Helona chased after the gunner for some time. She worried about Kauss, but him dying wasn’t even an option. He was a sturdy bastard that would always continue to get back up even if he was shot in the foot. Before they split up, she heard a gun fire and people screaming behind her, and she believed he was still alive. There was no way he would die after living throughout this hell for such a long time.

Gunfire. The unmistakable sound of a gun just went off near her. Behind her, a piece of a wall fell off, a fresh bullet hole inside the brick. Even for a master gunman, hitting a moving target took some time and patience, something that these low crooks lacked.

She turned toward where the gun fired and saw the man reloading his pistol. He dropped the empty cartridge and went to grab a new one from his pocket. He was taking forever and made no attempt to hide.

Helona pointed her gun at his knee and fired, hitting it straight on. The gunner yelled in pain and dropped the cartridge he was inserting into his gun. He lost balance and fell, hitting his head on the wall. He grabbed his knee, yelling in excruciating pain, knowing that it was all over for him. Even if he grabbed his gun, he wouldn’t be able to reload it in time. And if he was even able to get that far, she would shoot him straight away.

Helona approached slowly as she monitored her prey with cold, unflinching eyes. Her usual carefree and energetic self disappeared for the time being. She became a predator that refused to look away from her prey. Despite her advantageous position, the gunner could still try to strike back if she went too near. Nothing was worse than an injured animal near death since they had nothing else to lose.

She came close enough to tower above him, but stayed far enough away to avoid any desperate punches or kicks from his working leg. She crouched down, like an adult getting to a child’s level, and looked at him in the eyes. He was frightened, but didn’t show it easily. He was near death, yet still attempted a determined front. She could respect that from anyone.

“I’ll let you live for a few seconds longer, but I want to know two things.” Helona asked, holding up two fingers. “First, why do this in the first place? You’d be better off just staying silent and eating the waste of the people above you. Second, where are any others that helped you out.”

The gunner looked at her, still keeping a straight face of frustration and determination. He was obviously thinking of some way to get out of the situation. Either that or he was buying time for someone else to arrive. Helona raised her gun and pointed it at his other leg, which got a severe reaction out of him. His determined face broke down into a mess of pleading and begging her not to shoot.

“Fine, I’ll tell you whatever you want!” Helona lowered her pistol, but not too much so she could raise it and fire quickly before he does anything idiotic. “Why we did what we did was cause we wanted a better future for this city. We’re sure that if everyone got to work, we could power this entire city and unify under one banner. Once that’s done, we’ll establish order and make sure that we can survive down here again.”

Helona didn’t utter a noise or word. The gunner was expecting some kind of reaction, but her face was just as steady as before. Her eyes were so cloudy and blank that he did not know what she was thinking. Anytime he would tell that story to people, they would either join and become apart of the solution, or would laugh in their faces. For the people that laughed, they had to kill, not because they insulted them, but because they wouldn’t join their cause and become a major outlier that couldn’t be trusted.

Finally, a reaction came out of her, but not one that he was expecting. She merely shrugged her shoulders and waved her gun as if to tell him to move on.

“Wait, you aren’t laughing?”

Helona groaned and aimed the gun at his other knee. She fired and made a new hole, successfully crippling him for life. He shouted and grabbed at his other leg, confused as to what he did to provoke the shot.

“Move on. I don’t have time to answer your questions.” Helona said with no remorse. “You’re going to die anyway so answer or don’t, but you’ll avoid more pain by just answering.”

He knew there was no wasting time with this woman. She was like all the others, a monster through and through. He badly wanted to be shot in the head just to end his pain. If he even managed to get out of this alive, he’d be absolutely useless at defending himself. He’d need people to take care of him, but every one of his relatives either lived in other territories or were dead.

“Fine, I’ll answer you!” He shouted.

He was about to unleash the full plan that was underway, but then caught his tongue. He remembered the words that Leyton told him before they parted ways. There was no doubt in his mind that Leyton was dead, but before they split ways he had said something that made him second guess himself.

As they were running from the Owerneckers and the road was beginning to split, Leyton looked over to him and with a smile told him the words that he never heard once in his life.

“You take the right, and remember, if they catch you, don’t give out the info. If you do, then everything is done for.”

“What if they torture me? What then?”

“Keep your damn mouth shut. If we give away our plan then the future we seek will be distinguished. Our lives will become meaningless.”

They split ways, but Leyton said one last thing before parting. “I’d rather die than let this city continue with no future. If we die now, and our future still comes, then that’s what it means to have lived a life. Don’t forget that.”

Leyton bit his tongue and held his head high. Tears were flowing from his face, his determination broken, but not lost. He feared being tortured more than anything. He didn’t want to go through the pain that he was about to experience, but even if he died here, would he truly be dead? As long as the city can gain a new path towards greatness, wouldn’t that mean his ideals can live on? He didn’t know the answer. Hell, he didn’t even know if the plan would work in the end, but if he gave up now, then there was no way to win against the world. All he had to do was hold his tongue and the chance of victory would remain.

“My allies are in my ass, you bitch!” Tears flowed from his cheeks as he screamed at the woman who held his life in her hands.

Helona sighed and stood up. She held her gun up and emptied the cartridge. She made sure to have each action be in plain view and took it as slowly as possible. He looked at her, his face contorting in fear, and she was hoping the sight alone would force him to break. However, his mouth stayed shut, so she continued the process. He regretted what he had just yelled, but there was no going back. All he could do was cry and piss his pants in fear as she loaded the gun with a full barrel.

She pointed the gun at him and he closed his eyes, ready for the pain to begin. A pistol could hold six bullets at a time, so if she aimed carefully, she could cause him serious pain without killing him immediately. He squeezed his eyes shut, his mouth dry and ready for an onslaught of his vocal cords. Yet he didn’t hear the first shot. He died with one shot to the head, between his eyes.

Helona looked down at the man, face covered in fear, tears falling from his cheek, piss stains in his pants. This was the look of someone who let fear control him till the very end. Despite that, he still refused to give her the answer to her final question. If she only tortured him, she was positive he could’ve said something, anything. However, his actions made her take pity on him, so she decided it was better to end it.

“Wait, you aren’t laughing.“

“My allies are in my ass you bitch!“

His last words played in her mind as she propped him up against the wall. She looked around the alley and found a thrown out old blanket. She grabbed it and began drying his cheeks and wound making him look more presentable. Once that was done, she laid the blanket down over his legs. Standing up, she looked at him one more time. This way, he looked like someone who died with some dignity to his name, the way someone like him should perish.

“You’re much stronger than me you know.”

She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this emotional over someone she killed. The last time that happened was when she was fourteen, back when she first joined the Owerneckers. Her first killed was filled with tears, cheers, and celebration. Back then it was understandable. Most people behaved some sort of way when they first kill someone. Whether it be sadness or a psychotic enjoyment, someone felt something. No matter how many dead bodies one may see, it was a completely different experience when actually taking part in snuffing out their lives.

However, despite her body count being much higher than three years ago, she was on the verge of tears for a man that she killed who she had no connection to. She walked out of the alleyway and back toward the mansion where she knew Kauss was heading to.

She looked up and stared at the blackened ceiling above her. If it weren’t for the street lights then the entire place would be just as dark as the ceiling that mocked them from its unreachable throne. The other territories had to use candlelight in order to see where they were going, but the Owerneckers were more advanced. Could this power really be brought to the other territories? She had no answer, and she didn’t know if they’ll ever discover it in their lifetime.

She looked over at a hill almost as tall as a three story building and saw the elevator sitting there, waiting for its next transport. The last time that elevator sent someone up was the day when all these rebellions turned into serious problems. How could a simple thing like someone moving on to the next floor of the tower cause such a reaction? There was no future inside the city or tower, yet the image of seeing someone go up filled people with such strong passion. What could be up there?

Kauss and Killian walked up the mansion steps, carrying the targets they acquired. Two other Owerneckers carried the bodies that Helona killed at the shop per Killian’s orders. Kauss counted the number of bodies, and if Helona killed hers, then he’d have electricity for four months. Despite the talk of a revolution happening soon, the whole place seemed as normal as it could be.

Two drunk, or maybe stoned, Owerneckers were fist fighting with a crowd around them. One of them didn’t have a shirt and would constantly grab his opponent’s jacket and pull him toward his fist or kick. Both of them had broken noses and bruised faces, but they still smiled as if this was the greatest day of their life.

Helona was still not around yet, so Kauss assumed she hadn’t killed him yet or was on her way. There wasn’t a world imaginable where a target could escape her fingers, and there definitely wasn’t a world where she could die. A creeping fear worked its way into his mind, but he shook it off. There was no way she was dead.

They made their way to the door of the electricity room. Kauss could hear two people in there talking. The voices grew louder the closer they got to the door, and it was thin enough to where they could hear what was being said.

“Hey, Fellipe,” A voice Kauss hated forever spoke up. “You need to come with me for a sec. It’s important business.”

“Why? It’s not like I wouldn’t want to leave my duties, but not unless it’s for something good.”

Before the other person could answer, Killian kicked the door open and both the men inside the room jumped in surprise. They went to pull their guns out, but when they saw Killian, they raised their hands, afraid. The effect that he had whenever he entered a room was drastic and everyone would stop whatever they were doing in order to not upset him.

“I wasn’t going to leave the station I swear.” Fellipe pleaded.

“And I wasn’t here.” The man said, leaping out the two-story window.

The man that Fellipe was talking to was another member of the twelve main men. He was Galler Otrol, the third place in the ranking of the men. There wasn’t anything devious about him, but Kauss just never liked his voice. Any time he talked, it felt like his ears were being scraped with nails and claws. Galler had damaged vocal cords because someone shoved a pipe down his throat. He survived somehow, but his voice was never the same again.

“Are you not-“

“No,” Killian interrupted Fellipe. “Why would I be in here if I was?”

“It’s hard to tell with you, sir.”

Killian sighed and threw the body down onto the floor. Everyone did the same and pushed them to lie side by side. Kauss took the target papers and laid them down on each target’s chest. The only one without a paper was the woman, and it was hard to tell who she even was. Killian’s massive strength was both a blessing and a curse.

“I can’t tell if she’s even a rebel or not?” Fellipe looked at Killian with an inquisitive stare.

“Yeah, she is. Just put all for of them on Kauss’ record.”

Kauss tried to object, but Killian smacked the back of his head and pulled him out of the room. Killian had said that he was claiming the woman as his kill, so Kauss didn’t understand why he would give his kill to him. He made it clear that he was giving Kauss no special exceptions when he became leader, so this came as a shock.

“Thanks.” That’s all Kauss could say.

Killian shrugged as they walked down the mansion’s steps. Galler came strolling back into the mansion, brushing off sticks and dirt that stuck onto his jacket. He looked up and saw Killian walking down the steps and freaked out. There was nowhere to hide since they had already seen him. All he could do was ask for forgiveness.

“I’m sorry sir!” Galler pleaded. “I wasn’t trying to lead him away from work to slack off. He was needed for something urgent for work-related reasons. Please believe me.”

His eyes were closed the entire time, waiting for his boss to say something. With each second that passed, his anxiety grew more and more until he couldn’t take it any longer. He needed to open his eyes even for only a tiny peek. Opening his eyes slowly, expecting to see a gun pointed at him. He wasn’t willing to accept death, so if it came to that, he’d fight back as much as possible. However, there was no gun. There wasn’t even anyone in front of him.

Galler looked behind him and saw them walking away, talking about something else. Galler screamed with delight in his mind as he went back up to the second floor. Now that he knew Killian was gone, there was nothing stopping him.

Kauss walked down the mansion steps with Killian trailing behind. They were going to a bar to celebrate the four months of electricity he just earned. First, they had to find where Helona was, but when they do they’ll party like no tomorrow. They waited at the entrance to the mansion just in case if she returned before going to find her throughout the city.

They didn’t need to wait long since she appeared, as they made plans to wait for her. They ran over to her, and Kauss couldn’t help but notice a few things. She didn’t have the gunner’s body with her, and she looked lost in thought. She wasn’t much of a downer, so her staring at the ground in deep thought wasn’t normal for her. He was afraid she was hurt, but if she was, she wasn’t making it too apparent.

“What’s wrong?” Kauss asked her.

She took her eyes off the ground and looked at the two of them. Her eyes weren’t as they normally were. She had two different moods that changed how she looked at people. Either her eyes were bright and wild, which was her normal mood, or they were cold and emotionless when off on an assignment. However, this time her eyes were neither wild nor emotionless. It was the stare of determination and hopefulness. That stare was only harbored by a few people, and one of them he knew too well yet didn’t know at all.

“Hey guys,” Helona spoke. “I’m tired so why don’t we just rest on the hill up there.” Helona pointed to the one place Kauss hated the most. “I want to ask you two something up there.”

Kauss didn’t even look to where she was pointing. He was so disgusted with that place that he couldn’t bear to look at it. Killian wasn’t the same way though. Although he knew the significance of it to the floor, he didn’t know of Kauss’ personal ties with it. To him, it was just an elevator on a hill. He couldn’t know the pain that the place could cause.

“Sure why not?” Killian answered right away.

Kauss and Helona locked eyes with each other. Her look never changed. It was a stare that was so foreign to him, he couldn’t help but fear it. This wasn’t the same person who he met at the bar. This was someone else, someone much more hopeful for a future.

“Kauss?”

Killian stared at him with a look that screamed in confusion. This was new to everyone, and Kauss had no clue how to deal with it. A brand new fear rose in him, a fear that he thought he would never have to face. Forget thinking that she could die. If she’s doing what he thought, then she will die. Not probably, but absolutely.

“Okay, but I want to hear an explanation?”

Helona nodded, and they made their way to the hill. Long before the Owerneckers controlled everything in the area, the elevator belonged to no territory. Once the scientist made the power cube and ascended the tower, the Owerneckers began a power trip that lasted for three long and deadly years. They took new territory, killed anyone against them, and worst of all, claimed the elevator as a part of their territory. Not only did that stop people from other territories from climbing the tower, but they also couldn’t experiment on the elevator to gain power of their own.

In all the city, the tiny hill was the only natural part of the place. Everything else was buildings upon buildings upon buildings that spanned for miles. Climbing the tower wasn’t forbidden, but it was considered taboo. No matter the conditions in the city, everyone managed to make themselves think the tower was even worse than the city. That was the same mindset that Kauss adopted, and he was sure that anyone who ascended was only asking for death. Why else hasn’t anyone descended in all the years the tower was established?

They walked up the hill and made their way closer and closer to the elevator. Before they passed the point of no return, Helona stopped and faced them. She stood up straight and looked down at them with eyes that shined. It was blinding to look at and Kauss feared those eyes with all his being.

She grabbed her shoulder and began taking her jacket off one arm at a time. Killian didn’t understand what she was doing, since it was forbidden to take off the jacket whenever they were supposed to be working. If anyone took it off, they would be kidnapped, then thrown into the mansion’s basement for a few months. If an Owernecker ever wanted to quit, then they’d be dead where they stood so there was no way that she was going to do that. At least that’s what they hoped, but Kauss knew what she was planning.

Once Helona took the jacket completely off, she threw it at Killian. He caught it with one hand and stared at her, wondering what was happening. She took a deep breath, then said the words that anyone dreaded hearing.

“I’m going up the tower.”

Kauss balled his hands so hard that his fingernails dug into his palm. He couldn’t believe she uttered those words. Not long ago, she was just the same as them, but suddenly she wanted to climb the fucking tower. Everything was happening again, but now he was old enough to know the true horrors behind it.

Killian couldn’t help but laugh. He thought it had to be a joke, nothing more. No one came back from the tower alive. Even Killian was afraid of it, despite his calm and raging personality. Someone actually going up the tower was preposterous.

“I wanted you here to ask if you’ll climb it with me.”

Shock. There was nothing else that could be said about what Kauss felt when Helona asked that. Betrayed maybe, but he didn’t know if he could ever feel as if she betrayed him. She cared too much about him to do something as wicked as that. He thought that must be why she brought him. She wanted him to tell her how stupid she was sounding and get her back on track. When he looked into her eyes, however, she was completely serious.

“Why even climb in the first place?” Killian ripped the bandage off. “You had no interest before, so why now?”

Helona looked over the city that she lived in for all her life. Ever since she was born, her life felt as meaningless as paper. Someone could tear her to shreds at any moment and it wouldn’t impact the day-to-day life of the city. When she died, she would be reduced to nothing but a number. She hid that fact by joining the Owerneckers in the first place. She wanted to have meaning, even if it meant taking other people’s lives.

That man that she killed opened her eyes. She was living in a falsehood that told her she had meaning. During her times with the Owerneckers, with Kauss, and her family, she clouded her mind by thinking that those things gave her meaning. She forgot that by living in the city; she had no purpose. There was no future to her continued existence. If she died tomorrow, nothing would change.

That man believed that by dying, he would change the city as a whole. By not giving her what she wanted, he might’ve taken a step in changing the structure that defined all of their lives. Even if it didn’t come to be and the future he sought was never to be realized, he died believing it would. He died with a sense of meaning to his brief life, even if it was false. She wanted that same meaning, and she knew the tower had it in some form.

“I want a future I can be proud of when I die.”

Kauss didn’t know how to feel. He didn’t know what was happening anymore. The day was any average day until this point. Everything was crashing around him.

“So what about me Helona?” Kauss no longer had a filter. He wanted to say exactly what he was thinking. “Does climbing up there matter more than staying down here with me!”

Not a sound. The city kept its name by being as silent as it could. With each second that passed, Kauss became more and more desperate. He needed to hear her say no. He didn’t know what he would do if she said otherwise. His mental stability was breaking as another person he cared about was on the verge of leaving him forever.

“Yes,” Helona hesitated as tears rolled down her cheek. “It does.”

Kauss world shattered. The ground seemed to crack into a million tiny pieces and he fell through face first. His Mom, Dad, grandmamma, and now his girlfriend were all leaving him. There was no real reason to live anymore. If she climbed the tower, he would be alone again as she went to her death. There was no way to stop the calamity that was falling on him.

“I’m going to get some things, then leave tomorrow as soon as I wake up. If you two want to come with, I’ll meet you at the elevator.”

There may not have been a way to stop all this, but Kauss knew there was a way to keep his meaning. There was no future in this city. There was no future within the tower. The only way for him to have any reason to live despite that, he needed to keep his excuse to life near, no matter what.

“I’ll go with you.” Kauss spouted out as she passed him.

Both Killian and Helona looked at him, shocked by what he just said. She asked him to join her, but she didn’t actually think he would agree to go. He was always so adamant about just living life that he didn’t even bring up the possibility of climbing the tower.

He smiled back at them as he looked up toward the ceiling. The ceiling towered above him since the day he was born, but he’ll stand on the roof that he thought was unreachable ever since his Mom climbed the tower. He’d walk on the ground above them and be the first person in fourteen years to stand on top of the city. It wasn’t his choice. It was this or killing himself the next day, and he didn’t feel comfortable dying yet. He chuckled as he remembered thinking that he would die with regrets minutes ago.

“I’ll go. I just hope I don’t add it on an ever-growing list.”

Helona, overcome with emotions, ran up to Kauss and hugged him as they began crying their eyes out. Killian watched the scene, wondering what he should do. He’d never thought of climbing the tower, ever. It was thought of as a suicide wish that ended with nobody caring about your disappearance.

If those two left, he wouldn’t have anyone to talk to or hang out with anymore. He was a leader of a gang, but it’s not like that was his choice to begin with. He was thrusted into the role with no idea as to if he wanted to be the leader long term. That was all he had since everything else in the city was a dead end. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life.

Looking up at the tower, Killian wondered if the answer waited for him up there. Whatever was up there, would it be better for him? That really wasn’t the question he should have asked himself. Looking deep within himself, he wanted to know if he’ll die for a better life than this. The answer was obvious, especially since he’d be going with the people he cared about more than anyone.

“If you two are going, then count me in.” Killian said. Kauss and Helona took a break from crying and looked at him as he smiled slightly back at them. “I’m going to finish the whole rebellion mess before I leave. I don’t want to leave without regrets. If I don’t show up tomorrow, just head up without me and I’ll be on my way shortly.”

Killian walked away, heading toward the mansion. He had to finish his business here first, but when that happens, he’ll be free to do whatever he wants. Did that make him selfish? To him, he was acting for his own self gain, which was definitely selfish, but he deserved to at least once in his life. He left the two lovebirds behind as they made plans for the trip.

Killian entered the mansion, but did not think that so much could happen after a few minutes’ disappearance. Owerneckers dead at his feet, other Owerneckers and rebels pointing guns at the rest alive. Fellipe stood on the two story floor looking at the ground as Galler had a pistol pointed at the back of his head.

“Sorry sir.” Fellipe apologized. “I couldn’t stop it.”

The revolution had begun.