Breathe ⭐️ Reddie

56

"We've gotta move fast," Henry said, stepping out of the control room.

Their plan was tattered, not really complete, but they were hoping for the best by that point. Once they all stepped out of the room, they all went their separate ways, guns in hand, deadly expressions on their faces.

El had woken up when they were almost to the Hive, and for the duration of the drive Bev and Eddie had helped her learn to use her powers again. Needless to say, they felt they had the advantage.

"Head down that hall. That's holding cells. We'll go down this one and search the rooms," Eddie told Butch, as he had never been inside the Hive before.

Butch nodded and jogged away, followed closely by his team, consisting of Henry, El, Mike, and Ben.

Bill, Eddie, Bev, and Stan ran down towards the rooms, hiding around corners and shooting anyone who got in their way. A clicking sound resonated, followed by a shot.

Bev glanced down the hall and smiled, seeing a target. She didn't hesitate to aim and shoot. Once they heard the body crumple to the ground, they continued their search.

They had almost made it to where their rooms were, when a voice screamed out from behind them.

"TRAITORS!"

They all whipped around, only to see Donald Uris glaring at them, gun focused on the group.

"Dad," Stan whispered, sounding unsure of himself.

"I always told you not to make lasting friendships, Stan. Look where it got you," Donald hissed, clicking a bullet into place.

Stan nods for the group to turn the corner and keep moving without him. They all exchange quick eye contact, before Eddie nods at his team to dive past the corner, out of range.

Stan stood before his father, both holding their guns, pointed at the other. The hallway was silent, the only sound being the breathing shared between the two.

"You lied to all of us," Stan said, his tone flat and emotionless. "And you killed Eddie's dad."

Stan could have sworn he saw regret flash across his father's eyes, only for him to regain his composure easily.

"It was never a lie. It was a test of your loyalty. You all failed." He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I really don't want to kill you."

"Then don't."

"I have to. You've betrayed the Hive. I'm in too deep."

Stan took a deep breath, looking at his father. In that moment, they weren't father and son. They were enemies on opposite sides of a fight.

"You're going to kill hundreds of innocent people. We know about the bomb, and people will die. Innocent lives. I can't let that happen."

Donald looked like we was in pain for a second, before regaining his composure. "Then I have to kill you."

"You don't. Come on, dad, can't you see what they're doing is insane? They're going to kill so many innocent people. We were taught that we should on kill in self defense and that any purposeful attack is an act of irresponsibility and insanity."

Despite the weight of the situation, Stan kept himself calm, trying to focus on the man he knew as his father. The one that scolded him for attacking someone when they were down during a wrestling match. The one that told him to hide and stay safe on his first mission when he was twelve. The one that actually loved him and wasn't solely focused on controlling people and spreading the Hive.