Triple Crossed

Chapter Ten

     Corren sat in his living room, watching the news on his large flat-screen television. His heart sank as the headline scrolled across the screen: "Hallow Everson, Previously Believed To Be Dead, Arrested. Accomplice, Believed To Be Alcove Everson, At Large." The news anchors were speculating that the police might have finally caught up with Alcove, and they were considering the possibility that neither Alcove nor Roan were dead, as they had previously believed. The television displayed two older men debating that the triplets being hybrids may have caused such violence.

Corren knew the truth about Alcove and Hallow's survival, thanks to Roan's confession. He had been shocked to hear about Roan's past, but he knew that his friend needed someone to confide in. He had promised to keep Roan's secret safe, and he intended to do just that.

But now, with Hallow's arrest making national news, Corren realized that Roan's safety was at risk once again. He knew that Roan would be devastated by the news of his brother's capture, and he worried about the effect it would have on his fragile mental state.

As if on cue, Roan sluggishly walked into the room. Corren could see the pain in his friend's face, and his heart ached for him. He knew that Roan needed someone to lean on right now, and he was determined to be there for him.

"Roan, I need to talk to you," Corren said gently, patting the couch cushion next to him.

Roan sat down heavily, his head in his hands. "I can't believe this is happening," he muttered. Roan had witnessed the news from the spare bedroom before Corren could announce it to him.

Corren put a comforting arm around Roan's shoulders. "We are safe here, nobody would expect you to be at a famous musician's house," he said firmly. "But we need to be careful. The police are looking for Alcove, and they may come looking for you too."

Roan looked up at him, his eyes full of fear. "What am I supposed to do? I can't go to prison."

"You don't have to," Corren assured him. "You can stay here, with me. I'll make sure you're safe. We'll figure out a way to keep you hidden."

Roan looked at him with a mix of gratitude and disbelief. "You'd do that for me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Corren said, smiling reassuringly. "We're friends again, Roan. Friends help each other out."

Roan buried his face in his hands again. He knew that it would take time for Roan to recover from this latest setback, but he was willing to be patient. He would do whatever it takes to keep Roan safe. A deep sigh escaped Roan's chapped lips.  Friends? How could they be friends so soon?

After the emotional conversation with Corren, Roan made his way to the spare bedroom. His mind was racing with thoughts and memories of his past life as an assassin. He couldn't believe that his brother was now in police custody and that he himself was still in hiding. It was all becoming too much to handle.

As he entered the room, he collapsed onto the bed, his body wracked with muffled sobs. He couldn't control his emotions any longer. Everything that he had been suppressing for years was finally coming to the surface.

Roan felt like he was suffocating, and he couldn't breathe. Memories of his training, the pain he had endured, and the people he had killed, all came rushing back. He had been taught to suppress his emotions, to become a cold and calculated killer. But now, he couldn't keep it together any longer. After all, he'd never been good at it.

He cried and screamed until his throat was raw. He was angry at himself, angry at his mother for getting them involved in the organization, and angry at Hallow for getting caught. He was angry at the world for being so cruel.

Eventually, Roan's sobs turned into hiccups, and he was finally able to catch his breath. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand and took a deep breath. He had to find a way to move forward.

Roan got up from the bed and walked over to the window, looking out into the night sky. He could see the stars twinkling in the distance, and he took comfort in their light. Roan then sat on the edge of the bed in the spare room, his hands shaking as he clutched the familiar pill bottle. He had been trying to resist the urge to take more of the pills, but the news of Hallow's capture had pushed him over the edge.

He opened the bottle and shook out a handful of the small white pills, swallowing them quickly. As he sat there, waiting for the pills to take effect, he thought back to his conversation with Corren earlier that day. 

But now, as he sat alone in the spare room, he couldn't shake the feeling of despair and isolation that had taken hold of him. He knew that he couldn't keep relying on the pills to numb his emotions, but he didn't know how else to cope.

He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, feeling the effects of the pills starting to take hold. He knew that he needed to pull himself together, but it felt like an impossible task.

At that moment, Roan felt lost and alone, with no clear path forward. Corren walked down the hallway towards the spare bedroom where he had given Roan a place to stay. He had been worried about Roan ever since he heard about Hallow's arrest on the news. He knew Roan was already struggling with mental health issues, and the news about his brother's capture was sure to make things worse.

As he approached the door to the spare bedroom, he heard a faint rustling sound. He hesitated for a moment before gently knocking on the door.

"Roan? Are you okay?" he called out softly.

There was no response, but Corren could hear shuffling inside the room. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

What he saw made his heart sink. Roan was sitting on the bed, clutching a bottle of pills in his hand. He was shaking and sweating, his eyes glazed over.

"Roan, what are you doing?" Corren asked, rushing over to him.

Roan looked up at him with a mixture of fear and shame in his eyes. "The news about Hallow... I needed something to calm me down."

Corren's heart ached for him. But clearly, the news about Hallow had triggered him.

"Roan, please give me the pills," Corren said, holding out his hand. "You don't need them. We can get through this together."

Roan's demeanor immediately became defensive. In anger, he clenched the bottle of pills and held them close. "You have no business with my pills."

"It's okay, Roan. You're not alone," Corren said, placing a hand on Roan's shoulder. "We'll get through this together."

Roan looked up at him with annoyance. "I'm sorry but no," he whispered.

"It's okay," Corren said, pulling him into a hug. "I'm here for you."

Roan was initially caught off guard by Corren's sudden embrace. He had grown so accustomed to avoiding physical contact and emotions that he didn't know how to react. He stiffened for a moment, his body tensing up as he fought the overwhelming urge to pull away. In fact, he did try to shove Corren off, but it didn't work. 

It was the first time he had been hugged in years, and it was overwhelming. He felt a rush of emotions that he couldn't quite put into words. There was a mix of relief, comfort, and anxiety that flooded through him as felt Corren's embrace.

For a moment, Roan forgot about the chaos and danger that had been consuming his life. He forgot about the constant fear and the burden of his past. In that embrace, he felt safe and cared for, something he had been longing for but never allowed himself to experience. 

As they pulled away from each other, Roan forcefully wiped away a tear that had escaped his eye with his sleeve. Unsure if the hug or the medication caused this reaction. He looked up at Corren, feeling a mix of embarrassment and vulnerability.

"Thank you," he managed to say, his voice cracking slightly. "I...I didn't realize how much I needed that. But.. Don't do that again."

Corren simply smiled and sighed as he gazed down at the floor. Looking at Roan once more, he nodded.

Roan felt a fraction of warmth in his chest, something that had been missing for so long.