"Brin," Zack whispered and approached her cautiously. There was dried blood smeared up and down her arm where she had punched through glass and a dark bruise was beginning to form above her left eye. But, despite her injuries, she was still ready to kill.
A feeling of guilt spread over Zack that was so strong, he let the gun drop reluctantly to his side instead of being pointed outwards. He had done this to her. He was the one who had caused this gigantic nightmare. If only he had gotten her out…
"X5-599," Brin whispered through blood-smeared teeth that glistened under the pale moonlight.
"Zack," he corrected her.
"No," she hissed. "Zack does not exist. You are X5-599. The one and only."
"Brin, stop it."
"Why? You afraid that a soldier is going to disobey your order? Make you remember what you really are?"
"I never was one of them!"
"You'll always be one of them…one of us, I should say."
"Never," Zack growled.
She approached with the stealth of a tiger. Zack stiffened and realized that whatever premonitions he had had of this being Brin, they were all gone now. This wasn't Brin; it was a killing machine. He held the gun straight out in front of him.
"You're going to shoot me?" Brin asked, slightly amused.
"I will if I need to."
"That'd look real good. A captain killing one of his soldiers."
"You're not my soldier."
"Then what am I?" Brin sneered.
Zack didn't answer for he didn't know the answer. A creature from hell was the only response that came into his mind and he let that drop. Instead, he waited for her to speak.
"That's what I thought," she said to him.
"It'll never be what you think. You're a monster."
"And you're blind and stupid, following the wrong leader."
"I have no leader," he spat.
"Exactly. You're a powerful pawn Zack, but a pawn nonetheless. You need a leader."
"Never."
"You can come with me." Zack didn't answer at first, but gritted his teeth and aimed the gun directly at Brin, knowing that if he had to kill her, he would.
"I'd rather die," Zack replied, but as soon as he had said it, he instantly regretted it.
"You have a death wish, then? At least you're thinking right in that concept." In a flash, Brin had knocked the gun out of Zack's hands and it disappeared beneath the glittering snow. She grabbed him by the wrists and twisted them around, so that he fell onto his back in the snow with a groan. Immediately, he was back up on his feet, fists poised and ready to kill. This wasn't Brin, but a devil. A monster. The enemy that needed to be destroyed.
He lashed out and kicked her smartly in the side. Brin recoiled slightly, but retorted by immediately grabbing him by his ankle and twisting it around. This time, Zack threw himself up in the air, spiraling in a tight circle horizontally as she let go of his ankle. Landing on the ground, Zack felt the gun beneath him. Frantically, he tried to find it, knowing that Brin wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
She approached him from behind and grabbed him by the neck. Zack screamed in outrage and pain as he kicked behind him and slammed into her leg. Brin refused to let go. "Good night, big brother," she hissed right before she decided to crack his neck.
Immediately, Zack whipped around in such a flash that Brin let go and aimed the gun at her. "No," he hissed. "Good night, sister," and he pulled the trigger.
Brin's eyes widened as she stared at the gaping, bloody hole that had formed within her chest, piercing her blackened heart. Blood spilled out, staining the snow below her as she toppled backwards. Slowly, he rose to his feet and began to walk away from her. "Zack…" she hissed, her dying words barely a whisper.
Zack stopped from turning away and waited to hear what she had to say in case she would actually apologize for all that she had done. "Zack, you-you'll always be a pawn…" she choked out as the blood invaded her lungs, cutting off her oxygen supply.
"No," Zack whispered to himself as he put the gun back into his pocket. "You'll always be the monster."
