Among Us

Chapter 21

I wasn't sure what was going on. All I knew was that Jacks and Cain were fighting, and if I didn't close the gate soon, we would all die.

That brought me to my question: Why was I not dead yet?

Whatever Cain had slid over my neck had not been a knife. 

Did Jacks steal it?

But why, why would Jacks steal Cain's knife? He was a murderer. He didn't love-

"El, get out of here!" I heard Jacks scream. I hadn't realized I was standing at the door, paralyzed. I watched him manage to pull away from Cain, and both he and Cain stood up, facing each other.

"So you do love her, huh?" Cain managed, trying to cover his bleeding should wound with his hand.

Jacks trembled as he looked at me, as if asking for permission to say what he was about to say. I just stood there, frozen and confused.

"I loved her the entire time, Cain." Jacks whispered, still looking at me. 

I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

"You've caught feelings, Jacks?" Cain said. "You'd  sabotage our entire operation for a girl? A girl who will never love you back, a girl who is scared of you?"

"Yes, Cain." Jacks said. "I would. You don't know what it's like, and there's no use explaining to a complete physco. But I love her, and I could never live with myself if I knew I could have saved her."

He looked at me, and I saw a clear tear run down his bloodied face. "I would rather die than live in a world without her."

I was still paralyzed, but my thoughts were racing in my head, swirling like a storm as I comprehended what Jacks had just done, what he had just said.

He had loved me all along.

I shook my head.

He's still a murderer. He still risked me dying for what? A bomb? 

I glanced at the stab in his chest, not a fatal wound, but a wound he had taken for me. 

My contradicting thoughts were interrupted by slow claping. Cain swiftly pulled out his gun and leaned against the wall, acting bored.

"Yeah, well I could," Cain said. "I guess I'll just kill you both."

Cain pointed his gun at me, still grinning. "Shame I couldn't stab you, El. But I guess this will do. Don't worry, Jacks will be joining you soon."

"Like hell you're going to shoot us." Jack snarled, grasping Cain's knife with his now steady hand. I quickly grabbed a glass ornament from the nearest table, then stood in a batting position. Like hell I was dying today, I could hold my own ground. 

"Oh, you guys are so cute." Cain said rolling his eyes. "Fine, I won't shoot you. This will be fun."

He put his gun back in his pocket and grabbed a jagged shard of glass from the floor. He didn't seem to care that the glass was cutting into his palm. Scarlet liquid began seeping from it, staining the clear glass. 

All of a sudden, Jacks was slamed to the ground by a swift kick. Cain ran up to me and lifted his hand, about to stab me, but I threw the ornament at his face. It exploded into a thousand pieces, cutting his face and making him fall to the ground. I kicked him for good measure, and Cain went slack. Not dead, but unconscious. I spat at him and then ran up to Jacks.

I held out a hand, which he hesitantly took. He winced as he did so, and I noticed the blood seeping from his side. Again, just a shallow graze, but the amount of blood he was losing was worrying.

He groaned as he stood up. "Thanks."

I nodded, a bit awkwardly. I let go of his hand as soon as he was completely upright, getting a sad glance from Jacks. I felt a pang of guilt and shook my head slightly. Was I still in love with him? 

I knew I shouldn't. I knew I could not trust him. I knew he had lied to me, he had betrayed me.

But a small part of me was still hanging on to the stupid hope that I could forget.

We both turned to Cain. 

But he wasn't there. The corner he had been laying in was now empty, his blood the only thing assuring us we were looking at where he had once been.

I heard a soft click from behind, and everything slowed down. My heart pounded as I turned. I knew what I would see. I heard muffled yells, but the press of the trigger seemed to be the only thing I could hear correctly.

"No!"

Bang