Chapter 123 Chapter 123

Chapter 123 Chapter 123
Jax was lying on the seat with his eyes closed. His breathing was shallow. His face was pale. His chest was still bleeding. He had lost a lot of blood. Elena didn't expect him to still be alive but somehow, he was.

Elena held his hand. Her fingers were tight around his. She wouldn't let go. She couldn't let go.

"Jax, you did. It has ended. We made it," she whispered.

Caiman sat in the back. His eyes were on the floor. His hands were in his lap. “Marcus is dead. Helena is dead. Anya Thorne is dead. It's all over,” he thought.

Rina drove. Her knuckles were white on the wheel. Her jaw was tight.

They reach the bunker where they first met Helena.

Rina switched the engine off and the snowcat stopped.

Caiman got out. He walked to the back. He opened the door.

Elena looked at him. "He is already too weak. He lost a lot of blood and can't walk."

"Then I'll carry him."

He lifted Jax. His arms were shaking. He was tired. But he lifted him. He carried him into the bunker. He laid him on a cot.

Elena followed. She knelt next to Jax.

"Jax."

His eyes opened. They were glassy. Distant.

"Elena."

"I'm here."

"Good to know."

He looked at her. His lips moved. "I'm tired, Elena."

"Don't you dare. Elias is coming. He will come with some herbs and take the bullet out. Please stay with us. We have lost everyone. We can't lose you too. Please.”

"I'm so tired."

Elena shook her head. Her eyes were wet. "You can't do this. Not now. Not after everything."

He smiled. It was small. Weak.

"Tell Elias," he said.

"Tell him yourself."

He shook his head. "I can't."

Elena's voice cracked. "Jax."

"Tell him. You were always the best of us. The original hope."

Elena stared at him. Her lip trembled. "I'll tell him."

He closed his eyes.

"Jax."

He didn't answer.

"Jax."

His chest stopped moving.

Elena put her head on his chest. Her shoulders shook.

The room was quiet.

Caiman stood by the door. His face was hard. His eyes were wet. He didn't blink.

Rina was at the table. Her head was down. Her hands were in her lap.

Elena sat down. Her face was wet. Her hands were shaking.

She looked at Jax. At his face. At his closed eyes.

"Goodbye," she whispered.

The wind was cold outside.

Elena walked out of the bunker. She stood in the snow. The sky was gray. The ice was white. She didn't feel the cold.

Caiman came out after her. He stood next to her.

"What now?" he asked.

Elena looked at the sky. "We bury him."

"Where?"

"Somewhere warm. We don't have to wait for Elias now do we?"

The journey took days.

They left Antarctica. They flew to Africa. They drove to a small town in South Africa. They found a grove of trees. Peach trees. The owner was an old man. He didn't ask questions.

They buried Jax under the biggest tree.

Elena stood at the grave. Her hands were at her sides. Her face was wet.

Caiman stood next to her. His head was down.

Rina stood behind them. Her arms were crossed.

Elena looked at the tree. "He would have liked this."

Caiman nodded. "He would have."

Elena looked at the sky. At the blue. At the sun.

"He's gone," she said.

"Yes."

"But we're still here."

Caiman looked at her. "What do we do now?"

Elena wiped her eyes. "We live."

The next year was slow.

Elena stayed in South Africa. She worked in the grove. She planted trees. She watched them grow.

Caiman stayed too. He worked with his hands. He didn't talk much. He didn't need to.

Rina left for a while. She traveled. She visited old places. She came back.

Evelyn stayed behind in Antarctica. She had chosen to remain. She had said she needed time. Time to think. Time to grieve. Time to figure out who she was without her mother.

Elena didn't argue. She understood.

The grove grew. Trees for Jax. Trees for Kenji. Trees for Borealis. Trees for Raven. Trees for everyone who had fallen.

One morning, a year after Jax died, Elena was standing by the tree. A man walked up to her.

It was Elias.

His hair was looking gray. His face was older. But his eyes were the same.

"You planted more trees," he said.

Elena nodded. "Yes. For everyone."

He looked at the grove. At the rows of trees. At the names carved into the stones.

"It's really sad, you know.” He blinked frantically and raised his eyebrows. Then, he took a deep breath. “Jax would have liked this."

"You always say that."

He smiled. "No jokes here. He would have."

Elena looked at him. "He said something to me. Before he died."

"What?"

"He said you were the best of us. The original hope."

Elias looked at the tree. At the name carved into the stone.

"He was wrong," he said.

"No. He wasn't."

Elias was quiet for a moment. Then he knelt down and placed his hand on the stone. His fingers traced the letters.

"I'll take care of them," he said. “Leo, Maya, and everyone else.”

"You will make a great father. And you are a great friend too."

He stood up. He looked at the grove. At the trees. At the sun.

"The world is different now," he said.

Elena nodded. "The reset worked. The clones are human. Phoenix is gone."

"Yes."

"What do we do now?"

Elias looked at the sky. "We live. Like every other person does."

The wind moved through the trees.

The leaves rustled. The sun was warm.

Elena stood with Elias. They looked at the grove. At the trees. At the stones.

"Jax would have liked this," Elias said again.

Elena smiled. “How have you been so far? It's been a year. It's so quiet out here. Everywhere used to be lively but now, it's just us and our experiences.”

“We will be fine,” Elias said. “It was worth it.”