Family

Today is the Day we Die

17 Feb, 2022

The woman stood there for a moment, frozen, as she looked down at her bloodstained chest and subsequently collapsed onto the floor. Liam and Bunny watched in horror, unable to even move. Renata shakily looked at the woman, before turning away to instead face the hands she was using to choke her half brother. And through all of it, Bojan saw it and laughed.

"Pandora!" Felucca screamed, and rushed to her body, laying her in his lap. She gagged for air, blood gushing from her wounds. He brushed his hand through her perfect hair, and began rocking back and forth. "Pandora..."

James finally regained his breath, and looked at the unfolding events with a depressed stare. Pandora used all of her energy to reach her hand onto the side of Felucca's face, and took a breath

"Save....them." She gagged, before her hand dropped and her breaths quickened.

James looked away and saw Bojan carefully cocking the gun, and as quickly as he could jumped up. He pulled Liam up with him, and ran, trying to nudge Bunny along the way and ensured he got a grip on Felucca. But the latter wouldn't budge - Bojan aimed the gun at him, and still he did not move. Bunny realized and ran too, and so she, Liam and James forcefully pulled Felucca away from Pandora's body, finally getting behind the back door into the outside room and closing it right as the bullet fired.

"Fuck..." Bojan muttered, and Renata shakily stood up too.

"You... you..." she stammered, stumbling past him and falling onto Pandora's body. "Oh, my beloved, you're gone..."

Bojan frowned and reloaded the gun, kneeling down beside the two of them. Pandora still gagged for air, and Renata began to sob into her chest. The next thing she knew Bojan had shot Pandora in the head, and the gagging stopped. Renata looked at her in shock, and then looked back at Bojan.

"You piece of shit!" She screamed and jumped towards him.

"No, Renata," he sighed, catching her wrists. "They are the pieces of shit. I killed Pandora, you know this. But Pandora and Pandrax are not one in the same. They never have been. From the very moment they fused, there's been two minds occupying that body."

"You - you still killed her." the woman exclaimed. "Just now, you shot her. Whether it was Pandrax or Pandora doesn't matter to me. You - you just took her life!"

"I ended her suffering. It was more than you ever did, at least. Liam killed her. He shot the bullet." he replied calmly.

"Liam.. Liam killed her." She swallowed.

"Good," he smiled. "Good. Then, we are understood? They are the enemy. They took her from you. They only ever wanted her gone, they only ever wanted you to be alone. And James. He is the reason your parents treated you so... poorly. You must understand, Renata, they are the source of your suffering."

"They... They wanted her gone. They took her from me," she stuttered. "They took everything from me."

"Good, Renata," he chuckled. "They believe that I caused the shepherd's son to go rogue oh so long ago. They believe that if they can change the timeline, the Gods and the Idrasilyus would remain in harmony. But they won't. I had nothing to do with them. If they change the timeline, my love will still be alive. And by extension, I'll still be alive too. And then - we could live together in love. But - then I would die. A new me would take my place on the timeline, one where I never received the Book in the first place. One that was - almost completely separate from me."

"I - I'm sorry, but I don't... I don't care," she breathed. "I just want them gone."

"And they will be gone," he grinned as he blocked off the door from which the others had escaped minutes before. "It won't take them long to find their way back around to the other doors, so I need you to block them, or hold them off however you can. I will be back soon, I need to deliver the Second Book to myself on the Night of Judgement. After this I'll come back, and you and I can go and save my Helios."