The Safe Zone - Ascension (Book 5)

Chapter 4: A Divided Resistance

The air in the central hall felt heavy, weighed down by tension building for days. Since our return from the tower, I couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to crack, like the thin ice surface before it gave way. The remnants of the resistance were still gathered, their eyes on me, waiting for answers, but I could see the fractures forming beneath their outward calm.

The tower had left me rattled, shaken to my core by Ethan's echoing voice and the fragmented image of him flickering across the screens. He'd said one word that wouldn't stop gnawing at the edges of my thoughts: Awakening. I had no idea what it meant, but I knew it was a warning. The last time Ethan gave me a warning, it saved us all from the Directive's final phase. I wasn't going to ignore this one.

But now, as I stood before my people, the burden of leadership felt heavier than it ever had. Carter stood beside me, a constant pillar of strength, but even his presence couldn't dispel the growing doubt in the room. Elias, who had once been one of our most trusted commanders, was leaning against the far wall, his arms crossed, his face hardened with disdain. He wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. The factions had been quietly forming for weeks, but now it was coming to a head. They wanted to question whether I was still fit to lead.

I could feel their eyes on me as I stood at the center of the room, the flickering torchlight casting long shadows on the walls. The faces that had once looked to me with hope now looked with doubt, and it twisted something deep inside me.

"We've lost too much already," Elias said, his voice slicing through the tense silence like a blade. "And now Lena wants to lead us into another war, based on what? A ghost? A flicker of data on a screen?"

I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to keep my composure. He didn't understand. He hadn't been there. He hadn't seen Ethan's face but heard his voice. He hadn't felt the raw terror of knowing that the Directive—or something worse—was stirring again.

"You weren't there," I said, my voice quieter than intended, but it held a dangerous edge. "You didn't see what I saw. Ethan is still out there, and he warned me about something. The Awakening. Whatever it is, it's real. And if we don't stop it, we could lose everything. Again."

Elias pushed off the wall and took a few steps closer, his eyes cold and calculating. "What if you're wrong, Lena? What if this is just your grief talking? We've all lost people we care about, but we can't keep fighting forever. The Directive is gone. We need to focus on rebuilding. People are tired, they're hungry, and they don't want another war. They want stability."

I stepped toward him, the tension between us thick enough to choke on. "I understand that," I said, my voice sharp with barely contained frustration. "But you're not listening. This isn't about what we want but what's coming. There's something out there, something bigger than just the Directive's remnants. We can't afford to sit back and hope it goes away."

Elias shook his head, his jaw tight. "And what if you're wrong? What if there is no new threat? What if this is just your way of holding onto power because you don't know how to live without a fight?"

The accusation hit me like a punch to the gut, and I could feel the anger rising inside me. How dare he? How dare he accuse me of clinging to power when all I'd done, all I'd ever done, was fight for these people? Fight for their lives, for their future. I had sacrificed more than he could ever understand.

"I didn't ask for this," I snapped, my voice rising. "I didn't ask to lead. I didn't ask to lose Ethan. But I'm here and trying to keep us all alive. If you think I'm wrong, if you think I'm making all this up, then fine. But don't you dare accuse me of holding onto power for its own sake. I'd give anything to go back, to live in a world without fighting for every scrap of hope. But that's not the world we live in, Elias. So stop pretending it is."

The room fell silent. I could feel the weight of everyone's gaze on me, the air thick with tension. I looked around, seeing the uncertainty in their eyes and the fear of the unknown. They were tired. They had been fighting for so long, and part of them wanted to believe that it was over, that we could rebuild and move on. But I knew better. I had seen the signs. I had heard Ethan's voice.

Carter stepped forward then, placing a hand on my shoulder in solidarity. His voice was calm but firm as he addressed the room. "We've all lost people," he said, his gaze sweeping over the gathered resistance. "We've all suffered. But Lena's right. There's something out there. I don't know what it is, but I trust her. She's led us this far, and we're still here. If she says there's a threat, I believe her."

Elias' expression hardened, but I could see the flicker of doubt in his eyes. He wasn't ready to give in, but he wasn't sure anymore, either. That doubt was all I needed.

"I'm not asking you to follow me blindly," I said, my voice softer now. "I'm asking you to trust me. Just like you've always trusted me. I don't know exactly what's coming, but I know it's real. And if we don't stop it, we'll lose everything we fought for."

Elias crossed his arms again, his lips pressed into a thin line. "And what do you propose we do, Lena? March out there, guns blazing, chasing after shadows?"

I shook my head. "No. We don't march out there recklessly. We prepare. We gather information. Marian is already working on decoding more of the data from the Directive's systems. There's something buried in there, something connected to the Awakening. We must figure out what it is before it's too late."

"And if there is no threat?" Elias asked, his voice laced with skepticism.

"Then we'll deal with that when the time comes," I said, meeting his gaze head-on. "But we can't afford to sit around and hope everything is fine. We've seen what happens when we ignore the signs. We've seen what happens when we let our guard down. I won't let that happen again."

Elias didn't respond right away. He stood there, staring at me with those cold eyes as if trying to read the truth in my words. Finally, he let out a long breath and shook his head.

"Fine," he said, his tone begrudging. "But I'm not blindly following you into another war, Lena. If we're going to do this, we do it smartly. We get the information, and we make a plan. No more rushing in without a clear goal."

I nodded. "Agreed."

The tension in the room began to ease, but the rift between us remained. I knew Elias wasn't entirely convinced, and I wasn't sure if the others were either. But for now, it was enough. We had time—just barely.

As the meeting began to break up, I caught Carter's eye. He gave me a reassuring nod, but I could see the worry on his face. He didn't say it, but I knew what he was thinking: this wasn't over. The divide in the resistance would only get worse; sooner or later, we'd have to face that reality.

I stood there momentarily, watching as the others filed out of the hall, their murmurs of uncertainty filling the air. The weight of leadership pressed down on me harder than ever, but there was a flicker of hope beneath the doubt. Ethan's voice still echoed in my mind, and I knew, deep down, that we were running out of time.