Prices to Pay//Michael Langdon

Goodbye

Suddenly, I am back in time in my own house. I am in a time period before Michael had learned what he was, a time period where he was still the boy next door.

Well before we went to the god-awful academy underground after the end of humanity, I linked her body to mine. While everything that she feels happens to her, it does not happen to me unless I want it to. I'm sure it is easy to believe why I did not want to die earlier when she did, but I knew that the only shot I have at a good life was to destroy Michael. That's why I am here. I can feel her mind working as she moves around to fulfill her end of the bargain. She knows exactly what her part is, and I know mine.

After a few moments of taking in how calm and peaceful my own home is, I can sense that Mallory is ready to get on with our plan. This plan was devised in my mind after I had searched through Mallory's memories, I looked through all of her non-identity spelled mind and saw what Cordelia had been planning. I knew it was my only chance out of the hell that I could never die in, and I took it and ran.

Mallory didn't know why, but she knew I wasn't the bad guy. Even after killing most of her close friends, she knew somewhere in her mind that I was the solution to all of her problems. Now that she knows why she felt what she felt, she is completely on board with my plan and is eager to fulfill this mission.

Feeling the times shift, I walk out of my front door. Crossing the street, I enter the Langdon home to yelling. It's Constance Langdon, yelling at Michael. I remember this day vividly. This was the day he killed the priest. He was so upset when she yelled at him, he cried as he ran about in the street wanting to kill everything that crossed his path. I avoided him because although it seemed like the perfect time to meet my destructive neighbor, I knew it wasn't the right time. Today, I do not feel the same way. The time is now or never, and I'm going to take my only chance.

Walking up the stairs of the Langdon house, I hear Constance Langdon yell out to me. "I don't know who you are, but you best be on your way!" She screams and then continues to batter Michael with her words. I reach Michael's room to see him sitting on the bed just taking the beating from his grandmother. "Do you have to kill every single living creature that crosses your path? Could you maybe just maim one?" She screams in his face. "Or how about this for a novel idea: if they are causing you distress, why don't you politely ask them to leave?" She yells again and knocks the video game controller out of Michael's hand.

I stand there as the two seemed to be unfazed by my presence, "He kept shoving his cross in my face and speaking Latin. The words were burning my ears!" He tries to reason with her, but she will take no part in it.

"Now, I know that I am far from perfect. I know that I have had my fair share of failures, raising children, but I am done taking the blame for the horror and misery that you keep bringing in this house!" She screams in his face yet again.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I promise! I don't know why I keep doing what I'm doing, I need help. I'm just a child!" He says giving her his best puppy eyes.

This act aggravates her further, "No, you are not a child," She takes a deep breath in. "My grandson is a child! I see his eyes in your eyes, and I hear the remnant of his sweet voice in your throat, but you are not him," She says playing her hands around Michael's throat.

"Please don't be mad!" Michael tears up as she lets go, he just wants to be understood. "I'll change, I promise!" He says as she reaches for the door to hand him his jean jacket.

"I don't want you! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Don't you ever come back!" She says as she shoves the jacket into his arms. He stands up, not knowing what to do with himself. I make my way downstairs, but I hear the rest of their conversation.

"You're a coward, and deep down inside, you know it!" I hear her scream as I walk across the street.

Only a few moments later he comes running out of the house, I am standing at my house waiting for the event to unfold and he sees me and starts running toward me. Before he can reach me, Mallory fulfills her part of the deal and strikes him with a car as fast as she could go. His body flies across the street and he is left close to lifelessness.

The grief hits me suddenly and hard, but so does the relief. Before going to spend my last moments with Michael, I allow Constance Langdon to say what she needs to say.

"T-take me to the h-house," Michael whimpers through the pain. "I can be with you, forever. Please," He says as the tears roll down his cheeks. Constance does not want his ghost around her at any time and for good reason.

"Go to hell!" She says over his almost dead body and she walks back into her home, slamming the door shut.

The tears stroll down my face as I decide that this needs to be my last moments with him. Running toward him, I fall down to my knees as I take his hand in mine. Sobbing as I kiss his soft and bloody hands he looks to me. He's not confused as to who I am, he's grateful that the love of his life is sitting beside him as he dies. "I love you so much, Michael," I cry to him as I continue to kiss his cold hand.

"Natalie, I-" He begins to say but he is very weak.

"Shh, Michael. Everything is going to be okay, you don't need to say anything," I say placing my finger over his mouth. The tears fall from my cheeks down to his and he takes his hand and wipes them away with any power that he has left in his body.

"I love you, Natalie," He says and his hand trails down from my face. "Tell Layna I love her too," He says with his last breath as his hand falls onto my abdomen.