“Baby, please, please just go down to the basement.”
But then the sound of static from a speaker fills the house from outside. They’re here, we're out of time. “PX-3, hand yourself over, and we’ll let the others go.”
Immediately, all eyes are glued to me.
Cayden is by my side in an instant, cupping my face in his hands. “Don’t you even think about listening to that for a second. It is my job to protect you, not your job to protect me. Go down to the basement, Darlia.”
“We will give you five minutes. After that we will engage.” The speaker sounds again. I can hear my heart beating in my chest, I can save everyone.
All I need to do is walk outside and everyone can be saved, Cayden won’t get hurt.
I walk over to the front of the house, peering through the curtain. The farmhouse is surrounded. There is no possible way for us to escape this, even if we did manage to kill one person each, there will still be more.
There’s always more.
“Darlia, no. I will not lose you, do you understand me?”
I want to listen. I want him to tell me everything is going to be okay. I want to believe him. But I can’t. We both know how this ends, and either way someone is going to die. It can either be me, or everyone else.
“I won’t let them hurt anyone else I love. I couldn’t protect Lauren, but I can protect you, Bella, Kylie, Olivia, and Moria. I can’t let anyone else die, Cayden.” My voice breaks, almost begging him to let me do this. One sacrifice for forty survivors, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.
“Don’t you dare. I’m going down to the basement to grab another gun. Can I trust you will still be here or do I have to tie you down?”
I try to memorise every detail of him. The scar over his nose and left brow, the way his hair curls around his face. The dark brown eyes that are looking at me with so much fear and anger, how they look when they’re soft, happy.
Cayden, my Cayden.
“I’ll still be here, I promise.” I lie, leaning in to kiss him, my heart aches as my eyes well with tears. I know he won’t forgive me, but I won’t let him die for me either. Blinking away the tears I pull him closer so that he doesn’t see the tear that managed to fall down my cheek.
I want to tell him I love him, that I know I do. That I may have never been taught how to love but he showed me how to, that I wish we could have escaped. But the words stay trapped in my throat. If I tell him, he’ll know I’m not planning to stay.
I can’t let anyone else die because of me. I won’t let anyone else die for me.
Cayden pulls away, and seeing my hesitation, he pushes Marcus next to me. “She doesn’t move a single fucking inch, understand?” Marcus nods, his eyes boring down at me the same way Cayden’s do, but I don’t care.
Giving me one last glance, Cayden’s eyes meet mine with a silent prayer, before walking into the other room and down to the basement.
Marcus looks down at me, reading me before I even manage to say a word. “Don’t even think about it, Darlia.”
“I’m really sorry about this.” I don’t give him time to question what I’m about to do before quickly hitting him in the throat; a strong, hard punch that leaves him winded and gasping. I swing open the door, run out with my hands up before any of the other boys can stop me, stepping away from the house.
“I’m here, take me but leave the others!” I yell, watching as the Overseer steps out and looks down at me. I kneel down to the ground to show I’m not a threat as I hear Cayden yell from behind me.
“Darlia, no!”
Two soldiers walk towards me, placing my hands in cuffs before lifting me to my feet. I don’t hesitate walking towards the car.
My life isn’t worth everyone else’s.
After what I did to Lauren, it’s a sacrifice I owe the other girls. I should’ve died then, but I didn’t.
I won’t let anyone else die because of me.
Cayden comes running down the stairs, and I scream, knowing exactly what’s going to happen.
“Cayden, NO!”
But it’s too late. One of the soldiers raises their gun, takes aim, and fires. When Cayden falls to the ground, I fight back, trying to push myself off of the guards. This wasn’t the deal.
