AN: Publishing on mobile is tough. Haha. Hope y'all like this chapter. Comments and criticisms are welcome! :)
"We're on our last box of food, Cleo." Murphy addresses, showing her the numerous boxes they'd opened and emptied. Cleo sighs.
"Screw you, Jaha!" He yells, facing at the security camera.
Cleo squares up her shoulders. "I'm going to get this ready, Murphy. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything." She says, taking the box from his hands. He nods mutely. He doesn't want to talk. Instead, he replays the videos of how the world ended. The last video is of Chris taking his life and Murphy debates if he should take the same route.
The gun had been untouched on the floor. Murphy picks it up, he didn't want to leave Cleo alone but he's getting tired of being kept in here. Anywhere is better than here.
"John!" Murphy's gun-clad hand drops. He sobs quietly, eyes downcast.
"Murphy, please don't." She begs.
Cleo sits beside him, pushing him the bowl of his share of oats.
"Why would I take orders from you?" He retorts. Cleo doesn't respond but she takes his hand, the one of with the gun and takes the gun away.
"Why did you get that?" Murphy looks at her. Concern is etched all over her face. She tosses the gun away.
"I was gonna jump off of a building once. I know how it feels." She doesn't meet his gaze. It's too intense.
"What changed your mind?" She stiffens at his question.
"He did." She pauses. "Jules made me see that carrying all of the burden was worth it. I owe him so much."The scene replays in Cleo's mind. He had saved her.
"You still think about him a lot." He says this without malice or accusation but as if he'd observed it.
"I do. But I have to deal with the fact that he's gone. I have nothing left to live for but you do." She looks at him now, giving him a small smile.
"Your pep talk is depressing." He admits.
"Yeah, but I have a point, don't I?" He nods at this.
"Don't get too smug now, but you're right." He replies.
"If I hadn't stopped you then we wouldn't have gotten out." Her smile is wider now. Warm. He shifts slightly. He isn't used to it but he wants to see that smile all the time.
"What are you talking about?" He asks, confusion etching on his features.
"The doors are open, Murphy." She breathes. "We're free."
"You're kidding me, right?" He's baffled and doesn't want to get his hopes up.
She shakes her head. "Nope, let's go, Murphy!" He lets her go first and when they reach the door, she's right. Little light seeps into the room.
He pushes it without hesitation. "C'mon, let's get outta here." Murphy says, waiting for her to step down. She takes a small leap and takes in the area.
"Nothing's the same." She mumbles.
"Well, isn't it a sign?" He questions. She gives him a confused face. "You get a fresh start, Cleo. Take it." Cleo realizes this and hugs him.
"Thank you," she says as she released him from the quick hug. "you kept me sane." He laughs.
"Likewise." She smiles at him warmly. His favorite look on her.
"The mansion should be right ahead. Follow me." She instructs. Murphy doesn't question it. She leads the both of them to the front of a huge mansion.
Murphy doesn't wait for her and storms inside. If Jaha is in fact alive and enjoying the mansion while he had rotted in the bunker, he's going to make sure Jaha regrets it.
He had been right. He opens the door and finds Jaha standing in front of him, with a woman in red next to him.
"Hello John, there's so much we have to talk about but so little time." He greets with an all-knowing smile.
"Murphy!" Cleo exclaims, chasing after him. Her expression drastically shifts once she'd seen A.L.I.E..
"Cleo, let's get out of here!" Murphy declares, taking her arm and dragging her away. Her eyes stay on A.L.I.E..
"No wait," At her urgent tone, Murphy lets go of her arm. The woman in red shifts, turning her attention on Cleo.
"Hello, Cleo. Welcome back." Cleo becomes angry.
"You are the reason why I'm back here. YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!" She screams at A.L.I.E., who doesn't even flinch.
"What is she talking about?" Jaha asks.
"Her failure in keeping her life together causes her to blame me for her misfortune." A.L.I.E. says.
Murphy turns to Cleo for answers but she keeps a blank face. "Define victim-blaming, A.L.I.E."
"Victim-blaming is a behavior complex wherein a person is thought to be at fault for their accident or misfortune." A.L.I.E. replies.
"Now tell me if I'm at fault for being frozen." Cleo retorts.
"I am afraid I cannot provide such opinions because it is another complex human behavior that is not available in my system." The hologram says.
"What I can do is bring back who you've lost. In the City of Light." She turns toward Murphy. "I can also help you, John. Join us and you'll be in the City."
Cleo snorts. "Your virtual simulation of a city isn't an alternative. Do not listen to her." She looks at Jaha.
"This is my destiny, Cleo. I will bring you all to the City of Light soon enough." He declares. "I will save us all."
"You are out of your mind, Jaha." Murphy says. All of a sudden, his vision blurs and he falls on the floor. He couldn't see but he hears the thud of Cleo's body too.
He wakes up with Cleo still fast asleep across him. He gives himself a quick evaluation and discovers that someone had cleaned him up. Cleo's clean too. All dressed in a deep blue dress with black flat shoes.
"Hello again, John. Eat." Jaha points to the apple by the side table. He's with the woman in red again. Instead of eating said apple, he throws it toward the woman. The apple drops to the floor, waking up Cleo.
"Cleo is awake. She can help us, Thelonious." A.L.I.E. informs him.
"No, you can't make me." Cleo spits. "I saw you end of the world once, I can't let you get it away with it a second time."
"Well you heard her. We're not gonna be slaves to a holographic bitch in a red dress," Murphy retorts "You've gone crazy, Jaha and we're not interested in your cult." He adds.
AN: Suggestions are welcome too, feel free to send reviews! :) I hope y'all had a great day/night. Thanks for reading!