Chapter Text
00 • The end •
Abandoned warehouses,
Unspecified location in the First Zone.
2 days since Zero Hour.
Silence filled the empty room. Not even the smallest rat dared to poke its nose out of its hiding place, sensing the heavy, tense atmosphere. The three figures, huddled in the center of the space, could almost hear the erratic beating of their hearts. Which wasn't difficult, especially since each of their hearts was pounding like crazy, but for quite different reasons.
Their motivations diverged: a gun pressed to a head; fear that the gun would go off and the whole plan would go down the drain; the thought that everything had been thrown into one scale and there was no turning back.
For a long moment, they remained silent, no one wanting to break the persistent, electrifying silence. It was as if they all feared that a single uttered word might detonate the explosive silence pervading the barren expanse.
At last, the man positioned five meters away from the others broke the silence, his voice quivering with emotion:
"What do you hope to achieve with this?" he asked very slowly, even though he was a veritable volcano of emotions inside, particulary the negative ones. "What good will come from talking his life?"
For the first moment, she didn't seem to hear him, her eyes fixed on the gun she held tightly in her hand. Finally, she looked at him; her eyes narrowing as if she were seeing him for the first time.
"What will it accomplish for you?" he continued, taking a slight step toward her. He nodded his head at the young boy who was kneeling with his back turned to her, his head hanging low, casting a shadow on his frightened, pale face. "Think about it," he said slowly, taking another step. "You don't truly want to do this."
She was annoyed by his psychological tone; he had no right to say what was on her mind, even though he knew perfectly well: the same thing that was on his.
She didn't know what to do. The gun felt heavy in her hand, which began to sweat. Her whole hand trembled, even though she tried not to show it.
She wanted to do it to end this nightmare.
She didn't want to do it because it would mean becoming like them.
She pressed the gun harder against the boy's head, causing him to hiss softly, but he didn't say a word, clenching his jaw tightly. She shook her head lightly, pushing all thoughts aside. Because all it took was not to think; focus on the action, regardless of logic. After all, logic had never been a part of this mission.
"You're so predictable, you know?" she threw at the man, who was now only two meters away. He raised his eyebrows high, not understanding. "From the beginning, you showed us what you care about most. That's why we're here where we are."
She made a semicircle with her free hand around them. Feeble torches cast dancing tendrils of light on the rugged stone walls.
"But killing the brat won't do anything for you," he snarled harshly, his eyes burning with anger. "What will you gain by this? We're already here; you lost!"
"I will have satisfaction?" she responded immediately, shrugging nonchalantly. This nonchalant attitude only made him more tense. "Satisfaction in knowing that you were so close yet remained just out of reach."
"What good is satisfaction if you end up in prison-"
"Oh, how little you know about women," she sighed, refocusing on her gun.
He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he couldn't say anything that would irritate her enough to pull the trigger. He needed to regain control.
"We can make a deal," he began, raising his hands and taking another step forward. "The boy will be useful to both of us. You wanted to join us, didn't you? We can split the profits. What do you say?"
The sound of the safety clicking off silenced him and froze him in place. She didn't seem convinced. She was fixated on her vision, he saw it in her cold, blue eyes that had nothing left to lose. Betrayed by her own team, left to fend for herself, she decided to burn all bridges so there would be no turning back. For no one. Not even for herself.
"You won't gain anything by killing him. Satisfaction is worth nothing in this case. You'll bring not only my anger but also the anger of all possible law enforcement on this island. Don't do this, Kelly."
Paradoxically, her eye was struck by a strange spark from his gentle tone. However, it was not a glimmer of rationality or logic. It was rather a wild spark.
"Ironically, thanks to this, I will defend this damn island from sinking into even greater chaos than it is now."
"You said you're not a hero," he noticed, raising his voice, which echoed off the empty walls. The flames of the torches flickered nervously. "That you never wanted to be one!"
She looked at him with amusement, raising one eyebrow.
"Heroism comes in various forms. And as much as I once agreed with you: no, I'm not a hero. Nor will I ever be, especially not in the conventional sense that this world recognizes. I am a unique breed of 'hero' who acts without a plan and," she paused, then winked at him, a wild smile gracing her lips, "improvises."
The man lunged forward, but he couldn't do anything— his scream blended with the sound of the gunshot.