Number Eight {The Umbrella Academy} -- [On Hold]

Seventeen

"This it?" I asked, looking through the window at the house. It seemed way too normal to be lived in by the apocalypse-bringer.

"Yeah. Everyone be careful, okay? We don't know what Peabody's capable of," Allison warned as we exited the car.

"He didn't seem dangerous when I first saw him. Looked kinda scrawny," Diego said, leading us towards the house.

"Yeah, well, so are most serial killers and mass murderers. I mean, look at him," she said, gesturing towards Five.

"Thanks," Five responded with a sarcastic grin.

"Good point. So what's this guy want with Vanya?" Diego asked.

"I dunno. How about we ask him after we kill him?" Five suggested.

"I don't think that's the smartest strategy you've ever had," I said, then ran into Diego's outstretched arm.

"Whoa, whoa. Look, I'm gonna burst through-" Diego looked back at us, then sighed. I glanced behind me to find Allison was nowhere to be found.

"You know what? It would be nice for people to just stick to-" Five jumped through space, leaving us alone, and I snickered. "The plan."

"I won't leave you, don't worry." I patted my brother on his uninjured shoulder as he rolled his eyes.

"Great. As I was saying, I'm gonna jump through the door, stand back." Before I could protest, Diego took a running start and dove through the glass, letting out a groan when he landed.

"Subtle," Allison noted, coming from the back of the house to stand beside Diego's fallen body. Five walked up to the door, and pulled it open with ease.

"You know, the door was unlocked." He swung it fully open to let me in as Diego got to his feet.

"My way worked just fine. Spread out." He pulled a knife from his jacket and began walking off. "Yell if you, uh... you know, you're in trouble."

"Inspiring leadership," Five said to Allison and I, smiling.

"One of the greats," Allison added.

"Truly phenomenal." I stepped over the glass covering the floor and headed for the kitchen.

I moved past Diego, who was searching through a cabinet, and opened the pantry door. I found just what I was looking for: snacks.

I pulled out Harold's bag of pretzels and opened it, grabbing a handful of its contents and shoving them in my mouth. When I turned around, Diego was staring at me.

"What? I'm confiscating evidence from the dude who starts the apocalypse. Plus, I'm hungry." I defended myself as I grabbed another handful of pretzels.

"What happened to 'he might not be a bad guy'?"

"Oh, shut up," I snapped, but returned the bag and wandered over to the fridge. I was about to pull it open when I noticed a familiar face on a poster pinning to the door.

"Hey." I gestured for Diego to come over to the fridge and, after pointed at the advertisement for the performance.

"She actually did something with her violin skills, huh?" Vanya was smiling proudly at us in the picture, holding her instrument.

"Yeah. Good on her," I grinned, then realized how distant we had really been over the last decade or so. My smile dropped.

"Guys, you need to see this," Allison called out from above us, and I was drawn out of my thoughts as I followed Diego up the stairs.

When we reached the top, Five close behind us, we found the attic ladder down.

"God, please don't be a creepy stalker hideout," I muttered as Diego hurried up the ladder.