Author's note: The last chapter of this story. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, both regular and irregular. Hope this payoff was worth all of it. Sorry it had to take too long, but school matters are killing me. Well, without further ado, here's the finale to Thieves of Dawn.
Chapter 10: "The Darkest Hour"
Carlos walked the streets, thinking of everything that has happened to him. It was hard to keep one's self-sane in those lands. Especially if you had no one to hold. For Carlos, only one thing was left, and that was her. One problem was that they both knew they were living a lie. She told him that it would end that night, that after it, there would be no more lies. She told him that loved Ben, but it was in him that she found danger, something she didn't want to admit that she wanted. Something that Ben did not have. Tonight it would all thankfully come to an end.
Absolute shadow swirled over the gloomy city, where each corner fuels amorality and moral incontinence. Ironically, the only thing strong enough to frighten these forces away would be the presence of an even greater shade, something with sharper teeth. The shelter was busier than ever that unholy night, with Jessica calmly sitting in her office, staring out into the cold night. A phone ring then snapped her back to reality.
"Hello?"
"Jessica?"
"Oh, good evening sir."
"Why be so formal?"
"Protocol sir."
"Bah, call me by my name, I enjoy employer-employee togetherness, I implemented the program."
"Haha…yes sir, Mr. Kraken."
"I trust everything is…set?"
"I am just awaiting the subject sir."
"Very well."
"Um sir, may I ask you something?"
"Yes?"
"Are you sure it is wise to send have her do this program so early in her development?"
"Yes. If she survives, she passes the program."
"So, she actually made it to the super soldier project."
"Weren't you notified?"
"For one thing, I thought the super soldier initiation was scrapped, sir."
"It is the only way to know if the subject is worthy of the program."
"Sending the soldier to his or her death?"
"Consider it Umbrella's ultimatum."
"…Yes sir. So, how will it go this time, sir?"
"Simple. She kills the kids and if she survives, we set up a perpetrator to take the fall, and then Umbrella incorporated will be the one to solemnly raise human rights awareness as to never let this kind of travesty happen again. If she doesn't, then we lose a prospective, and still claim full rights as being the ultimate benefactor."
"Is that all, sir?"
"Of course, we will give free treatment to the poor victims, notify the families, etcetera, etcetera."
"Oh. Is that so, sir?"
"Well, there's more, but you aren't in that program."
"Ah yes."
"…You…aren't telling me something."
"Sir…I think I have a better person for this program."
"…Really?"
"Carlos Oliviera, you see sir, right now, he is the one who has had the most traumatic experiences."
"He is the test subject that you have spent night and day toying with?"
"Yes sir."
"Well…if my subject does not succeed, then yours will be the next to be trained for the program."
"Yes sir."
Nichole was by a foosball table, while Ben was helping in moving a sofa. The young man still felt troubled by the fact that his girlfriend was so close to some other man. It was a feeling that he really couldn't shrug off. It was a feeling that ate at him.
"Ben." Greeted Nichole, noticing the serious expression on her face.
"Hey."
"Something wrong?"
"Nah."
"You look…"
"Just…tired."
"Don't you want to rest? You've moved like, practically every piece of furniture here."
"No, it's cool."
"…Want to have a drink with me?"
"Now?"
"Why not?"
"I kinda…" he gave a glance to the guys he was helping out, and they all nodded at him. "…okay, sure." He then said, waving to his friends as he left with Nichole.
"Let's go get some fresh air." The girl suggested, gently tugging him along by the hand.
"Excuse me?" then interrupted a middle-aged woman, who seemed like she was looking for something.
"Uh, yes, miss, can we help you?" Ben offered, noticing the look of depression in the woman's face.
"I'm looking for my son, and I heard that he would be here."
"Who?"
"I…I don't know."
"Excuse me?"
"Did you see him?"
"What's his name…so maybe we can-"
"I heard he was here."
"Uh…"
"Why won't you tell me!?"
"I think you should take a seat miss…"
"…Maybe he's over at school. It's already late, maybe he wants me to pick him up." And with that, the woman left. "…What was that all about?" Nichole asked, mystified as to who it was the lady was looking for. "I think I should follow her, she might get into some trouble with the people outside." Ben said with a concerned expression.
"That may be a little too dangerous."
"You've never been to special Olympics?"
"I don't share your extensive charitable background."
"She just…worries me."
"…Ben, I…have to tell you something."
"Yeah?"
"…"
"You okay, you look…"
"…"
"…You're breaking up with me, aren't you?"
"…" She nodded, avoiding his eyes. For a moment, he kept his silence, feeling his heart slowly rot away as the girl he loved just stood there, denying him anything else than a mere nod. "C-can't you at least tell me why?" he asked her, or more like snapped. He was expecting it after all. In his heart he felt it, he knew that she didn't truly love him as much as he did her.
"Would you really want to know?"
"Can't we talk about this?" he asked, getting frantic.
"Please Ben, this is already hard for me…"
"Hard for you? What about for me!?" his sudden outburst got her off guard, and got everyone else in the state on their ears. "You're making a scene, Ben." Reminded Nichole, who tried to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.
"Tell me, Nichole." He said in a stern voice, even though his face surely showed pain more than anger.
"I…it's because I, I don't want my conscience to keep eating at me anymore and…and…"
"Nichole!"
"I slept with Carlos, okay!? It was stupid, and it was dumb, but I…"
"…" he fell silent, and she on the other hand, wished that she never saw the expression on Ben' face. A girl in the crowd whispered "slut" to another girl's ears in absolute disdain. Without another word, Ben just walked past her, confused as to what it is that he should feel.
A second later, a young, blonde woman then entered the shelter. She wore a red shirt under a black, denim jacket, as well as a pair of black denim pants. Two boys, brothers of about sixteen and seventeen, then felt cold slugs right through their chests. Mortified screams then permeated the walls as more gunshots erupted. Above them all, Jessica smiled and locked her doors.
Lily heartlessly opened fire at the unfortunate residents, sparing no one as she unloaded bullet after bullet. A man tried to tackle her down, but she was quick to shoot him right through the eye, making the girl he left behind scream at the top of her lungs. She was shot next.
Ben, as foolish as he was, tried to do exactly what the other person did. Like him, he wasn't fast enough to avoid three bullets that lodged right into his heart, a fitting metaphor to say the least. He fell back, his vision brimmed with red lights, and the only thing he could hear was Nichole's voice. He couldn't discern what it was she was saying, or if she was crying. She could be happy for all he knew, but then, he never would. Slowly, painfully, he closed his eyes, with his soul feeling much more pain that his mortal body could ever withstand. The price of morality in a corrupt town, dying in bad terms was something truly sad, but something often had.
Nichole sat by his side, crying, digging her face into her chest in hopes of hearing that heart beat again. She didn't want him to die like this. She wanted him to live to forgive her, and then that was when all else could end. Nichole never realized how selfish she was. Perhaps she didn't know that she killed him three whole minutes before Lily did. Words hurt more than bullets after all, that is, if you've never been shot before. Lily then trained her sights on Nichole, but found herself unable to pull the trigger, as she did not see the bloodstained, wooden boards and warm lights. She found herself looking into a cold, dark alley, with a young man lying lifelessly on the floor.
It was exactly like what she saw in those two people. The same tears, the same anguish, even the same position. All fell silent, all fell and crumpled to reality, as Lily found herself beginning to cry. All she could think of now, was him. The man who lost his life to the tragedy of a generation that never saw the light. "Starry, starry night…okay, I really can't sing. What? No! …Okay, I'll try…your favorite song. You know, you should ask Sara to do this, she has a great voice. You…want to hear it from me? No, there's no problem, okay, but I don't really know the lyrics well. Ouch! Haha! …You get prettier every year No, I'm not kidding, you really do." The wails of sirens once again filled the air, sweet songs that danced into the ears of those trapped under the black plastic judge.
In an instant, men in uniform entered the room, aiming handguns and swearing atop their lungs. "…Lily…do we really have to do this? No, it's just that…these are people too you know? They're like you and me. I know, I know. I just don't…want anything bad to happen to you. Yeah, I know that having that Jessica woman tell us about them gives us a big advantage, but…" Lily turned around, just in time to see officers swarm in, telling her to drop the gun, or risk being shot. They told him to move away from the girl, or risk being shot as well. "Shut up, Paul! If you don't have the guts to help me, then just go!"
"…Lily, come on…"
"God, I don't know why I put up with you."
"…"
"What? Tell me what's on your mind! Grow a spine, Paul!"
"…I just have a bad feeling about tonight."
"We will end the gang war tonight. Isn't that worth something to you?"
"I…"
She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm so sorry Paul. I'm so sorry." Lily then turned her gun at the officers, and surely enough, they all opened fire. A barrage of light then consumed her, with bursts of cracking fire and frostbite eating away at her insides at the same time. One of the bullets strayed, and got Nichole through the neck, and with a horrid gag, she fell to the floor. Lily was soon laid to darkness as well, her heart beating no longer. Riddled with bullets, a broken woman in every sense of the word. Jessica hurried down the stairs to inspect and report, keeping a false face of despair as she laughed wholeheartedly deep inside. She was never an avid supporter of genocide programs.
The police pushed back the curious and the appalled, as numerous stretchers were one by one carted out. It was a horrible feeling to be utterly helpless, to not be able to do anything to help or to protect. For Carlos, it was hell. Jessica soon stepped out of the front doors, a shocked expression was evident on her face. She saw Carlos in the crowd, and gave him a saddened look as she shook her head. He knew what that meant. One of those gray masks held the person whom he looked for, the person who could deliver him from sadness. Carlos turned back, speechless at the horror, and headed back to the apartment. Each step he took reminded him more and more of how alone he was now, with most of the people he knew long gone.
Streets seemed to stretch forever, and stairs seemed to extend into darkness. Everything fell apart. Sanity and madness, chaos and order, all of it were but marbles in the field, stepped upon by titans of melancholy and frustration. Soon he found himself in front of his door, and as always he fumbled at the knob. It was locked. He fumbled again, again and again, until he just fell and rested his back on the door. No one was there. No one was ever inside.
"Mom…mom, it's cold here…" he whispered softly as he stared into oblivion. "Mom…please open the door…its cold…" he curled up into a ball against the door, not knowing exactly what it is he wanted. "Mom…please…mom? Open the door…I want to get in…it's just…so…cold." And he broke down and cried. Every door was closed, every light turned off. People were afraid of what lurked in the moonlight tapestry.
A dry silence responded to Carlos' each and every call, a reminder that life has left that cold door. All semblance of sanity has left that room and wandered the streets, looking for an answer to a problem that could never be sold. Soft, sad steps arose in Carlos' ear. He half-expected seeing some demon, something vile, come from the well and take him away. Jessica came into his view, and he was right.
"I think I know someone to recruit Mr. Kraken."
"Who is it Jessica?"
"One of the gang kids who was able to get away."
"Is that person worth anything to us?"
"Emotional climaxes have certain affects on people. I think this person has reached quite a high one."
"It's up to you my dear."
"Yes sir."
"Just know, if this pet of yours would be a waste of money…I won't be too happy."
"I'll keep that in mind sir. He will by my test subject."
Jessica sat in front of the boy, and held his face in her hands. "I'm so sorry Carlos." She whispered, her eyes rimming with tears. "She's all I had left." He told her, shaking his head. "How…long were you two…?" Jessica asked him, cackling inside at the intrigue of the woman who could now never rest. "…A…few days, after she…she brought me into the shelter."
"…Poor boy."
"She's all I had." He softly cried, dancing in the same line of broken hearts as those damned has.
"We can help you Carlos. We can still be a family."
"…"
"You wouldn't need her, or anyone else anymore."
"What are you saying!?" Carlos snapped at her, standing up. Jessica then followed suit.
"You don't ever want to be hurt, ever again. You want to get out of this hellhole. We have the ticket."
"Jessica…"
"Join us Carlos. Trust me, we will stop the pain." She pushed herself against him, resting her hands on his chest. "We will push it all away." Whispered the field agent, as she softly pressed her lips against his. "Forget all this, and just…say…yes."
Morning came, bright and sunny, the backdrop against last night's blood red moon. Eldritch Kraken stood on a panel, and in front of him were hundreds of people, media men, citizens, child, mother, father and all. "We are all in mourning. All so young, they had so much to live for. We had hoped…that in helping a young visionary build a shelter that we could at least help protect these children. It seems, that it was not enough. This morning, I came to ask myself, what…creature, could have been so in need of attention, so dire in its suffering, that all it saw as an answer was this."
"I…worked with this children." Eldritch whispered through his now, tear-stricken eyes. "I have shared time with them, and I…must say, that being with them were the best days of my life. Why the good Lord took them before, a…decrepit old man like me…is just dumbfounding." He stopped for a while, closing his eyes and rubbing his temple. "I'm sorry…just…a minute." He said, taking out his handkerchief and wiping away his tears. "My…fellow men, we must see this…tragedy, as a sign, that we need to change. That we need to…care more. That we need to spend time with our children, our fathers, that we need to appreciate life itself…because all too soon, it might just end. No one knows when will come those who steal our tomorrows. The thieves of dawn."
There was a hushed silence, as the shelter stood frighteningly behind the old man. Just one night ago, it was full of life, full of heart. Things change so fast. Eldritch exited the panel, and then came Jessica, clad in a black dress, her face was flustered and red. "I just…" then she broke down in front of the people, making everyone's heart break at the young saint's bloodied cause.
"…Umbrella Corporation…was kind enough to help those who were wounded by the attacker. Mr. Kraken told me not to say, but…I just thought that, the smallest things, the nicest things, those are what should be shared. He…he personally donated for refurnishing the shelter…and…everything would just be so hopeless if it not for his, and Umbrella's help." She whispered, her voice trailed and broken, but still clear. The people, some who cared, some who didn't, solemnly applauded at the hearts of gold set before them. If only they knew the truth behind their saint. Jessica wiped away her tears, acting like she was trying to regain her composure. "Life is good."
The End.
Author's note: Hmm, didn't turn out quite well for any of them.