Chloe bit her lip and looked up at me, she clearly didn't expect me to agree. "Really?"
Clearly cole was feeling the same way, even though Isaac was trying so hard to convince me, you could tell her never expected me to agree.
They didn't understand why I said yes, and it was because I wanted Amber to die, I liked her a-lot. Besides Lucas, she was definitely my favorite council member. Maybe I could stop this, and tell Max what was going to happen. But then what about Chloe? What about Isaac? I didn't know if there was a way out of this that didn't involve death.
"Why are you doing this, and Chloe you can't even be out here!" I took a deep breathe. "Why would you risk your life just to kill another."
Isaac took a step towards me and cole, he stepped back, I stayed put. "I thought you wanted this Trinity, or are you gonna snitch because your little boyfriends on council." I tried to interrupt him but he kept getting louder. "Listen, you need someone on your side in council okay! You will not BELIEVE the shit they make us do when-" His tone immediately lowered, and Chloe stepped up to him.
She looked at him as if he had betrayed her. "I thought you said we were doing this for food. Get rid of slaves like me?" Her eyes widened and she pushed him to face her. "Why are we doing this?! Really, this time!"
Chloe got more and more in his face, screaming nonsense at him. Something about the bleach. I was done with it. I stepped forward pulling her away from him.
Cole stood off to the side, dumbfounded. Isaac didn't look phased at all, just angry.
Everyone stood for a minute, the only sound being Chloe's hard breathing from all the yelling.
Issac spoke up. "Are we done? Can we start this thing now?" Chloe shook her head in annoyance.
"Start what?" I was so confused in this moment. All I wanted to do was go for a nice walk, talk with cole, clear my head. And now I had at least a million more things to focus on, now I had something to focus on, I guess that was okay.
Chloe looked at me, a tang of aggression in her tone. "We're ready, she dies today."
I furrowed my brow, cole hung back a little further behind me, just as shocked if not more.
"Today!? And you two were gonna do this on your own. The whole time, I thought I could trust Isaac and you! For fucks sake Isaac your on council, and Chloe, your limited!" I know I was supposed to go with it, but this was absurd, I couldn't hold myself back.
"In or out." Isaac said, completely ignoring my remarks.
I took a deep inhale. "What's the plan?"
Chloe smirked and chuckled a bit, rolling her eyes. Me and cole huddled up around their rock. It was unusual for cole to be this quiet, but he hadn't spoken the entire time. I looked over at him as I sat against the large boulder but he didn't look back, just at the ground. Isaac started to pace around in front of us all.
"Okay, I get to do this, I'm in council. There's a meeting today, that's why it has to be today." He inhales. "At every meeting Max pours a glass of whiskey for every one of his council members, he's discussing Chloe I heard. I get there early and pour the bleach in, that's it." He looks around and throws his hands up.
I paused and glanced at Chloe. "Yeah great, so what do you expect the rest of us to be doing." It was a stupid plan, such a narcissist that he only wrote himself into it.
Isaac scoffed and rolled his eyes, I figured guys would stop being so sassy in such situations, but he was still acting like he didn't have a care in the world. "God your begging for work? Weird, either way Chloe can't do anything, she already knew that. Trinity this is great for us though, you can distract Max while I'm pouring the bleach. Cole, just umm." He paused and Cole scratched his head with the same stupid look on his face as always. "I don't know, be good." He looked offended by this.
I stood up brushing my pants off. "So when's the meeting?" I had to know how much time I had to stop this, there was no time to contemplate it, I had to act now and there was no stopping Isaac and Chloe.
"Let's do this now." Isaac stated.
Everyone stood up and I shivered a bit, Ambers life was in all of our hands. The cold glare in Chloe's eyes scared me, I never thought that she would get this bad, maybe it was an apocalypse but she was still just a young girl. We always joked that she'd become a murderer, I wouldn't believe I'd agree to assist one.
Me and cole started to walk back towards the gate, expecting for Isaac and Chloe to follow. When I didn't hear their footsteps I turned around. I took a step back in shock. They had propped a ladder up on both sides of the fence. It made sense, they wouldn't just be let out, but it instilled some sort of anger in me. There was very little rules in this camp and they couldn't follow any of them. I watched them shimmy over the spiked wood cautiously. I hated this, she shouldn't have ever come here, fucking Ashton I hate him.
I banged on the gate and Amber opened it for us. I looked at her out of my peripheral vision, hoping she wouldn't say anything, I couldn't do this.
I walked further and further, thinking I was off the hook. But then I heard her soft kind voice. "Trinity? Back so soon?"
I turned around to stare at her innocent eyes, cole turned too, not sure what to say. This could be the last time I ever talk to her if I don't say something.
I shivered, she was so small, just a girl. Her life was being sacrificed as I stood there and I was helping. I felt tears forming in my eyes as I spoke. "Hey Amber, you shouldn't attend that meeting today." It was all I could think of.
She tilted her head at me, a gleam in her deep brown eyes. "Why..?" She laughed a little at this. But it wasn't funny, she might not ever know why. Then I realized, what if she does survive, she'll know I was in on it, I almost let her die.
"Uh, I want Chloe to stay, I'm trying to convince the council to skip, too much chaos and Lucas won't listen to me." She noticed the tears in my eyes.
"Wow, you really care about her.. you know she made the pigs eat each other right?" Amber smiled at me, completely unaware it might be her last time talking to me.
"You want her gone? She's my best friend." I wanted Chloe gone too, I was lying, but I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. I was supposed to be talking to max, but maybe it didn't matter if I could convince Amber to skip.
"Sorry, no." My heart dropped, taking in her features for what may be the last time.
"Forget it." I said with slight anger. I immediately regretted this when I saw the look in her eye. "Amber I love you, you're a great friend." I started to shake.
"I love you too trinity, are you okay?" She was so concerned for me, but really it should've been for herself.
"Yes." Me and Cole started to walk towards the museum.
He looked at me. "Hey I thought we were helping them." He grabbed my arm.
I looked at him with anger. "You want to kill her!?" I said in a loud type of whisper.
"No!" He said back, defensively. "Just I-"
I cut him off. "Cole get the hell out of here." I said pushing him aside. I walked up to the museum, leaving him behind me, I had hoped it wasn't too late.
Bursting through the museum doors i saw Lucas standing there. I ran to him quickly, frantically looking around. "Where's Max I need him NOW!"
Lucas took a step back. "Trinity... why?" He looked at me with calmness in his eyes, trying to project it onto me. I wasn't having it.
"Where is he?!" I shouted again.
Lucas took a step back. "The meeting room."
I inhaled sharply. The meeting room? It's done, it's over. Amber lives, and I live.
I ran into the room. Max, standing there gun in hand, and Isaac, in the room holding a water bottle of clear liquid.
Max turned around swiftly pointing his gun at me. Isaac looked at me like I had betrayed him, I was never a part of this plan in the first place, this was bound to happen, right?
Max spun around pointing the gun at Isaac again. "Does she have anything to do with this?"
I look up at him, pleading with a slight shake of my head. My jaw dropped as I watched Issac start to speak. "No."
Max took the safety off his gun. "What's in the bottle?" He nodded at him to hand him the bottle. Max slowly set him gun on the table and Isaac followed, taking the gun off his belt and setting it down.
Isaac sat the bottle on the table and max picked it up, he rose the bottle to his nose. "Bleach. Now, I don't think anyone's been acting up recently huh? And I don't think it's for you."
What. Acting up? This was weird. Something was seriously fucked up around here. I thought back to what Isaac said earlier. "What they do to us."
No, Lucas was in council. Nothings wrong, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation and I'm overthinking this all completely.
Max laughed a little, it sounded insane. "You were trying to kill someone.. Alright, you know what." Max paused holstering his gun once again. "Let's go, your position is invoked. You too Trinity."
I shivered. Isaac had some sort of relief in his eyes, but not certainty. He reached for his gun but Max shook his head. "You won't be needing that."
Oh, he's limited, that's all. It made complete sense.
Max dragged me and Isaac outside, picking Lucas up on his way out the door. He gathered us all in an open spot of the field.
Max started screaming out at the top of his lungs. "Everyone OUT! Gather around! I want my council in front!"
People started emerging from tents. Lucas and Issac walked up to face in front of Max. "No Isaac, not you."
His lip quivered as he walked back to stand next to Max. Chloe ran up to the crowd, everyone in the village was now circling around Max and the council. Chloe darted her eyes around until they met mine, a fire ignited in her soul as she looked at me with a sort of murderous intent. This was my fault, whatever was about to happen, I did this. Or did I? Was it my fault? Or a poorly crafted plan. It could've been me, either way it was me. Fuck it, it was too confusing.
Max pushed Isaac to his knees and he let out a sort of whimper, shivering all over.
Max stood behind Isaac who was enveloped in fear. The man who used to be sassy and emotionless was now sobbing beneath his boss. He became nothing but dirt under pressure, snot pouring out of his nose like a little bitch.
"Now!" Max started to yell above the murmurs. "We all know I love my council, it's a special thing to be! Now I have five, Isaac here. He well... He-" Max started to laugh, rubbing his temple. "He thought he was going to kill one of you!"
Panic was dispersed among the crowd as Chloe looked at me, more angry than ever.
"Chase, Amber, Gray. You all just a few days ago nearly sacrificed your lives for this community! Gracie, Lucas, my most loyal members I have to say. But Isaac, what did he do? Sit there? Complain!" Max shook his head. "Try to kill one of you."
Max looked around and threw his hands up. The entire councils eyes were fixated either on Isaac or each other. Gracie felt the most betrayed out of all of them, her and him had spent some time together, she never expected this.
Max spoke again. "So Isaac this is what's gonna happen. You tell me who you wanted to kill, and they die. Or, you stay silent and be a hero and die. Options, good ones, die a hero or live a prick."
Issac shivered looking around at the council. Nobody knew what to say, they never saw max this way, but surprisingly there wasn't a single voice that spoke up.
Besides Isaac. "Amber! It was Amber okay!"
Ambers throat went dry, backing up. "No, Max no!"
Max smiled raising his gun. He raised it pointing it Amber, she just stood there, maybe she thought he wouldn't do it, or maybe she was ready.
Max took the safety off the gun, nobody spoke up, everyone turned into a sheep at the moment. Everyone was being quiet, so they all figured they shouldn't speak up either, it embarrassed me, yet again, I didn't say anything either.
Max put his finger on the trigger, a few closed their eyes.
There was a loud bang, a thump, followed by screams of horror.
Isaac lay limp on the ground, his brains blown onto the grass beneath him.