Hopelessly Devoted

Epilogue V: Final Destination

Matvei and Mikhail found themselves standing amidst the dimly lit interior of an old dive bar – a place Matvei vaguely remembered frequenting in the past. But as they stood there, a sudden wave of disorientation washed over them, leaving them bewildered and utterly confused.

They exchanged puzzled glances, their brows furrowed with confusion as they struggled to make sense of their surroundings. The air felt heavy with a strange sense of déjà vu, yet neither could recall how or why they had ended up at O'Charley's in the first place.

Mikhail's voice cut through the silence, laced with a note of bewilderment. "Why are we here?" he asked, his confusion mirrored in the furrow of his brow.

Matvei shook his head in disbelief, his thoughts spinning in a whirlwind of uncertainty. "I honestly don't remember even coming here," he confessed, his gaze scanning the unfamiliar surroundings as if searching for answers that remained just out of reach.

Their minds raced with unanswered questions, each more perplexing than the last. How had they ended up in this dive bar? What had drawn them to go there in the first place? And most importantly, how had they lost track of time and memory so completely?

As they stood there, grappling with their newfound disorientation, one thing became abundantly clear – they were both lost in a sea of confusion, adrift in a world that suddenly felt unfamiliar and strange. Matvei felt different if he was being honest with himself. He felt like there was something he should be remember or rather someone.

"Let's get out of here. I'm hungry and need a reason to cook the salmon in your fridge." Matvei let out a chuckle. "Why must you concern yourself with things in my fridge?" Mikhail shrugged his shoulders as he got into Matvei's truck. They drove around in a comfortable silence. Each brother trying to make sense of their state of confusion and memory loss. 

As they drove into Matvei's driveway, both brothers looked over to the show house across the street. They felt drawn to it for some reason. Neither could fight the smile on their faces that seemed to appear for no reason.

"Come on shit stain, I'm hungry." Matvei growled earning an eyeroll from his younger brother. The two made their way inside as Mikhail groaned. "Why you wired this dark ass house the way you did is beyond me. I have to walk to far to turn on a light and see anything."

They heard giggles from somewhere in the darkness. "Hello..." Both brothers heard running coming towards them from someone tiny. "Mr. Mikhail!" Mikhail didn't know how he knew but he was certain this was somehow Raja and she would launch herself without even knowing that she'd be caught.

"Raja?" Mikhail questioned. "Yup. It's me!!!" Mikhail was beyond confused as to how his girlfriend's alter was live and in person but her fits of giggles as he tickled her did something to him. "Where the hell is this damn light," Matvei grumbled before finding the switch and flipping it on. What they saw shook them to their cores.

Raja's black eyes widened at their scream before welling with tears. "You hate me." She cried the statement out more like a question. "Nice move, dipshits." Matvei and Mikhail took a step back at the muscular man before him. He was a little slimmer than Matvei, but what he lacked in muscle he made up for in height. "Colson..." Matvei whispered earning a smirk. "You're still a dumbass, but kudos to you for not being a complete idiot."

Their minds spun with disbelief as they stared at the figure before them – Colson, a man they had known only as an alter of their girlfriend. But here he stood, a manifestation of something they couldn't quite comprehend. He lacked a physical form previously, existing only as a mental spectral presence. However, here he was shrouded in red skin with ominous black markings, his eyes like twin voids swallowing all light.