Final Crisis

Chapter 42

Finn stared out the window again, his body full of anticipation and nervousness. It’d felt like decades since he last sat here staring out.

The rest of the previous day had gone smoothly. They made it back safe and sound, and Russell made that dinner he envisioned, much to the pleasure of the others. It was so good in fact that just about everyone ate messily and shamelessly stuffed their faces. They planned out what to do for the next night, the phrase “Tomorrow night, eight pm” being constantly repeated. Once that was settled, most of them decided to blow the rest of the day away playing games and trying to make the most out of their last full day in Chergrove.

Bill and Bruce were the main ones not really participating in anything, though at some point Bill got caught up in a game of impressions where he was doing everything perfectly. The others had all looked at him like he was a headless chicken that wandered inside.

They all went to sleep relatively early that night, at least as best they could.

It was eight in the morning, and Finn was the only one up in the room. Russ and Raph were still plastered on the floor in a mess of blankets and pillows, having both taken a while to fall asleep. Raphael had tossed and turned so much that he unraveled himself from his blanket, but he hadn’t noticed. Juliet was still in the other room, but Finn presumed that she was still asleep.

Finn got less than an hour of sleep in, yet again plagued by nightmares. By now it was the same old, yet still terrifying to him. In particular, the events at the candy shop had replayed in his head, but more gruesome. Instead of using a gun, he used a knife. And Tim’s face and last words bounced throughout his mind like a screensaver. Their names echoed.

Samuel. Tim.

He didn’t even know the name of the man who he killed at the college. It made him feel sort of a disconnect.

A man who never even knew me…killed by me…

Sometimes he tried to reason with himself in various ways. That they were bad people, which was true for the most part. Samuel tried to kill his friends, and he’d already killed a few others, including a kid. The man at the college tried to capture him and his friends. But Tim was a tough one. Just a kid their age who was manipulated by fear from his own father. No matter how he placed it, he still felt some sense of remorse for all of them. And those he contributed to, such as Reese or many of the members at the warehouse.

He rubbed his head and continued staring back out, shoving those thoughts away. He put in some headphones and started listening to that Zello band. It was one of their calmer songs, one with piano, guitar, and a soft singing voice. The singer had a light Irish accent.

He continued to stare off, being still like a statue as songs shuffled.

He was stirred back to reality after hearing a small commotion downstairs. He pulled the headphones out of his ears and rose up, grabbing his pistol. He speedily made his way towards the door, crouching down on the way to wake up the two sleeping. He bumped Russell’s shoulder with his hand and ended up accidentally dragging his hand across Raphael’s face. He slapped his hand away as he sputtered awake.

“Dude why’re you putting your shit in my face!?” Raphael stammered, blinking rapidly. Russell sat up calmly and yawned.

“What happened?” Russell asked.

“I think there’s someone in the house,” Finn whispered.

“Huh?” Raphael rubbed his nose. “But–”

“Shh!”

Finn put a finger on Raphael’s lip and he opened the door slowly. His ears were ringing hard. He wasn’t sure why. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His hearing was muffled. His eye stung. Panic set in.