"Autumn." A woman gently called out. Autumn gained consciousness as the cold floor stung his body. "Wake up, Autumn." The women whispered. Autumn slowly open his eyes, but the brightness of the light made it hard for him to see. "You're awake." The women happily said. Although he could not know, he could hear her smiling. "I need you to get up. The floor is cold." She said, lifting his head. Autumn tried his best to get himself back to normal but had no luck. "Where am I?" He managed to ask, gaining a bit of his version back. "You passed out on the floor again." She said, gently petting his head. "I don't understand." He said, trying to get up, but she told him to lay down in her arms until he has the energy to get up. "I know you are feeling very confused, but everything will make sense eventually." She softly spoke. "Where's everyone," Autumn asks, closing his eyes again as he could not see correctly. "They are waiting for you." She said and laid his head on her legs. "I need to get to them. They need my help." Autumn said, trying to get up again. "They know that, but who's help do you need Autumn?" She asked. Autumn realized the women's voice sounds familiar, but he was unable to think clearly. "I don't need help." He answered. "That's not true. Everyone always needs help Autumn, even if they saving someone else."
The woman continued brushing her fingers through Autumn's hair. "Stop keeping yourself from getting help and do what you need to do. You not done yet, you only at the beginning, my boy." Autumn immediately realized it was his mother. "Mom?" He cried out. "I need you to get up. The floor is cold that you are laying on Autumn." Autumn felt her standing up, leaving him on the cold floor. "Get up and save yourself." She said, standing over him. "Mom." Autumn kept calling out. "You only at the beginning, my son. Save yourself." His mother's voice fainted out, and he couldn't hear her as clearly anymore. "Mom." He yelled and opened his eyes to the blinding light.
"Mom," Autumn screamed, waking up in his bed, soaked in sweat. His eyes jumped around, trying to find his mother. Autumn breathed heavily, wiping his face as the room was quiet and dim as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He heard movement on the floor, so he climbed out of bed to see what it was. Zia and Xavier were sleeping on his father's large mattress, which they pulled into his room. He saw an extra pillow next to Zia and figured it's Walters'. "You're awake," Walter said, frightening Autumn. "Sorry, I didn't mean to." He apologized. "No, it's okay," Autumn whispered. "How do you feel?" Walter asked, trying to help Autumn back into bed. "I don't know. I don't feel any pain. Just a slight headache and a hazy vision." Autumn got back into bed, and Walter sat down next to him. "What do you remember?" Walter asked, hoping he would answer correctly. "Not much. Just that I saw Zia almost getting hit, and the next moment I saw everyone around me as I tried to keep myself alive." Autumn answered. "So, you don't remember anything else?" Walter sounded more serious and concerned. "No. Just that. Is there something you are not telling me?" Autumn worried. "More like something you not telling us." Walter's words ran cold through Autumn.
"After you got hit with the car, you stood up from the ground. You looked like you weren't even alive, just dead. Before we could blink, you were in front of Evan choking him, his legs dangling from the ground. Xavier tried to stop you, but you broke his arm. You vanished with Evan, and within a spilled second, you were back, falling onto the ground unconscious. Zia and Xavier tried everything to heal you, but you resisted. We took turns staying over because every night at 11 pm, you got up and disappeared, appeared back in half an hour or sometimes even a few hours later."
Autumn didn't know what to say. He has no memory of any of that. Nothing of that. "How long have I been like that?" He asked. "Today, it's been two weeks," Walter answered. "What the fuck did I do?" Autumn began to panic, trying to force himself to remember. Walter held Autumn's hands and tried calming him down. "I know this is a lot to take in, so I suggest you get some rest and we can talk about it all in the morning." Autumn knew if he didn't agree with Walter, he would stay up with him, and he wanted just to be alone. "You right. We talk about it in the morning." He said. Walter greeted him goodnight and laid down next to Zia. Autumn laid down and stared out of his window, into the midnight. His thoughts were racing, trying to figure everything out. All he got was flashes of the car hitting him, blood on the ground, and his mother's voice telling him to stand up. "What did I do?" He whispered and laid there, not moving, staring out his window until the sunrise until the daylight filled his room.
Zia woke up and stretched herself out as she yawned. She slightly covered her eyes for the morning light and stood up to check on Autumn. "Guys." She said as she saw an empty bed and no Autumn. "Guys." She kicked them both to wake up. "What is it?" Xavier asks half asleep. "Autumn is gone again." Xavier and Walter both sprung up to see if she is right. "Not again." Xavier moaned. "He was here last night, and I spoke to him," Walter stated out. "Well, I spoke to Casper do you see him here."
Zia sarcastically answered. Autumn came into the room, carrying a breakfast tray. "Told him," Walter smirked. Zia gazed at Autumn in surprise as he sat the breakfast tray down. "Does he know?" She whispers to Walter. "Yeah, I told him last night," Walter said. "Good." Zia shook her head. "I made breakfast," Autumn announced, watching them as they watched him. "So, no one is hungry?" He asked, and they all scrambled to eat. "How are you feeling?" Xavier finally asked as they all sat and ate in silence. Autumn chewed his food and answered Xavier, "I am good. I don't feel any pain or anything. I'm just good." Zia and the rest all shook their heads, smiling. "So, do you remember what happened?" Zia pointed out. "No, I don't. Walter told me everything last night, and I don't have any clue what I did. It doesn't even feel like I have a gap in my memory or anything." Autumn quickly answered. They continued eating and stop speaking. "So, is Evan still alive?" Xavier asked, breaking the silence. "I just said I don't fucking know!" Autumn snapped, and the food plates all cracked broken. "Calm down, I just asked that's all," Xavier said in a calming tone. Autumn felt rage all over him, anger ready to explode. "I'm sorry I just haven't gotten any sleep." He apologized. "It's okay, we understand. You just need time to process everything." Zia could see the veins bulging out on Autumn's arms. "Have you took a shower yet?" She asked, and Autumn said no. "Go take one, and we will clean up here. After that, we can discuss everything." Autumn got up and head into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Zia waited for the shower to go on before she spoke, "Somethings wrong with him. He's not the same. He seems angry and violent." Xavier agreed and looked down at the broken plates. "His abilities are out of control, as well. Something happened when that car hit him. Something snapped inside of him." He said. "What if he is only now evolving?" Zia concernedly asked. "What do you mean?" Walter inquired. "Could be. I mean, he has rejected being in the cult for so long. Never took a life unless he was mind-wiped to do it. Didn't accept death when he got claimed." Xavier stated out. "I still don't know what you're talking about?" Walter confusedly interrupted. "What if he did with the car accident? What if he claimed death?" Zia specified. "So he wanted to die? Is that what you are saying?" Walter interrupted again. "Geez diner boy, we took two weeks explaining everything because you were whining like a bitch, so have the decency to keep up at least." Zia scolded. Walter backed off and kept his mouth shut. "If he has been using his abilities, doing tremendous chanting before accepting death. What do you think he'll do now that he's completely one of us?" Xavier said. Zia heard the shower turn off as she glanced over to the bathroom door. "We're totally fucked." She whispered.
Evan woke up as he heard footsteps approaching him. "Get the fuck away from me." He jumped up, leaning against the wall. "Relax, it's only me." Austin said, sitting down next to him. "It's weird being back home, isn't it?" Austin said, leaning his head on Evan. Evan pushed away his head and got up. "I don't know why he brought me here? I don't even know why you here, you suppose to be dead." Evan walked to his bedroom door and peeped through the keyhole to see if anyone is inside. "I am dead, and he brought you here because you belong here. It is the house you grew up in. It is the house the two of you spend most of your relationship in. It's the house you got killed in, and he resurrected you. It's the place the whole mess began. Why wouldn't he lock you up in here, besides you tried to kill one of his friends as well." Austin stated, standing up from Evan's bed and fixed the covers. "She would have been fine. He knew that, but he just had to be the hero. Always in between everything." Evan said, watching Austin making up his bed. "Autumn is born that way. He can never watch people suffer and also make people suffer. He's a complicated human being. That is why he does what he does. If he gets out of control and blurs out the one thing that makes him, him. All of you have a problem on your hands. I saw it as that car hit him. He has accepted his faith." Austin said, laying Evan's pillow down correctly at the head of the bed. "What do you mean by accepting his faith?" Evan got intrigued. "This means that he finally accepted his purpose in the cult. For example, if I want to be in the cult, I have to die and be resurrected with a purpose that needs to be carried out. Autumn didn't accept his death, he didn't want any of it, but he still went through with it. He did what they asked, still having his emotions in tack. The others at that time were carefree, and killers slaughtered everyone the cult told them too." Austin said, sitting back on the bed he made. "But I don't understand. He resurrected me, did the memory-erasing curse, and he somehow gave me their abilities. How could he do all that without being claimed?" Evan questioned. "He's smart. He played a role they wanted him to, and he made sure they could never find out. He gave you their abilities because you were his loophole out. The perfect mysterious boy who has the blood of the famous Stone family running through his veins." Evan felt a wave of shock adrenalizing through his body. "He knew. He knew who we were and who mom and dad were. He knew that we came from the Lock Stone cult and that we were nearly wiped out of existence. That's why I came back for you because the cult ordered me to get you away from him." Austin stood up as he saw Evan becoming unstable. "He played me. He played all of us. And for why?!" Evan furiously yelled. "I don't know. I don't know, but what I do know is that I am here for you. You need to go home, Evan. If you don't, you'll die here. He'll kill you." Austin explained. Evan replayed everything repeatedly in his head, trying to find something that could have made him realize that Autumn was just using him. Something that explains everything. "If he wanted me dead, he would have done it a long time ago. At least he got what he wanted. He removed the curse from me. I'm finally human again. I don't have a role in this anymore." Evan realized sitting down next to Austin. He stared at Austin, who looked surprisingly happy for no reason. "How am I able to see you?" Evan cryptically asked. "I can't say." Austin smiled. "Why you here?" Evan asked again. "I told you I'm here for you, Evan." Austin's tone and facial expression changed. He sounded more serious. "You appeared when he got hit with that car. You were his first real kill, and he's using you to haunt me. Why!" Evan demanded standing in front of Austin. "What the fuck is Autumn up too!" He yelled as Austin laughed. "I told you I don't know." He said, standing up. "All I know he's only at the beginning, and you should get as far away as possible away from him because he's not done with you brother. Run and survive." Austin walked to the door and opened it. Evan watched him vanish up in smoke. He froze at not knowing what he should do? Should he run, or should he warn the others? He closed his eyes, exhaled slowly, and ran out.
Zia paced up and down in the living room, waiting on Autumn. "What are we going to do if what we said is true? He could kill us all in a split second." Zia bites down on her thumbnail. "I think you all are just overreacting. I mean, Autumn doesn't even look like a killer or that he would kill his friends." Walter said. "Serial killer 101, they never look like serial killers diner boy." Zia softly yelled. "I don't think he would kill us. He would never." Xavier reassured her. "Says the guy who got his head bashed in a wall when you killed Evan." Zia stopped pacing up and down when Walter asked Xavier if he killed Evan. "I'm not evens going to say anything." She said, rolling her eyes.
Evan burst through the door, out of breath. "All of you need to get out of this place now!" He yelled. "Wait, where did you come from?" Xavier confusingly asked. "Autumn locked me up in my old house. I don't have time to explain everything, but you all need to leave before he kills all of you!" They all stood there watching Evan doubting if they should leave with him or not. "And why should they believe you?" Autumn came downstairs, wholly dressed in black. "So, what did I miss?" He grinned.