The Strays

Chapter Twenty-Four

Delilah was waiting for us in a conference room and Drew took pleasure in throwing me down onto my knees at her feet.

“You guy’s sure know a thing or two about hospitality, don’t you? How long have I been here?”

“You were unconscious for about five, maybe six hours.” Drew informed me, earning him a disapproving glare from Delilah.

“I don’t think you were supposed to tell me that, in case my knowledge of time somehow aided me in an escape plan.”

“Drew, sweetie, leave me and my old friend be, I think it’s time the two of us had a catch up, it’s been too long since we’ve been able to talk, just us girls.”

He nodded his head in agreement and walked away, leaving me alone with Delilah who grabbed me by my collar, then pulled me to my feet before throwing me onto a chair.

“What’s your game here? Shouldn’t you be torturing me for information or something? Like you’ve tried to in the past.”

“There’s no need. There’s no information you could provide me that would be of use.”

“Then why am I here, why am I still alive?”

“Despite your tiresomely meddlesome nature, everything continues to unfurl just as it should and, in spite of your best efforts, my final plan is coming together perfectly. Your friends are in no position to stop me with you here, and I want you to witness the fall of your beloved city before I determine how to properly dispose of you.”

“You haven’t won yet, Delilah. While you may not see my friends as a threat, I think you’ll be surprised to learn they’re actually pretty competent by themselves, especially now Ace has been reunited with Sean and they have Wraith on their side.”

I’d expected Delilah to be caught off guard by what I had to say, but she just snidely smirked. “The boys are smart, I’ll give them that, and I know they broke into the Sanctum to gather information to take to the other faction’s, but it’s too late, without you they won’t piece it together in time to stop me, even if they could get every faction leader in the city on their side. In a few short days, the last details will be finalised and then it’s goodbye to the scum that litter the streets and hello to my utopian society. I will rebuild everything in my own perfect image, with my chosen people, and I will create an idyllic society, repopulating the earth to repair the world our forefathers destroyed.”

“I thought you were insane before the apocalypse. Now I think you’re a delusional, power hungry sociopath, with megalomaniac tendencies, and I can't wait to see the look on your face when you lose."

“All these years of knowing each other and you still haven’t figured it out.” She sighed as she spun the chair around, making me dizzy.

“Figured out what?”

“We’re two sides of the same coin you and I, we always have been. You saw us as enemies, adversaries. I did too, at first, but now we’re older, I know better. I no longer see you as my competition, I see you as my rival, a person who continually challenges me, forces me to strive to be better, someone I’ve grown to admire over the years. I was blinded by my jealousy when I was younger, I tried so hard to be the best but nobody ever seemed to see it because you were always better, but that’s not what I hated, it was the way you were so unbothered, so apathetic about it all, like none of it was even remotely important. The only time I ever saw you care about anything was when you saw an injustice, if someone was picking an unfair fight, or if someone said something you didn’t like, then suddenly you’re filled with passion, and spirit, you become this unstoppable force. I’ve never entirely understood you, but my respect for you continues to grow each time we cross paths or I hear of one of your feats.”