The Collision (Sequel to The Division)

Chapter 16 (Autumn)

There wasn't much left that I could do. After Icas' men captured me in Nichole's room, I was escorted to a room almost identical to the one I found her in. I didn't fight or resist any of it, which probably surprised the guards who were expecting a problematic escapee. In all honesty, I was too distracted to try to escape. I managed to use my newly discovered gift to find out what exactly happened to my friend, and what I found was surprising.

Lucas betrayed her and managed to get her locked up here. I was stunned at how easily he fooled us, but more so by the fact that he did it. So the grand total of people who have turned against us is four. Lucas, Dagger- or I guess I'll call him Xavier now-, James, and River's evil side. Well, River's evil side was bound to turn on us anyway, but the other three were just bad choices on our parts.

Who knew we could have such bad luck in the dating world?

My mind drifted to other places as they attached the tubes and began to drain the life out of me, but in the end I was still scared. I didn't want to die before all of this was over. It was such a lame way to go.

I was dragged out of my thoughts as the door opened and Lucas entered the room calmly. He found a chair sitting against the wall and sat in it. He seemed different, more hostile than usual, but his eyes were his giveaway. He was having a rough time, and I'm pretty sure I was the only one who noticed.

He didn't speak to me. He just stared in silence, watching the blood leave my body and flow into the next room. I wasn't mad at him for some reason. Normally you would be furious if your step-brother stabbed you in the back, but for some reason I wasn't. Maybe it was the inevitability of my death that suppressed my rage, but I remained calm as I broke the silence,

"I bet you talked to her while she was dying too, didn't you. Just like this?"

I took his silence as a yes and continued,

"I bet you watched her take her final breath. I bet you were convincing yourself not to run over to her and yank the tubes out of her arms. I bet it hurt watching the woman you love die right before your eyes. Didn't it Lucas?" I was pushing him, and I knew it, but I wanted him to feel bad. I wanted him to feel the pain I was feeling. He wasn't looking at me, but his foot was tapping on the floor. I could tell he was at the brink of breaking. "I can tell you've been beating yourself up since you did it too. I can see it in your eyes. You haven't slept since it happened. What's wrong brother, the guilt too much to handle?"

"Shut up." His voice spoke sharply, cutting through the air like a blade. He was trying his best to hide his emotions, but he was failing miserably.

"Why'd you do it?" I asked.

"I didn't have a choice." He said roughly, sounding defeated.

I laughed, but it came out raspy due to my condition. The machine beeped past 50%. "You had a choice, you just made the wrong decision."

He stayed quiet for a small amount of time. I was just about to repeat the question when he lifted his head up and looked me in the eyes, "You weren't supposed to be apart of this."
The words surprised me, but I let him continue without interruption. "The deal was that I help him with this plan, but he had to leave you out of this."

"So you found Nichole and tricked her into falling for you so that when the time came, taking her would be easy for you, correct?"

He nodded, "The only problem was-,"

"You fell for her too." I finished for him.

"I didn't think it would be such a big deal. I could just get her out of the plan early, but then Zayin found out. He came up with the idea for me to take Nichole and if I didn't follow, he'd out me to Icas and have me executed publicly."

I was shocked by his words, but more so by the actions he had decided to take, "It's pathetic to think that you didn't even consider letting yourself die instead of letting her die. I thought you loved her a little more than that, but obviously you just cared about yourself more."

"I'M GOING TO DIE ANYWAY AUTUMN!" His sudden outburst threw me off guard. He took a breath before going into detail, "Even if his whole plan goes flawlessly, he's still going to kill everyone that works for him because we know too much. He stands up and hold out his arm to show a small lump in it. "You want to know what that is? It's a chip. If I step one toe out of line, he can kill me just like that."

I stare at his arm in awe. "How long have you had that?"

"Since the day I left the house back when I was 'captured' by the Diamond Nation. Why do you think I didn't come back immediately to see if you were alright when I got out? It wasn't part of the plan. You weren't a part of the plan."

"Well you telling me all of this probably isn't apart of the plan either, is it?"

"No, it's not, but I'm willing to pay the price now."

I stay quiet for a moment, looking back at the monitor which had just moved up to 70%. He interrupts my thoughts, "Most people would have been unconscious at 45%."

"Well I guess I'm not like most people then." I hesitate before I speak again, "You're a coward, Lucas."

"I don't need you telling me what I already know. I needed her to hate me, so that's what I did."

"Now she's dead."

"I know that, but soon I will be too."

The machine moved to 80% and the two of us stilled. My voice is weak, but I ask the question anyway, "How long do you have?"

"Once he notices I'm in here, the chip will release a poison. I'll be gone before you are."

"You watched her die Lucas."

"And I will forever regret it."

The machine moves to 90% and I find it harder to keep my eyes open. "You're letting me die."

"You don't need to be apart of this anymore. Besides, you still have a chan-," But he is cut off by the poison traveling through his bloodstream. He inhales sharply, crumpling to the floor, and soon he was gone. A quick and painless death was handed to him on a silver platter and he took it with fake regrets.

I scoff at the thought of feeling sorry for his death. He lost my respect when he chose cowardice over courage. The man who died before me was most certainly not the brother that I knew.

Leaning back against my pillow, I shut my eyes and wait till the end. His last sentence rattles in my brain for a few moments, but instead of trying to comprehend it, I push it to the side. No point in dwelling on possibilities when I'm already out of time.

The machine hit 98% and I feel the room shake with a familiar rumble. I was far too weak to be using any powers, so it was purely my own body working on it own. Roots burst through the steel walls with a strength that I didn't know I was capable of. They surround me gently, covering my body from head to toe and forming a protective cocoon. I take a final breath as the roots stilled, having completely encased me and as the machine beeps for the last time I exhale slowly, following my breath into a whole other realm of darkness.

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This chapter was really dramatic for me to write. This whole book is becoming really dramatic. Geez.

Alright be on the look out for the next chapter. We're nowhere near the end of this story. Things are going to be more and more interesting from here.

Bye!