The red truck grinds down the street, swerving between several skyscrapers, scorching past sidewalks, weaving in between cars as it speeds through lights and intersections. Avery leans her hand out the window as she swerves about a corner once more, the car booking it toward a tower at the end of the straight. Beside her, Eleanor tears her head off the front of the dashboard, leaning back, sitting straight up in her seat. She turns over to face Avery.

  “I — What’s happened?”

  Avery glances at Eleanor through the corner of her periphery before staring back toward the road, still booking the truck toward a massive tower at the center of the city. As she drives down the center of the road, cars swerve out of the way. Braellyn leans over into the front seat, glancing between Avery and Eleanor, fidgeting with her hands.

  “How much longer do you think?!”

  “Eh… The building’s over there, so. I don’t know.”

  She raises her arm up from the wheel and points up toward the building. The car swerves before she places her hand back on the wheel. Eleanor stares back toward Braellyn and Flynt for a moment, before staring back up toward Avery.

  “I see. You can’t drive.”

  Avery grimaces for a moment, while Flynt chuckles. From the sidewalk, a figure steps out into the center of the road, a short figure in a flowing, white robe. She throws off her robe into the sidewalk, revealing her long braids, and she holds out her arms, standing still in front of the car, standing down the road. The car does not decelerate: they keep their speed. The car comes closer and closer to the woman. At once, the car crashes into her, easing into a stop. A crackle and sizzle of electricity surrounds the shell of the car, and the vehicle floats off of the ground. The woman in front of the truck closes her eyes, and sweat beads down the front of her face. The car tilts over sideways and falls over the sidewalk beside her, topping onto its back. Avery climbs out of the car, stumbling up toward the woman, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

  “Wait.”

  She presses her hands out in front of her, looking up toward Avery.

  “I want to help you.”

  Avery pulls her hands out of her pockets, and she gestures back toward the car.

  “Yeah… Great job! Do you want a trophy?”

  The woman does not respond. She paces past Avery, walking over toward the back of the truck. Eleanor pulls herself around the car, standing just in front of it, while the short woman reaches into the backseat of the car, helping Flynt and Braellyn out of the vehicle. Afterward, she turns around, and she begins back down the street.

  “I found Deagon, if you’re interested. He’s back at my apartment.”

  Avery sprints up toward the woman, standing just beside her, wide-eyed. Flynt and Braellyn sprint up behind them.

  “What happened?!”

  “Uh… She found Deagon.”

  Braellyn looks down at the ground, responseless. She stops for a moment, and she looks back toward Eleanor. She has not moved, remaining next to the truck. Braellyn motions for her to follow, and she stumbles up behind them. The group paces through the glass front doors of an apartment building. They make their way, single-file, through the thin halls, led by the strange woman. She takes a hard turn, straight through the unlocked door of one of the apartment rooms. As the door flies open, Deagon stands right in the doorway. She paces past Deagon, motioning the entire group into her living room, just to the side of the entryway. They sit down on various articles of furniture while Avery motions for the robed woman to follow her into the kitchen. Eleanor turns to face Braellyn, the two sitting alone on a couch in the room's corner.

  “Could you do me a favor? I’d like to know something.”

  “Okay.”

  “What happened? I mean this morning.”

  “Oh, I don’t even know. Shit, just happened. You left me at the house, and those two left.”

  She gestures toward Flynt and Avery.

  “And they came back, and you came back. You brought the weird guy, and he tried to kill everybody.”

  Eleanor looks down toward her hands.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “And I couldn’t do a thing?”

  Braellyn does not respond. She glances around the room.

  “Well, couldn’t I? Are you going to answer?!”

  Braellyn stutters.

  “I guess not.”

  Eleanor leans forward, slouching, looking down at the floor. In the kitchen, Avery leans against the side of the fridge, while the short, robed woman sits in a chair at the small wooden table in the center of the room.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Muriel.”

  She leans over the side of the car, resting her head on the table.

  “Why’d you change your mind? That shit’s weird.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Huh?”

  “I didn’t change my mind. I’ve always been rooting for you.”

  “That sounds like bullshit.”

  “Okay.”

  Avery glares across the room toward Muriel as she slowly closes her eyes.

  “That doesn’t mean I’m rooting for Deagon.”

  “What–”

  “Deagon is just as bad as Godfrey.”

  Avery kicks herself away from the wall, ambles over toward the table, pulls out a chair with a screech, and takes a seat.

  “It was Deagon’s idea to destroy the cloud.”

  “The what? What the fuck are you talking about?”

  Muriel chuckles.

  “It doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that Jack’s safe, right?”

  Avery nods.

  “That’s what you always say.”

  She peels her face off from the table, staring up toward Avery.

  “Uh… How many times have you met me?”

  Muriel places her hand up to her face.

  “Well, it would have to be at least a couple dozen.”

  Avery stares down at her wide-eyed.

  “Shit, man.”

  “Yeah. Shit, indeed.”

  Deagon hobbles down the hall, stomping against the hardwood floor, and he stops just beside the table. He coughs before staring down toward Avery.

  “Avery. It’s been a while.”

  “Yeah…”

  “Nice to see you two again.”

  Avery stands up, pushes her chair out, and faces Deagon.

  “A couple dozen, huh?”

  Deagon raises a brow.

  “What are you on about?”

  Avery holds out her hand in front of Deagon, and she balls it into a fist. Deagon stares at her for a second before pushing his hand forward, giving her a fist bump. She walks past him, back toward the living room, before stopping for a moment in the hall.

  “What happened when you drank that shit last time?”

  “You’ve gotta be more clear. I drink all kinds of shit.”

  “The flask… You said you were setting shit up for Jack. What’s that about?”

  Deagon lets out a sigh.

  “It’s nothing. I —”

  Deagon pauses for a moment.

  “I die for a little while. Damn, sounds stupid like that. Anyway, from there, I head on over to the observatory. That’s what it looks like when you’re dead, a blend of expectations and memories. I leave Jack some instructions. Nothing more.”

  “Damn… I’ve got no clue what the fuck you’re talking about…”

  Deagon smiles.

  “It doesn’t matter. It’s better that you don’t. Why don’t you and Flynt go buy some new guns for everybody? I’m not taking any chances with Godfrey.”

  “Uh… Sure.”

  Avery stumbles around, back toward the hallway, and she paces back into the living room. Deagon turns around to face Muriel at the kitchen table, while he tears the flask from out of his pocket.

  “Speaking of, why don’t we get this shit started?”

  Muriel looks up toward him.

  “This is it. No more resets. We’re doing it right this time.”