p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe street outside was quiet, only the idling of car engines permeating through the stillness. The soft glow of a pair of headlights gave me just enough illumination to spot Luther and Diego impatiently waiting for me in the car; at least they didn't leave me behind—not that I expected them to normally. They were hurt and beaten down until they were mere shells of themselves. I wouldn't have blamed them if they wanted to just immediately turn and head back to Elliott's. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNot wanting to hold the pair up any longer, I turned to Five and pointed my thumb toward the car. He had a distant, fearful look in his eyes, and I begged it was just because Dad had done a number on him… even if he wasn't one to show it on the outside./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You want to ride back with us?" I asked quietly, even though no one else was around. "It doesn't look like Vanya's in there, so you'd have plenty of room to."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFive remained completely silent, staring down at his shoes. Worry began to breed in the pit of my stomach, causing it to toss and turn. "Hey, what's going on?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSlowly, Five brought his eyes up. He was obviously trying his best to keep away the fear in his eyes and remain stone-faced, but it was too overwhelming for him, and after moving one foot back and forth a few times in a sort of hesitant dance, he stepped about as far away from me as he could get without obstructing his words, his head shaking back and forth./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I don't have any other choice," he murmured, his words coming out pained. I furrowed my brows and took a few careful steps closer, causing him to nearly jump back. What the hell was happening here? "It's the only way to stop everything and get us back home."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe still wasn't making any sense. While I'd understood his motives since day one, he'd made it sound like we'd run out of options, now that Dad was out. What had he been hiding under the vest?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Five, what the hell are you on about?" I questioned, finally managing to get a little closer to my brother without him flinching. As his gaze rose again, my heart dropped in my chest, recognizing the pure agony pounding behind his eyes as his emotions finally slipped through./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I have another way to get us home." His voice broke and cracked several times in just a few words, but I paid no mind to it. "But I have to agree to a deal I really don't want to make. I have to do something… I don't want to do." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I shook my head, still unsure of what he was trying to hint at, but a few things were starting to make more sense./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Is that where you were earlier?" His nod was nearly imperceptible. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHis shoulders had completely slumped with regret at this point, unable to hunch any further down. Whatever this was… I'd never seen him this tormented before, not even when he talked about witnessing death. This was something different entirely—something he'd tried his best to avoid, but knew there was absolutely no other way./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I had a run-in with my old boss." My eyes rolled back into my head immediately. Though I'd never had the displeasure of meeting the Handler, hearing about her from Five was enough. If I ever ran into that woman, there'd be blood spilled for sure. "She offered me a deal that would get us back to 2019, and erase both of the apocalypses."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFor a split second, I wondered what exactly was so bad about that. We would get to leave this time period, and at least for probably no more than a moment, we wouldn't have to worry about the world ending? I'd take it in a heartbeat./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHowever, my common sense came back to me, and the realization of what Five was being asked to do dawned on me. This woman only knew one kind of transaction, only accepted payment in the form of red stains forever worked into the skin of the vulnerable, taken advantage of by her promises. I wanted to tell Five he couldn't do it, promise we'd find some other way, or that we'd stop the doomsday here and bite our tongues and finally just live in this time. It's not like anyone in 2019 would be wondering where we were—they were all dead./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBut I wasn't his mother, and we had people to save. This was the only way./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What do you need me to do?" It pained me that was all I offered up, but I fought down the part of me screaming to grab him and run. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFive's eyes searched around us vigorously, as though he'd somehow find the answers in the vast nothingness of the endless stretching roads. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I don't know," he admitted, finally facing a sort of defeat. "I don't know. I want…" He couldn't even get through his sentence. I tried my best to follow his possible lines of thinking, but this was a complete curveball. "If you came with me…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt was my turn to take a step back. I blinked at Five, incredulous and unsure of what to even say to that. Last time we'd dealt with talks about the Commission, Five had said he never wanted me anywhere near their operations, but now he was genuinely considering it. The mere thought of having to be around what I knew this mission would entail made my heart spike. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Is that what you want?" I asked, my voice catching slightly in my throat. The silence that lingered afterwards was painfully long, sinking into me like a rusty knife, until finally, he offered a brutal suggestion./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's up to you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt felt like time froze around me, stopping anything that dared to breathe or blow in the wind. This could potentially be fatal, a literal matter of life and death if he wasn't careful. If I was there, I could keep watch, make sure no one would try to take him down before he could do what he needed to do. I hated the thought of being an accessory to murder, but it could get our family home and erase two endings./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBut I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to even think of being near something like that. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I don't think I can, Five," I whispered. "I'm sorry." Slowly, he nodded, thankfully without a trace of malice./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I get it." Without my realization, my hands began to twitch as my mind started racing faster and faster. "If it helps at all, they're not good people."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt didn't. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Just… be safe."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanRight as I was turning to leave, Five took large bounds forward and pulled me into a hug, attempting to offer reassurance that things would be fine. It didn't matter how old he was, physically or mentally. The thought of my brother going in to do something like that at any age chilled and concerned me. I felt no better at that moment than I did before, but all I could do at this point was wait./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOnce Five blinked away, I made my way back to the car, where Diego and Luther were still waiting for me. I didn't speak a word to either of them, sliding into the back seat and buckling myself in immediately as a sign I wanted to get off this God forsaken property. Still, Diego's curiosity got the better of him as Luther backed out and headed off onto the main road to get us home./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What's he doing?" he inquired, turning back to look right at me. I could feel his gaze drilling holes through me, but I refused to tear my eyes away from the window. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What he has to," was all I offered./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe rest of the car ride remained in a tense silence, likely more from my end than anything else. While the evening's events had ripped holes into all of us, it appeared my brothers had managed to at least mostly recover. We'd mope and brood for a little while longer, maybe even throw some verbal punches at another sibling once or twice, but in the end, everything would be forgiven, and we're remember we were always there to support each other, even if Dad wasn't. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHowever, the moment we pulled into the parking space in front of Elliott's, something felt like it was pressing down on my chest, trying to suffocate me. This had happened a few times before in my life, but I tried to think nothing of it, passing it off as the lingering disdain for the way events unfolded tonight. I didn't regret standing up to Dad, but that made it no less terrifying./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDiego and Luther slid out of the car before me, not waiting for their sister to finish her mental episode and head inside. I lingered for another second, unsure of whether or not I actually wanted to move, then managed to unbuckle the seatbelt and slide out of the vehicle. Thankfully, the pair that went in before me left the door unlocked, so I wouldn't be stuck outside as the chill started to fall over the night air. I meticulously turned all the locks on the back alley door before turning on my heel and heading upstairs. The silence of the rooms above me unnerved me slightly, but I tried to reason that Elliott may have already fallen asleep, so we wouldn't have the chance to explain where we'd run off to until the morning./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAll of that went out the window once I rounded the corner and found Diego crouched on the floor, starting at something while Luther leaned over him. Carefully, I crept my way closer, and I thought at least one of them would have heard and noticed it was me, but I was dead wrong. Once I was close enough, Diego shot up suddenly and swung his arm out, attempting to stab me in the chest. I flinched, caught off guard for a second, and only managed to keep myself from getting stabbed right in the heart at the last second. I shot him a glare, violently throwing his hand from my grasp, and pushed past him, attempting to take a look at what he'd been so fascinated with./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy panic grew as my eyes rested on a very clear puddle of deep red blood, already beginning to coagulate and turn to gel. It had been here a while…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThat's when I moved to stand, and noticed an odd shape poking out from behind the dentist's chair Elliott kept in his living room as an extra seating arrangement. It almost looked like a person…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy breath caught itself in my chest as I looked between the blood stain on the floor and the shadow in front of me, placing the pieces together to form a morbid final picture. I didn't want to do it, to prove it was real, but someone had to, and my dim-witted brothers were still darting in and out of rooms for the millionth time, as though something would have changed in the last two seconds./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWith limbs slowly turning to jelly, I took hesitant, precise steps into the living room. The shadows began to shift the closer I got to the figure, my suspicions unfortunately molding themselves into a reality with each movement I made. I stood right behind the chair, freezing in place and unwilling to face the truth. But I had to do it. I had to be the one./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt took everything in me to remain standing and keep my eyes on Elliott's body as I whipped around to face the front of my chair. Blood ran down his chin and disappeared under his plaid shirt, disrupting the otherwise uniform pattern slightly. A scalpel had been jabbed right into his eye socket, while a drill and a set of pliers hung from his mouth, which was filled up with a few loose teeth. Someone had used their environment around them to their advantage, save for the random, unfamiliar knife plunged into Elliott's chest. They hadn't gone for his heart, his brain, or any artery, which would have put him out of his misery relatively quickly. Whoever did this emwanted /emElliott to suffer./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI felt like I was going to be sick./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Diego?" I called out weakly, spots beginning to take over my vision as I stumbled slightly, now unable to peel my eyes away from the grotesqueness for even a second. "Luther?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy brothers threw open the door of Elliott's office and came running over immediately, their eyes wide in alarm as they watched me sway. Diego booked it straight to my side, grabbing onto my arm to help keep me upright, while Luther dared to take in what I had been fixated with. I winced as I stole another glance at his body, then buried my face in Diego's shoulder, the image still burned forever into my mind. I felt him set a hand on my other arm, trying to provide reassurance the best he could as he took in shaky breaths. I could feel him begin to tremble with rage, but I was in no place to attempt and quell him at this point. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI still refused to peel myself away from Diego as I heard Luther's footsteps move toward the railing, pausing a moment before he spoke up./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Holy shit."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanCurious but cautious, Diego and I made our way over to where Luther was standing, peering over the rail to spot three words written in blood across the tiled floor./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanemÖGA FÖR ÖGA/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"What in the hell…?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDiego took care to keep my eyes away from Elliott's corpse as he, Luther and I turned back around and headed in toward the kitchen. Once I'd been moved out of a place where I could see the corpse, Diego removed himself from my side and swiftly opened the door to Elliott's bedroom, removing the sheet from the bed and using it to cover up the atrocity. I couldn't form a comprehensive thought, couldn't even bring myself to move on my own. Seeing this, Luther made his way over to me and pulled me into a tight hug, trying his damn hardest to offer some sort of comfort for the both of us./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOnce Diego returned, I heard him and Luther begin to whisper about what the words written on the floor could possibly mean, and while I slowly slid down against the wall to take a seat in one of the chairs at the kitchen table, the latter of the two started to brew coffee and caffeinated tea./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNot that we'd need it tonight… or for several nights to follow./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNot wanting to hold the pair up any longer, I turned to Five and pointed my thumb toward the car. He had a distant, fearful look in his eyes, and I begged it was just because Dad had done a number on him… even if he wasn't one to show it on the outside./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You want to ride back with us?" I asked quietly, even though no one else was around. "It doesn't look like Vanya's in there, so you'd have plenty of room to."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFive remained completely silent, staring down at his shoes. Worry began to breed in the pit of my stomach, causing it to toss and turn. "Hey, what's going on?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSlowly, Five brought his eyes up. He was obviously trying his best to keep away the fear in his eyes and remain stone-faced, but it was too overwhelming for him, and after moving one foot back and forth a few times in a sort of hesitant dance, he stepped about as far away from me as he could get without obstructing his words, his head shaking back and forth./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I don't have any other choice," he murmured, his words coming out pained. I furrowed my brows and took a few careful steps closer, causing him to nearly jump back. What the hell was happening here? "It's the only way to stop everything and get us back home."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe still wasn't making any sense. While I'd understood his motives since day one, he'd made it sound like we'd run out of options, now that Dad was out. What had he been hiding under the vest?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Five, what the hell are you on about?" I questioned, finally managing to get a little closer to my brother without him flinching. As his gaze rose again, my heart dropped in my chest, recognizing the pure agony pounding behind his eyes as his emotions finally slipped through./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I have another way to get us home." His voice broke and cracked several times in just a few words, but I paid no mind to it. "But I have to agree to a deal I really don't want to make. I have to do something… I don't want to do." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I shook my head, still unsure of what he was trying to hint at, but a few things were starting to make more sense./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Is that where you were earlier?" His nod was nearly imperceptible. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHis shoulders had completely slumped with regret at this point, unable to hunch any further down. Whatever this was… I'd never seen him this tormented before, not even when he talked about witnessing death. This was something different entirely—something he'd tried his best to avoid, but knew there was absolutely no other way./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I had a run-in with my old boss." My eyes rolled back into my head immediately. Though I'd never had the displeasure of meeting the Handler, hearing about her from Five was enough. If I ever ran into that woman, there'd be blood spilled for sure. "She offered me a deal that would get us back to 2019, and erase both of the apocalypses."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFor a split second, I wondered what exactly was so bad about that. We would get to leave this time period, and at least for probably no more than a moment, we wouldn't have to worry about the world ending? I'd take it in a heartbeat./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHowever, my common sense came back to me, and the realization of what Five was being asked to do dawned on me. This woman only knew one kind of transaction, only accepted payment in the form of red stains forever worked into the skin of the vulnerable, taken advantage of by her promises. I wanted to tell Five he couldn't do it, promise we'd find some other way, or that we'd stop the doomsday here and bite our tongues and finally just live in this time. It's not like anyone in 2019 would be wondering where we were—they were all dead./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBut I wasn't his mother, and we had people to save. This was the only way./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What do you need me to do?" It pained me that was all I offered up, but I fought down the part of me screaming to grab him and run. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFive's eyes searched around us vigorously, as though he'd somehow find the answers in the vast nothingness of the endless stretching roads. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I don't know," he admitted, finally facing a sort of defeat. "I don't know. I want…" He couldn't even get through his sentence. I tried my best to follow his possible lines of thinking, but this was a complete curveball. "If you came with me…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt was my turn to take a step back. I blinked at Five, incredulous and unsure of what to even say to that. Last time we'd dealt with talks about the Commission, Five had said he never wanted me anywhere near their operations, but now he was genuinely considering it. The mere thought of having to be around what I knew this mission would entail made my heart spike. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Is that what you want?" I asked, my voice catching slightly in my throat. The silence that lingered afterwards was painfully long, sinking into me like a rusty knife, until finally, he offered a brutal suggestion./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's up to you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt felt like time froze around me, stopping anything that dared to breathe or blow in the wind. This could potentially be fatal, a literal matter of life and death if he wasn't careful. If I was there, I could keep watch, make sure no one would try to take him down before he could do what he needed to do. I hated the thought of being an accessory to murder, but it could get our family home and erase two endings./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBut I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to even think of being near something like that. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I don't think I can, Five," I whispered. "I'm sorry." Slowly, he nodded, thankfully without a trace of malice./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I get it." Without my realization, my hands began to twitch as my mind started racing faster and faster. "If it helps at all, they're not good people."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt didn't. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Just… be safe."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanRight as I was turning to leave, Five took large bounds forward and pulled me into a hug, attempting to offer reassurance that things would be fine. It didn't matter how old he was, physically or mentally. The thought of my brother going in to do something like that at any age chilled and concerned me. I felt no better at that moment than I did before, but all I could do at this point was wait./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOnce Five blinked away, I made my way back to the car, where Diego and Luther were still waiting for me. I didn't speak a word to either of them, sliding into the back seat and buckling myself in immediately as a sign I wanted to get off this God forsaken property. Still, Diego's curiosity got the better of him as Luther backed out and headed off onto the main road to get us home./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What's he doing?" he inquired, turning back to look right at me. I could feel his gaze drilling holes through me, but I refused to tear my eyes away from the window. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What he has to," was all I offered./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe rest of the car ride remained in a tense silence, likely more from my end than anything else. While the evening's events had ripped holes into all of us, it appeared my brothers had managed to at least mostly recover. We'd mope and brood for a little while longer, maybe even throw some verbal punches at another sibling once or twice, but in the end, everything would be forgiven, and we're remember we were always there to support each other, even if Dad wasn't. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHowever, the moment we pulled into the parking space in front of Elliott's, something felt like it was pressing down on my chest, trying to suffocate me. This had happened a few times before in my life, but I tried to think nothing of it, passing it off as the lingering disdain for the way events unfolded tonight. I didn't regret standing up to Dad, but that made it no less terrifying./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDiego and Luther slid out of the car before me, not waiting for their sister to finish her mental episode and head inside. I lingered for another second, unsure of whether or not I actually wanted to move, then managed to unbuckle the seatbelt and slide out of the vehicle. Thankfully, the pair that went in before me left the door unlocked, so I wouldn't be stuck outside as the chill started to fall over the night air. I meticulously turned all the locks on the back alley door before turning on my heel and heading upstairs. The silence of the rooms above me unnerved me slightly, but I tried to reason that Elliott may have already fallen asleep, so we wouldn't have the chance to explain where we'd run off to until the morning./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAll of that went out the window once I rounded the corner and found Diego crouched on the floor, starting at something while Luther leaned over him. Carefully, I crept my way closer, and I thought at least one of them would have heard and noticed it was me, but I was dead wrong. Once I was close enough, Diego shot up suddenly and swung his arm out, attempting to stab me in the chest. I flinched, caught off guard for a second, and only managed to keep myself from getting stabbed right in the heart at the last second. I shot him a glare, violently throwing his hand from my grasp, and pushed past him, attempting to take a look at what he'd been so fascinated with./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy panic grew as my eyes rested on a very clear puddle of deep red blood, already beginning to coagulate and turn to gel. It had been here a while…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThat's when I moved to stand, and noticed an odd shape poking out from behind the dentist's chair Elliott kept in his living room as an extra seating arrangement. It almost looked like a person…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy breath caught itself in my chest as I looked between the blood stain on the floor and the shadow in front of me, placing the pieces together to form a morbid final picture. I didn't want to do it, to prove it was real, but someone had to, and my dim-witted brothers were still darting in and out of rooms for the millionth time, as though something would have changed in the last two seconds./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWith limbs slowly turning to jelly, I took hesitant, precise steps into the living room. The shadows began to shift the closer I got to the figure, my suspicions unfortunately molding themselves into a reality with each movement I made. I stood right behind the chair, freezing in place and unwilling to face the truth. But I had to do it. I had to be the one./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt took everything in me to remain standing and keep my eyes on Elliott's body as I whipped around to face the front of my chair. Blood ran down his chin and disappeared under his plaid shirt, disrupting the otherwise uniform pattern slightly. A scalpel had been jabbed right into his eye socket, while a drill and a set of pliers hung from his mouth, which was filled up with a few loose teeth. Someone had used their environment around them to their advantage, save for the random, unfamiliar knife plunged into Elliott's chest. They hadn't gone for his heart, his brain, or any artery, which would have put him out of his misery relatively quickly. Whoever did this emwanted /emElliott to suffer./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI felt like I was going to be sick./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Diego?" I called out weakly, spots beginning to take over my vision as I stumbled slightly, now unable to peel my eyes away from the grotesqueness for even a second. "Luther?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy brothers threw open the door of Elliott's office and came running over immediately, their eyes wide in alarm as they watched me sway. Diego booked it straight to my side, grabbing onto my arm to help keep me upright, while Luther dared to take in what I had been fixated with. I winced as I stole another glance at his body, then buried my face in Diego's shoulder, the image still burned forever into my mind. I felt him set a hand on my other arm, trying to provide reassurance the best he could as he took in shaky breaths. I could feel him begin to tremble with rage, but I was in no place to attempt and quell him at this point. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI still refused to peel myself away from Diego as I heard Luther's footsteps move toward the railing, pausing a moment before he spoke up./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Holy shit."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanCurious but cautious, Diego and I made our way over to where Luther was standing, peering over the rail to spot three words written in blood across the tiled floor./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanemÖGA FÖR ÖGA/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"What in the hell…?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDiego took care to keep my eyes away from Elliott's corpse as he, Luther and I turned back around and headed in toward the kitchen. Once I'd been moved out of a place where I could see the corpse, Diego removed himself from my side and swiftly opened the door to Elliott's bedroom, removing the sheet from the bed and using it to cover up the atrocity. I couldn't form a comprehensive thought, couldn't even bring myself to move on my own. Seeing this, Luther made his way over to me and pulled me into a tight hug, trying his damn hardest to offer some sort of comfort for the both of us./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOnce Diego returned, I heard him and Luther begin to whisper about what the words written on the floor could possibly mean, and while I slowly slid down against the wall to take a seat in one of the chairs at the kitchen table, the latter of the two started to brew coffee and caffeinated tea./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNot that we'd need it tonight… or for several nights to follow./span/p