The Program [COMPLETED]

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Aiden," Zariah beckoned.

Aiden and Zariah had been escorted to the very basement of Second Unit headquarters, where the Pit was. Aiden's whole body was numb. Now they were sitting along a worn metal bench in the dark collection of prison cells that made up the Pit. He couldn't get the images of the woman and the man he'd killed out of his mind. It was as if they were permanently burned into his memory, and he was forever unable to escape the horror of his actions. He squeezed his eyes shut, fearing that he'd see the dead bodies of the civilians if he opened them.

He felt Zariah's nimble fingers brush his hand, and he instantly recoiled, snapping his eyes open and looking at her wildly. Her blue eyes were soft and unthreatening. She took his hand again and held it close to her.

"It's me," she murmured. "It's me. Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

"I know," Aiden sighed. His voice sounded strained, and a lump had risen in the back of his throat, making his entire chest cavity tighten with emotion. "I'm fine."

"You're not," Zariah replied curtly. "You didn't kill those people."

Aiden spun around, gritting his teeth. "How can you say that?" he spat. "Of course I killed them. I should have just kept my mouth shut and gone with Xylem's agenda. If I hadn't tried to be a hero, those people would still be alive and we wouldn't be here. I wanted to enlist the people's help, and now I'm the most hated man in the damn country. This is exactly what Xylem wanted."

"Xylem was going to kill those people regardless of whether or not you pulled the trigger," Zariah argued. "If you hadn't done it, they might have ended up as test subjects, or worse. Xylem loves to kill. It's more than just business to him; it's what he lives for."

"He was going to use Jayda to entice a war. How could he even do that?" Aiden balled his hands into fists. "How can the others be so blind towards the Program? How could they just follow along so obediently?"

"We were exactly like them up until we realized the truth," Zariah said sadly. She stared down at her feet, and Aiden felt the need to comfort her. He wrapped a shaky arm around her, drawing her closer to him.

"I just don't understand why people think that my life is worth sparing," Zariah remarked bitterly. "There's enough blood on my hands to compete with Xylem."

"That's not true. You never asked for any of this. You especially didn't ask for your Unit to end up the way it did. How could any of this be on you?" Aiden gazed at her wearily. "You're the last person I'd put the blame on."

"How many times was I meant to be buried in the ground?" Zariah slammed a fist against the nearby wall. "I should be dead, Aiden. How am I still alive?"

"I'm sorry. I couldn't kill you," he whispered. Zariah looked up at him, her eyes bleak. "I just couldn't. You meant too much to me. Even though they were two lives, yours just somehow outweighed them. Fuck, what am I even saying?" He shook his head, furious with himself.

"Life is measured in complex, controversial ways," Zariah managed, staring into empty space. "What makes someone's life worth more than another's? How do you even weigh something like that? The truth is, you can't."

Aiden took a deep, ragged breath before exhaling slowly. He focused on Zariah's slender body beside his, all the features that had become so meaningful to him wrapped up in the small package that resided barely inches away.

"No one should have to make a choice like that," she breathed.

"But I did," Aiden hung his head.

"You did," she agreed. "And I don't think either of us will ever know why you had to."

They sat there in silence for what felt like forever, holding onto each other's company. Surely Aiden would have gone mad by now if Zariah hadn't been with him. He slumped against the wall, reminiscing on better times to take his mind off everything that had just occurred. He remembered the feeling of waking up next to Zariah the morning after she'd told him about her past, and how much he longed to have her there again every night since. He felt his heart race slightly just at the very idea of having her again. However, his own dark thoughts crippled his emotions, reminding him once again that especially after the day's events, Zariah deserved someone far better than himself.