Until The World Ends

No One's Dying Today

Kaleb could hear the sound of crying before he even entered the room. He should've been moving quickly as they didn't exactly have time to spare. Penelope and Jed were stalling, but the armed agents from Triad were beginning to grow impatient.

Still, Kaleb couldn't help but pause for a moment to take in the Milton's kneeling form on the ground. His face was streaked with tears and his hands were together in front of his face: he was praying.

Kaleb cleared his throat to announce his presence in the room, causing the human to jump slightly, startled.

"They're outside," Kaleb explained.

Milton swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded before standing.

"I'm gonna die today," he uttered softly, not a question but a statement.

Kaleb shook his head.

"No one's dying today," he assured. "We're all getting our freedom and walking out alive."

The plan was going to work. It needed to work. Kaleb refused to even briefly entertain any other possibility. He had to push aside the looming threat of disaster and carnage. He had to ignore the way his lungs felt like they had filled with lead leaving no room for oxygen. He had to believe that Milton Greasley was going to walk out alive. He had to believe that he wasn't going to have to spend the rest of eternity running.

Milton, however, clearly did not share this belief. Instead, he tried his best to accept death. Growing up, he'd always been told that death was a natural part of life. Still, no matter how hard he tried to grapple with it, he couldn't find himself at the same peace with death as the old church ladies from his congregation seemed to be. Instead, he was the most terrified he'd ever been in his entire life and it showed.

"How can you be so sure?" he asked, his voice equally as small and pathetic as before.

Kaleb couldn't meet the other's gaze at that point. He wasn't sure. Milton knew this.

The human boy shook his head and chuckled bitterly.

"I️ guess it serves me right for trying to run," he said, wiping tears from his face.

These words caught Kaleb's attention and he snapped to look at the other again.

"What?" he asked.

"I️ never wanted any of this. I️ didn't want to be the heir the Triad. I️ don't agree with anything my mom is doing. I️ mean, hunting people...it's not right. So, I️ ran. Or I️ tried to, but then you caught me and here I️ am," Milton explained.

Milton wasn't the enemy. It was a revelation that Kaleb had already had prior that moment, sure, but now he couldn't deny what a horrible mistake he'd made.

Kaleb froze for a moment before he spoke again. This time, his voice was low with a newfound determination.

"You're not gonna die."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a wall of Triad agents outside of the gate of the Boarding House, which was no longer visible now that they stood outside due to the cloaking spell.

So, all that could be seen in this tableau was the wall of agents in SWAT-type uniforms standing about 10 feet away from Penelope and Jed.

Penelope stood slightly in front of Jed, and both of them turned as soon as Kaleb emerged from the gate with Milton.

This also caused a disruption in the human wall as Veronica Greasley came forward.

She didn't appear how any of them would have imagined a mother in distress. She looked fierce and sophisticated sporting a navy blue paint suit. Her hair was slicked back in a tight bun and her face had conservative makeup painted on.