Ch. 15 Who’s tripping?

"Go!" Julius yells as his new students all take off running across a field. Seeing them give their all in the single-minded pursuit of strength was a beautiful thing to a training nut like him. They were all sweaty and gasping for air, but he pushed everyone from children to the elderly with no reservations. In order for them to even begin learning breathing techniques they had to increase their stamina and lung capacity, or the strain of total concentration breathing could harm the practitioner.

"Come on Dale, keep pushing you can do it! Hey! T-Dawg don't stop now! Finish strong Sophia!" He claps and cheers as he jogs alongside them for motivation.

"You're enjoying this aren't you Jules?" Clem asks easily keeping pace with him, like her brother she has yet to break a sweat.

"Very much so!" He beams, "I never thought that this many normal people would be so interested in learning from me. And what's more they're giving it their all!" He wipes a single tear from his eye.

"This really means a lot to him," Clem notes to herself. "Hey Jules, wanna race?"

"Heh you'd lose, but let's go!" Julius gets ready.

"Get ready to eat my dust," she breathes in deep.

Julius hears the low rumbling and smiles, "today won't be the day you beat me. Go!" Clem takes off and burns passed everyone. She gives it her all and was nearing the fence in milliseconds.

"I wi-" she stops in disbelief at the last possible moment she sees a blur pass her and touch the fencepost first.

"I win." Julius says faking boredom as if he waited a long time.

"No way! How? When did you?" Clementine is stuck in disbelief.

"I started when you had about ten paces left. I think that was a fair head start. Maybe you'll get me after another decade or two. Thunder breathing is the fastest after all." He laughs.

Ring Ring! The sat phone rings. "Alright everyone, that's good for now!" He yells to them all and everyone drops on the spot. "Hello, you guys on your way yet?" He answers with a question.

On the other end Alicia speaks in a soft and sad voice. "Julius, I don't know how to say this but…your brother. He-"

"What? Did something happen to him?

That's not possible! He'd never slip up and-"

"No, he's alive," She could here Julius's sigh of relief loud and clear.

"Wait, if he's alive what's the problem?"

Julius asks as he's now confused about the situation.

"Mac just disappeared saying he was going to kill everyone in this area. That's insane, he can't be serious, is he?"

"Oh, just that? He's as serious as a heart attack. Why's he tripping though?" Julius asks casually.

"Well, umm…while he was doing work on the helicopter some armed people attacked us. He and Heather basically killed them all and now he's off on a warpath. Could you talk some sense into him before he gets himself hurt?"

"Sounds warranted. If he's set his mind on killing, there's not a soul there who could stop him. I may be stronger but there's no more an efficient killer than Mac. But don't worry, he's retired now. He won't go too wild…probably."

"…" Alicia was stunned to silence how easily he is able to say that. After how they handled that situation, she was sure he wasn't normal, but Julius just casually said Mac was a professional killer… apparently it was something they competed over. Every insane threat he threw out was entirely in his means to make happen. She'd been traveling with a killer to join a family of killers. Great… she let the phone drop.

"Hello? Alicia, are you there? Is everything ok?"

"She, umm…had to pee…" Nick lies awkwardly.

"Ah, I see…" It was pretty obvious he was trying to spare his feelings. Julius considers Mac isn't as open as him and may not have shared anything about his past with the others. He might have dropped a big bomb on her. He forgets how fragile normal people can sometimes, especially considering the way the world is now. After thinking about it, he got a little offended that she was bothered by it at that point. Why wouldn't you want someone that talented on your side? Besides this is all to protect them, Machiavelli and Heather would be fine by themselves.

"Hey Julius right?" Nick says while Julius was thinking. "I understand you and your brother's…uh skillsets are really useful. Especially for the times we're living in now, but I think it was just a bit much for my sister to take in all at once. Alicia will be fine she just needs a minute to process." This wasn't too shocking a revelation for him, he already thought someone that strange had to come from strange people.

"I for one think getting rid of these guys is a good idea, they just rob and hurt people. But killing innocent people just trying to survive is a bit far even for you guys, isn't it? Not everyone in this area is after our lives."

Nick was right. Julius and even Mac did have their lines. "You have a point. I'll talk to him." Click. Julius hangs up.

"Everything alright Jules? You looked pretty upset just now," Clem asks walking alongside him.

"Our brother is getting back to his old ways sooner than I thought. I've gotta talk to him before he gets too out of hand and scares his new friends off." Julius responds dialing seven.

"I'm busy Julius, what do you want?" Mac snaps while pulling a combat knife out of someone's skull with his free hand.

"Oh, you are in a pissy mood…what are you doing?" Julius asks him.

"We both know what's going on. Do I really need to spell it out?" Mac questions in response. Julius could hear the sputtering sounds in the background, someone did not die easily.

"Did Alicia convince you to try and stop me? Damn snitch…"

"Don't be petty, she was looking out for you. Honestly it was more the druggie who snitched though. Alicia called but she dropped the phone when I told her we were assassins. I'm not trying to stop you. You actually have a valid reason to kill for once. Just don't go too wild, we both know how you get when you get mad." Julius answers sternly.

"When I get mad? Remember France?"

"I remember France…don't remind me."

Julius groans in embarrassment. "Just keep it in bounds, just the attacker's people and any other raiders. No non-combatants." Machiavelli goes silent for a moment deliberating whether or not he would listen to his brother. "Mac, don't make me beat you up…"

"I'll leave Alicia here in Colorado." Mac threatens in retaliation.

"No one would let you do that!"

"Not if she 'wanders off'." Mac says air quoting.

Julius gasps, "You wouldn't."

"Fucking thirsty, I knew it."

"Wha- I'm not thirsty."

"You've only spoken to her once, well twice now on the phone. Why are you taking her side? You've let me get away with far worse and you know it." Mac says with growing annoyance. "Who can't be honey trapped? Thirst bucket…"

"Thirst bucket? If someone is a bucket it'd be you! Remember that TA when they're a student at Cambridge? You simped so hard for her!" Julius brings up matching his brother's irritation.

"We were actually dating. It's called being a gentleman. There's nothing wrong with that," he corrects.

"I don't expect a dog to get that anyways. If I recall you messed around with her professor who's old enough to be our mother? Not to mention that girl from the swim team, there was the one in orchestra too, and that physics professor, oh how could I forget-"

"Ok, ok stop I get it." Julius cuts him off.

"That was just at one School!."

"Shut up, I can't help that I'm good with women. This is your plan anyways! You tried to Honey trap me, I've just become intrigued. So we're interfering in each other's personal lives again now? Hmmm…" Julius trails off scaring Machiavelli who doesn't know for how long he's been caught.

"Hey hey hey! We aren't doing that, and it isn't the point! The point is you can't be that defensive of her already. You can't really believe in your own stupid logic, can you? I know you aren't scared she's the last girl you'll ever meet? You're too arrogant to believe that you won't have the life you want. Wait are you dirty? You must be in need of a shower if you're acting this emotional."

Mac fired a barrage of questions at his elder brother, getting to the cusp of the situation.

Julius wanted to argue but he found himself playing in his hair, and looking at how filthy it was with disgust he also knew Mac knew he was caught so he'll let him step down. "Alright fine…bye. No non-combatants!" The call ends.

"Was that Julius?" Heather asks Machiavelli.

He just sighs and puts his phone away. "You love to ask the obvious…no non-combatants."

"Only you have to be told that," she laughs.

"I assumed that would be the case. Is there a need to press any father then?"

"This was pretty satisfying, so I guess not."

Machiavelli says standing in the middle of a bloody mess. Inside the renovated schoolhouse the brutally massacred group of ex-soldiers lay dead throughout the halls, their faces twisted into horrid mixes of pain and fear. Mac employed a variety of cold weapons from his bare hands to knives to wires and a few more creative methods using the items he found in the building.

"Something about killing with firearms... it feels so impersonal. We'll make sure there's no stragglers or infected in the area, then head back."

"You should clean yourself up too."

Mac looks down at his blood-soaked clothes

"Hmm, I guess I did get a little carried away."