go to hell.”
He pulled the jaws apart as wide as they would go, and then widened them further until they snapped, bones breaking. While the beast’s lower jaw hung uselessly, Ox pulled his bloody hands from the fangs and grabbed him by the snout.
He twisted Livingstone’s head as hard as he could.
The beast’s neck broke.
His one remaining eye dimmed.
He collapsed to the ground, his shift melting away.
His arm slid from Ox with a wet squelch.
We all hit the ground.
Ox stood before us, skin pale as he swayed.
I could see through the massive hole in his stomach to the trees behind him.
He said, “Mom?”
And then he too fell.
Joe broke his shift, screaming Ox’s name. He ran to him, pulled his head into his lap. He tilted his head back and howled a song of horror.
I hit the ground on human hands and knees.
“No,” Gordo said in a choked voice. “Ox? Ox!”
I turned my head to see Gavin standing above his father.
Livingstone’s neck was at an odd angle. His jaw had been broken, and he made a gurgling sound, blood pouring from his mouth. His arm twitched as if he were trying to reach for his son.
His heart stuttered.
And then it stopped.
Gavin turned away.
Joe was screaming Ox’s name over and over, and Gordo knelt beside them, muttering under his breath, holding his hand out over Ox’s stomach. His fingers shook as his tattoos glowed, but the hole in Ox’s stomach wasn’t healing. It was too great.
“Help him,” Joe sobbed, looking up at all of us. Tears streaked down his cheeks. “You have to help him. You have to fix him. You have to make him better, please, oh please don’t leave me, Ox. You can’t. You can’t.”
Our mother settled behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She leaned her forehead against the back of his neck. She was crying.
Gordo gasped and pulled his hand back, his tattoos going dark. “No,” he muttered, shaking his head. “No. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.” He leaned over Ox’s face. Ox’s eyes were open. He tried to smile, but it twisted into a grimace. “We’re going to fix you,” Gordo promised him. “I can do this. I can do this. Ox, you have to hold on, you hear me? You have to hold on.”
Ox reached up and touched his face, mouth opening and closing soundlessly.
Gordo’s whole body shook. He turned his face in Ox’s hand, kissing his palm.
We all gathered around him. Rico and Tanner and Chris looked shell-shocked. Jessie was crying, Dominique’s arms wrapped around her shoulders. Mark put his hand in Gordo’s hair. Kelly and Robbie knelt beside Ox, their hands clasped between them, tears falling from their eyes. Bambi sat at Ox’s feet, her head pressed against her knees as she rocked back and forth.
I laid my hands on Ox’s legs, trying to hold on to the bond that stretched between us. It was fraying, the threads snapping. No matter what I did, I couldn’t stop it. Gavin put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing tightly.
Joe curled over Ox’s head.