Chapter 344: Bury the Hero Within Me (2/2)
The smoke faded as Lucas stared ahead, not turning to Zinnia, dazed. Instead, he glanced down, seeing a deep wound in his stomach as constant blood trickled out. His heart sunk as the realization kicked in before he fell to his knees; his head hung low. ”No….” Zinnia stood up, turning to put the boy out of his misery when he meekly whispered. ”Please don't. I want to see this city more. I want to witness the sky a bit longer.”
Zinnia dropped her katana kneeling to Lucas' aid. ”You led me no choice.”
”There's always a choice. You told me that.” Lucas whispered, coughing, being helped by Zinnia. ”Before all of this, Adam asked me who I regarded as the true enemy? I wasn't sure until now. All of this death and suffering why? Why did it have to carry on? At the end of the day, who wins? No one.”
Falling onto his back, Zinnia slowly placed him down, holding his hand. ”Why side with them then? Look around, Lucas. This is all they wanted.”
”I didn't side with them. I sided with the people I care about. I just wanted…. I just wanted my friends and family to be free; was that too much to ask? So tell me, Zinnia, why? Why did you get to be born free but not me? It's not fair. None of this is fair.”
”This. This is a cruel world we live in.” Zinnia admitted squeezing Lucas' hand tighter. ”Life isn't like a comic book. The heroes don't win and save the day. Alton told me that. Nothing about this damn world is fair, but we try, don't we?”
Lucas kept looking to the sky with a smile. ”It's warming to see, isn't it? The sky, I finally got to see it. But where are the ones to share the memory with me? Please, Zinnia, you can't let this world end like this…. Stop Alton, I beg of you.”
”I can't. He's, my friend.”
”He's lying to you. You have to know the truth. Only you can stop him.”
Lucas' final words fizzled out as he moved on from the living with a look of desperation in his eyes. Zinnia knew he wanted to do so much more, but that was snatched from him once again. Letting go of him, Zinnia stood up, holding her bloody hands leaving a mark on her face. Through Lucas' death, her memories began to fizzle back. That's when the heartache returned. The pocket world, Alton's betrayal. Gale's demise and so much more. It was unbearable as Zinnia clenched her chest falling to the floor tearing up. ”What have I done? It's happening again…. What have I done?!” She began screaming to the world, trembling, unable to cope. ”Why, why, why?! Have I learned nothing? Wasn't Marco enough?! Alton…. What did you make me do? No…. This was me.”
Zinnia kept sobbing to herself, wiping her eyes feeling anger boil. ”Lucas was right. Alton needs to be stopped…. He's gone too far. Alice, Riley…. Everyone. I'm sorry for not realising sooner. I'll make amends and stop this madness.” Standing up, Zinnia closed Lucas's eyes as she treks to the centre of town, fists clenched. ”Alton. I'm going to end this….”
****
Alton stopped just before the ruins of the gas station. The very one he started his journey meeting Zinnia. The start of his destined fate. Throwing Alice from his arms, she fell to the floor as Alton stared on hands out. ”You wanted me; here I am.”
Adam sat on an old truck with Eve leaning on his shoulder. He was twirling the Stage of Depression in his hand, taunting the boy. ”Alton Brantley. Fate brought us together on that fateful day. On that fateful day, you took your first step and became one of the Ten Judgements and now. Fate has returned you to the beginning, where we will end this. Salvation is calling. Can you hear it? It beckons to me.”
Looking to Eve and then Adam, Alton lowered his guard tugging his hands into his pockets as the air began to drop. ”We'll see about that. Let's finish what we started so long ago, Adam.”