The Murderers

Chapter 10: Conflict

At the next group meeting, Rebecca and I don't talk to each other. Every time she looks at me she scowls. Overall, the meeting is lethargic. Everyone is afraid to make an assertion.

"What's with all of the silence?" Aaron finally voices. For a while no one answers, but then he looks at me as if to signal that the question was directed toward me.

"I don't know. Let's just get to work." I respond.As Aaron nods, Rebecca again bursts out of the room.

"What's her problem?" Kevin snarkily asks.

"No idea. Let's keep going, she'll get over it." I respond.

"Trouble in paradise?" Kevin jokes.

"Shut up. We're not even dating."

"I bet you would change that if you could."

"I said shut up. I'll go find her, but only to get away from you."

Right after I step foot in the hallway, Kevin walks into the room. I could have sworn he never left, but I continue down the hall. After I get to the end of the hallway, I hear a scream coming from the room. I run as fast as I can back to the room and return to see Aaron on the ground and two Kevins standing over him. Promptly, Rebecca reverts to her old from and says she did what she needed to do. Kevin, furious, punches Rebecca and knocks her out. With that, a burst of anger ensues in me and I charge at Kevin.

Kevin mercilessly counters. He throws me toward a table and attempts to hit me with a chair, but I clasp his wrist and he drops it before it can hit me. Jabs are coming quick and often. Alex is watching nervously, but he seems unable to help while Jack is merely watching. After a myri ad of punches and piles of blood, Kevin starts to run towards the laboratory. I chase him furiously and eventually trip him. With the odds in my favor, I pin him to the ground and start to beat the life out of him. He is defenseless. His blood clots start to add to the already existing blood. With every punch, the brightness slowly fades from his eyes. No one puts their hands on Rebecca.

Aaron finally, after struggling to get up throughout the fight, pulls me back and Jack helps Kevin up. Jack hurries Kevin to the medical room while I distance myself from Aaron. Rebecca nods at me in an accepting way and we head to get bandaged up.

Later that night, we all meet in the living room to formally discuss the day's events. I barely get time to sit down before Kevin starts to yap.

"Let me just get to the point. I'm leaving this group. I'm tired of all of the conspiracies against me and Aaron. I tried to help you guys out, but you guys never wanted me here, especially Dave. When I met all of you, I told you to run. I'm unhappy to say that I've never been more right. I'll be sure to set my DVR to the news, so I can see all of your deaths over and over and over again."

As he approaches the door he takes one last look back at the crew. Weirdly, he sits back down as if he had no recollection of what just happened. Capitalizing on his change of heart, Jack swiftly stands up and gives an impromptu and unanticipated speech.

"We're pathetic. We act like the world's greatest villains but can't even live together for a few months. We talk about beating the most powerful man in the universe, but at this rate we can't even beat ourselves. It's obvious that we can't spend too much more time with each other or we'll rip each other's intestines out, so this is what we're going to do. We're going to move the attack up to next week and after we finish we all go our separate ways and destroy the glove. We're not a team. We're not "The Murderers." We are all here to do a job, not to become friends. Is that all agreed?" We all agree and retreat to our rooms.