121 CHAPTER 120 DESOLATE

"No," Alex shook his head courteously. "I will not leave without the others."

"Have you been paying attention to anything I have been saying?" Nimrod asked, the looks on his face showed that he was not pleased with Alex at the moment.

"I heard you clearly, and I understand everything you said," Alex looked back at Nimrod. The crease on the boy's face made him become suddenly old. How had he felt when it dawned on him that his mother had manipulated them and had mounted an attack on the resistance without cares for the life and the people living here? Alex looked away, this time to the leading step. No Keeper had shown up again, but he couldn't say for how long.

"I ran away from home once," Alex continued, without looking at Nimrod, "And I will not do that again."

"Huh? Can you hear yourself talk," Nimrod hissed, not bothering to hide the alarm on his voice, "The last time you ran away from home you did so just to save a life"

"That's the point, Nim," Alex turned his attention to the bright-eyed boy, "Saving a life. Can't you get it? I can just run away like that and leave everybody behind. There must be something or someone whom I can help. Whom we can help."

"I am confused," Nimrod said. He was fiddling with his Sol-K now with irritation burning in his eyes, "Are we talking about the same people that kept you bound to the wall with nothing but sighing as your bread?"

"It was the council that did that," Alex defended.

"Not just the council, Alex. They were doing that for the people. Unless they aren't speaking for the people again"

"Not always. But that will not prevent me from helping. They are the only family I've got. Even if it's not the people, but William. That man gave his all to help me. I think it is time I return the favor. One good turn deserves another, they always say. Besides, there is this hidden chambers in the east wind of this stone. It had laid untouched for a decade and had been built to evacuate the people in trying times like this."

"That should be every reason we need to get out of here. If that's true, then the people might have left this place."

"No," Alex mumbled, "We need to make sure. We need to make sure that they remembered the escape route. Only a few know about it. That is every reason why we need to make sure the people are already using that route to escape from the claws of death." 

"This is insane, Alex" Nimrod shook his head, "And as much as I want to deny it, I think you are right."

"You do?"

Nimrod nodded. "Let's get it over with. But you must promise me," He said when they turned their attention to the leading stairs, "If it gets messy and impossible, we would find our way out. Even without the others."

"I understand," Alex tried to chuckle, but ended up making a gibberish undertone.

The hallway was all empty. There was no trace of the Keepers or the people. Silence would have spoken, but the voice of the burning stones and rooms covered their voice. Smokes trailed on every corner, stretching into the dark heavens until they disappeared to nothing.

Alex had not seen the night skies from this point before. It had always been the paintings and the stories that reminded them of what was and is, and at a point in time, they had become so accustomed to the stillness of everything that they formulated a joke quote. 'You are as still as the cloud'. That was a long time ago before he had had the opportunity to explore the outside world with Vanessa and Jeff.

It would have been beautiful, seeing the stars from this side of the world. Only that now, it was a muddle of fire and smoke with soot testifying the destruction which they were leaving in their wake.

"There," Nimrod pointed at the right.

Alex followed his fingers and was walking in the direction even before the boy finished talking. The body of some Keepers piled up in stash, standing about a few feet away from the ground. From the noise coming out from that direction, Alex could guess that someone was there, and not a happy individual.

They hid bedside the stash and lifted their heads, hoping to get a glimpse of what was actually going on. That was when Alex saw Mr. William, and the knot in his stomach seemed to tighten.

"You can never take away my family and get away with it" William was saying when they came to stand before him. If he was impressed by their presence or was aware of it, he didn't show. He was dragging out a Keeper by arm and seemed to have been on that for a while.

"Dad?" Alex called.

William lifted his head from the Keeper he had been dragging. For a while he just stood there, staring blankly as if looking through Alex and Nimrod.

"I don't deserve that title anymore." He said, looking down on the floor. His shoulders were sagging, hanging low with anger, sorrow and regrets, "I should have protected you. I should have helped you and rescue you from all this mess. I let you down, Alex"

"You did what you had to do," Alex stepped forward, "You have been my strength all these years. I deserved the punishment. I shouldn't have run away like that ."

"Where are the others?" Nimrod asked. he was looking past William's shoulders, with eyes widening on his skull with admiration. He had not seen so many dead Keepers before.

"I don't know," William shook his hairless head, "I am the only one left. The rest are either killed or have been taken away as a hostage."

Cold walked down Alex's spine, making the hair on his skin stand on their feet. If everyone was dead, then it means that they would have to get out of the place and plan their next move somewhere else. Whoever sent the flame card Keepers did that with the intention to wipe the resistance away from the surface of the earth, and that means that they might raise this place to nothing but dust and pebbles.

"Dad," Alex called, suddenly feeling a nudging in his heart. It was both sorrow and foreboding, "We need to get out of here,"

"No, Alex. You and Nimrod should find shelter elsewhere. I will stay behind and try to hack into the motherboard of these Keepers. I must trace the idiot that sent them. I must kill every one of them."

Alex looked over the mountain of dead Keepers. Hack into their brains? The man must be out of wit or might be damn serious. He turned back to William and was about to argue with the man. He wanted to make him see reasons why finding shelter was the best they could do at the moment, but the words got stuck in his throat when they heard an approaching footfall.

"Alex, look out," Nimrod shouted and pushed Alex away.

Alex landed with his head on the rock and bit his lips with anger as the pains shredded his skin, spreading their arms to every corner of his body until they reached his bones. His vision was already blurred with tears, but he wiped them with the back of his hands, staggering to his feet.

"Alex," Came Nimrod's calm voice.

Alex lifted his eyes to the direction and whammed in horror, and Nimrod fell back first on the ground.

"Nim" Alex exclaimed and held Nimrod. His hands were soiled with blood almost immediately. They surrounded by hordes of Keepers and Alex would have died, if Nimrod hadn't pushed him away from the Candor of one of the Keepers. He had saved Alex's life, again.

"Take this," Nimrod coughed out blood as he struggled to lift his hands.

"Please don't die, Nim. Please." Alex sobbed.

Nimrod placed a small round object into Alex's hands. Alex did not know what they were, he only buried them in his pocket as it was obvious that Nimrod was trying to keep them from the eyes of the Keepers.

Mr. William was already fighting his way through the Keepers. It was a death wish and Alex knew. There was no way William was going to defeat all the Keepers. His blows were even weak at the moment.

"Give it to Jeff," Nimrod's voice made Alex look away from William. "He must save, Anadan."

"I will get you to safety buddy," The first tears in Alex's eyes dropped, followed by another and another until they became a heavy downpour, "I will find you a healer."

Nimrod only smiled weakly. But that was it. He suddenly became still and his chest had stopped rising and falling.

"No, No. Nimrod, please don't die Nimrod." Alex wept.

"Don't try anything funny" A robotic voice said behind him. Alex did not lift his head to acknowledge the Keeper, even as they held him side by side on the elbow and dragged him away. It was hard to keep Nimrod's face from his mind. Somewhere in the distance, he also saw Mr. William, staring lifelessly as two Keepers thrust their Candor through his stomach and heart.