Ben saw Jennifer's pale face in the moonlight. Allison continued to throw daggers at them with disgust as they fluttered their eyes closed. Gene was dangling now, limp from his deep slumber, and slid down the wall. Diego walked over to pull his alien knife, splitting the wood around it. Gene crumbled down to the floor and laid in a strange upright position.
Allison checked to see they were out. She heard Diego tuck the knife into the leather holder and matched her gaze to look at them. Five kicked Jean over, using his foot, like he was touching roadkill. He patted down the fat fur jacket and really smelled the Alpaca. He found a small knife in her jacket pocket, a full box of cigarettes with a lighter inside it, and a small notebook inside her chest pocket. He took the ring off her hand to pawn it off later for cash. Lila saw what Five was doing and shuffled through Gene's pocket to do the same. She found a serrated wood knife, a small flip phone, and a crumpled list of all their active compounds. Behind the paper, was a short list, "Pickles, onions, tomatoes, dish soap." Lila handed Gene's ring to Five and flashed him the phone. He nodded and glanced over to Jennifer to see if she was okay. She was breathing softly, clearly in a dream, but Five couldn't tell if it was a nightmare or a good one.
"Let's go back to their house for their car keys. And one of these jackets." He quirked up his eyebrows at the warm material that encased the two bodies on the floor. He made sure to grab the flip phone from Lila as they quickly shuffled into the house. They were greeted with the warm smell of cookies in the oven that were starting to burn and a pot of kettle that was screeching at full volume. Klaus quickly turned off the stove and removed the kettle. Viktor pulled the cookies using an oven mitt and roughly set it down. He turned it off and looked around.
It wasn't long until they found a small closet next to the front door that with tan jackets, lined with Alpaca or Llama fur, nobody knew or cared. They gratefully shoved their arms through and put it on, sighing at the warmth as the fire crackled at them. They checked upstairs and the bedroom to find nothing helpful other than various gold jewelry that would sell for a good price. Five quickly shoved it in his pocket and raided the next door. It was a bathroom, and he took the opportunity to shut it. He stared at his own reflection and saw the dirt smeared on his face and heavy bags that now darkened underneath his eye. He saw the bruised jaw and the cut which he had forgotten all about. It no longer bothered him when he talked but it was dark and fading yellow on the outer edges. He found an antibiotic cream in the mirror and put it on after washing his face on the sink.
"It's done. Why are you still anxious?" Five muttered to his own reflection. He splashed the remaining water in his hands, onto the sink and opened the door. Lila stood in front of it and had her hand raised as she was about to knock on it.
"Oh, there you are. Was worried about you." She said as she saw the anxiety still present on his face.
"I'm fine. We need to get out of here. We don't know if this place is safe." He said as he reached for her hand. "I have a bad feeling about here."
"Love. Calm down. We did it. Jennifer is stable. Ben is fine. We're okay now." She said as she laid her hands on his chest. Five still held his anxiety but kissed her lips. She was right. All their plan had fallen perfectly into place. He kissed her to calm his heart and solidify her statement. He kissed to make it true.
He led her downstairs with his satchel jingling against the various jewelry. "Use your facilities people. Going back on the road." He yelled at the mass gathered on the couch.
"But we just got hereee." Klaus whined in protest and rolled the balls of his feet. Five searched the nearby bowl of various keys to find the car fob and clicked on it to hear it in the garage. He followed the sound and found a black van with no seats in the back. It was gutted and metal surrounded it. He nodded in approval. He quickly ran back to the kitchen to grab a large tote bag and stuffed it with water bottles and snacks. He ran to the fridge to grab more food.
He heard Diego quickly shoot upstairs to use the bathroom and returned with a thicker tanned jacket than before. "I found it in Gene's closet!" as he showed off the clean lines and thickly lined furs.
"Everyone grab a blanket or pillow. No seats in the van." Five quickly spoke, feeling the pressure of each tick from the grandfather clock. It read 8:33PM, but the area was so dark it felt like midnight.
They quickly filed in the back with Luther closest to the door which weight it down. He had to apologize as he scooted up towards the driver's seat so the van wouldn't swerve. They laid down pillows and warm fluffy blankets and used it to sit on it. Diego still insisted on driving, saying "I literally drive a van for a living." Klaus shouted a shotgun, and no one had the energy to fight him.
Five directed Diego to drive to their old van as he clicked open the garage door. Five glimpsed out the dash to see Jean still laying on the floor and Gene crumpled against the barn doors. He remembered the flip phone and dialed 911 and clicked call. He put a finger on his mouth and instructed everyone to keep quiet.
"911 what's your emergency?" A distant operator said.
Five put on his most child-like voice, making it sound like a teenager, and said "Um… yeah I think I just saw my neighbor get attacked." Luther tried really hard not to laugh, and everyone shot him a glare.
"Sir, making a prank call to 911 can be considered a felony." She said back.
"No! No. I'm being serious. I saw my neighbor, but I'm not sure what their address is, but I swear, they're like passed out in the barn." Diego started to enter towards the main street.
"Are they breathing?" She asked concerned.
"I think so, but it's been 10 minutes and they're not moving." Five continued with his innocent voice.
"Alright, sir, what is your exact location? I've dispatched the local police and ambulance to your general area, but do not have a full address." She said rapidly with distinct panic in her voice.
"Yeah, I'm at—" Five closed the phone shut and cleared his voice at the strain. He rolled his eyes as Luther and Klaus busted into laughter. He ripped the phone in half with a snap, turning it the opposite way the hinges are meant to go, and handed it to Klaus to throw it out the window.
They reached the old, dying van in no time. Diego hopped out, put it in neutral, and pushed it in a deep ditch, far from plain view. He waved and said, "Bye Wanda. Love you," and returned into the toasty van. Klaus turned up the heat to full blast and the back of the van was just now feeling the warmth. Five and Lila huddled together as they finally saw the streetlamps lighting up the street. They were close and Five held Lila's hands in between his and expelled warm breath on it. He rubbed it for more warmth. She smiled at him and kissed his hand that was equally cold. Allison and Luther were next to them and silently gagged at each other. Ben had laid Jennifer flat on top of a furry blanket and her head on his lap, and he kept staring at her to check she was breathing and watched for a small pulse pump under her skin. Viktor had lifted Jennifer's feet and placed on his lap to fit in the van.
Soon, they saw an ambulance and cop cars driving away from them towards where they came from. Klaus jokingly yelled to the back, "The Redcoats are coming!"
They drove in silence for hours, and soon soft snores filled the van once again. Like a domino, Ben leaned to Allison, Allison to Luther, to sleep. With Diego right behind Five and Lila, they wanted to talk but knew he would hear it.
Five quietly pulled a notebook out of his pocket and remembered it was Jean's. Lila pulled the crumpled list and showed it to him. Five saw the various locations and started marking the nearby one on the map. Lila quietly pointed as she spotted the cities. Five opened the notebook to peruse through it and only found scribbled notes of possibilities of the split timeline. Half of it sounded like dreams from a mad woman.
Five took the chance to grab a pen out of his satchel and turned to the last page to scribble fast, 'Going home. Soon.'
She grabbed out of his hand and wrote, 'I know. Very excited.'
Five took it back, 'Where am I going to live?' Five realized as he was writing it.
'Where I am living, I guess.' She smiled at him and pushed against him. She hesitated but continued, 'Are we safe now?'
Five took it back but struggled to put the pen on the paper. He wrote, 'We'll see.' The strange itch of a pending doom arose in him. 'It's not over, until it's over.' He pressed his lips on her forehead.
She grimaced at his vague answer and took the pen and closed the notebook. She shoved it in the satchel and kissed his cheek, bringing it closer with her other hand. It lingered on his face as she felt the slight swelling on his jaw. She settled closer on the crook of his neck and felt Five slow his breathing.
When Diego finally stopped, it was nearby their house. His and Lila's. Where they had raised their children. He had stopped at least twice to refuel the massive van but made it safely back to where they started.
He groaned when he turned off the van and hit the roof twice to wake everyone up. Jennifer was finally beginning to rise from her deep slumber. Everyone shielded their eyes as Diego opened the back door. They had driven all night, and the Sun was beginning rise.
Diego didn't wait for everyone to file out and opened his front door charging in. He still took the time to unlace his boots and shake it off, lining it up by the door. He shouted at them, "Don't forget to take off your shoes!"
He dashed upstairs to Grace's room. He carefully creaked open the door and saw her soundly sleeping, clutching a large giraffe in her arms. He squatted next to her and kissed her head, breathing in the smell. She rustled awake at his scruffy beard.
"Daddy!" She quickly sat up to hug him, and Diego didn't let go until she did. "You stink, Daddy!" as she giggled scrunching her nose.
"Yeah, well. I did roll around in an Alpaca farm." He beamed at her and joked.
"An Alpaca farm! Why didn't you take me with you?" She said excitedly.
"Oh, trust me, you didn't want to be there. They are one stinky animal." As he scrunched his nose and shook his head. "Mommy's here, too. You want to go say hi to her?" She reached her arms up and he lifted her to his arms. He brought her downstairs as Lila walked in. She felt herself immediately awake when she saw her.
"Ah! My baby! Come here, sweetheart!" As she reached for her. Five followed behind her and closed the door. He softened his eyes when he saw how hard she hugged them.
"Mommy!" she giggled, "You stink, too! Did you guys all go to an Alpaca farm without me!"
"Don't worry, baby. I'll take you to a real good one soon. We have plenty of time now!" Lila teared up to see her face.
"Mommy, why are you crying?" Grace asked in a sad tone.
"Mommy is just happy to see you. That's all." She replied as she held back a wave. "You go eat breakfast. Go get cereal, babes." Lila whispered to her.
Five helped her up to her feet and held her close as she cried. Five let her sobs quietly choke out on his chest and kissed her forehead. All he could do was wrap her tight in his arms, and he couldn't wait to tell her it was safe.
"Claire? Claire? Are you here?" Allison opened a guest room to find her sleeping. She rustled awake at her voice and said, "Mom! You're back! Are you okay? Uncle Klaus, what about him?" Claire said, panic full in her voice.
"We're okay, honey. I just… really missed you." Allison pulled her in a tight hug. "I really missed you."
They took turns showering. There was only two in the house and by the time Lila finished hers, she saw her whole family cooking a large breakfast. The kids laughed as they chased each other, Five was flipping pancakes on a large griddle, Klaus was pouring the juice, and Allison was whisking the eggs. Jennifer, awake and calm, looked like a new person. She sat on the table sipping coffee, next to Ben, as if nothing happened. They were a family, talking, laughing in ease. As if they didn't save the world, mere hours before. Like they didn't fight their way out of an alternative timeline.
They ate on the table, while the kids sat on the coffee table watching their cartoons. It was such a good morning as the Sun brightly shined through. Lila's parents joined soon, grabbing a plate and filling it up, only having to eat on the couch with the kids.
Five still had the strange pit in his stomach as he shoveled pancakes down. He saw Lila laughing at Klaus' joke, clutching his arm, trying to catch her breath. He stood up to the small tv in the kitchen, turned the knob to a low volume and turned the news on.
He heard a quiet mumble of the news anchor, as it static pushed the volume in and out, but eased to normal tone as he adjusted the antennas.
"This is front desk, coming to you live with breaking news. In upstate New York, the owners of a small Alpaca and Llama farm, Gene and Jean Thibedeau, were found attacked at their farm. A report was made late last night, from a neighbor, suspecting harm being done to the Thibedeau's. We have reports that state they are in a coma in St. Lutheran and are being treated for their injuries. The chances of survival are slim according to their doctors.
Following, there has been an insurgence of protestors gathered in Manhattan, trying to bring attention to 'The Cleanse'. They claim that the world is coming to an end and have instigated several violent occurrences late last night and continue to wreak havoc in the street of New York City. We urge citizens to be aware and the police has begun pushing them back for safety."
The news carried on, but he remembered something in the notebook. Like his brain had caught up to processing, he flipped open the notebook and scanned the manic letters. He found carefully laid out plans that would seem like nonsense, but saw the big titles, "Plan B, in case of death." It read like a manifesto as it described a plan to rid of the Marigold and Durango. One line stood to him, "Must get rid of all trace. Even if we must do it ourselves."
Lila noticed Five grimace as he flipped through the notebook. She saw him push his hair away and saw he wore Diego's clothes that were too big on him. He checked his watch and saw the tv again to see a b-roll footage of the people shouting in protest. He broke the chatter when he pushed the volume up.
"Guys, problem. Gene and Jean left us a gift. Plan B." He watched as the group turned their heads at the TV and watched intensely.
"They're coming for us. Listen to this, 'If all else fails, do what you must, at all costs, to kill all of the Umbrellas.' That crowd," he pointed at the TV, "is coming for us." Five said, seeing his reflection on it.
With a crash of a window, came a smoke bomb. It came from over the back fence, and crashed into the screen windows, pouring in the Sun. Five dove to catch it and throw it back out, but it slipped through his hand and landed on the floor. With a quick flash, white smoke started pouring out as he began to cough. Lila seeing it all, blipped to the kids to gather them, holding onto her Mom's arms. She quickly blipped two doors down to her brother's house and pushed them all inside. She had said, "Leave the state. All of you," and quickly shut the door.
She blipped back into her kitchen. Chaos ensued around her and she could barely see through the smoke. Five suddenly appeared and grabbed her to push her out of the way as she felt a bullet skim her shoulders and opening a wound. People with black mask and AR guns, charged in through the broken window. Luther tackled the first one in, but another soon entered.
Viktor unable to see or hear past screams, pushed his energy out which split the cloud of smoke to the side of the room and watched it swirl back into the middle. It almost looked beautiful in the Sun. He saw Ben and Jennifer ducked behind a couch as Ben shielded her.
Only a couple seconds of visibility was enough for his family. They scurried to their feet and pulled out their various weapons as three more men charged through the back. Viktor shoved the man in the middle to one side, knocking out the man next to him as he slammed into the kitchen cabinets. The other rushed past towards the closest person, Allison, as he grabbed her arm to press the gun against her side. Diego pushed the gun away from her and it let out a stream of bullets at the wall. Unlike his furrowed brows, Allison smiled as her eyes turned, and said, "I heard a rumor, you defended this house like it's your own," and let her powers drop. He sharply turned and shot the two men laid in the kitchen and rushed out and pointed against the roof to quickly shoot again. A body fell and thudded in the grass. Another came in through the side door and the man in the trance, shot him square in his chest. When no more appeared, Viktor pulled him into the house and smashed his body against the wall and watched as he lost consciousness.
"Go. Go!" Diego shouted as he roughly pushed his feet into his shoes. He ran to the van and opened the back for everyone and as soon as he heard the door shut, he sped off.
"Are the kids okay?" Diego shouted to the back. Allison sitting next to him snapped her head back to wait for an answer.
"Yeah! At my brother's!" Lila shouted back. "But we'll see when we pay for their therapy bills."
They weren't sure where they were going, but their face and location was clearly known to Gene and Jean's small army. Five's gut had been pointing at it, the entire time, and cursed himself for not knowing sooner. He quickly saw the small bleeding wound on Lila's and ripped off the end of Diego's shirt to wrap around it. He winced when he had to pull his arms up to tie it.
"Five. Are you hurt?" Lila noticed as he struggled.
"It's fine. It's just a graze." He tried but Lila was pushing his shirt up to see the bleeding site.
"You have a bullet hole. What are you on about?" Lila said roughly.
"Lila. It's fine." He tried to glare and convince her, but she pretended she didn't hear it.
"Diego, find a Vet. Now!" Worry full in her voice, Diego scrambled his eyes to find any animal signs. Allison turned next to her to see behind her. The wound was right by his ribs, and she was glad she didn't see any blood pumping out and continued to press on it. Five winced as the pain grew.
"There! Diego, turn in there!" Allison shouted as soon as she saw an animal hospital. They parked their van hastily, over two lines in the back of the building. They rushed through a 'Staff Only' door and Allison led them in. She saw it was just beginning to open as two people were shuffling in between rooms, gathering supplies. She drew her powers to say, "I heard a rumor, you fixed him up, quick and fast."
They rushed towards Five to support him and placed him on a metal slab that only fit his torso and thighs. The rest of his legs dangled off the edge. They placed a small light above the wound and poked around as they said, "No organ damage." One person with a lab coat pulled out a thread with a needle attached and several pieces of cloth to dab on the wound. The other person tried to push a needle in his arm, but he stopped it. "No meds. Nothing to make me drowsy." He struggled to breathe but the woman complied and set the syringe down.
Lila was bouncing her legs watching him struggle. He bit his lip as the first needle poked through his skin. She asked the person performing it, "How many sutures?"
"Two. On each side. It was a through-and-through." As she continued to sow, pulling on his skin. Lila went to grab his hands and came up next to his face.
"It's just one more than Sloane's. You can do it, love." She pressed her mouth to his forehead and tasted the sweat dripping on his forehead.
"I don't know how she did three without painkillers." He tried to laugh but was cut short with the needle pushing through again.
The family watched through the doorway, worried about Five, the potential of more men finding them, and felt their guard push back up. Diego kept watch of the door, Allison made sure her powers were still working, and Luther shuffled around the large waiting room.
They were done soon enough, Allison made sure to add, "I heard a rumor, you cleaned the room up and don't remember what happened, who we are, and what we did here," as she closed the door behind her. Lila who had gotten a roll of bandages before they left, took off the strip of t-shirt, now fully soaked through, and replaced it with a fresh bandage. They were back on the road, speeding off to nowhere.
"We need a plan." Five struggled to sit up. He clutched his sides as it continued to ache. "There's no way we're fighting that many people."
"There's probably more hiding." Luther said as he looked around.
"We need a plan, people. Think!" Five shouted, irritated at his injury, and his godforsaken gut feeling that is never wrong.
"I don't understand why they're doing this." Viktor said, "We got rid of it. The Durango. Ben's reaction. Nothing is wrong! How do we stop a small army from hunting down a problem, we already fixed?" Viktor was shouting in frustration.
"That's the point. They think 'The Cleanse' is the right way." Five added. "When me and Lila attended their meetings, they said this was the way to restore their 'true timeline.' It's a false hope; they've already took years sowing this idea. It's not going away with their death. Or ours."
"So, what now?" Diego snapped back. "It's not like we can just change our faces and get new names. They're finding us one way or another."
"I say, let's go to Dad and Abigail." Luther interjected, but everyone ignored him. He was exasperated and said, "whether you like it or not, he has the technology we don't. He has the protection we don't. Let's be real, he does like manipulating memories." Luther grumbled.
"I don't hate that idea." Five finally said. He knocked on the metal walls to catch Diego's attention. "You hear that, Diego?" He sighed but grumbled a yes as he turned the car towards the highway.
They made their way back through the same road Diego had just driven them back. The time flew by as the van could easily reach 65 miles per hour without groaning. They landed safely through the massive mansion gates and this time ignored the security men guarding the door. The group of men tried to stop them but Five glared at them and said, "I don't feel like killing more than I have today." They still stood on their spot, but only moved away as they heard new orders through their earpiece. They opened the door, and they filed through the grand foyer to find Abigail still playing the same melody as before. It poured out of her violin as she soaked her music in.
Before she could open her mouth, Five said, "Yeah. Yeah. You know us. Heard a lot about us. Not this 'Reggie,' not his fault." He had run out of patience and the will to continue this journey. He felt the pack of cigarettes in his pocket and pulled open the carton to pull one out with his lips. He flickered on the lighter inside and took a long drag. He saw Abigail wince as he dropped himself on the couch.
The family shuffled in and sat on the various loveseats and couches. They didn't hesitate to reach for the sweets on the table as they hurriedly drank their tea. Five stared back at Abigail as he took another breath in. Lila was glancing at him, trying to tell him to knock it off.
"Boy, are you smoking in my living room?" Reginald entered through the large archway.
"Hi there, Pops. This feels like yesterday!" He said it ironically, as he dropped the ash in his teacup. He took another long drag before killing it in the tea. "We have a problem," he said as puffs of smoke fell out of each syllable.
"What is it, now, boy? And why do you all always look like you've been in battle?" Reginald glanced around to see their messy clothes and crumpled pants.
"Reggie. Manners, please." Abigail said, and like last time he leaned in to kiss her cheek.
"If you haven't noticed, we fixed the Ben and Jennifer problem." Five glanced over to them, who had split a scone and was sharing it. They looked up at their names, "but there are people still trying to kill us. Thus, the bandages and the 'look.'"
"You… fixed the reaction. What do mean, my boy?" Reginald said, curiously.
"Like we went to another timeline, found a vaccine that you made and fixed it. Ben doesn't have any powers, no Durango in Jennifer. There was a time travel aspect to it, but it's long. And we don't have time." Five said through gritted teeth. The cigarette was the only source of relief he's had from the pain and became irritated as the fleeting feeling of nicotine left him.
"There is a group of people, out there, waiting to kill us." Five emphasized again, "What's your suggestion, old man?" Lila decided to sit and lean on the chair and touched his arm, trying to calm him. He looked up and softened his tone to continue, "I'm running out of options here." He said everything, but 'help us.'
"I don't know what you want, Number Five," Reginald spoke.
"I do." Abigail interjected. "To be honest, I was the original chemist that created it all. I synthesized the Durango when I was first assigned to the case. I thought 'The Cleanse' was the only way, but you kids managed to find another way. Truly, I'm delighted," as she smiled upon them.
"I'm sure Gene and Jean have their ideas buried deep inside their masses. This won't be easy but there must be a way." She continued, "I saw the news about their current conditions. I was wondering who did that." She twinkled her eyes at Five.
"Look, I just want to go home. What have you got." Five grumbled back at her.
"My sweet boy. It won't be that easy, but I would have to visit my team and my lab. I suggest you all take a breather. Feel free to grab a free room. We have plenty." She eased as she walked away from the family and into another wing. Reginald scowled at her welcoming remarks and followed behind her. They heard him protest all the way down the hallway.
"At least we're safe here." Diego muttered.
"Hopefully." Ben said back, pessimistic as always. But Jennifer smoothed his back and glared at him, "It sounds like she has some ideas. Let's look around." She rose to her feet to look around at the new mansion. It was bright and full of marble. There was a grand piano and she couldn't help but glide her hands through it, letting out a small scale all the way up to its end. She felt Ben holding her hand and look around in amazement as the halls continued and didn't see it end. They scattered to look around and opened random doors to find a bustling kitchen, an incredible number of bathrooms, and a ball room. They met upstairs as they opened doors to actual bedrooms, fully decorated with silk curtains and sheets.
Five and Lila entered the first bedroom they opened. They crashed in the bed, with hands still together and sighed at the comfort and quiet. They heard Klaus, far away, "Mine has a huge window!"
Five still winced as he clutched his side with his free hand. Lila propped her arm to look at the wound. "Why would you try and hide this?" She glared at him, "I want to take care of you as much as you want to care for me."
He saw how light shined on her face through the large windows and saw how her eyes held galaxies. He silently pulled her down and kissed her and took in a deep breath. He felt like he only, truly, breathed when he kissed her. She separated to say, "Don't think we're not talking about this." But he pulled her down and kissed her again. He made sure it was slow and let his aching subside as he focused on her lips, her hair that touched his forehead, and her hands that traveled to his wound. She carefully placed her hand next to him and slid her leg on top of him, making sure not to hurt him. She didn't break their kiss as she moved. She hovered to only meet their mouths and still worried about his wound. She pressed down with her head to deepen it, and she wanted to be rougher with him. She heard the door click open, without a knock, and she scrambled out of his lap. He winced as he lifted his head to see who it was, full of annoyance. It was Luther and Klaus wanting to see their rooms, but slammed it shut when they saw them. They giggled and screamed, running away.
"Can't we be alone, for like two minutes?" He grabbed a nearby pillow and screamed in it. She laughed as she removed the pillow still on his face and kissed his lips. "Apparently not, love."
"Lila." He opened his arms and patted next to him. She landed softly in his arms and cuddle closer to him. "I love you," he said as he sighed and felt her body's warmth press against him.
"I love you, more." She whispered back with the competitiveness back in her voice.
He laughed in her hair and pulled her closer and ignored his pain.