The Bloody Crown ||Sanders Sides

18. An End To All Things

Don't you just love angst? I know I do.

And commas. I love commas. They can change a whole sentence into something so different.

TW: main character deaths, blood, swearing, crying, gore, daggers, suicide, psycho Virgil

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"I can see him," Logan said quietly. "What do we do?"

"I don't know," Patton snapped. "It's not like this is something they teach you about. Kind of hard to imagine being chased down by someone like Paranoia."

"Well it's not like any of us were ready for this either!" Remus shouted. "I'm not ready to die!"

"Well he's not here for you," Janus said quietly. "It's me he wants. After he kills me he'll probably leave you all alone."

"Janus you aren't dying!" Patton looked ready to cry. "You aren't going to leave me. I'm not going to let him kill you."

"You don't have a choice, Patton," Janus whispered. "I'm dying either way. You either accept it and let yourself live a full life without me or let my death destroy you."

"But I can't live without you." Janus pulled Patton into a hug, both of them crying quietly. "I don't want to lose you."

"There's no more time we can buy, darling," Janus said softly. "Our time has run out, and it's time for the devil to collect his dues. I'm sorry that we didn't get more time."

"It doesn't have to end like this," Patton said. "We can run. It doesn't matter where we go. I just want you to be alive."

"I know," Janus said. "But I wouldn't wish the life of running on anyone, especially not you. I don't want to subject you to that. There's no comfort, and there's no guarantees when you're on the run. I barely lived before. Plus, Virgil would chase us down even if we ran."

"I just wish it didn't have to end like this," Patton whispered. "I thought we'd get more time together."

"So did I..." Janus trailed off, staring at Patton with sad eyes. "So did I."

"As horrible as this is, there's no guarantee that Virgil won't kill us as well after he kills you," Logan said quietly. "We may all be on death row now. His loyalty is no longer to the crown, and clearly he's out for blood. Roman's death killed any hope we had to survive this."

"Why did this have it happen to us?" Remus asked, fighting back tears. "Why do we have to live with this? I don't want to have to live with any more death, but I don't want to die either."

"I'm not sure any of us have the option to pick and choose when we die," Logan said sadly. "Death comes when it comes, and I'm afraid this time we cannot stop it."

"Is Virgil still out there? I'm surprised he's taking this-" Janus cut himself off with a shocked expression. His body crumpled to the floor to reveal Virgil behind him, holding the dagger that had pierced right through his heart.

"Boo," Virgil said with a laugh. "Are you shocked to see me? You really shouldn't be."

"So how many of us are going to die now?" Logan asked quietly. "Are you just going to kill everyone?"

"Oh no," Virgo said. "There needs to be someone left to deal with the loss. If there are people left the pain can continue. Otherwise the pain ends with the final death."

"So you're letting us live?" Remus asked, glancing at Patton, who was collapsed over Janus' body sobbing. "You're just going to let us go, despite the fact that we know your name?"

Logan looked like he wanted to slap Remus for telling Virgil that. After all, every other person who knew Virgil's name got killed. Saying that lessened the chance they had at living.

"Well, there's going to be one more death." Virgil smirked, but then it quickly turned into a broken smile. "I'm afraid no one will mourn this death very much. Anyone who cared died long ago."

"Wait- what are you saying?" Logan asked, staring at Virgil with a shocked expression. "You can't mean-"

"Oh, but I do." Virgil laughed, but the sound was a sad and broke thing, like a bird surrounded by broke glass as it tries and fails to fly. "There's never a happy end for the villain. Don't you know that?"

"Virgil, we can help you," Logan said gently, as if talking to a small child. Virgil just shook his head. "It's going to be fine Virgil. You're alright. You can still have a happy ending."

"No, I can't." Virgil glanced down at Janus' body with a numb expression, and then at the blood covering himself. "It's time to pay back the debt for all the lives I've took. I always said a life for a life. Now I guess it's one for all."

"Virgil, you can stop. If you don't want to keep killing you can stop. No one is forcing you," Remus said.

"It's time for me to end this. It's time I see Roman again," Virgil said quietly. Then he started laughing, quietly, yet sadly. He placed the dagger to point at his own heart. "No more, Mama. No more."

And then he plunged the dagger into his own chest, letting his body drop to the floor. He was dead.

Everything seemed to crash down on them at once as they realized it was over. So many had died, but it was over. Virgil's death signified the ending of the terror that had gripped people for years. An end to the constant fear that something would come and kill them in the night.

944 words.