Raincoats | The Umbrella Academy

The End of Bad Things

The back door to the van opened on it's own, followed by a noise of struggle. Both Number Five and Luther turned towards the back of the vehicle to see nothing but some tools on the floor shifting.

"Want some jerky?"

"What the hell?!"

Five reached behind him and shut the door after Charlotte. "Stop that before you give Luther a heart attack."

With a shrug, the redheaded girl let go of her grip, almost like unclenching your jaw after a long time. Only one of her companions looked unfazed when she reappeared in the van, sitting on the floor with her bounty laid out in front of her.

"Did you just-" Luther spluttered. The expression on his face made it clear that he was trying to wrap his head around what he'd just seen. "What?"

It wasn't the first time somebody had that reaction. Charlotte rolled her eyes and cracked open her Redbull.

Caffeine was a life saver when it came to her dwindling energy. Believe it or not, it took a lot of effort to stay invisible, and making other things- like the snacks -disappear as well was harder. Throughout the years, her tolerance for caffeine and her energy consumption only got higher.

She took a long gulp, letting the bubbles tickle her throat. "Do you want some beef jerky or not, Dorito Man?" She asked dully.

Luther glanced at his younger-older brother in disbelief. Do you see this shit? "Where did you find this kid, Five?"

"Excuse you," Charlotte snapped, annoyed with the constant comments on her age. "I'm pretty sure I'm older than you." All she did was offer him some beef jerky, the rude questions were not warranted. She assumed with the way Five handled things, the others wouldn't be so big on stupid questions, but boy was she wrong.

Both of the men stared at her.

The door opened again and Klaus collapsed back inside, panting and empty handed.

"Ooo, beef jerky."

There was still so much going on in Charlotte's mind. Her origins. Her biological mother's signature. The possibility of the apocalypse. Denis. Was he okay? Had that bastard beaten him? Maybe he deserved it, but that didn't erase Charlotte's worry over her friend.

Everything was just too much to take in all at once.

It started to get dark not long after the brothers had left. "You know, the note said nine."

Five was still diligently staring out the window. "They're bluffing. Your boyfriend is their only leverage."

Charlotte was getting antsy. "Can you at least tell me what we're doing here?"

The boy- man really- let out a heavy sigh. He was tired. "We're tracking this guy."

"No shit. Why? Does he have something to do with the apocalypse?"

He reached into his pocket and produced a ball. The object lay in the flat of his palm, but when it rolled to the side Charlotte gasped. It was an eyeball, a glass one. "When I was stuck in the future, I found this, among the dead bodies." He spared the details that had been plaguing his mind for decades. "This guy manufactures these."

Charlotte went silent again, focused on the eye. 

"We'll have to catch him in the morning." Five turned the van back on finally and began driving in the opposite direction of the building they had spent the afternoon sitting in front of. "Let's go get what's his name."

Denis had always been what Charlotte considered darkly handsome. His sable hair was cropped close to his skull and always pushed back in a style that was outdated by at least a decade or two. Those hazel eyes stood out against his completion in such a striking way that it was hard not to stare into them. Charlotte had always loved his eyes. The soft way he would look at her made her heart melt most of the time.