The Garden of Eden (Silent Moments Series: Book 5)

Chapter 29

The gunfire and chaos blaring over the laser-comm radio became too much to bear. With a sense of resignation, I turned it off, unable to escape the feeling of Madi's glare boring into the back of my head. Her silence since the incident with McCreary spoke volumes.

"Octavia would have killed us," I sighed, trying to justify our decision amidst the turmoil.

"Kegan, they're getting slaughtered," Madi's voice was filled with a mixture of anger and despair.

"We made our choice," I stated, though each word felt heavier than the last.

"You made your choice," Madi corrected sharply.

Turning my attention to my mother, I joined her side. "Last patient. You did good, mom," I said, offering a small smile. "After this, you should rest. Madi and I will take care of the cleanup."

My mother sighed wearily. "After this, it needs to get easier. I need it to get easier," she admitted, her voice tinged with exhaustion.

I hesitated before asking, "The overdose... was it an accident?"

"I don't know..." she whispered, the uncertainty in her voice echoing her internal struggle.

"We're together now," I reassured her, placing my hand on her shoulder. She clung to it tightly. "And we'll get through this, too... all of us."

Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed Madi was gone. "Madi?" I called out, a surge of panic rising within me. I hurriedly checked my jacket pockets and realized the keys were missing. "She's going to fight. I have to stop her."

"I'll go with you," my mother offered.

"No, you need to rest. I'll bring her back," I insisted, though her resolve to help was clear.

"She'll just do it again. As long as that thing is in her head—"

"I promised her I wouldn't take it out. What am I supposed to do?" I asked, torn between my promise and the reality of the situation.

"You're asking someone who sent 100 kids to the ground to save her own daughter from being floated," she reminded me.

"So, whatever it takes, then?" I questioned, seeking affirmation.

"Whatever it takes," she agreed.

I rushed to the cave where the rover was parked, only to find Madi, frustrated and unable to leave. "It won't start," I said, revealing my sabotage. "I took out the conductor. Now let's go."

"Fine," she snapped, her determination unyielding. "I'll walk then, now get out of my way."

But I blocked her path, using my body as a barrier. When she tried to dart past me, I wrapped her in my arms, determined to keep her safe. "Uh! Let go of me!"

"Madi!" I scolded. "Ascende superius."

She pushed back from me, her expression one of shock and defiance. "You took out the conductor. I changed the pass phrase. I'm not a child anymore, Kegan. I'm the Commander, and my people are dying."

Her words and actions were a stark reminder of the burden she carried and the transformation she had undergone. The conflict between my desire to protect her and her sense of duty as the Commander was a chasm that seemed to be widening with every passing moment. As I stood there, facing the young woman who was both my child and a leader, I grappled with the enormity of our situation and the difficult decisions that lay ahead.

As I stood there, facing the dilemma that Madi's defiance posed, I realized that my options were dwindling. Her intelligence and determination, traits I had always admired, now put us in a precarious position. With a heavy heart, I nodded and pulled her into a hug, masking my true intention. Before she could react, I swiftly clipped a collar around her neck. She walked past me, unsuspecting, and the moment she was clear, I reluctantly pulled the trigger. The sound of her scream as she fell to the ground was something I knew would haunt me. She passed out shortly after, and I found myself overwhelmed with nausea and guilt. I spent the next ten minutes violently throwing up, grappling with the reality of what I had just done. "Who am I right now? What kind of parent does this to their child?" The questions echoed in my mind, each one a piercing reminder of the harrowing path I had chosen.