⚠️TW: violence⚠️
"No wait—" Jack said, "You don't have to do that—"
"On the count of ten, if you don't release him, I will pull the trigger." Aerie said, "you know a fully loaded gun has six shots, and I only used one."
"You don't have to." Jack said, "even if you are dead, my plan would still be the same. And you can't escape anyways."
"One." Aerie said, staring him right into his eyes, and Jack stared back.
"Two." Aerie continued to pressure him, but Jack did not move.
"Three." Jack was testing her. He wanted to know if he was the one who was threatened, or if Aerie was the one who was faking it. A bet made on her own life.
"No!" Brian said, "you don't have to do this— you should leave me— just leave!"
"Four." Aerie said, completely ignoring him. She did not slow down her pace, nor did she had her hands shaking. She wanted Jack to know that she was the one in control. And he would be letting the two of them go free.
"Five." Aerie said. Somehow Jack stayed more still than she could ever expect. Even if she tried her best not to shiver, or show that she was scared— she was scared. Her heart literally pounded against her chest so much that it was literally suffocating her.
"Six." Aerie said. "Halfway through."
Jack stared at her, and Aerie looked back. He was considering his choices. He was judging her from head to toe to see if she would make the shot. If she would take her own life so easily.
"Seven." Aerie said. Jack was moving. Her instincts told her that he believed she would actually make the shot.
"No wait." Jack said simply. "I can let him go." He took a roll of bandages and rolled it onto Brian's waist. The crimson grew though the white roll. "If you stay."
"Eight." Aerie said, "No. Both of us. I won't stay with you."
"Then I would have to wait for you to make the shot, unfortunately." Jack said, "enjoy the last two seconds of your life, Aerie."
"Nine." Aerie said simply. Jack already loosened the ropes that tied Brian to his chair. But the door remained closed. The two of them were still stuck here. They could not go. He would not make the deal.
"Ten." Aerie said simply. She would be making the shoot. Aerie pulled the trigger and allowed the bullet to fly. She closed her eye. Aerie did not want to see anything, if that was meant to be her last second of life.
"Noooo—" Brian yelled. Aerie could feel him walking closer to her, and could feel him pulling her hand. The hand with the gun. But when the sound of the bullet pierced through the air, the yell of Brian died down.
When Aerie opened her eyes again, she was alive. Air was still flowing into her lungs.
And the first thing she saw was the red spot that slowly enlarged on the green T-shirt of Brian's. It went through him instead.
Brian stared into his shirt with disbelief. It took a second for the two of them to notice what she had done, and another second for Brian to fall.
"Oh my god—" Aerie said, "no— I never meant this— I would never—" The thoughts consumed her mind. It consumed ever corner of her little mind with fear, and regret. Why did she make the shot? She would never make the shot in the first place. She knew. Brian knew. Jack knew.
Brian collapsed onto the floor. It was barely one second when his eyes blinked and his fingers twitched as he struggled to keep himself awake. And the other second, he was already lying on the ground, unconsciousness.
It was a shot in the lower body, not fatal, but would definitely put him in grave danger.
"I am sorry— I am sorry. I am sorry!!"Aerie yelled. But Brian was lying motionless, as if he was simply having a good dream. "Don't—"
Aerie dropped her gun and allowed a tear to drop from her eye.
She screwed up mad this time.
"Great bravery." Jack said, "I am impressed that you would actually make it."
Aerie did not reply. She did not stare at him either. At that moment, she forgot how to run. She forgot the reason why she had to even escape in the first place. All there was in her eyes were Brian. And it would remain as Brian.
A metal object hit Aerie at the back of her neck. Then she fell unconsciousness, too.
"He actually kept the party tickets with him." It was Jack.
"Maybe this will be a great gift for our little immortal."
Aerie could not hear anything afterwards. There were people. A lot of people coming into the room. Moving the two of them away. Brian first. And then her. She could felt herself being lifted onto a vehicle by someone. And then the vehicle started moving. A bit fast at first, and then even faster afterwards until the came to a big halt.
Aerie could feel her body move around. But when she tried to take the control back, she could not. Like a soul trapped inside an invisible prison.
Lily. And lily. Where was she? Aerie assumed that she was okay. She hoped that she was okay.
//
On another end of the world, Cade was staring at the body on the hospital bed, hands crossed. They crossed the line this time. And the consequences were clear. Apparently the Lily girl did not follow; she knew about him and went straight for him instead.
Somehow the spell that he used was not strong enough— the traces of memory of her about him remained inside her head and she could, apparently, remember them when she could actually sense the fear. But that was not the main problem. She was being taken care of. By the time she spilt her last word, he wiped every single trace of her memory in her head.
She would not remember anything. Not under every single one condition.
And there was this Brian boy. Much more annoying, much more mischievous. The moment when the party ticket showed up on his shirt, pinned onto it so brutally with a stapler, he knew that they must have been found by Jack.
This Saturday. Basement level 3. 20:00. Come yourself to get Aerie back.
Apparently Brian got her into real trouble this time.
Cade sighed deeply. He wanted to punch him right into his face for coming up with— and insisted on implementing this hideous plan that now left him with no choice but to also put himself in danger. He wanted to throw him out of the window. As if it would even change the situation in the first place.
He pulled the ticket off him, and gently folded slipped it into his pocket.
"Brian, oh Brian." Cade whispered. There was a bullet hole and a big cut on his waist.
Definitely not both by Jack. Brutal as he was, he would not be stupid enough to torture someone and then shooting them; a non fatal shot too. And then releasing them.
That was definitely more than stupid, or being out of their right mind.
Cade gently laid his hand onto Brian's forehead. Brian's memory flowed from him into Cade, allowing him to know what exactly happened.
So it was Aerie, after all.
There were small purple sparks coming off from Brian's head. Cade immediately knew that it was taking effect. In a few minutes time, Brian would forget everything about the trip. They would be casually wandering around the campus, and casually talking about the possibilities of breaking into offices instead of actually breaking into one, and actually getting himself injured.
And when Brian woke up, in any possibility, he would be thinking that he scratched and hurt himself. He would remember nothing about the gun. And he would not remember anything about Jack.
And Cade would be the only one who remember what exactly happened, if he got Aerie too. That was to protect them— and to protect himself. Having anyone, one single person, knowing about him and any of his enemies was more than enough, and it would be way too risky for Cade to risk anything.
"Hey!" A doctor pushed the door open, "what are you doing here? Only family members of the patient are allowed in the hospital."
"Oh." Cade said, "I— I am his older brother. It's really a great surprise, isn't it? A knife cut can end up having him in coma."
"Really?" The doctor asked, "You should be registering before coming in. Its required."
"Well—" Cade said, walking towards the doctor directly. "I forgot. I am sorry." He walked to him, and immediately covered his hand onto his eyes, as the purple sparks once again filled the air, entering the doctor through his very eyes.
"Register, heh?" Cade mumbled. The doctor froze at where he was, but he knew that it would only take him a few seconds to regain his consciousness again. Of course, then. He won't remember the brief moment of interruption by him.
And before leaving, Cade made sure that Brian's report mentioned nothing about a gun hole— he fixed Brian himself before any doctor could examine him. Aerie would be fine. And nobody's gonna make a big fuss about The Association, or him. The party. A place with more than 200 people gathering together, of course something would happen.
Cade would be going in unharmed, and leaving with the both of them unharmed.
At least thats what he promised himself.