𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter Seventy ~

"Oh my god. Harlan, is that you?" Viktor gaped. The old man said nothing, only walking towards the corpses of Jayme and Alphonso. Half of their faces had been seared by the beams, almost looking like pieces of raw meat. Though they couldn't see it, there was another Sparrow who had been left behind. But Luther cradled her in his arms, trying to wake her up. "Oh heavens to Betsy, what did you do?" a voice gasped.

Dusk looked up from the corpses relieved to see Klaus was okay, but in shock by what happened in the lobby. "D-did Viktor go full 'Carrie' again?" He stuttered. "We didn't do this," Allison responded, gesturing her gaze towards the old man. Viktor reached out a hand, but he flinched, telling them all to stay away. "I just want to make sure you're okay," Number Seven said comfortingly.

Klaus shifted his gaze from the current situation, seeing the scared look on his lover's face. As he walked past the corpses, she ran into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she could. "God, I was so scared something happened to you," she trembled. Klaus gently shushed her, running a hand through her hair. "I'm okay, I promise," He assured. As the two pulled away, Klaus gestured to Diego and Allison, asking them who was the "creepy grandpa."

"That's the kid Viktor saved in Dallas," Diego replied, making Klaus's eyes widen with realization. "Oh shit, you're right! But didn't he get rid of all that kid's mojo when he did all that convulsing and whatnot?" Dusk quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I guess that didn't stick. But that doesn't matter, he saved us from the Sparrows," The sounds of Luther talking to someone caught their attention, and they all shifted as the one Sparrow returned to consciousness.

She attempted to sit up, groaning at the pain as Luther assisted her. She glanced over at the bodies of her siblings, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. "Sloane, it's all right," Luther whispered as she stood up, clutching onto her arm. She shifted her shocked gaze towards him before bolting up the stairs, much to the Umbrella's surprise. "You've got a live one, Luther!" Diego shouted, grabbing one of his knives from the holster and chasing after them.

Although most of the Sparrows had been trying to kill them, Dusk felt this one was different from the rest. Before they attacked, she looked rather panicked and worried, almost like she didn't want this to happen. But this doesn't make any sense. Why did she come with them if she didn't want things to go this far? Couldn't she have spoken up against it? "Dusk, you and Allison follow Luther, okay?" Viktor pulled the raven out of her thoughts. She quickly nodded, trailing behind her brothers as they ran towards one of the halls.

As she made another turn, she saw Diego heading towards the Oasis and Spa, and as they walked inside, she was stunned to see Luther hanging in the air. "Did you set me up?" Sloane choked out. "No! I would never do that!" Luther gasped. Suddenly, Diego put a knife to her throat, warning her to put him down. She complied, and Luther fell to the ground with a thud. "You can let her go now," Luther coughed.

But Diego shook his head, still holding the knife against the side of Sloane's neck. "Are you kidding me?" "Diego, she's hurt! Let's just help her, and then we'll deal with this!" Dusk spoke up. "She is the enemy!" Number Two insisted. Luther stumbled forward, gritting his teeth as he threatened to bury his brother, but unbeknownst to him, Allison had entered the room as well. "You gonna bury me too, Luther?"

He looked at her stunned before shifting his gaze back to Diego. "Just... let me talk to her. Please..." He begged. It soon became apparent to Dusk that Luther had caught feelings for the light brunette girl. But how? How could he fall in love with her so quickly... ohhh, I see how it is. At that moment, she had a hunch that at some point during his capture by the Sparrows, the two conversed and developed some connection. Though Dusk had yet to fully trust Sloane, part of her secretly wished their relationship wouldn't end with a backstab or breaking of the other's heart.