Chapter 60: Sarah II
Miles stared blankly at his phone’s screen, playing the message over and over again to hear their voices.
A lot of emotions passed through his head as he listened, but he mostly felt stupid, and guilty for suspecting them so soon.
They couldn’t be like Jayce. Of course they couldn’t. They were good people, just like Morgan. He’d lived with them for at least a year, so he ought to have known that much at least.
’They can’t...’
His thoughts paused as a group of faces flashed in his mind. Ones he’d known much longer than just a year.
But he shook his head, trying to get rid of them.
’They’re different. I’m sure.’
There were good people in the world. Just because he could never be one of them didn’t mean they didn’t exist. Just because most people he’d met had been fake, or outrightly malicious, didn’t give him the right to judge actually good people.
He had to.
But he’d been wrong about Jayce. He’d been wrong about Matt. What else had he been wrong about then?
He closed his eyes, trying to calm the rising sense of paranoia. [Dissociation] did almost nothing to help him here.
Finding little success in his efforts, he tried shifting his mind to more important points.
Both Henry and Anna were alive. Anna was possibly heading to a safe zone, while Henry was waiting somewhere in the town over.
He couldn’t imagine what dangers they were putting themselves in. Driving under this sort of weather was beyond risky, and it was the only way Anna would ever realistically get to Lincoln.
Henry had sounded even worse too.
’Did his injuries degrade?’
Worse still, the man was all alone in the town hall now. How was he supposed to survive if an anomaly passed by, or if the ghouls suddenly decided to siege the place?
Worry bubbled and mixed into a bitter concoction with the festering paranoia within him.
Miles gritted his teeth. It was all he could do to stop himself from running blindly into the snowstorm outside and seeking a path to the next town.
"Miles."
Chloe’s voice sounded beside him, knocking him out of it. She had that same look she’d given him earlier in her eyes, but didn’t push it.
Instead, she pointed to Sarah behind her.
"Can you watch her for a bit? I want to check the pylon too."
Unbeknownst to him, while he’d been spiraling, the rest had slowly checked the pylon one after the other, each having their own reactions but choosing to remain silent. Now it had reached Chloe’s turn, and she was going last.
Miles nodded, grateful for the opportunity to get out of his head. Chloe returned it before walking off, though her face still held an unasked question.
He stepped into her former spot and looked over at Sarah. The girl still sat in the pool of her friends’ blood, her head lowered. This time, Miles could faintly hear her muttering something.
"I... I am a good person... am a good person.... I am good..."
His eyes narrowed at the sight.
’What?’
The girl looked delirious, constantly repeating those words as if that would make them any truer. The sight made something within him itch out of annoyance. He opened his mouth before he even realized it.
"Sarah."
The girl flinched at the sound of her name, then slowly raised her head up to face him. He looked her dead in her shaking eyes.
"You’re not a good person."
Her eyes widened and her body began shaking even more; she looked ready to bow her head again. Still, Miles continued, slowly remembering details he’d noticed about her.
"You killed your friends, Sarah. Does that seem like something a good person would do? I doubt you’ve ever been good. While your friends were smiling as they gave out their food, there was always a strain in yours. It never quite seemed to reach your eyes. You never even cried when anyone close to you died, you just looked scared."
It wasn’t the fact that she’d betrayed her friends that irked him so much. Even though he had no doubt she would do the same thing again to save her hide. She wasn’t a good person, so he couldn’t expect any better from her.
What did irk him was the fact she kept claiming to be good. It wasn’t fooling anyone, so why keep lying to herself?
He knew he’d never been a good person; he had long come to accept that. What gave her the gall to claim to be one?
"I-I... I... I-I..."
She opened her mouth, stammering in a failed attempt to defend herself. Miles almost felt a sneer form on his lips.
"You’re just a coward."
The girl bent her head down again, avoiding his gaze once more. Before he could say anything else, he heard Ryan’s voice.
"Alright, I think most of us have checked the pylon, right?"
Miles turned to face him, noticing the solemn look on the boy’s face. Ryan continued.
"Needless to say, what we’ve seen isn’t exactly good news. But... there’s very little we can do to change anything right now. Like Morgan said, it’s better to just focus on what we can do. If we reach that bridge eventually, then we’ll cross it."
The room fell into silent agreement, though it didn’t do much to change the somber mood. The knowledge that your world, and everything you knew and loved about it, were set for extinction was far from comforting.
Ryan turned his gaze to Miles and Sarah, seeking to somehow shift the topic.
"We can rest after we decide on what to do with her."
He kept a considering gaze on the girl as he walked forward. The rest of the group slowly moved from their spots and gathered around her.
In response, Sarah only buried her head deeper into her bloodied skirt, like it would somehow hide her from them.
Then Ryan spoke, keeping his voice as soft and non-confrontational as possible.
"How does your power work, Sarah?"