The Bagman's Destiny

Chapter 20

The bombs were to be activated from the inside which accounted for the inevitable suicide. It wasn't inevitably joint, however. We had a choice. One of us could walk. I knew what it was like living a world where Harry is dead and I'd rather die than live that world again. Harry would never walk on me either. The way I saw it there were two choices. We stayed and we died for the Moths, for our country, for each-other like Henry wanted or we both walked. We walked and we didn't blow up the Statue of Liberty. It would lead to severe consequences such as becoming an enemy to the Moths, a sick irony on my account considering I created them... But if we ran rather than walked. If we ran, if we left the country, changed our names, our hair, our style, removed all contact with anyone from our current lives - we could live out the rest of our days together. We could grow old.

"I love you"

We could've grown old if I had never run away to reclaim my title as David Atlas. Somehow our fate, whether doomed or bloomed, felt like my fault. Since the beginning, our fate, our destiny was mine. It's was the Bagman's destiny all along.

It was early. I hadn't slept at all. I stayed up all night and listened to Harry's breathing. Occasionally I climbed out onto the balcony and felt the earth's breaths press against my body. I even listened to my own. Everything was alive, even the things that weren't. The warm mug that was in my palm, the hot coffee mellowing inside, the steam rising from it, the concrete beneath my feet, the railing, the buildings in the distance... Everything was breathing. That or I was thinking too much.

The Antennae did not participate in any training this morning as of a mysterious cleansing of the government schedule for the military. Instead they stayed underground, either asleep, powered-down or doing whatever they did when they weren't learning to be blood-thirsty monsters. Harry and I were able to sneak into their base with fake broaches and ID cards to swipe against the gates that didn't have guards. We got to the main lobby of the Statue of Liberty and climbed all three hundred and seventy seven steps to the crown. All the whilst concealing bombs in a crate that were lethal enough to condemn most of the city to hell. Yet nobody assumed it was for 'terrorism' but for pre-planned a military assignment I was too scared to ask about.

At the top, we placed the bombs but did not activate them just yet. We had arrived early. The explosion was set for eight AM, when Butterfly News went to air - Henry described it as 'a hell of the way to wake up the world'. I wasn't sure if we did it on purpose or because our subconscious was giving us a choice. We could die or we could walk; run.

"I know"

"Do you love me?"

"I told Henry I didn't. Not anymore" I admitted, a yawn coming shortly after.

Harry burrowed his brows. You'd think after so many years I'd be able to tell if he was cranky or just thinking.

"Why'd you do that?" He finally asked.

I yawned again and shrugged. I wish I had gone to sleep.

"Louis..."

"I don't know" I vaguely added to my vague shrug, "I didn't mean it. It's the biggest lie I've ever told. I still love you. I will always love you. I have always been in love with you. You are the epitome of love in my life. When I think of love, I think of you. No matter what I do or you do, I love you. You're my husband, my soulmate, my life - whatever you want to call it! I was just so angry... I don't know. I have no excuse"

There was an awkward pause. My eyes fell to my fidgety hands in my lap; as long as I was looking anywhere but his eyes. Yet when he reached out to hold one of them, I couldn't help but fall into the trap of doing just that.