The Safe Zone - Reckoning (Book 2)

Epilogue: The Puppet Master

Ethan:

The rain came down in heavy sheets, the droplets slamming relentlessly against the cracked concrete of the old military base. The sound echoed through the empty corridors, the once bustling compound now a ghost of its former self. I stood at the edge of the courtyard, staring out into the downpour, my thoughts as heavy as the rain.

We had made it this far and survived against impossible odds, but I wasn't sure what came next. The survivors—what was left of them—were huddled together inside one of the safer buildings, trying to find warmth and shelter. There was no comfort in the cold, though, not for us.

Especially not for me.

Lena's absence was a constant, gnawing ache in my chest. It had been weeks since we'd lost her, but the pain hadn't dulled. If anything, it had grown sharper with time. Every day without her felt like a betrayal like I had failed her in the most fundamental way possible.

I had made a promise to her, and I had kept it. I kept fighting. But it didn't feel like enough.

A part of me was still back there, in the ruins of the Safe Zone, cradling her in my arms as the life drained from her. I couldn't shake that image; I couldn't forget the sound of her final breath. It haunted me and followed me no matter how far we traveled or how many battles we fought.

The wind howled through the courtyard, a cold, biting wind that cut through my jacket and sent a chill down my spine. I should have gone back inside, but I couldn't. Not yet.

The Directive was still out there. Even after we had destroyed their immediate plans, I knew they were regrouping. They always had a contingency, a backup plan. They wouldn't stop until their twisted vision of the future was fully realized. And now, without Lena by my side, that burden felt heavier than ever.

I heard footsteps behind me, soft and deliberate. I didn't need to turn to know it was Carter. He had kept me close since the final battle, as if he feared I might disappear, too.

"We intercepted a transmission," Carter said, his voice barely audible over the rain. "From the Enforcer remnants."

I turned slowly, my heart skipping a beat. "What did it say?"

Carter's face was grim, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion. "They're consolidating. Gathering forces in the west, near the old capital."

I clenched my fists, a surge of anger and frustration rising in my chest. The Enforcers. The Directive. They never stopped. Even now, after everything, they were still a step ahead.

"They're preparing for something," Carter continued, his voice low. "Something big."

I didn't respond. I didn't need to. We both knew what this meant. The Directive was far from defeated, and the next phase of their plan was already in motion.

"What do we do?" Carter asked after a long moment of silence.

I turned my gaze back to the horizon, watching the rain blur the landscape. "We keep fighting," I said, my voice hard. "We don't stop until they're gone for good."

Carter nodded, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes. I could see it. We were all tired, all broken in some way. But we didn't have the luxury of giving up.

"They mentioned a name," Carter said quietly, almost hesitantly. "Someone they're taking orders from. They called him 'the Overseer.'"

My heart skipped a beat—the Overseer. We had taken down the leaders of the Directive—at least, the ones we knew of. But this... this was something else.

"Who is he?" I asked, my voice tight.

Carter shook his head. "I don't know. But he's the one pulling the strings now."