The Fate in your Eyes

Chapter 32 - The man with the hat

Cheng's heart beat violently against his ribs, the stabbing pain filling his lungs. Panicked, the teenager turned around and pushed Lu aside so that the sharp blade missed him. Taji took another swing. Left, right. The blade tore through the air. "Oh no, you won't," Luana cursed and drove her knee into the boy's back. The attacker groaned, but didn't stop swinging the knife back and forth. The beam of the flashlight wobbled through the corridor, bouncing from one wall to the other, while the knife missed Cheng once more. He managed to grab Taji with his hand, at the same moment he lashed out and struck the killer's forearm with his elbow. Taji bit his lip, convulsively trying not to lose the weapon from his hand, but Lu jumped towards him. "Lu! Stay the hell away!" Cheng shouted angrily. "I'm not a little kid you have to protect," Lu growled and unexpectedly turned Taji's hand over. The knife fell clattering to the ground, but the flashlight also rolled over the dirt. The light turned away and now the four teenagers stood in semi-darkness. "Cut the crap!" Lu cursed and pushed Taji against the wall. "Never! I won't stop making your lives hell! You killed my sister! You couldn't save me or Tali in the past!" the boy sobbed, his eyes narrowing. "You can't change the past!" Lu scolded, pushing the boy harder against the wall. "Oh, believe me, I can!" cried Taji and at the same moment he whirled around, grabbed Lu's hand and grinned.

His eyes lit up red.

"Oh no, don't even think about it, you dirty asshole," Luana hissed and before Taji managed to get control of Lu, the girl's fist crashed against his teeth. Taji staggered back in shock, slumped to the floor and remained sitting against the wall, panting. Luana helped Lu up and stood in front of him. "Don't you dare try to control one of us again," she cursed. Taji wiped the blood from his lip and looked. "Thank you..." Lu said and gave Luana a quick glance. "I had so much fun controlling you," Taji laughed and shook his head. "You don't control anyone. Not even yourself. You've never had control over anything in your life," Luana replied and crossed her arms. Taji closed his mouth, although he wanted to say something back. He lowered his eyes. "You are the sole cause of this nightmare... you are the reason why Tali is no longer alive!" Luana shouted angrily. "That... that's not true... it's those men... the humans... who kidnapped me! I never wanted these powers! I- I-" Taji gasped. "You had the choice of how to use your powers and you chose to take other people's lives!" Luana snapped at him. There was silence for a moment. "I had no choice... I had to do it... Juan forced me," Taji turned his head away meekly. "What Juan did to you is unforgivable and inhumane, of course it makes us understand better why you did it..." Lu wiped the dirt off his clothes, "...but this is still no justification for all the terrible murders you have done. I will never forgive you," the black-haired man growled and grabbed Taji by the collar.

"Shove your forgiveness up your ass!" the person with the red eyes snarled. "Actually, I should put a fist in your face just for Scarlett," growled Lu, but Cheng pulled him away. "Calm down, please," said Cheng and stood between the two of them. "How many times! I don't know Scarlett!" shouted Taji Zhen. "I saw her jump off the bridge with my own eyes! She had red, glowing eyes!" shouted Lu back. Both teenagers stared at each other in confusion. "None of this makes sense right now," muttered Luana, shaking her head. "How about we leave that question for later and find out what Taji is doing here in the first place," Cheng suggested, narrowing his eyes.

"A good friend sent me here. Or rather, we went in here together, but we split up. He's looking for something in the bunker," Taji explained reluctantly. "A good friend? Who exactly do you mean?" Cheng couldn't imagine that Taji was referring to Juan Wu. "I don't know his name."
That was all the boy said. Silence reigned again. "I don't have a good feeling about this," Luana said, shivering. "What does your nameless friend want here?" Lu's curiosity got the upper hand. "I don't know. He said he would tell us the truth about our powers," Taji replied uncertainly. Cheng's eyes widened.

"The truth about our powers? What does that mean?"

"It means that I will tell you what the origin of your paranormal powers is," said an unfamiliar voice behind them. Everyone turned around in surprise. A slender man in a dark coat and a large, flat hat that covered his entire face, only his lips were recognizable, had stood in the corridor. Cheng was overcome by a strange feeling, as if he already knew the person, even though he was a stranger.

"What exactly do you mean?" Lu looked at the man.

"Project Genesis. The origin of your powers"

***

"You can't die, not yet, please!" Cheng's voice broke, he didn't know what to do. He felt no movement under his arms, not a tiny twitch, nothing. His friend's chest no longer rose and fell. The last air left his lips, his skin began to turn blue. 

"Lu..." Cheng sobbed. He stopped pumping. The burning stopped, a strange feeling washed over the blond boy and when he looked into the shattered mirror beside him, he realized that his eyes were shining. 

They glowed a golden-orange color. 

"No... don't... don't do that..." the realization hit Cheng like a bullet. A scream rent the air.

He didn't know how long he screamed for. It might have only been seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Cheng buried his face in the cold body of his dead friend. "I'm so terribly sorry... that I couldn't save you...," Cheng sobbed, his blond hair turning red from the blood. "If only I had paid more attention, if only I had stayed with you..." the blond cursed softly, his voice nothing more than a faint whisper. "If only I could change the past... if only I had known before, earlier..." suddenly Cheng paused at these thoughts.

Change the past.He could do it. He could do it now.Cheng looked in the mirror.

"I got your powers...", Cheng whispered and gasped. This... this... was a possibility. He could still change what had happened! He could save Lu! He could change the past.

"I'm not giving up yet, Lu. I will bring you back, I swear to you. I promise Luana that. I will prevent your death," Cheng murmured and stood up on shaky legs. "I've always said you can't change the past... but I don't care. I'm going to do it anyway. I'll do anything to save you. At the cost of my life," Cheng cursed and sat down in a chair. Then he looked at the photo above the desk. It was a photo of Cheng, Lu and Luana together in the café.

"It's time to break the rules"