"So you're actually an immortal? Can you prove that?" Incredibly enough, my story alone hadn't been enough to fill the entire ride down to Hell.
"If you shot me in the head, I'd be back with a new body within the hour." My back was getting stiff from sitting.
"What happens to your old one?"
"It stays."
Blake looked grossed out, then recovered and said, "I don't suppose there's a final part to this? Some kind of end all resolution?"
"For who? Phin? I haven't seen him since. God knows what he's been doing without me."
"He's immortal too?"
"All my old friends are, unfortunately." I paused. "I hate them all."
"I know that's a lie."
"Yeah. Sometimes that kind of thing just slips out of me."
"Sorry, but have you ever considered, I don't know, not lying? Not losing your temper? Just being nicer?"
"When I try to act nice, I just end up feeling fake. I'm not really sure. It's just kind of hard for me."
"You must have positive emotions for some people, right?"
"I feel like I'm lying no matter what I do," I said, "But I do like you, okay? That's always going to be a thing. For a while. We were good friends."
"It's been a week."
"But a good week, right?"
The city wasn't quiet. The moment we stepped out of the teal tiles of the entrance hall, there was the soft rumble of far off clamor. A couple feet into the city and there was a series of muted gunshots.
"What's going on?" Blake frowned, and sped up his pace a bit. Yeah. Well. Only one thing could be happening next, and I'd made sure to drop several obvious hints about it just ten minutes ago.
The sounds were starting to become more distinguishable. There weren't many people in the streets, and those that were all seemed to be walking in the same direction of us. At one point a small group of soldiers ran past us. The ground shook for a few seconds.
"What's happening?" Blake asked, speeding up. We wove the tangled crowds towards the central square, taking in the smells of extinguished gun smoke.
The square was a mess in just one way- at least the buildings were fine. The people were not. Like scattered rainfall, blood was drizzled and splattered across the square. Bodies, laying like bodies on the concrete, were given the too-red scene the splash of color it needed.
About twenty max were dead, though soldiers were still carrying in new bodies. There was no movement to create neat piles for now- this was an image left to last. The three screens of the square displayed different angles of the massacre. At the far end, surrounded by teal-coated soldiers, was a man.
Blake was unhappy. This was very much an understatement. "I was supposed to be here!"
"Good thing you weren't, huh?"
He looked at me, wobbly and teary-eyed. "Everyone is dead!" He tried to scream it, but his voice couldn't handle the strain, and instead he nearly had to whisper.
He fell to the ground in what I thought was an over dramatic mood. I tried to help him up, and he slapped my hand away.
"Hey. It's fine."
"These were my friends," Blake sobbed. "Jesus fuck."
I sat down next to him. "Hey, you're still alive, and that's good. Come on. They must have warned you rebellion is totally illegal down here, right?"
"Not helpful," Blake chocked out, "I was supposed to be there with them."
"To do what? Protest? Break into Alexander's penthouse? Literally, you were all going to die at some point. I wasn't really expecting this, but I'm not an idiot either."
"I was supposed to be here."
"You weren't. I made sure of that."
"Fuck you."
"I saved your life."
Blake sat up. The man across the square had been obscured by his tall guards, but now he was stepping forward. The television screen on the central tower captured his face.
Surrounded by his army and in the sharpest of attire, Alexander Scott wasn't an intimidating sight. He was short and messy looking, his hair perfectly matching the fake fur that lined in coat. This was the first time he'd been seen in public in... well, a year. But before that it'd been many years.
It looked like he was about to give a speech, but instead he was simply frowning, barely turning his head to take in what he'd ordered. Most of The Few were behind him, lined up and stiff, like kids called out of class for a fire drill. Kell in particularly stood out, but maybe that was because I was staring him down.
I had business to attend to, that much was clear, but I couldn't leave Blake.
I nudged him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey. I don't see Pepper."
"Yeah, but you know who I see?" It was hard to really understand what he was saying through all the tears. "Everyone else."
"Hey, but you're safe. That's good, right?"
"No, of course it isn't. For fuck's sake Mannie, I'd rather die for a cause than be the last one standing."
"This is just survivor's guilt. You'll get over it."
"Yeah. I know. But for now, it's shit, and I don't want to talk to you. I just want to throw up."
"Come on. Stand up. I have something to do across the square."
"Do it without me. Like you prefer to do everything else that isn't directly fucking me over."
I clenched my jaw. "I saved your life."
"You're an actual psychopath. Or sociopath. Whichever one's worse. Look, Mannie, okay? No one can fucking stand you, I promise you that. You keep dragging me places and making choices for me, and I don't care what's 'right' half the time! I just want to do whatever. Even if I die," Blake wasn't done crying, but his voice was clear now. Every word distinct. "I'm sick of pretending I have the patience to put up with you."
I curled my fingers, one at a time, and I balled them into fists. And then I released. And I looked back behind me, at Alexander and The Few, and reminded myself I had some unfinished business to attend to.
And it wasn't that Blake couldn't wait, it's more like he wouldn't wait. And I had some unfinished business with him too, a lot of it really, but it was too late for that. Too damaged to go back on. And too late to fix.
Alexander waved off the couple soldiers who seemed worried about my approach, and let me onto the stone platform. Behind him, the couple members of The Few still alive looked mortified.
"Do you know who that is?" Kelsey urged. "Because someone will probably die if you let Mannie get even an inch closer to us."
I stopped just a foot away from him, and he turned to me to look me in the eye. And then he smiled.
"And here I thought you were getting out of this place!"
"It's hard to quit an old habit." I pulled him into a brief hug. "Good to see you again, Phinny. Thanks for sending those hounds after me. Fucking waste of good clothes, that was."
"Consider it my pleasure- and please, if you're going to call me by my middle name, could you at least keep it to 'Phineus'?"
"Phin, the moment I do that is the moment my soul's finally left my body and gone down to true Hell."
"You two know each other," Kell said flatly.
"Oh, yes. Long ways back." I was smiling despite myself. Hard not to get caught up in emotions when running into an old friend.
"We grew up together," Alexander added.
"I have a request for you," I said to Phin, "Is there a way we can talk in private? This blood puddle is absolutely ruining my shoes."
"Absolutely," he said, turning around and walking through the line of The Few and back towards the central building.
His soldiers, unsure of what to do without him in front, stood there restlessly. The cameramen were also unsure on who to focus on, and eventually one or two of them broke off to film me and Phin walk up the steps. But Phin waved them off with his hand, and they returned back to the group.
"A lot of shit has happened since I last talked to you," I said.
"I wish I could say the same. I've just been hanging around collecting economic data or whatever. Boring as shit and I didn't technically finish. You know, from what they tell me, you're the one responsible for me getting called back early? They got all cautionary about it too, saying like 'Mannie will kill everything you love' and I had to hold back from laughing."
"Actually, I've really been living up to that fear lately. I about caused that mess back there"
"Doesn't it look eerily familiar? Except this time no one's going to rush out and kill the dictator while everyone's distracted. No such thing as another me."
I looked behind me to make sure Blake hadn't moved. "I can't stay long."
"When have you ever?" He stopped me in front of the doors and placed his hands on my shoulders. "But promise you'll visit me again."
"Unfortunately."
He frowned, then laughed. "So what is it you want of me this time?"
The main building, technically named 'Casper', had a lobby like a hotel, with plush red, black, and gold carpeting, and tons of sofas. The elevator was gold plated. Probably not real.
"Maybe one or two things. I guess it depends on your opinion."
"I'm not the best at advice. Why do you always turn to me for advice?"
"You're not supposed to know about this, but tomorrow night the angels are going to sit down and do peace stuff with the others."
"'Peace stuff'? Like another sit down meeting? I'd really not like to lose another two to three of my inner circle to another terrible idea."
"This is happening."
"Okay, Ella. What of it?"
"I need you to make sure someone's there. And give Michael a chance."
"What happened to you?"
"Oh, nothing much. Nothing at all, really. It's all in the past."
"And it's enough to make you consider peace with Heaven? I thought we were on the same page about this."
"I'm allowed to change my opinions over time."
"What, over a few days?"
"Whenever. I just need to make sure someone is where I need him for the cycle change."
Phin stared at me. "Oh," he said.