THE HIVE

Chapter 18

It takes me a moment for her words to process in my head. Huh? I'm taken aback. Well that's a name I didn't mind hearing never again. "What do you mean he's gone?"

She hesitates at first. But then, pulling herself straight she states the unimaginable. "Most probably...

"He's dead."

...

-!

The world rings for a moment, before the next instant hits when I truly register what she has said.

What?

Billy...is dead?

Stunned, I gape at Sally.

She looks away.

"W-what do you mean he's dead?!"

She continues looking off into the distance through the windows. It's as if guilt is holding her tightly in a chokehold, because not a single word comes out of her mouth.

All of us share startled looks. I am stunned, but their faces flash horror. Of course they have known him far longer than I have.

This doesn't seem right. How can she be responsible? She doesn't seem like the person to sacrifice others, does she?

Heck no. If she were like that I wouldn't have wanted her to be our leader. And look how the turn of events are. She is a commander now...

-!

"Billy died in war?" I blurt out.

Her eyes drift towards me. "There are casualties in war. If it were like that, I wouldn't have felt so... responsible. I mean, technically yeah, but, to die in a war is honourable. Still, no. No, he didn't die in a war." Again, her words have no confidence.

"Then how?!" Rocky looked at her, incredulous. "I know you didn't murder him, of course not! But then....what..." He looks up at Sally, through eyes that could kill. "Does Noah know about this?"

Sally doesn't look at him directly. In fact, she shuts her eyes close. "And about him..." I watch her clench her fists tight. "He's gone missing," she says, in a broken manner.

"What?!" Rocky gasps. He stumbles to the side and sits on a now empty bed of someone named Ryan. He grabs his hair. "Billy..." he breathes heavily. "H-he didn't deserve to d-die! How could he die? He did not have the purest of hearts. That doesn't mean-" He catches his temples. His hands are shaking. "And Noah is missing... I can't make shit out of this! What's the meaning of this?! What's happening!"

Sally sits by his side. A lot of the others are watching us now hearing the commotion. She places her hand on his shoulder. "I wish I knew. I'm trying to make heads or tails out of this situation myself."

I can hardly keep up with their conversation. So, I walk up to them, holding a shocked Kevin and a confused Beth close. "Who's Noah?" I ask.

Rocky was friends with Billy, wasn't he? I saw him seated with him and another annoying guy.

Sally frowns. "Right. You never got his name. It's that guy who sat by Billy's side on the first day.

My eyebrows shoot up. "I see... He is called Noah, then."

...

Unsure of what my next action should be, I back away. I don't know what to do.

I redirect my attention to Space buddy. So you searched through my memories, huh?

Yes. I have access to what little you have stored in there. I can't get into the past memories through... They seem..., he trails away.

I swallowed. I don't know what to make of this. I place my hand on Rocky's broad shoulders. But I can't say a single word more.