Dusk of Defiance (The Era of Ensemble Book 1) (20 page)

It didn't take Maxwell long to walk out of the darkness. He was there the whole time, observing Luke, watching his every move. They walked towards each other in the hallway. The only source of light coming from Luke's wrist device. Maxwell came into focus. His armoured clothes were more scratched and torn than Luke remembered.

“
That's close enough.” Maxwell whispered. “Where is the Captain's I.D.?” He glared at Luke. He looked both angry and disappointed, as if he knew Luke didn't have it.

“
Don't worry. I've got it.” Luke lied and felt through his pocket just to make sure he didn't have it.

“
Why?” Maxwell questioned as he paced the width of the hallway, turning around every few steps.

“
What do you mean why?”

“
Why are you lying to me!” Maxwell screamed and thumped the metal wall with the bottom of both his fists. “I know you don't have it.”

Luke stared into Maxwell's eyes. He wasn't bluffing. He genuinely knew.
“How do you know I don't have it?”

“
How do you think I knew where your sister was?” He smirked as he saw Luke's expression change. “I have a contact in that shambles of a place you call 'The Bastion'.” He turned his back on Luke and began to fiddle with something.

Luke felt for his revolver.
“Who's your cont...”

“
Don't grab that weapon of yours.” Maxwell interrupted Luke and aimed a handgun at his head. “Now turn around.” He demanded.

“
No.” Luke replied, but he lost his nerve with the gun pointed at his face, and so he turned around.

“
Now I'm just going to take this weapon of yours.” He felt for the revolver and removed it from its holster. “I don't know why you've been using this.” Maxwell felt the weight of it in his hand. “It's far too heavy and clunky... I suppose I could use it as an ornament. A trophy of my victory.”

“
How do you plan to win this?”

“
With you.” Maxwell smirked. His yellow broken teeth became visible. “You're going to go and stop that friend of yours from blowing up the ship.”

“
Why would I do that?” Luke suddenly found himself curious to Maxwell's master plan.

“
Because if you don't, I'm going to make sure Megan dies a slow, painful death.”

Luke's jaw tightened. He began to grind his teeth together.
“Why?” He eventually snapped.

“
Why?” Maxwell repeated confounded. “Because you wouldn't help me?” He spoke as if it was a question.

“
No. Why have you done this? What was it all for?”

He looked to the floor, almost in disgust with himself.
“I had no other choice.” He whispered quietly.

“
I know you were with Elizabeth...”

“
Don't mention her name!” Maxwell roared. “This is all your fault. Not mine.” He raised both of the firearms in his hands and pointed them at Luke.

“
How is this my fault? I di...”

Maxwell abruptly interrupted Luke's sentence.
“We were perfect together. We had the same interests. The same passions.” His eyes began to water as he glared intensely at Luke. “And she chose you... Over me!” Maxwell laughed briefly. “Can you believe that? You! Not because she wanted you more. No. Out of loyalty, like a dog.”

“
So you released the virus to get back at her?”

Maxwell laughed uncontrollably.
“No. I got back at her, and then released the virus.” His smile vanished and his expression became serious. “You found her note, am I right?”

“
Her note?” Luke felt into his pocket.
Her suicide note.
“What about it?”

“
There's more to it. I tore it off.” Maxwell saw the disbelief on his face. “Here, if you don't believe me.” He threw a scrunched up piece of paper at Luke.

Luke smoothed the paper carefully and put it under Elizabeth's note. The torn ends matched.

‘Luke, things have changed while you’ve been in deep sleep. I don’t really know how to explain them in a letter, it’s too complicated. Please just know that I love you, and I never wanted to hurt you. I’m so sorry. I wish you didn’t have to ever know. I’m just so sorry, Luke. I’ll understand if you can never forgive me for this, but please try. I’m just so sorry, Luke. I love you, and I always will.'

'I've been cheating on you, Luke. With my project lead. I'm so sorry. I've ended it with him. He didn't take it too well, but I want to be with you. I miss you. I miss the old times. I even miss your sister. It's hard to write, but it's easier than saying it to you face to face. I'll leave this note on our mirror. So that it reminds me
every day until you wake how much I love you, and how much I regret what I've done. I hope we can get past this. I hope I can visit your grandparents’ farm. You always made it sound so lovely, and peaceful, a utopia. If you can forgive me, I'll always be yours. Elizabeth.'
Luke felt his emotions change in a matter of seconds. Anger, sadness, regret and even a little joy.
I miss you too, Elizabeth.
He shed a tear, and then looked up at Maxwell. He was grinning.

“
I killed her.” He laughed and cried at the same time. “I shot her right between the eyes.” He suddenly stopped laughing, but his weeping continued. “She should have chosen me. I was the better match for her.”

“
You killed her, and then released the virus?” Luke questioned, but he knew the answer.
He was going down, and he was bringing everyone else with him.

“
I wasn't going to jail. I'd rather die...” He paused and glanced down to the weapons in his hands. “I could end it right now. We're going to die anyway might as well be on my terms.” He raised Luke's revolver and aimed it at him. “I've wanted to do this for so long.”

Luke closed his eyes and tried to think of happier times. Spending time with his sister on his
grandparents’ farm. His first date with Elizabeth. The moment he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He smiled. Content with the experiences he had... And then he felt sorry for the man in front of him. “Elizabeth chose me.” He opened his eyes and a bang echoed throughout the hallway.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Smoke rose from the barrel of the revolver in Maxwell's hand, but Luke didn't feel anything. He checked his body, to make sure he wasn't just in shock.
I heard two bangs.
He looked up. Maxwell had clutched his stomach and was falling to the ground. Luke glanced around and noticed the silhouette of a man walking towards him.

“
Are you okay?” Ramiro asked as he came into focus. “He didn't hit you, did he?”

“
I don't think so.” Luke checked himself quickly again. “No. I'm fine.” He glanced at Maxwell who had curled up into a ball, clutching himself.

“
I couldn't do it.” Ramiro shook his head. “I just couldn't kill my son.”

Luke placed his hand on Ramiro's shoulder.
“We'll think of something.”

A second thunderous
crack whipped through the hallway as Maxwell fired another round. Blood splattered over Luke's face. He closed his eyes and when he reopened them he found himself with his hand still on Ramiro's shoulder. Ramiro thudded to the ground with a bullet through his head. Luke heard more shots from Maxwell, with his hand battle weary and unsteady. He missed. Rage built inside Luke and he sprinted towards his adversary. Maxwell tried to aim the revolver, however he was too weak. It took a tremendous amount of strength to raise and control the recoil of the weapon. He fired again only narrowly missing his target. He raised the firearm once more and tried his best to steady it, but Luke was already upon him. He kicked the revolver out of Maxwell's hands, and then stomped down on his head with vigorous force. Luke felt Maxwell's skull soften, but he didn't let up. There was no fight left in Maxwell. Luke didn't stop even though Maxwell was already dead. He continued to strike his heavy boots down onto Maxwell's head. The skull caved in and cerebrum splattered across the metal floor.

Luke eventually stopped, but only because he was out of breath. He looked down at the unrecognisable corpse on the floor beneath h
im. He felt a little better, except it wasn't worth it. He turned back and jogged over to Ramiro. Blood seeped through the hole in his head. His hands were already cold as Luke grabbed him and tried to lift him up.

“
I would advise that you leave him, Luke.” Novalee spoke without emotion.

“
I can't just leave him here. He'll be feasted on by those creatures Maxwell created.” Luke felt his voice fade as he struggled to speak.

“
I can count seventy-six infected approaching your current location. I advise you to return to the Bastion.”

“
I can't just leave him here like this.” He felt himself getting more and more upset.

“
You need to return to your camp, Luke. I believe its defences are about to be overpowered.”

Luke slowly dropped Ramiro's body to the floor.
Can she lie to me? Would she lie to me?
He pulled the M1A1 Carbine's strap and untangled it from Ramiro's clothes. He placed the strap around his neck, and then sprinted back to Maxwell to retrieve his revolver. He ran back through the twists and turns of the Engines and Power section of the ship. He could hear the shrieks and screams of the cannibals as they found the dead bodies lying on the floor. Luke knew they would fight over the two corpses. Tearing their limbs and skin off.
You deserved a better fate than this, Ramiro.

There were still abominations on the platform of the tram station. Albeit not as many as before. Just a few stragglers feasting on the already dead. Luke ignored them and sprinted past. Some looked up at him and shrieked. A number of them sprinted after him, others were content with their meals. Luke reached the tram and the doors quickly closed behind him. The infected crashed into the
side of the vehicle. The glass panels of the doors splintered and gave way, as the tram began to move. One of the creatures had begun climbing through the shattered window. It scratched and tore its flesh as it squirmed through. Blood began to flush down the door. Luke retrieved his revolver from its holster and aimed it at the abomination.

“
There is no need to shoot it, Luke.” Novalee's voice sounded again.

“
Why?” Luke was beginning to get used to the, out of the blue, comments.

“
The tram will be entering a tunnel shortly. The infected will be torn in half.”

Luke watched the cannibal as it struggled to move in the broken window. It was like an animal caught in a snare.
A pest.
It reached out its arms and tried to claw savagely at Luke. It couldn't reach him though. It snarled and growled with each swing. After every miss it seemed to get more aggravated and infuriated. The cannibal turned, twisted and wriggled in the broken glass, but it just sank deeper into the razor sharp shards. The tram went completely dark as it entered the tunnel. Luke heard a crunch, and then something drop to the floor of the tram. The tram exited the tunnel and Luke's vision returned. Half a corpse lay at the bottom of the door, slowly sliding towards him. He stepped away and waited for the body's movement to cease. He held his revolver in his hand, ready to fire if it moved towards him.

“
I detect no other life forms in the tram.”

Luke holstered his revo
lver. “What's happening at the Bastion?”

“
There is an unusually high amount of personnel converging around the Bastion. They are probably infected.”

“
Probably?”

“
My estimates indicate a ninety-nine point nine percent chance that the personnel are infected.” Novalee waited for a response, but didn't receive one. “A resistance is forming within the camp. I have informed them of the pending attack. Before you met with Maxwell he received a call from Darryl...” She paused to allow Luke time to process the information she had provided. “Darryl warned Maxwell of what you and Ramiro were going to do. He in return told Darryl to sabotage the structure of the Bastion and to lead the infected there. The camp is still structurally weak. The odds of surviving the attack are slim.”

“
How do I stop the attack?” Luke enquired curiously.
She must have a plan.

“
You cannot stop the attack. I am doing whatever I can to postpone it, but the infected will overwhelm the camp in a matter of minutes.”

“
So what can I do?” He was beginning to lose the last remaining hope he clung onto.

“
I am assuming you will want to rescue Megan and Juan.”

“
Yes.” Luke answered quickly.

“
There are only a few places on the ship that I will be able to lock down for you. If I take into account supplies needed before we reach Earth. Your survival odds are too low. The only viable option is to return to deep sleep. There are a few rooms left untouched. I will unlock the doors when you approach them. If there is a possibility of infected entering the cryogenic room it will not open. You are not the only person I need to keep protected.”

“
How many people are you protecting?”

“
Those numbers do not concern you. I will answer every question you have when we reach Earth safely. Luke, you need to trust me.”

Luke took a deep sigh before he answered.
“Okay.”

“
Very well. I have left instructions of how to reach the cryogenic room from the Bastion. The tram is stopping soon. Prepare yourself.”