Author's note: That took fallibly long. I had those story finished ages ago, but I couldn't find the time to upload, so for those of you who give a shit, a heartfelt apology.
Hotaru: The sick, sad truth is that, in "Remember Heaven" I fashioned Leon's attitude from my own. (Which is basically the same loser-ass attitude as Paul)
Frenchy: If you're still out there, this one's for you, babe.
Chapter 9: "The Mother"
The door flew open after a hard boot from the young man. A blonde man, not considerably older than Carlos, flew out of the woman's room, wearing only a blue pair of jeans and gray socks. The woman screamed for Carlos to leave from inside her room, a cry that the Latin teenager didn't bother to heed. With a fierce growl, he grabbed the blonde man by the shoulders and threw him to the door. The blonde man's right elbow violently bumped onto the wall, making him recoil and fall on his face. "Carlos, stop it!!!" shrieked his mother as she came out of her room, wrapped in a white bed sheet.
With a fierce glare, Carlos grabbed a handful of the blonde man's hair and pulled him up, then promptly threw him out the door. He then seized the handle of the door and slammed it shut.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" shouted his mother as she came up to him and slapped him across the face. "How dare you…" he did not hear her wild accusations and ramblings, as he began to lose himself to the darkness in his mind. Anger can never be quelled.
All of a sudden, Carlos lunged to the small table and swept away a bowl and two plates, leftovers, from it with both hands. This sudden impulse made the woman jump back with a startled gasp as the sound of the breaking glass stabbed into her ears. "Fuck it!!!" screamed the young man. "Fuck, everything!!!" he toppled the table and grabbed a chair, then threw it past his mother who cowered in the fear for her life.
"You can't treat me this way!!!" he yelled, tears swelling by his eyes. "Mom, I'm the one who provides a life for the both of us!!! I pay the rent, I buy the groceries, I cook the goddamned food!!! I sold my fucking dignity just to keep you warm and this is how you repay me!!?" his voice was loud, but still it trembled. His mother could only back to a wall in shock.
"I try to give you…everything…and all you do, is ignore the fact that you're my mother!" he screamed, his knees were beginning to buckle. "You are supposed to love me! Unconditionally, no matter what I am!! You…you're supposed to love me, mom…" tears began to stream down his flustered cheeks.
A neighbor was pounding on the wall, telling them to keep it quiet. No one listened. The woman just kept on sobbing to herself, mumbling to the wind, not to hurt to her. Carlos was heaving, it was the very first time in his life that he ever blew out all his frustrations, the very first time he confronted his mother.
For what seemed like countless hours they stared at each other, with Carlos desperately trying to dig through his mother's hazel eyes, looking for an answer. In reality, all it took was a minute; sixty seconds, to realize that what he was looking for would be beyond what the moment could offer. With a deep breath, he stormed outside the damned room, and it was only then, that the woman he called his mother knelt down and bit her nails.
The clouds wept alongside him, pouring the streets with shards of water. Carlos sat under a concrete waiting shed, vandalized and dirty, much like everything else around him. It was the first time his feelings ever erupted from his chest. He didn't know if it was something he shouldn't have done, a mistake that could never be rectified, or just what the folds of time have called for him to do. For all his life his bitterness swelled, releasing itself in a hypertonic emotional explosion.
"Carlos?"
"…" He had no intention of spending time with anyone at the moment, even if it was Nichole who happened to sneak up on him at that very moment. "What are you doing here?" he asked, as if in mere tolerance of the girl. "…Just walking." She replied, taking a seat opposite to him. Nichole took off the hood from her still, dry face. She wore a red jacket that reached up to her knees.
"…It's pretty dangerous walking around at this hour." He said, as it was already a quarter before midnight by then. He had spent the whole afternoon and evening alone in that waiting shed.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Shouldn't you be with your boyfriend right now?" he asked, but in a barely audible voice.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"…Tell me your problem, maybe I can help."
"I told you, it's nothing, okay?" he responded, albeit threateningly.
"Then why do you look so pissed?" she asked, not letting him get under her skin.
"Why do you even, care?" he suddenly snapped, something he had been fond of doing for the past few hours. "Because…I'm your friend."
The rain got soft, as if wailing under the moonlight. Everything seemed empty, from where they sat to the other block. Dead buildings that you would never think could ever sustain life in its walls lined the streets, with boarded up cinemas and restaurants scattered about.
"I have no friends." He replied bitterly.
"Don't say that."
"Listen, Nichole, I've had…enough drama this fucking day to last me my goddamned lifetime. So please, just leave me alone." Carlos finally said, looking away.
"So you'd expect me to just, leave you here?"
"Yeah."
"…"
"Carlos…what's…"
"I said go!"
"…Well, I guess I wouldn't want to disappoint you…" she finally said after a moment's silence. Not bothering to put her hood back on, Nichole shook her head and left.
The young girl sighed and walked away, not looking back. Carlos placed both his hands on his face, trying to relieve the tension in his eyes. It was a decision he made a long time ago, before Ben even tried to intimidate him into doing. She was a great student, and a wonderful person, somebody clearly not for him. In his heart, he felt for her, that stunning smile and those brilliant, hazel eyes. It was no one else but him who kept whispering that she is someone he did not deserve.
Lily had never felt a hot shower in all her life. It was natural that she relished the cascading water against her smooth, yet still beaten body. She could still feel the water mix with the soft tears that slowly streamed down her eyes. "The Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure service…" she thought to herself as she ran her hands through her hair. The old man saved her from those police officers, and they acted very much afraid of him. "He must be important." Crossed the thought no more than thrice. It was a bathroom unlike what she has seen before. A glass partition that had four corners was connected to the wall, which was where she showered, opposite that was the porcelain toilet, and to the right of the toilet was a bathtub. Parallel to the bathtub was the door of dark mahogany.
The room outside was also the bastion of grandeur, and there occupied the manor's host, Eldritch Kraken. It was a room with no bright color in sight. On the floor sat a Persian carpet with three diamond shapes embroidered in the center, with the in the middle being the largest. The two diamonds on both sides were blue, while the biggest was green. The foot of the mattress covered half of these three diamonds, which like the rest of the room, was old British in design. Two beige blankets were hung on the ceiling, from the sides of the room and meeting on top of the head of the mattress like hammocks. A small coffee table and two chairs were propped on the upper right, beside the door that led to the comfort room where Lily was. Opposite the mattress, which was the wall beside the table, was the door that led into and out the room. Sitting earnestly on one of the chairs was the old man, wondering how long the young woman would take in a shower.
"Excuse me, sir?" came a middle-aged man, one of the manor's butlers. He was thin and balding, carrying a dignified mustache and physique.
"Yes Vitro?"
"Mr. Ashford is on the line. He is wondering when to expect the next batch of recruits for the program."
"Oh, well, you wait by the door, tend to the lady in the shower if she needs anything."
"Yes sir."
He went out the hall, with dark red hardwood boards, neatly polished, making creaking sounds against his leather shoes. Walls were lined with paintings and busts, making it look like some museum. The phone was sitting on top of a long, two-legged desk that was just about less than a foot wide, pushed against the wall. Beside the phone were a small radio clock and a Jade figurine of a young woman.
"Hello, Mr. Ashford."
"Mr. Kraken, I want a report."
"I will be shipping the next batch of recruits by next week."
"Excellent. We have already built new barracks for the installation."
"So I take it we won't be worrying about where the next recruits will have to sleep the night."
"Worry?" Alfred asked in a mocking tone, making them both burst in a chuckle. "Well, if you do not mind sir, I still have many a business to get onto."
"As do I. Until the next time."
"Yes sir. Good bye."
The moment that he set the receiver back down the cradle, a loud noise echoed in the hallway. "Good Lord." Muttered the old man as he rushed back to the room, finding the butler retreating out with a barrage of small furniture being thrown at him.
"What is this!?" asked the flustered man just as his Major Domo ducked to avoid a vase that was flung in the air.
"I believe the lady isn't one who trusts easily." Reported the butler, regaining composure, and then sidestepping yet again to dodge another vase.
"Children these days…" muttered the old man, shaking his head. The butler slinked into the darkness as Mr. Kraken entered the room, seeing Lily still wet, with a towel wrapped around her body. She held a small statuette of a woman in her hand, as if ready to throw it at anyone.
"My child, calm down, he was only there to help you."
"He…touched me."
"Really?"
"I did not!" interrupted the butler, standing outside the room. "Liar!" screamed Lily, prompting the servant's face to flare. "You wretched…"
Before he could finish, Kraken pulled out a small knife, much like a letter opener, and without hesitation, threw it at the butler. Lily let out a gasp and practically jumped back when she saw the knife penetrate the butler's forehead, killing him instantly.
"Oh my God…" whispered the girl, prompting the elderly man to turn on her. "I thought the idea of killing was beyond shock to you." He alleged, with a dastardly grin.
"I-I…I…"
"My dear, calm down, and get dressed. Believe me, I don't go about killing everyone I see." He said, pushing the girl's hair to the back of her ear. "I like you, you have initiative, and you are quite capable of defending yourself." He added, stepping away and pacing in front of her. "The truth is, you have far more potential than any of the last batch of recruits."
"…"
"So, have you made your decision?"
"…I…"
"You don't want more people to die now, do you?"
"I…think I do."
"Well, the right to that could easily be yours. Avenge poor Paul."
"…Paul…"
The warm body clung against Carlos', interlocking over the white bed sheets. She had short dark brown hair that spread wildly across the back of her neck, as she lay on top of him, both of them completely bare. He had to suppress the anger inside of him, he had to push away the frustration, and this was the only way he knew how. Passion seared through the room like a ballista, as he let her wash away the tears with momentary happiness.
"What do you mean?" Ben asked as he let Nichole rest the back of her head on his chest. They were resting on top of a building, both of them laid with bed sheets covering them front and back. Nichole wore a halter-top, while her boyfriend wore a green, long-sleeved shirt.
"Well, Carlos isn't usually like this, but ever since, you know, what happened to the frat…"
"Why do you care so much about him?" Ben asked, unintentionally letting his paranoia be heard.
"I…care because he's my friend." She said, turning her head to face his. "…" He looked up and gazed into the clouds, feeling a little dumb for letting himself get read like a billboard so easily.
""He's just a friend, Ben." Reassured Nichole.
"I knew that." Ben replied with a smile. He turned and rested on his hands, so that he was on top of Nichole. "Really?" Nichole asked, peering deep into her boyfriend's eyes. There was still the lingering feeling of trepidation over Carlos' welfare, but she tried desperately to push it away. Especially after what happened last night. He leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. "I love you." He whispered, making Nichole feel both warmth and anxiety. She was attracted to Carlos and that was a notion, which she did not dismiss. It was a notion that she could never, ever dismiss.
Lorna kept her hands in her pockets, trying to warm herself from the freezing cold of night. A bruise was still evident in her cheek, courtesy of the mad woman who led the Alphas. It was already a week since then, and everyone out of bars seems to have closed him or herself off. Out of pure whim, she decided to turn left to the Dinchtbaby bar, and head for what was once the meeting grounds off the fallen Betas. Steam played on her feet, slow, subtle, while the few lights that shone were blurred and grainy. It was as if the place became a tomb, someplace that the people did not want to see again, even though it was in a different place that they fell.
Joan and David were sitting on top of a dumpster, the latter placing his arm over the former. Both of them still had cuts and bruises about, with David having to wear a cast on his free arm. "What are you two doing here?" Lorna asked, glad to see the familiar faces. "Just hanging." Joan replied. "Have you heard?" this time asked David, pertaining to Lorna.
"Heard of what?"
"Brian and Tyler are out."
"They are?"
"Yeah, but the thing is, this dude bailed them out of prison, and after that, they didn't ever show."
"Brian and Tyler… disappeared?"
"Uh-huh. Some of the Alphas were pulled out too."
"Where'd you hear about this?"
"JB."
"…I'm still stuck on who could have tipped off the Alphas on where we met."
"…"
"What…what about Michael?"
"I don't know. JB never found out."
"…Never found out?"
"Right after he told me, he was killed."
"Oh my God. How?"
"Someone strangled him."
"…Like what happened to Agatha." Whispered Joan. "This is just sick." Murmured Lorna.
"Could it be her?" Joan asked.
"Lily?"
"Probably her." Commented David. "That girl is crazy."
"Did you hear about what happened to Paul, Lorna?" David asked.
"Her boyfriend?"
"I don't know."
"Looked like it."
"He got shot by the cops."
"…"
"I mean, he seemed like a pretty good guy and all."
"Yeah, I hear that he was the one who, like, kept Lily normal."
"Anyone who could've stood that woman must have been a saint."
"He was cute too." Chided Joan.
"Hey."
"Well, he was."
Five men, all middle-aged and clad in expensive suits, sat around a circular sapwood table, with fine china by their hands and carpeted floors at their feet. Everything else was shrouded in darkness, with the only illumination coming from a yellowish glare from the ceiling, draping over the five men. "Everything seems so perfect." Noted an elderly man, gray and frail.
"Ah yes, we've played those two bands enough. Now, we hold all of those who could possibly serve us." Replied a bald gentleman, taking a sip of tea.
"The final act, gentlemen, is upon us, I trust that you all…act genuinely touched by the upcoming tragedy." Stated Eldritch.
"Oh yes. Very much saddened." Responded one with a smirk.
Author's note: The next chapter will be the conclusion, and no, there will be no needless violence to speak of. (yeah, right)