Unfortunately—or perhaps inevitably—not just Patrick was undergoing a life-altering reckoning.
Vera stord into the bunker with force. The place which was ant to house their people—the workers, the doctors, the trained fighters who had sworn loyalty to their cause — was empty.
Joseph was right behind her, having been the one to inform her of the situation at hand. He slowed down as soon as she stopped short.
Rows of narrow bunker beds lined the walls, tal fras bare except for rumpled sheets. Lockers, footlockers, bags —everything that was supposed to make the place feel occupied had vanished.
For a long mont, Vera didn’t move. Her eyes swept the room intensely as if she expected the people to materialize if she stared hard enough.
"They left," she said finally, her voice flat with disbelief. "They all left."
Joseph said with bitter amusent. "What were you expecting them to do? You killed our mother, Vera. You murdered Patrick. What did you think would happen?" His voice cracked with anger. "They were terrified knowing they knew they’d be next."
Vera turned on him, eyes blazing. "They were supposed to be loyal! They needed to understand the bigger picture. Sacrifices are necessary."
Joseph gestured around the empty bunker. "Well, congratulations. They understood perfectly."
Sothing in Vera finally broke and she let out a raw, furious scream, and lunged for the nearest bed. She flipped it onto its side, the fra crashing loudly against the floor.
Then she grabbed a loose mattress and hurled it across the room. Sheets, pillows, anything within reach was ripped away and thrown.
Joseph stood frozen, watching as she lost her mind.
"Cowards!" she shouted. "Every single one of them!"
When the destruction wasn’t enough, she turned on him.
She shoved him hard in the chest. Joseph staggered back a step, catching himself.
"Are you leaving too?" she scread, hysterical now. "Is that it? One by one, you all abandon ?"
"Vera!" Joseph shouted, grabbing her wrists.
She froze at his touch.
For a heartbeat, she stared at him, and then laughed. Her shoulders shook as the sound spilled out of her, wild and broken. Then, just as abruptly, the laughter collapsed into sobs.
Tears stread down her face as she clutched him, her hands framing his jaw even as he tried to pull away.
"You can’t leave ," she whispered desperately. "Please. You’re all I have left now. Don’t go too, Joseph. Please."
Joseph stood stiffly in her grip, discomfort written plainly across his face. He didn’t return the embrace, but after a long, strained pause, he nodded.
"I’m not going anywhere," he said.
Her eyes searched his. "You’re sure?"
He nodded again, slower this ti. "I’m sure."
Vera sniffed hard, wiped her face with the back of her palm, and straightened. The tears vanished as quickly as they had co. Her spine squared while her expression smoothed into cold composure, as if the breakdown had never happened at all.
"Good," she said briskly.
Joseph stared at her, unsettled by the speed of the shift in her emotion. He had always suspected Vera was a little out of her mind.
"Gather the ones who are still left," Vera ordered. "Bring them to the hall. I need to speak to them."
There was sothing in her commanding tone that made his stomach turn.
Joseph hesitated. For a mont, he looked as though he might argue, or refuse. Instead, the mont passed and his shoulders slumped.
"As you wish." He turned and left without another word.
Monts later, the remaining mbers of Vera’s faction were gathered in the central hall.
The sight almost made her laugh.
Where there had once been dozens of her fighters, tacticians, n and won who believed in the cause, there were now barely a handful.
It was just ordinary workers. No soldiers, nor loyalists with teeth. Just frightened people packed together, clutching their coats and staring at her like she was the devil co to life.
The reality of it hit her hard. They had taken the strength with them when they ran.
She had run this mission to the ground.
However, would Vera Turner ever admit she had failed her ancestors?
Never!
Vera paced slowly before the line, saying nothing at first. She let the silence stretch and suffocate the people. Fear always spoke louder when given ti.
Then she stopped.
"I know what you’re thinking," she said calmly.
No one answered.
Her lips curled. "You all think I’m a monster for murdering my own mother and brother."
A ripple of whisper passed through the group and died just as quickly.
"Yes," Vera continued coolly. "I did. And I’d do it again."
Joseph stiffened at the edge of the hall.
"They turned against the cause," Vera went on. "Unfortunately, weakness spreads like disease, and diseases must be cut out before they infect the rest of the body."
Her gaze swept over them, assessing.
"But what disappoints most is not that they fell. It’s that the ones I believed would stand with ran."
Her voice hardened.
"They abandoned ."
A woman in the front row shook visibly.
"So now," Vera said, spreading her hands, "you will pay the price for that betrayal."
A low murmur of panic broke out.
"Please—" soone whispered.
Vera ignored it.
"I wanted to save humanity," she said, her tone almost reflective. "That was the goal. That was always the goal." She laughed, short and bitter. "But humanity doesn’t want to be saved."
Her eyes burned.
"So I’ll let it burn."
The whispers turned frantic.
"No—"
"She’s insane—"
"We didn’t do anything—"
Vera raised her voice just enough to silence them. "Take the remaining stock of Ignis," she ordered. "All of it. Move it to District One. That’s where the fight for survival begins. Let humanity prove it deserves to live. Let fate decide what remains."
The color drained from several faces.
Joseph stepped forward, horror breaking through his restraint. "Vera, what are you saying?" He grabbed her arm. "Wasn’t fighting for humanity the entire point of this?"
She turned slowly to him.
"I thought so too," she said. "Until they betrayed ." Her voice dropped in a deadly way. "Now let the strongest species win."
Joseph swallowed hard. "We’re facing an active viral epidemic. Introducing mass quantities of Ignis into a high-cri district will destabilize the region entirely."
She smiled cruelly. "Then they were never ant to survive." Her gaze sharpened. "Now, unless you plan to stop the way our mother tried to, I suggest you move."
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