Chapter 76 - Another Breakable Friendship : Part 3

In life, you always needed something to blame.

Like how you blamed God for creating you without you wanting to be created or how you blamed your teacher for giving you a bad score.

Axel always wondered who he had to blame for all the things that got thrown in his life.

You know, before anything went to hell, Axel was actually having a good normal day with two hands that did not disappear since the morning. He had nailed his chemistry test, listened to Aster's ego talk, and he was having a pleasant conversation with his best friend, Rune.

Things were beginning to look up for him.

Until they didn't.

"Come on, Axel. You shot the guy two days ago as Axel. That means you don't care about your identity anymore, don't you? So why hide?" The mercenary stated with a lasting playful venom in his tone.

Axel just sat there as his body began to tremble. The cold dread that slowly trickled into his mind and took control of him caused an urge to run away right here, right now.

"Dude," Aster warned quietly, green eyes looking at Axel with a lasting horror.

"Don't you miss me, Axel?" Kiaran taunted; it was too mocking. He knew he was in control of how Axel's life turned after this. He always had control of Axel's life.

Axel could never run away in the first place. Kiaran would always be watching.

"Well, if you ask me," There was a pause as Axel let the silence eat him away. He did not even dare to look at Rune's eyes or to see her expression right now. He just froze and snapped his mouth shut.

"-I sure miss my dear mute murderer." The sentence echoed down the hall through the cafeteria, and Axel could feel his world crashing down right before his eyes.

"...what?" Rune whispered in disbelief. If Axel had looked over to her for a moment, he would see the face of someone that tried so hard to deny the fact that her own best friend was betraying her.

There was a long, very long silence. The sudden quiet clawed the air, slashing right through Axel's ears. For a moment, the universe stopped existing outside this cafeteria. It was just him and the people inside.

Various eyes watched him with doubts and uncertainty. Most of them filled with dread and terror, looking at him with an etching fear instead of the usual belittling gaze.

The silence was broken when a man approached the cafeteria with hands hidden inside his trench coat. He walked slowly and steady with students that tried to go into the corner and be as further as possible from the mercenary.

"I was hurt, really." Kiaran began with a voice wrapped up in a pang of fake sadness. "When I realized you were gone, I thought you were kidnapped again."

"So I searched for you for a very long time." He faked a whine and sighed. "But then I found out you were hanging with police clown and your so-called best friend here."

Aster stepped forward and shielded Axel with his body. Kiaran raised his eyebrows and let out an amused huff. His black mask moved up a little, telling Axel that his brother was grinning at him.

"You know," Kiaran darted, blue eyes glinted in danger. "-you are playing your role as the mute murderer really good right now."

"Shame you didn't have a mask on." He sneered lightly, dangerously.

"I'm sorry, sir. But I think you have the wrong guy." Rune decided to speak up this time, joining Aster by shielding Axel too.

"He's not the mute murderer." She continued, pushing away all the doubts in her mind.

"Oh?" Kiaran sang, entirely impressed by her. "I have seen many people denying before me, but you are the most oblivious one, president clown."

Rune was not swayed at all by the mercenary's taunting. She just hardened her gaze at him, gritting her teeth like a wild animal. "Fuck off."

He chuckled at her and widened his smile. Rune could see the madness that slowly ascended in the mercenary's ocean eyes.

"Then how about this." Without warning, Kiaran wrapped his hand on her neck before she could actually react and brought Rune up in the air. The girl desperately tried to wriggle from his grip, clawing his arm with both of her hands.

Aster jumped at the mercenary and tried to punch him. Kiaran easily slapped him away and sent him onto a nearby table, splitting it in two.

Everyone started to scream loudly, shrieking away from the scene before their eyes. Some tried to run away without triggering the mercenary at all. Some were recording everything with their phones while still trembly trying to save themselves.

"That was a low blow." The criminal commented before focusing on Rune again. Kiaran took a knife from his pocket with his other hand and brought it close to the girl's cheek.

"I wonder what would happen when I slice your pretty face." The edge of the knife almost touched her face when suddenly, it flew away from his hand.

As if someone was controlling him, Axel instinctively kicked the knife. He did not think as the weapon flew in the air. The boy caught it and used its back to hit Kiaran's hand that was holding Rune's neck.

The mercenary dropped the girl onto the ground with a hidden smile, the kind of smile that knew he had won. In between the brief pause of their fight, he looked at Axel's protective eyes challengingly, tauntingly.

He swiftly took a revolver from his pocket and aimed it at Rune. Kiaran took no time to pull the trigger, knowing that he could never manage to kill the girl if Axel was here.

And he was right.

Axel flipped into the air and threw a kick down onto Kiaran's hand, making the revolver get thrown away. The two jumped back from each other, and the boy gave no time to rest as he slid down the floor to kick the mercenary.

Kiaran easily dodged and returned a kick toward Axel, causing him to crash onto the floor. Axel stared at his brother with anger as he got up again and ran to him.

He took the revolver from the ground as he ran, aiming it at Kiaran with bursting fury. However, the older only stood there without moving and raised his eyebrows at him.

"What? You're going to shoot me in front of her?" That sentence managed to make Axel stop. Like a cracking statue, he took a deep breath and looked at his brother with two careful eyes.

"See, president clown? Your 'best friend' has been betraying you all this time." The mercenary's eyes darkened, taunting Rune without diverting his gaze from Axel at all. He was mocking the younger, punishing him.

"Axel," Rune called with a slight tremble. "You're not-" She choked, bracing herself. "You're not the mute murderer, right? You're just good at fighting, right?"

The boy took a long slow deep breath. Blood drained from his face when he heard her voice, hoping that everything was just a dream.

He always did that lately, trying to tell himself that everything was not real. He said to himself that everything was fine when it wasn't. Everything messed up, and he just couldn't rest.

He just couldn't breathe. When he thought he did, he wasn't.

Axel slowly turned around toward her, reaching his hand at his best friend. "Rune,"

"No, it can't be-" She cut him off, chuckling with a pool of irony. "You can't be a monster."

"Rune," Axel tried again, fighting the tears that started to build within his lids. "I'm sorry."

She looked at him as if he was a ghost. Rune clenched her fists, hazel eyes becoming bloodshot as she stared at Axel. "No..."

Axel took her arm. "I can explain, please-"

Rune slapped the hand and jerked away from him. The loud slap rang in the air, so loud and clear. "Get your filthy hand away from me, you monster!"

The black-haired boy automatically took a step back, staring at Rune with helplessness. He gulped down the lump that had been occupying his throat, choking him.

"You liar! Are you even my best friend?" Rune brokenly cried. Tears started to fall down from her glowering eyes. Her face was red from anger and the overflowing tears, looking at Axel like he was the lowest being on earth.

"I am your best friend. I've always been. So please-" Axel begged, pleaded. He begged as if he would die. He begged like he was asking someone to spare his life.

Rune calmed her breath, staring at him with teary eyes. The hazel colour that was usually bright had become dark as she gazed at him the way she never did before. She looked at him the way a person would look at trash.

"Then I wish you were never my best friend."