"You think he'll come around?" Echo whispered to Bold.
The Chinese boy shrugged, "Probably, although Athena did drop a huge bomb on him."
"What if his brother really is alive?"
"I don't know. I suppose we'd have to rescue him." He paused a moment and then added, "My sister had a huge crush on him."
Echo chuckled, "Your sister seems to have a crush on a lot of people."
"I know; she's strange like that."
Echo smirked, "And what about you, Bold? Do you get crushes easy?" She laughed loudly when he blushed. He quickly turned away and stared at the windows of the shops they were passing. He suddenly stopped so abruptly that Lys just about ran into him.
"What is it, Bold?" Lys asked. Bold pointed at the sign in the window of a small record store that read 'seasonal help wanted. No exp nec.'
"Hey, that's perfect! We should apply, Lys!" Echo said excitedly. Lys looked at the sign for a moment before he nodded in agreement. "Let's go then." He grabbed Echo's hand and pulled her inside. Bold followed reluctantly.
Lys headed straight for the counter, where a slightly overweight man was labelling a stack of CDs. "Excuse me?" Lys started.
"Yeah?" The man looked up.
"We saw the sign in your window and…"
"You got a resume?"
Lys faltered a moment, "Well…no but…"
"Forget it kid. Need to see a resume if you wanna work here."
Lys frowned and thought fast. Echo watched curiously as his expression turned from one of dismay to one of mischief. "But sir, my girlfriend and I just got into town and I haven't had any time…"
"No excuses! Come back with a resume!" The man snapped, turning back to the CDs.
"Please, sir." He suddenly got a crushed look on his face and Echo was pretty sure she saw his eyes glistening with tears. "My girlfriend here," He pulled Echo up next to him, and she smiled sheepishly. "You see she just had a baby and if I don't find a way to support them…"
Echo nearly choked when the words left his mouth, but managed to cover it up with a weak cough. Bold also snorted from the shelves of CDs he was looking at. The man looked up at him and glared and Bold chuckled nervously. He held up the closest CD and smiled. "I'm so glad you have this."
"Raffi?" The man questioned. Bold looked at the CD cover and blushed. "Er…yeah…"
The man gave him an odd stare before turning back to Echo and Lys. "So you have a kid then?" He asked of Echo.
"Y-yeah…"
"Where is it then?"
"He's with my brother." Lys interjected quickly, "Irvine."
"Well, how old is he?"
"My brother?"
"The kid!"
"Only a few weeks old."
"And what's his name?"
"Andrew."
The man frowned for a moment, "Well, I can't just let a teen couple go hungry. My sister had a kid too ya know, when she was eighteen. That bastard of a boyfriend took off on her! I respect that you're taking responsibility."
"So…you'll give me a job then?" Lys asked excitedly.
"Yeah, sure." The man shrugged.
"Excellent!" Lys cheered. "Thank you so much!" As Lys continued to thank the man, Echo spotted Andrew and Irvine walk by. She quickly ran out to tell him what was going on. Bold followed after a moment, once he realized that Lys would be talking with his new employer for quite some time. When he left Lys was busy weaving some extraordinary lie as to why he needed to be paid in cash.
"You're kidding!" Irvine chuckled once Echo had explained the situation to him. "He actually said that you were his girlfriend?" He started howling with mirth.
"It's not that funny, Irvine." Echo muttered, crossing her arms.
"Oh yes it is," Irvine laughed. "And then he had the balls to say that you had his kid!"
Echo couldn't help but turn a bit red. "Really, it got him a job, didn't it?" She glared at the man for all she was worth and eventually he wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded. "I guess you're right Echo, it's just a really funny way of doing it."
"It was funny." Bold pointed out.
"Oh shut up! Let's just grab Lys and go find Maddox." Echo grumbled, storming off back towards the van.
"You think we embarrassed her?" Irvine wondered. Bold only shrugged in response.
"Is there a reason we always end up with basement apartments?" Ro wondered tiredly as the group crowded into their new living quarters.
"They're cheapest." Maddox told her. "And in case you've forgotten. We're broke."
"Right," Ro sighed. Grumbling, she helped the others haul their things out of the van and followed Maddox into the basement of a small apartment building not unlike the Hole.
"It's bigger than the Hole," Echo pointed out, looking around the large room that somehow had attempted to pass off as an apartment.
"Is there even a bathroom?" Lys complained.
"Or a kitchen?" Shy added. It didn't look like there was either. The 'apartment' was simply a vast underground room with dust-caked windows, exposed wires and concrete support pillars.
"It's better than nothing, I guess." Irvine sighed.
"Come on you whining little brats! We've lived in worse." Maddox grumbled. "And it's not like we're gonna be staying long anyway."
"I know! We can call it 'the cave'!" Lys said happily. The others just glared at the teen, and he shrugged in response. "Well we could," He argued. His comments went ignored by the rest of the group as they unrolled their sleeping bags. "We'll make due for now," Echo said, sitting down beside Ro.
"Does anyone see a power outlet anywhere?" Remus wondered as he sat down against a support beam. He was answered with a few shrugs and one point towards an outlet about four feet above the ground near the door. He groaned as he moved over to it and plugged in his laptop. As he settled himself in he got a strange feeling. It wasn't like the feeling he got when the Hunters came around. It was more of an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach, coupled with an odd sense of familiarity.
"Does anyone else…" He started to say, only to be abruptly cut off by a wail from Andrew. A glance around the room told him that the others did indeed feel something, but he doubted it was the same as his. They looked very perturbed by it, and a little confused.
"What is that feeling?" Lys wondered, scratching at his stomach.
"We should go," Ro said quietly, "Just in case."
There was a long pause before Maddox finally agreed with her. "She's right. This is too weird. We should pack up and get outta here."
"But…but I just got a job!" Lys complained loudly. "It doesn't feel like the Hunters…"
"No," Maddox snapped, "But I don't like it one bit. The safest course of action would be to get out of here."
Lys frowned but didn't argue any further. As the others started to grab their things, Remus remained firmly in place. "No," He stated "I'm not going anywhere." He didn't know why he was so adamant about staying, but he just felt that he should. Something or someone he was familiar with was coming and he wanted to know what it was.
Maddox glared at him, but he knew better than to argue with the stubborn younger man. "Suit yourself," He shrugged, leading the way out of the 'apartment'.
Echo glanced at Lys with a worried loon on her face. "Should we really leave him here, alone?" She questioned.
"Sure, Remus can take care of himself." Lys shrugged.
"I don't know…something doesn't feel right about this, don't you think?"
Lys took a moment to ponder her words. The feelings were odd, and Remus' refusal to respond to them even more so. "I guess I am curious as to what Remus is up to." He said carefully. "You think we should hang back and see what's going on?"
Echo nodded, "Come on, let's go outside to the window to spy on him." Lys quickly agreed and they followed the others outside before turned around and dashing to the side of the building to find a window that looked into the basement. They ducked down beside it, looking in at Remus, who had not moved since they le
ft him.
Lys rubbed his stomach again as the alien feeling started to stir within him. It seemed like they had been waiting for more than twenty minutes before anything of interest happened.
"Lys! Look over there!" Echo gasped, pointed out of the alleyway they were sitting in at the main street. Lys looked up and glared at a heavyset man in a dark suit walked past, headed for the entrance to the building.
"Was that what I thought it was?" Echo asked, her face pale.
Lys nodded solemnly. "A Hunter."
Chapter Fourteen
Romulus and Remus
"Hold on a sec!" Echo roared, "How can he be a Hunter? There's no feelings or…or…"
"I don't get it either. Maybe he's not hunting us."
"They're always hunting, Lys." Echo pointed out. Lys frowned but didn't argue his point any further. Instead he looked back to the basement window, where Remus was still tapping away at his computer, although at a considerably slower pace than he had been. It was like he was typing subconsciously, and his attention was focused elsewhere.
He typed slowly for a few minutes longer until something drew his attention away from the laptop. He looked up quickly and then shifted the computer from his lap to the floor. "Look at this, Echo." Lys said in a hushed whisper.
The Hunter had entered the building and walked in through the front door as if he owned the place. Remus didn't even budge. He just stared at the Hunter with poorly contained malice. The Hunter spoke first, but the two teens couldn't hear anything from outside.
"What's going on?" Echo wondered aloud.
"I'm not sure…" Lys replied, "But I think I might have an idea. Come on." He jumped up to his feet and ran back around the building to the entrance. If he was right, then Remus was in a lot of trouble.
"It's about time I found you." The Hunter cackled.
"I should have known it was you," Remus snarled at the older man. His dark suit and vicious expression immediately marked him as a Hunter, but that was not what caused Remus' rage. It was the face, the face that was so familiar to him. He'd often thought of what this reunion would be like, but he never imagined that he would lose his temper so quickly upon seeing him. When the Hunter had walked into the room and, in his usual arrogant manner, Romulus greeted him as if he didn't know how much Remus hated him.
"You knew, did you? I don't think so, Aaron. If you knew what was coming you would have run away like your little friends."
Remus glared at his brother murderously, "What have you done to them?"
"Who? Your companions? Nothing, I promise." He grinned, "It was only you I was after anyway." Remus said nothing in response. All he wanted to do was pound that stupid smirk off his older brother's face. It was his fault he was on the run. Because of him both his parents were dead. His little sister was dead. Romulus had turned on them all.
"You bastard!" Remus cried, his thoughts getting the better of him. "How could you betray us to them? They were innocent! Mom, Dad, Kim…"
"They would have died anyway," Romulus snapped, "They would have died and you would have been safe, all curled up in a hole in the ground, waiting out the apocalypse like a coward!"
"I'm a coward! You're the one who murdered your own family just to get to me. You're the one who let your fear get the better of you. At least I didn't slaughter my parents."
"No, I saved you the troubled, Aaron. You wouldn't go right out and murder them, but you would leave them to die. You're no better than I am."
For a moment Remus stumbled, unsure of how to respond. But the anger swelling inside him couldn't be for nothing. He was right, he knew it. But Romulus' absurd logic was getting the better of him. Was it selfish of them to find a way to live and leave the rest of humanity behind?
"So you see my point, do you, little brother?" Romulus growled. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled a well-used 9mm. He held it level to Remus' head, a cruel smile marring his features. "I've been tracking you for three years now, Aaron. And finally I will give you what you deserve." His finger tightened around the trigger and Remus closed his eyes, awaiting his death. But a sudden shriek caught the Hunter off guard and with a flash the gun had been knocked from his hand.
"Remus!" It was Echo, running up from behind them. Lys stood to the side, holding a metal pipe in his hands like a baseball bat. A piece of the pipe had been ripped out of the side, creating a jagged edge. Blood was dripping from the pipe, and Remus looked over at his brother to see him clutching his bleeding right hand, but still smiling. "Remus? Is that what you've been calling yourself these days?" He chuckled, "I guess that would make me Romulus, now wouldn't it?"
He got no answer other than a glare from Remus. Echo ran up to him and quickly began asking him if he was okay. Lys, ever the survivor, picked up the gun from the ground and pointed it at Romulus.
The older of the two brothers ignored them both. His eyes were on Remus only. "If I recall correctly, Romulus kills Remus and goes on to build the beautiful city of Rome. He came out victorious, as will I."
"Echo," Remus whispered, looking at the girl from the corner of his eye. "You two have to get out of here."
"But…"
"I grew up with him, I know he has something planned. Go, take the computer."
"The computer!" Echo roared, "Don't you think that your life is more important than a stupid…"
"No! In that laptop are blueprints for the shelter and other invaluable data that The Chosen need to survive. If it is destroyed…" He didn't bother to finish. He didn't need to. Echo nodded her understanding, somewhat reluctantly. "You guys have to go, I'll keep him busy."
"What are you two whispering about?" Romulus growled. "Planning some escape? I don't think that will be happening." He smiled and reached into his pocket again. Lys jumped and cocked the gun, aiming it at the Hunter's head, but Romulus just laughed. He supplied from within the pockets of his jacket a small device about the size of a pen. "I wouldn't come all this way without a backup plan."
Remus motioned at Echo to go, and slowly she inched towards the laptop. "People like you are the reason nature has decided to destroy the human race. People like you, who are so corrupted by fear and greed that you would stoop to killing your own family." Remus said to his brother.
"Nature? Why not God?"
"I don't believe in God."
"Typical." Romulus snorted. "But you are no better than me, Remus. You…"
"But I am better." Remus cut him off, "I wouldn't have left them behind. Unlike you, they were good people. They would have been Chosen eventually, I'm sure of it. Mom and dad were both geniuses. We could have used people like them. But you killed them before they even had a chance. You took the first chance you got to join the Hunters and tracks us down like animals. You killed them, Romulus, you took away their chance to live because you knew you would never have one."
Romulus stared at his brother, horrified. "Don't talk this nonsense to me!" He cried. He flipped open a hatch on the device angrily and pounded his fat fingers against a hidden keypad. Lys realised what he was doing too late, and he pulled the trigger of the gun just as Romulus simultaneously pressed the button.
"Shit!" Lys screamed. Romulus fell to the ground, his skull leaking blood from the wound in his head. Lys stared down at the body with horror and disgust. He was lifeless, but the tiny counter on the device was slowly counting down.
"He's set a bomb down here!" Lys screamed, pushing down the bile that was rising in his throat. He looked around frantically and saw that something had been taped clumsily to a pillar by the door. He ran for it, but a shout from Remus stopped him. "It's too late for that. Get out of here, now!"
The timer had that had been set for two minutes was now at 1:30. With barely a thought, Lys shot out the basement window and called the other two over to it. Echo ran over, the laptop tucked under her arm, and examined the size of the window. She and Lys were probably slim enough to squeeze through with only a few scratches from the broken glass, but Remus…she looked back at
him and saw that he was probably thinking the same thing.
"Remus…" She choked.
"Go, it's my own fault for skipping gym class in high school and living off Doritos." He forced a smile, but on his face it looked awkward and a little scary. Echo, of course, didn't have the heart to tell him so she smiled back weakly. "Goodbye, Remus" She said. She let Lys give her a boost up to the window and pulled herself through.
Lys took a second to look back at the man as well, "You're a good man, Remus." He said, "We'll never forget you."
"I should hope not," Remus quipped, "Now go, you'll have to take care of those idiots when I'm gone, you know."
"Yeah, I know."
"I'll give you a leg up." Remus offered. He cupped his hands together for Lys to use as a step and hoisted the younger man up. Once Lys was through he turned and looked back at Remus.
"Keep them alive," Remus told him sternly, "I'm putting you in charge."
Lys laughed, "Yeah, sure."
"Now go!" Remus shouted, "There's only five seconds left on the clock!"
"Crap!" Lys didn't need any more encouragement. He shot past Echo, grabbing her arm in the process and ran at top speed away from the building. After a moment there was a loud blast that shook the windows of neighbouring buildings three blocks down. There was a rush of air and then a loud rumbling sound and then…nothing. The dust that was blown up by the explosion settled and Lys and Echo stopped running in order to peer back at what was left of their temporary home, and long-time comrade.
"He must have had charges set up all over the place." Lys said quietly. The building had been reduced to rubble in mere seconds. There was a blare of sirens in the distance, but neither of them noticed it. Lys looked down at the gun that was still in his hand and shakily wiped the fingerprints from it and dropped it in the dumpster. Echo said nothing of how they could have used it. She looked from the ruined building to her friend and back again.
Had all that really happened? It seemed so unreal but she knew it had happened. Lys had killed a man and Remus had sacrificed himself for the sake of the rest of them. Lys was staring at the building, chewing his lip and trying to contain his emotions. Echo didn't know how close Remus and Lys were, but their last conversation hinted that they had exchanged words in the past. Despite his efforts, Echo could see a tear welling in the older boy's eye. Echo was too dazed to really cry for Remus, but she hadn't known him long either. It had only been a couple of months since she first came across Lys in the drug store in her hometown. It seemed like so much longer.
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