V.I.R.A.L

"Hey kiddo, what you doing up here?" Alton questioned.

Zinnia turned from the view of the city staring at Alton, wiping her eyes. "How'd you find me here?"

Alton overlooked the hospital smiling. "I use to come up here a few times after my check-ups. Plus, Percy came up here too… It only made sense for you to be here."

"He's really dead, isn't he?"

Alton gave a gloomy look nodding. "Yeah… He really is."

"It still hasn't hit me yet you know. I'm sure it ever will, I'm half expecting to walk down those stairs and hear that annoying brat's droned voice echo throughout the building. Never thought I'd miss it."

Alton sat beside Zinnia smirking faintly. "I just thought of something funny just now. It's well… Never mind…"

"How did you cope with your mother's death? Sorry to bring that up but I've never had to go through something like this. I thought I could save everyone, and it would all be over like that."

"Pretty naïve to think that Zin."

"I know it is. But I just didn't think about it at the time."

Advertisements

Alton looked up frowning. "Don't do what I did. When my mother died, there was no one for me. Instead of finding people to help me burden the pain, I kept that all to myself and let it build up. That's no way to live."

"What about Sam?"

"No… Not her."

"It's going to hurt so much when the realisation kicks in."

"I can imagine so… You'll get used to it. Eventually. When someone goes. When I go, it shouldn't hurt as much?"

Zinnia punched Alton out of spite, shaking her head. "Don't say things like that! You're going to live a long life and die at 93 where I will look after you."

Alton chuckled at the remark. "More like 94. Give me some slack, the way you made that sound like we're going to spend the rest of our lives together."

Zinnia flinched looking down. "It was a joke… Don't look too much into it."

"Rodger that."

"That joke you thought of before… Can I hear it?"

"How do rabbits travel?" Alton asks, getting a blank response from Zinnia. "By hareplane… Get it hare… Told you it was awful…"

Zinnia began crying with laughter wiping her eyes, unable to control herself. Resting on Alton's shoulder, she smiled. "Thank you, Alton."

"For what? I didn't do anything…"

"For just being you. Please never change."

"Sure. Anything for you Zin."

****

The door to Alton's apartment creaked open as Zinnia stared blankly into the lifeless room. Her heart ached with pain, just thinking of the memories. Flicking the lights on she entered glancing around remembering the moments she shared with everyone along the way. Her hand passed over serval items still remaining resting on the table. The rusted hotpot caught her eye stained from their last celebration. Thanks to him Zinnia even tried the dish, and now she could happily announce it as her favourite. She had secretly been practising making the dish herself for the next celebration, but she knew nothing could come close to what Alton could cook up.

Falling onto the sofa, she looked around sighing. On the table beside her was Alton's Christmas presents, the hero trump cards she had hand made with so much care. She was never sure if Alton liked them as his last few weeks were very private. Zinnia wasn't much help in that situation, also keeping her distance. The door creaked open as Gale stood in the doorway with a brave smile and serval bandages around his face. "I knew you would be here."

"That obvious, huh?" She chuckled, putting the cards back. "I needed to see this place one last time. Before it's just a memory. Before someone else moves in and that memory preserved vanishes for good."

Gale closed the door behind him sitting next to her. "Truth is I came here for the same reason. I've been dreaming of that night seven months back. The first celebration we had after Pokiero. Just me, you and Alton celebration at the time a huge achievement. It was all so much simpler back then. Just a small group of nobodies taking down corrupt streamers. No Garden, no Vanguard. Nothing like that. We've all come so, far haven't we?"

"We sure have. You know what… It only hit me the other day after Marco and Destiny attacked. We really knew nothing about Alton. Not really, we were all so caught up with our own pasts. Our own problems and Alton would be there each and every time to help us. He'd never question the motive he'd just be there you wouldn't even need to ask. Scarlett and the Syndicate family. Alice and Iris. You and your family… Me and my own selfish problems. Emil and Monty. But we were never there for him. Even after all this time, I don't even remember when his bloody birthday was."

Zinnia began getting emotional as Gale took a deep breath. "That's just who Alton was. He'd open up in patches. Say stuff about his past out of the blue. But I could always see it in his eyes. Pain and regret. He always had a sense of mystery surrounding him. Whether it was his origins with the Garden or his past streaming group. I just think Alton did all of that for us as a way to make amends with himself."

"But I just can't accept that. He was our leader, he cared and looked out for all of us. Put his life on the line time and time again. I just watched him die, and there was nothing I could do. If our roles were reversed, Alton wouldn't have given up. I know it. He would have saved me. So many people saw him as a monster. A Child of the Garden… At one point, I, too, was caught up in a mess and believed that. That was foolish of me to think that. Alton was anything but a monster. He was my friend, my hero. Our leader… I loved him."

Gale closed his eyes, accepting that. "I think we all knew that. Even Alton."

"He did? Why didn't he say anything?"

"Probably the reason you didn't," Gale admits. "We've been through hell and back from Vanguard to Paradox to Eyes over Reality. You were all so caught up in those moments the moment was never there."

"And it never will."

Zinnia stared at the challenge card from Marco with a stern look. Gale took notice staring. "Why do you still have that for?"

"I'm going to make things right."

Gale stopped a determined Zinnia standing in front of the door blocking her path. "Where are you going Zinnia?"

"Get out of my way Gale… I need to do this."

"No. No, you don't. No one does, let this one go Zinnia. Let it slide, it isn't worth it. Alton wouldn't want this."

"To hell with Alton does and doesn't want?! If it was down to him all those months ago, Team Rhapsody would never have happened. I pressured him into this, and he paid the consequences. I cannot stand by knowing his killers are allowed to walk free with no punishment."

Gale tried keeping Zinnia back, desperately shouting. "And if you die too? If you die achieving this so-called justice, what happens then? Everyone Alton did be for nothing. The memories of Alton you hold dear will be lost. What happens then? I come knocking to avenge you?!"

"I don't care what you think Gale this is about me. What I believe is right."

"So, going to this cage fight? Fighting to the death, that's going to help? If it isn't magically somehow a trap, then what? You fight Marco? If he doesn't kill you, then what? Are you going to kill him? Is that something Zinnia Trost would do?!"

"I'm done arguing with you Gale! If Team Rhapsody wants to cower and run away, so be it. I want to fight!"

"We're not disbanding out of fear!" Gale shouted, pushing Zinnia to the ground in anger. "We're doing this out of respect for Alton… He risked his life to keep us safe over and over again, never once caring for his own. We could easily do this. Hell, I think we all would, but you saw the outcome the other day. I was beaten half to death! We were almost killed by just two members. There's still at least two more. But if we all worked together, we might win. But at what cost? My death? Emil's? Yours?! This would just be damning Alton's wishes. Please don't kill what little we have left. I can't go through that again."

"Nothing you can say will change my mind."

"Of course, it won't. Even if I beat you down over and over. Lock you away and throw the key away. Zinnia Trost is out for blood. I don't care what it takes, I'm not about to watch the girl I love to throw it all away and get herself killed!"

Zinnia flinched lying on the floor seeing Gale crying. "Gale?!"

Gale shook his head, laughing. "I really just went and spilt the beans, didn't I? God Damn it I was hoping this secret of mine never came to light."

Zinnia pulled herself up looking dazed. "You really felt that about me? How long?"

"Since you saved my life and showed me the real-world dummy," Gale grunted. "One of the reasons I joined Rhapsody. But when I saw how much you cared for Alton. How much you loved him, I backed away. Allowed it to hopefully flourish, if you're happy that's enough for me. Even with Alton gone, I have no intention of trying anything. I just want you to be safe, to be happy again. Where's the carefree hero we all know and love?!"

"Gale… I'm sorry."

Gale turned away, wiping his eyes sniffing. "What good is apologising now? You're hopeless Zinnia, you know that. You go down this path, and you'll never come back. You're going to kill them; I know it, and when you do Zinnia Trost won't exist. You'll be just a husk of what you used to be. I won't let that happen alone. If you want to fight, I'll fight alongside you."

"What?!"

Advertisements

"I made a promise to myself. No more of my friends are going to die. If I can't stop you, then the least I can do is protect you. We've been there from the start. The first stream, the first follower and takedown. It only fits us two end Team Rhapsody once and for all."

Zinnia hugs Gale whispering. "Thank you, Gale."

"No point thanking me yet I haven't done anything."

"I know. It's just. Thank you for staying who you are till the very end…"

Gale stared at the apartment, keeping the pain down. "When the time comes, I'll do it. You don't have to get your hands dirty. If I must. I'll kill every last member of Villain's Wrath for you."