"I'll show you just how dark I can be."
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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT — BROTHER BOTHER
"What the fuck, Diego!" I shouted.
"Diego, stop!" Five shouted.
Diego flipped over Hazel and shouted, "Get up!"
Hazel groaned as my brother kicked him twice in the face.
"You know, before you kill him, you might wanna hear what he has to say," Five said as Diego slapped Hazel.
Hazel punched him back in the guts.
I sipped on my margarita.
"I'm gonna kill you for what you did to Patch," Diego growled.
Hazel scrambled up from the floor as Diego pulled out a knife.
"Or don't. See how that goes," Five rolled his eyes.
Hazel yelled as Diego started to swing his knife at him.
Hazel looked over at us pleadingly, "Are you gonna-"
I shrugged.
"Come on!" Hazel yelled, right before Deigo stabbed him in the thigh.
Hazel screamed in pain.
Five inhaled sharply, gritting his teeth as we continued to watch. "That's gotta hurt."
Hazel threw Diego back and on the floor and groaned as he pulled the knife from this leg.
The two grunted as they continued to attack each other.
Diego did an impressive backflip and kicked Hazel right in the chin.
After a while, Hazel headbutted him and lifted him up.
Diego yelled before clamping his teeth onto Hazel's ear.
There was a crunch and they both started yelling again.
"You wanna do something about that?" I looked at Five.
He nodded, took a sip from his glass and jumped.
In a split-second, Five smashed a vase at the back of Diego's head and our brother passed out.
Hazel groaned.
"I draw the line at biting," Five sighed. "Hazel, whatever you came here to say, I suggest you make it quick before he comes around."
"I left my partner, quit the Commission, came to volunteer," Hazel said.
"For what?" Five asked.
"To help stop the apocalypse."
Five chuckled.
"What on earth could be so funny to you right now?" Hazel asked.
"Before he answers that, why do you wanna help us?" I questioned.
"Let's just say I have a vested interest in a doughnut shop," Hazel replied.
"Well, I hate to break it to you, pal. But you're a day late and a dollar short," Five grinned. "The fact that you're here right now means, without a shadow of a doubt, that the apocalypse is over."
"Really? How do you know?"
"The mark is dead. Found him this morning," I said.
Five smirked, "You were the last known unknown left in the equation."
Hazel let out a sigh of relief. "Shit. Really?"
"Mm-hmm. And if you're out, then Hellrider ain't riding," Five shrugged.
"Oh! All right!" Hazel laughed, sitting down on a stool and I handed him a glass of margarita.
The three of us sat as soft jazz music played from the radio.
"So now what?" Hazel asked.
"You know, to be honest, I don't know," Five smiled. "I've been chasing this thing for so long, I-I never really thought about the day after. I don't know, what about you?"
"I'm done with all this madness. Time to start over. You should do the same," Hazel replied.
"That's easier said than done," Five stared at me.
"Well, I just want to catch up on sleep," I said.
Hazel chuckled, "It doesn't have to be hard. I mean, think about it like this, if you never time-travelled, you never got caught up with the Handler, what would have happened?"
"I guess I would have grown up to be an emotionally stunted man-child like everybody else around here and would most definitely be hated by my current wife," Five chuckled.
"Well, there you go," Hazel shrugged. "Now you can grow up."
"I would never hate you," I scoffed. "How dare you doubt me."
"Good luck," Hazel patted both of us on the back.
"Hazel, one more thing before you go," I perked up.
"Shoot," he replied.
"Which one of you was the trigger man for Detective Patch?" I asked.
"Trigger woman."
"Huh, that's too bad," Five sighed. "That gun could have cleared my brother's name."
"Well, today's your lucky day, amigos," Hazel pulled out two guns from his back and placed them on the bartop. "Take 'em both. I'm done with this life."
He turned to leave, but looked back at us and said, "Hey, Five! Remember, happy wife, happy life!"
"He's right, you know," I grinned.
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Diego groaned as he got up from the floor.
"Good, you're up," Five said. "Ready for a drink now?"
Diego leapt up, "Where is he?"
"We let him go," I replied.
"You what?" Deigo shouted, his face scrunched up, confused.
"Now that the apocalypse is over, it's time for the fighting to stop," Five said.
Diego grunted, picking up his knife from the floor.
"Hey, he didn't kill Patch. his partner Cha-Cha did," I told him.
"So what?" Diego glowered at us. "They were both there that night."
"This half of the partnership gave us both of their guns," Five snapped. "Which will clear you, because the ballistics will match Patch's crime scene."
I sighed, "Hazel came here looking for a way out. He wanted a fresh start and he happened to have in his possession the one thing that could do out family a little good. So it's time to move on."
"Not a chance," Diego scowled.
"Suit yourself," Five shrugged. "I am curious. Your girlfriend, Patch. What did you like about her?"
"A lot of things," Diego's voice cracked. "Cute butt. Nice legs."
I sighed.
"Anything a little more profound than that?" Five asked.
"She believed in people. No matter how much shit and filth she saw on the streets," Diego said. "She always saw the good inside."
"Well, I'm sure she'll be proud to know that you're killing Hazel and Cha-Cha as a way to honour her memory," Five smiled.
Diego sighed.
"Five, Diego, before you go, I have to tell you something," I looked down.
"What now?" Diego asked.
"I'm saying this partly because Diego's little speech about Patch was cute but also because I think I know how Peabody died and how Allison got hurt," I wrung my fingers together.
"How many more secrets are you hiding from us? From Five?" Diego looked at me.
"Zero?" Five tilted his head, waiting for my answer.
I gulped nervously. "One more, and this is-was Dad's, he told me not to tell anybody, he told me not to let things get out of hand, he-"
"Zero, focus," Diego grabbed my shoulders.
I squeaked, "-told me not to tell her."
"Tell who?"
"V-Vanya," I stammered.
"Tell Vanya what?" Diego shook me.
I looked at Five pleadingly as his eyes widened. "That she has powers."