Apocalypse: The Dead Lives
Chapter 39: Fighting Fire With Fire

Chapter 39: Fighting Fire With Fire

"Of course, we will fight with you," Ronan said. He looked over at me and Ellie with a light frown on his forehead.

"Then it’s settled," I told Ender with a small smile on my face. "But before we fight them, we should try to negotiate," I uttered, and Ender frowned at me.

"Negotiate what? They’re not coming here to negotiate with us." He told me.

"We can’t just fight anyone who crosses our way. If we’re reckless we’re going to lose people. There are children here. Elderly people, who we need to look out for." I argued with him.

"Hailey’s right." Ronan agreed. "We need to be smart about this."

"No, we have to fight fire with fire. If we don’t we are going to lose everything that we have." Kiara muttered, a look of frustration covering her features as she watched me.

"Fire with fire? Where’s the logic in that?" I wildly asked her.

"Logic won’t get us anywhere. The answer is simple: we kill them before they kill us. But what would you know about survival? You’re a child, you’re all just a bunch of kids." Kiara spat at me.

"Kids who survived. How do you think we’ve made it this far? Certainly not by being stupid or making childish decisions. Your insults won’t change what the facts are." I said while staring into her eyes.

"I wasn’t trying to insult you, honey. I simply pointed out the truth." She told me before placing a hand to her chest and I quietly watched her in disbelief.

"Enough," Ender uttered in frustration.

"I stand by what I said before. This is going to end in a bloodbath if we choose to fight fire with fire." I told him.

"She doesn’t know what she’s talking about," Kiara told her husband.

"Yes, I do," I uttered in annoyance. "By using our logic we’ve managed to shoot Marco. We’ve kept all our supplies-"

"I got it. You’re so great, yet you came knocking on my husband’s door the minute you were left vulnerable out there and without a roof over your heads.

None of what you did was logical. You just so happened to spread your legs to the Supreme. You made him fall in love with you and then you tricked him into following you onto that highway. That’s how you shot Marco. So know your place, little girl." She rudely uttered.

You’re wrong. We could’ve shot your husband. We could’ve opened fire on all of your people and left that gas station unharmed. But we didn’t because we used our logic. To survive means numbers, and I believe that there is strength in numbers. I wanted to say.

You are being rude for no apparent reason. I haven’t done anything to offend you. Yet you’re standing there, slandering my name and dragging it through the mud in front of everyone. Marco was my biggest nightmare, he ruined my life. I couldn’t sleep for days because of him.

But you wouldn’t understand, I wanted to say.

But I didn’t say that; instead, all I said was, "Okay. You win." Ellie gently squeezed my hand in hers.

"Why are you being so disrespectful? My sister was just trying to help. Don’t we all have a right to an opinion? You’re being rude for no reason. Why?" Oliver asked Kiara in confusion.

"Because your sister needs to know her place." Kiara dismissively told him.

"No, you need to know yours." Ender blankly stated and Kiara frowned at him.

"Excuse you!" She uttered in disbelief while staring into his eyes.

"Logic sounds like our only option. We need to think this through and discuss our plans. We need solutions, not more problems." He said before briefly glaring over at her.

"So what say you, Ronan?" Ender raised a single eyebrow at him.

"I’m with it." Ronan shortly responded.

"This is crazy! You’ve all lost your minds!" Kiara uttered in disbelief. She stormed out of the room and the doors slammed shut behind her.

"Welcome on board," Carter said before placing his arms around me and Ronan’s shoulders.

Ender followed Kiara out of his office and I just let out a soft sigh.

"Don’t mind Kiara. She loses her mind whenever someone mentions her brother’s name." Carter calmly explained.

"Wait, I don’t follow." I frowned at him.

"She’s Marco’s sister, remember? Didn’t Ender tell you guys?" He uttered in disbelief. "Shit, I should not have mentioned that to you guys." He uttered before quietly leaving the room.

So that’s the reason why she attacked me. I never would’ve guessed that she was his sister. She doesn’t look like him.

And- I mean she’s married to a man who hates Marco. Where does her loyalties lie if she’s still defending her brother, but married to his biggest enemy?

How does Ender trust her?

I looked up at Ronan in disbelief and he seemed just as confused as I was.

"Hectic." Cooper and Ellie uttered in unison.

"That was hectic, indeed," Oliver uttered in disbelief.

"I would’ve lost my shit if she was talking to me like that," Ellie uttered in disbelief.

"Believe me, I almost did," I confessed.

"You handled it pretty well," Ronan said before wrapping his arms around me from behind.

"Agreed. There’s no use in arguing with a fool. It’s like speaking to a wall. They only hear what they want to hear." Cooper blankly stated.

"Exactly, her lights are on but nobody’s home," Ellie told us in disbelief.

"I’m sure one day she’ll see her brother for who he truly is," I muttered before turning around in Ronan’s arms. I hugged him before staring up into his eyes.

"When did this happen?" I heard Oliver asking from behind us. Ronan placed a kiss on my lips and I smiled as he pulled back from me.

"Oli, you were there when it happened." I heard Ellie telling him in disbelief.

"I can’t deal with this shit, right now," Oliver muttered under his breath, referring to me and Ronan. He left Ender’s office without saying another word and I looked up at Ronan.

"He’ll come around," I told him in a promising tone.

"Oh to be loved." Ellie hopelessly uttered.

"Millenials," Cooper muttered under his breath and I curiously turned around to face them.

"Cooper! I’m not a millennial. I just turned twenty-one." Ellie told him in disbelief.

"Well, you sound like a millennial." He told her and she smiled at him.

"At least I sound mature. That’s way more than what you can say." She shot back at him. "Seriously, you need to grow up."

"And why would I do that?" Cooper asked her in confusion. "I’m a man of many talents, Ellen. Maturity is not one of them." He stated with pride.

"Call me Ellen again and I’ll wipe that smile right off your face." She told him.

"Are sure you could reach me from down there?" He teasingly asked before patting her head and my jaw dropped. Ellie was fuming.

"No, he didn’t," I uttered in disbelief.

We were interrupted by the door wildly bursting open. Kiara came walking into Ender’s office again. She stopped in front of me, folding her arms across her chest.

"I want you to leave." She said while looking into my eyes.

She seemed serious now. Sincere. Not devious or angry just sincere. My heart dropped as I watched her in silence.

I knew this was going to happen. That I would eventually be blamed for Marco’s downfall. Ronan was the one who pulled the trigger but he only did it because my life was in danger.

It was my fault. I let it get to the point where they felt the need to murder each other. All I wanted was for someone to hurt Marco. I wanted him to feel what I had to feel every day after that rotter infected me.

Weak. I wanted him to feel weak.

Now this will haunt me for the rest of my life, won’t it?