Griffin
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You ready for the epic kinda conclusion to the plot? YOU SHOULD MAYBE KINDA BE. Eh. Well, here it is anyway. :3
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Steady and sure, the continuous beeping retained its monotonous pattern, never ceasing to identify the children as those in the land of the living. Doctors came and went, asking us questions we could not answer.
We waited. I was certain the remainder of our rescue group loathed my existence for making us wait. They did not understand. They could not comprehend my reasoning.
Hours passed. Days. The children were moved room to room, and, every night, I would remain with them to be sure they were safe. The others spent the nights in the van, sound asleep, while I was plagued with insomnia.
What would have happened had I not disobeyed Sebastian? Those children, innocent and tortured, would have been separated for all eternity, one forced to remain in a state of agony and starvation while the other faced an endless solitude in the arms of Death.
I knew the others had mixed feelings about my actions. It would not have made sense otherwise. Had I chosen to ignore the signs, a child would be dead. But they feared our friends would face a similar fate.
“Mr... er... Griffith?” a clean shaven man announced, adjusting the square frames on the bridge of his sweaty nose. I nodded; there was no sense in correcting such misguided humans when I never intended on seeing them again. “The boys, Ethan and Liam, are all set to go. We’ve found them a foster home where they’ll be safe.”
As he flipped the paper on his clipboard over, he donned a solemn gaze.
“What you did was very kind, something I rarely see in this town,” he murmured, catching me by surprise. Rare? It was a good deed, common courtesy. Why have such commodities vanished? “Those boys will have good lives now. I’ll not soon forget this, sir.” He offered a hand. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you. God bless.”
Stunned, I gripped his hand firmly and shook. “Likewise.” With a grim, carefully-constructed smile, and turned on his heel, the tails of his coat slapping the breeze.
I rose, fastening the sole button on the labcoat. It is time to fetch the others. No more distractions. We must save our friends and defeat Xenogenesis once and for all.
Leaving no identity in my wake, no phone number, address, or even a signature, I exited the building, heading straight for the black van in the parking lot.
Low in the sky, the orange orb of luminescent gas acted as a renowned artist, splashing an intricate array of dyes into the atmosphere. Not a cloud hung in the heavens. What a perfect evening to lead into a wretched night.
Upon nearing the vehicle, Sebastian pushed off the side, his expression grim and eyes shadowed. Hands stuffed in the pockets of his coat, he crossed the lot to me, ignoring the attempts at light-heartedness by the others.
“Are the kids alright?” he queried, lifting his intense stare to meet mine. Striding past him and motioning for him to follow suit, I nodded.
Eyes averted, I answered him. “Yes. Their doctors were kind of heart. They located a foster home for them to stay in.”
“Good. I’m glad our time wasn’t a total waste.” Though he had not intended for them to be taken in a negative way, I could not control the burning anger that swelled in my chest. I stopped, allowing him to realize what I was doing. “Griffin?”
Clenching my jaw, I struggled to loosen the tension in my shoulders. “It would not have been a waste of time no matter what. How heartless can one be?” My voice, hard and flat, struck him as if I had smacked him. I suppose he had not expected such a response.
“Well, that’s not what I mea—”
Trembling with a dastardly combination of fury and disbelief, I stepped closer, silencing him with nothing more than a glare. “If someone had done this for me when I was young, everything would be different. I would be nothing like how I am now. You do not understand.”
Eyes wide, he managed to give a response. “Griffin...” A shadow crossed over his features. “No, you’re right. I don’t understand, and neither does anyone here! Don’t you see what you’ve done to yourself? You’ve isolated yourself for so long that, when people actually want to care, you just push them away!”
Closing my eyes, I turned away. “I did not push Akira away. She listened. She knows the truth.”
From my peripheral vision, I watched as the effect of my words took its toll. Yes, feel guilt, Sebastian. Maybe then you will understand how I have felt all these years. Then again, someone like you, with no shame and no fear, would never understand. It is impossible.
He sighed. “I’m sorry for acting so out of turn. I had no right.” Pausing, he offered a hand. “I don’t want to argue when we need to focus. Truce?” Reluctant, I obliged, giving his appendage a loose shake.
“I agree. I also apologize. You meant no harm.” After swallowing, I continued to the van, meeting the knowing stares of the four who had accompanied us. “May I borrow your... mobile phone, Kateri? I would like to inform Violette and Kuroshiro that we are headed to their base and that they should be prepared to welcome back our comrades this eve.”
With a brilliant smile I found I envied, she handed the device to me. I was glad she had programed the number to the mansion into it prior to our initial departure. After pressing the “Speed Dial” function, I excused myself from the group, stifling a yawn as I did so.
Days without sleep... I only hope I will not crash at the peak of our mission. I must press on.
Someone answered the phone on the first ring.
“Kateri? You didn’t save them already, did you? ‘Cause I mean that’d be AWESOME but... we’re still in the middle of setting up the party.” As usual, Violette was peppy and hyper to an intolerable degree. Like a miniature Kateri.
“No, it is Griffin. Party? Who said anything about a party?” I answered, silence following my words.
Then, Violette forced out a laugh. “Oh, hehe. Hey, Griffy. Nothing, nothing at all. We have all the first aid supplies and medicine out and ready, and, since we had that ready.... two days ago... we decided to throw a ‘Welcome Home’ party! Isn’t it brilliant?”
“Morbidly so, yes.” As I massaged my temple, I released a sigh. Teenagers. I was never like this. “Nonetheless, I wanted to tell you we are about to leave the hospital. If all goes as planned, we will be back before tomorrow morning. Do you understand?”
“Yessir! I’ll have someone...” She paused. “On second thought, I’ll just make the breakfast. You like crepes, right?”
“Whatever is fine!” I hissed. “Violette, just make sure everything and everyone is prepared. The last thing we need is to be unorganized at this point. Lives are at stake!”
“Sorry... We’ll be prepared, I promise.” After that, a few seconds of silence reigned, broken by brief bouts of shouting. “Guys! The streamers go across the railing, not in the ceiling fan!”
“Violette?”
“Sorry. Gotta go! Streamer emergency! See ya tonight!”
As static reached my ears, I groaned, hanging up and heading back toward the van.
“They will be ready for us. We must not delay. The base is fifteen minutes from here.” Fifteen minutes between us and a clan of deranged scientists. Fifteen minutes away from heroism. Fifteen minutes from our friends. “We cannot wait any longer. No more distractions. This is the time of truth. You cannot falter in the face of evil. We will work as a group. Cooperate. Are you following?”
Still clad in her black attire, the circus vampire voiced her opinion first. “We understand. We’ll do our best.”
“Aye,” Travis agreed, offering a reassuring grin. “We’ll show those scientists just what’s it’s like to mess around with us!”
“They’ll be begging for mercy like wittle babies by the time we’re through with ‘em!” Riley claimed, flashing a devious smile, tails wagging as they escaped her black assemble.
I tried to smile. “One can only hope.”
At that, we crammed ourselves into the metal death machine once more, me in the passenger seat since Sparkles did not trust me. After five minutes of silence, Sebastian turned to me, a solemn glaze over his eyes.
“You know, Griffin, I lost my brother, too.” His abrupt confession took me by surprise.
“... What? I am sorry for your loss, but I see no relevan—”
“The way you talked about those two kids pretty much summed you up,” he interjected, swallowing as he faced the road once more. “Your brother died in a fire... didn’t he?” His tone implied that it was not a question.
Gritting my teeth, I figured there was no point in lying. “You are correct. And your brother?”
As his grip tightened on the wheel, he clenched his teeth. “I haven’t seen him in centuries. I don’t know.” He was lying. I was not sure why, but his posture, his tone, indicated it was an untruth. You saw your brother die, as well. I know it.
I patted his arm, the only offer of sympathy I could muster. “Maybe one day you will be reunited.”
“Maybe.”
The last ten minutes passed in a blur, the moon having risen by the time we reached our destination. We parked, exiting the vehicle in utter silence.
Outside of the apparent XL headquarters, disguised as an abandoned warehouse to lead simpletons astray, we gathered.
Waiting. Planning. Hoping. Praying.
This is it. The moment of truth. Friends, you will be safe soon.
After an eternity, Sebastian piped up. “No one’s entered the building in half an hour.” His eyes darted between the face of the building and the screen in hand.
Peeking over his shoulder, Riley nodded, tails twitching as if they had a mind of their own. “Then let’s get going! We’ve gotta save them A.S.A.P.!”
I massaged my temple, flexing my wings beneath the confining labcoat. “Yes, you are correct. We should head in right away.”
This is just like the old days back in Greece. Hiding, plotting, trying to be a hero. Only, this time, so much more is at stake.
“Alice,” I barked, her head lifting the instant her name left my lips. “You will be in charge of distracting the scientists with Kateri as well as disarming them.” I clenched my fists. “We may be outnumbered but we cannot be discouraged.”
“Yessir!” Kateri chirped, her anxiety clear. “We’ll... we’ll do our best.”
Nodding, I offered a grim smile. “that is all I could ask of you.”
“Is this it then? A suicide mission?” the Leprechaun blurted, running a hand through his hair. “Griff, I thought... I thought ye had this planned.”
“I do.” After a brief pause to gather my thoughts, I continued. “I do not expect this to be suicide. We must save Aki—the club. We have to save the club.” It is all the family I have, and I refuse to simply relinquish that. “Let us go.”
On my signal, we crept toward the lone entrance, adrenaline racing through my veins. This must work. I hope I have not led anyone off track. I hope I have not brought us to our slaughter.
I opened the door, throwing it open behind me as I darted inside, descending the stairs as quickly as I was able to.
Darkness. Palpable darkness. Smothering.
Even with my eyes, adapted to dim situations, I could not see a single thing. A sense of dread washed over me.
As the footsteps of my cohorts reached my ears, a brilliant flash of light interrupted my warning, blinding us all.
By the time I had adjusted my vision, my heart sank in my chest, all hopes disintegrating.
All around us, a mob of black-clad scientists stood leering at us. Our situation was bleak.
“Hello, Griffin,” said a sneering man. “My name is Hiraku. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Leaning to the side, his features sharpened. “Shut the door already, you idiot!”
An echoing bang! sounded, securing our defeat.
“Are you the one in charge?” I growled, throwing off my coat now that it served no purpose.
“Oh goodness no. No one really is.” His words were cryptic; I longed to break his spine.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sebastian snapped, stepping forward.
“Like I am obligated to tell you,” the man laughed. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Hissing, I stepped forward. “Give me a straight answer before I...” My threat was empty.
His laugh never faltered. Gods how I despised him. “Before you what? Try and be a hero again?”
“Griffin, don’t play into his trap,” Alice’s voice touched my ears.
“Listen to the little circus freak, Griffin. She knows what’s best, doesn’t she?” Wielding a clipboard, a woman chuckled, tapping a pen against the papers.
In a way, she was reminiscent of the Mandrake, Acacia. Perhaps my mind was failing. “But I bet you’d like Akira to be here, wouldn’t you? Telling you what to do all the time like you’re her little puppet. But you like it, don’t you?”
I had had enough.
“Βγάλε το σκασμό, σκύλα!” Filled with fury, my voice did little to express the hatred that churned within me. The woman tsked.
“Oh Griffin. Don’t let your temper get the best of you.” Narrowing my eyes, I stepped closer. A few of the scientists mimicked my actions, but she waved them away. “Let’s see what he’ll do.”
“I’ll do whatever the h*ll I want. You’re not a God!” What? Contractions?? I have been in America for far too long. My inner turmoil did not impede my advance. With a swift motion, I slammed an open palm into the side of her neck with as much force as I could, a sickening crack immediately following.
Her body fell, limp. Her eyes dimmed.
Dead.
As the scientists swarmed to her, tugging on gas masks all the while, I could only stare at my hands. What have I done? I... I am a monster.
Sebastian’s cries that ordered me to move did not process correctly. I was ashamed, terrified. Even when Riley tugged on my arm to force me along, I refused.
Then, the gas poured in, filtering from the vents near the ceiling. Choking, I grasped my throat, this gas having more power and potency than the one at the mansion.
My knees folded, unable to support me, and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the same happen to the rest of the rescue mission.
Suicide. I am sorry. I am so... so sorry.
As my eyes began to close, the first man who spoke to me knelt down, peeling off his mask and staring at me with a demonic gaze.
“Looks like your plan didn’t work out very well, did it?” He laughed, tugging at my stiff wings. “Oh well. At least you won’t remember a thing after a week’s time.” No! I cannot forget! I cannot... “Now we’ll just be going on our merry way to collect the rest of your club. They’ll be expecting us with a lovely party, no? Then, it’ll be like this never happened.”
As I struggled, he rose, planting a foot on my chest.
“Don’t fight it, Wyvern. Your brother wouldn’t have wished to see you like this: weak and incapable. But that’s how you always were anyway.” The mention of Cyrus broke me, a single tear escaping my eye. “Pathetic. You should be thankful we’re erasing your failure. Good luck living your pointless lives. You can never escape. We will always find you. Sleep on that. Farewell, Griffin.”
Against my will, my eyes closed, beginning to surrender my mind to the inky black Hell.
Please forgive me. I only wished to help. I am sorry. Cyrus... Akira... Everyone... I failed you. I... am.....
Weakened and numb, I succumbed to the unforgiving darkness within my mind.
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So rescue mission = failure. Heh.
Not my idea, but it works really well. Hope you liked it. GOOD RIDDANCE CECILE
Oh, and the whole club will be there for about another week or so. I’m trying to give ya’ll some time. :3 MEMORY ALTERATION TAKES A WHILE XD
This means that, if your character was in XL from the start and you didn't get a chance to post their POV, you still have a week to do so. And if your character was safe well, now they can experience the living torture that is XL! Woohoo!
so yeah.... that's all.... ^-^
