IGNIS : the umbrella academy [COMPLETE]

II

     DIEGO OPENED THE DOOR FIRST, unable to hide his surprise at it being unlocked.

     "Vanya?" Klaus whispered into the almost eerily quiet house.

     The air was thick with something, and Carla could smell a familiar scent in the air. Blood. The metallic smell seemed to crawl down Carla's throat, clinging to her clothes and skin, almost making her gag.

     The four turned a corner to see the room in complete ruins, the body of a man laying on the floor, countless knives and scissors sticking out of his chest.

     Blood pooled around him, and it took Carla a moment to process what was in front of her.

     Harold was dead.

     Everything sounded far away and distorted, as though she were underwater, and the three others all moved towards the body, bending over it in curiosity.

     Carla didn't want to look.

     Her hands were shaking, and ever-so-slowly she moved towards where Harold was, just in time to see Five peel back an eyepatch, revealing an empty socket.

     Next to her, Klaus placed a comforting arm on her shoulder, but she couldn't quite feel it. It was as though her mind was in a different place to her body.

     There was Harold, with his dark, slightly spiky hair.

     He had the same round face he had when he was younger, Carla could tell that much, even though his face was covered in streaks of blood.

     Five was crouched down, and he rummaged through a small pouch, drawing out his fake eye, and putting it in the socket.

     "Same eye colour, same pupil size," Five said, before turning to the others, "Guys, this is it! The eye I've been carrying around for decades, its found its rightful home."

     He reached forward to pull out the fake eye with a disgusting pop, and Carla couldn't even find it within herself to feel disgusted.

     "We got the guy we needed to kill to stop the apocalypse," Diego muttered, and Klaus let out a weak cheer.

     Harold was the one who caused the apocalypse.

     Carla almost couldn't believe it. But then, she remembered everything that had happened, everything he had done, and she let out a small exhale.

     "Let's go," Klaus said, turning to walk away, but Diego grabbed his shirt, yanking him back.

     "Wait, wait!" Five called, getting to his feet and frowning, "It can't be this easy. Look, this is the note I got from the Commission."

     As the others crowded around the note, Carla sunk to her knees by Harold's body. She didn't feel sad, or remorseful, just... empty.

     Carla briefly wondered if her being around could have changed what happened.

     If she had maybe tried to make an effort, he may not have spiralled down the path of murder.

     She still had no idea what had happened between him and the Umbrella Academy for him to want to ruin their lives.

     Now she'd never know.

     And maybe the lack of closure is what hurt the most.

     There was a vague whoosh, and Carla looked up just in time to see Five disappear.

     "If Vanya got away from this asshole, there's a chance she's heading back to the Academy," Diego said, "We should go."

     "You guys go to the car," Carla said, voice monotone and all too frail, "I'll join you in a second."

     Diego nodded, being followed by Klaus, who shot Carla a sympathetic glance before he left.

     Upon hearing the door close, Carla squeezed her eyes shut, a few silent tears rolling down her cheeks and dripping down her chin.

     Her lower lip wobbled, and she took a moment to drown in her sorrow. She needed that time to mourn.

     Carla didn't need to mourn the present Harold Jenkins laying dead in front of her, but the Harold Jenkins she used to know. Her Harold Jenkins. It was clear he had died several years ago.

     Inhaling sharply, Carla pushed her emotions to the back of her mind, furiously wiping her tears with the heels of her palms.

     Then, she got up, brushing herself down, and walking towards the door, getting into the back seat of the car.

     Neither Diego nor Klaus said anything, the latter reaching forward to turn on the radio, as they drove back to the Academy.

---[]---

     Carla was sat at the small makeshift bar in the main room as the others searched for Vanya.

     Her gloved hand tapped out an unsteady rhythm on the top of the counter, and she focused on her hands.

     Five, Klaus and Diego had gone around the Academy in case Vanya decided to return, however, they seemed to be unsuccessful, as Carla looked to the side and saw Diego stride out of the building without a second glance.

     There were voices from the stairway, although they were muffled, and she could make them out to be Klaus and Five. They seemed agitated, aggravated, even, and Carla flinched when she heard the harsh sound of something smashing against the floor.

     Then Five limped in, momentarily pausing upon seeing Carla seated there, before walking towards the bar and gently sitting down next to her. There was a silence, before Five turned to her.

     "You want a drink?"