Beyond The Sea Blue Light

You're Like The Phantom Greeting Me

For a split second, everyone freezes. I'm not quite sure what's happening. Both of them are trembling, shaking, from fear or from anger or betrayal, I'm not sure. It's the first time either of them has seen the other in a long time.

"Get out of here," Oli says first, breaking the silence. He doesn't turn around, just keeps facing Josh.

"What the hell happened in here?" Vic asks. "Did you—"

Oli shakes his head. "I didn't," he says.

"Then what happened?" Vic presses.

"I found it like this," Oli replies. "I would ask you the same thing." The last comment is directed toward Josh, who stands there, smiling. The sight of him makes me remember, burning anger shooting through me.

"You betrayed us." My voice doesn't sound like my own, cold and harsh to my own ears. "How could you?"

Oli flinches. "I—" his gaze flickers over to Josh, who's watching the conversation stoically, barely a hint of emotion on his face. In fact, he even looks amused. "I'm sorry," he says at last. "I'll explain later, I promise, just please—"

"Answer it, I'm curious Oli," Josh pips up. Oli glances over at him, a mixed expression on his face.

"I did it to save you," Oli says at last.

"I don't need to be saved," Josh replies. "You do though, all of you do."

"How can you be on their side?" Oli asks. "After all they did."

"Because it's what's right," Josh answers. "We're dangerous, you proved that."

"What did they do to you?" Oli pleads. "This isn't you, you would never say this."

"Maybe it is." Josh's eyes glint harshly. "How do you know?"

"Because I know you." Oli's practically pleading now. "Josh, I know you would never do this. What did they do to you?"

"Nothing." Josh's gaze hardens. "Absolutely nothing." His right hand is clenched into a fist by his side, his fingers trembling.

"Josh," Vic interrupts, taking a step forward. I reach toward him, but he pushes me away, continuing forward. "I know you're lying."

"I don't even know who you are," Josh hisses.

"I was just like you," Vic continues. "They took me too. I thought I was dead, I thought that I would never see anything again. It wasn't like the first time, they didn't just lock me up. No, they tried to change me, they tried to make me one of theirs. Do you remember me now, Josh? When what they did to you didn't work on me, they brought you in.

"I—" Josh looks confused, the hostility gone from his demeanor. He winces as if his head hurts, frowning for a moment. "No, I—"

"I'm not trying to settle any scores or get revenge, I know that it wasn't you who did it, it was them," Vic says softly. "And it's hard to fight against it, believe me I know. If you're told something enough, you start to believe it, especially when it's your only choice of survival. It's hard to fight when obeying is the only way you can survive. But I'm telling you that it's okay now. You don't need to listen to them, they're wrong. It's okay to fight back and to escape."

Josh seems to listen for a few moments, frozen in place before he finally shakes his head, backing away. "No," he mutters. "No, that's not how it works. They're always here, they will always be in control." He points toward his own head. "They controlled my powers, they turned me against me. They turned me against you. And I can't fight it, I just can't. How can I win against myself?" His eyes are pleading now, though his mouth is set into a hard frown. "No. I can't. They're always going to win. And now you're going to help us."

"Help who with what?"

Josh simply smiles.

"No!" Oli yells as he jumps forward, yanking both me and Vic backward. It's too late, my mind goes blank. Someone's saying something, but it's hard to make out, it's hard to think through the fog filling my mind. I can't move, can't do anything but just listen and listen. Just give in, something whispers. Let them win, it's the only way.

The gunshot makes me jump as I glance over at Vic, expecting there to be pain, but there's nothing. Instead, Josh falls to his knees, blood staining his shoulder where his right hand is clutched over the wound. Oli moves forward instantly, then stops as if he's remembered, his gaze dropping to the ground. Josh, on the other hand, doesn't seem to notice, and is instead focused on glaring intently at the figure who just entered the room.

"Fuck you," Josh spits.

"See?" Andy cries. "This is what they do to us. This is what they want to turn us into. It's worse than death, being turned into something that you despise. I'm not the enemy, they are. This is what they want us to become, one of their own puppets. Are you convinced now?" He raises the gun, aiming it at Josh again before Oli moves forward.

"Stop it," he pleads. "How is killing each other going to help? Yes, they are the bad guy. Picking ourselves off one by one is what they want, it's how they're going to win. We need to work together."

"So you'll help me?" Andy asks.

Oli hesitates, looking back at me and Vic. "After I get Josh to safety," he mumbles.

"I don't need your help," Josh spits.

"You're going to bleed out," Oli says slowly. I can tell it's taking everything in him not to move forward. "Please, Josh."

"Do you not care about anyone else?" I ask Andy. "Is revenge the only thing you care about? Not the fact that people are going to die if you do this, because you did this?" I motion toward the corpses, the gruesome sight making bile rise in my throat. "What about the fact that you've doomed us all? We had a shot, we could have lived in peace, but you had to destroy it.

"There was never going to be peace, not if they were so determined to destroy us," Andy retorts. "What did Josh ever do to them? What did Vic? What did any of us? None of us did anything."

"But you did."

Three simple words, three syllables are uttered and it changes everything. Andy's face goes slack as he stares at me before he nods slowly.

"Yes," he says. "Yes, but I had to. Because I—" his face goes pale, before it flushes red with anger.

"Andy?" Mr. Styles is standing in the doorway, staring in shock at his son. "What did you do?"