BASKET CASE | mike wheeler

xviii. it's all over

THE END OF EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING, PART II

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in which the party throw their own fourth of july celebration, and jacob ives dies

it's all over

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it's all over | the battle of starcourt

〖 it's all over 〗

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JACOB MARCHED up the steel steps that would eventually lead him to the upper level where he was planning to take Billy by surprise. His hands were shaking.

He stopped halfway up to take the last of his seratonin inhibitors, coughed against the dryness of his throat and mouth, and continued on.

Clang.

"Ah, fuck!"

"Shh!"

Jacob stilled, hand falling from the railing and into his messenger bag to reach for something, anything to defend himself with before realising that he could still feel the creature near, his abilities returning to him in full, and reaching out with his mind instead.

He felt numerous presences and withdrew quickly when another clang filled the air, heart in his throat.

Hesitantly glancing up at the layers of spiralling staircase above, he suddenly wished he had kept that handgun for himself instead of passing it off to Jonathan.

There was a flash of movement up ahead and another clang followed by a sharp thwack and a yell of protest.

It couldn't have been Billy - he had heard him go out the door that would eventually lead to Scoops, and Billy didn't giggle.

"Кто там?" He called out in his most authoritative tone, hoping that he sounded like a fellow Soviet comrade and not a fidgeting fourteen year old boy, "Привет! Кто там?!"

There was a pause in the silence, another thwack and a hushed 'No, don't, don't, don't, you fucking idiot-', and then a familiar head of rose hair peered over the railing.

"Uh, we - we're supposed to be here, o - officer."

"Soldiers aren't called officer!"