by Elle Grace
I got up and walked off from her, angry that she could lie to me for so long and worried about how much everyone knew.
43
Viola
7am 13th September 2025
I managed to make it back to the cottage before anybody woke up or noticed. Colt was already lying down pretending to be asleep when I snuck back in. I lay down near to James and tried to sleep. Dawn seemed like it came immediately as I closed my eyes and Tristan shook me awake. He frowned as he saw my tiredness and I explained it away by saying I had a rough night of sleep. He seemed to except it at least he pretended that he did. He led me to the front of the cottage. We could hear shouts and screams in the distance; it was blood curdling to say the least.
“It has been going on for the last hour or so.” He explained. “It is the other team. The Immortuuis sound like they are destroying them.” He continued. What he was really wanting to do was to ask if we should go and help them.
“It could be another ambush.” I answered his unspoken question. Had I become his leader? I asked myself. Was Tristan a member of the resistance too?
“I don’t think it is.” Tristan said concerned. He seemed to be confused as to what to do.
“You should wake Colt up.” I said and went to walk away. “He is the boss here.” I was cold, our fight the night before had really soured things. He had a cheek to call me out on my secrets when he had plenty of his own.
“I needed an excuse to speak to you.” He said quietly.
“I know who you are too.” I whispered. “Well not exactly everything but I have worked out who you work for.”
“I thought you might have.” He frowned. “They honestly thought the mental block would have lasted longer.”
“I was told it should have been shorter. I had a lot of work to do and I have missed so much.” I sighed.
“Who knows which they wanted.” Tristan scoffed.
“Thankfully, there was that attack. My body woke me up to survive.” I answered thinking about how truly dangerous the situation had been.
“That makes sense.” He said. “I’m guessing you know Colt’s secret by now too?” I raised an eyebrow; it suddenly did not seem like such a secret. We all seemed to know.
“I do. He knows about me too.” I was quiet.
“I was hoping he didn’t. He doesn’t know who I work for.”
“That is a good thing. He wouldn’t trust you if he did.” I said solemnly. We looked around to check no one was listening to us. “We should talk about this later.” I whispered and he nodded. “Let’s go wake the team up.” I decided. “We are not going to be making any decisions until they have weighed in on the situation.” He nodded. “I thought Lukas would have been here.” I stated, hoping that my presence at the Inperium would have brought him back to save me. I needed my brother more than I cared to admit.
“I hoped he would have come back too.” Tristan said solemnly.
“Let’s end this.” I sighed and Tristan nodded and went inside to wake the others.
✽✽✽
Everyone stood around a little bit bleary eyed. Colt looked more tired than most as I explained what we could hear down the hill.
“I think we should wait.” Colt said first. “We don’t know what is happening down there and I certainly don’t want to end up in the middle of it.”
“That’s fair.” I replied and others seemed to agree.
“Shouldn’t we help them?” Tristan asked and nobody responded. We were playing devil’s advocate.
“I have an idea.” James chimed up and I was ready to listen to him. We all turned to him. “If the immortuui’s are busy with the other team. Who is guarding the amulet?”
“You mean use them as bait?” I could see that Colt did not like the idea and neither did I, it was a little dark, but also our only option.
“Well they deserve it!” Sam spoke and Mike nodded in agreement. “They would do it to us.”
“That is a good point but is it the stance we want to take remembering who is watching us?” I said. Looking around. Tristan shook his head.
“It would end this whole thing.” James suggested and I realised he might be right. I wanted to be out of the simulation. Too much had happened and without provisions the team was a ticking time bomb. I looked to Colt as we all did. He looked torn.
“I don’t know if I can.” He said.
“Well we either go and help them or go and get the artefact, sitting here on our asses is pointless.” I said getting mad at the indecision.
“Are you challenging me?” He hissed at me.
“No, I’m pointing out our situation.” I snapped back.
“Good, because mongrels don’t have the authority here.” He retorted.
“Don’t they?” I replied and he knew exactly what I meant, and it was not that he had forgotten that he was in a room full of hybrids. Tristan gave me a warning look.
“I don’t like it, but I don’t want to help them either.” Colt finally caved. “I say we go and get the amulet.” He added and everyone nodded in agreement. Tristan shrugged at me. I think he was a little disappointed in my words. I refused to even lock eyes with Colt as he would make me feel guilty for saying what I had said. We all prepared ourselves to leave the cottage as soon as possible.
At this point with no provisions we had nothing to lose, I justified the plan in my head. The other team had volunteered themselves as bait and distraction. They deserved what was happening to them, I thought. Especially after what they had done to us and let Lance do to Cameron.
I had a moment where I questioned my mindset. The old Viola would never have even considered offering up the other team as bait and would have one hundred percent been behind going and helping them. Even with their track record of being bullies and attackers. This place is changing me, I thought. Then again maybe I was the old Viola, maybe the person I had been when I arrived at the Inperium was completely fake. I told myself I needed to do whatever I had to. It was the only way to survive.
44
Viola
8am 13th September 2025
We had stealthily headed down the hill and towards the nest in a different direction to the screams that we could hear. I was ready to fight. We had all picked up some wooden stakes along the journey just in case we had to fight. Something was stirring inside of me. I was becoming a warrior I had always been again. The strength felt good. As we grew closer to the noise we advanced carefully. Making sure that we were not caught by the vampires or the other team. It was not an ambush as we could see them fighting the vampires through the trees.
A rumble echoed through the trees and all around us. A strange breeze drifted through. I prepared myself for the worst.
Lights flooded in from every direction. Making us stop in our tracks and wince at the light. I squinted my eyes to try and see.
Voices shouting.
“Get down!”
“On your knees or we shoot!”
“Hands where we can see them!”
“Drop your weapons!”
I could see the glint of metal and small red dots appeared on all of our bodies. We had no choice but surrender. I dropped the weapons I was holding and fell to my knees, everyone dropped one by one, Colt being the last to give up. The fighting behind us had ceased and silence now echoed through the trees eerily between us and the other team. The simulations must have been turned off. I could see someone running through the trees. Crack. A bullet smacked him in the back, making him buckle. Soldiers marched forwards, kicking our weapons away, they tied our hands behind our backs with cable ties. Dragging us to our feet and placing us in a line. This is the end, I told myself. I repeated it in my head over and over like it was my new mantra. The other team were dragged through the trees and added to our line. The red dots and guns were still firmly on us all. We were all forced to our knees again.
Director Dubois stepped forward and walked along the line. A pistol in his hand.
“Someone here is a br
azen killer.” He shouted. He held the gun to Tim’s head. I was horrified. He was suddenly turning on us. “Would anybody like to tell me who among you is a murderer?” No one answered. Most people looked away. “No one?” William continued pressing us for an answer. I noticed him squeezing the trigger of the pistol. Bang. The shot echoed through the trees. Tim’s limp body fell to the ground. Blood trickled from the steaming hole in his head. Caitlyn screamed. She was next to him and was thoroughly coated in his blood and other matter. William had just killed a human with no remorse so I knew that he would feel even less killing a hybrid. William moved down the line. “You turned into a pack of wild animals.” William scolded. “Hunting each other down.” His voice was venomous. Did he mean Cameron or Lance? I asked myself. He still threatened us with the gun. “Do you really think any of you deserve to be here, deserve to live after this?” He stopped and cocked the gun to Mike’s head. “I’ll ask again, which one of you is a murderer? The Inperium does not hire those who murder each other!” I could not let him shoot anyone else. Lance was still alive when we left him so I came to the conclusion he must have meant Cameron.
“Don’t shoot him!” I shouted. Everyone turned and looked at me.
“Give me one reason why not, unless you want to confess?” He tilted his head at me. I think he hoped I would confess so that he could kill me and get his wish of removing me from the Inperium once and for all.
“Shoot me instead.” I said solemnly. “But I’m not confessing.”
“Viola, don’t.” James hissed at the side of me. William walked over to me and lifted to gun to my forehead, it was still hot from where it had just been fired. The barrel burned my skin slightly. He paused and cocked the gun. I could see his finger on the trigger adding increasing pressure.
“I think it is time you told us the truth, Viola.” He said slowly and cocked the gun. “Tell us who are you really?”
I closed my eyes.
I was ready.
In the distance the hum of engines and gun fire burst into life.
The Resistance was coming.
Thank You!
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