The Purge
Chapter 38: Bri

“A bruise is tender but does not last, it leaves me as I always was.”

Lang Leav

I woke up from the warmth. It has been years since strong arms held me. Now it felt like waking from both a dream and a nightmare. I wanted to stay in the dream. I wanted to be held by those strong arms and be safe. I wanted to run away from the nightmare. I don’t want to go back and die inside myself again.

Conleth was sleeping peacefully beside me. It felt so normal to be lying next to someone and knowing that after a few more minutes, a few more seconds, everything goes back to the way it was again. His breath was warm against my neck. I closed my eyes as I remembered his kisses. The fire his touch had brought me. The heat was intoxicating.

I slowly turned to face him, careful enough not to wake him. His sleep was so serene that it breaks my heart. What if the world was not in catastrophe? What if worlds have never collided? Would I be in this situation? Would I still be with my family? What would have it made of me? Would I have met him across the street? Would I even have met him?

Things would have been different.

But here I am. Lying down facing the boy who’s melting me. I don’t understand why my heart can’t stop beating, rushing, and running from miles and miles. It was like I was made of machine and he held the key to operate me. Being here beside him now, made me want to throw away everything, forget about everything and just run away. It made me want to be normal. It made me want to love. Just love.

And it scares me.

If I was the old me, the one who doesn’t hide her smiles and lock herself away from people I might have stayed. But that girl was gone. This world had killed her. And now she has been replaced by this cold girl who only knows how to hold a gun and torture people— kill people. That girl was filled with rainbows and was fond of unicorns. This girl was as hard as metal.

He would have liked her.

And so I left. It’s the only way I know to save people from destruction. I am a plague.

I found myself walking out of the headquarters and heading towards the Colonel’s office. The gun hanging on my belt felt heavier than I expected. My hands tingled from the sensation of putting the bullet into his head. But as soon as I entered his quarters, I felt a cold wave of doubt in me. Hushed voices filled his room. And from the small opening of his door, I was able to get a glimpse of what was inside with him.

A boy. More likely my age with platinum white hair and almost ivory colored skin. He has his back at me but I can hear them talking.

“That’s just nonsense.” The boy said. “You humans are meddles and fools.”

Slow, pretentious, footsteps. A grunt. Bones cracking. Whimpering.

I stepped closer towards the door to see what’s really inside. And there I saw Colonel Black tied up in his own personal fears. Snakes wrapped around his body like chains. Gracefully the creatures crawled up to his face, taunting the very breath in his throat. The boy, with silver hair stood like a gallant soldier of the light facing a treacherous piece of work. Only that what’s ironic was that this boy was no light at all. He was all darkness. I can feel his aura working its way around the room, mimicking the colonel’s fears.

Illusion.

Humans are so easy to manipulate. They pretend to be stronger than one another. But what they do not say and what they do not know are the things that get them into trouble. They fall right into the pit where an illusion of gold lies beneath.

“I’m afraid your work is done here, Colonel.” The boy said. His soft voice was full of void, so blank that it made me think of an abandoned place where there are no doors. I watched as the colonel’s eyes grew wide in terror as the snakes’ grip tightened around his neck. One of them forced open his mouth and went inside his body, washing away his chance of salvation. Something inside of me has told me that I should be doing something, that I should help. But the lowlier part of me had argued why should I? He is human. It was the aliens that killed my family. But it was the humans that turned me into a monster. So why redeem myself when I am no better than them? So I let him get what he deserved.

I watched it happen. I let him die.

His body slipped into the cold tiled floor like a broken doll. I thought seeing people die in front of me was the worst thing I would ever see. But the thing is, you will always have to anticipate and expect the unexpected to happen. And right in front of me, I watched the boy change into the colonel’s skin. His skin peeled like a snake’s. And there is nothing more horrifying to realize than to see one of your own turn against you.

“Where are you going, Tyranica?” his soft voice, the colonel’s voice, teased.

I stood up straight from my hiding place and I opened the door widely for him to see.

He waved his hand over the dead body. “Did you like the show? Oh I didn’t mean to scare you or anything. Please, come in.” I looked up at his eyes, daunting not to flinch. But what disappointed me was the same color of Addonexus eyes. A lot of words rallied inside my mouth but all I said was, “Why?”

He shrugged, “Why not? You would have done the same if I had not reached the finish line first.” His lips perked up in a crooked smile.

“How would you have known that I would have done the same thing?” I took a few steps inside the room but not far enough from the door.

He snorted. “Oh come on. You don’t get it do you? You are Bri Tyranica. And that’s who you are. That’s who you will be forever. You will always destroy everything you touch. You will always screw up. So why would you be any different from me?”

“Wow. Thanks for the compliment. Such a fortune teller you are indeed. But you don’t know me.”

“Yet. Don’t be such a stranger, Bri. We met before.”

“Please. You are making me laugh. What is this? You’re going to tell me the crazy reincarnation thing now?”

“Yes, because that’s what Addonexus are. We move from one body to another like a host. We are both light and dark because we are created from it.”

At that my eyebrows unwrinkled and a look of amazement flashed his face.

“Oh! You didn’t know that?” he started laughing. “You see the ironic thing is, our body is exactly ours but it isn’t. We are just mindless souls moving from time to time to get another body and live.”

“Without the humans we’ll die. So why kill them?”

“You have so much to learn, Bri.” He crooned as he started towards me. His skin changed back to his old self. He outstretched his hand towards me. “Come with me, Bri. Come with me and the others. Together, we will rule the galaxy. Together we can change the world. Help me cleanse the world.”

“You’re just a child.” I almost whispered. I felt my own fear peek through my skin.

He smirked at me. “But with great power. Just like you.”

I shook my head. “You can run along and play all you want but I’m not coming with you.”

“You seem to be forgetting what the humans did to us. It is time to take what’s rightfully ours!”

“I am mad at what the humans did to me but this—this isn’t right.”

He started laughing again. “You’ve gone soft haven’t you? The ice queen finally melting. Such a sight to see. I am in deep awe.”

“Because it isn’t right. If the aliens are here to kill us then we have one common enemy and it is they that we should be killing, not the humans.”

“Such a love you are, Bri, but so naïve as well. Why the sudden change of heart? I’ve read your thoughts before you came here. They were as dark as your own heart. But now, you disappoint me. I’m beginning to think I should have let you kill him.” he gave me a cold glare and he turned his back to me. “Perhaps I can persuade you.” He waved his hand towards the wall and it showed a hologram of a boy standing in front of the door. In front of my door.

Conleth.

My heart betrayed me as it panicked and started bumping so hard inside my chest. Fear raised through my veins and tears started to burn my eyes. I forced myself not to show any sign of weakness but I was afraid my knees would also fail me.

He turned to me with a triumphant smile. The brave girl stature I’ve shown must have been failing.

“You know this boy, right?” he grinned at me as I tried to remain firm on my post. “No? Come on, I know you do.”

“Go ahead. Hurt him. I don’t care.” I said through gritted teeth.

“Aren’t I just loving this scene?” he chuckled as he walks towards the hologram. “Good-looking. Strong probably. Such a waste to see him die and unloved. Don’t you really know him, Bri?”

I bit the insides of my cheek so hard that I tasted blood in my mouth. Conleth was still standing outside my door. Why can’t he just stay in his quarters? Why does he have to go and look for me when I clearly sent him the message of my absence that I want him gone from my life? Why would he still be there for me despite everything? At that moment, I just wished he’d forget about me and walkaway.

He clapped his hands as he turned his attention back on Con. “Very well then—”

And I said the words I wish I didn’t have to say.

STOP! DON’T.

A triumphant smile painted his lips as his eyes glowed in amusement at me. “I thought so too, Bri. Now,” he closed the hologram, changed his skin back to Colonel Black and set his undivided attention to me. “where shall we start with my plans?”