Shattered Trust

The tension between us was suffocating. Every step through the tunnel felt heavier, each breath laden with the weight of unspoken truths. I could hear Zeke muttering curses under his breath, Apollo's silence growing darker as we pressed forward, and Lylia... she had fallen behind, lingering like a ghost. We all felt it—this would be the moment when everything came to light. When whatever was left of our trust shattered for good.

Zeke's voice cut through the silence, his tablet glowing faintly in the darkness. "There's a maintenance ladder up ahead that should take us to the surface," he said, but his voice lacked its usual confidence. "If it's still usable."

I looked over my shoulder at Lylia, her face pale and withdrawn, her arms crossed as if trying to protect herself from what was coming. I knew the truth now. She had sold us out. And yet, a part of me wanted to understand why.

"Why didn't you tell us?" I asked, my voice steady, though my insides churned with a mix of anger and disappointment. "Why did you let us trust you, when you were working with them the whole time?"

Lylia looked up, her expression a mixture of guilt and something colder—resignation. "You wouldn't have understood," she said quietly. "I didn't have a choice."

Zeke scoffed, his voice filled with bitterness as he tapped at his tablet. "There's always a choice, Lylia. You just made the wrong one."

She flinched at his words but didn't argue. "They knew everything. They knew where we were going, what we were planning. They threatened my family, Liberty. They said they'd kill them if I didn't cooperate. What was I supposed to do?"

Her words hung in the air, and for a moment, none of us spoke. I felt a strange, cold sympathy creeping over me. The government's reach was far greater than we ever imagined, and Lylia had been caught in their net. But that didn't make it any easier to swallow.

"You could've told us," Apollo said, his voice low but firm. "We would've found another way."

Lylia's eyes flashed with frustration. "You don't get it. They're not just after the files. They're after us. All of us. They don't care about the infected, about the truth, or even the cure. All they care about is control. I didn't want to be their enemy."

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. "And now you're their ally?"

For a moment, I thought she would argue, but then she shook her head, her eyes dull. "I'm just trying to survive."

We reached the base of the ladder, the cold metal damp and rusted. Zeke started to climb, his movements quick and agitated, desperate to get out of the tunnel. Apollo followed, his eyes darting between me and Lylia, clearly sensing the confrontation that was about to happen.

I hesitated, turning to face Lylia one last time. "Are you coming with us or staying with them?"

She looked away, her shoulders slumping. "They've granted me immunity. I won't have to run. I won't have to hide anymore. If I stay with you, I'm dead."

I felt the air leave my lungs. She was choosing the government over us. Over the truth. Over everything we had fought for. "You're really going to turn your back on us for a false promise of safety?"

Lylia's voice trembled. "They're not going to stop, Liberty. They won't stop until they have complete control, and anyone who stands in their way... you'll be hunted for the rest of your lives. I'm just trying to stay alive."

"You could still come with us," I said, my voice softer, almost pleading. "We can find another way."

She shook her head. "I can't. It's too late."

And with that, the last thread between us snapped. I climbed the ladder without another word, feeling the cold metal bite into my hands, the weight of what had just happened dragging me down. She had made her choice, and we had made ours.

As I pulled myself onto the surface, the first breath of cold, crisp air hit me like a slap. I took a moment to steady myself, staring out at the barren, abandoned construction site we had emerged into. Steel beams and unfinished structures rose around us like skeletal remains of the old world, casting long, ominous shadows in the dying light of the overcast sky.

Zeke was already scanning the horizon, his face hard and unreadable. Apollo stood by his side, his expression tight with tension. They both knew what had happened down there—what Lylia had chosen.

"She's not coming," I said quietly, though I didn't need to.

Zeke glanced back at me, his jaw clenched. "Good."

Apollo's gaze softened, but he didn't say anything. We had lost a friend, and now we were on our own.

"We need to move quickly," Zeke said, turning back to his tablet. "I'll find us a safe location to regroup. Somewhere off the grid."

But as he said it, I saw the doubt in his eyes. We could run, but how long before the government caught up with us again? How long before they tracked us down?

I glanced back at the hatch, half-expecting Lylia to climb out and follow us, but the cold, empty silence was all that greeted me.

She had made her choice.

And we had made ours.