Apocalypse: The Dead Lives
Chapter 33: Commander

Chapter 33: Commander

MARCO

"I don’t understand what you want from me, Father," I told my dad with a deep frown settled on my forehead.

"I want you to tell me where you’ve been disappearing to, every night for the past two weeks." He angrily uttered and I angrily glared at him.

He placed his hands behind his back. His straight posture hasn’t faltered ever since he stepped into my office.

He was dressed in a neat uniform which showed off all his ranks. His grey hair was neatly combed back, and not a single strand was out of place.

"I don’t have to answer to you." I blankly stated and he smiled at my words.

"I am your superior, Commander. Whether you like it or not." He calmly told me.

"And I will step down from this position and never look back. Do not threaten me, Dad." I angrily told him, my patience slowly starting to run out.

"You want to step down from your position as commander?" My dad asked me in disbelief.

"My God, I heard the rumors but I never thought they were true. Until now." He uttered in disbelief. I frowned at him and a deep laugh left his mouth.

"For a girl?"

"You would give up your title as the commander, for a girl? Who is she?" He wanted to know.

"That’s none of your concern." I blankly stated. I think my dad knows more than he’s letting on. Him asking me about it, was a test.

"It is my concern, actually. We should’ve been out of here a week ago. What are we still doing here, son? There’s a whole world waiting for us out there." He uttered in fascination.

"I’ll tell you what, if my men catch this little bird of yours, I will set it free with my own two hands." My dad uttered in a menacing tone. "Perhaps, I already have." He continued and I saw red.

"Did you touch her?" I angrily asked him and he shrugged before laughing at my question. "Dad-"

"No, I didn’t touch her. But she is trying to escape with her friends. I mean as she should, you’ve been holding her hostage for two weeks." He confessed.

"They’re escaping?" I asked him in disbelief.

"Well, past tense. They tried to escape, and, well, I didn’t exactly stop them." My dad explained in a calm tone.

"You let them out without masks, or a hazmat suit?" I asked my dad and he nodded at me.

"Maybe they’ll survive, maybe they won’t. Worst-case scenario, one of them will turn into a rotter." He uttered and I looked at him in disgust.

I kept you down there for a reason. Why would escape, Hailey-Jade? I pulled my gun out of my waistband before leaving my office.

"They’ve made it to the highway!" My dad yelled after me.

The highway.

No, not the highway.

There was a snowstorm outside, but I still ran as fast as I could. I gestured for Tiny to follow me and he did so without a question

I informed him of what was happening on our way to the highway. As we neared it four blurry figures walking in the snow became visible to us.

"There they are!" Tiny uttered and Hailey-Jade turned around.

"They’ve found us!" She yelled at her friends then they all collectively started running.

"Fall back!" I yelled at them. "Don’t leave the city gates!" But they wouldn’t listen. They just kept running until it was too late for them to turn around.

"It’s an ambush! You can’t leave!" I yelled again before running after them. I’m not even sure if they could hear me.

A loud gunshot went off in the distance, instantly stopping them. I stopped running once there were five feet between us.

"Did you do this? Did you tell your men to attack us if we ever tried to leave?" Hailey-Jade angrily asked me.

"Is that how little you think of me, Feisty? This was my father’s doing-" I tried but she immediately cut me off.

"You’re a goddamn liar and a monster, Marco! I don’t want anything to do with you! I have hated you from the very first day we met!" She angrily yelled into my face.

"What do you want from a girl who hates you? Why won’t you just leave me alone? Can’t you see that you’re suffocating me? I hate myself- and what I’ve become, because of you!" She angrily told me.

"They’re my father’s men, Hailey-Jade."

"I don’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth anymore. Not that I ever have." She said before turning around to leave but I caught her arm.

"Let me go!" She angrily yelled at me and Ronan stepped forward.

He ripped my hand from Hailey-Jade’s and punched me in the face. The force knocked my head to the side, and when I wiped my lip, blood smeared across my fingers. My jaw clenched.

"What a mistake," I uttered before driving my fist into his abdomen.

Ronan barely flinched, just smirked before hitting me again.

Tiny stepped forward but I shot a hand up. "Stay out of this!" I angrily yelled at him, my voice raw with frustration.

"Ronan, don’t!" Ellie yelled but he didn’t pay any mind to her.

Ronan slammed his forehead against mine. Pain exploded across my skull, and I staggered back before launching another punch. I was furious now, past the point of reason. We kept swinging, neither of us willing to back down.

"Hailey-Jade stop them!" Cooper yelled in a panicked voice. But she didn’t say a word. She just stood there, watching.

She wanted this. She wanted someone to beat the shit out of me.

The thought sent my rage over the edge. I landed another hit, then drove my knee into Ronan’s abdomen.

That’s when we both reached for our guns.

In one motion, we flicked off the safeties and aimed at each other’s heads.

"Hailey!" Cooper yelled at Hailey-Jade in frustration.

I pressed my finger against the trigger. I was going to end this. Right now.

"Stop!" Hailey-Jade’s voice rang through my ears.

"Too late, Princess," Ronan told her before placing his finger on the trigger.

"No!" She angrily yelled before standing in the middle of us. She held both guns to her head. Her gaze locked on mine.

"You lost, Marco." She said, voice like stone.

I held my aim. "Don’t make me your enemy."

She clenched her jaw. "You made me your enemy the day you let that rotter bite me." A pause. Then, softly, "If you’re gonna shoot me, do it. But if not, let us go."

For a second, no one moved.

Then I lowered my gun.

Ronan didn’t.

Two shots rang out. The bullets tore into my chest.

I barely heard Hailey-Jade scream as I hit the ground.

She turned on Ronan, horror twisting her face. "What have you done?!"

He pulled her back, gripping her by the waist as they ran.

I watched them disappear from where I lay, pain numbing everything but my rage.

They’d better pray, I don’t survive this. Because if I do, I will reign hell on all of them.