“I was beginning to worry that all of you were dead.” He pausesand assesses me briefly. I can tell he doesn’t want to say the horrible words out loud. I’m sure as fuck not going to do it for him.
“Here I am.” My eyes remain dull. I don’t take pleasure in any of this. I’m so fucking tired.
I just want to go home.
I want to find somewhere sunny and warm, and hold Emery in my arms until she falls asleep. I want to whisper promises of a life without any more senseless killings.
But can any of us truly leave the Dark Forces unmarred?
Erik sets his hand on my shoulder, a proud smile pulling at his lips. It hits my chest hard. All I’ve ever wanted was to make him proud.
“Did you fulfill Captain Bridger’s order? Did you kill them all?” His words are like ice cutting open my veins. The most deceitful men wear kindness and grins.
“Yes.” I force the word out, tightening my grip around the cane.
“Even your beloved Morphine?” Not a drop of sympathy warms his tongue.
“Even her.” I swallow the knot of poison.
He lets out a manic laugh that sends a chill down my neck as he clasps my shoulders with both hands. “Well done! I knew you could. Even when Nolan fought me on it. Even when he told me you could never have it in you to become an officer. I knew you would rise to the occasion. You had me nervous with Emery, though. I thought she’d be your undoing.” He shakes his head like the idea is so laughable.
I would do anything for her. Him not seeing that is his downfall.
I pretend to grip my arm as if the black veins are still spreading. His eyes widen.
“Do you have the syringe, sir?” I ask coldly.
He flinches, still smiling. “Oh, yeah. Where did I put it?” He pats his pockets in search of it. Then it must hit him that I shouldn’tknow about the anti-agent shot, because his face pales and his eyes visibly dry as he looks up at me.
My hand is nimble, slipping the black injection into his neck quicker than he could mutter anything worthwhile. The shock that flickers across his eyes pains me more than I’ll ever admit. But now he knows what it feels like to be betrayed.
I watch as the black liquid spreads through his veins like death. It moves swiftly, but I know it will take a moment to kick in.
“Cameron! What have you done?” he shouts, digging at his neck as if he could get the liquid out by hand.
I lift my chin stoically. “Don’t you have the anti-agent, sir? The one meant for me only if I returned alone?” My palms are clammy and the urge to bash his brains in with the cane is becoming unbearable.
Erik’s eyes are bloodshot and he lets out an agonized cry as he pats his pockets once more, looking for the syringe.
“This is the poison the Dark Forces feeds us. This is why they wanted us to feel nothing first, so that we didn’t have a reaction to the rest of the death you pump into our veins.” I know Erik was always against me taking the meds, but he lent a dark hand that led to this. He let so many others fall.
I can’t stand his frantic movements anymore. I shift my weight to my good leg and swing the cane as hard as I can at his neck. It makes a satisfying crack and drops him like a fly.
“I trusted you for years!” I press the end of the cane down on his chest as he squirms in the dirt. His eyes flash up at me wildly. “You were going to kill me, weren’t you? If I didn’t kill them…my brothers and Em. You were going to throw me away. Just like that? Say it… SAY IT!” I shout and almost lose my balance with the motion.
He winces as I press harder on the cane and it sinks an inch into his chest. I wonder how long it will take to break through.
“Who helped you?” he croaks.
Fury consumes me. “That’s all you care about?” I murmur, trying to keep the anguish from my tone, but I fear it spreads over my eyes and betrays me.
“Was it Reed? That motherfucker! I’ll execute the entire?—”
I bring down the cane directly on his throat, squashing out anything he could possibly have left to say. His eyes widen as blood pools from his neck and mouth, gurgling with each strained breath he takes until his body involuntarily jerks several times.
He finally lies still.
My demons lie beside him.
