Chapter 13: 21:24 – A Countdown to First Death [02:36am]

G.O POV

It was another hologram. No longer were they the two innocent ten year old kids, black and brown haired. They were teenagers now, eighteen at least and with a very different air about them.

“Hey, Changsun,” the brown haired boy had his hands tucked deep into his pockets. Half in the shadows, he watched his brother paced with wary eyes. “I have something to tell you.”

“You’ve decided then,” Changsun stared at him with sorrowful eyes.

Byunghee nodded. “I have.”

“You’re going to join the pirates.” It wasn’t a question. It was a fact.

Byunghee gave a curt nod.

“Why?” Changsun leaned forwards, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. “You know what messing with the pirates causes.”

Byunghee chewed his bottom lip. “I just…have to…”

“Byunghee!”

“I can’t tell you!” Byunghee shouted. “I want to tell you…but it’s not something that involves you!”

Changsun took a step backwards, his eyes wide with shock. “It doesn’t involve me? Your brother?”

“Not by blood,” Byunghee said coldly.

“Isn’t bonds good enough?”

“I don’t want you to get involved in my mess Changsun,” Byunghee shook his head. “Please understand. I have to do this.”

Changsun looked at his brother and let one tear slip out and run down his cheek. In the moonlight, it was cast silver and his black hair grey. There was a long stretch of silence and then Joon finally spoke, his voice hoarse. “Which gang did you join?”

Byunghee raised his head and stared at the moon. “The BlackBeards.”

Changsun froze. “Are you sure? They have a reputation for being the least moralistic-“

“They offered me the chance. I couldn’t say no.”

Changsun’s head lowered. “I get it brother, just…be careful okay?”

Byunghee shot him a grateful look. “I will. I promise. I won’t do anything bad. It’s my…duty…”

Duty…?

That word struck thunder through me. I was assuaged my memories, black and white and violent. They rocketed through my head and I crumpled to my knees, holding my head as the past seized me.

***

“Why did you do that?!” Byunghee yelled. A storm was gathering, whipping winds sending cold slashes throughout his body. “It was my first job! And I’ve failed now, no thanks to you, brother.” The words came out mocking, tainted with pain.

Changsun clutched his side. His back was to a plastered wall of a worn out warehouse. “I did it for you!” he shouted back, his voice barely audible. The night sky was dark. There were no stars or a moon to brighten it tonight. It was devoid of hope.

“For me? Then you should have just left me alone! I could have done the job by myself!”

“You don’t understand,” Changsun shook his head violently. How to get the words across in such a short period of time. The clock was ticking. Any moment they would be here. “You don’t know what The BlackBeards had in store for you. It was all a-“

And the wind stole his words, snatching it out of his mouth and throwing it far across the harbor. Changsun cursed. That too was lost in the maelstrom.

“It was a-“ he tried again, but the impenetrable wall was growing.

And suddenly there were sirens, blue and red flashes painfully bright against the dark sky. Changsun spun on his heel. What were enforcers doing here?! They weren’t meant to be here! It would ruin everything-

“You sold me out?!” Byunghee snarled, the pain of betrayal fresh in his eyes. It cut invisible wounds into Changsun.

“No, no brother! I didn’t call them-“

“Lies!” Byunghee hissed. He threw one hand out violently, cutting a sharp path through the air as if he very much wanted to slice a knife through Changsun’s chest. “You sold me how. How could you. I know I said we weren’t blood brothers, but still!”

“Listen to be Byunghee,” Changsun tried to cross the distance between them, flinching slightly at Byunghee’s furious gaze and the slice of his hand. “This is all a mistake. You’ve got to listen to me-“

“PUT YOUR HANDS UP!” came a screech cutting through the air. The voice was computerized, cold and unforgiving. The enforcers were well-known to act first, listen later.

Changsun grabbed Byunghee’s arm. “Let’s get out of here first. We’ll talk later.”

Byunghee stared at the hand wrapped around his wrist. He didn’t know which way to run. The enforcers would surely throw him into jail no matter that he had not committed a crime. But then there was Changsun. How could he trust the traitor?

“Come on!” Changsun tugged Byunghee’s hand in the opposite direction of those bright lights.

“YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO SURRENDER, AFTER WHICH WE WILL USE FORCE,” came the mechanized warning.

“Byunghee!” Changsun yelled. Byunghee stared into his eyes. Never had he seen his brother so scared. Fear for whom Byunghee did not know. “Byunghee-“

Byunghee snatched his hand back.

Changsun’s eyes flew wide open. Brother, he mouthed.

But before the words could take shape, the enforcers grabbed both of them and were forcing them down onto their knees.

“Lee Changsun,” one of the enforcers said in a monotonous voice. Byunghee couldn’t see his eyes. They were shielded by dark glass from a helmet. It covered the upper half of his face. All he could see were that thin-lipped mouth. “You are arrested for possession of the Christmas virus and possible trafficking of it."

“What?!” Changsun stared at him. “But I didn’t. I just stopped-“

He held his tongue. Tell the truth and Byunghee would be at fault.

“You have the right to remain silent. We will question you all fully back at base.” The enforced pulled out silver handcuffs and snapped them onto Changsun’s wrists.

“You too, Jung Byunghee.” He gazed at Byunghee’s face. If he noted the expression of bewilderment, and despair that was so much like a witch’s bitter brew for revenge, it did not show through the dark glass. The enforcer pulled out another pair of handcuffs. But before he could fasten them onto Byunghee’s trembling and scarred wrists, there was an explosion. In the whirlwind of ear-shattering music and scalding heat, the two enforcers and the two teenagers were blown backwards. All Changsun saw was white light and then nothing more.