Chapter 11: Road to Ruin - Finale Part 1
The sun cast a dusty orange glow across the empty highway as Lira stepped out of the gas station. Her boots crunched against the gravel as her eyes scanned the desolate surroundings. The silence was heavy—too heavy. "Where the hell are they?" she muttered under her breath.
She wandered further, her gaze catching a faint shimmer. A dripping sound echoed nearby—water. Curious, she followed the sound, weaving between rusted fuel pumps and twisted metal signage. It led her around the side of the station to an old water tank, where the trickling sound grew louder.
And then she saw them.
Nolan and Ethan were standing beneath the dripping pipe, letting the cold water cascade over them, both stripped down to their underwear. Steam rose off their bodies in the warm air. Lira's steps froze. Her eyes lingered—unintentionally—on Ethan. His toned, slim body, slightly scarred from past battles, shimmered under the water. For a moment, she caught herself whispering, "He's... kind of hot."
She blinked rapidly, her cheeks flushing. "Snap out of it, Lira," she hissed to herself. "My little brother's becoming more shameless because of him."
Crossing her arms, she waited, expecting them to notice her. Minutes passed. They kept laughing, unaware of her presence. Her patience snapped.
She stomped forward, turned the valve shut, and the stream of water halted abruptly.
Nolan yelped. "Hey! Sis, what gives? We were still rinsing off!"
Ethan looked over, startled. "Lira? You could've just said hi. Wanna join us instead?"
She stormed over and punched him square in the stomach. Ethan keeled slightly, groaning.
"What was that for?!"
"Just shut up and get dressed! Both of you!"
"Yes, milady," they mumbled in unison, scurrying off with exaggerated sadness.
As Ethan walked past, he gave a cheeky smile. "You should shower too. You'll feel better. And don't worry—we won't peek. Promise."
Lira turned away, hiding her expression. Guilt stung her briefly. She had peeked. "Fine, whatever. I feel gross anyway."
Ethan grinned as he walked away. "You reeked of rotten fish the whole time."
Lira's eyes flared. "You little—!"
She lunged at him, fists swinging, but Ethan dashed away with Nolan, both laughing as they ran toward the van.
---
The cold water shocked her skin, but Lira welcomed it. Steam curled from her hair as she rinsed off days of grime. No one was around. She changed quickly and returned to the front of the station where the boys were now loading oil containers into the van.
She approached them with purpose. "We still need water. Fill up the reserve tank too."
"Aye aye, captain," Ethan said with a mock salute.
Soon, the van was packed and ready. As they drove off, Ethan took the wheel. Lira sat shotgun, arms crossed. Nolan lounged in the back, humming.
A few miles passed before Lira broke the silence.
"Hey, Ethan. Back at the safehouse—you said the Foundation imprisoned you because you warned them. But that doesn't make sense. There's more to the story, isn't there?"
Ethan's hands stiffened on the wheel. He inhaled sharply. "Yeah... There's more. Close the bedroom door first."
She turned and called back to Nolan, "Kiddo, grown-up talk. Closing the door."
"Okay, sis."
Sliding the small divider shut, she turned to Ethan. "Talk."
Ethan swallowed hard. "I wasn't a real agent. I was just a low-level data analyst. When I figured out something was wrong, I went to the Foundation. I thought I was helping. Instead... they locked me up."
Lira's eyes narrowed, but she stayed silent.
"They didn't kill me," Ethan continued, voice trembling, "because they wanted to use me. Experiment on me. Maybe I was immune to something they'd made. But their virus, whatever it was—it didn't work on me. I guess I was lucky."
He paused. The guilt on his face deepened.
"I lied to you both. Not about Astraeus—he's real. But about my past. I just... I didn't want to be alone again. I thought you wouldn't accept me if I wasn't useful."
His voice cracked. "Please... don't leave me."
Lira stood. Without warning, she slapped him. Once. Then again.
"First one's for lying," she said sternly. "Second's for thinking we'd ever leave you."
Tears welled in Ethan's eyes. "You mean... you're staying?"
She gave a small smirk. "We started this mess together. We'll finish it together—until we kill every last one of those monsters."
Ethan dropped his head onto the steering wheel, sobbing. "Thank you..."
"Focus on the road, dumbass!" she shouted suddenly.
Ethan jolted upright just in time to swerve around a tree.
"Just a bump!" he and Lira said quickly as Nolan opened the door.
Nolan narrowed his eyes. "Riiight."
---
The road split ahead—a two-way fork. Ethan slowed the van.
"Nolan, map check. Left or right?"
Nolan studied the old crumpled page. "Left goes to D.C. through twin forests. Right also leads there—but through a tunnel."
Ethan looked at Lira. "What do you think?"
She considered it. "Forest means we could be surrounded—monsters everywhere. Tunnel? Two directions of attack. Controlled. Dangerous, but predictable."
"Tunnel it is."
They reached the tunnel just before nightfall. Ethan parked at the entrance.
"This spot gives us more space to escape if things go south."
"Clever. Now go gather firewood. Nolan, with me."
"But can I go with Ethan—"
Lira's glare stopped him cold. "Let the airhead go solo."
Her tone was sharper than she intended. Was she... jealous?
Firelight soon danced on the damp tunnel walls. They sat near the entrance, dining on cold tuna. Time passed in silence until a low, scraping noise echoed from within the tunnel's depths.
Ethan stood. "We need to check that."
Lira grabbed Nolan's hand. "Stick close."
Weapons forgotten in the van, they moved deeper. Ethan turned slightly to speak—but a loud thud interrupted him.
Lira screamed, "Ethan, look out!"
But it was too late. Something struck his head. As he crumpled to the ground, his vision blurred. He barely saw Lira and Nolan calling his name before everything went black.
---
"Oh my, oh my... what did I just witness? How amusing!"
Ethan opened his eyes. The world was white. Sterile. Familiar.
Astraeus stood before him, arms crossed, wearing an amused, almost pitiful expression.
Ethan groaned. "Am I dead?"
Astraeus chuckled darkly. "And who would entertain me if you were?"
Ethan frowned. "Of course. Should've guessed."
"Hand," Astraeus said, and Ethan, resigned, lifted it. Astraeus sliced the air—cutting Ethan's waist—and reality bent.
The stars warped.
They stood on the moon.
To be continued...