Chapter Text
Nora's confession sent shockwaves through the group. Sam covered her mouth, her eyes widening in horror. Higgins looked like he was about to be sick as he stared at Nora. Arlo however looked, angry. "How could you do something so horrific?" Arlo shouted, his hands balled into fists. "You know what you've done is wrong!" Nora's eyes filled with tears as she tried to speak. "I... I was hungry. And then the pain, it wouldn't stop..." As Arlo's words sank in, Nora began to tremble uncontrollably. "Please," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please, just end it for me. I can't take the pain anymore." Sam looked at Arlo, their eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.
"Please, please, please just ki-ill me, Ar--lo" I feel a chill run down my spine as Nora begs for death. I look at Arlo, who is now visibly shaken. "I can't do it," he whispers, looking at the ground. "I just can't."
We all stand in silence, unable to speak as we process the events that have led us to this moment. Sam tries to comfort Nora, but Nora barely acknowledges her presence. Arlo looks like he's about to collapse as he leans against a broken column, his eyes filled with pain and guilt.
As the silence drags on, Higgins steps forward. "I-I can do it," he stutters, his voice shaking. "I'll end her suffering." He grips a nearby rock tightly, his knuckles turning white from the effort. "P-please, Nora, just stay still."
The air is thick with despair as Higgins moves towards Nora, his steps slow and deliberate. Nora doesn't move, her eyes fixed on the ground. Higgins heaves the rock above his head, taking a deep breath before bringing it down with all his might.
The screaming that followed, was horrible. As Nora writhed on the ground, Higgins continued to bring the rock down against her skull. The sound of her brain squelching onto the ground, out of the open cavity of Nora's skull as she sobbed.
The smell of brain matter filled the air as Higgins finally stopped, panting heavily from the exertion. Arlo looked on in horror, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene before him. Sam, pale and shaken, tried to comfort Higgins, who was now crying uncontrollably.
The four of us stood there in shock, unable to move or speak. It was like time had stopped, and we were all trapped in this nightmarish moment.
The only sound was the wind whispering through the ruins and the distant rumbling of a storm coming closer. "Oh my god..." Sam stuttered, her eyes wide with disbelief. "We just... we just killed someone." Arlo finally found his voice, his tone hollow and empty. "We did what we had to do to survive." He looked at Higgins, who was still trembling from the act.
As the storm drew closer, the four of us decided to bury Nora's remains deep within the rubble of the collapsed wasteland. The rain started pouring down as we worked, the cold water soaking through our clothes and chilling us to the bone. The rain continued to pour down, washing away the last vestiges of the bloodstains on the ground. Sam and Arlo stood together, arms wrapped around each other for warmth. Higgins remained at a distance, his eyes fixed on the ground as he tried to process what had just happened.
The storm raged on, lightning illuminating the ruins and casting eerie shadows across the desolate landscape.
I shivered as the cold rain drenched me. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Nora was gone, and we had killed her. The guilt was overwhelming, but I knew we had to move on.
As I was about to lead all of us away, back to the Civil Corps building, I paused, seeing Django near the entrance.
Pointing it out to Sam, her eyes widened and she started to tug Arlo and Higgins back to the abandoned mine shaft, urging me to follow. The rain continued to pour down as we made our way back to the mine shaft, the sound of thunder echoing through the ruins.
Sam looked at me worriedly, her face etched with fear. Higgins kept his eyes fixed on the ground, his expression unreadable. Arlo sighed, pushing his hair back from his face. The mine shaft was dark and damp, with only the flickering light of a few remaining lanterns to guide us.
As we made our way deeper into the tunnels, the sound of the storm began to fade away, replaced by the heavy creaking of the rock walls.
"So, Sam, will you explain why we had to run from Django? I thought he was helpful?" I asked once we had found somewhere to sit.
Sam looked at me with sad eyes. "Mali, I'm afraid it's worse than that. Django was our friend, our ally, and he was a good man, a good, person. But after Martha was murdered trying to protect Toby from the Rouge Knight, he went mad." Sam's voice was shaky as she continued. "He thought the only way to protect Toby was to kill anyone who could hurt him. He tried to protect Toby as long as he could, but he killed him too, in the end, to keep him safe."
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"What about the others? Paulie, Remington, Aadit...?" I ask, my voice quivering.
Sam looked at me with a grim expression. "They're all gone. Aadit and the Hula Brothers were locked out of Portia when the storm hit, and they either froze to death or starved. Paulie was killed by the toxins shortly after the seal, Remington, he tried his best to keep several of the children and elders safe in the Round Table, but the Rouge Knight found them, and killed them all." I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I listened to Sam's account.
"So, there's no one left in Portia? No other survivors?" My voice sounded hollow, even to my ears.
Sam shook her head slowly, her eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm afraid not." Arlo looked up from his seat on the ground near the fire. He had been staring into the flames, lost in thought.
"There are still some out there," he said, his voice raspy from disuse. "I've seen them, creatures that were once like us, but now... they're not right."