Shattered trust

Chapter 37:Shattered Trust

The sound of the sirens was deafening, but Elias couldn't hear them. Not over the buzzing in his own ears. The tunnel was still alive with the remnants of chaos. Gunfire, shouting, the screech of metal on metal. But for Elias, it all felt distant now. He had been running on adrenaline, but that was starting to wear off. What was left was the emptiness, the hollow pit in his stomach where the weight of his decisions sat heavily.

Cassandra was pulling Collins along, but he wasn't fighting her anymore. The man had more wounds than Elias cared to count, and it was all Elias' fault. The thought gnawed at him as he jogged behind them, keeping watch. His eyes constantly darted to the darkened corners of the tunnel, knowing Vale could be lurking in any one of them, waiting for the right moment to strike.

They had won this battle, but the war? That was far from over.

"Elias," Cassandra's voice broke through his haze of thoughts. She turned to him, urgency in her tone. "We need to get out of here, now. He's not going to stop. Vale's been planning this for too long."

"I know," Elias replied, his voice rough. His thoughts drifted back to Vale's final words—it's only the beginning. He didn't know what Vale meant by that, but the unease that settled in his chest told him it wasn't just empty words. Vale had always been two steps ahead. Always.

They reached the exit. The cool night air hit Elias in the face, a welcome relief. But as they stepped into the street, it felt like they were walking into the lion's den.

A sleek black car sat waiting at the curb. No one had called for it, but Elias didn't question it. Cassandra helped Collins into the back seat before sliding in next to him. Elias climbed in last, taking the passenger seat.

The driver didn't speak as they pulled away from the scene of the skirmish, and for a long while, none of them said anything. The only sound was the hum of the engine and the occasional cough from Collins, whose face was pale, a stark contrast to his usual cocky demeanor.

Elias stared out the window, his mind racing. They had to keep moving. They couldn't stop. The moment they did, Vale would find them. It was only a matter of time.

"We need a plan," Elias finally said, breaking the silence.

Collins shifted, trying to sit up straighter, though it clearly hurt him. "Yeah, no kidding. But how do you expect to get rid of Vale now? You saw him. He's untouchable."

"Not untouchable," Elias muttered, his fingers drumming against the window. "But close. He's always one step ahead, and now that he knows I'm serious, he's going to do whatever it takes to end this. And I can't let him do that. Not again."

The car sped through the city, the lights flickering past in a blur, but Elias barely noticed them. He was too lost in his thoughts, too consumed by the weight of what had just happened.

Cassandra's voice broke through again. "Elias, I need you to listen to me. You can't do this alone. You need backup. People you can trust."

Elias didn't respond. The truth was, he didn't know who he could trust anymore. Vale had corrupted everything, twisted every relationship into something unrecognizable. And now, he wasn't even sure if Collins still trusted him, let alone anyone else.

"Elias," Collins rasped, his voice weak but firm. "You need to stop blaming yourself. This isn't on you. It never was."

Elias turned to look at him. The man was bleeding, half-dead, but still managing to look him straight in the eye. "You nearly died tonight, Collins. I put you in that position. I—"

"Stop," Collins cut him off, his voice surprisingly strong despite his condition. "You didn't do anything wrong. You did what you had to do. And I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Yeah," Elias said, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. "But at what cost?"

Collins gave him a tired, almost pitying smile. "We've been through worse. And you know damn well you're not the only one who's made sacrifices. Now, stop sulking and let's figure out how to end this."

Elias swallowed hard. The guilt still weighed heavy, but he had a point. They couldn't afford to fall apart now. They had to keep moving forward.

The rest of the ride passed in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts, but the weight of their shared understanding lingered in the air.

When they finally arrived at the safe house, it wasn't much—just a small, nondescript building on the outskirts of the city. But it was enough. For now.

The night stretched on, and Elias barely slept. His mind kept replaying the events, analyzing every detail, every decision. Could he have done more? Could he have prevented this?

The answer, he knew, was no. No matter what he had done, the war with Vale would have always ended like this. But that didn't make it any easier.

When he finally emerged from his restless sleep the next morning, the first thing he saw was Collins, sitting on the couch, a grimace on his face but a determined look in his eyes.

"Ready to finish this?" Collins asked, voice raspy from the pain.

Elias nodded, his resolve solidifying. The fight wasn't over. And he would see it through to the end.

But first, he needed to figure out how to make sure Vale didn't get the last word. He wouldn't let that happen. Not now. Not ever.