Chosen (Lost Time Prequel)

Chapter Fifty Two

I've been cooperative with the entire trip to room 500. I never removed the glaring expression from my face. Not a second passed without me thinking of a way to kill all of them.

"Make sure he's restrained." Brian said. "Prepare to rewire him."

Rewire. I jerked my arms apart from each other, snapping the handcuffs. I grabbed two guards by their shirt collars and rammed them into each other, letting their heads collide. I heard another guard grip his gun and I spun around, quickly grasping the barrel of the gun. I bent it backwards so that it was rendered useless.

"Get him!" Brian shouted. I took the gun I destroyed and pistol-whipped him, then I quickly ran out of the room before anyone else could gain their composure. I had to warn Scarlet.

I couldn't stop thinking about several things. I didn't want the intrusive thoughts to distract me from reaching the Tower, but I had no control over them. My stomach churned and I felt like I was about to throw up. My temples throbbed. I could feel my insides crumple. Was this what betrayal felt like?

I never thought Simon was capable of such cruelty. I thought the torturing was all an act so that he wouldn't reveal to anyone that he was awake. Seeing how capable he was of evil with his own awareness taught me a very important lesson. You can't trust anyone.

---

My sneakers squeaked loudly against the marble floor when I nearly tripped right after I exited the stairwell. I reached Scarlet's door and started to knock rapidly. The moment she opened the door, I hurried inside and slammed the door shut. I locked it, even though I knew it wouldn't hold them back.

"What the—Collin, what's going on? Did they see you? You're so wet...i-is that blood?" Scarlet's voice started to rise to a demanding tone.

"They're coming, okay, Scarlet? I want you to get out of here and leave the city as fast as you can." I said quickly. "Don't trust Simon either. Whatever you do, please don't talk to him."

"Wait, what? Did you press the button? What did Simon do?" I pulled my hair slightly and started pacing, looking back at the door several times. So many things were going on that I was beginning to get frustrated because I couldn't tell her everything at once.

"There is no button, Scarlet!" I shouted. Then I sighed and leaned against the frame of the archway that led to her kitchen. "Simon lied to us."

"What are you saying?" She asked with alarm.

"You don't understand what I'm saying? He betrayed us! He was never on our side." I said bitterly. I walked up to her and held the sides of her face.

"Listen to me, Scarlet," I said, "Leave this place and never look back. Forget about me. If you come back for me, and if I live through this, I will never forgive you for such a foolish act. Just know that I loved you since we were first Chosen, even when you hated me." I hugged her tightly and just as we pulled apart, the entrance door was knocked off and thrown into the living room.

"Run!" I yelled. Scarlet ran towards one of her windows, but the lasers appeared over every window. She was trapped just like I was. She ran back to my side. Even more guards were with Brian this time. There was no escape.

"Oh, how sweet." Brian said mockingly. "You know, when I saw that you had feelings for her, I should have known that you were on your way to corruption, Collin. I've tried too many times trying to preserve you. I've never found anyone stronger, but I think I'll be able to live without you."

"You can't remove anyone's emotions or keep them from falling in love. You can't take away our morality either. If you do any of that, you take away our humanity!" I said.

"That's the point! You're Assault Leaders! You're not supposed to have morals, you're supposed to keep the citizens under control!" Brian snapped.

"By killing them every time they do something wrong? If you keep doing that, there won't be any citizens to control!" I retorted. Brian's eyes flashed to Scarlet, who was standing just inches away from my side.

"It's not your fault you're so corrupted. I should have gotten rid of your weakness when you two were training." Brian pulled a gun out of the holster of a soldier that stood next to him. He quickly pointed it at Scarlet and I instantly jumped in front of her defensively.

"Kill me." I said quickly. "We have a history that doesn't involve her. Leave Scarlet out of it. From what I saw, I was already messed up way before I met her."

"It sickens me that you would give up your life for a girl like her. She does nothing but follows you around. She's a waste of a perfectly good pent house!" Scarlet stepped from behind me.

"I didn't ask for any of this s—"

"Let's get this over with." I interjected. Brian paused for a minute and then lowered his gun.

"Take them to the cells. I'll decide the rest by morning." Brian said. "In the meantime, keep an eye on those two." He turned around and went through the crowd of guards. The moment he left, they restrained us and led us to the second floor where the Electron was.

---

They put us in cells. Scarlet and I were just one wall away from each other. I sat on the ground with my back leaning against the wall that separated us. I rested my forearms on my knees and closed my eyes. I tried to clear my mind and focus on the situation logically. I haven't been my usual self in the past few hours. I've never been known to have such a temper.

"After seeing so many people behind these bars through the years, I always thought it would remain that way." I said suddenly. My voice echoed shortly through the corridors. "I never thought I would be the one in the cage." I chuckled to myself as I realized that I was going to die the same way my victims did. Fair enough.

I heard a sniffle emitting from the cell next to me.

"I can't...believe...Simon would do this to us." Scarlet said. Her voice was edgy. "I mean...what could have been so much more important than our lives?"

"I don't know." I said with a tight jaw. I buried my forehead in my palms. "I don't care." I wish I had enough time to make him suffer too.

"Maybe he isn't awake or maybe Brian rewired—"

"No, Scarlet. He is awake. He's just heartless." I said. "Try to accept it, okay? We don't want to die heartbroken."

"Something tells me that's inevitable." She said. I heard her yawn and her body shift in the cell.

"I'm going to go ahead and sleep for the last time and you should try too." Scarlet said solemnly. "Night, Collin."

"Good night." I said quietly. I slept for the last time several years ago. There was no turning back for me now.

Brian found me. There was no button to save the Domians. Simon betrayed us. I couldn't think of anything worse at first until I came to a new conclusion.

It is impossible to stop the Limits of the Domians.