Gifted | Sleepy Bois Inc

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Wilbur!"

He's dead.

He's going to die.

There's nothing you can do now, nothing you can do to stop it from happening.

You were a fool. An idiot. You played right into his hands. And now, the price of your ignorance: you get to watch your own brother die.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. "Wilbur!" I shouted again, lunging forward, one hand outstretched.

I tackled him to the side as Smiley's knife slashed past, ripping through the sleeve of my left arm and cutting skin. Pain exploded throughout the entire limb, but I gritted my teeth and got up onto my feet, pulling Wilbur up along with me. "Go!" I yelled. "Find Phil! Call him! Call Tubbo, I don't care!"

Wilbur's eyes were wide and terrified. "Techno---"

"Are you insane?" I shouted. I pushed him, making him stumble, but I didn't care. Smiley had regained his balance, and I had no idea where Naida was. "Just go!"

"Techno," he pleaded. "You're my brother! I can't just leave!"

He was clinging on me too tightly for me to shove him again, gripping my arm like it was his lifeline. I bit back a bunch of colorful curses and tightened my grip on my weapon, glaring around me.

If I could teleport with another person, I could get us out of here right now.

If for once, my power of running away would actually allow me to take someone with me, I could save him.

"My, how touching," Smiley said, tilting his head to one side. "You truly are brothers, I see. You look nothing alike."

He smiled pleasantly, as if he wasn't trying to kill us. I stared at him, my mind reeling. Just seconds ago, everything had been fine. I could still remember how it felt to wake up that morning, perfectly calm, and the smile Philza had given me. How was it that the world had been okay just a couple minutes ago?

"Techno," Wilbur whispered. "Please. Save yourself."

"No," I said harshly. "Let go of me, Wilbur."

Smiley let out a nice laugh. "Oh, it's okay, you two. I can kill you together." He shrugged. "But I did promise Techno that I'd kill you first, Wilbur, so I suppose you'll have to wait a bit before I reunite you two in death."

The way he threatened us so calmly, so placidly, as if we were just three friends out on a stroll, was what irked me the most. My eyes narrowed ever so slightly. I could feel the challenge he had just issued to me, and I knew that Wilbur could feel it too.

"Techno," he said again, his voice so soft I almost thought I was imagining it. "You won't die, right?"

He relaxed his grip on my arm. I placed my free hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, a genuine, caring smile that I knew was exactly what Wilbur needed right now. "Of course not. Just get out of here, okay? Go find me some backup. Smiley is a pain in the ass to deal with."

Wilbur nodded. He took a step away from me, then another, then turned and started to run. I turned back to Smiley, who had been watching us with a sort of detached interest.

I turned to Smiley. "I hate you so much."

Smiley raised his own weapon and simply smiled wider. "Understandably so. But that's okay."

Our blades clashed in midair, metal against metal, sending out a ringing sound that echoed loudly in my ears. I pushed him back and kicked out, but he dodged to the side and brought his knife in a horizontal slash towards my face.