Fifth Avenue

Hartley and Kit sat in the engine room which Doc had built Kit in the past week, he was fixing a computer as Hartley sat beside him learning to use a laptop. “You’re useless” Kit laughs at Hartley as she presses a button making the whole laptop freeze.

“Oh, shush I’m trying!” she exclaims trying to fix her mistake but ending up ruining it even more.

“Stop before you break it” Kit chuckles, he rubs his chest lightly feeling a tingling pain but ignores it as he makes his way over to Hartley. As he reaches for the laptop he falls into Hartley.

She chuckles until she notices the blood beginning to soak into her white shirt “Kit!” she screams turning him over, he was paling, his chest had a gaping hole in it which was pouring bright red blood.

“DOC! JUSTIN SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE!” she screams loudly as she tries to keep Kit awake, his eyes fluttering open and closed “Stay with me” she sobs “Kit please don’t leave me” Kit looks to Hartley and gives her a look of fear, his blood covered hand reaches up and strokes her cheek.

“What’s happening?” he says before he goes limp.

Hartley cries loudly bringing him into her chest and hugging him tightly. Doc comes running into the room and freezes when he sees Kit “What happened?” Doc asks but Hartley couldn’t speak.

She felt numb, her hands were shaking and her eyes watered. Doc pressed his hands against Kit’s chest and pushed so hard a bright white light emitted from his hands. “No, come on Kit, don’t do this to me” Doc sobs “Come on” he says grunting, sweat began to form on his brow as he pushed more power into healing him.

Hartley sat on the floor sobbing, she looked down to her blood covered hands “Oh god” she cries “What have I done?”

Everything seemed to go in slow motion, Bullet and Shooter ran into the room followed by Justin. Bullet screamed, Shooter cursed and cried, Justin dropped to his knees, but Hartley, she remained silent her face was blank and her eyes wide.

Doc stands up wiping the tears from his eyes with his elbow he turns and gives everyone a look. Kit was gone.

The next week Fifth Avenue was silent, no one dared to speak a word as the grief was too strong to overcome. Doc had laid Kit to rest but nobody went to watch, Hartley hadn’t left her room other to walk past the boiler room.

A huge red stain covered the floor, dry blood which could never be washed away. Every time she would look down at her hands she would see his blood, she had washed them so many times they had gone raw.

Hartley rolled over in her bed, a heavy weight in her chest weighing her down, her walls were damp and the floors were filled with water, she had lost control but nobody, not even she seemed to care.

Her door was slammed open Doc entered and even from this distance Hartley could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Hartley” he slurred stumbling slightly but grabbing the door to keep himself steady “I know how he died” he cheers and Hartley stands up rubbing her swollen eyes.

“H-how?” she stutters, her gravelled voice straining.

Doc looks around and falls into a chair to his left looking at her with a half grin which she could tell was forced. “Wisdom” he whispers “It was the witch, see I think maybe she got the idea that Kit and Tech were connected, because they are twins and everything” he says nodding to himself “They were born at the same time, both got their powers at the same time and there powers both came from the same tragedy so killing one usually means killing the other” Hartley’s mouth goes dry and she gulps.

“How do you know if Tech is dead?” she asks in a quiet voice, the smile drops from his face and he throws an envelope he had been holding to Hartley, she opens it with shaking hands, a picture falls out of a small boy identical to Kit lying face down on the ground, a bloodied sword beside him and blood covering his blue overalls.

Behind the photo was the note ‘Merry Christmas –W’ Hartley drops the photo and begins to cry once again. He was right. The pain in her chest began to grow, her hair going darker blue and the walls beginning to creak.

“This is all my fault” she says “Wisdom wants me, if it wasn’t for me she wouldn’t have done this” Doc opens his mouth to say something, but closes it because he had nothing to say. He knew she was right.

Christmas was the next day but nobody was in the cheerful gift giving mood, Hartley didn’t mind, she had never celebrated Christmas before so missing another one wasn’t going to bother her all that much.

During the night, Justin snuck into her room wearing his pyjama pants and gum boots to protect himself from the puddled floors. “Hey” he said tiredly, but Hartley didn’t reply. Justin sighed and moved to her bed lying down beside her, his arm wrapping securely around her waist “It’s going to be okay” his voice cracks as he says this and Hartley turns to face him.

“Shhh” she whispers wiping his face with her small hands “Don’t cry” Hartley pulls his head into her chest and strokes his hair, she knew it must be difficult for him, having known Kit for longer than her. It would be like losing a little brother. “We just have to stay strong” Hartley kisses his forehead and closes her eyes.

A small pulse went through her head and she quickly pushed Justin away from her. With a flash of white she was in a small room.

“And they all lived happily ever after” a woman said as she closed the fairy tale book. The woman was middle aged with long brown hair and huge brown eyes, she gave the two boys lying in bed a big toothy grin. “Goodnight boys” she says kissing both of their foreheads.

“Mama pwease sleep in owr woom tonight, daddy is drinking that evil juice again” one of the boys pleads,with Closer inspection Hartley could tell it was Kit. The woman, Kit’s mother looked at both of the boys sympathetically.

She brushes his short curls back “I’m sorry baby but mummy has housework to do, I promise when you wake up I will be right here okay” she says sadly but covers it with a smile. Both boys nod and snuggle further into the thick blanket covering them.

The woman left the room only to be immediately slammed against the wall across from the room, a rather large man with a stomach hanging down to his knees stood closely to the woman breathing his alcohol filled breath over her neck “Hey babe” he said roughly as he pushed his many sweating rolls against her overly thin body.

She showed nothing but fear and slight disgust as she looked at the man in front of her “Kids are asleep, why don’t we...” he trails off, his hand sliding down her jean covered legs.

The woman tries to push the man back but makes no change in his current stance “Get away from me” she cries and the man’s hand goes around the woman’s neck pressing down tightly.

“Why Jenny” he says cruelly “Don’t you love me anymore” he mocks and the woman, jenny looks at him with anger.

“I never loved you” she spits, the humoured expression had now left his overly filled face, it was now red and angry with his eyebrows pulled together as if he was trying to understand what she had just said.

His hand tightens around her neck and he pulls her into the boy’s room, the door slamming open “Boys get up!” he orders loudly, the boys remain clinging to each other under the covers, he growls and throws Jenny into a wall storming to the boys bed and tearing the blankets from their bed. “Get up or you’re going to get a bloody big belting” he threatens.

Tech stands up, his hand still holding Kit’s hand, before he could say anything the man slaps Tech so hard he flies off the bed, Kit gasps and the man grabs his beautiful curls pulling him up off the bed. Kit screams in pain which makes the man smile “Daddy please stop” he cries and the man throws him onto Tech before storming to the boys.

“Now you boys sit here and watch what happens when you misbehave, or Daddy will REALLY hurt mummy” he threatens and the boys nod, tears streaming from their faces.

The man pulled Jenny to the middle of the room by her hair, she looks to the boys with tear filled eyes and mouths that she loves them and is sorry. The man pulled her jeans down.

Hartley looks away but could still hear the screams of both the children and Jenny. Hartley looks to the boys, both of them were on the floor seemingly having a fit, there tiny bodies jerking in different directions.

Tech was the first one to sit up, a weird smile crosses over his face and he looks down to Kit. Two minutes later Kit sits up, but he just looked confused. “Can you feel it?” Tech asked, “Can you feel all the power?” Tech closes his eyes and breathes in.

A scream from their mother made both boys turn towards their parents. Tech stood up and walked towards them “Louie stop you’ll get mummy in more twouble” Kit warns and Tech turns to face him, the same smile on his face.

“Be quiet Christian, I know what I’m doing” he spits, his voice all of a sudden sounding oddly responsibly for a four-year-old. Tech walks up to his father who angrily faces the child “Daddy you’re doing a very bad thing” Tech says, everything electrical in the room turned on.

With a flash of white light the room fell silent. Hartley blinked and saw the blood covered walls and floors. Jenny lay in the middle of the room, her arms out and her eyes wide open, blood dripped from her ears, eyes and mouth. Their father was hung on the wall with electrical cables, his skin seemed to be torn in every way possible, his body barely recognizable as human anymore.

“What did you do?” Kit sobs and Tech turns to him with a smile.

“What needed to be done” Kit looks to Tech like he had no idea who he was anymore.

“You’re not my brother” he says certain “You’re not him” Kit shakes his head “You’re not my brother”

Hartley shot up, she found herself alone in her bed. Her heart rammed into her chest and her breathing was shallow and heavy “Morning-” Justin says cheerfully but runs to her worriedly as he notices her current situation “Hartley are you okay?” he asks rubbing her back lightly.

She looks to him with tear filled eyes “I saw him” she sobs wrapping her arms around his neck tightly “I saw how he became Kit, he didn’t deserve anything that happened” Justin says nothing and lets Hartley continue “It was my fault Justin, I did this to him, if it wasn’t for me he would be okay” Justin pulls back and forces Hartley to look at him.

“Don’t say that” he says angrily “Look Wisdom is messed up okay Hartley, somehow she got a group of wackjobs just as mad as her but one day she’s going to get rid of them all and there would have been nothing we could do, she’s crazy and she would have killed Tech one day” Hartley sniffles “I never want to hear you say this was your fault ever again” he warns and she nods slowly “Now cheer up okay” he says softly wiping her tear stained cheeks.

Hartley stands up and hugs Justin “You’re right” she says as strong as she could “Wisdom did this because she knew we had a weakness, us sitting down and being sad is just what she wants, as she prepares for war we are sitting here with giant targets on our heads” Hartley grabs Justin’s hand and storms out of her room.

Hartley had managed to bring everyone outside, Bullet and Shooter looked terrible and she could smell from a far distance a shower is seriously needed, Doc looked well put together he had a slight beard growing and his eyes were bloodshot but other than that he looked perfectly fine.

“Okay guys, I know it hurts” she announces “but trust me this is what she wants we have time to mope about afterwards but we all know there is a war coming and we have to be ready” everyone nods slightly “now let’s show the association why messing with Fifth Avenue will be the last mistake they ever make”

Bullet walks up to Hartley and hugs her, despite the horrid stale smell she had Hartley found herself smiling and hugging back. “Thank you” Bullet whispers before walking back down the stairs.