Mr Carl..?
"E-...Eli?..."
Aesop stuttered out. He swallowed hard to make sure he was still awake. There was no way he could fall asleep now. This can't be real! The other male had already put the blindfold back on, covering eyes that were of different colour.
"This... Is just a joke isn't it? Are you like... Eli's twin or something..?"
"Not at all sir."
"Prove it."
The man sighed as he started up the car.
"I'll bring you home. You don't need to tell me the address."
Without another word, he drove down the empty streets. Aesop stared at the man. How in the world was he driving with a blindfold over his eyes? The other male was concentrated on the road, gloved hands placed on the wheel just like how Eli would drive. But Aesop just couldn't bring himself to believe it. Hadn't he witnessed the office blow up? The bullet that had been lodged in Eli's back had been unmistakable on that day. Unless he...
"You have two Samoyeds, Geri and Freki. There was a family portrait outside your room with you as a child. You didn't have any photos of the Samoyeds when they were smaller because you claimed you hated taking photos as a child."
They stopped at a red light as a group of bikers sped past. Eli turned to look at Aesop. There was a small smile on his lips, one that Aesop could never mistake. That he wasn't dreaming, hallucinating, tripping whatever. That right in front of him was the person he'd assumed dead for weeks.
"Eli Clark..."
He could feel tears in his eyes spilling down as Eli continued driving, but they were tears of happiness. He stared ahead, chest rising and falling rapidly. He heard the creak of iron gates swinging open as they pulled into his property. The maids were at the door, already worried sick. What they didn't expect was for Aesop to be accompanied by someone who wasn't Jack. He had so many questions, but his head was spinning too much as he stumbled to the door. Just as Eli's hands reached for the knob, it burst open with a loud crash.
"Aesop! Aesop I'm so glad you're- Who are you?!"
Aesop looked up at his mother, who'd reached down and taken off a heel, brandishing it at Eli.
"Ah, you must be Mrs Carl. Would you mind letting us in? Aesop doesn't seem to be feeling well at the moment."
"How can I be sure that-"
"You can hold me at gunpoint the whole way, if you don't trust me."
Rosa was shocked into silence. Andrej emerged from the back to see what the fuss was about. It wasn't everyday someone would willingly let a random person hold them at gunpoint. Eli noticed him and swallowed hard. He shifted his grip on Aesop slightly before slowly moving to the stairs. The other male's parents only watched.
"Sorry about... them..."
Eli looked down at Aesop, who was almost slumped against him at this point, but didn't say anything. It was natural for parents to be alert and keep watch of people who could be a potential threat, not that Eli was one anyway. One of the Samoyeds was upstairs. Eli failed to recognize which one it was, but judging by how it instantly sat up to look at them, he made his guess.
"Freki?"
The Samoyed jumped at him, but didn't attack. It started barking happily, much to Aesop's pain as his head throbbed from the noise. Rosa was still cautiously watching from behind, Andrej beside her.
"How do you know its name..?"
Eli looked over. Andrej thought of his patience quite commendable with Rosa asking question after question. It's exactly like how Jack had described Eli to be, but he couldn't be too sure yet. They watched as Eli led Aesop straight to the bedroom, where he laid Aesop on the bed and tucked him in, turning off the lights before shutting the door behind him.
"I'm sure sir and ma'am have questions for me?"
"Indeed we do, Mr Clark."
Eli sighed.
"No doubt everyone assumed I was dead?"
Andrej looked at Rosa, who was now nervously glancing at the blindfolded man before them. Eli chuckled.
"Rest assured I am no ghost. I am 100% an alive human being. But as for how I lived, maybe we should wait till Aesop awakes. I believe he has every right to know as well."
The three were silent for a moment. Eli had to suppress the urge to reach into his pocket for a cigarette - the silence was too awkward for him. Downstairs, the doorbell rang as Jack stepped in.
"Sorry I didn't bring Aesop back- Whoaa what is he doing here?"
Eli looked down. Suppose Jack still remembered, he went downstairs and placed his hands behind him like how he would in the Mafia before saying,
"If Aesop dares to tell me he wants more food, I'll have to pass him to you to babysit. I'm going broke."
He smiles a little as he sees the shock and realisation flit across Jack's face. The other male staggers a bit as he grabs Eli's face, turning it left and right.
"I ain't tripping right..?"
"Jack if you're tripping then so are we."
Andrej joined in. For the first time ages, Jack feels a smile on his own face. Vaguely he remembers what Naib had told him after he and Joseph went back to the building.
"I know this sounds crazy, but we can't find him. Not even remains. I can't tell for sure if the Abyss went back for his body or if he's alive..."
"You're alive..?"
He asked. It sounded stupid, but he couldn't help it. There was no way he managed to survive the blow. Even if he did, didn't he get shot by Netherwalker's gun?
"Everything alright, Jack?"
Eli asked. Jack slowly nodded.
"Wait til I tell Naib about this... Dude's gonna owe me his whole salary..."
He muttered as he pulled out his phone, heading out of the house, probably calling the mercenary to tell him the news.
"Er, Mr Clark?"
Rosa asked from behind her husband. Eli still couldn't help but feel intimidated by his presence. Should Andrej still be the boss of the Mafia when he joined, he would've been too scared to even go to work.
"You should stay for the night... I'm sure Aesop would have some things to say to you when he wakes up."
"Ah, yes. Of course, as long as it doesn't bother you."
They managed to arrange some space in the office for Eli to sleep in before leaving. Eli sighed, slipping off his coat and blindfold. He stared at it before pulling the small pillow closer to him and closing his eyes.
Being blind in one eye sure is tedious...
