ECHO [Rewritten - NaNoWriMo '16]

Chapter 23: Home

23 March 2016

Halle, Germany

Echo

She didn't know how long it had been. She had just enough water and food to keep her body from shutting down. But lack of nutrition and sleep had of course worn on her. And while no one had said anything as to where they were heading, she knew that they were heading back to the base of ALDAR. Home. Echo leaned her head back against the wall; she wished that Paiute was here. It felt strange, being disconnected from him. She could still feel him, feel that he was okay. But beyond that, she didn't know how he was. Or where he was. Just simply that he was alive. And maybe that was all she needed. It still didn't feel right.

Thorn hadn't said anything since he had asked her to please come with him. She had taken his hand, knowing full well that Howl and Wren were just a few steps away. She could've refused. She could've killed Thorn right then and there, and he would've let her. She knew this. In the many years that they had known one another, he hadn't shared much. At least not verbally, but if you paid close enough attention you'd figure it out. And while he could hide it, he hadn't hid it from her.

Echo had trusted him. She had viewed him once as a father, a brother, and a friend. But he hadn't warned her about R, hadn't ever given her even a hint. He had sat there as she fell in love with the woman, given R her heart and her loyalty. Knowing the entire time that it was all a lie. That day, Echo hadn't just lost the love of her life. She had also lost the only family that she had. And she would kill him for that. Kill him for using her.

The truck that she was in came to a halt. Echo rose to her feet, standing in front of the doors with balled fists. There was a grating sound as the handle was pulled up. As the doors parted, the grey light filling the inside of the truck. Echo barely controlled her wince; it had been so long since she had seen any form of light. She blinked a few times before her vision cleared. Standing in front of her was Thorn. But he was alone. His familiar, Aeshma, stood a few feet off. She was a magnificent beast, smooth skin and rippling muscle. The only thing that separated her from the other familiars were her red eyes. She watched Echo, her eyes full of hatred.

Echo climbed out of the truck. She hated how weak she already was. But she made sure that when she climbed down, her muscles didn't shake, and that there was plenty of space between her and Thorn. She looked him in the eye, "Why are we here?"

"You know where we are?" Thorn asked. His voice was like velvet over gravel.

Echo inhaled, catching his scent. It was rich with musk and licorice, a hint of mint. It was an aroma that had once meant home. "I'm not an idiot. Of course I know where we are. This is where you found me. And this is where you cursed me to a life of hell."

"A life of hell? Your legs are closed and your insides aren't being ripped out," he stepped closer to her. "How is this a life of hell?"

"Because it is full of lies and deceit," Echo snarled. "You let me believe that I could have peace and happiness in this fucking filthy world."

"I never lied to you," Thorn said softly.

"Bullshit," Echo spat.

He grabbed her arms, his face incredibly close to hers. "Not here."

She didn't fight him as he dragged her towards a hotel. Aeshma trailed in their shadow, passing by the tourists who littered the sidewalk. Thorn knew exactly where to go, opting for the stairs rather than the elevator. After several floors he pulled her towards the hall of doors. He stopped in front of one and unlocked it with the card in his hand. Echo knew that at any moment, she could break the hold that he had on her arm. But she remained docile, allowing him to pull and drag her about. The door slammed shut after Aeshma walked through.

Echo simply walked over to the bed and sat down. She flicked a strand of hair from her face. He turned on a few lights before walking over to sit down next to her. The bed shifted under his weight. Silence followed. Despite Echo's best efforts, a thousand thoughts were running through her mind. And instincts, habits. Ones that she hadn't thought of to break. Like curling up into his arms because she was afraid. She closed her eyes. "Just because I may have cared for you once, doesn't mean I won't kill you."

"I know," Thorn chuckled softly. "You killed R with surprising ease." Echo opened her eyes and looked at him sharply. He shrugged. "You don't think I didn't know where you were and what you were doing, did you? I spent hours upon hours with you. Viper never made the effort to get to know one of her best agents; she anticipated the actions of what any other agent would do. Not you."

"And so you've been spying on me," her eyebrow arched. "But those agents that you were with, they were Viper's. Yet I have a feeling that she wouldn't approve of you, here with me."

"Uh, no," Thorn chuckled. "In fact, she doesn't know that I have been watching you. Or that we are here. We are supposed to be heading back to headquarters. Which you will, you will continue to move forward. You will do what I never could. Kill Viper."

"Why would you want your own sister dead?" Echo leaned back on her elbows.

"She is no longer my sister. Hasn't been for a long while." Thorn chuckled softly. "I remember when we were young. It was an odd time in Germany. Hitler had just lost against Hidenburg in the presidential elections. My sister at the time was simply a beautiful woman who fell in love with a man who spoke eloquently. We were also three siblings who grew up on the streets, looking for a chance to have our own voice. Claw discovered a book of mythology. He became obsessive with it. And he soon drew Viper into it. This was around the time Hitler began to gain more power, and Viper tried to join the Nazi Party but was rejected due to her gender. The blow crushed her, as this was the first thing she had desired in years. And overnight, she disappeared. Claw wasn't worried while I was frantic.

"Nearly a month later she returned. But she was different, drastically different." Thorn sighed. "And she wasn't my sister anymore."

"But why did you stay with her? Stay her slave?" Echo asked.

"She's my sister," Thorn looked at Echo. "You know a little something about that."

Echo nodded. "That's true. But why now?"

"Because Viper has gone too far, she has completely lost any ounce of humanity that she once had." Thorn ran his hand through his hair. "And out of every single person I have met in these long years...you are the only one I think actually has the skill to defeat her."

"Why me?" Echo asked.

"Because you are still human," he cupped her cheek, running his thumb along the delicate skin under her eye.

She looked into his eyes. They were icy cold, and yet so warm. They were her home. Had been her home for years. And there was a small part of her that was terrified. Had been terrified of this very moment since she first began doubting the point of ALDAR. Because by killing Viper, by cutting off the head of the snake...it meant that she would be burning down her world. And destroying her home. And that was Thorn. Echo kept her eyes locked on his, even as she drove the knife that she kept tucked in her boot into his jugular. There was no panic in his eyes. No even as blood poured from his neck. Aeshma groaned softly in pain.

Echo dropped the knife and cradled Thorn's head. As his body lost any strength, she let his head fall into her lap. The blood was hot and sticky as it pooled over her bare legs. It slid through the parting between her boots and skin, the blood soaking her socks. But she ignored how uncomfortable it was. She allowed her walls to crumble, allowed the emotions of love and pain to fill her empty shell of a body. She ran her fingers through his short hair. And she never let her eyes leave his. Even as the light finally faded from them.

The last breath left his body with a rasp. There was simply silence that followed. Echo held her own breathe before a sob startled her. It was her own. And despite herself, her body curled in on itself and she allowed the loss to wash over her. Like the ocean clawing her under. Drowning her.

And for the first time, Echo didn't fight it.