Once Again

Chapter Forty-Four - Dimensions

Hello, my friend who managed to get all caught up this weekend. You asked me not to mention you, so I won't, but you know who you are :D

Also, the last half is almost like a little bonus chapter. It's okay if you don't know who that guy is. He's not important in this story.

Dimensions

"Where are we going?" Echo asked softly, glaring at Noise as he prodded his back with his switchblade.

"I thought I told you to stop talking," Tristam snapped back, leading the way through the city streets. Echo had never been back here before. There was a creepy feeling on this side, like the atmosphere wasn't quite right.

"It wasn't your fault," he said.

"Of course it wasn't. It was yours." The leader didn't look back this time. He stayed marching forward, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"You have no proof that kid was me." Echo fought to keep his voice steady. He knew it had been him. Alyssa had proved that. He was afraid admitting it to Tristam, because he didn't know what he'd do in response. Honestly, even if it had been him, it wasn't his fault Gabe was dead. It was that man's. "If you're looking for someone to blame, blame that guy."

"That guy?" Tristam laughed humorously. "I already killed him. Him and everyone else in that lab."

Echo shivered and rubbed his arms. He looked up at the sky and saw a wispy grey cloud, the first cloud he'd seen in years. It seemed a lot darker against the brownish yellow sky. It reminded him of Tristam - smoky, mysterious, dark, and threatening. There was something good waiting inside, but it wasn't going to come out. Not anytime soon.

"Isn't this the Alpha side of the city?" Noise murmured, keeping his voice low.

"Not anymore," Tristam said.

"What do you mean by that?" Echo asked.

"They're gone."

"You're keeping your responses awfully vague. What did you do to them?"

This time, Tristam didn't answer at all. He just snorted and picked up his pace.

Echo bit his lip nervously, his eyes darting around the streets. He expected something to jump out at them at any second, and he was completely helpless. He wanted to jump out of there, hide away in a different dimension for a while, but at the same time, he was curious. What was Tristam trying to show him?

"Curiosity killed the cat," he grumbled to himself.

Tristam laughed, startling him. "It sure did."

Noise hesitated for just a moment behind him, and Echo's thoughts scrambled in all directions. It did? What cat? Did it have something to do with the tunnel, with the thing that happened a year ago? Did Braken know? Did everyone else? Was Tristam taking him somewhere to kill him?

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked softly.

"Even if we were, would we tell you?" the leader said, bringing up a good point. He kept pressing forward, though now he took one of his hands out of his pocket and let it hang limp at his side. Every once in a while, Echo noticed a little flicker of flame spark from his fingertips, and a question formed in his mind.

"Um ..." he started, swallowing nervously. What had happened to being unafraid? "Tristam, what happened at ... at that lab?"

Tristam's shoulders tensed up and he clenched his fist. "None of your business."

"Now you've done it," Noise muttered.

Tristam held up his hand and they both stopped walking. Noise even lowered his blade, making Echo wonder if the other Raider was just as confused and curious as he was. He was definitely just as nervous.