TWO OF US [ENGLISH]

Chapter 3.3 || ABBY

I open my eyes slowly, which feel impossible to lift. My head aches painfully, as if it weighs a ton. After several blinks, I finally see the familiar face of Abby, leaning over me with a look of worry and relief. As I look around, I realize I'm back at the WLF main camp. Abby gives me a faint smile, her eyes showing a mix of anger and empathy. Even though I'm safe, a worry remains.

"Hey..." Abby murmurs in a broken voice.

I can't say anything, my throat tight with anxiety and confusion. I stare at her intensely, desperately trying to read her intentions. Why is she with that jerk James Russo? Isaac ordered him to kill me when he found out about my immunity. Why ally with him? Questions swirl in my head, and each second of silence stretches the moment into infinity, increasing my feeling of betrayal.

"I know what you must be thinking, Lilianna, I..."

I frown, trying to anticipate her next words. A silent, malicious anger fills my mind.

"You what?" I say harshly. "You regret locking me up here? You didn't want to do it? You had no choice?"
"You think it's easy?"
"It. Is. Easy!"

I get up from my chair and move closer to the metal bars surrounding me.

"You had a choice, Abby, and you chose... this camp."
"You..."

She stands up and approaches the cage, her steps echoing softly on the floor. She looks at me with a troubling intensity, her eyes full of sadness despite her tough exterior. Behind this impassive facade, I sense a hidden vulnerability, a deep pain she tries to hide.

"You left, Lilianna. Without telling me anything."
"I had no choice."
"So you have a choice, but I don't?"

I sigh and close my eyes for a few seconds.

"Abby, I had to leave."
"Yes, yes, I know you're immune to the virus. You also hid this truth from me."
"It's complicated, I had to leave, I didn't have time to tell you."
"But you had time to tell Matt, though. Damn!"

She turns away, avoiding my gaze, and lets out a light growl. I try to think of a way to escape. My thoughts focus on Ellie. I don't even know if she's okay. If... she's alive. I focus on Abby in front of me, staring at the floor intensely.

"Abby... I didn't want to hurt you."
"But you did."
"Please, let me out. They want to kill me, Abby."
"For a good reason."
"Are you serious?"
"We can finally get rid of this mess."

She finally turns back to me, her eyes glassy. Her emotions choke her.

"Isaac only cares about himself. He doesn't care about you."
"Just like you."
"I care about you, Abby."
"Shut up! You've been messing with me for years, Lilianna."
"How?"
"I was in love with you! You didn't even notice for a second."

My face softens, looking at hers attentively. I'm speechless. She was in love with me and I... with her. We never took the step.

"I... was too, Abby."
"What?" she says in a softvoice.
"I was in love with y—"

The doors burst open, letting Isaac and James in. Some guards accompany them, but nothing more intimidating. James scrutinizes me from head to toe. My facial expression hardens as I look at them one by one. Abby steps back a few steps, head down. She is much less confident than before my revelations.

"So, Lilianna. You really thought you could leave without saying goodbye?" Isaac says, putting his weapon on the table.
"I had to. You wanted me dead."
"Yes, and thanks to Matt for telling us everything."

Abby's face tenses at the mention of Matt's name. Was she not aware?

"You know, you and your father killed several of our men."
"You killed my father, so I guess we're even."
"What?" says Abby, surprised.
"Get out!" Isaac yells, raising his voice.

She gives me one last piercing look, full of reproach, then heads for the exit. Isaac slowly approaches me and stops a few steps from the cage. After all he did to my mother and me afterward, I swear to kill him with my own hands.

"Just like your mother, stubborn to the core. You know... everything I'm doing now is just to save the entire world. You are the source, the core to save us all."
"You're a real jerk."
"No! You're selfish. You only think about yourself, Lilianna. You can save future generations and you... you only think about staying alive for what? Huh? Your family is dead."

I widen my eyes, seized by uncontrollable rage, and grab his shirt collar tightly, slamming him several times against the cage bars.

"I'm going to kill you!"

I keep hitting him until James's large hands throw me to the ground. He entered the cage so quickly that I hadn't noticed sooner.

"Finish her," Isaac says without a hint of regret.

Lying on the cold floor, the only thing I think about is Ellie. All those moments with her: the cries, the laughs, the passion. I no longer have the strength to fight. My parents are dead and I'm alone, not knowing if Ellie is still alive. I close my eyes, letting a tear roll down my cheek, waiting for total darkness to take over. Suddenly, the door opens and gunshots ring out. Several people fall violently to the ground, others are injured, including James and Isaac. I lift my head to see Abby running towards me and kneeling beside me.

"Are you okay, nothing hurt?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Come on, let's get out of here."

She helps me up, and I firmly grab Isaac's gun before following Abby out of the room. We run while staying discreet, careful not to be spotted, until we reach the exit on the roof. I anxiously scan the surroundings, hoping to see Ellie, but in vain. Just a few seconds later, loud bangs echo against the hatch.

"Abby!!" the man shouts.

Abby approaches the concrete wall and sees a lower balcony.

"Jump."
"Are you coming with me?"
"No, I'll hold them off."
"Not without you."
"Lilianna, this is not the time to argue, jump!"
"No! Not this time. You come with me or I stay here."
"Well, I'll have to do it myself."

She grabs me effortlessly to push me towards the edge of the concrete wall, but I manage to struggle a bit.

"Stop it, Abby, I don't want to abandon you again."

I keep resisting until she blocks my lower body against the concrete wall and presses her chest against mine. Our faces are so close that our gazes flicker left and right. Her lips crush against mine with such devoted passion it feels almost unreal. Ellie remains the love of my life, but this kiss represents a goodbye, repressed a past love, and friendship. I have felt strong emotions for Abby in the past and I know the old me would have been thrilled. She slowly pulls back, removing her lips one by one, then gives me a heartbreaking look.

"Go," she whispers.

Without further questioning, I climb onto the wall and jump to the lower balcony. I look up and pray with all my being that she will make it out.

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