Status: Redo of my old story
Silence Falls
Chapter 68: Couldn't Have Been Us
Cris licked his lips in thought and then took a deep breath in preparation of asking a penned Hermanni a question that he felt was rightly the most damning. Tonight, he had come down to the Electronic store where they had Hermanni locked up to ask him a string of outrageous questions that he didn’t even want to know the answers to, because the answers were only getting more and more bizarre as they went...and yet here he was asking them anyway. “W-What about the guards in the cafeteria that exploded into flames...don't tell me that that could have possibly been you!”
Hermanni looked up, inhaled strongly and gave him a wary nod. The more ‘yes’ he gave him, the more he was feeling like he was digging himself into a hole he wouldn't be able to get out of...unless he resorted to his powers. But he didn’t want to resort to them. He didn’t want to exploit his new friends. He wanted them to be their authentic selves.
“HOW!? How the fuck could you, COULD ANYONE, possibly do that!?” Cris clamored at Hermanni in defiance, his voice reverberating throughout the deserted mall.
Hermanni finally spoke up after a long recess. “Continue with your last question, Cristofer.”
“I don’t know if I can! I'm almost afraid to ask about the men that had raided the camp while Bam, Otep and Bert were away.” Cris agonized, covering his pale face with quivering hands.
Hermanni nodded again when Cris hazarded to gander through his fingers, and received a gasp.
Shaking his head while at the same time pulling at his long brown hair, Cris surged to his feet and started to retreat. “No, no no no this isn't possible! This isn’t possible!”
“Cristopher, calm down!” Hermanni suggested in a strict voice, now standing on the other side of the gate keeping him secured in the Electronic store. He was worried that Cris's head might literally erupt with how devastated he was at the moment.
"HOW CAN I?!” Cris cried, twirling around to face him with tears in his blue eyes. “How can I ever be fine again knowing what I know? How can I ever SLEEP again knowing what I know!?”
“You will tonight, you will sleep with comfort and ease. I owe you that much.” Hermanni soothed him.
Cris stood there, gawking at Hermanni and trying to moderate his breathing. “Why? Why do I believe you so much that there is almost no room in my mind to doubt everything you're saying?”
“Because you know I speak the truth. I now understand how outlandish this is for you, all of this. Believe me when I say Cristopher that I do not wish to harm any of you. I could not live with what I am if I did. You are the first people I have had association with in such a long time. Family, friends, company, I had none of those things down there.” Hermanni swiftly gave him a remorseful smile as he swept his hair aside from his eyes. “If you can find it within yourself to forgive me for being so attached to you all...forgive me for seeing you all as not only my friends, but my only family as well...forgive me for caring profoundly for all of you, I would be indebted. I can admit to you that I am a danger, but not to you.”
“Jesus Christ, and you mean it! too I know you do! I don’t understand how I KNOW that you do...I...I think I need to go to bed. I...I just need to sleep.” Cris rambled, tapped of all his energy as he turned to escape. He hesitated to inquire softly over his shoulders. “Hermanni, will you tell the others what you just told me tonight? Will you let them know the truth?”
Hermanni sighed and deterred his eyes to the ground. “I know I should, but...I must admit I am concerned that they will fear me in the same way you do now. I do not want to lose any of you...”
Cris shook his head with displeasure, turning around to face him. “They deserve to know, don't they?”
“Yes, I supposed they do.” Hermanni returned his eyes to him. “Will you tell them, Cris?”
“I don't know...goodnight, Hermanni.” Cris muttered, receding again with a glum expression.
“Goodnight, Cristopher.” Hermanni breathed after his departing back. That night Hermanni paced his cage, deep in thought. Cris now knows of some of the things he has done. He could tell the others and they could try and dispose of him. Perhaps I should have erased his memories before he went off to bed, Hermanni considered. No, he needed to trust the others. Trust was something Hermanni was studying from the resources in his cell, and he was positive it was one of the crucial things to a healthy human relationship. Humans trust one another which is why they band together. But can his family ever learn to trust what he truly is?
Hermanni scratched the back of his neck, forgotten in his thoughts as he strode through the padlocked gate of his cell like an apparition and moseyed into the mall. Falsities are not always a good thing, but humans do that too. It would be unsafe for me to grant them a white lie in order to keep them here with me, Hermanni mulled to himself. That is a selfless act, right? Or was the word ‘selfish’? Hermanni glimpsed to his left and right. This mall was overly dusty, moldy and overall in need of a colossal clean up. The others were sound asleep so the only one left for the task was Hermanni. The group merited a fitting home, not anything like this. Hermanni smiled to himself as his eyes began to blaze again.
__________________________________________________________________________________
“Cris! Cris wake the fuck up, please!” Onika shook Cris's fatigued body from the best sleep of his life, nearly receiving a hand smacking her in the face.
“Oh my god, what is it!?” Cris uttered in alarm, his eyes large and observant as he combed the room for danger. Some of the others were sitting up in bed too, rubbing their eyes or bumbling around.
“What the FUCK is it, Demitria!?” Bert bristled behind an impatient Demitria out of the store and over to the rail that overlooked the mall. If the girls flipping out wasn't enough to get everybody going beserk yet then what they noticed next took the cake. Their mall was completely remodeled into a brand new mall! Everything was immaculate! Every window, clothes, counter, lightbulb, bench, water fountain, and corner was tidied! The mall was a substantial mall where people went to shop or hang out with friends.
“OH MY MOTHERFUCKING GOD!” Bam roared, his jaw dropped as he rubbed his eyes again.
“I know! It's like Christmas, isn't it?!” Alexis applauded, clapping her hands with excitement as she rushed down the stairs with the rest of the squealing girls to explore the stores on the ground floor. Cris's face paled when he observed it all, his legs shaking in vulnerability for what he knew, but no one else knew. But Bam and Connor snatched Cris along with them to check out stores as well, leaving Bert and Otep alone.
“WHO the FUCK did all of this, Bert?!” Otep hissed, appearing more uptight than delighted like the rest.
“It sure as hell couldn't have been us! We were all asleep! Besides, it would take ages for us to do this extent of work. No, this couldn't have been us, there’s just no way possible!” Bert forcefully shook his head, still spying around in awe of the functional mall around them.
“Then who!? Who else could have done this if not any of us?” Otep abruptly turned her head to share a knowing look with Bert. Hermanni, they both guessed.
Hermanni looked up, inhaled strongly and gave him a wary nod. The more ‘yes’ he gave him, the more he was feeling like he was digging himself into a hole he wouldn't be able to get out of...unless he resorted to his powers. But he didn’t want to resort to them. He didn’t want to exploit his new friends. He wanted them to be their authentic selves.
“HOW!? How the fuck could you, COULD ANYONE, possibly do that!?” Cris clamored at Hermanni in defiance, his voice reverberating throughout the deserted mall.
Hermanni finally spoke up after a long recess. “Continue with your last question, Cristofer.”
“I don’t know if I can! I'm almost afraid to ask about the men that had raided the camp while Bam, Otep and Bert were away.” Cris agonized, covering his pale face with quivering hands.
Hermanni nodded again when Cris hazarded to gander through his fingers, and received a gasp.
Shaking his head while at the same time pulling at his long brown hair, Cris surged to his feet and started to retreat. “No, no no no this isn't possible! This isn’t possible!”
“Cristopher, calm down!” Hermanni suggested in a strict voice, now standing on the other side of the gate keeping him secured in the Electronic store. He was worried that Cris's head might literally erupt with how devastated he was at the moment.
"HOW CAN I?!” Cris cried, twirling around to face him with tears in his blue eyes. “How can I ever be fine again knowing what I know? How can I ever SLEEP again knowing what I know!?”
“You will tonight, you will sleep with comfort and ease. I owe you that much.” Hermanni soothed him.
Cris stood there, gawking at Hermanni and trying to moderate his breathing. “Why? Why do I believe you so much that there is almost no room in my mind to doubt everything you're saying?”
“Because you know I speak the truth. I now understand how outlandish this is for you, all of this. Believe me when I say Cristopher that I do not wish to harm any of you. I could not live with what I am if I did. You are the first people I have had association with in such a long time. Family, friends, company, I had none of those things down there.” Hermanni swiftly gave him a remorseful smile as he swept his hair aside from his eyes. “If you can find it within yourself to forgive me for being so attached to you all...forgive me for seeing you all as not only my friends, but my only family as well...forgive me for caring profoundly for all of you, I would be indebted. I can admit to you that I am a danger, but not to you.”
“Jesus Christ, and you mean it! too I know you do! I don’t understand how I KNOW that you do...I...I think I need to go to bed. I...I just need to sleep.” Cris rambled, tapped of all his energy as he turned to escape. He hesitated to inquire softly over his shoulders. “Hermanni, will you tell the others what you just told me tonight? Will you let them know the truth?”
Hermanni sighed and deterred his eyes to the ground. “I know I should, but...I must admit I am concerned that they will fear me in the same way you do now. I do not want to lose any of you...”
Cris shook his head with displeasure, turning around to face him. “They deserve to know, don't they?”
“Yes, I supposed they do.” Hermanni returned his eyes to him. “Will you tell them, Cris?”
“I don't know...goodnight, Hermanni.” Cris muttered, receding again with a glum expression.
“Goodnight, Cristopher.” Hermanni breathed after his departing back. That night Hermanni paced his cage, deep in thought. Cris now knows of some of the things he has done. He could tell the others and they could try and dispose of him. Perhaps I should have erased his memories before he went off to bed, Hermanni considered. No, he needed to trust the others. Trust was something Hermanni was studying from the resources in his cell, and he was positive it was one of the crucial things to a healthy human relationship. Humans trust one another which is why they band together. But can his family ever learn to trust what he truly is?
Hermanni scratched the back of his neck, forgotten in his thoughts as he strode through the padlocked gate of his cell like an apparition and moseyed into the mall. Falsities are not always a good thing, but humans do that too. It would be unsafe for me to grant them a white lie in order to keep them here with me, Hermanni mulled to himself. That is a selfless act, right? Or was the word ‘selfish’? Hermanni glimpsed to his left and right. This mall was overly dusty, moldy and overall in need of a colossal clean up. The others were sound asleep so the only one left for the task was Hermanni. The group merited a fitting home, not anything like this. Hermanni smiled to himself as his eyes began to blaze again.
__________________________________________________________________________________
“Cris! Cris wake the fuck up, please!” Onika shook Cris's fatigued body from the best sleep of his life, nearly receiving a hand smacking her in the face.
“Oh my god, what is it!?” Cris uttered in alarm, his eyes large and observant as he combed the room for danger. Some of the others were sitting up in bed too, rubbing their eyes or bumbling around.
“What the FUCK is it, Demitria!?” Bert bristled behind an impatient Demitria out of the store and over to the rail that overlooked the mall. If the girls flipping out wasn't enough to get everybody going beserk yet then what they noticed next took the cake. Their mall was completely remodeled into a brand new mall! Everything was immaculate! Every window, clothes, counter, lightbulb, bench, water fountain, and corner was tidied! The mall was a substantial mall where people went to shop or hang out with friends.
“OH MY MOTHERFUCKING GOD!” Bam roared, his jaw dropped as he rubbed his eyes again.
“I know! It's like Christmas, isn't it?!” Alexis applauded, clapping her hands with excitement as she rushed down the stairs with the rest of the squealing girls to explore the stores on the ground floor. Cris's face paled when he observed it all, his legs shaking in vulnerability for what he knew, but no one else knew. But Bam and Connor snatched Cris along with them to check out stores as well, leaving Bert and Otep alone.
“WHO the FUCK did all of this, Bert?!” Otep hissed, appearing more uptight than delighted like the rest.
“It sure as hell couldn't have been us! We were all asleep! Besides, it would take ages for us to do this extent of work. No, this couldn't have been us, there’s just no way possible!” Bert forcefully shook his head, still spying around in awe of the functional mall around them.
“Then who!? Who else could have done this if not any of us?” Otep abruptly turned her head to share a knowing look with Bert. Hermanni, they both guessed.