Gnosis

CHAPTER 7: THE DAY THAT WAS II

Word Count: 3,843

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With determined steps, (Y/n), Five, Allison, and Diego exited the car as soon as they arrived at the address listed in Harold Jenkins' file. The car doors slammed shut in unison, echoing down the empty street.

The plan?

They have three distinct choices, each suggested by the sibling: One, 'confront the target,' a measured option proposed by Allison. Two, 'torture the target for information,' a much darker idea that came, unsurprisingly, from Diego. Three, 'eliminate the target altogether,' which was Five's cold solution. (Y/n) didn't get a say in this, so she was left to decide. One option was less confrontational, the other more thrilling, and the last one undeniably brutal. She didn't choose the latter.

Her thoughts raced as they approached the modest, slightly run-down house where Harold Jenkins—Leonard Peabody—was supposedly hiding. The file had led them here, but what they would find once inside was a mystery.

Allison broke the silence as they neared the front door. "Be careful, okay? We don't know what Peabody's capable of." Her voice was low, but the warning hung heavy in the air, cautioning them all.

Diego, as usual, was less concerned. "Yeah, he didn't seem dangerous the first time I saw him." He scoffed. "Looked kinda scrawny."

"Yeah, well," Allison shot back, "so are most serial killers and mass murderers. I mean, look at them," she gestured toward Five and (Y/n), making an exasperated point.

"Good point," Diego agreed, almost too quickly, nodding toward Allison.

(Y/n) glanced up, about to protest the comparison, but before she could, Five cut in. "Thanks," he said, his tone dry and biting, "but don't mix (Y/n) up with my mess. She couldn't even kill a fly, let alone a person."

Everyone else shrugged. "So, what's this guy want with Vanya?"

By now, they had all reached the front porch. The house loomed above them, looking ordinary.

"I don't know," Allison admitted, her brow furrowing as she stared at the door.

"How about we ask him after we kill him?" Five suggested casually, his tone so indifferent that it caused (Y/n) to glance at him.

"Whoa, whoa. Hey, look, I'm gonna burst through—" Diego began, but stopped mid-sentence, realizing that Allison was no longer beside him. He glanced around, baffled. "Y'know, it'd be nice for people to stick to the—"

Before he could finish, the familiar *whoosh* of air filled the space, and Five and (Y/n) were gone, having spatial-jumped inside the house without a second thought, leaving Diego standing there alone on the porch.

"Plan... Great," Diego muttered sarcastically to himself, clearly annoyed. With a determined grunt, he took several steps back before throwing his body at the front door. Glass shattered and sprayed in all directions as Diego crashed through the window portion, landing awkwardly inside the hallway amidst a pile of broken shards.

Inside, (Y/n) winced at the sound of shattering glass and the crash that followed. She spun, her eyes immediately finding Diego lying on the ground, covered in cuts and bruises from his less-than-graceful entrance. "Wha–are you alright?" She asked, her concern evident as she instinctively took a step toward him, her eyes wide with worry.

Allison, already inside and clearly unamused by Diego's dramatics, stood nearby with her arms crossed. "Subtle," she remarked dryly, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she gave him a sideways glance.

Five, ever quick with a quip, walked over to the now shattered door and pulled it open with a casual flick of his wrist. "You know the door was unlocked, right?" he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he turned back to look at Diego.