I got up from my chair and left the base.
Leaving was easy. Entering was even easier. The entire facility had been built directly beneath our house, so I could move between the two without anyone outside knowing what was hidden underneath them. For me, the base was practically another room in the house, just one buried several meters underground and filled with enough secrets to bring down an entire district.
I made my way back upstairs and headed straight for my brother's room. I needed to speak with Jackson about the evacuation plan, particularly about getting District 9's permission to shelter our people if things went wrong.
When I reached the door, I didn't bother knocking.
I opened it and stopped.
Jackson was laughing.
Not the polite little laugh I had seen from him before. He was genuinely laughing, his voice filling the room, while my brother sat there with an expression I hadn't seen on his face in years.
I couldn't remember the last time I had heard Rosen laugh like that.
For a moment, I simply stood there and watched them.
Rose, don't ruin this.
I slowly stepped backward, intending to leave them alone for a little longer.
I turned around and began tiptoeing away as quietly as possible.
I had barely taken two steps when the laughter behind me stopped.
Both of them fell silent at exactly the same time.
I froze.
Well. So much for being stealthy.
"Rose. Why are you here at this hour? Is everything all right?"
Caught.
There goes my plan of quietly standing in the doorway and listening to my brother laugh like a normal person.
Carry on, you two. I'll just go back outside and pretend I was never here.
"I'm leaving. You two carry on."
Rosen's smile disappeared almost immediately.
"Is something wrong? You look exhausted."
My eyes betrayed me before I could stop them.
Wonderful.
Exactly what I needed.
I turned away, hoping he wouldn't notice how tired I actually was.
"It's nothing. I just came to check on you. You haven't slept yet, have you? Are you planning to destroy your biological clock tonight?"
I thought about being sarcastic, but my monotonous voice had betrayed me.
"You should go and sleep. You need it more than I do."
I could hear his concerns creeping out. Gave him a small smile and turned toward the door.
Then I stopped.
Wait.
Where was Jackson supposed to sleep?
I looked back at them.
"Jackson, do you want me to have a room prepared for you?"
"No need. I'll stay here with him." He replied rather quickly, which, I must say I wasn't expecting.
I looked at my brother.
He didn't object.
Honestly, that was probably the best arrangement anyway.
"Okay, then. Good night."
"Good night."
"Sleep well, Rose."
I nodded and finally stepped out, quietly closing the door behind me.
The moment I entered my own room, the exhaustion I'd been holding back seemed to descend on me all at once.
I sat on the edge of the bed for a while, staring blankly at the floor.
What a day.
Jackson knew.
Logan knew.
District One was preparing for war.
My brother was finally reunited with his only friend.
And somewhere beneath all of that was the uncomfortable little fact that I had no idea what Logan intended to do next.
I rubbed my face.
No.
Not tonight.
Tonight, I was going to sleep.
I dragged myself toward the bathroom and turned on the shower. The warm water helped for all of five minutes before I caught sight of myself in the mirror.
I looked terrible.
My hair was a disaster, my eyes were swollen with exhaustion, and the dark circles beneath them looked as though they had officially declared permanent residence.
"Fantastic," I muttered.
I looked like someone who had personally fought a war and lost. And I hadn't even reached the actual war yet.
After changing, I somehow managed to make it back to my bed.
I don't even remember lying down. The moment my head touched the pillow, everything went black. Then...
"Wake up, Rose."
I didn't move.
"Rose. Wake up."
That voice.
My eyes snapped open.
For a moment, I couldn't understand what I was seeing.
Then fear hit me so hard that every trace of sleep vanished.
I tried to sit up.
I couldn't.
Something was restraining my wrists.
I looked down.
Chains. Huh?
My hands were bound to the bed.
My breathing immediately became uneven.
I pulled against them instinctively, but the metal only tightened around my wrists.
"What...?"
My voice barely came out.
I looked around.
Two people stood beside my bed, holding me down. Across the room, two others had my brother and Jackson restrained.
"Brother!"
Rosen struggled against them, but he looked too weak to fight them properly.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
Then I noticed him.
Logan.
He was standing on the right side of my bed, completely still.
Watching.
My blood ran cold.
"No."
He slowly walked toward me.
One step.
Then another.
I tried to move backward, but there was nowhere to go. He stopped beside the bed and reached for my face. His hand closed around my jaw, forcing my head toward him.
I met his eyes.
Those familiar red eyes looked completely different now.
There was no teasing.
No amusement.
Nothing I could recognize.
Only cold certainty.
I tried to speak, but my throat had gone dry.
Logan leaned closer.
"Whatever happens next," he said quietly, his gaze never leaving mine, "will be your fault."
My heart sank.
"Please. Let them go. I'll do whatever you want me to."
I had a terrible feeling about this.
Tears started gathering in my eyes, something I hated more than anything. I had begged only once in my entire life, and even then, it hadn't changed anything. Dad was still killed, and my brother was still left injured.
Yet here I was, begging again.
Logan looked at me, completely unmoved.
"What I want," he said coldly, "I'm only going to get after finishing both of them."
My heart sank.
"Please. Don't hurt them."
"Why?"
His expression remained emotionless.
"You all deserve to be hurt."
"Then hurt me." The words escaped before I could stop them.
"You can do whatever you want to me, but please, don't hurt them. Have mercy." I don't know where these words came out from... I was terrified of one thing.
Logan stared at me.
"How can you expect me to show you or them mercy?"
"I'll do whatever you want." My voice trembled. "Please."
I couldn't stop myself from begging.
My head had started spinning, and I could feel myself losing control. I couldn't think properly anymore. All I could think about was keeping them alive.
Logan noticed my condition.
"Don't feel sick yet," he said. "I haven't even done anything."
He stepped closer.
I froze.
He caught my face and forced me to look at him before kissing me.
I didn't resist.
I couldn't.
If this could somehow change his mind, even for a moment, then so be it.
When he pulled away, I kept my eyes lowered. For a brief moment, I wondered whether it had worked.
Then he spoke.
"You're cooperating well."
I looked up at him.
"But I'm sorry. This won't change anything." He stepped away. "That was cheap. Just like you. Pathetic, exactly as expected."
My chest tightened.
He turned toward one of his men.
"Give me a gun."
"No."
The word came out before I could stop it.
He took the weapon anyway.
I stared at his back. I wanted him to turn around, wanted him to look at me, and wanted him to listen.
Instead, he loaded the gun.
"Logan."
He didn't respond.
"I'm telling you to let them go. This won't end well."
A smirk appeared on his face. "Really?"
He still had his back toward me.
"I think you're forgetting who is tied to the bed right now."
His voice was almost frighteningly calm.
"I don't care how this ends because you don't have a choice."
The gunshot echoed through the room.
Jackson.
My eyes widened.
"No!"
My scream tore out of me.
Logan turned around and looked at me for only a fraction of a second, as though he wanted to see the damage he had caused.
Then he turned toward my brother.
"No." My voice had become barely audible.
He raised the gun toward Rosen.
"Please don't."
My brother looked at me.
"Rose."
I shook my head.
"Please."
He gave me a faint smile.
"Just stop. It's okay."
"No, it isn't."
The gunshot rang through the room.
My brother's body fell.
I stared at him.
For several seconds, I couldn't even breathe.
"Brother?"
Nothing.
"Rosen?"
Still nothing.
My vision blurred.
No.
This couldn't be happening.
Not again.
Logan turned toward his men.
"Leave."
They immediately obeyed.
One after another, they left the room until only the two of us remained.
The door closed behind them.
Silence filled the room.
I couldn't hear anything anymore. Logan slowly approached me and began removing the chains from my hands.
They fell beside me.
I didn't move.
I had lost all my strength. How was I supposed to live now?
He stepped closer.
Something inside me snapped.
I shoved him away. Before he could react, I reached for the gun at his belt and pulled it free.
I pointed it at him.
"Stay away from me," I whimpered.
"Let go of the gun." He tried to get close.
"Like holding the gun actually matters now?" My voice shook.
"You've already taken everything from me."
His expression hardened.
"Give me the damn gun, Rose."
"No."
I raised it toward his head.
"I hate you."
No. This isn't right... There is only one way to end this suffering.
I turned the gun toward myself.
Logan's expression changed instantly.
"Rose."
I closed my eyes.
I didn't want to think anymore.
I didn't want to remember.
I didn't want to feel.
I had spent my entire life trying to protect the people I loved, and somehow, I had still failed every single one of them.
There was nothing left. No, brother. No father. No, Jackson. No, nothing.
I pulled the trigger.
Click.
Nothing happened.
My eyes opened.
For a moment, I didn't understand.
I tried again.
Nothing.
My gaze slowly dropped toward the gun.
Then I looked at Logan.
He was staring at me.
"You..."
My voice barely came out.
"You removed the bullets?"
He said nothing.
"You knew?"
Still nothing.
My hands began trembling.
"You knew what I was going to do."
Logan stepped toward me.
I immediately backed away.
"No."
My voice cracked.
"Don't come near me."
He stopped.
I stared at the gun in my hand. It did seem heavy, just the minimum. Something is there.
It wasn't useless. I clutched the trigger again and again, knowing it will work.
"Rose, stop..."
I pulled the trigger...and on the third try.
I fell to the floor.