5. The helpful Alligator

"Alligator sighting, please keep out." John read out the text on the yellow tape that blocked out a section of the sewers. "Did I put that? I don't remember doing that though." John looked at his clipboard trying to see if he marked down any animal threats. There was none.

No one else worked this sector of the sewers, it was only him and the eerie ambiance of constant water flow and a distinct metal pounding.

Normally he should've gone home, he definitely didn't want to get bit by an alligator but he needed to check the pipes in the section. "Fucking job." John tore off the tape and walked into the sector of the sewers, turning on his flashlight after he realized he couldn't see anything. "Did I have two flashlights?" John got sidetracked but quickly came to when he saw water pouring out of some pipes. "Water spills and no alligators, probably a mistake on my end."

John walked deeper into the sector looking for the valve that directly controlled the pipes in the area, the valves were small and could be hard to find if you didn't search carefully enough. John turned around using his flashlight to illuminate darker parts of the sector but instead of seeing a valve what he saw was a keypad. "What the..." John walked toward the keypad.

The keypad was as new as new could get, it looked like it was put in just yesterday. Well no one was here yesterday he was sure of that, was this always here? He couldn't remember. How did he even land this job, who in their right mind would hire a man stricken with daily occurring amnesia.

"I'm gonna call this in," John reached for his cell phone but all he could feel was a metal object that felt like a key. John fished around for the key and pulled it out. This wasn't his house key, he kept that under the rug in front of the main door so which key was this?

"451A" John read the numbers on the key and looked at the keypad. "451A" John looked at the key and then at the keypad. "451A" John repeated the same action two more times before inputting the number into the keypad.

Nothing happened. Not like he was expecting anything to happen, it's a keypad in the sewers that was probably just put in by mistake or was meant to control something that had either been removed or damaged.

"True, the valve let's get back to that." John took a step away from the keypad and continued looking for the valve, moving the torchlight around until he pointed it at a room that was whiter than anything he had ever seen. "I can swear that wasn't there when I came in." John walked toward the door looking inside before he entered.

The sewers were already underground but after John entered the white box-looking room it felt as if he went lower into the ground. And although he had no recollection of it what happened when he entered the last white room repeated itself with four panels in the walls bringing out items on each of them.

But this time the four items were different, with the first item being a camera that had a note underneath it saying. 'She's always watching.' John dropped the note and went toward the second panel which was just two white identical handkerchiefs with a black spot in the middle, there was no note underneath. The third was a pistol that he hoped wasn't loaded, he wasn't going to touch it either. There was no note underneath. The last one was a note that once John read brought back all his memories faster than lightning struck.

"I'm back, my handwriting brings back my memories quicker than little hints." John held his head writhing in pain. "This is the last room, possibly my last chance. I have to end this. I'm not sure I'd have any other chances." John walked out of the room and turned off the valve that controlled the leaky pipes. "You've done your job leaky pipe and alligator threat, now for me to do mine."

5 pm on the dot John walked out of the sewers heading for Hannah's bar, out of all five fingers of the hand of order the most troublesome were Five and Four who boasted abilities that couldn't be perceived by anyone who didn't know of their existence. Index has a giant ego and since he didn't bring up the death of Hannah during their little dining chair conversation it means that she didn't die but it was still too close for comfort and that was due to Five's presence.

Five could shape-shift into anything that existed ever since he was created however he could not see or hear, a drawback that was given to him by their creator. He could also instantly alert any of the other fingers as well as teleport them to his exact location if he so pleased. He was almost as if not more troubling than Middle who could clone himself an infinite number of times.

He was definitely being watched, he knew that because he had seen this same pattern before. Four would watch him on her invisible cameras and then send Five to check where he was going, once it felt like he had regained his memories Five would instantly teleport Index who would finish the job. This was the second time he was going to Hannah's bar directly after work meaning this would probably be the last chance he'd ever get if he wanted to save her.

Index would kill humans who knew about their secret before he would erase John's mind, meaning this would be the last time he'd be able to visit Hannah's bar before Hannah herself or anyone else that visited the bar would be a suspect.

John walked slowly through the street, looking at everyone that walked past him. Only the fact that he didn't head home would be enough for Five to be sent and he was looking out for that. He was the main threat after all.

John made another take before he walked through the doors of the bar and once he did, he made a beeline for Kayla. Hannah whose middle was in fact Kayla was startled to see the man she thought had no memory rush her like a piece of meat. "Are you back?" She asked him and he nodded.

"That's it, we're closing!" Hannah ran into the back with John and Five followed.

Five shape shifted into a normal drunk and walked into the bar, he had no senses except touch which he used to create a mental image of the surrounding location. Should he call Index? He didn't want to be wrong about the call especially since the memory wipe was becoming less effective as time went on.

Hannah and John weren't in the room, Five was sure of that and immediately the thought crossed his mind he teleported Index into the bar but that wasn't quite what he did. Index would kill Hannah if he found her and Five wasn't sure he could witness that happen. He wasn't sure he wanted that to happen. Five stomped his feet on the ground twice and a mental image of the entire bar was created in his head.

"My love." Five transformed into Index as he walked into the room, he tapped his foot on the floor two times again and a mental image of the room was created. A hole in the ground. This hole wasn't here the last time he patrolled the room, there used to be a cupboard- Five stopped thinking, he hated it, he couldn't speak so thinking just made him angry.

No matter how much he thought or knew or understood he'd never be able to converse with anyone, he'd never get a connection with anyone.

Five jumped down the hole and upon landing with both feet he had an image presented to him, lots of guns and an open door that felt like a trap. He would get in trouble for this but he needed to do it, he'd erase John's memory and none of the fingers would ever have a clue. Four might have been watching when he was above ground but her cameras didn't work down here.

"Where?" Five walked passed the door and down the sewers, with each step a new image was presented to him and after a few steps he realized that this was the entrance they used a few days ago. When he caught them lurking in the sewers. "Run, Run, Run." Five said trying to warn Hannah of her impending doom at the hands of Index who would find out at some point that she was connected to John.

"Five," John walked out from behind a wall and looked at the suited man, although he was indistinguishable from Index he knew it was just his shapeshifting ability.

"Where?" Five said as he pulled out the gun Index usually carried around.

"You always wanted companionship, you wanted to feel something... deeper." John stopped walking and looked at the gun. "Using Kayla as bait worked perfectly."

"Where?" Five tapped his feet on the ground repeatedly but all he felt was the presence of John and what seemed to be a small child.

"When you shapeshift anything you copied becomes an original," John put out his hand and the gun Five held appeared in it. "I really wish it didn't come to this,"

"Where?" Five tapped his feet even harder trying to create a bigger image. "Where? Where?"

"I'll see you on Vixon brother." John shot Five and the being he once called his brother evaporated into literal energy. "Four to go.... " John turned around and called out a name. "It's okay, the bad man is gone. Only Daddy's here."

"Dada," A child ran out of a sector in the sewer and straight into John's hands.

"It's okay Annabel, Mommy is fine. Daddy's got you. I'll bring everything back to normal, I swear." John carried her with one hand and walked out of the sewers, Index would surely be notified of the death of Five and it wouldn't be long until he arrived. The climax was coming and this was his final shot.