Damn it… we must leave this place quickly.

  At the top of the hill, in front of the industrial building, Victor stood beside Hamilton’s car. The cold wind stirred the dry leaves around him as he leaned against the slightly warm hood, gazing down the winding road that descended from the hill. He waited, watching, his mind drifting, lost within the maze of his thoughts.

  Haven’t they arrived yet? Could something have happened to them? I shouldn’t worry now. Ilio is incredibly sharp—he knows how to find a way out of the worst situations. I’ll just stay here and wait… and try not to think too much.

  He remembered Ilio’s last words before they separated:

  “In my eyes, you did the right thing.”

  Those words echoed in his mind like a distant reverberation.

  In your eyes… but what about mine? Everyone thinks of their own interests, justifying their actions by what they believe is right. As for me, I still don’t know what I truly want. What am I supposed to do now?

  The small capsule in his pocket suddenly felt heavy despite its size.

  Should I take a quick look at what’s inside? Just a glance… I wouldn’t tell anyone.

  No… no. I still don’t understand any of this. I’ll leave it until I can ask Ilio himself.

  For now, I must focus on retrieving the remaining capsules and gathering information. When my memory is complete—when the pieces return to their proper places—then I will finally see clearly what I must do.

  Perhaps then I will find the answer to the question:

  Who am I, truly?

  Below, in front of the abandoned industrial building, the air was thick with a suffocating stench. The smell of coagulated blood mingled with rust and old oil, while the buzzing of flies filled the space, pulsing intermittently like a sick heartbeat.

  Bodies lay scattered everywhere. Some sprawled motionless across the ground; others slumped against the walls.

  At the center of this grim scene stood Louis alone, his eyes wide with shock. His hand trembled around the grip of his pistol, though he barely knew why he was holding it.

  How… how did all of this happen? Was this Ilio’s doing? How could he kill all of them like this? Damn it… he could be anywhere here right now. No one could stay sane after doing something like that. I have to find him before something worse happens.

  Suddenly, the metal door behind him creaked open slowly, and a calm voice tinged with faint mockery drifted through the air.

  “When will you finally stop making these reckless decisions, Louis?”

  Louis turned sharply.

  “Ilio! You’re alive! How did you do all this? How did you manage it?”

  “Is this really the time for questions and accounting?” Ilio replied calmly. “Come help me carry this. It’s quite heavy.”

  Louis hurried toward him and saw the large metal container beside Ilio. Together they lifted it with difficulty as Louis asked:

  “What exactly is in this box?”

  Ilio gave a weary smile. His face was slightly pale from exhaustion.

  “A box? You still manage to amuse me even in my state. It contains our capsules… all of them.”

  “And how did you find them? Where were they?”

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Why do you ask? Well, I suppose you have the right to know.”

  He paused briefly before continuing.

  “The government is clever. Their followers aren’t human in the usual sense—they don’t act on instinct like ordinary people. They’re programmed like machines. We all know that much, I think.”

  “So they chose a place that is completely illogical… or rather, perfectly logical for guard dogs, yet illogical for anyone who thinks rationally. People would assume it’s normal—just an ordinary chair sitting there. But precisely because of that, it becomes the perfect hiding place.”

  “I built my conclusion on that simple idea.”

  “Alright… alright… I understand,” Louis muttered. “Even though I understood absolutely nothing. Why do you always complicate things this much?”

  “Complicated? I’m a bit tired right now. I’ll simplify it for you later.”

  He adjusted his grip on the container.

  “Come on. Victor is probably waiting for us up there.”

  “Ah… Victor,” Louis sighed. “What happened to him is truly brutal. Imagine killing someone you thought was pretending to be your son… only to discover afterward that he actually was your son. That must be what’s weighing on his mind right now. I honestly feel sorry for him.”

  “Stop.”

  Ilio’s expression suddenly tightened.

  “Something is coming.”

  “What? At this hour? How?”

  “Don’t move. I can hear it.”

  “You can hear it? I don’t hear anything strange… it’s just my father’s old wreck of a car.”

  “Your father’s car?” Ilio chuckled softly. “Are you serious? Is it going to drive here by itself?”

  “Well… turn around and look for yourself.”

  The car was indeed approaching.

  Louis caught sight of the driver and shouted at the top of his lungs:

  “Victor! Victor! Over here! We’re here!”

  “Victor is driving?” Ilio raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Since when? It seems we still know very little about him.”

  “Doesn’t matter now,” Louis said quickly. “He saved us time and effort.”

  “You’re right. This isn’t the moment to think about details.”

  The car pulled closer and stopped. Victor stepped out quickly and said firmly:

  “Come on. Get in. We don’t have time to waste.”

  Ilio carefully placed the capsule vault in the trunk, then he and Louis climbed into the back seat.

  “Where are we heading now, Ilio?” Louis asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.

  “We must meet the others in a nearby location—relatively safe.”

  “Thank God. At least this time it’s somewhere safe. I’m exhausted from your endless complicated plans.”

  “Yes,” Ilio replied calmly. “The safest place for us right now… is the highway leading to the capital.”

  “Route 101.”

  “Whaaat?” Louis stared at him in disbelief. “Are you serious? The capital is completely fortified. Entering it would be suicide!”

  “Relax,” Ilio said. “We won’t go deep inside. We’ll stay near the beginning of the highway, in the outer sector. Calm down.”

  “I’m not scared… alright, I’ll calm down. Things always work out with you anyway.”

  He leaned forward slightly.

  “Come on, Victor. Head toward the highway.”

  “Sorry,” Victor replied. “But I don’t know exactly where it is.”

  “How do you not know? Haven’t you been with us from the beginning?”

  “Idiot,” Ilio muttered quietly. “I’ll handle the navigation myself to avoid surveillance. Hand me the communication earpiece you found, Victor.”

  “Here.”

  The sun had completely set. The moon now illuminated the warm night sky above the dense forests of Verdantiz.

  In a hidden corner of the woods, noise and excitement filled the air. Smoke rose from a large fire at the center, while laughter, shouting, and faint music blended together.

  The comrades were celebrating what they believed to be a great victory—eating, drinking, exchanging stories and jokes.

  But one person stood a little apart from the others, radiating an entirely different atmosphere.

  Alex.

  He approached Hamilton, who sat near the fire, and asked quietly:

  “What do you truly think about Ilio?”

  Hamilton looked up.

  “That’s a sudden question. Well… he can be arrogant sometimes. He doesn’t always consider other people’s feelings. But he always thinks about the group’s interest.”

  “So that’s what you see in him?” Alex said slowly. “Don’t you think that might be exactly what he wants us to see?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t you find it strange that he knows far more than someone in his position should?”

  “Well… he’s extremely intelligent, I suppose. Intelligence is natural. And even if he is that smart, he can’t fight like we do on the battlefield.”

  “And when exactly have you ever seen him fight to make that judgment?”

  “Alex, what’s gotten into you today? You’re just shaken by what happened. That’s normal.”

  “I’ve suspected him for a while,” Alex said quietly. “But I wasn’t sure.”

  “This morning, I didn’t fall from the tree.”

  “I jumped.”

  Hamilton frowned slightly.

  “I was terrified,” Alex continued. “But I wanted to test it—to kill the doubt inside me. I hoped they would attack me so I could settle everything once and for all.”

  “But what happened instead made my doubts disappear.”

  “How did he know?”

  “How did he know they wouldn’t hit me?”

  “How could he predict all of that?”

  Hamilton placed a gentle hand on Alex’s shoulder.

  “Stop now. We’ve fought together for years. I can’t stand seeing you like this.”

  “You’ve calmed me many times when I was afraid… so let me calm you now. Forget about it for the moment and try to rest.”

  “We still don’t know what awaits us in the coming hours.”

  “You’re right…” Alex sighed. “I’ll try to get some rest.”

  He slowly walked away from the fire.

  Hamilton assumed he was going to sleep.

  But inside Alex’s mind, thoughts were racing.

  Rubbish… this is all nonsense.

  How could a boy his age know all these details?

  He’s a traitor. The probability is extremely high.

  And to turn that probability into certainty… I will verify it myself.

  Six hours have passed since their last contact. They’re probably close to the meeting point by now.

  I’ll watch for their arrival.

  And before they reach us… I’ll make sure myself.

  By any means necessary.

  Alex leaned against the trunk of an old tree, his eyes fixed on the distant highway gate.

  He waited.

  The night grew quieter around him.

  Before long, he noticed movement in the darkness.

  It wasn’t a car.

  Not a vehicle.

  It was a single figure walking alone.

  A familiar figure.

  Blond hair.

  Green eyes.

  Ilio.

  Alex stepped forward carefully, gripping his pistol tightly. He stopped in front of him in a confrontational stance and spoke in a low but firm voice:

  “Where are the others?”

  “What are you talking about, Alex?” Ilio replied with strange calm.

  “Don’t mock me. Where are Louis and Victor?”

  “Why are you pointing your gun at me like that?”

  “Don’t play the innocent victim. Tell me now—how did you know everything?”

  Ilio looked at Alex with a faint, cold gaze.

  “You knew?”

  A small smile appeared on his lips.

  “Ah… I see what’s going on in your head now.”

  “Alex… you’ve been very useful all this time.”

  He paused.

  “But I’m sorry.”

  “Your expiration date has passed.”

  “And it’s time to dispose of you… before you become a problem.”

  To be continued…