Dangerous Game

Epilogue

Part I

I don't remember much from my childhood, but I do recall that I used to believe there was a definite point to life. I realized people are born, we grow, we live, we die. Everything in between is what makes us unique and gives us a reason to keep living. I didn't exactly get the luxury of the in-between. That was all taken from me a long time ago, and I soon felt foolish for believing that it was ever any different. In this reality, people are born, we are kidnapped, we are experimented on, we are used, we are discarded. That is the order of existence we are given, those of us who survive long enough to realize what we've lost.

"Are you ready?" Seth asked me with a somber expression. I nodded absently, lost in my thoughts.

It's weird how things can pan out so differently  than what is expected. I'm being pretty vague, I know, but I really thought about giving up. I know I said I could change things, and take everyone who is involved in those labs down, but it's easier said than done. Just when I thought we were one step ahead, that we'd finally have this one little victory, we found ourselves ten steps behind.

My brother hasn't woken up yet. He's alive, his vital signs are normal I guess, but he just lies there in a coma. We were able to get back to America, thanks to Jillian's resources. I found out soon after I woke up that Daxon hadn't regained consciousness. Jillian suspected some kind of tumor had developed in his brain as a result of being exposed to the toxin for so long. She said his cells mutated far too quickly to not cause some kind of cancer. The good news was, Jillian had a theory that my blood held an antidote of sorts because of overcoming the toxin so quickly. She did many tests on me as soon as we arrived at her lab and her results seemed to be making a little progress.

"We don't have to do this, Ash. We can-"

"I promised." I snapped, cutting off Seth. He was dressed nicely, in a black suit jacket and dark jeans. His jacket was unbuttoned to reveal a black dress shirt and tie. Seth's hair was combed back from his face, making him look even older than he already did. I had borrowed a black dress from Jenna that cut off at my knees. It was simple, yet elegant and my hair was held back by a headband.

Seth knocked softly on the finely carved wooden door in front of us. I heard some shuffling inside before a man who looked to be in his forties opened the door. His eyes were red and tears resided in the corners, ready to fall at any moment.

The man sniffled and cleared his throat, "Are you-er...were you friends of Malachi's." The man's lip quivered a little, but he held himself together.

I took a deep breath and said, "Yes, we knew Mal."

The man gave a humorless chuckle and sniffled, "He had so many friends. Come on in." I cringed on the inside. The boy this man was grieving over was not Mal. He wasn't even human. I gritted my teeth and followed the man through the front hallway into his living room. I observed all of the flowers and a few people chatting in groups around the room.

The man stopped at the fireplace and took a picture off the shelf. He clutched the frame tightly and shook his head. "I just don't understand. A heart attack at his age. It doesn't make any sense. It was so sudden."

"He was a good person." I finally spoke up, "As long as I knew him, he was never in a bad mood." I smiled, thinking of his cheeky grin and his lame jokes. "I'm so sorry for your loss." I finished, at a loss for better words.

The man closed his eyes. I suddenly got a flash of overwhelming sadness emanating from the man. He was thinking about his wife leaving him a couple of years ago and taking Mal's little brother with her. I furrowed my brow at the thought. I cleared my throat and started carefully, "Malachi mentioned once that his mother left a while ago. Is she here now?" I studied his reaction, hoping I wasn't offending him. Seth gave me a weird look.