Chapter 19: Positive and Negative

Racing down the hall, all I could think about is who I could trust. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't fully trust the Mitch and Jerome I was running with. I couldn't shake the suspicion. What if…what if I had just watched the real Jerome die? I don't know if I could live with myself if that was the case. Then again, I'm not sure they'd let me live anyway.

Mitch and Jerome stopped abruptly, leaving me to collide into the back of them. Looking over their shoulders, I spotted the reason for our delay. Blocking out way was a Mitch. Unlucky the one I stood besides, his clothes were tattered and slightly burned. He looked like he'd been through hell to reach this point. His hair was pulled back, drawing focus to his eyes. I never really noticed Mitch's eyes before. In this moment, on this version of him, they seemed to burn with an unholy spirit.

"I think I've had a nightmare like this once," chuckled Jerome, glancing between the two. "Or was it a dream?"

"That's my line!" shouted Mitch, the one next to us.

"Yeah, but it sounds better when I say it," Jerome shrugged.

"I don't suppose there's a point lying, is there?" commented the one on the other end of the hall.

"Nope."

Mitch drew Betty but handed it to Jerome. His furry hands gripped the handle tightly as a grin formed. The other Mitch titled his head, cracking his neck. It was unnerving. Jerome stepped forward.

"I always wanted to do this," he whispered.

"What was that?" snapped Mitch.

"Kidding," shrugged Jerome, charging in.

Jerome slashed at the doubleganger, watching as the blade grazed his cheek. The clone just barely dodged it. Mitch put an arm out in front of me. I was growing kind of used to his protective nature. Before Jerome had a chance to strike again, the clone ducked down, swipe kicking Jerome down. I heard him grunt as he hit the floor.

Leaving no time to recover, the clone quickly moved to punch Jerome in the chest, but luckily, our favorite bacca rolled away, letting the clone's fist hit the floor. It cracked under the pressure. Looking up, the clone was greeted with Jerome's knee, knocking him back. I could see Jerome gaining confidence. Then I watched him lose it. The clone leapt in the air, dodging another of swipe from Betty, and kicking Jerome in the face, once again knocking him to the ground.

"Can you do that?" I whispered.

"Uh…" Mitch stuttered.

"I've seen you fight, don't lie to her," shouted Jerome, slowly getting to his feet. "Help me, you stupid bacon."

"Shut up, I'm coming!" Mitch replied, leaping into the fight.

I'd never truly seen Mitch fight just hand to hand but it was interesting to view. I'm sure it would've been less so if his opponent wasn't himself. With every punch made, the other would dodge. No kick or blow could connect as the two evaded and leapt over each other's attacks. Jerome took this time to recollect himself, catching his breath.

"Need a wild card," groaned Jerome, holding his side. "Mitch vs Mitch just isn't working."

As if on cue, there was a twang of a tightened string releasing. With the sound of rushing wind along the shaft, the arrow struck deep into the clone's back. He let out a scream, instinctively moving to grab his shoulder. The original, alongside Jerome, pulled back and in unison punched the double in the jaw, knocking him back. He hit the ground hard, eyes rolling back before shutting. If he wasn't dead, he was definitely unconscious.

"I think I had a dream like this once…"

Ashley's hands shook as she held tightly to her bow. It felt like a lifetime since I'd seen her. She readjusted her glasses, pulling her hair back into her bun. The quiver, swung over her shoulder, held the rest of her arsenal, which consisted of only three more arrows. It normally held at least ten. Obviously, she had an interesting time getting here.

"We already made that joke," Mitch and Jerome chuckled.

"Oh," sighed Ashley, stepping over the fallen Mitch. "Guess I'm late to the party?"

"Right on time," grinned Jerome, shaking his hand. "Ow…"

"What'd you do this time?" grumbled Mitch, watching the bacca shake his wrist. "I told you, you punch with your knuckles like this…" He made a motion with his hand, giving a pretend swing.

"I did, I did!" argued Jerome, also pretending to punch.

"Are you okay?" Ashley hummed, bypassing the two and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I think so…" I sighed. "We need to find everyone before Dawn gets a hold of this place."

"Dawn?" perked Ashley. "She's alive?"

"Oh…right," I mumbled. "Don't tell anyone."

"We should keep heading toward the commons," instructed Mitch, joining our conversation. "I bet the most damage is going on there."

"Sky is with Ty," Jerome added, snickering slightly as his slight rhyme. "Without Seto, we're lacking some medical treatment options."

"And Cliff?"

"She's still working on the cleansing process. According to Ian, she's getting somewhere," nodded Jerome. "It won't mean anything if we don't catch her again!"

"Let move!" announced Mitch.

I'm not sure how Mitch became our group's mini-boss but it wasn't argued. He was probably more capable than the rest of us. Next stop, the heart of the chaos.