Friday

6:24 PM

5.115 inches

The men moved slowly, silent, in pain, in exhaustion. Ethan had his hand over his back, a strong headache making him lose balance and focus. He was under a tremendous stress and could feel his hopes fading away. Next to him, Jayden's sight failed him, fearing tears of blood would start dripping again, his abdomen still not fully healed. They were in a red corridor, its walls reminding them of everything they had gone through until now. Hate, guilty, pain and sorrow crushed both who, in the beginning, were so sure of finding Shaun. After four days of despair, however, both doubted they would make it and, as much as they tried to look optimistic, their eyes shined with fear.

Before they realized it, they entered a fully white room, a terrible contrast with the corridor behind. Looking around, they saw many cameras scattered around the room, a table at the center with a a screen over it, a watch and a vial with a liquid inside it. A chill ran down Ethan's body and Jayden groaned, forcing himself not to lose consciousness. Still in silence, there was nothing else to be done and Ethan, looking with hopelessness to his friend, pressed the screen button.

"The last Trial. The last question: Are you prepared to give your life to save your son's or your friend's? There is a deadly poison in this vial. It will kill you in exactly 60 minutes. One of you must drink it in order to get the last letters of the adress. You will have enough time to save the child and say goodbye, but then you will die. You can drink the vial or decide to leave. The choice is yours."

Norman held his trembling hand with force as he heard these words and tried not to scream in hate and indignation. As the meaning of the trial became clear in his mind, he felt his knees shake and felt his whole body giving up. Ethan, eyes wide, tried to control his breath, unable to think about what he had just heard, about what he was supposed to do. For a few seconds, he stared into emptiness and the men avoided looking at each other. But as hard as it was, it had to be done.

"This... This is..." Norman gasped, unable to control his feelings any longer. Had they gone this far to end it like this? Had they sacrificed everything in order to lose what had brought them so far?

Ethan was frozen, thoughtful. He would save Shaun... And die! Shaun would be alone again without his father but... He could trust Shaun to Norman, he knew that! But it still sounded terribly wrong to leave his son again and, this time, forever. At the same time, there was no way he would let Norman do it. Shaun was his son and if it all had happened it had been his fault, not the agent's. It was his fault that Jason was dead and he not allow the same to happen to Shaun!

"Norman..." He started, his headache worse than before as he tried to sound calm and prepared. But he was nowhere as calm and he feared drinking the liquid.

"What if he is lying?" Jayden interrupted him, paler than before, not only due to stress but also to the renewed pain in his abdomen "What if you or... Or I die as soon as we drink the fucking thing?"

"Do not include yourself in this, man, please. We both know who must do this"

There was another horrid silence in the room. Norman stared at him terrified and his look fell over the vial on the table.

"Shaun... Shaun is depending on me now, Norm. More than he ever did" Mars continued, unable to speak properly "I-I can't fail again, Norman, I c-can't let Shaun d-die...!"

Norman covered his face with his hand, missing ARI. He had left it back in the apartment but, right now, felt the urge to find comfort in its killing claws again.

"So, my friend, can I trust you..." Ethan continued, breathing slowly "C-Can I trust you to... To take care of Shaun for me?"

As he finished his sentence, Ethan picked up the vial, without thinking too much. He opened it up slowly and took a deep breath...

"You haven't answered me, Norm" He said.

"I'm sorry, Ethan..." Norman sighed, defeated. And, approaching the architect, took the vial out of his hand "I cannot let you do this"

"Jayden, no!" The father called, trying to recover the vial but to no avail. Norman held it tightly between his fingers and made sure the man wouldn't be able to recover it, closing it again. He simply couldn't!

"I cannot let you die here, Ethan! Not you!" Norman said, his voice full of sorrow "What good will it do to kill yourself knowing you have a chance of having Shaun in your ams again?!"

"You are not supposed to do this!" Ethan screamed back, on the verge of tears "The Trials were meant for me and me only! You have nothing to do with this, you're only here because you wanted to help but this has gone too far!"

"One of you must drink it. One of you, Ethan! The cameras, don't you see them?!" He was now desperate, pointing the room like mad, hating the killer as he had never done before "He is watching us, right now! If he didn't want me in here, he would have found a way to make me leave. But this is the trial, don't you see? Why can't you understand?!"

"Y-You can't-"

"I am ready to sacrifice myself for you, Ethan, I have always been, since the day I've met you, since the day I felt what it means to have a real father again!" Norman continued and now he was crying "S-Shaun needs you! He needs his father more than anyone and I will make sure this happens! I will make sure your son is rescued and you live with him!"

"You don't even know me that well, we met each other a few days ago and you're letting go of everything because-"

"I have nothing to fight for!" The younger man said, staring into Ethan's teary eyes in a way he would never forget. His eyes shined with certainty, with the need of feeling useful once and Ethan, feeling that, forgot about everything but the man in front of him "I don't have a son depending on me; I don't have people who care, I don't have a family, I don't have anything to worry about! You have a child who loves you more than anything in this world! You have people who love you, I am among them, and you have the chance of building your family once again!"

"What about her?" Was all Ethan managed to say. Norman seemed to lose his conviction for a moment and looked around, reminded of the killer watching him, analizing him. He wouldn't dare to put Rachel at risk and he was thankful Ethan didn't say her name... Yet, he had already made up his mind.

"S... She will have to understand" He finished and opened the vial, feeling a disgusting scent reach his nose "I-love her so much for her not to..."

"P-Please, don't!" Ethan whispered, unable to move. "There must be another way out!"

"We cannot risk it, buddy. Time is running out... And we both know that"

The vial shaking in his hand, Jayden held it next to his lips for a few seconds, preparing himself as more tears left his eyes in a silent cry. He never feared death... But he feared dying alone. And he would make sure Ethan wouldn't be around when the time comes.

"Tell her for me, Ethan. That... That is all I ask" He said and, as Ethan was about to try stopping him once again, he let the liquid run down his throat, a bitter taste covering his tongue. Ethan froze in despair and bit his hand with anguish as Jayden began coughing and gasping for air. His throat and stomach started burning and his head felt as if about to explode the next second. Sweats immediately took over his body and he felt his heart speeding up, upholding himself on the table in order to stay still. Ethan's cry echoed through the room as guilty took over him once again and he looked away, too afraid to watch his friend die, too afraid to realize the poison was immediate. A morbid silence fell over them, being broken by the sound on Ethan's cellphone.

"The last letters have been sent to your phone"

Picking it up with difficulty, Ethan Mars looked at the adress. 852 Theodore Roosevelt Road. He took another deep breath, hearing Jayden breathing slowly behind him, and whispered.

"852 Theodore Roosevelt Road. W... We did it, man"

"Yeah..." Norman sighed, holding the watch which showed how much time he had left to live.

"We did it".