The tires of Elijah's Mustang rumbled, and the chassis wobbled as he drove over inches of snow. The snowfall slowly died down, giving way to a navy-gray cloudy sky. He glanced over at Emily in the passenger seat as she gazed out the window with arms crossed. His eyes glanced up to the rearview mirror to see Rachel doing the same thing.
Tension was palpable as he drove by closed businesses and homes. Streetlights flickered on while his car crawled past Mel's Diner. He didn't bother stopping at stop signs since there was nobody stupid enough to drive in this weather besides him. His Mustang frequently slid underneath the slush as he went through downtown Corwood.
His Mustang engine turned off as he stopped at the intersection where he first encountered Emily and Rachel. Dread slowly crept up his spine as the engine refused to turn back on. He glanced at Emily, who shook her head and grinned as she stared out the window. Elijah reached for his cigarettes as his mind raced back to when Emily approached his vehicle earlier in the week in the same spot.
"Looks like someone decided for us," Elijah grumbled as Emily sighed and then exited the vehicle.
"Fitting," Rachel replied as she opened the backseat door and pulled up her hood. "Was this where you were taking us, Em?"
Emily shook her head as she gazed around. "Please, you think I want to be out in this mess?" She scoffed as she put her hands into her hoodie pocket.
Elijah sighed and lit his cigarette as he exited the vehicle. He leaned against his Mustang, watching with narrow eyes as Rachel approached him.
"She is watching; stay alert," she whispered to Elijah.
Elijah nodded as he watched Rachel approach Emily.
"So what is this about Rache?" Emily asked as she glanced at Elijah, then back at Rachel.
Rachel sighed as she looked down at the snow. "I read your diary, Em."
Emily nodded as she crossed her arms.
"Look at me, Em."
Emily glanced up at her with a frown.
"Has Emily Prime told you what would happen if you lived past today?"
Emily shrugged. "Stop beating around the bush. Just say what you gotta say so I can get out of this snow."
Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed as she crossed her arms. "If you live past your destined death...everyone bites the dust."
Elijah's eyes narrowed as he smoked. He glanced at Emily as her lip quivered before a frown formed on her face. "Is that true?" Elijah asked.
Emily blinked slowly as she gazed at the ground. "Okay, what's your point?"
Rachel blinked rapidly, her eyebrows narrowed. "The point? The point is-"
"How do you know?"
"The Engine," Rachel replied as she pointed up to the sky. "You will create a paradox."
Emily nodded as she continued to stare down at the ground with her arms crossed.
"You talking about the thing in Emily's sketches, right?" Elijah interjected.
Rachel nodded as she looked back at Eli before returning her gaze to Emily. "Em, I don't know how to put this, but-"
Emily sighed. "It's a damn if you do, damn if you don't situation, right?"
Her boots crunched in the snow as she paced back and forth. She looked up at the sky, then shook her head and laughed. "So you're asking me to off myself...that's what this is really about, right?"
"I"
"Don't play coy with me...that's exactly what you're implying," Emily replied as she threw her hands up. Her eyes were wet, and a grin formed on her face. "What sick joke is this? Why do I gotta die for all these fucking people who dragged my name in the mud?"
Rachel gazed down at the ground but didn't reply.
"For the first time in my miserable fucking life, I finally thought I had a chance!" Emily shouted as tears dripped down her cheeks.
"I've been living on borrowed time for god knows how long. Then you come along with your time powers, and I have been playing the same damn song on repeat because your bitch ass keeps rewinding time! If anyone deserves to die, it's fucking you! You are a force of fucking nature. I am just some damn traumatized kid who just wants to live, but because of some cosmic shit, my fate is sealed, is that it!?"
Tears started to drip from Rachel's eyes as she blinked heavily. "Your right...your fucking right, Em! I can't help what the hell I am. I didn't ask for any of this. Life...no, the universe isn't fucking fair."
Emily laughed. "No fucking shit!" She screamed as she kneeled, rubbing her hands across the snow. "Then I guess we're all gonna die!"
Rachel wiped snot from her nose as her eyes widened. "EM!?"
Emily shook her head. "Get off your high horse, Rache; you are not the one who has a destined death; I do! Why the fuck would I care if everyone dies if I am going to die anyway?"
Elijah rubbed his neck as he flicked his cigarette in the snow. He then grabbed another and put it to his lips. "There has gotta be another way."
Emily shook her head. "This is not a movie. There is no fucking hero...there no fucking plot armor, and there is no happy goddamn ending!"
Rachel didn't respond as she stared down, breathing deeply and struggling to find anything to say. "You can't be this selfish, Em?"
Emily stood back up as her nostrils flared. "Selfish....Selfish? Are you calling me selfish for wanting to live!?"
"This is ridiculous...certainly Emily Prime would not allow this," Elijah replied, glancing around.
"Em...Emily Prime is keeping you in the dark. She knew this would happen when she did what she did to Dezerea. She wants us in this situation so that I can feel what Rachel put her through."
"I.....don't....give....a....fuck!"
Rachel shook her head as her nostrils flared.
"Fight me," Emily flatly said as she stared into Rachel's mulberry eyes.
"I am not fighting you, Em."
"Then we will all die then."
"Em!?"
"Fight me...if you win, then you all get to live. But if I win...well."
Rachel shook her head with wild eyes as she tilted her head at Emily. "I can just stop time-"
Emily's eyes started to glow mulberry as a static aura erupted around her. "ł ₩Ø₦'₮ ₳ⱠⱠØ₩ ł₮!" Emily Prime yelled as she stared at Rachel. "ł₣ ₮Ⱨ₳₮'₴ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ₴ⱧɆ ₩₳₦₮₴, ₮ⱧɆ₦ ɎØɄ ฿Ɇ₮₮ɆⱤ Đ₳₥₦ ⱧØ₦ØⱤ ł₮!"
Rachel's eyes narrowed as she felt an invisible force weighing down on her. She tried to move her legs, but she slowly crumbled to the ground, kneeling as if gravity had increased tenfold.
"ł₣ ₮Ⱨ₳₮'₴ ⱧØ₩ Ɇ₥łⱠɎ ₩₳₦₮'₴ ₮Ø Ⱨ₳₦ĐⱠɆ ₮Ⱨł₴ ₱ⱤɆĐł₵₳₥Ɇ₦₮...₮ⱧɆ₦ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ł₴ ⱧɆⱤ ₣Ʉ₵₭ł₦₲ ₵ⱧØł₵Ɇ. ĐØ ɎØɄ Ʉ₦ĐɆⱤ₴₮₳₦Đ ₥Ɇ, Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆⱠ!?"
Rachel nodded as she struggled to breathe and move.
"₴₳Ɏ ł₮!"
"Okay...I get it!" Rachel screamed as Emily Prime gazed down at her with blazing mulberry eyes.
"₲ØØĐ...₴ØɄⱤ₱Ʉ₴₴, ₱ⱠɆ₳₴Ɇ ₴₮₳Ɏ ØɄ₮ Ø₣ ₮Ⱨł₴, ĐØ ɎØɄ Ʉ₦ĐɆⱤ₴₮₳₦Đ ₥Ɇ?" Emily Prime asked as her gaze shifted towards him.
Elijah swallowed hard and then nodded as he gazed at Rachel as she struggled to get back on her feet.
"ł ₩łⱠⱠ ฿Ɇ ₩₳₮₵Ⱨł₦₲," Emily Prime said as her mulberry aura faded and Emily's green eyes flickered back.
"Well...Rache, GOD has spoken...don't fuck up again. This is my choice...my decision. Fight me," Emily said as she stared at Rachel as she breathed out of her mouth with wide eyes.
Rachel's hand trembled as she gazed at Emily, who watched her slowly back away with a smirk on her face.
"You can't be considering this?" Elijah asked as he glanced at both of them.
Rachel shook her head. "Just stay out of it," she replied as she balled her fist up and approached Emily. She then stopped inches away and stared down at Emily. Her heart thumped in her chest as she struggled to lift her arm above her head.
Emily laughed. "What are you waiting for?"
Rachel's nostrils flared as she breathed deeply, then swung at Emily, who ducked and laughed. Emily backpeddled as she glanced down at the ground.
"Pathetic," Emily mocked as she dodged another punch. She then grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Rachel's face.
Rachel closed her eyes and felt a sharp pain as Emily's fist slammed into her face. Her eyes widened as her ears rang, surprised at how hard Emily had hit her. She growled and swung wildly at her, connecting with Emily's shoulder. Emily fell to one knee, formed another snowball, and waited for Rachel to close the distance. She smashed the snow into her face, then pushed Rachel into the snow.
"You're holding back!" Emily yelled as snot leaked out of her nose.
Rachel growled as she stood back up, then rushed at Emily, tackling her to the ground. Emily squirmed as Rachel started to wail at her. She grabbed and pulled at Rachel's hair as she attempted to roll her over, as welts and bruises began to form on her face. Emily reached for a rock and then slammed it across Rachel's face.
Rachel's vision blurred as a gash formed on the side of her temple. Her eyes widened as she looked up at Emily, her body trembling from the force.
"You are treating this like a regular fight. Rache... when I said 'fight me'...I meant to the fucking death!" Emily screamed as she attempted to bash Rachel's face in with the same rock.
Rachel rolled out of the way and swept Emily's feet from underneath her. Adrenaline kicked in as survival instincts took over. Her mind went blank as she grabbed the rock. Her eyes locked onto Emily as she prepared to return the favor with the same rock.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Elijah screamed as he rushed over and grabbed the rock from Rachel. "Stop this now!"
Emily shoved him out of the way as she tackled Rachel into the snow. She started to choke Rachel as she snarled with wild eyes. She then elbowed Rachel in the face while Rachel drove her knee into Emily's ribs, then bit her as she ripped out some of her teal highlights.
Splotches of blood painted the snow as Rachel struggled to get to her feet. She spat a tooth out as her body shook and ached. She swung at Emily as she rushed at her, but Emily dodged, then grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into the snow repeatedly. Emily continued her assault as she screamed, throwing punches until Rachel couldn't defend herself anymore.
BANG!
Elijah's hand trembled as he held his Desert Eagle at Emily. The scent of blood and gunpowder lingered in the air as Emily collapsed into the snow motionless. He dropped his gun with wide eyes as he stared at Rachel, who was clutching her ribs. Rachel's face was swollen with one eye shut as she stared at Emily's lifeless body. Her dull green eyes stared back at her as blood pooled from her chest. The snow turned crimson around her as Rachel let out a melancholic cry as her eyes teared up.
"No..... no..... no... No.....no.....no...no," Rachel's voice cracked as she tried to scoot over to Emily's body.
"No...."
Elijah rubbed his face as his eyes grew wet as he approached Rachel to try to help her stand up.
"Why?" Rachel cried as she kept her gaze on Emily.
"She was going to kill you. I can't just stand there and watch and let everyone die," He replied as he struggled to hold Rachel as she squirmed to be let go.
Rachel laughed, her mulberry eyes flickered like a faulty dying lightbulb. "What have you done..."
Elijah closed his eyes and sighed as he looked up at the sky with wet eyes. He then felt Rachel's arm gripping his arm with terrifying force.
"₴ØɄⱤ₱Ʉ₴₴...₩Ⱨ₳₮ Ⱨ₳VɆ ɎØɄ ĐØ₦Ɇ!?" Rachel yelled as she gripped his arm and then threw him into the snow.
Elijah's eyes widened as he crawled towards his Desert Eagle. As he reached it, his body refused to move as if it were trapped under multiple layers of concrete. His heart raced as he heard Rachel's shoes crunch in the snow as she approached the gun and kicked it away.
"ł ₮ØⱠĐ ɎØɄ ₦Ø₮ ₮Ø ₲Ɇ₮ ł₦VØⱠVɆĐ!" Rachel screamed as she knelt in front of him. Her eyes glowed with mulberry malice. Her voice cracked with the same tone as Emily Prime.
"Rachel?"Elijah muttered as she grabbed him by the coat and lifted him.
"Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆⱠ ł₴ ₦Ø₮ ⱧɆⱤɆ."
"Em...how?"
"₵₳ⱠⱠ ₥Ɇ Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆⱠ ₱Ɽł₥Ɇ...Ɇ₥łⱠɎ ₱Ɽł₥Ɇ...₩Ⱨ₳₮ɆVɆⱤ ɎØɄ ₣₳₦₵Ɏ," Rachel Prime flatly replied as she grabbed Elijah by the face, forcing him to stare into her eyes.
"ɎØɄ ₣Ʉ₵₭ɆĐ Ʉ₱ ₳₲₳ł₦, ₴ØɄⱤ₱Ʉ₴₴. ฿Ʉ₮ ₮Ⱨł₴ ₮ł₥Ɇ, ł₮ ₩₳₴₦'₮ ₳₦ ₳₵₵łĐɆ₦₮," Rachel Prime explained as she threw him into the snow once more.
Rachel Prime glanced at Emily, then back at Elijah. "ł ₲Ɇ₮ ł₮...ɎØɄ ₲Ø₮ ₴₵₳ⱤɆĐ," Rachel Prime flatly said as she slowly walked towards Elijah.
"ł ₮ØⱠĐ ɎØɄ ł ₩ØɄⱠĐ ₦ɆVɆⱤ ⱧɄⱤ₮ ɎØɄ, ɎɆ₮ ɎØɄ ĐłĐ₦'₮ ฿ɆⱠłɆVɆ ₥Ɏ ₩ØⱤĐ₴. гРɎØɄ ₦Ø₮ ₵Ø₦₴łĐɆⱤ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ł ₩ØɄⱠĐ ₴₳VɆ ɎØɄ ł₣ Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆⱠ Ⱨ₳Đ ⱠØ₴₮?"
Elijah didn't reply as his heart slammed in his chest as he crawled away.
Rachel Prime shook her head. "ł ₳₥ ₴Ø Đł₴₳₱₱Øł₦₮ɆĐ ł₦ ɎØɄ," she said as she walked over towards Emily's body.
"₳₦ ɆɎɆ ₣ØⱤ ₳₦ ɆɎɆ, ₳ ₱₳Ɽ₳ĐØӾ ₣ØⱤ ₳ ₱₳Ɽ₳ĐØӾ," Rachel Prime said as she touched Emily's body.
Emily's body started to glitch, and the area around her emanated a static aura. The aura expanded slowly away from Emily's body, turning everything it touched into static snow.
"₦Ø₩ ɎØɄ ₩łⱠⱠ ฿Ɇ₳Ɽ ₮ⱧɆ ₩Ɇł₲Ⱨ₮ ₳₦Đ ⱠɆ₳Ɽ₦ ₮ⱧɆ Ⱨ₳ⱤĐ ₩₳Ɏ. ɎØɄ ₩łⱠⱠ ฿Ɇ ₴₳₣Ɇ ₣ⱤØ₥ ₮Ⱨł₴... ฿Ʉ₮ ł₦ ₣łVɆ ɎɆ₳Ɽ₴, ɆVɆⱤɎ₮Ⱨł₦₲ ₩łⱠⱠ ฿Ɇ ₮ɄⱤ₦ɆĐ ł₦₮Ø ₴₮₳₮ł₵ ₴₦Ø₩, ₳₦Đ ɆVɆⱤɎØ₦Ɇ ₩łⱠⱠ ฿Ɇ ⱧØⱠⱠØ₩. ₳ⱠⱠ...฿Ʉ₮ ɎØɄ, ₳ⱠØ₦Ɇ...JɄ₴₮ Ⱡł₭Ɇ ₥Ɇ," Rachel Prime stoically said as she ripped open a portal to another dimension.
"ł'ⱠⱠ ฿Ɇ ₩₳₮₵Ⱨł₦₲ ₳₦Đ ₩₳ł₮ł₦₲... Đ₳Đ," Rachel Prime said as she walked through the portal, leaving Elijah alone with his choice and consequences.
Elijah stood up, gazing at Emily's body. He watched with wild eyes as the static expanded past him while leaving him unharmed. Sirens echoed in his ears as he watched police cruisers approach from various directions. He gestured to them to run, but it was too late. Their patrol cars disintegrated into static snow.
The officers screamed a static screech that tore through the air, vibrating in Elijah's molars. Their veins blackened, spreading like ink through water, before they collapsed—puppets with severed strings.