No, my friend, I didn't even stop to ask myself what the hell we were doing there. I was just desperate to find a way down the cliffside. As the sun dipped below the horizon, a fallen tree served as our makeshift ladder to reach Lucius. Killian climbed down first and checked the pulse at his neck, immediately ripping open the bulletproof vest and suit jacket with his bare hands. We didn't see any impact or blood; the armor had done its job, but the fall had left him completely unresponsive. Evangelina grabbed his wrist while I knelt at his side.
"He's gone, Carmilla," she said. "He's dead."
Killian started administering CPR. I... I was crying, cradling his head in my hands, unable to process that this was actually happening. His body wasn't reacting.
His eyes, slightly clouded, stared blankly upward, and his lips were completely devoid of color... yes, those very same lips that used to kiss me, bite me, and call me "my girl" were utterly still. His sweet-scented breath had stopped. With every compression Killian made, I pleaded, "Come on, Lucius! Come back to me! Come back to me!"
Evangelina ordered, "That's enough, Carmilla! Let him go, he's dead!"
I glared at her with fury and gripped his face even tighter; no one was going to drag me away from him. Killian, sobbing and shouting, "No, God, no! No, please, God!" stopped his attempts and clutched his head.
He confirmed it. "Let him go. Lucius is dead."
Those words made everything around me fade to black... and then I saw it. Yes, my soul sister, I saw it: I was pregnant, looking at myself in the mirror. Lucius came up behind me and gently wrapped his arms around my belly. I smiled, stroking his neck with my hand, and leaned in to kiss him on the lips.
The trance shattered. In a calm, steady, utterly serene voice, I spoke to Killian. "Don't cry. He's alive. Lucius doesn't die. He and I... he's happy in the future. So do your job as a doctor. Trust yourself."
He stared at me for a split second, his eyes widening as he realized I wasn't lying. He threw himself over him again and resumed his efforts. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... and Lucius gasped, drawing in a violent lungful of air before crying out in pain, clutching his side.
"What happened to me?" he wheezed.
Killian, laughing through tears, shot back, "What happened? You tried to play soldier and fell like a complete idiot, that's what happened. Let me check you over—I might have broken a rib. Don't move."
He complied, muttering, "No, I don't think anything's broken. But get off me—you weigh a damn ton. Where are Daniel and Walter Phillips? Where is Will Terranova? Where is that murderer?"
Evangelina answered, "Bruce shot him. If you're feeling up to it, let us help you up so we can go get those boys."
Lucius stood with his brother's help, and the two of them, arms wrapped around each other, walked toward the tree with great difficulty—not because of the fall, but because I was holding onto them so tightly they couldn't shake me off. Killian told me, "He's fine. If you don't let go, we won't be able to climb up. Come on, Carmilla, I swear to you—Lucius is okay, and it was thanks to you. Now let's get up there."
At the top, we found Bruce bandaging Will Terranova, who had been shot in the lower jaw—or what was left of it. The man's tongue hung grotesquely. Killian went over to inspect him and whispered through gritted teeth, "You're going to live. Be grateful my brother didn't die, or I'd be ripping your heart out with my bare hands."
The bastard let out a sickening groan of pain. I had to run to catch up, because Evangelina and Lucius were already heading down a set of stairs, lighting the way with flashlights. Killian ordered that he would take the lead, and we obeyed.
Inside, we found a wood-burning cauldron filled with charred meat, and at the base of the fire were the remains of burned IDs. That explained the smell I had noticed—a scent heavily laced with melted plastic.
I yelled, "Daniel! Walter! Are you here?!"
When we fell silent, we heard distant whimpering, followed by a short cry: "In here!"
At the very back was a door made of rough wooden planks. Killian shoved it aside, and behind it we found them: tied hand and foot, both alive. The twins laughed and cried at the same time as we used our knives to cut the ropes.
"Who are you?" one of them asked.
I replied, "We are the Vertex."
When a flashlight beam illuminated my face, Daniel looked at his brother in disbelief. "No, Walter, it's not real. We're dead or dreaming, don't you see? That's Carmilla Morris. Yeah, this is just a dream. When we wake up, we'll still be here, waiting for that old man to kill us."
Killian smiled and pinched his arm, introducing himself. "I take it you've heard of me on TV—and of my brother Lucius, who almost died saving your skins. And this is Evangelina Bance, of course."
Both boys gasped in shock and burst into tears again, thanking us over and over.
We loaded Will Terranova and his victims into the helicopter. I had to stand between them because the killer, even unconscious, still terrified them.
As soon as we took off, Walter said, "He kept asking us strange questions and begging us to prove we weren't dangerous. He apologized a lot, but other times he'd get this look... the kind that made us think he was about to kill us."
Killian landed the helicopter at a hospital. He had already radioed ahead so they'd be ready, sending over the medical report for both the killer and the Phillips brothers.
Three doctors and three nurses with stretchers were waiting on the helipad. A police officer stood with them, and as we helped everyone down, another officer approached. Hand on his weapon, he ordered us to step away from the helicopter. But Bruce and my boyfriend stepped forward, and the officer raised his hands.
"Okay, we don't want any trouble here."
Lucius said, "We're the good guys. We're the Vertex. This is Will Terranova—your boss, the head of your department—and the very butcher who's been burying young people upside down. We'll send you the video evidence of the Phillips twins' rescue. Now step aside—we're taking off."
Killian flew back at low altitude the entire way, skimming the ground. When we landed in the hangar, Evangelina shouted, "I've got it! I'll draft a brief statement and send it to our lawyer, Pierstein, so he can file it along with the recordings. I have the perfect legal strategy—trust me, the justice system won't even dare question us. But first—let's celebrate!"
We piled into the armored SUV and returned to the mansion. Killian checked his brother again. As soon as we were in his room, he warned him that his left side would bruise badly. He told a staff member to get painkillers from the first aid kit, but grew impatient and went to get them himself.
Lucius and I were alone. I hugged him once more. Grimacing as if in pain, he said, "No, it's better if we keep our distance. The pain's getting to me. So... come on, girl, get out of here."
I walked out smiling, thinking, If only you knew we're going to have a child.
Evangelina prepared written statements for everyone in just two hours. We signed them and went to drink by the dock. The Vertex was now real. Lucius didn't want to join, but Killian advised him not to sleep yet, so he had to come along.
Holding a glass of champagne, I said, "We really saved them from a horrible death, didn't we? We used our money, our power, and our youth to do good. Is there any better feeling than this?"
Killian kissed me and whispered, "I can think of one..." while squeezing my ass.
Evangelina grabbed my hand, laughing. "Nope—no sexual displays while I'm around."
But Bruce, who had stayed serious until then, stepped forward and said smoothly, "Leave the lovebirds alone and start getting used to the idea that your love life will end the same way it began... with me."
She stared at him for a second, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him passionately.
I sat between Killian and Lucius. I swear, my friend, it wasn't intentional, not to provoke him. Still, he stood up almost immediately and walked away.
My boyfriend said, "Don't worry, he'll be fine. Let's stay a couple more hours so I can rule out any neurological issues, then I'll take you to bed. Wait—tell me what you saw when he was... you know."
I answered, "I have two recurring visions: one involving you, and another where Lucius is the focus. Both are from the future, but I won't tell you because it would influence you. And now I know the future isn't set in stone, just like Clara says. I chose you—and your brother didn't die."
Killian replied, "Technically, he did. Bringing him back doesn't change the fact that we found him without vital signs. So Clara wasn't wrong."
I couldn't tell him what I had seen. Not after that. So I just hugged him. I don't want him to propose because of a vision, nor leave me because he thinks I'll have a child with his brother. Do I believe it? Yes. I saw it, I felt it. But in both visions, I was happy. So I'll live as if none of it will happen. I'll just love—without causing harm.
And as the five of us stood there, celebrating saving two lives, a thunderous voice boomed behind us. Mr. Longfield stood there, phone in hand, glaring furiously.
"What the hell did you just do?!"