should you choose to accept

are those... kids?

benji

"luther... are those august walker's... men?" ilsa voices out, looking out the front window. "why're they... hiding from those kids?" 

"i'm not so sure they're hiding," was luther's reply.

"hey, hey, what do you mean? they're literally about to get shot by whoever's men those are," i let out a chuckle. "obviously it isn't august walker's men; didn't we- i mean, ethan, just kill him? ilsa, you're the expert, go save them, what're you waiting for-?"

ilsa sticks out a hand to stop me. "there's... a body. they're looking at a body."

"yeah, see, told you he was dead-" i say yet again. luther shoots me an exasperated glare. i gulp. 

all three of us look at the kids yet again. there were four of them. probably high schoolers, i think. there's three boys and a girl; one of the boys are injured and another's supporting him. the other boy picks up something from august walker's body. it's tattered and edges of it are peeling off. i hear ilsa clap her hand to her mouth and gasp beside me, as if she'd realised something. strange. parts of this whole thing is a little off, i think. shaking multiple thoughts away, i tell myself firmly, he's dead. august walker's dead and gone.  

the boy shows whatever he's holding to the girl. from the distance we were at, i saw her speck of a face flash with shock and nostalgia. she staggers a few steps back and speaks. her words are like buzzes against the window glass; we can't hear them. i frown, confused. did i really see nostalgia in that face? i turn to ilsa. "ils, something's not ri-"

my voice dried up. ilsa, luther and i watch as the men emerged noisily from their hiding place, subsequently ambushing the kids.  the biggest, probably the one with the highest position among them, talks to the girl and grabs her arm. the rest of the men quickly hold the boys at gunpoint.

"ilsa, go!" luther shouts, his voice in a state of panic. 

"alright, alright i'm going-" 

a shout echoed. immediately, our attention was drawn to the leader of the men ambushing the kids, including ilsa. we were stunned. the girl seizes his other arm and swings on it, effortlessly landing on his shoulders and flipping him to the floor, immobilising him temporarily. he drops the gun and the girl picks it up, pointing it at the rest of the men. she says something. the men doesn't move and in a split second, she shoots one of their calves each. they fall to the floor like dominoes. i wince. 

"that is some good gun handling, man," luther mumbles under his breath, undoubtedly impressed. 

ilsa looks at me. "looks like they didn't need help after all," she says. our range rover speeds up towards them and the boy being supported realises this. they scramble and before we can get close enough, they disappear.

the door of the range rover closes with a piercing slam. ilsa holds out her gun, shouting to nowhere in particular, "come out while you still can. we know you're here," to no response.

"guys, you gotta see this," luther calls out. he's at the fire, staring at the body blankly. something feels terribly wrong. ilsa and i run to his side and stare the man down. "i knew it," ilsa groans.

it was a normal human being, albeit a dead one.

the only problem? 

it wasn't august walker.