Chapter 7: Sins and Sacrifices
Crabby Joe patted Kirby on the back and smiled sadly.
"It's such a shame." He said as Kirby nodded to himself.
"She's the bravest person I have ever met. I can't help but feel guilty…she's so young."
"There's no use in feeling guilty. The child has no family, no love in her life. When a person goes without love for so long they change. She knows the sacrifice she is making." Crabby Joe licked his dry lips and sighed.
"Any news on the dome progression?"
Kirby shook his head.
"Nothing yet. Trevin will find out soon and report back to us."
"I still don't trust him Kirby." Crabby Joe said through clenched teeth.
"I know…but right now we don't have a choice."
"What is this place?" Trevin asked in aw as he looked at the city below him. The hundreds of people who crowded the streets looked as if they were as tiny as ants.
"This is where I go to escape." Shay replied as she leaned over the copper railing on the rooftop.
"What would you have to escape from?" Trevin tilted his head playfully.
Silence separated them. Suddenly Shay cleared her throat and changed the subject.
"Why did you decide to help us?"
Trevin took a deep breath and looked into her eyes.
"How about for every question I answer; you answer one of mine?"
"Aren't we a little old for games?" Shay chuckled.
Trevin's smile brightened.
"Depends on the game."
"Alright…you answer my question first though."
Shay said as she sat on the railing and let her legs dangle over the edge of the metal building.
"My father never loved me. He thinks that we're all toys that he can play with, but when he told me about the dome…I knew he had taken things too far. I can't stand by and let him kill thousands of innocent people. I remember when I was six he told me that I would grow up to be him, that I would follow in the footsteps of our fathers and become Leader. Ever since that day I've tried to change my fate."
As he spoke she watched him intently.
"Now it's my turn. Who was that man in the bar, the one that gave you the envelope."
Shay snorted.
"I told you not to watch, I shouldn't be surprised that you didn't listen to me." She took a deep breath. "I suppose Cary filled you in for the most part?"
Trevin opened his mouth to reply but shut it quickly. He was caught red handed.
"I used to work for him. Used to being the relative term. His name is Sylvan Slayer, but I'm sure you already know that. He hired me to terminate particular…threats. All of which were very bad people; rapists, murderers, most of them were already wanted by your father's patrol."
Shay gazed back at the city.
"Sometimes I would wonder who they used to be when they were children. What turned them into the monsters they had become? And then I would look at myself and I would realize that I was no better than them…I was just as cruel and heartless. Kill one to save a thousand. Those are the words I live by, but they will also be the words that kill me in the end."
Trevin sat there speechless and stunned. Never in his life had he encountered a killer with remorse. A killer that would end the lives of sinners and live with the blood on their hands as a reminder to what their own punishment would be.
"What is the worst thing you have ever done?" Shay asked suddenly pulling Trevin from his thoughts.
He closed his eyes and breathed in the cool air.
"After my mother's death I blamed her for everything. My dad's behavior, leaving me alone, my own bad decisions. Finally when I turned 18 I realized that she wasn't the cause of those things, I was. So I decided to change; to turn into someone that my mother would be proud of."
He finished and opened his eyes once again; still watching the clouds.
"She would be…proud of you. You're willing to lose the only family you have left in order to right the wrongs."
Trevin snapped his head around and stared at her. His entire body ached with raw emotions. Shay met his fierce eyes evenly.
"I can see a good heart from a bad one and whether you want to believe it or not…you have a good one."
They sat like that for a while, studying each other. In that moment two people that had been alone for too long found someone to confide in. In that moment two wounded hearts began to heal.
Gage was escorted into Leaders office. His hands began to tremble.
Two hours; that's all it took to change everything. He uncovered something that would change the lives of every living being. A secret so severe it made the progressing dome seem like a minor bump in the road. And now everything that Gage had discovered would be hushed once again. His time was up, and no one would even know the worst was yet to come.
"Gage, you have let your curiosity get the best of you once again. I'm afraid I can not let you get away with just a slap on the wrist this time." Leader stood next to his window; completely submerged in shadows.
"Others will find out. This is just the beginning." Gage glared at him.
Leader smiled darkly.
"No, it is not. This is the end, well for you anyways."
With the sweep of his hand his motioned for the guards behind Gage. They yanked his arms behind his back and pushed him to his knees. As he struggled the guards only became rougher.
Leader chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest.
"One day you will pay for everything you've done, and then you'll spend an eternity rotting in hell!" Gage yelled as one of the men pulled out a gun from his waistband.
Leader's gleaming face turned into a deep scowl.
"Kill him."