Rewind

Chapter 33

Gregory frowned a bit when he arrived at the lunch table, seeing that only Johnny was there.

"Hey. Where's Gavin and Jimmy?" he asked. Johnny shrugged, taking a sip from his water bottle.

"I don't know. I-... I have a bad feeling though. A really bad feeling."

Gregory nodded, sitting down. Just like his friend, he too had an awful feeling. After Jimmy's little episode this morning, literally anything was possible. Even the very worst was a possibility. What was extremely worrying, however, was that Gavin was missing as well. He jumped when Johnny grabbed his hand. Turning back to him, he could feel the anxiety radiating from the British man like heater.

"What's wrong?"

"After what happened this morning we should be a little more worried about their absence, don't you agree?"

"... you're right. Should we walk around for a bit? Maybe try to find them?"

"Yes. I've already texted Gavin as well." Johnny sighed. With that, the two stood. Gregory had no idea where to search first. Their school was actually pretty big. Finding just two people would be extremely hard. That was, unless they made themselves known. Gregory's blood ran cold when they passed the bathroom, seeing that there was a small trail of red on the tile. His curiosity getting the best of him, he entered. What he saw made his sick to his stomach. It reminded him of the crime scenes they used to explore all the time. The large mirror was shattered, and the floor was covered in red. The trail led them to the very last stall, where the door looked like it had nearly been torn off its hinges. The nearby walls looked as though they had been burned. Scorched, even. Johnny seemed to notice this as well.

"Johnny... do you think-?"

"Yes. It must have been him."

"... you know what this means, right?" Gregory questioned. Johnny just nodded slowly, a look of horror in his eyes. He turned back to the scene. Thinking, he began to piece together what had happened, closing and locking the main door so that people couldn't come in. The first thing he thought about was how this whole situation must've arose. It was clear that one of them attacked the other. Maybe Gavin had regained his powers from the other timeline and lost control, or Jimmy went into another psychotic fit. Either way, lives were on the line. 

"There was a fight for sure." Johnny muttered.

"Yeah, we just need to know who started it."

The two looked around for a bit longer. Gregory had a feeling that it was Jimmy who had started it. The shattered mirror and blood on the floor indicated to him that it his brother's doing. Jimmy had always had a thing for breaking stuff, specifically to make shanks. Even when they were kids. Looking around one more time, ideas began to form in his mind. The only thing that really made sense, however, was that Jimmy lured the Brit. Maybe he called him into the bathroom, over the phone or in person, and then, when they were alone together, he attacked. That was his theory, at least. 

"So... do you have any idea of what happened?" 

"Sort of. I think Jimmy probably tricked Gavin into meeting him here. Gavin had no reason to think that he would be harmed, so he probably came willingly. Jimmy then attacked him, and in his panic, Gavin somehow unleashed his powers. ... who knows what happened after that." he sighed. Johnny nervously agreed. 

"That sounds about right." 

Gregory was honestly just horrified. He couldn't believe that this was happening to him again. It seemed that no matter what timeline he went to, death always followed. His heart sank when he remembered a certain detail. A detail that would make things way more complicated. 

"... Johnny?"

"Yeah?"

"... doesn't Gavin have the keys to the car?"

The Brits face grew pale, and without a word he turned, running out of the room. Gregory followed as quick as he could. He had never seen Johnny move so fast. Ignoring the yells of teachers and fellow students, the pair made their way out to the crowded parking lot. They both let out sighs of relief when they saw that the rusty truck was still there. Johnny's icy blue eyes were filled with panic. 

"Who knows what they'll do if they get in... we have to guard this the best we can."  the older teen told him. Gregory nodded quickly. 

"Right. We need to keep an eye out."

He frowned when a different voice answered. 

"Keep an eye out for what, Greg?" it purred. He quickly turned, gasping when he came face to face with his brother. Jimmy's entire front was speckled with blood, and a sadistic smile was plastered on his face. His voice was rough and pitchy, just like in the other timeline.

"Oh my god... Jimmy, what the hell happened?!" 

"I came to my senses, that's what! Why should I worry about trying to control myself when no one else does?!"

"No one else shanks people, man!" 

Jimmy scowled, and was about strike him when a bright green wall of flames appeared between them. Gavin soon strolled up next to the little psycho, a look of annoyance on his face. His eyes were glowing bright, and he had multiple slashes across his face.

"C'mon, Casket. We don't have time for this. Someone's gonna see that mess in the bathroom soon and freak out. Besides, you don't have a real weapon right now." 

The blazing barrier disappeared, and Jimmy let out a whine.

"Ugh, fine! You always ruin everythi-... let's just go. There's someone I wanna visit anyways." 

They began to walk towards the car. Gregory's eyes widened when Johnny stepped forward, firmly grabbing Gavin by the wrist. Things were about to go downhill very quickly.