So here it is, in little pieces
Al felt numb as he walked from the office into his own apartment. A part of his brain was steadfastly refusing to believe that what he just heard was real. He'd never met the alternates in question, but... they were still people he knew, in a sense. The enormity of what he'd heard, it seemed too much to process, and not quite real, and he stopped in the living room as he tried to make his brain function while it busily stuck on a loop of dreaming, trying to wake up. He was dreaming, sleepwalking, nightmares. That's all. But it wasn't that at all. There had to be a mistake, but he knew Brother's alternates, there couldn't be a mistake, so it had to be real, which couldn't be true.
He walked through the apartment, doing a check on who was there. Alfons was in his bedroom, folding and sorting laundry, while trying to keep their cats from jumping on the bed and furring up the clean clothes. Delilah was reading while Joseph napped, and he'd seen the girls outside earlier with Elysia before they went back inside the building. They were likely upstairs at the Hughes's place. Riza was in her room, sitting on the loveseat by the window, Black Hayate curled up by her feet.
She called his name and he turned back to her, not feeling quite awake. He answered her question, he was all right, but stay there, don't leave the apartment. Brother would tell her what was going on.
Everyone but the girls were accounted for. He had to call Brian, had to tell him what was going on. Sinking down onto the sofa, he pulled out his phone and thumbed through his contacts to call him.
The phone rang, and the dreamlike numbness was starting to abate, as sick horror warred with white-hot fury, catching him up in a limbo in-between until they sorted out who would win.
He walked through the apartment, doing a check on who was there. Alfons was in his bedroom, folding and sorting laundry, while trying to keep their cats from jumping on the bed and furring up the clean clothes. Delilah was reading while Joseph napped, and he'd seen the girls outside earlier with Elysia before they went back inside the building. They were likely upstairs at the Hughes's place. Riza was in her room, sitting on the loveseat by the window, Black Hayate curled up by her feet.
She called his name and he turned back to her, not feeling quite awake. He answered her question, he was all right, but stay there, don't leave the apartment. Brother would tell her what was going on.
Everyone but the girls were accounted for. He had to call Brian, had to tell him what was going on. Sinking down onto the sofa, he pulled out his phone and thumbed through his contacts to call him.
The phone rang, and the dreamlike numbness was starting to abate, as sick horror warred with white-hot fury, catching him up in a limbo in-between until they sorted out who would win.