MIDAS ⇾ THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

~ XVI ~

The two women stayed in the room together, Allison seemingly asleep. Alexis held her hand, sitting on a chair next to the bed. The silence was broken suddenly by a series of deafening crashes, from the bowels of the house. Alexis stood up as Allison was shocked awake. Their eyes locked, but neither of them knew what had caused the sound.

Alexis ran out of the bedroom, where she met the others in the hall.

"Yo, what the hell is going on?" asked Diego.

"Are those explosions coming f..."

"Vanya," said Luther, gravely.

Alexis looked at him, accusingly. He didn't meet her eyes.

Pogo hobbled in.

"We need to get to safety outside the Academy," he shouted over the noise.

The explosions echoed through the house.

Alexis ran back into the bedroom, where Allison was getting out of bed. She grabbed her jacket as the house shook.

"We need to go, now!"

Supporting Allison, the two of them left as fast as they could manage. Alexis helped her up the stairs, as debris rained down. The house rattled and creaked as cracks began to run up the walls. 

"You've got this," said Alexis, wrapping an arm around Allison's waist. "Come on, let's go."

The house disintegrated slowly around them as they raced for the door.

The night air was cold and piercing. The ruins of the Umbrella Academy scattered the ground, dust rising in the air. Moonlight illuminated their faces. Diego appeared - he looked terrible.

"Diego, what happened?" said Alexis.

"Mom... she didn't make it," he managed.

She pulled him into a rough hug. Luther appeared, face dark.

"Pogo didn't get out either," he said. "Vanya killed him."

Alexis looked from Allison and Diego, mouth agape. This wasn't the Vanya she knew. Her head snapped over as Five ran in, out of breath.

"Guys," he gasped, shaking a newspaper frantically. "This is it. The apocalypse is still on. The world ends today."

"I thought you said it was over," said Luther indignantly.

"I was wrong, okay?" Five said. "This newspaper, I found it in the future the day I got stuck. The headline hasn't changed."

Diego shook free of Alexis, and moved forward.

"No, that doesn't mean anything. The time could've been altered since that newspaper came out this morning."

"You're not listening to me," hissed Five. "When I found it, I assumed this place came down along with everything else. But here we are. The Moon's still shining, the Earth is in one piece, but not the Academy."

Klaus looked shaken.

"I'm confused," he said.

Alexis could nearly taste Five's exasperation.

"Then listen to me, you idiot!" he shouted. "Vanya destroys the Academy before the apocalypse."

He sighed, and began pacing.

"I thought Harold Jenkins was the cause, but he was the fuse. Vanya is the bomb."

Alexis' mouth was dry.