The Conductor

This is tedious.
This idea, this plan of mine, the possible repercussions.

All tedious.

The sun is setting; various insects are chirping nearby.

I tried to pay no mind to the fact that I was walking towards the forest, carrying Tyler – asleep – on my back, while the revolver rested in the back pocket of my pants.

Pay no mind.

Pay no mind.

It’ll all be over soon.

Ten minutes had passed, we were deep in the forest, and Tyler had awakened.
I gently placed him onto the ground.

“Michael…? Where…?”
He looked around while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Why are we here…?”

I bit down on my lip before taking out the gun.
His eyes widened went they saw the object.

“Tyler, I need you to listen to me, and listen well.”

A slight nod, eyes still fixated on the gun.

“The townspeople know what you are…They want you dead, Tyler. And…And I was chosen to carry out the task.”

He was about to speak, but I cut him off.

“I won’t do it. I had agreed to the task, but I refuse to complete it!”
“What happens if you don’t…?”

I didn’t answer.

“Michael…”

No response.

“Michael…! Answer me!”
“…They will execute me, for the murder of Sarah.”

“What?! But you didn’t—!”
“There’s no way to know. I am not in my right mind when The Conductor kicks in…so, I could only assume the worst.”

“The…Conductor…?”
“In the past, I was injected with some sort of serum that causes me to go berserk and…Elizabeth…you…Sarah…”

I shook my head to will away the horrid images of blood, flesh, and strewn body parts.

“You can’t be killed, Michael! They can’t do that to you!”
“It’s the law of the town, Tyler.”

“How do they even know if you murdered Sarah?!”
“There were witnesses.”

“They could have lied!”
“I…I believe them.”

He was silent for a moment.

“So…you have to kill me, so that you can stay alive.”
“I said I wouldn’t do that, Tyler!”

“Then what?! What do you plan to do?”

I didn’t respond again.
He looked back at the gun before looking at me again.

“No…”
“Tyler—”

He stood up.

“No! You can’t! You can’t!”
“Tyler—!”

“You can’t, Michael! You can’t commit suicide! Why would you even think of such a thing?!”
Tears were pouring from his eyes now.

“I’m a monster, Tyler. With the serum still in me, I’m unstable. Who knows who the next victim could be? An orphan? A husband? A group of mothers? You? I do not want to live, knowing that I can brutally murder people without being aware when I do so or knowing why I do so! It is better for the world if I am no longer living!”

“You can’t do it!”
Tyler, my mind has been made—”

“No! You—!”
“Tyler! I need you to listen to me!”

He stopped.

“No matter what happens to me, I need you to run away. Run until you reach the next town over. You will assume a new life; you will tell no one of your past. You will live on…”

“I told you that I wouldn’t live without you! I can’t live without you! If you die, then I should die too!”
“Stop speaking nonsense!”

“But—”
“No! Granted, I unrightfully took your life, and I unrightfully gave you a different life. But who am I to take that life away from you a second time?! Please, Tyler! You have to comply!”

He stopped protesting; only choked-up sobs left his mouth.
I placed my hands onto his cheeks, wiping away the tears that continued to fall.

“Tyler, I need you to live…If not for yourself, then do it for me…”
I pressed a kiss to his lips, tasting the sorrow that fell on them.

“Give me your gun…”
“Tyler—”

“No…I’ll do it. I’ll…”
His lip quivered.

“I heard that someone goes to a terrible place if they…I don’t want you to…so I’ll…”

I stepped back from him and handed him the revolver.

He wiped the tears away and pointed the gun at me, a small click! sounding afterwards.

More tears fell from his eyes as the gun shook in his hand.

"I...I'm sorry...!"
"Don't be. It's for the best..."

A small smile to reassure him.

"...I love you... so much...!"
"I love you too."

A loud bang! echoed through the air.

A pang in my chest.
A collision with the ground.

The sky, fading with each second.

Exhale.

Darkness.