CHAPTER 55: THE TYRANT’S SHADOW

The fire in the cellar burned low, its smoke curling toward the ruined ceiling beams. The group lingered in silence, their exhaustion too heavy for chatter.

Jonas leaned back against the wall, his eyes closed but his breathing steady now while Travis picked at the last scraps in the pot, muttering to himself about a five-star apocalypse cuisine, shamelessly boasting about his cooking skills.

Kara sat cross-legged, sharpening her spear with precise, almost meditative strokes.

As for Holt, he crouched near the entrance, rifle propped at his side, ever the watchman. While Mira sat in her quiet corner, her wind stirring faint motes of dust.

Ethan was at the doorway, watching the Hollow Plains breathe under the fading light. The world felt distant, for once.

Then Reid pushed himself upright.

The cellar’s atmosphere shifted the moment he moved.

His steps were deliberate, his shoulders squared though the healing hadn’t yet restored his full strength. He leaned on the wall, but his eyes were clear, burning with something heavier than fatigue.

"Let’s talk," he said.

Everyone stilled.

"We survived the Behemoth. We crossed the bridge. We’re still here." His voice was steady, each word measured like rifle fire. "But there’s something none of you are saying...," he paused, letting the silence stretch for a few heartbeats before he said. "Pike."

The name hit the cellar like a hammer.

Immediately, it elicited a reaction as Jonas’s eyes snapped open while Travis stopped stirring the pot, shifting uneasily. Kara’s sharpening slowed, and even Holt shifted, his gaze narrowing.

Reid’s jaw clenched as he looked at them. "We didn’t provoke him, we didn’t threaten him, and yet he came for us".

"He slaughtered without hesitation, without remorse. You saw it yourselves... he killed his own man just to keep the others in line".

He took a deep breath, his expression grave and serious. "That’s who Pike is, a psychopath with callous regard for human lives".

Ethan’s throat tightened.

He remembered the Major’s gray eyes reflecting fire, the knife sliding up under his own soldier’s chin, the cold efficiency of a man who saw lives as tools.

Reid’s voice hardened. "In case you guys don’t know or haven’s realized yet, let me make it clear for you... every single survivor headed for the quarantine zone from these parts of our world will have to cross his path".

"And we all know what happens when they do".

He paused again and let the silence stretch to let his words sink in. "We barely survived, and we’re not just anyone... we’re Awakened who’ve bled and clawed our way this far. What chance do untrained survivors have?"

Jonas sat forward, grimacing as his ribs protested. "We should’ve finished it. We should’ve ended him right there, before the bridge fell." His fist clenched. "The bastard deserves worse than fire."

Travis groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Right, because going back into the city to poke a half-dead hornet’s nest is exactly what we need right after just barely escaping with our lives".

"Let’s not forget that I just put your insides back where they belong, Jonas." He forced a crooked grin. "Hate to break it to you, but I don’t do refunds".

Kara scoffed. "You’re missing the point Travis," she shook her head. "Pike’s not done, he’s not the type to lick his wounds and hide. He’ll come after us again. And next time, maybe he won’t be limping".

Her eyes flicked toward Ethan, sharp as the spear across her lap. "You know it, too," she said pointedly. "Don’t pretend otherwise."

Holt finally spoke, his voice low. "She’s right".

He sighed. "But so is Travis. Hunting him now, in our condition, is suicide. The man’s a soldier. He’s disciplined. Scarred, yes, but still dangerous. If we walk back into that fire, we may not walk out again".

The cellar fell into silence again, the weight of Holt’s pragmatism settling heavy.

Then Mira spoke. She hesitated at first, but then she did it.

Her tone was soft, but the wind stirred faintly around her, carrying her words into the quiet. "Reid’s right about one thing though, Pike won’t stop. The System literally rewards him for killing Awakened".

"Every drop of blood makes him stronger. If we leave him, how many will die because of us? How many families won’t even make it this far?"

Her eyes lowered. "I’ve spent most of my life watching others shine while I stood in the shadow. But even I know this... shadows grow when no one holds the light against them".

"Pike is one of those shadows. If no one stops him..." She trailed off, the unfinished words heavier than any shout.

Silence reigned for a few seconds, then all eyes turned to Ethan.

He sighed. The Wheel pulsed faintly behind his vision, a whisper of golden light teasing his thoughts.

He thought of Reid’s words a few nights ago. ’Us or them’.

He thought of the men he’d killed, the first humans whose blood had stained his gauntlet. He thought of Pike’s scarred face, vowing vengeance even as the bridge crumbled.

Killing monsters was one thing. They were teeth, claws, and instinct.

But Pike? Pike was human. Human, and still worse than some beasts.

"Do we really want to let a tyrant live?" Reid asked, his gaze steady, cutting through Ethan’s silence.

Ethan swallowed hard. He could feel the group’s weight pressing down on him, waiting for him to speak, to lead. But the truth clawed at his chest. He didn’t know if he could.

The fire snapped in the silence, casting shadows that danced across scarred walls.

Reid’s voice cut through one last time, low and final.

"The longer he breathes, the more blood will flow. Every day we wait, more survivors die. We need to decide, are we going to leave Pike alive, or are we going to finish him before it’s too late?"

The cellar grew cold as the Hollow Plains wind whistled through cracks in the ruined boards.

No one answered, not yet.

But the question hung in the air, heavy as the Rift itself.

Pike lives. Do they let him?