AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And if—” I exhale quickly.
“It’s not your fault, Crone.”
I chuckle, disguising a sob that’s hard to hold back. “But it is, yeah? They say I’m responsible for everything on Zion. They all blamed me.Youblamed me, I’m sure. I blamed myself, who else?”
I shake my head, knowing I’m right.
“My guys—the ones who were on surveillance that night—watched the footage. They served in Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria. They’ve seen it all. And they couldn’t meet each other’s eyes that night. We’re Gods here on Zion, you know. Shit like this is for war zones, not the pretty island. That’s what the Change taught us—that before, we, the West, were lucky to be shielded from the worst humans are capable of. No human should see anything like what happened to Olivia. Moreover, experience it. And those with deranged minds are not human. They shouldn’t be living in a society.”
“No,” Droga says almost in a whisper.
“I’m glad Olivia is dead.”
Droga’s head snaps in my direction. “Dude…”
“I am,” I repeat. “Because if she survived that—them—that night… I don’t know how one can live with the memories of that… How agirlcan possibly mentally survivethat.”
He knows I’m right. PTSD can be more destructive than the actual traumatic experience.
I open my eyes as wide as I can, hoping they’ll swallow back the tears that are about to spill.
Fuck.
“Scum like them should be dead,” Droga says with an edge in his voice.
“They are.” I finally turn to meet Droga’s confused gaze. “Don’t look at me like this, Droga. Theyaredead. That’s why I have contractors—to do the dirty work. And after what they’ve seen in their lives, they don’t mind cleaning this earth of scum. Even if it’s self-served justice. I don’t give a shit about anyone who wants to preach morals in this scenario. They can fuck off. Those Savages didn’t deserve to breathe.”
Droga nods, and for the first time, I feel relief, like I finally said something right.
He lights a cigarette and passes it to me, then lights one for himself.
It’s on peaceful nights like these that the awful memories always cut the deepest. Mom and little Adam. Droga’s accident. The night the world went dark. Olivia.
“What was the other night?” Droga asks quietly.
I manage a smile because that other night started something that made him happy. It’s peculiar how horrible events can eventually lead to someone’s best days. “The night the boat with the new arrivals crashed in a storm.”
3
ARCHER
Three new recruitsand the boat crew died the night the boat got caught in the storm. For once, no one blamed it on me. I wasn’t even the one who gave the clearance. The boat company was paid big bucks to bring the new people to Zion. They fucked the weatherman and got greedy.
“I’m surprised you cared so much about strangers,” Droga says.
“Not the strangers, just her.”
Droga’s voice is etched with surprise. “Callie?”
I don’t mind confessing again, because life is unpredictable. I could’ve died tonight. It’s easier to breathe when you let the dark thoughts out.
“I got her foryou, Droga.”
“I know.”
I suck in a sharp breath, remembering everything I put those two through. “She was meant to be a peace offering. And the night we got the word that the Coast Guard lost the signal from the boat, I stayed up all night, feeling the same horror as I did after your accident. If she died, I would’ve fucked things up for you for good. I would’ve never forgiven myself. Nor would you.”
The silence between us is not heavy anymore. If anything, it’s liberating.
