Adam had put Stutterer out of commission with his taser and Seth had put Scarred Mouth into a state of extreme misery, where he was vanquished by unfathomable pain and agony.
Seth's hands were bloodied from plunging the remote control into Scarred Mouth's eye and as he rose from the ground, he felt fuzzy from the impact of hitting the door and then falling to the ground with the heavy force with which he was thrown away.
Seth put his hand on his head and rubbed it to numb the ache he got from a banging headache. Just as his vision cleared, he saw Adam's lips part and utter words that he did not understand.
"Run Seth! Run!"
Adam smiled right after telling his brother to flee. Seth was taken aback by Adam's words.
"Come on, Adam. Let's go!"
He gestured to Adam to come with him but Adam sat still in his vehicle, still smiling and nodding to Seth, a sign that he should escape now that he had the chance.
"Go," Adam whispered but slowly enough for Seth to read it from his lips.
Seth tried again and again, but Adam did not change his mind.
Seth looked around to see Stutterer lying on the floor of the hallway in a weakened and disoriented state. To his side was Scarred Mouth, who was struggling with the object stuck into his eyes.
Adam and Seth knew that only one of them could escape and while Adam had already accepted this reality, Seth still believed that they could both make it out of the building.
Seth's resolve was stronger now that the two unknown men who had come for them were not in the right state of mind to act.
"Get out of here!" Adam shouted at his little brother.
"But—"
"No buts, Seth. Just go. I'll catch up but someone has to buy time."
But what were the odds?
The veil of disbelief and unrealistic optimism that Seth had worn over his face with his own hands was beginning to tear apart with every word that Adam uttered.
Adam's words were sharp scissors that cut through the blinding fabrics that shrouded his brother's mind, tearing them into pieces so that he begins to see the truth for what it was.
One of them had to stay back so the other can have the chance of escaping. That was the truth and Seth was starting to see it.
Adam already made his decision and was currently trying to enforce it on his little brother, not minding what Seth wanted.
He did so to relieve Seth of the burden of having to make that hard choice — the choice of choosing between his life and Adam's.
He knew the kind of person his little brother was and without a doubt, Adam was certain if Seth had his way, then he was going to let Adam live without a second thought.
Adam saw things differently from his younger brother. His life had changed drastically since his accident and he had developed a more self-reflective nature.
Seth was still at the door, stiff and dumbfounded as he gazed at his brother.
"Go, Seth. Find Eve too and save her."
Like the last words of a loved one, Adam's words were engraved in Seth's heart and mind. His eyes watered and tears dribbled down his cheeks.
He had only one chance at it and that window of escape was almost closing.
Stutterer's fingers regained a flicker of movement and he groaned.
Scarred Mouth managed to pull the remote control out of his eyes as well as his shades but that left a bleeding hole on his face from which blood oozed down to his suit and floor of the room.
"Seeeth!"
Adam's voice snapped Seth back to the real world and with tears and a heavy heart, Seth rose and fled from the room before the men recovered enough to move well.
He cried as he ran for his life, knowing that he might not get to see his brother again.
Adam lowered his head and smiled as he muttered a few words under his breath.
"Please be safe, Seth. You too, Eve. You are all you both have left."
...
...
...
Bang! Bang!
Seth heard two gunshots as he ran. He was startled by the sudden loud noise and stopped in front of the floor's elevator to turn back. He felt a shiver race through his entire body and he turned cold.
"Adam."
He wanted to, more than anything else, run back to his brother but he knew it was too late.
Adam was probably dead already.
Scarred Mouth stepped out of the room, his hand on his right eye. He gave Stutterer, who was still on the floor, a powerful kick to wake him.
"Stand, you deadbeat!"
Scarred Mouth then turned and saw Seth far ahead. Seth saw him and their eyes locked on each other. It was at that moment that Seth's survival instincts kicked back in and indecision cleared from his mind.
Seth learned one thing from exchanging eye contact with Scarred Mouth: not to let himself be caught by Scarred Mouth.
He was like a wounded beast who had locked his eyes on the one responsible for its injury. A ferocious animal whose mind and will were hellbent on tearing Seth apart if it ever laid hands on him.
Seth rushed into the elevator and immediately punched the button with the downward arrow icon and then punched the number '1' to reach the first floor.
He had the advantage of pace and also, a headstart. His pursuers were also slowed and disoriented from the effects of the attacks they suffered at the hands of the siblings.
Stutterer was foggy from electrocution and his movements were still disordered. He reeled like a drunk man taking to his heels.
On the other hand, incessant agony still had its grip tight on Scarred Mouth. The intense and persistent pain that he felt, like his brain was being stretched and wrung out like a wet towel, slowed his movements.
Scarred Mouth and his partner reached the ground floor of the building but Seth was nowhere to be found. He had found his way out and fled far from them or hidden so well that they would not find him.
Scarred Mouth clenched his fist and slammed the wall closest to him.
Stutterer gasped. "The boss will kill us, man."
"Not before I strangle that boy with my hands. He owes me an eye."
Passers-by looked at the two of them strangely and avoided getting in their way or even close to them, especially Scarred Mouth, who was bathed in blood.
"We have to find him then," Stutterer said.
The surrounding spun instantly before Scarred Mouth's eyes then blurred. He shook his head and his vision returned to normal.
Scarred Mouth understood what was happening. He had lost so much blood after all and needed care urgently.
"No. I need to get to the hospital first before that. Get the car."
Scarred Mouth leaned on an iron pole that was nearby while waiting for Stutterer to bring their car.
...
...
...
Meanwhile, another elevator halted at one of the floors of the building — the same floor where the crisis happened.
The doors of the elevator slid apart and opened up to the person inside.
Seth stepped out.
He never left the building.
Seth thought it safer to reach the ground floor and take another elevator back up than run out of the building when he was not sure how many of the men in black suits lurked outside.
Seth walked back to the old lady's room only to witness the most heartbreaking moment of his life. He expected it but he wanted to be sure what became of them.
Adam laid on the floor with his mobility scooter felled beside him and the old lady was more peaceful even though she laid on the ground.
Looking closely, Seth noticed that her face wa buried in the pool of her blood.
Both of them were dead, each with a bullet to the head.
Seth trembled and clutched his chest as he cried out with a heavy heart. He dropped to his knees and wept.
Minutes after minutes, he was crying. An hour passed and two hours did also and even more.
Seth cried until his eyes were scarce with tears to cry. He sniffled and wiped his nose.
Like a man reborn, he stood with his eyes narrowed and placed a call to an emergency agency before walking out.
This reborn Seth was different from Seth who had mourned for his brother.