Requiem for a Mouse (25 page)

VLAD

Vlad ran toward the screams. Even only able to hear out of a single ear, those screams were unmistakable. It was the one scream he had hoped never to hear.

“Sasha!” he yelled.

He stumbled through the alleys, nearly tripping over his own feet. Ever since the gunshot that robbed him of half his hearing, his balance had also been shaky. With panting breaths, he left the alley walls into the main street.

The screams disappeared in a final piercing shriek. Vlad scrambled toward the noise until finally, he found her. His heart skipped a beat. Propped up against the wall was Sasha, sitting in a pool of blood. Her hair masked her face like a bridal veil. In front of her laid Bryce, face down in red dirt.

“Sasha.” Vlad called out. He ran to her.

To his relief, her eyelids lifted. “It’s you,” she muttered in a dream-like state. “Is it sad I’m actually relieved to see you?”

“I’m going to get you help.”

“No.” She pulled her hair back behind her head to reveal a swollen eye and bloody nose. Except for the purple bruise and splatters of blood, her face was ashen white. “Stop. Please, just stay with me.” She choked on the words as tears fell down her swollen cheeks.

Vlad stared at her awestruck.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“Listen, everything’s going to be alright.” Tears filled the eyehole of his mask, swallowing the world with water.

“Liar.”

Vlad looked away.

“I’ve always tried to live without regrets,” Sasha muttered. “I said and did what I thought was best. So tell me, why is it that I have so many right now?” Her question ended in a silent sob. “How is that even fair?”

“It’s not,” Vlad replied, in a volume barely higher than Sasha’s. He didn’t have the willpower to say much more. Anything else, and he would bawl until his tears dried up.

“I messed up.” Sasha covered her eyes with one hand as she cried. “And I won’t even be around for the consequences, but my family will. What would you think of a girl like that?”

Vlad shook his head. “Don’t say that.”

“I’m pathetic.”

“That’s not true.”

“I’m the worst.” Sasha clenched her fist and beat the ground. “I just needed one,” she cried. “Just fucking one more drop. Then I could’ve saved them all. The Dragon promised.”

The Dragon?

“How did everything end up like this? All I wanted was to give my family something. But I still haven’t…” Sasha choked on the sentence and squeezed more tears out of her eyes.

“You’ve done enough,” Vlad muttered. “Save your strength. It’s time to go home.”

Sasha fought back her cries. Little gurgles escaped her throat.

“Sasha, stop.” Vlad ground his teeth together. “You can stop now.”

Sasha dug her heels into the ground, spurting blood into blood. With shaky arms, she pushed herself inches off the dirt. “I still haven’t given them a thing!” she wailed and crashed back down onto the ground. She threw her head down and cried.

Vlad wrapped his arms around Sasha. Her tears dripped onto his shoulder.

“Listen, I have a final request,” she whispered.

“Don’t say that, everything’s going to be alright. I’ll protect you like I always have. I’ll get rid of the Lions and the Hawks and even The Dragon. You’ll be safe.”

“Will you listen?”

Vlad couldn’t bring the word out of his mouth. So he just nodded.

“I have a family. They can all be a little hotheaded and rash, but that’s because they learned from me. They’re good kids, all of them. So please, Slasher, leave them alone.”

Vlad stifled a cry.

“Please, give me this,” Sasha begged.

“Sasha… I can’t. You don’t understand.” Vlad dug his nose into the nape of her neck.

“Please,” she pleaded with a waning breath.

“But—”

“I’m begging you.” Sasha grabbed Vlad’s wrist with a weak grip and pushed off him. She gave him a teary look. “For me.”

Once again, the words refused to leave Vlad’s mouth. All he could do was nod in response. His agreement seemed to fill Sasha with relief, because a small smile spread across her face. She looked up at the clouds and let her arms drop. She closed her eyes.

Vlad stared, waiting for her chest to rise. As the seconds stretched, panic overtook him.

Breathe!

“Sasha!” Vlad grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Sasha, wake up!” She felt like a ragdoll. “Don’t die! Breathe!” Vlad squeezed her limp body. Cold.

Vlad rubbed his body against hers, trying to warm her up. He could feel the chill air seep into her skin, slowly stealing away her life. Her heart slowed until its gentle thumping stopped altogether. And just like that, the girl he loved more than anything else in the world became just another object.

MAVERICK

Maverick stumbled home with the Slasher’s mask in hand. Everywhere he went, the Earth wet with spots of red. Above him, the black clouds had started parting to make room for a spectacular rainbow.

“A beautiful day.”
Is what Sasha would’ve called it.

He could already hear his family.

“Wow.” It was Prince’s voice. “I can’t believe it’s finally over.”

“Everything’s soaked,” Bolt complained. “All our umbrellas blew away.”

“Just be happy we managed to save our tents,” Flower said.

“Hey, listen. Sounds like they’re back,” Prince said. “Mav, Sasha, where’d you guys go?”

Maverick sloshed through water and turned the corner. “I’m home,” he said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“What the fuck?” a wide-eyed Prince muttered.

Flower jumped backwards and Bolt’s mouth hung open.

“Are you okay?” Flower stuttered. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” Maverick gave her a smile so wide it hurt his cheeks. “This isn’t my blood.”

“Then whose blood is it?” Bolt voiced the question everyone was thinking.

“The two Stickers who were asleep in the house by where she died.” Tears fell down Maverick’s face, yet he kept his smile.

“Why is their blood on you?” Prince kept his voice low as if scared to startle Maverick.

“Because I broke my rule,” Maverick responded.

“What rule?” Prince asked.

“My only rule.”

“Mav, why are you smiling like that?” Flower asked.

Maverick shrugged. “Because” —He spread his arms high above his head and danced in a little circle, just as Sasha would’ve to cheer them up— “it’s a beautiful day! And of course, it has to be a beautiful day when she dies. God couldn’t show her the slightest respect. No, this day is for celebration!”

“What are you talking about?” Prince demanded, his face contorting into a look of worry. “Mav, where’s Sasha?”

Both Bolt and Flower leaned in to hear him.

Maverick cocked his head to one side as if he didn’t understand the question. “Well, she’s dead of course.”

A tense silence filled the air. “Don’t joke about that,” Prince finally said. “Tell me where she is.”

Maverick cocked his head to the other side. “I would hope heaven.”

Prince’s face flushed red. He stepped up to Maverick and grabbed him by the collar. “Don’t fucking joke about that! Where is she?”

Maverick’s fists were a blur, too fast to even see. By the time Prince registered what had happened, he was already on the ground, his cheeks red and sore.

Bolt’s words came out unsteady. “You’re joking right?”

Before Maverick could answer, Prince screamed. “Of course he’s joking!” He pushed himself back up. “Maverick, this isn’t funny.”

“That’s because it’s so tragic.” The corners of Maverick’s mouth twitched, threatening to collapse into a frown. His tears spilled down his face like a river delta, joining at his chin in a waterfall.

Prince scrambled back up and lunged at Maverick only to be beaten down again.

“Stop fucking lying,” Prince said from the ground. He dug his nails into the dirt.

Behind him, Flower covered her face with her hands and wailed. Beside her, Bolt leaned against the wall as if his legs were about to give. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks.

Prince shot up and dove at Maverick. Before he could lay a hand on Maverick, two fists smashed his head back into the ground. His chin slid against the floor, scraping away on the dirt. Prince choked back a cry and stood back up.

“Take it back. You god damn bastard. Take it back right now!”

“I guess she could be in hell.”

Prince roared and threw a wild punch. Maverick sidestepped the punch and counterattacked with an uppercut to Prince’s stomach. Prince fell with his hand clamped over his mouth. Before he could recover, Maverick sent a knuckle into his temple.

“Why won’t you believe me?” Maverick asked with a shaky voice.

Prince groaned on the ground as he tried getting back to his feet. Drool oozed down the corners of his mouth. “Because you’re lying,” he coughed out.

“You’re as hardheaded as she was.”

Prince flung a fistful of mud into Maverick’s face. It was the first move that caught Maverick by surprise. Maverick shut his eyes, but too late. He swiped at his eyes, clawing the mud from his face.

“You’re wrong!” Prince put all his might into a single punch. It connected with Maverick’s face, flinging Maverick backwards. “I’m as hardheaded as she is,” Prince finished with heavy breaths.

PRINCE

“Maverick,” Prince said, a sob rising from his chest. “Do you remember what we promised each other? We said that we’d protect her no matter what. So tell me where she is, she might be in trouble.”

Maverick remained on the ground. He tucked his head in between his knees and stayed silent. His shoulders slouched and his back bent as if he had been deflated. Every time he took a breath, his shoulders would stagger on the exhale. He was crying.

“Maverick.” This time, Prince kept his tone firm. “Tell me where she is.”

“You arrogant piece of shit,” Maverick muttered between stuttered cries.

“What was that?” Prince was sure he had misheard the words.

Maverick shot up, his smile finally gone. “Don’t lecture me about promises.” He flung the words like an accusation. “What have you done? I went out every night to protect her. I became a monster, even though I knew she would hate me for it. I gave her everything!”

“What have I done? I give us medicine!” Prince shot back. “I’d like to ask you the same question.”

Maverick’s face twisted in rage. Prince had never seen Maverick so angry before. He clenched his teeth as if he was trying to grind them to dust. He tossed his mask in front of Prince.

“I gave her my humanity,” Maverick growled, his voice deeper than ever.

Prince stared at the bloody smile he had only heard about.

The Slasher…

“How could you?” Prince looked back up at Maverick as if seeing him for the first time.

“Don’t you dare judge me when all you did was hide under the covers! Did you think your wishful thinking was enough to save her life? Did you think that you could do your part by just praying? But since things turned out like this, you think you can judge me because unlike me, you did nothing!”

“You can’t justify this. The things you did were inhuman.”

“How are humans supposed to live?” Maverick smacked his chest with open palms. “What’s more human than protecting the girl you love? Tell me!”

Prince kept silent. There was no answer that would satisfy Maverick. The silence settled between them, suffocating anything either could say.

“It must be easy,” –Maverick looked from Prince to Bolt to Flower— “to judge me from up so high, but even easier to forget that I’m the one wading through shit so you guys don’t have to. You’re up so high because you’re standing on my shit stained shoulders. The least you guys can do is not hate me!”

“Mav, calm down. We can—”

“It’s Vlad.” With that, Maverick turned to leave. “Good-bye, Mouse.”

“Wait, where are you going?”

Without turning, Maverick replied, “I keep my promises.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Prince screamed and chased Maverick to the entrance of their home. “At least tell me where Sasha is!”

Maverick stopped in his tracks. “You already know. Stop making me repeat it.” Though he still had his back to Prince, his shoulders shuddered with sobs. “It’s cruel, even for me.”

Of course I know.

Prince fell to his knees. At last, he let the tears escape from his eyes. It felt like his chest was being torn from inside. His heart crashed into its cage with every beat, it tried to escape.

Prince closed his eyes and cried.

FLOWER

Flower had run out of tears to cry and by the sounds of it, so had everyone else. They all sat away from each other. Bolt had his face buried in a corner and Prince was sitting on the floor staring at nothing. None of them knew how many hours had passed, but the sun was setting and the ground underneath them had somehow dried.

In the middle of their tents laid their last plastic bag of bread. Flower crawled out of her tent and grabbed a piece, nibbling on its crust. Despite her rumbling stomach, the thought of food made her nauseous.

“You guys should eat,” she said loud enough for only herself to hear. She hadn’t meant to be so quiet. It felt like she had forgotten how to speak.

She was about to repeat her statement when Prince said, “I wonder if this is our fault.” His voice sounded foreign, intruding upon the silence.

“What do you mean?” Flower asked.

“She went out during the storm. Why else would she do so except for us?”

“That doesn’t make sense. How would it help us?” Flower countered.

Prince shook his head. “I don’t know. All I know is that while she was out there dying, we were here playing with fucking umbrellas.”

“Why did she go by herself?” Bolt asked in a whisper.

“She was trying to protect us,” Flower answered.

“Or,” Prince said, “maybe she stopped believing in us. We failed as Mice. We failed as her family. All we ever did was cause her trouble.”

Prince clawed at the dirt.

“Guys,” Flower said, “I really think we should eat.”

Prince looked over, his face pale and eyes grey. “We’re on our last meal too. It might be time to move on,” he said softly.

That’s the face.
Flower had seen that expression before. It was the same expression Bolt had worn the night they failed their final drop.

“Prince,” Flower whispered. “Take a few breaths.” But her words fell on deaf ears.

“If we sell some of our stuff, we can buy some food for tomorrow,” Prince said as if telling the punchline to some sick joke. “As it turns out, we have an extra tent.”

Bolt shot Prince a glare, but Prince continued.

Each of his words dragged on, as if he was too weary to move on to the next. “And we have one less mouth to feed.” He stood and walked to Sasha’s tent.

“Don’t you dare.” Bolt muttered and stood between Prince and Sasha’s tent.

Prince looked back, his arms and shoulders slouching. He reached to peel back the flaps of Sasha’s tent.

Bolt shoved Prince to the ground.

Prince got up and brushed the dirt from his knees. “Pretending she’s alive won’t bring her back,” he told Bolt without an ounce of emotion. “The faster we move on, the better.”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Bolt said, tears in his eyes.

“Prince, what’s gotten into you?” Flower asked, her voice trembling.

Prince walked back to Bolt and without a single word, drilled his fist into Bolt’s stomach. Bolt spluttered out a weak breath before falling to the ground. Prince stood over him, his expression unchanged.

“Her blanket might pay for lunch.”

Bolt clutched his stomach and rolled onto his side. “Stop,” he spat.

“Bolt, if you want to protect something, you have to be strong enough to protect it. Just like you can’t protect Sasha’s things, I couldn’t protect her. It’s because we’re weak.”

Bolt growled and launched himself at Prince. Prince shot another jab into Bolt’s stomach. Bolt fell into a heap on the ground.

“Right and wrong, none of it matters next to strength,” Prince said.

Prince peeled back Sasha’s tent flaps and stepped inside. “I suppose it’s only fair to give these to you, Bolt. After all, Sasha bought them for you. Your perfect gift.”

Two sneakers flew out from the tent, landing by Bolt’s feet. Just seeing them brought tears to Flower’s eyes. Even just barely scraping by, Sasha had managed to save enough to buy shoes.

“Try them on, Bolt.”

Bolt stared at the shoes as if wary of some trap. He looked from the shoes back to Prince and back to the shoes again.

“Go on,” Prince urged. “They were Sasha’s last gift, might as well see if they fit. Wouldn’t it be funny if they didn’t?”

“Fuck you.” Bolt snatched the shoes from the ground and leapt into a sprint. Before anyone could stop him, he ran away.