Fatal | The Second Life I [COMPLETED]

Chapter 40: Breaking Point

3 MONTHS LATER

- N I C K -

"Well now, Aniya. JP." I begin, sitting next to the two in the third story room of the escape house. We named it that for the fire escape we had found through the attic. And I was glad for finding that.

     Since I had come to this 'sanctuary' in the first place, Colt had built the walls around the settlement higher than before. It was all around, and it was notorious that escaping the settlement was near impossible. The guards would only let people out with a signed permit from Colt, and he never wrote them.

     "We are here today to finalize our leaving," I say. "It's looking difficult, but if we can't leave with the other 3 then we will just go."

     "Aniya, you convince Caden. JP, you with Zach. I'll try with Evan." I say. "I get that they may not want to go. If they don't, make sure they won't snitch."

     "So, let's do this," Aniya says. "Our first stop is to my old house in Brooklyn, correct?"

     "Yup," JP says, pointing to the map we had laid out. "We'll take the Williamsburg Bridge, check it out, and continue our plan."

     "One last check," I say. "Everyone has everything packed?"

     "Yup." JP and Aniya say together.

     "Alright," I say. "Let's move."

     JP walks down the stairs, and Aniya hangs on for a minute, turning to me. "Thanks for making that our first stop."

     "Anything for you," I say, and she giggles a bit. "Love you."

     "Love you too." She replies, turning around and walking down the stairs. We had begun a relationship together, mostly to make something happy out of the authoritarian hell that this place had become. I had spent my time training and chatting. We knew almost everything about each other.

     I trudge down the stairs scared. Convincing Evan of our ultimatum would be the hardest thing to do. We had separated even more in the months here, thanks to Colt. He had brainwashed Evan, and I would get him back for it someday. All I could do was pray that Evan still has some of himself inside.

     Evan had been accepted to the Circle of Vera a while back after a mysterious disappearance. Colt had held him there with the knowledge that we wouldn't have to work because of him providing, and recently he had just started being loyal because he believed in that book.

     He had gone full brainwash, and I was trying to convince him of giving him up. This seemed harder by the minute, and I hope I didn't wait too long. I walk out of the building, following the other two. They turn to our house, and I walk towards Evan's 'office.'

     Colt had rewarded his own brainwashing by moving Evan to a fancier building near the other Vera people. The people in the government had absolute power, but Colt trumped them all. It was terrible.

     I approach Evan's building and cautiously knock on the door. I hear a muffled "Come in," and open the door. Evan sat in his discount library, with his weird new cloak. He sees me, and his neutral face turns to a frown.

     "Hello, Nick." He says, and I sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

     "Alright, Evan," I say. "This shit is confidential."

     "Um, ok." He says, brow furrowing. He leans back in his chair and put his feet onto the desk. "What is it?"

     "I'm asking you to consider leaving," I say. "For the seventh time, I think."

     "Damnit, Nick.." He begins, frustrated. "You asked two months ago, I thought you'd realized we were staying, but no?"

     "Why will you not consider it!" I exclaim, trying to keep my cool. It wasn't easy.

     "We have it made here, and you don't appreciate it," Evan says. "Colt saved us. Vera saved all of us."

     "Jesus, Evan!" I shake my head. "You have gone off the deep end with this Vera shit."

     "It's nothing different than your Christianity." He says. "Don't accuse me of going crazy."

     "I'm not accusing you of that," I say. "It for not wanting to leave."

     "Even if you were, you're wrong." He says. "We're safe here. All of us."

     "Not all of us," I say, and Evan dips his head. "I know where Battery Park is! We can find Ronnie!"

     "He's dead, Nick." Evan mumbles.

     "And what if he isn't?" I propose. "We have to try. All of us can still unite."

     "He abandoned us, Nick!" Evan exclaims. "You always forget how he ditched us for strangers!"

     "I don't think it was much of a choice." I retort.

     "I think it was." He states.

     "That's What Colt tells you." I declare.

     "It's the best evidence we have." He points out. I flip my hands up, fuming internally. "Why did you even ask me now?"

     "Because it's the last time I'm asking you," I say. "Your last chance."

     "What, you're going to leave?" He laughs. "As if you can get Colt's permission."

     "I don't have to," I state.

     "You can't fight your way out of this one." He points out. "Think rationally."

     "Oh, I am," I say. "And clearly you've chosen Colt over your true friends. You've lost them."

     "Actually, I think you've lost them." I hear from behind me. I turn around and see my fears confirmed. Colt stands in the doorway, his MK11 strapped to his chest. Two guards surround him, and I turn back to Evan. He sits there, clearly worried.

     "How could you," I say before my vision goes black.

- J P -

     "What's up?" I hear from Zach, and I come into his room. "Holy shit! You have to see this!"

     "What is it?" I ask, and he beckons me over. I rush to him, and put on a pair of headphones he hands me. They were connected to a big radio he had gotten by a guard on a scavenging run.

     Zach has become a sort of weapons master and technical genius in his time here. He was good with electricity before this apocalypse, but it had gotten much better with him having nothing else to do.

     Caden had gone with the same amount of things to do but instead focused on combat rather than tech. He was now a scavenger for this place and was the reason Zach had his equipment. He was known by us to smuggle some special stuff for us.

I hear what sounds like a call through the headphones. One of the operators, though, sounded familiar. It was Colt. He was speaking a foreign language to someone on the other end.

"It's Japanese or something of the sort," Zach says. "I don't think we know Colt."

"I guess not," I say.