Elijah knelt behind a cash register in a supermarket. Glass, snacks, and bullets cluttered the epoxy flooring as he reached for his cigarette packet on the ground. He took deep breaths, slowing his heart rate down as he heard Sarah's voice. He muttered incoherently when he noticed all the cigarettes were ripped in half.
His mind raced back minutes earlier before all hell broke loose. He was shopping with Emily, picking up various snacks and drinks in the supermarket.
"I just need a new life," he rambled to himself as he peeked his head over the register. "Dumb teenagers," Eli said as he saw Sarah with her back turned to Emily.
Police officers' eyes widened as they gestured for Sarah to turn her head around.
"Now that's handled, when do I get my suit?" Sarah smiled, and then her eyebrow raised once she noticed the officers scrambling away.
"Oh shit!" Sarah yelled as she turned around and saw Emily's mulberry eyes staring a hole through her.
"Em!?" Sarah screamed as she lost her footing and fell to the ground. "I, uh-"
Emily Prime formed a thin-lip smile as she looked down at Sarah, who scooted backward. "ł ₩Ⱨ₳₮?" She asked.
"I am sorry."
"₦Ø, ɎØɄ'ⱤɆ ₦Ø₮," Emily Prime replied with a stoic expression. "ɎØɄ ₲Ø₮ ₱Ø₩ɆⱤ₴, ₳₦Đ ₮ⱧɆ ₣łⱤ₴₮ ₮Ⱨł₦₲ ɎØɄ ĐɆ₵łĐɆĐ ₮Ø ĐØ ₩₳₴ ₮ⱤɎ ₮Ø ₭łⱠⱠ ₥Ɇ ₣ØⱤ ₳ ₱₳Ɏ₵ⱧɆ₵₭."
Sarah's eyes widened as she stared at absolutely nothing. Her eyes darted side to side, avoiding eye contact with Emily Prime as she slowly walked towards her.
Emily Prime knelt next to a trembling Sarah.
"Please don't kill me!" Sarah yelled as she scooted away.
"ł'₥ ₦Ø₮ ₲Øł₦₲ ₮Ø ₭łⱠⱠ ɎØɄ. ɎØɄ'ⱤɆ ₦Ø ₮ⱧⱤɆ₳₮ ₮Ø ₥Ɇ,"Emily Prime replied. "ɎØɄ ₭₦Ø₩ ł ₩₳₴ JɄ₴₮ ₮ⱤɎł₦₲ ₮Ø Ɇ₦JØɎ ₳ Đ₳Ɏ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ₴ØɄⱤ₱Ʉ₴₴ ØVɆⱤ ₮ⱧɆⱤɆ," Emily Prime explained as she looked over to Elijah, who was pillaging the supermarket for a pack of cigarettes.
"What?"Sarah said as she slowly lowered her arms.
"ł ₩₳₴ ₲ⱤØ₵ɆⱤɎ ₴ⱧØ₱₱ł₦₲, ₩₳₴ ₲Øł₦₲ ₮Ø ₮ⱤɎ ₥Ɏ Ⱨ₳₦Đ ₳₮ ₥₳₭ł₦₲ ₩₳₣₣ⱠɆ₴, ₳₦Đ ₮ⱧɆ₦ ₮ⱧɆ ₦ɆӾ₮ ₮Ⱨł₦₲ ł ₭₦Ø₩, ł ₳₥ ₲Ɇ₮₮ł₦₲ ₴ⱧØ₮ ₳₮,"Emily Prime groaned and shook her head. "₮ⱧɆ₦ ₮ⱧɆ ₵Ø₱₴ ₴ⱧØ₩ Ʉ₱, ₮ⱧɆ₦ ₮ⱧɆ ₱.ł.₳, ₳₦Đ ₮ⱧɆ₦ ɎØɄ ₮ⱤłɆĐ ₮Ø ฿ɄⱤ₦ ₥Ɇ ₳ⱠłVɆ ₩ⱧɆ₦ ł JɄ₴₮ ₩₳₦₮ ₮Ø ₥₳₭Ɇ ₴Ø₥Ɇ ₣Ʉ₵₭ł₦₲ ₩₳₣₣ⱠɆ₴!?"
Sarah's eyes blinked slowly as she forced a smile on her face. "Yeah...I don't know what came over me. Sorry?"
"ɎØɄ'ⱤɆ ₦Ø₮ ₴ØⱤⱤɎ."
Sarah frowned as Emily Prime smiled at her.
"₩Ⱨ₳₮ ₮Ø ĐØ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ɎØɄ?" Emily Prime asked as she leaned towards Sarah, then poked her forehead. "ł ₭₦Ø₩, ⱠɆ₮'₴ ₳₴₭ Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆ," Emily Prime said as she glanced towards Rachel, hiding behind a patrol car. "ɎɆ₴, ł ₭₦Ø₩ ɎØɄ'VɆ ฿ɆɆ₦ ₮ⱧɆⱤɆ, Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆⱠ. ɎØɄ ₵₳₦ ₵Ø₥Ɇ ØɄ₮ ₦Ø₩."
"EM, what are you doing?" Rachel replied as she stepped out from behind the car.
"ł ₩₳₴ ₮ⱤɎł₦₲ ₮Ø ₲ⱤØ₵ɆⱤɎ ₴ⱧØ₱, ₳₦Đ ɎØɄⱤ ₦Ɇ₩ ₣ⱤłɆ₦Đ ₮ⱤłɆĐ ₮Ø ₴Ɇ₮ ₥Ɇ Ø₦ ₣łⱤɆ!" Emily Prime replied as she grabbed Sarah by the hair. "ł ₮Ⱨł₦₭ ₴ⱧɆ ₦ɆɆĐ₴ ₮Ø ฿Ɇ ₮₳Ʉ₲Ⱨ₮ ₳ ⱠɆ₴₴Ø₦."
"What! No, no, no. It was a mistake; I understand now," Sarah yelled as her feet dragged across the asphalt as Emily Prime dragged her towards Rachel.
"Hey, Kid, knock it off!" Elijah yelled as he exited the supermarket and then lit his cigarette.
Emily Prime turned her head towards him. Then she looked at Rachel, her eyes narrowing as she stared into her deep, mulberry eyes.
"₣ł₦Ɇ," she replied as she dropped Sarah.
"Em, do you know what you did when you killed Dez?" Rachel asked as Sarah scrambled behind her.
"₩Ⱨ₳₮ ĐØ ɎØɄ ₮Ⱨł₦₭?" Emily Prime replied as she turned her head towards Rachel.
Rachel blinked rapidly. "Emily doesn't know, does she?"
"ɎØɄⱤ ₱ⱤØ฿ⱠɆ₥, ₦Ø₮ ₥ł₦Ɇ. ₴₮₳₮ł₵ ฿ⱤłĐɆ ł₦ ₳ ĐɆ₳Đ ₴₮₳Ɽ ĐⱤɆ₴₴, ₵₳Ʉ₲Ⱨ₮ ł₦ ₮ⱧɆ ⱠØØ₱, ₳ ₵Ø₴₥ł₵ ₥Ɇ₴₴."
"Are you being fucking serious right now!?"
Emily Prime shrugged and then laughed. "ɎØɄ ₴₳łĐ ł ₮Ʉ₵₭ɆĐ ₥Ɏ ₮₳łⱠ ₳₦Đ Ɽ₳₦. ⱠɆ₮'₴ ₴ɆɆ ⱧØ₩ ₩ɆⱠⱠ ɎØɄ ⱧØⱠĐ Ʉ₱," she replied as she started to walk towards Elijah. "ØⱧ, ₳₦Đ ₳₮ ⱠɆ₳₴₮ ł ₳₥ ₲łVł₦₲ ɎØɄ ₮ⱧɆ ₣Ʉ₵₭ł₦₲ Ø₱₮łØ₦!" She yelled as she stopped and turned back to look at Rachel.
Rachel bit her lip as her eyes lowered to the pavement. She glanced at Sarah, who was curled up behind her. She helped her to her feet as Elijah glanced at her. He shook his head at her, then entered his Mustang as Emily Prime opened the passenger side door. Emily Prime glanced at Rachel with a stoic expression as they left the strip mall.
"What is she talking about?" Sarah asked as she rubbed her hair while walking with Rachel.
"Just stay the fuck out of this, Sarah!" Rachel yelled as she stopped walking and turned towards Sarah. "You're so lucky, and you don't even realize it."
Sarah's eyes narrowed as she avoided Rachel's gaze.
"Like she could have launched you into another dimension. Go the fuck home!"
Sarah chuckled, her eyes widening as she darted her eyes from side to side. "I know, okay, we just need more firepower. Get more people like us."
Rachel blinked slowly and forced a thin-lipped smile. "You just don't get it."
Sarah nodded. "No, I get it."
"There won't be anything if Emily lives after tomorrow."
"What?"
Rachel laughed and threw her hands up in the air. "I am going to have to rewind time."
"Why?"
"Because I am fucked, okay! I am fucked; you are fucked! Everyone is fucking fucked, fucked, fucked!"
Sarah blinked slowly and shrugged.
Rachel sighed and leaned next to a pole. "Just go home, Sarah. I need to be alone right now."
"I am not leaving."
Rachel rubbed her face and groaned. She looked up at Sarah, but then her eyes drifted towards the flickering streetlights. Glass shattered underneath her shoes as she started to walk towards them.
"Hey, where are you going!?" Sarah asked as she started to follow Rachel.
"Just shut up for a moment," Rachel replied as she glanced up at the flickering light that lit up down the road. "This again?" She muttered out loud as she walked towards the next light.
"This what?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow at Rachel as she walked with her.
Snow continued to fall as Rachel followed the flickering streetlights. Her feet and thighs burned as morning gave way to a gloomy afternoon. Vibrant green gave way to white as the snow slowly accumulated on the grass and trees in Corwood. Cars slowly dwindled in frequency, the roads all but abandoned. The reactor loomed on a snow-white hillside as Rachel and Sarah walked.
The reactor hummed like a signal. Smoke glitched in and out of the reactor, filling the sky with clouds and smoke when it was turned on. The sky overhead glitched with mulberry and orange clouds, fading back to its bland gray and blue palette.
"Where the fuck are we going?" Sarah asked as she leaned on a lamp post. She breathed out of her mouth then chucked a water bottle before tossing it aside into a nearby trashcan.
Rachel's eyes narrowed as she saw a streetlight that led up to the reactor start to flicker. She fixated on the glitchy skyline overhead as she bit her fingernails.
"You can stay here if you want," she replied, shrugging, then started walking uphill towards the reactor.
Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed, following shortly after.
A strong, cool breeze swept across Rachel's face as she approached the reactor. Snowfall started to pick up, filling in the remaining splotches of grass. Rachel tucked her hands into her hoodie and rubbed them together inside. She stared up at the metal fence, then up at the reactor as it hummed with energy.
"Why the fuck are we here?" Sarah asked as she approached the fence.
"That's what I am trying to figure out," Rachel replied as she pulled at the fence.
"So you just came up here just because?"
"No, not necessarily," Rachel replied as she kicked the fence. "Help me up."
Sarah rolled her eyes and then positioned herself to let Rachel use her as a jumping point to jump over the fence. "You better find a way to get me over," she demanded as Rachel dropped over.
Rachel glanced around and then pushed a red button, and the gate creaked open.
"Question: Why don't you just use your powers?" Sarah asked as she waited for the gate to open fully.
"Time travel is complicated," Rachel replied as she started to walk towards the entrance of the reactor.
"If I could rewind time, I would fix a lot of stuff I did."
"It will bite you in the ass."
"What would happen if you changed something that would prevent your parents from meeting?"
"A paradox."
"Like Pandora's box?"
"No, it would mean you wouldn't exist. And neither will you if I don't solve a paradox by the end of tomorrow."
"Wait, like, for real?"
Rachel raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "Do you believe in destiny?"
Sarah shrugged. "Like how two people are destined to fall in love?"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Sure, like that."
"Then yeah, I guess."
"Okay, so take that same principle and apply it to death."
Sarah's eyes lowered as she rubbed her arms. "So, like, we all going to die if someone who is destined to die doesn't die?"
"Yup," Rachel flatly replied as she gazed up at the reactor.
"That's ridiculous, like that's not fair."
Rachel turned her head towards Sarah. Her eyes slowly blinked as she watched Sarah rub her neck, looking down at the ground.
"Well, fuck destiny, I don't wanna believe in that bullshit then!"
Rachel blinked, then looked down. She sighed as she looked up at the sky. Her hoodie felt heavier as it absorbed the snowflakes. She stared at the strings, faintly glowing in the sunlight's sheen. Her mulberry eyes paved a strip of color on top of the snow on the guardrail she grabbed.
"That is the thing about destiny, Sarah. It doesn't matter if you believe in it or not. It just is."