HAVE IT YOUR WAY

Walter crawled up to the couch and passed out. "What the fuck is wrong with him?" Evan shouted at Zia and Xavier. "We don't know. We found him in an underground bunker, and that's all." Xavier yelled. "Where the fuck is Autumn?!" Zia got upset looking at the bloody mess all over the floor. "He said that he would keep Atreus busy while you guys went and find Walter what Atreus knew about the plan and killed him. What he's lying somewhere dead." Ashley couldn't control her breathing. Feeling herself having a panic attack. "Autumn is not dead, okay! He said we all had to be back at the house at 5 pm on the dot and then we continue with our last plan to release the curse upon us before sundown. That was the plan. Him being him must have taken Atreus somewhere just to spare us much more time to get done with whatever we had to do. Autumn is not dead. I'm sure of it." Zia kept her tone beautiful and calm. Not wanting a sudden outburst of fear and worry. "He's okay. He'll be back soon."

It's been 5 hours and no sign of Autumn. He didn't call nor texted anyone. Evan spends the time with Walter getting his memories back to reality and Zia made sure Ashley didn't run off in search of Autumn. Xavier took his car and drove around hoping he'll find Autumn at any place he could think of but had no luck. "What if he's lying somewhere dead and we all just sitting here. What if he's screaming for help somewhere trapped and we are just sitting here. What if Atreus is torturing him and we are just sitting here." Ashley sat by the window biting on her nails. Hoping that Autumn is okay. She only wants him to be okay. "Hoping for the worst Ashley is not a healthy thing to do right now."

Zia sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "Where are you, Autumn?" She whispered underneath her breath. Evan kept working on Walter keeping himself distracted from worrying about Autumn, "Okay so let's go over this one more time. You were stuck in your mind in another reality. Of how things would have been if Autumn got hit by that car. Everything that you remember after the car accident was not real Walter. We did not die, and Autumn did not kill us. We are alive, and so is Autumn, well at least I hope." Walter gazed around the room, staring at everyone. "But I remember you all dying. I was there. You were lying on the ground with your face smashed in. How could that not be real? How could I suffer through all that and then wake up months later…" Evan corrected him that only a few weeks have passed not months. "Well, I went through the pain and lost for months, and I blamed and hated Autumn so much for it. How do I just go on? How do I live knowing this other reality that I was stuck in? How do I do that?" Evan was hopeless he didn't know how to help Walter. "You live with it, and you deal with the pain. We all have. I know it's not easy, and you most probably still hate Autumn, but he saved your life. He has saved everyone's life in this room. He would never lay a hand on us unless we kill each other than he would."

Evan squeezed Walter's hand, trusting that he eventually got through to him. "It all felt so real Evan. I don't even know what is anymore." Walter said. Evan cupped his hand with Walter's, "I am real. You are real. We are real; you don't need to be confused." Walter felt the warmth of Evan's hand. That is one thing he could never feel the heat. "Also why did you throw up blood?" Evan asked but got interrupted when Xavier walked through the door. "I didn't find him." He said and threw his keys on the kitchen table. Ashley started sobbing, believing Autumn is gone. "So, what now? What happens if we'll never find him?" Evan asked, but they all shook their heads. Not knowing what to do, back to being hopeless all over again. "It's his fault Autumn is gone. It's his fault!"

Ashley screamed at Walter. Walter got up and stood there, watching Ashley scream and shout at him. He didn't feel bothered. The alternate reality version of Autumn still lurked around in his head. Walter felt comforted that he might be dead. "I didn't ask to be saved. I didn't even know I needed saving until I got woken up by Autumn in my dreams or other reality as you all put it. All of you are dead in my reality. He killed all of you and saw it. I would not be surprised if he did something that would benefit him." Ashley wanted to attack Walter, but Zia kept her away from him. "How do you mean Autumn woke you up?" Evan asked, realizing how they struggled to get him back. "I don't know. I was back in the diner the first time I met him, and I didn't hate him anymore. We talked and talked until I couldn't see daylight anymore. He told me it was time to leave and that I had to leave and find all of you. That you guys would help me." Walter remembered more and more of his encounter with Autumn. "What is it? Spit it out!" Xavier commanded seeing the confused but realizing something look on Walter's face. "He said that he made a promise to all of you that he would make everything right. He would end the misery. The blood I threw up was all the curses Atreus put on me for if you guys would be ever safe me. Autumn dissolved it into blood said it was easier that way. I remember now. I remember he told me everything about Atreus being my birth father and how we got stuck in an alternate reality. How I being here was just another move on Atreus chessboard, and he was going end the game. He's going to clear the playing field." Everyone hang on Walter's words, waiting for him to say the one thing they all afraid to say out loud. "I think Autumn trade himself in for me. I think he's going to take down Atreus even if it means it's going to kill him and he warned me that none of you should interfere. None of you."

"I always wondered how far you would go for your friends Autumn. Never expect you to do anything like this. Never in my wildest thoughts, Autumn. You just keep surprising me." Atreus chained Autumn to a wall in the tower on the far coast out of town. "I don't need your gratitude. I just want this to be over and done with. You got me. Let's have it your way." Atreus got up from kneeling before Autumn. He sat there chained up on his knees just like in his reality. At least he knows now why. Autumn lowered his head when as Atreus locked him up. "Don't hurt yourself too much." He said and went on his way. Autumn felt his heart raising and his tears falling from his face. He took matters into his hands and will fix the broken parts he damaged. He got more chance, and this is it. This is the way it needs to end. "You never give yourself a break, do you?" Autumn recognized his mother's voice and jerked his head up, seeing her in full, beauty standing in front of him. "Mom." He cried. Alice kneeled and cupped her hands on Autumn's face. "My sweet boy. Why do you always need to be so hard upon yourself? You were never like this when you were a little. You used to let life work things out on its own rather than inferring." Alice stopped Autumn's from falling on the ground. "I messed up so much mom. I messed up every one of them, and I need to fix this. That's the only way I know-how. I'm giving them what they don't know they need yet." Autumn's tears flowed more willing. He accepted what he has to do. "Why save everyone and just let yourself drown Autumn? Why?" Alice lifted his head, telling him to look at her. "Because I want to. I am tired of all of this because I don't want to do it anymore. I want to be with you. I don't want to be able to breathe in this life again. I want their lives to matter to each other. I want them to be happy. I want to be happy, but I never will be. I will never find happiness in the chaos that is me. I will never be happy…" Alice stared deep into Autumn as if she's looking for his soul that he hid away. A soul that he refuses to let out. "Have it your way then my boy. I still think that you deserve so much more than constant pain and misery." Alice kissed Autumn on his forehead. "I'll always love you." She whispered and vanished. Autumn called out for her, but she never appeared again. "Come back, please just come back." He sobbed. "Just come back."

"You will not tell me what to do for my brother. You will not tell me to stay out of his way, especially when he is about to kill himself." Ashley grabbed Xavier's keys on the kitchen table and pushed Zia out of her way. Xavier told them to let her go. She needed to be on her own. "Are we just letting him die?" Zia waited for any one of them to tell her that's not going to happen. "So he just saved Walter, and he gets to die, no questions asked." Zia got disgusted by their way of ignorance. "I can't be here. I just can't." She said, and left. Xavier went silent. He couldn't speak. "They don't understand," Walter said. Xavier walked to the door and opened it. Intending they need to leave. "Come." Evan knew Xavier was upset he could see it all over his face. He took Walter and led him to the door. "The thing is Walter. You'll never understand." Xavier said and shut his door close.