The Vindicators

Chapter XV: You're No Friend Of Mine

     I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. Kaylee was next to me staring at me with wide eyes like she was frozen in time.
     "What?" I asked.
     "Are you okay?" she asked. I started to lay back down but she put her hands on my head and quickly pulled them away.
     "What's wrong?" I asked her.
     "Your forehead. It's not hot but it's cold. Like really cold."
     "Have you been watching me sleep or something? How long have you been awake?"
     "I tried waking you up several times. You were twitching and talking in your sleep. You seemed scared."
     "We'll talk about it later. I need some sleep." I covered myself up again and Kaylee layed her head against my chest. I was scared. I didn't know if what I saw was just a dream or if it was something more. I wasn't awake long enough to think about it.

     I woke up a few hours later than I was supposed to. Kaylee looked at me and said, "Well good morning, brain-freeze."
     I smiled and asked, "Is that my new nickname?"
     "It seems to fit. You gonna talk to me about last night?"
     I sighed. "Later. Not right now though." She looked dissapointed but she agreed.
     "Why am I still asleep?" I asked.
     "I checked in with Kelton. I told him about what happened and he said it's probably best to let you sleep in. You guys are leaving in a little bit. You should probably get ready. It's just you and Logan again. Elizabeth and I will be there next time."
     I nod and spent the next hour in the shower. I nearly broke a few things because I felt somewhat disoriented. Anger, sadness, and confusion all swelled up inside me to the point where I felt like I'd lost all remaining sanity.
     Once I got out, Kaylee had already gone downstairs. I got myself finished up and look in the mirror. The image of me in the dream was cemented in my brain. Burned skin with cuts and chunks of flesh torn from my body. But that's not really me is it? I'm here and in perfect physical condition. Maybe I'm both. Maybe the dream version of myself is who I am on the inside. That would make sense now, but I didn't start feeling dead inside until I had the dream. I decided to let it be for now. I'd figure it out sooner or later.
     Once I got to the lobby downstairs, everyone was sitting at a couch with their heads turned to me. I continued to walk to them as if everything was fine.
     "Okay so," Kelton said. "We're going in Dallas the same way we got into Chicago. Start out with stealth then move on with the brutality. If you do half as good as you did on the last mission, we should have Dallas back in our hands in no time. Now, any questions?"
     Nobody said anything so we moved on. We all went back to the White House, loaded up in the truck, and then on the plane.
     "You okay?" Logan asked from a few seats down. "I heard what happened last night from my room. You know how good my hearing is right?"
     I smile and turn to look at him. As I open my mouth to talk, something catches my eye. Logan is spinning one of his throwing knives in his hand. The same knife I saw in my dream. The same as the ones in Kaylee's back.
     I look at Logan with an expression of rage. I'm confused but I feel like throwing him out of the plane.
     He looks at me shocked and asks, "Are you okay, Dawson? You don't seem too happy."
     I look away when I remember that he could beat the crap out of me if I tried anything stupid. Those swords and bullets would kill me in the hands of a toddler. In the hands of Logan, I could die multiple times if he just used one bullet.
     Logan looks away from me in confusion. He seems worried. I don't care. In the mental state I'm in, I'll beat the crap out of every REVO soldier until the Devil himself gets on his knees in fear and begs for mercy. You don't touch Kaylee unless you're me. If you're not me, it doesn't matter who else you are. You'll still be fifty feet underground when I'm done with you.

     Three weeks passed and we'd taken 18 different cities. I still hadn't talked to anybody about my dream. Not even Kaylee. I still felt like killing Logan but I was getting better at keeping my feelings inside. I didn't even know who I was anymore. I didn't know who he was. I didn't know anyone.
     I spent everyday with Kaylee. She got her own room again after the incident. I was actually pretty happy she wasn't in the same room as me every night. The dreams continued on like a loop. It didn't make me anymore upset than I already am, but I felt like I was losing a little bit of sanity every night. I hope that makes sense.
     Kaylee and Elizabeth had been coming with us as well. It had been getting easier with them by our side. Elizabeth made some improvements on the armor we took from REVO and they used it in the battlefield. Of course that meant we had to get a bigger truck as well.
     "Good news," Kelton said as we all sat down in the lobby. "We only have two more missions to go on! New York City and then Atlanta, Georgia. After that, we'll be completely done. When should we celebrate?"
     "We'll celebrate when it's over," Logan said. "Things like this are celebrated by the whole country. It'll most likely end up becoming a national holiday."
     Everyone agreed and we went back to our rooms. Just one more city left until I could finally cut off the head of the snake. I'd been eager for this moment. For years we'd been held captive and I never knew anything. Now that I do, I can find the Executioner and take his head off.
     I heard a knock on my door and a voice say, "Can I come in, Dawson?" It was Kelton. I got up and opened the door to let him in.
     "Thanks," he said. "I wanted to talk to you about Atlanta." He sat on the couch and continued talking. "I don't know if you should go this time."
     I looked at him like he was completely stupid. It took me a minute to process what he just said.
     "What did you just say?" I asked.
     He sighed and replied with, "I don't want you on the mission to Atlanta. Logan and I have been talking and you for the last few weeks, you haven't been yourself and it's only getting worse. We feel that you could possibly be a danger to this mission. But don't worry because you'll go on the next one."
     I got mad when I heard Logan's name. This was it. He'd go on that mission and Kaylee would die. I relived that dream every night and I know every detail. Three knives in her back. All of which are Logan's knives.
     "That's not happening," I told him. "I may not be myself anymore but that doesn't mean I'll make this mission worse. If anything, I make these missions easier. Where would we be without me?! I'm the one that busted us out of Boston! Without me, we wouldn't be here!"
     He held a hand up to me. He'd heard enough. He sighed. "That's true," he said. "But can you promise that you won't be any trouble at all?"
     I hesitated and said, "I promise."
     He nodded and left the room. I sat alone on my bed thinking about what would happen tomorrow. Is this really when he'd kill her? I was certain it was. I paced around the room all night just thinking. Thinking. More thinking.
     Then came morning. Everyone was still asleep. But I was awake. More awake than I'd ever been. I made plans and they would all go exactly how I wanted them to. I had backups and backups for the backups. Nobody could stop me.

     Today I kill Logan.