The Midnight Train

3: A Choice

The car pulled up to the entrance of a secluded hideout, nestled among the trees, with the afternoon sun casting golden light across the dusty road. The place looked nondescript-an old, weathered building, its paint peeling and the windows covered with grime. The kind of place no one would think twice about. Nolan killed the engine, and for a moment, the silence between them returned, thick and heavy.

Lydia stared at the hideout through the windshield, her pulse quickening. The building looked as cold and empty as the abandoned site he had taken her to. The unease that had settled in the pit of her stomach hadn't left since she woke up with Nolan, and it hadn't lessened with all his confessions.

"Are you going to kidnap me now?" Lydia asked dryly, her voice carrying a sarcastic edge, though her heart raced with doubt. She turned to him, her gaze sharp, searching his face for any flicker of deceit.

Nolan's expression didn't change, but there was a faint tension around his mouth. "If I wanted to kidnap you, Lydia, you wouldn't have gotten this far," he replied calmly, stepping out of the car.

Lydia huffed, her fingers drumming against her leg as she watched him walk around the car. He opened her door, but she made no move to get out.

"And why exactly should I trust you?" she asked, not budging from her seat. "After everything you've told me? After admitting you were working with those people?"

Nolan sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. His gaze met hers, unwavering. "Because right now, you don't have a choice. You don't know who's after you, and you don't know who you can trust. If you try to do this on your own, they will find you, and when they do, they won't leave you alive this time."

Lydia's eyes narrowed, her jaw tightening. "You sound like you're still trying to control me, Nolan. Like I'm supposed to believe you're the only one who can help me. But the truth is, I don't need you. I can figure this out on my own."

Nolan laughed softly, shaking his head. "Really? You don't even know who you are. You can't remember what happened to you, and you want to walk out there like you can solve this alone? Amnesia doesn't just fade away overnight, Lydia. It could take months, even years, to come back, if it ever does. And by the time you've pieced together enough to make sense of all this, it'll be too late."

Lydia swung her legs out of the car, planting her feet firmly on the ground as she stood up to face him. "I'm not your prisoner," she said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm going to find out who I was-who I am-by myself. I don't need you watching over me, leading me around like I'm some helpless victim."

Nolan's eyes darkened, but there was a flicker of something else there-maybe admiration for her stubbornness, or maybe resignation. He stepped back, giving her space, his voice measured as he replied. "You're free to go," he said simply. "But remember this: the moment you leave here, you're on your own. You have no memory, no plan, and no idea what you're up against. I'm offering you protection, Lydia, not captivity. But if you think you can do better out there alone, then go ahead."

Lydia stared at him, her heart pounding. She knew he was right. She didn't have a plan. Her memory was like a broken mirror, shards of her past too scattered and sharp to make sense of. But she wasn't about to admit that-not to him.

Instead, she turned on her heel and walked away, her back straight and her head held high, even though uncertainty gnawed at her insides. The gravel crunched beneath her feet as she headed toward the woods that surrounded the hideout, the afternoon light filtering through the trees in long, golden rays. She had no idea where she was going, but anything felt better than staying under Nolan's watch.

Behind her, she heard Nolan's footsteps retreat as he moved back toward the building. "The door's open if you change your mind," he called out after her, his voice calm but distant. "Whenever you're ready to face reality, you know where to find me."

Lydia didn't look back. She kept walking, her pace quickening as if she could outrun the truth. But with each step she took away from the hideout, the weight of everything that had happened-the amnesia, the Syndicate, Nolan's betrayal-pressed down on her. She didn't know where she was going, and as much as she hated to admit it, Nolan was right. She didn't have a plan. She didn't even know where to begin.

But she wasn't going to turn back now. Not yet.

The trees thickened around her as she ventured farther, the sounds of the hideout fading into the distance. For a moment, the quiet was almost peaceful, the warm afternoon air brushing against her skin. But the peace was short-lived. Doubt crept in, its voice loud and insistent in her mind. How far could she really get with no memory and no idea who she could trust?

Her steps slowed, the reality of her situation starting to sink in. She stopped walking, staring at the dirt path beneath her feet. Maybe Nolan had a point. Maybe she did need him-for now, at least. But trusting him? That was something else entirely.

She glanced back over her shoulder, the hideout barely visible through the trees. Part of her wanted to keep walking, to prove that she could do this on her own. But another part of her-one that was growing louder-wondered if going back might be the smarter move. At least for now.

Taking a deep breath, Lydia stood there, torn between her pride and the harsh reality of her situation. She could walk away and risk everything, or she could go back and play it safe, at least until she knew more.

Her feet stayed rooted to the spot as the sun began to sink lower in the sky.