Lost in their Past

Chapter 42:- Didn't like the Ending-Part 1

James was like a musical movie, breaking into songs every now and then was his magical power.

Let's go shoot a musical Charlie Blue! He would burst into flames with the same dialogue.

They'd considered it at a point but James hated endings, there were tons of scripts they'd left unfinished.

James really hated his name 'Charlus', Charlie Blue was one of his nicknames for him. There were others too, so many more. Many were phallic and too inappropriate to be used in public.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he tried to remember the sound of his voice. It had been decades since he'd heard his annoying sour, throaty voice again. Charlus missed his spontaneous singing sessions, he didn't realise their importance until he couldn't hear them again.

There were hundreds of recorded tapes in the Raider Manor, one day Charlus went through them all but not one had his sour throaty voice.

He hadn't thought about it until Alain mentioned it. A strange sense of repugnance started to flow through his veins. Here he was, old and alone and there he was, young and alone and dead.

For Charlus, it was a shame that he got old but what was even more of a shame was that James didn't.

At the start, he didn't know how to exist in a world where James was dead, yet here he was, dragging his meaningless existence.

"I'm sorry," Alain had said, "what I said about James, I-I didn't mean it, he didn't deserve to die, not like that."

Charlus couldn't bare to look at him. "No one deserved to die like that."

"Even Mark?"

That grabbed his attention, Charlus looked up. Charlus hated Mark, he used to wish dead upon him back when they were in the Academy. Of course Mark didn't deserve his hatred, the blasted man was so bloody good at everything. Even empathy or the power of forgiveness. He was perfect.

That's what troubled Charlus the most, no matter how hard he tried to get under his skin, unlike Grace, Mark didn't react, he smiled and silently took the insult.

"Sure," he said bitterly, "even Mark."

Alain smirked, "You're happy he's dead."

"Don't-don't be ridiculous."

"You're being ridiculous by denying it," he said, "I attended the academy too."

Charlus didn't answer, he kept on walking.

"You must've been relieved," said Alain, "now that your love of life is all alone. You finally won."

Charlus smiled, he was far away from winning. Mark had won the battle and the war. "Mark has a daughter, he won but then I found Bethany, the love of my life."

Alain smirked again, "Does he?"

"Does he what?"

"Nothing," he laughed, "how long have you been repeating that sentence?"

"What sentence?"

"You know."

Charlus did know, but he was afraid to say it out loud.

By the time he came back from the bathroom, there was an ominous expression spread over Grace's face. He tried asking her what was wrong but she merely barred her freakishly strong teeth at him.

Alain lead them past the abandoned town of Joliet County and into the snow covered mountains. They navigated their way past knee deep of snow and dense forest.

"How long?" Asked Charlus, his teeth were clattering so much he feared they might fall apart.

"Patience," said Alain as he cut further in the dense canopy.

Charlus grunted his teeth, "I'm not liking this," he said to Grace, "something doesn't feel right."

"Don't be a baby," she said, "Alain is my nephew."

"He's a Van Black,"

"So am I!"

"Five hours ago you were dead set that he was a traitor—"

"And I was wrong!" She whispered in a low voice, "I forgot about his cheeky bones and innocent eyes!"

Charlus shook his head in dismay. "It's... it's weird to me, is all."

"Well it's good that nobody asked you!"

They walked behind Alain for another hour or so until they found themselves standing in front of a cave. It was well hidden inside the dense canopy, if it wasn't for Alain they would've mistaken it for another canopy.

The entrance to the cave was narrow and dark. The gnawing feeling his Charlus's gut only grew as they walked further in. He slipped his hand inside the pocket of his parka and took out his UER receiver.

There were no UER spikes, but there was a disturbance of some kind. Charlus knew very well what it was.

"Stop!" He barked as he took out his laser, "Grace don't go inside."

She turned back, horror dawned on her face.

"What the— Charlus!" She screamed as she took out her own laser, "put that down!"

"I won't!" His aim was straight towards Alain's face, "he's misleading us, Grace! The feeling you had in the start was right!"

Grace didn't flinch, "Don't talk nonsense," she vexed, "it was a moment of weakness, Alain would never betray us."

Charlus scoffed as he kicked the UER receiver towards the aunt and her nephew. "See it!" He barked, "no UER signals!"

"Don't be rid-" Grace stopped in midair after her glance fell down on the square box that lay buried in the snow, "–the spikes–"

"It's flux!" He completed, "it's flux from the Magnetron!"

"But... Magnetron is a—"

"Prison! There is no unown down there, only prison!"

By the time Grace realised what was happening, it was too late. She turned around to face Alain but it was of no use, his laser was already out, an dreadful expression spread on his face.

"You—you son of a bitch!" She cried, "I trusted you!"

"You shouldn't have."

Two shots echoed from his end, Charlus fell backwards.

I don't like endings either, Jamsie. He though as everything went black.