Control

xxxviii | everything

I'M FALLING APART. I'm falling apart. I'm falling apart and I can't recover all the pieces and put myself back together. I couldn't because a piece of me was missing, and you needed all the pieces to complete the puzzle. It's not complete without them all.

My body is shaking and the tears don't stop flowing. I can't move my feet yet I can't stay in the same room as two dead bodies (and Auston Miller's), which fell to the ground right in front of me without me able to do anything. Each live was taken by the hands of the other. I couldn't breathe, wanting to throw up. Dad picked me me, carrying me away from the room.

He set me down on a table, careful not to hurt me any further. I see the tears streaking his face now, but I wasn't sure which death they were for. Mom was a bad person but Dad love him with every inch of his heart. He really thought he could work it out with her, survive without her, but neither worked out. 

"I'm so sorry, little girl. I'm sorry you had to lose so many people in a short period of time." He pulled my hair back, wiping the tears on my cheeks. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything... I'm sorry she was able to hurt you that much. I just couldn't--"

I sniffed, finally attempting to blink away the tears. "This isn't your fault," I whispered. 

"It will always feel like it, Lauren. I was never able to stop this from the beginning, kid. I could've even made your life at the Institute better but... I just didn't and I don't know why. I just thought that maybe, one day, she would've realised this was all a big mess."

"But she never did."

I met his eyes, and he nodded. "She never did."

I wiped back the tears. I wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to function after that, but I know Spencer wouldn't want me to sit around and cry over him. The end was so close and there was hardly anyone else left that could stop us. Mom was gone. Auston was gone. Kelly was gone. But we had to reverse everything that they've done.

"What do we do now, Dad?" I asked, hopping off the table, standing on my own two feet. My leg as healed properly, the only thing really limiting my movement was the drying blood my my clothes. 

Dad looked around. "We're still at war, the Evolutians still obeying whatever instructions your mother gave them." He briefly pauses, still not over what happened. "Split up, go find Jessica and Tyson and I guess you can tell them what happened. Both are probably in the control rooms, upstairs to the left."

I nodded, soaking up his instructions. "This is going to end," I whispered, more to reassure myself. 

He puts a hand on my shoulder, then wrapped me into a tight hug. "It will, sweetheart. I know we keep on saying that and it seems hopeless right now but it will happen in time."

I nodded after he lets go of his bear hug. "I'll see you soon, champ."

"Yeah... see you."

After everything I've seen, everyone's deaths I've caused and witnessed, I was afraid that this was going to be the last time I'd see my father alive. At this point, anything can happen. I don't want to split up but something tells me Dad has a plan too. He exits the room, a small smile on his face. It doesn't take long for the sound of bullets to fill my ears. 

My heart jumps out of my chest.

He's okay. He's okay.

I stepped out of the room, and I couldn't see and blood or dead bodies around me. I let out the breath I was holding it. Whoever was here left bullet holes in the wall though, probably losing all their bullets before hitting the target.