Behind the Walls

Part Ninteen- Jasper

074.6 Hours Since Quartz's Disappearance

Governor Griffen is at the head of the city's government. There's meant to be others, but it's turned into a dictatorship. He's rarely seen in public to protect him from assassination attempts. Very few people even know where he lives. It used to drive me crazy that I could never go after the snake's head.

With my amnesia, I didn't recognize him at first. I was just instinctually wary. When Yulks mouthed my name, the one I built for myself, the barrier in my mind disintegrated. So many memories exploded back into my head that I barely registered the actual explosion outside. Everything was a blur after that. I can briefly remember Yulks shoving a guard to the ground with his shoulder.

"The Governor is here!?", Vixen balks. Smart, wicked Vixen who's been my second for years.

"Where's he at? We can't waste an opportunity like this!", Lincoln points a gun away and at the ceiling as he talks. I never knew he had anything like that, but now that I remember his history, it doesn't surprise me.

"You guys came in through the door, so there's only one way he could have went. Chichi, Vixen, you're with me. Yulks, I want you to go with Lincoln and take Eli, Ella, Mico and Lyla with you". Lincoln seems miffed at not being able to go after the governor, but he just sighs and nods. I have no idea of why the Paladin leader is here, but he pulls an unconscious Lyla up off the floor and follows the others out.

Chichi and Vixen follow me when I turn down the hall. The other way leads back to a dead end with my cell, so I'm guessing that the governor went this way. Having a sword back in my hand feels so right. Everything makes so much more sense now that I know who I am. I'm the fucking leader of a rebellion. There's a good reason that I contemplated ways to kill off everyone around me. That's probably how I've survived execution for this long.

The door to the fenced in parking lot is slightly open when we reach it. When I push it outwards a little further, a bullet ricochets off the metal door. The three of us pull back to hide around the frame.

"Okay, I know where the two other guards went now", I mutter.

"Here, I grabbed it off one of the guards", Vixen pulls a pistol from the waistline on his pants.

"Hand it over! Neither of you have shot a gun in your lives", Chichi laughs a little as she takes. She pears around the doorframe for just a moment before ducking back to hide from another bullet. She takes another deep breath before peeking out, lifting the gun, and firing all in one smooth movement. God, I love her.

When I hear a body hit the ground, I jump out from behind the doorframe and charge. One of the guards is on the ground. The other jumps in surprise and raises their gun at me. I've done this before, and my eyes take in the gun's angle while my body sinks into a battle stance. When the gun goes off. I flick my wrist and catch the bullet on the flat of my sword. I feel awesome. The guard doesn't get another shot as Vixen comes flying past me and finishes them off.

My eyes drift away and over the gate that closes this place off from the monsters. Governor Griffin is standing there with his back to the gate. He seems angry, but also afraid. I rise up out of my fighting stance and start to walk towards him.

"Who are you!? What do you think you're doing?", Griffen spits at me. I stop ten feet away from him.

"You haven't already guessed? My name is Quartz", I give him a mock bow as Griffin's eyes widen in realization, "Under the jurisdiction of the rebellion, you, Governor Griffin, are being taken into custody for your unfair treatment of the people".

Griffin knows that he has lost. His eyes dart fearfully to me and the others before pulls a keycard out of his pocket. He sticks it into the scanner on the gate. It starts to shudder and slide open.

"Wait! You don't have to-", I start to scream at the man, horrified, but it's too late. Griffen slips outside and into the night. I run after him, but by the time I get to the gate, all I can do is close it. The monsters are not passive. They ignore me because of my Delta eyes, but every disfigured head out there turns to look when Griffen runs out. I can't watch.

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Without the governor, the rest of the elites quickly fell to the rebellion. Many were shocked when Jasper reviled his identity to the public. He's from the East, but risked everything for the West. His parents disowned him, but that didn't really matter when the rebellion had practically complete control over the city. It would take time, but things will get better.

The first thing Simon did when Yulks came home was to slap his older brother. He deserved it. Then they hugged. Yulks eventually explained every reason behind his choices. When the idea of the rebellion was born, he knew it was dangerous. The last thing Yulks wanted was to involve his younger siblings and ailing surcoat mother.

The Paladins did become a useful ally for the rebellion. They turned in a police force for the city, one that didn't favor the East. There were once again five divisions that all reposted back to Jasper. They were giving everyone their voice back.

After a nearly a month without nightly feedings, the monsters around the city began to thin. They became disinterested without being able to find or see the food within the walls. It was Mico's idea first. Him, Eli, and Ella loaded up a Jeep one day and set out to find others; other cities or people who might be scattered about the world. Monsters never bothered the Deltas.

It would take a long time for things to be okay, but it's getting better. It all started with a spark of rebellion in the hidden eyes of a gem. Now, he'll to his best to do what's right behind and beyond the walls.