Owen Changes His Mind

4. People Change 1/3

Apo woke up alone. Or they thought they were alone, at first. Part of them was surprised to wake up again at all, and the rest of them was surprised to wake up in a bed, in Red's house, with the guy watching them sleep from across the room.

"AaaAAAA!?" Apo yelled, pressing their back against the wall and reflexively standing up. "R-red, it's you, oh, haha. It's just you. Ah."

"Heya, Apo." Red stood, looking up at Apo.

"I'm not in prison. And neither are you? Red, what's been happening? Oh- Owen!" Apo grimaced, "Red, don't let them believe him! He's going to tell lies- he's a good actor, but-" Apo flinched at what they had to say before they said it, "Red, I thin- I know Owen hates demons. Please, please don't let him kill me, or- oh god, or Rasbi, or anyone, please-" Apo jumped off the bed and hovered nearby, wondering how close they could get without making it weird.

"Yeah, I've figured out that much," Red interrupted dryly. "Hey. Are you thirsty? It's gotten kind of hot recently." Red dug through an ice chest on the floor. "Hey, I think I've still got some beer in here from last time."

Despite themself, Apo giggled. They felt ridiculous, trying to shoulder the weight of everything they remembered. They thought they would wake up in that tiny prison again. But here they were, having drinks with someone who kept them sane during their jail time, in Red's house no less. Then Apo tried to look serious, but they thought about how ridiculous they must look, having stood on the bed, giggling like a schoolgirl. The giggling erupted into full-blown laughter. "Oh my God Red," Apo laughed. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Huh, that's a new one," Red smiled in wonder, handing a can to his friend. "Never had anyone call me God before. Just Red is good enough, buddy." He reached out to clink cans with Apo. "Bon Appetit, like they always say."

Apo laughed again as they took a gulp, then immediately spit it back out again. Gross. Apo set the can down. They wiped the back of their hand across their eyes, and neither of them said anything about it.

"So," Red started.

"So," Apo echoed, sitting back down on the edge of Red's bed.

"Tell me what the deuces is wrong with Owen."

Apo breathed out, running a hand through their long hair. They'd been unable to cut it in the maze. "He-" Apo stopped, their voice too shaky to continue. After a moment, they tried again. "I remember. When I was in the maze, I remembered. I think a part of me always suspected. I know who I was before the maze. I know who Owen was before the maze. And I can't - I mean, ugh, I don't know."

Red set down his drink. "Hey man, no rush. We've got time."

Apo grimaced. "No Red, we really don't. Owen- before the maze, he hunted and killed demons. Before he- he-" Apo felt like they were short circuiting. But Red was patient, and waited out the stutters.

When Apo realized they were staring at Red, Red spoke. "Whatever he did before he got here, it must've been really bad," Red murmured.

"He k-killed, it must have been hundreds, maybe thousands of innocent demons. He was in the human army. He killed m-my village. Razed it. To the ground. W-well, not by himself," Apo hastily added, seeing the thundercloud of anger building in Red's posture. But their friend stayed silent, so Apo continued. "Red, listen, this war between humans and demons. I can't be a part of it. I know there's a different Owen in there. There has to be. And me, I'm choosing to be different. I'm choosing not to be governed by fear of people who aren't like me."

"Apo," Red said, putting a hand on Apo's shoulder. His voice sounded normal, but his body was shaking. "You're worth a thousand of him. Ten thousand. More. He doesn't deserve the dust off your shoes."

Apo choked up. Then they found some spinch to shove into their face. They didn't want Red to see them cry. "I killed a human," Apo blurted through mouthfuls of the spinch. They swallowed before continuing. "Before, when they were scoping out my village, after. I found him, and I- I blanked out- I killed him. They used that as a reason for what they did. Don't you see? It's a never ending cycle."

"Oh, Apo," Red said, and embraced his long lost friend. "I won't let him hurt you again," he promised as he held his silently sobbing friend.