The next morning Alex wakes up early. He doesn't eat anything, he however tries to keep calm. Or as calm as possible when you planned to be fine with dying that day. He doesnt want to, but he knows its very possible

He makes himself look extra neat when they go out at night.
He took off tomorrow from work already.

He hopes if things come like that they will find a replacement.
Though he was a simple barista, there's billions of those.
Even if he dies, barely anyone would notice.

Anyways. Alex is pushing all those feelings down. Maybe he can confront them later.

Maybe he could go on the hypothetical date Viktor seems to have planned asking for his number. That's what people his age are supposed to do, he heard.

He really doesn't need to mourn the time he never got to enjoy as an actual person right now.

He knows he probably won't later. He doesn't let himself mourn anything he never got. Should he?
Maybe.

Its not a priority now.

He eventually starts walking to Kat's house after Sophie sends him the time and a reminder to be carefull. It's 9 pm and cold January, he however doesn't wear a jacket. It'd only restrict his movement. He can't use that in case she wakes up. He will deal with the outcome. Whatever that may be.

He arrives early. He feels no rain approaching. So far. He hides when he hears steps.

"Is anyone there? No? Great!" A young voice says. Alex's heart shatters.

Was one person not enough to ruin into adulthood?

The child opens the gate, for what he assumes is an escape attempt. Alex takes a closer look. They should be around 10, though knowing Kat it's likely 14.

He feels disgusted.
He gently waves at them. "Wait a bit please, she will get you that way"

"Who are you?"

"None important, the important thing is you will soon be saved, I promise you"

"Really?"

"I swear on my life, you will be safe soon. But please don't report this to mo- Katherine"

"Are you S?"

"Please don't call me that. My name is Alex. But yes, thats me."

"She hates you. That means I can trust you."

"Thank you. What's your name?"

"I do not have one. I am a girl so my old one doesn't fit anymore"

"I understand. Would you like a placeholder name? From my knowledge women whose name is unknown usually are called Jane Doe. We could call you Jane until you have one?"

"I like that idea." They smile. Alex doesn't smile back, he can't.

Soon at least Porter arrives, who seems to be a nervous wreck of a person. He is nearly shaking as he walks, his skin is almost ashen, and he seems to have to force his eyes to stay open. He looks sickly. Like he will just fall over if you tap his shoulder too hard. Alex lets him in.

"After this I think I need to sleep." Is the only thing he says
"You will be able to." Alex forces a smile. "I know this is scary but we will make it" he's not that sure. But what Porter doesnt know won't hurt him, right?

He is terrified. Not necessarily for his own life, his death was something he expected for quite some time.

But no time for fear. He can be scared later.

Sophie and Mori are a little late. "Sorry, there was traffic"

Alex starts to feel angry but like everything else pushes it down.

"Anyways, there should be a open backdoor somewhere"
They enter through the gate, Jane following them as soon as they are inside.

Alex makes sure to watch out shes fine. He wants nothing to ever hurt that sweet little angel ever again. She at some point holds his hand and he makes sure to be careful when holding it. "Do you need to be carried?"
"Not yet. Walking for small amounts is fine. I will tell you if not"
"Thank you"

He keeps holding her hand.

Eventually, he hears a familiar aloof voice. "We are only getting out of here if none of you tells her. So stay quiet." Emily's voice sounds.

Alex feels something odd for the moment. Hope. He can't tell when he last felt it. Must've been a while.

Jane tugs at his sleeve and he lifts her up to make sure shes fine. "Thank you" she smiles.

He needs to make it today.

Eventually they meet the group around the corner.

Alex notices Porter nearly freezing when seeing Emily. "You are really alive," he smiles.

As soon as she notices him, he get tackled in a hug. "I was so scared. But you are alright" he only manages to get out. "I love you so much i was so scared you wouldn't be alright I was ready to hurt whoever hurt you" Emily nearly sobs. She gives him a quick kiss. "We can properly reunite later." Alex notices the headphones she wears.

"We can do the sappy stuff later, we need to get out and I can't sleep now" she says, her face quickly getting back to a neutral to negative expression.

Alex slightly raises his voice. "Hurry as fast as you can alongside that corridor, don't take any shortcuts, there are the least traps. Avoid injuries. Don't take any risks." He knows he sounds orderly, but he knows some of them recognize him so most decide to follow the order. "If necessary, split up, but if you stay quiet that shouldn't happen."

Alex gently gives Jane to Emily. "Please take care of her, I need to gather some evidence. Please protect her as best as you can"

Emily is mildly confused. "Alex, you have a child? You are even younger than I am! Why would you bring it. Child, what's your name and who's that guy?"

"My name is Jane and thats Alex, my father"
"To be exact, I am her cousin." Alex sighs softly "But still. Please protect her for me"

Emily nods quickly. "Be careful."
"I will be as careful as i can"

And with that Alex runs in the other direction, deeper inside the house.

He falls over a book in the hall and crashes into a table, causing a loud noise. He prays to whatever god there might be that his shoulder didn't tear open. He doesn't believe in one, however if there is one they're not merciful. At all. He feels a sharp pain in his shoulder and a certain type of step. "Now now. Look what we have here?" Amy's voice hits him like a brick.

He was too careless. "What do you want? I don't plan to hurt you."

"Alex, you have no place to negotiate. The only thing I want from you is to crush you under my heel like a beetle that annoys me. You are nothing but an ungrateful beetle."

The pure rage builds up in Alex. "What do you know about me? That wasn't influenced by someone who'd feed you to the lions as soon as you aren't useful for them"

"I am not a dumb child. I am older than you, I can make my own choices who to trust. Especially because you wont even trust our own lovely mother"

"Our mother who assaulted multiple children? Seriously? You're Not a dumb child, you are a naive abuser who is complicit in whatever she tells you"

As soon as he finished, Amy punches Alex in the nose. It makes a small cracking sound and starts to bleed.

"Violence doesn't make my words wrong. It makes you look even worse"

Before she can land the next hit, he elbows her nose, which starts bleeding.

"God, you are such a stupid girl S. Can't you see everything mom did for you?"

"If everything is marrying me off to some creep at 17 and far worse stuff then Yes. Also, my name is Alexander. Get used to calling me that because next time i won't be so nice correcting you"

She lands a punch on his glass eye. It doesn't break luckily.

He punches her in the gut to get her away.

"Mom will know, she probably already does."

"Amy, I don't care if she knows. I never kept my low opinion a secret. I believe everything I said."

"You are an idiot. Almost as slow as that girl Emily. And you will end up dead. But fine. Your fight, not mine. You are just a black sheep. Can't possibly be compared to a white one like me"

Alex hits her for that. "Insults to other people make  you just worse and don't help your already nonexistent point. At least keep to insulting me"

"Seriously? You are weird" she quickly pulls his hair, but gets kneed in the down part of her stomach. It's more force then Alex intended but it does the job as she lets go.

Steps approach. Amy indiently hides under the wreck Alex's crash into the table left.

Katherine wears her usual white get up, white heels clacking on the tiles.

"Oh god, doll, did none tell you you are replaceable now? I could easily get the third guy who wanted to marry you somebody else. And the other services you Provide are taken care of. I could easily kill you. You need to be taken down a peg"

She pushes him down and steps on his right foot. There's a small crunch.

"It was such an unpleasant surprise. We wanted to inform you of our plans tomorrow. But unfortunately that won't happen"

Alex is shaking. He can barely keep a coherent thought together. The only feelings he can vaguely make out are burning rage and an immense sense of sadness.

Kat lets her hand go over his now again bloody shoulder and wipes the lots of blood on her white dress, leaving it stained. "You're blood is so bright. The fact that it darkens with misdeeds must be a lie. After all, we don't only look alike. All mothers are similar to their children after all, no matter how much you want to deny it. We have the same tone when we want things, we have the same step, we are so alike. The biggest difference is that I am more than a pathetic little doll, you know?"

Alex kicks against her ankle. "We aren't similar. I don't purposefully hurt children and act like I am morally fine!"

"I am not morally fine. I am aware my actions are immoral."

"Then why do you keep doing them?" He sounds angry rather than sad.

He feels her heel digging into his spine.
"Because they help me gain power. Do you not know what being powerless feels like? I felt exactly like that when I discovered I was having you."

"Of course I know what being powerless feels like, and I know more about it than you ever will." It's barely more than a broken sob. "Sure your situation isn't ideal but how is that my fault?" He spits out. "I was a goddamn Child! And you ruined that for me because of some power fantasy of having power over someone? Guess what? I hate you. I don't care about whatever pain you had in your life. You ruined my life." Tears start rolling down his face

"Oh please, stop crying" she removes her heel from his back.

He gets up. The feeling in his arm is leaving, but he can move it. His foot also decided to time out for the moment so he manages to run. Just as fast away as possible. He nearly falls at a corner, but catches himself.

He arrives at Amy's trophy room. It contains a window, through which he spies if the others are outside. He breathes calmly when he sees them. The panic is back as soon as it properly leaves.

"Doll, you have a tendency to act out recklessly. I am sure your husband didn't like it. Also as your mother i cannot let you speak as foul as you did to me earlier." She grabs a trophy, but Alex jolts away, toppling over a trophy case in the process. Kat gets pushed to the floor by the shelf, effectively causing her to be immobile and due to the fall, another trophy falls over.

It's a sharp award Amy won once. Alex attempts to pull her away but he is too late.
She screams loudly, but Alex doesn't understand the contents. His ears feel like they have been stuffed with cotton.

The sharp edge cleanly slices her head off of her shoulders.

Dark red blood splatters onto Alex. He falls from the shock and the trophy rolls over and cuts into his left ankle.
Dozens of tears stream down his face. "Mother… is… dead"

His back hurts immensely, his arm feels like it was torn off and his ankle isn't better. He doesn't even consider his face.

"Mother? Are you alright?"

Hearing Amy's singsong makes Alex realize there are only two options. Out the window or Amy's wrath.

Naturally he decides for the window. Its only 2 stories. Sure there's stone underneath but he has survived worse. Though that should probably not be the standard.

He doesn't have time to figure out how to open the window so he presses his full body weight against the glass.
Luckily, or unfortunately it was already cracked meaning after a few attempts it shatters.

Alex lets out a shriek as he falls. Small amounts of glass get stuck in his body, nowhere serious but he knows that will be a pain.

He closes his eye, not wanting to see the hit.

Eventually he feels his fall. There's multiple cracks.

He feels shattered. Not only physically though basic things start to get even more painful. On most days he pushed his pretty much constant pain down. Now though it refuses. It might be the tiredness, though he barely ever sleeps fine.

His main issue is mentally tough. He can barely compress what just happened.

And he has to focus most of his energy into not passing out. He is rather sure he isn't dying but still. Better safe than sorry. His mouth tastes like iron. His glass eye must've smashed on impact as its weight is missing.

He must stand out like a sore thumb against the pink tiles in his typical green clothing.

Eventually the group rushes over to him. Emily quickly covered Jane's eyes upon seeing him. Porter seems to have bitten his lip bloody and doesn't move his left arm. He seems like he is shaking, visibly distressed.

"Where am I? I cannot remember".

Sophie manages to say "i think we should go to the hospital"

Porter's face loses the rest of color that wasn't already gone.

"No no No no No no No no No no" he stumbles backwards and falls against the wall. He pulls his legs close and starts crying. "Anything but there. Can't we just go home? Injuries heal anyways! It's not like that is a necessary precaution! We can just leave, right? Right?" He starts hitting his own head. "Anything but hospitals!" He is shaking deeply terrified. "You don't need a hospital to be fine. I have been fine without them!"

Emily kneels down. "Porter, do you need to have your ears covered? I know it won't help your emotional issues right now but I know it usually helps for both of our meltdowns." He nods and she quickly places the headphones she wears on his head. He grabs onto her while she is close. "Do you need a hug? I understand." She smiles softly, wrapping her arms around him. She pats his head. "We will be alright."

Mori is looking even paler than normally, but fully quiet. There's not even their fake breathing audible.

Alex as soon as the focus was off of him got up. He dusts his clothes off and manages to blend out the pain. He needs to keep going.

Amy prances downstairs. She holds Katherines severed head in her hands. Her white blouse is blood stained, as is her purple skirt. She appears angry. Her soft face is hardened.

"Who did this to my dearly beloved mother? I wish to know! One of your weirdos probably was it!"

Sophie flinches at Amy's appearance. She seems scared.

"I bet it was once of you! Who would hurt my great mother like this? I couldn't even hear her last words!"

"Amy, we don't know her last words. They probably sucked. Like every single thing she did!" Mori suddenly talks. "I don't care about your monster of a mother dying! Do you know how happy I am that she is gone? I am so glad! She should have died sooner" pure hatred radiates off of Mori. "I am so happy she's gone" they slap Amy. "I'd be glad if you could follow her into death."

"You little… don't you know how many doors she opened for all of you?"

"At least one of those doors was forced and underage prostitution, molestation and mine was a life of trauma? I know its the same for my sweet Phie and every action I have seen Alex take feels traumatized. So shut up" they grab the head and throw it away. "Are you now going to cry cause I disrespected her corpse? Please do. Show everyone how truly pathetic and uncaring you are. I have issues with feeling empathy but theres a difference. I am not a monster"

Amy is too busy chasing after the head. Alex runs after her to make sure she is alrigth. He despises her but wants at least one of them to not get the mercy of death. He wants amy to rethink. He wants her to have the pain of regret.

She jumps in the pomd as the head graces the water. However instead of saving it she clings to the egde.

Alex notices his phone telling him a message was send. It shortly after rings.

He however focuses on grabbing Amy and pulling her out. He didnt expect her as soon as she was out to pull his phone out of his pocket and throw him in the ice cold water.

He feels the second the icey cold wraps around him, like a blanket. How familiar is the cold loneliness? The pain feels almost homely. The icey water hurts but feels so much like home.

He cant die yet, but yet he cant figth any longer. The exhaustion settles in. What would figthing for air worth for? He cant swim and the ice cold feels familiar.

In a disturbing way, Alex feels at home. Maybe its the fact that Katherine gave him the same icey cold feeling the water provides, for its still much more loving then she is. His hair tie mustve gotten missing, his longish hair covering his sigth. He will miss the small joys like that. Seeing it grow and maybe get longer then its current length, which is shoulder blades. Also faint spirals of red are visible in the blue. Must be blood.

He closes his eye, feeling someone grab him but that might be a last hallucination.

(This isnt mcd, do not worry
Please comment I would appreciate it a ton
Do you have any questions?)