Kill the Lights

Proofreader/Editor: Kaima, Hwarang

“Turn off the T.V., Ashley.”

Aaron, who came back after looking around the area, said it roughly. Ashley pulled the plug with a face like she’s sick of it, and Aaron breathed a sigh. He looked back at Haley who was embracing Noah.

“-You want to negotiate?”

He sneered. Negotiate? At first, he did think he was bullshitting seeing him getting in the car, but it was getting funnier.

“You are gonna negotiate with us?”

Aaron also knew who Haley was. Actually, who wouldn’t know? Unless it was someone like Mason, who was indifferent to everything, there was no way to not know who Haley Lusk was. He was a slutty bitch that spread his legs to any guy, a scapegrace who was addicted to alcohol and drugs and caused trouble; a person to whom the word ‘troublemaker’ was not enough.

“Mother fucker, how dare you-,”

Aaron ground his teeth and took out his gun. He didn’t like him from the start. If this son of a bitch didn’t get in that hotel room, if they had only met Noah then, it would be a better situation than it was right now. Not sure if that bastard did it knowingly, but it was his fault that the situation got so tricky.

When he pointed his gun at the man, he sighed quietly. Aaron felt the black eyes staring at him and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

“Why? Since an actor got mixed up in this kind of incident, you think you actually became the main character in a movie? You never dreamed of having a hole in your head, did you?”

Aaron hid the feeling of chill and put his gun on Haley’s forehead.

“I even shot Raynoah, do you think you’ll be safe?”

Aaron mumbled, wondering at the same time whether he should pull the trigger or not. He kind of felt like he wanted to shoot and kill Haley, kill Noah, kill Ashley, and then commit suicide. Actually, that was the only path in front of Aaron right now.

“Don’t be an idiot, Aaron.”

Haley said in an indifferent tone. Aaron opened his eyes wide and stared at the man. Aaron? Did I ever mention my name? Did he hear it from Noah? While Aaron was startled for a second, Mason continued.

“You are thinking that everything will end if you died, right? As soon as you kill Noah, the lives of your sister and mother in Berlin will be over too.”

“You know what I’m saying, right?” Haley chuckled quietly and stared at Aaron. Aaron was at a loss for words and only moved his lips. What did that son of a bitch just say?

“You too. You couldn’t commit suicide because of your six-year-old daughter, right?”

Haley turned to Ashley. She has a daughter? Aaron, surprised, turned around to face Ashley, who flinched and stepped back. Bang! Aaron pulled the trigger with his finger, and the bullet shot through the muzzle, passing right next to Haley’s cheek, and embedded into the wall.

“What are you? How did you know? Did you investigate about us beforehand?”

Aaron asked threateningly with his eyes wide open, and Mason slowly bored into his eyes.

“That bullet, if you don’t want it to be embedded in your head, you would better listen to me.”

Mason thought it has to be a taut message that would agitate them adequately, but without provoking them. He prayed to God to help him for this once for his strategy to work in this situation where it’s not surprising if the finger on the trigger pulled it towards his head.

“Let go of Noah.”

Mason said in his coldest possible tone. He must make them let go of Noah by themselves. Fighting with them here would just put Noah in danger. Mason fixed them with his cold gaze, while feeling his hand that was holding Noah grow cold.

“Negotiate with the cops waiting outside and for exchange receive a helicopter or a private plane--..., A private plane will be better since you guys have to go far away.”

They won’t be able to get everything they wanted. If they ran away after receiving the money for kidnapping Noah, chances are, a second and third abductor will be born in the future aiming at Noah.

“Leave far away anywhere to third world countries. In the mean time, hold me as a hostage, which will be enough to block them from chasing after you guys.”

“Fuck, I asked you who you are!”

Aaron smacked Mason’s head with the gun. Mason wiped the blood dripping down with the back of his hand. It wasn’t bad that he just hit him with his gun instead of shooting him. It means that they are shaken up, and that confusion could make this dangerous ploy, which might be the last in his lifetime, work.

Mason smiled as leisurely as possible.

“Asking who I am. ...-How long are you planning to pretend not to know?”

“What?”

He looked straight into the eyes of Aaron, who wore an idiotic expression. His face was being reflected in Aaron’s big pupils. It was akin to the moment when he saw his death; Mason frowned slightly and said.

“12.”

Ashley questioned, “What?” at the sudden outburst of a number, and Aaron startled like he had recalled something. Mason noticed his shoulders shake and smiled slightly. As usual.

“36.5, 37.....”

“You....-, don’t tell me..”

As Mason continued to recite, of course Aaron and even Ashley stared at him with a pale face.

“Don’t lie!”

Ashley screamed, and Aaron pointed his gun again. This time his hand was shaking. Mason inhaled deeply and exhaled.

“That day, it was only me who heard the last number from Alta’s mouth, right?”

Right? Aaron and Ashley’s faces turned blue at what Mason said.

***

“Ha..., haha.”

‘Ha ha ha,’ Aaron opened his mouth a long while after and laughed. He kept laughing and soon, his face froze in a cold expression.

“-Don’t bullshit me. Who’s gonna believe that?”

Mason shrugged like think whatever you want. Aaron spoke with his gun closely pointed at him.

“Why. Are you gonna say some bullshit like you are Mason?”

Instead of answering him, Mason stared at him. Aaron felt like those black eyes reminded him the moment when Mason died and bit his teeth. Dark black, annoying pupils. That cold stare was smirking at him, even when he got shot and collapsed.

“What are you planning?”

Aaron even pulled the trigger halfway down as if he were going to shoot if Mason did something wrong and glared at him. He calmed down better than before, but his hand was still shivering. Mason stared at that hand and said, turning his gaze.

“I told you, let’s negotiate.”

Mason slowly stood up holding Noah. The angle of Aaron’s arm that was pointing the gun also went up. Mason’s nerves were tapered to its limit and felt like it would snap soon, as he sensed Noah’s body temperature fall slowly. Feigning his composure, Mason said.

“Even if you guys fall into a third world country, you would need money, right? You know that the Raycarlton family won’t guarantee you a wealthy future.”

It may look like they are promising that kind of a future now. But no matter how much these guys held onto Noah’s life, their opponents were like a violent beast. As soon as they handed over Noah, the other side would change and reveal their true nature to them.

The more the abductors demanded, the more Raycarlton and Rebecca’s revenge would be extreme and cruel, and the only thing they would tolerate is their immediate escape. However they will never forget, and come after them even after a few years. That was their way. Aaron and Ashley certainly knew that.

Mason stared at the muzzle with a frosty expression.

“-Aaron.”

Ashley held Aaron’s arm that was pointing the gun. Aaron turned around to her with red eyes.

“Mason is dead.”

Aaron spit out.

“We blew up the body with a bomb and burnt it, but now, a dead person has come back alive? Also in another person’s body? How can I believe that bullshit?”

Alta, Mason, Ashley and Aaron, were the only ones who knew what happened in Alta’s room. Among them, Alta and Mason died, and they confirmed with their own eyes that the two were dead. If they couldn’t believe the person in front of them was Mason, that meant one of them had betrayed the other. Since it was easier to doubt each other than believing in soul swapping, Aaron glared at Ashley who was holding his arm.

“-Aaron!”

At Aaron’s cold stare, Ashley screamed as if she was betrayed. Aaron looked back at Ashley and looked at Mason again. Mason scanned them with cold eyes.

“I don’t care what you guys think or who you guys think I am.”

Mason said, pulling Noah closer and urged him not to go to sleep, even as he let him completely lean on his shoulder.

“Release Noah. If you don’t want to die altogether, gamble on where you have a little bit of a chance to survive.”

Aaron looked at Noah, who was pale blue, drenched in cold sweat and had his eyes closed, and turned around to Ashley again.

“-Ashley.”

She opened her eyes narrowly and looked at him. Aaron screamed, “Take that man and go out,” and pointed with his face. Ashley, who followed that movement, saw Noah and looked at him a bit puzzled.

No doubt, Aaron must be suspicious of her too. He must be watching her, because if she goes out with Noah, she could sell him off and run away by herself. However it was unexpected of him to send her away.

“...Okay. I’ll ask for a private plane.”

Ashley said, biting her lips. She didn’t know how it’d turn out, but she felt the desire to desperately be alive if it meant they could survive together.

“Give me Noah.”

Mason glanced at Noah. It felt like he slightly grabbed onto his clothes, but he wasn’t sure.

He made Noah, who had lost his consciousness, lean firmly against her shoulder and held his cold hand for a second. It was very sad when that cool and damp hand left his.

(Door closing sound)

Ashley supported Noah and left the room. Breathing low, Mason listened to the back door closing.

Now, once they walked out, the negotiators and medical team waiting outside would check on Noah’s condition and try to make the deal as quickly as possible. That’ll be enough. He might suffer some side effects because of his arm, but definitely, he’d survive.

Mason was okay as long as Noah was alive. Just like how he was like that to him.

‘Please, don’t say you are not in this world.’

Perhaps, though not sure, he was more likely to die. Maybe they won’t even leave a body behind to pretend like they still held him as a hostage. And it was more likely, since they thought he was annoyingly mimicking Mason.

‘Otherwise, I might shoot myself in the head.’

“.....”

Noah’s face came to mind, crying, and Mason had a bitter taste.

‘Even if I die, I hope he doesn’t commit suicide or something’.... -Mason thought bitterly and raised his head. Aaron was pointing the gun at him.

“Definitely, it’s that bitch Ashley’s planning, but-..., those eyeballs are as annoying as that bastard Mason’s.”

Aaron said with a cold face. Mason stared straight at him. “Aaron, you greedy bastard,” Mason thought. He was a little lucky because Aaron was this kind of a man. If he hadn’t forsaken his desire for the safe until the end, then all four of them would probably be rolling on the ground as corpses.

It was the right to think that, as long as he had the greed for the safe, as long as he thought of the 50 million dollars, he’d do his best to survive, and that will save Noah’s life.

“So, what is the last number?”

Mason moved his lips. Because he took his time, Aaron said coldly.

“Tell me on the count of three. If you cannot say it, I’ll shoot you and run to that Ashley bitch right away and kill her too.”

Mason quietly sighed and replied before Aaron started to count.

“-7.”

Aaron squinted his eyes and stared at Mason. He shook the gun he was holding and said.

“Open it.”

Just in case he had told him a fake number, Aaron ordered Mason to open the safe. Mason smirked, “He still has a lot of doubt,” and approached the safe. Suddenly he thought of pressing random numbers and make the bomb inside to explode, but Noah’s pleasing face caught his eye.

‘Probably I’m gonna die, but still...’ -If he had even a small shot at living, he wanted to live.

‘Because I don’t want to make him cry like that again.’ Mason remembered the face of Noah drenched with tears and thought about it bitterly. ‘Now that I think about it, I didn’t tell him that I am Mason. It’s not something amazing, I should’ve told him before. It is too late now for regrets, but still....’

“...-.”

Probably because of the bleeding, Mason tasted extreme bitterness, and when he pressed the last digit, crank, there was a sound of the safe opening. And at that moment, Aaron’s hand appeared and grabbed Mason’s hair and pushed him away.

“-Ugh!”

Thud! Mason rolled on the ground and saw Aaron looking inside the safe with red eyes. He looked as if bewitched by a ghost. He peeked over his shoulders and saw piles of gold and documents.

“Hah-...,”

Aaron, who was looking inside the safe like he couldn’t believe it, turned around and stared at Mason. He asked, squinting.

“...-You, really are Mason?”

Mason just stared at his shaky eyes. In front of the man he had killed, Aaron once again pointed his gun and panted.

“You are, really-...,”

Really Mason? He couldn’t finish his sentence. It was because at that moment, a gunshot rang from the outside.

-Bang!

Because of the gunshot echoing through the building, both Mason and Aaron opened their eyes wide and turned to look outside. There was no noise coming from outside the closed door. Except for that gunshot everything was silent, as if the time has stood still.

“...-What is,”

Mason moved his suddenly dried lips. The gunshot sounded very close to the door. Noah was unconscious and Ashley wasn’t the type of a woman to commit suicide because of her daughter. -He didn’t have to think too long to figure out who was shot and who made the shot.

‘No way, it couldn’t be. I heard it wrong,’ Mason thought, but his body moved faster than his mind.

“Noah!”

When Mason was about to run, Aaron grabbed him from behind. Mason grabbed Aaron’s arm that was holding his shoulder, twisted it and hit his jaw with his elbow. Aaron stepped back and grabbing his chin, seemingly unable to imagine that the weak Haley could demonstrate such a quick reflex.

Mason took the chance to run away again and open the door, in order to check whether Noah was collapsed on the ground. Bang! The bullet shot from behind his back, penetrated Mason’s thigh.

“-!”

Mason fell forward and “Heek!” inhaled a sharp breath. Tears were pouring out, either from the pain of the pierced bullet or at the thought of Noah being dead.

“Fuck...-, there’s no way you are Mason.”

Aaron said, wiping the blood dripping down from his lip.

“Are you saying that the guy, who ran away without thinking just because someone got hurt, and cried because he got shot by a bullet, is that stubborn bastard?”

That son of a bitch didn’t even blink a single time when he was dying. Mason was famous for not even blinking once or screaming during vicious tortures. Aaron thought he almost got tricked and breathed heavily. Yeah, there was no way that could actually happen in real life. Aaron stepped on the man’s shoulder, as he crawled forward like a bug.

“–,”

Mason bit his lips and emptied the first-aid kit with his other arm. While the other guy was surprised and gasped, he quickly grabbed the scissors and stabbed his ankle. Aaron quickly evaded it, but it still left a pretty deep cut on his ankle.

“-Ugh, you fuck!”

Before Aaron pulled the trigger, he quickly stood up, grabbed his arm and dug into his embrace. Haley’s body was physically weak, but if he used the opponent’s strength, he could properly throw him. -If only his leg was fine.

But the leg that was shot couldn’t withstand the weight and bent forward. Cold sweat completely drenched him. While buried under Aaron, Mason swallowed the pain of his leg getting cut off and stabbed his back with all his strength. He felt the scissors pierce through skin, but it didn’t feel like the abdomen. It was more like the thigh or somewhere like that-.

Bang!

Mason felt that his eyes were blurred by the impact on his forehead. Aaron grabbed the back of Mason’s hair and pinned it straight on the ground.

“-...Ah,”

Noah. Mason tried to stand up with his shaking arms. Rather than thinking about the pain or his weak body, the only thing in Mason’s head was Noah, who might be collapsed on the ground outside the door.

He might be dying outside, I can’t be lying around like this. He’s already bled a lot, if he got shot once more, it’d be really dangerous. If it wasn’t a place like an arm or a leg, he might really die. -Is he dying alone like that? Is he dying on the cold floor with no one to rescue him? I really hate that-....

“-....,”

Mason tried his best to regain his consciousness, but there was another shock from behind his head. He tried to open his trembling eyes, but his consciousness dimmed. It was completely different from dying, yet somehow similar.

Just like that, everything turned white.

“..-Hah, hah-.”

This fucker-. Aaron spit out a curse and pressed on his thigh that was bleeding. That rat-like guy was trickier than he thought. If he didn’t have to use him as a hostage, he would’ve just killed him right away.

When he crawled to the door even after getting hit on his head at the end, that stubbornness really felt like Mason’s. Whether he was Mason or not, if he escaped to a safe place, he definitely planned to kill him. He was thinking of shredding his body into pieces more than that Mason, such that nobody could find even a trace of him.

Thud! Aaron angrily kicked the fainted Haley and limped away, pressing on his wound. He didn’t know why Ashley shot Noah, but what made him more curious was why it was too quiet outside. He thought maybe Ashley didn’t shoot Noah, but instead abandoned an unconscious Noah and committed suicide.

“Ashley, that bitch, perhaps -”

Aaron mumbled, inhaling deeply and opened the door.

“Ugh,”

When he opened the door, a pale white light poured in and Aaron raised his arms to cover his eyes. He frowned and shouted, “What is this?” but froze on the spot when he realized that a red spot had passed by his line of sight.

As the eyes became accustomed to the light, he raised his head and noticed red things crawling all over his body. The red spots gathered on his forehead and chest were reddish like a big pupil.

“-...This is, .....”

Aaron lifted his head with an absentminded look. In front of his eyes, the Zii’s black army was lined up, and dozens, no hundreds of sniper rifle lasers were pointing at him. As if they will all fire at once.

“....-.”

No one asked him to do so, but Aaron threw away his gun and raised both of his hands. What was going on? Did Ashley really betray me?

The Zii’s army doctors went inside, passing by Aaron who couldn’t move at all. They inspected Haley who was on the ground, and soon piggy backed him, passing by Aaron again and reported to someone.

The reported man stroked Haley’s pale cheek and immediately sent him out.

Aaron saw the man who was watching Haley leave. That blood drenched blond hair- looked familiar to him, and when he turned around, he stared at Aaron with a scarily cold eyes.

“Who are you looking for?”

The man, Noah, said, “Ah, perhaps this woman?” and threw the brown hair he was holding. Thud, with a brutal sound as a dark red chunk fell on the ground. Noah pushed it with his foot, and the dark red thing’s face showed.

“...-Ashley....,”

Aaron mumbled like moaning and turned around to Noah.

He was smiling as if nothing had happened.

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Sorry we are late....

Sorry I couldn’t reply all those comments lol

BTW some people asked me if the chunk is her head. It is not her head! It’s her body...