𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter Eighty ~

What's going on? Where am I? Klaus opened his eyes, finding himself trapped in a cramped dark space. He could barely get his limbs to move as they had been sore from all the electric volts that had passed through his body. When a slight bump caused him to shriek, he realized he was once again trapped in the back of a vehicle. As he groaned at the pain, he didn't realize the sounds caught the driver's attention, causing him to lower the radio volume and pulled to the side of the road. Soon, the driver got out and pulled the trunk open, revealing Reginald.

"What the hell, old man? Did you kill me and lock me in the trunk of your car?" Klaus sobbed. "I indeed did. And you remained dead for 22 minutes. Totally vulnerable!" Reginald responded. "I could've taken every one of your organs!" Klaus tried desperately to get out of the crumpled ball he found himself in, but every inch of movement hurt like hell. "The point is, if the world is truly ending, then you're running out of time to master your gifts! We have work to do!" Reginald pulled him out of the trunk, and they both got in the front seats, continuing the road trip.

It was silent for what felt like forever as Klaus stared into the vast green valley and road in front of them. But that silence was soon broken when Reginald started asking questions. "So, tell me. What do we like to do for fun?" he inquired. Klaus squinted, confused at his question. "Did we take any family trips in your timeline?" the old man elaborated. The junkie nearly laughed at the question, claiming there was no way in hell he ever did that.

"That guy put in the 'dick' in dictator. It was all about missions for him," Klaus explained. "Hmm... how is it you don't understand the first things about your powers? Did you learn nothing at the Academy?" Reginald queried. Klaus glanced over at his father. Hearing the things he did to them as children would probably make him change his whole perspective of the other version of himself.

"Well, things went sideways at the old Academy early on. Five got lost in time, Ben died during The Jennifer Incident, you drugged one of your sons for years, you turned Luther into a half-monkey moonboy, you locked me in a box full of ghosts, and then you killed yourself so that none of us would ever get any answers. What I'm trying to say is... you were a terrible father!"

Though Reginald had to keep his eyes on the road, he was surprised that his other self did such things to his children. "High time I made it up to you starting now!" Reginald glanced at him for a second, making Klaus chuckle with happiness and unease. "You just murdered and stuffed me in the trunk of your car. I have notes, Dad," "Let's not quibble over details. How about a new proposal? I help you master your powers, and you stop blaming me for the sins of your other father. Allow us a new start,"

At first, Klaus had mixed feelings about it. Surely it would feel awkward talking to this version of his dad without the usual beratement, but with what little time they had left, he hoped to finally establish a good relationship. "Alright, but I told you I can't control how long I'm dead. It's just one of those mystery-of-life things," Klaus sighed. "Nonsense. Dying well is a skill like any other. You simply need the right coach. Do you trust me?"

"Yeah, I trust you," Klaus nodded his head.

~~~~~~~

You should've died that day. Allison's sentence kept repeating itself inside Dusk's head as she retreated to one of the bedrooms, slamming the door and sliding onto the floor. The air that had been clogging her throat became unstuck, and she let out a combination of a scream and sob. There were many insults the Umbrella siblings said to each other, but wishing death on someone was never one of them. Allison knew that her sister had a weak spot when it came to mentioning that tragic event, and she used it against her anyway.