HER guts never calmed her.
Without giving any notice to the directors nor the managers, she got away.
Heck, she doesn’t even know how her twin manage to cover her up so she can ditch her mission.
Hussey was aching to see Aeschylus because of her bad gut feeling.
Something definitely wasn’t right and she doesn’t know why she felt that way.
Even if Aeschylus told her that he needed time alone she didn’t believe him, she must be there for him.
Plus, she knew very well that once she backed away from her mission, she’ll get in serious trouble—or much worse, get punish.
Not that she cared anyway.
Aeschylus was more important than anything else.
In the long run, she hadn’t arrived yet and she already received a text from Lazzini that his mother didn’t make it.
Hussey couldn’t vividly recognize the way she’s feeling upon knowing the news from Lazzini.
It made her more anxious and worried about Aeschylus’ condition right now.
Hussey tried calling him, but to no luck, Lazzini didn’t pick up his phone again.
After some multiple rings, she decided to call Aeschylus instead, it wasn’t the best time to call him but she did anyway or else she’ll lose her mind if she didn’t hear anything from him.
Same how her phone died was the same time how her heart throbbed in an absurd speed.
One that would leave her restless.
Tiredness didn’t feel like how she used to feel it since the time when she’s staying in the helicopter.
In irritation, she hurled her useless phone and didn’t care less if it broke into pieces somewhere, Hussey couldn’t find any reason to be calm at this moment and her wrath wasn’t helping.
She had to wait for so many hours to get to Aratiles.
At the end, she squeezed her eyes shut and drew a long, heavy breath. It’s so sudden, why something like this would happen?
How was Aeschylus taking it? The most important person in his life just vanish?
Last night was just going so well for his mother, Lazzini, Hussein, and him. Why does this have to happen?
In the morgue, it was afternoon break, Aeschylus could only stand there. Not making any motion, couldn’t accept that this happened in just a snap.
He’s wearing his mother’s signature leather jacket in honor of her.
He was frantic when his mother gone berserk on the spur of the moment, he couldn’t do anything. He just watched as Lazzini prevented his mother to do anything that can harm anyone.
Skin was pale as bleach; eyes were dilated in implausible point.
Aeschylus wouldn’t go anywhere if Lazzini didn’t pick him up there.
By wrapping his arm around his shoulders, he made him turn his heels and head outside.
Lazzini was terribly quiet which Aeschylus appreciated.
Because if he said anything, he doesn’t know where he’ll find words to say to him.
While in Lazzini’s thought, he kept wondering why Hussey didn’t call him again, he failed to answer her earlier because he’s busy carrying out the investigation for the unknown attack of the drug to his friend’s mother.
It wasn’t confirmed yet, their division was still working on it since they haven’t got a strong evidence from the person who did this.
Surely, there’s only one person which he had in mind.
Lazzini escorted his friend back to his house, without saying anything, Aeschylus clambered up the stairs. Lazzini could only let him be so he can have time for himself.
Lazzini didn’t leave Aeschylus alone in his house, he didn’t bring his laptop so he used his phone to keep in touch with his comrade and do some work.
He only stayed at the living room, just in case Aeschylus need him, he’s just there and so he’s near outside as well.
Two hours elapsed and Lazzini was turning to feel uneasy since Hussey didn’t call nor text him again, she never answered his calls and messages either.
“Now what’s happening to her? This is not the best time to be missing in action.” He thought she got out of her mission, that’s what she said to him before he announced that Enza was gone.
Minutes passed when he heard a knock from the front door, thinking it was Aeschylus’ girlfriend, Lazzini sprinted.
As soon as the door cracked open was the same time his face fell than he could ever do than he did the last time.
“What are you doing here? Don’t you have classes to attend?” he began with coldness as he can ever hold.
“Is it bad to visit my friend—”
Hussein finished his sentence with choking noises when Lazzini smashed him to the wall, one arm was gripping his shoulder to held him captive and one was sealed to his throat.
Lazzini was certain that he’s much stronger than him, even if how hard Hussein dug his nails to his skin can’t make him waver.
“You did this, didn’t you?! What’s the reason for you to do this?” his tone was conveyed with enormous exasperation.
Hussein replied with fiendish laugh and because he’s much taller than Lazzini, he looked down at him. “Instead of doing this, why don’t you look out for your precious friend? You’re too late!” He didn’t even try to deny it.
Again, the taunting laughter erupted in his throat reason why Lazzini gave him another slam before he rushed back to Aeschylus.
Meanwhile Hussein dropped to the floor. Still laughing and it’s getting disturbing as seconds passed by.
“Aeschylus?!” Lazzini called from his door but when he opened it, he wasn’t there. “Aes!”
He seized his hair, going back down to search for him. Why didn’t I notice him going downstairs?! Lazzini shouldn’t have let him go back to this place, who would have known how the drug will infect any of them?
When he heard a coughing noise near the kitchen, he didn’t hesitate to run over there.
What he witnessed was Aeschylus gripping his throat like he’s trying to spit out whatever he consumed.
Lazzini grabbed his shoulders the moment he reached him. “Aeschylus! You didn’t absorb it, right?!”
Aeschylus attempted to hold onto his best friend. “I-It hurts . . . g-get it a-away from m-me . . . it h-hurts so m-much,” he tried to make out the words and Lazzini understood it very well.
He can see his eyes beginning to alter, it meant that the drug was working in his system. “No! I know it hurts but please fight it! Fight!”
All he could do was to rub his back, maybe it will ease the pain he’s feeling but it only got worse, worse than he could ever imagine.
Aeschylus became a coughing mess. “I-I don’t think I c-can make it, L-Laz . . . i-if this one k-kill me, please l-look out for Hussey, I love that woman so much.”
“No, no, no, Aes, you’re not going anywhere. You’re not going to leave her; you’re not leaving me! Hang on, please hang on, we’ll remove that thing out of you. Just hold on!”
Just plea after plea, a tight smile formed to Aeschylus’s lips, the kind of smile that he only gave to Lazzini.
“You’re the best of f-friend that I could ever ask for, t-thank you for being there for me. For s-sharing the movies that I haven’t seen before, for telling some c-childhood stories about y-you because I never had one, thank you. . . .”
More begging from Lazzini to Aeschylus but he couldn’t control his body anymore, he couldn’t control his palpitating chest.
The only thing that Lazzini can do from that moment was to stop him from doing anything that may lead him to rampage.
Tears streamed from Lazzini’s eyes as he watched his skin paled, eyes were fully dilated, hands were trying to struggle, attacking him in attempt.
None of that can ever make him let Aeschylus go, he can hear his hurtled beating from his chest.
His sporadic behavior making Lazzini cry for more.
“My, my . . . what do we have here?” Lazzini didn’t give the voice any attention. “Even if you hold him still, you have a high chance that you’ll get killed by him.”
“Go away!”
Hussein replied him with a chuckle before walking in circles around them.
“S-Sky? L-Laz?”
All of the eyes in that room followed the arrival of Hussey.
Because Lazzini was caught off guard, his restrain for Aeschylus loosened that made him move away which gave Aeschylus access to him.
Hussey rushed to her boyfriend when he turned ballistic and kept throwing strikes to Lazzini. “Baby! This is just in your head! Snap out of it!”
She tried to stop him but to no avail.
“Behind you!” Lazzini doesn’t have to tell her because she already saw it coming.
Before Hussein could crash the bat behind her head, she swiftly swerved to the other direction.
Reason why the bat hit the cabinet instead of her, he’s ready to hit Hussey again but rather than dodging it again, she caught the tip of it.
It left a stinging pain to her palms but that wasn’t the case, she strengthened her clasp around it to flip it around so she’ll be the one to pound it to Hussein.
“Take care of him, I’ll knock him out.” Hussey nodded before tossing the bat to Lazzini.
She let Lazzini take care of Hussein while she knelt closer to her lover and examine him.
Hussey bit her bottom lip when she inspected his chest, it’s unnaturally fast.
That will lead him to death if he won’t get treated immediately, it would be dangerous too now that he’s unconscious.
As much as possible, he should be responsive but if she’ll let him be aware of his surrounding, illusions will kill him instead.
She didn’t waste more time and lifted his body, hanging his torso to her shoulder to make everything easier.
Before she could entirely leave, she spotted a set of division—probably Lazzini’s division since she could discern Alazne and Zowen who wanted to talk to her which they couldn’t because she must attend to Aeschylus first.
On the way to SJ, she would constantly glance at Aeschylus whenever she got a chance.
Checking him out if he’s still breathing.
“Yes . . . yes, I know it hurts. Please fight the pain, baby, please.” She reached Aeschylus’ hand.
Aeschylus kept groaning like he’s fighting it, like he’s still in his right mind to react to her touch.
That’s what Hussey wanted to believe.
He clenched their hands together, just to lessen the pain.
“It’s you, right? You’re the one who’s controlling it, not the drugs, right?” Tears escaped from her eyes.
She wiped it off as it was making her vision blurry.
Hussey sped up the gas, his constant howl was making it hard for her, it’s killing her.
How she wished she can at least lessen the pain he’s bearing.
“N-No!” Aeschylus woke up, it caused her to turn the wheel when he got up and attacked her.
Before they could hit any passing trees, Hussey swerved to different way to avoid themselves from getting hit before she stopped the engine.
In immediate response, she prevented Aeschylus for doing anything that may hurt the both of them.
Aeschylus was being held in her arms, fist was blowing her and all she did was to embrace him tightly.
Whispering sweet nothings in his ear.
Like it would do anything better at this point.
The suffering noises from him was tormenting her.
Her lips found his forehead, dropping kisses with no ending. She knew what was coming but she doesn’t want to accept it.
Seconds then minutes, it lasted for an hour until he stopped doing any movement.
She held him close to her. In the end, he never returned, he’s no longer the same as before.