Lucian knelt with his head bowed in submission.
What had Kael been thinking? If he had just stayed quiet, everything would be fine.
Now he would have to watch as the boy he had saved multiple times from possible death was mercilessly executed.
There were many things that could be cured, Lucian knew. But death was permanent.
*******
Ryker squeezed his eyes shut.
He was strong. Probably stronger than anyone here.
Yet as soon as he saw those white uniforms, his knees buckled beneath him.
Maybe he could stop the officials. But it would be at the risk of his own life ending. Ryker feared that infinite darkness.
Deep down, he was a coward. No matter how much he joked and laughed, Ryker couldn't hide how scared he truly was.
Ryker stayed put. He had made his decision.
And so had Kael.
But for Elysia, none of this was fair. Why did she deserve death? She was his closest friend down here. One of the few people who gave his life meaning.
And because of the fear overtaking his body, he was just gonna let her die?
You useless piece of rock. Move. Save her. Save Elysia. She deserves to live more than you ever will.
*******
Elysia felt tears streaming down her face
The salt stung as they mixed with the scrapes and dirt on her face.
These were her last moments of life. Then, just a little pain, and it would be over.
From the moment she'd left the lab, it had been one hit after another. The world had seemed like an endless series of obstacles designed to break her down.
She'd barely made it to the mine in one piece.
The place had been run by one old man, who had died within a month of her being there. No one else had wanted to step up, and so, she had taken the position. She hadn't known what it would cost.
She hadn't known how much more the weight of leadership would make her feel so hurt and isolated every time she failed to meet their expectations. She had always believed she could carry the weight, could make it all work, but today she had been crushed by that same weight.
Little did she know, it would bring her here. To the point of being punished for not mining enough obsidian.
Two years. Two years of successful shipments. And the one time she failed, the officials wanted to have her executed.
She closed her eyes, ignoring the sounds of her friends crying out in despair.
Her throat tightened as she tried to suppress the grief threatening to swallow her whole. She had failed Kael. She had failed them all.
A sob bubbled up from her chest, but she swallowed it back. She couldn't fall apart. Not now. Not with Kael about to face his death.
Elysia opened her eyes to see the newborn staring up at Kreel with defiant eyes. He wasn't giving up. So how could she?
She clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms, and the blood in her veins seemed to thrum louder. There had to be something she could do. Anything. She wouldn't just kneel and accept her fate. She couldn't.
Even though her body felt like it was crumbling to the ground, even though her spirit was frayed by despair, Elysia found the resolve to stand one more time.
*******
Kael felt the stone thrumming in his pocket, as if preparing him for the bullet.
Kreel took in another deep breath under his mask and pulled the trigger.
The bullet was lodged in Kael's chest before he could blink.
A second bullet followed, striking him in the throat.
Then a third, just below his collarbone.
And yet, there wasn't any pain. Blood seeped out, soaking his clothes, dripping on the stone floor beneath him.
Kreel watched him, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
Kael could feel his strength failing him. His muscles were stiffening, and his vision began to blur. Then, not able to hold up his own weight any longer, he collapsed to the ground.
"Now," he could hear Kreel saying faintly. "Kill the rest. We already have a new wave of workers arriving tomorrow."
People began to cry out, just as the gunshots began.