CHAPTER 76: THE LAST CONFRONTATION
"Is this how it ends, Elena?"
There was more to Elias's quiet, almost humorous voice than that. A darker one.
With the barrel pointed at his torso, I held my rie steady.
My response was, "That depends," "Are you going to give me a reason to pull the trigger?"
He tilted his head slightly and grinned. "If you wanted me dead, you would’ve done it already."
There was a palpable strain in the air. Aside from the distant noise of sirens, the abandoned factory
around us was quiet. The smell of metal and blood blended with the smoke that curled in the corners.
We weren't alone ourselves.
I sensed it.
The darkness was changing. Observing.
Awaiting.
But it was just the two of us at the moment.
Me.
And the guy that I ought to have slain long ago.
Lies and Bullets: A Game
Elias moved ahead slowly. I remained still.
"You think you know how this will play out," he said. "But you don’t."
"Try me."
He let out a sigh. "Elena, we both know this isn’t black and white."
"No," I said. "It's crimson. Red like blood. And I'm done acting like it's not."
He clenched his jaw. "You’re not as different from me as you think."
"That’s where you’re wrong."
For a moment, his eyes darted. However, I managed to catch it.
I doubt it.
Fear.
It was the first time Elias didn't seem invincible.
I realized then that he wasn't sure whether he would survive this.
Excellent.
I wasn't either.
The past always comes up.
"Put the gun down, Elena."
I gave a little chuckle. "You first."
He didn't.
He didn't, of course.
With our weapons pointed and our past weighing heavily on us, we stood there.
My heartbeat was audible.
Could sense the consequences of each decision that brought us to this point.
Elias whispered, "This isn't how it was supposed to go."
"No?" I raised an eyebrow. "Then how did you picture it?"
He shook his head and let out a breath. "Not like this."
I almost trusted him.
Nearly.
However, then—
The gunshots began.
Betrayal and bullets
Bullets ripped through the air as I fell to the ground.
Just before the second round reached where I was standing, Elias pounced, grabbed my wrist, and
pulled me behind a pile of boxes.
He said, "Looks like they found us,"
I'm not joking.
I pushed him away from me while gritting my teeth. "You set me up."
"If I set you up, you’d be dead by now."
One more volley of gunfire. Too many.
There are several shooters.
Oh no.
"How many?" I loaded a new magazine and asked.
Elias peered through the boxes. "Four. Five, maybe.
Those odds didn't appeal to me.
When I said, "I should let them take you,"
"You won’t."
A cocky bastard.
"Why?" I lost my temper.
His demeanor was impenetrable when he looked at me. "Because you want me alive more than you
want me dead."
He was correct, and I hated it.
However, I detested what followed much more.
Because I realized I wasn't the only one having secrets when I saw his gaze.
An Agreement with the Devil
Elias said, "We don't have time for this."
I cleaned my lip of blood. "Then start talking."
Silence for a beat.
"There’s a way out," he acknowledged after that. "But we have to trust each other."
It almost made me chuckle. "Belief? That's amusing.
"Elena—" "Why should I believe anything you say?"
He tightened his jaw. "Because if we don’t work together, we’re both dead."
The gunshots increased in volume. Nearer.
Time was not on our side.
I also detested it.
I hated losing more, however.
"Fine," I said. "But if you betray me—"
"You’ll put a bullet in me."
He grinned. "I know."
The Flight
We made quick progress.
Through the debris. Beyond the corpses. Avoiding genre.
As I eliminated the first gunman, Elias was at my side, protecting me.
A victory.
Three more to go.
"Left!" Elias yelled.
I whirled and shot—An additional corpse struck the door.
Two more.
The excitement was getting to me. The warmth.
The excitement of realizing that this was not yet finished.
Elias reloaded while hiding behind a pillar. He was having trouble breathing.
So was mine.
I wasn't going to quit, however.
Not until this was over.
The Truth Moment
The last two guys were drawing near.
I tallied my remaining rounds.
Insufficient.
Elias looked up at me. "We make a move on three."
I gave a nod. "One—" "Two—"
Then— Elias leaped before we could get to three.
Directly in my direction.
And instead of hitting me, the following bullet struck him.
"Elias!"
Before he touched the ground, I grabbed him.
My palms felt the heat from his blood.
His breathing was labored.
The words "Damn it," I mumbled. "You're not going to die. Not right now.
He attempted a grin. "That’s… up to you, Elena."
I applied pressure to the wound.
I said, "Stay with me," in a whisper.
His gaze wavered.
His voice was hardly audible as he said, "Why?"
I also had no response.
As I was unsure about the reason.
I just knew that I wasn't prepared to part with him.
Not quite yet.