Chapter 45: I Made a Choice
The early morning sun hadn’t settled properly on the rooftops, yet Alex was already up and moving.
He stood by the sink, brushing his teeth slowly, staring into the mirror without really seeing it. His mind was spinning in a loop, replaying the previous day’s conversation with Sarah repeatedly. Her voice still echoed in his head.
"You don’t wait for him to talk... you make him talk."
He rinsed his mouth, wiped his face, and moved to his wardrobe. Emma, his younger sister, stepped out of her room, dressed in her school uniform, her hair in a tight ponytail and backpack hanging lazily over one shoulder.
She glanced at him as she walked into the kitchen.
"Big bro, you’re dressed early," she said, a curious smile on her face as she opened the fridge. "What’s the plan for today?"
That broke his thoughts. He blinked, startled, as if just waking up.
"Oh... uh," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I’m heading over to see Elliot again. Hoping he finally opens up."
Emma turned, milk carton in hand.
"Opens up? Like talks?"
Alex nodded, picking up his wristwatch from the table.
"Yeah. Even if not to me... maybe to Raymond. That would be enough."
Emma poured the milk into her cereal bowl slowly, eyeing him.
"Is his word that important?" she asked, settling into a chair. "Like, you’d go out of your way again and again... all to make him talk?"
Alex paused mid-button.
That question hit something.
He turned toward her slowly.
"I don’t know," he admitted. "Honestly... I don’t. But it’s Raymond. He’s the one pushing for it. He says Elliot knows something. Something important... about George."
Emma frowned slightly.
"That bad man you once mentioned? The one Elliot worked for before?"
Alex nodded.
"Yeah. George is dangerous, Emma. He’s caused a lot of people pain. And... according to Raymond, one of the reasons they even risked saving Elliot’s life in the first place was because they believed he had information. Information that could bring George down."
Emma slowly chewed her cereal, then said plainly,
"Sounds like you’re getting deeper into something messy."
Alex chuckled lightly but without humor.
"You know what? Forget about it. It’s complicated."
Just then, Emma’s breath hitched.
She suddenly clutched her chest and bent forward slightly, breathing short and fast. Her hand trembled as she quickly reached for her inhaler in her backpack, trying not to make a scene. She puffed twice and sat up slowly, closing her eyes.
Alex turned sharply when he heard her sharp breath.
"Emma?" He moved closer quickly, his voice tense. "Are you okay?"
She nodded quickly. "Yeah...yeah, I’m fine. It’s nothing."
"Emma..." He crouched in front of her, now scanning her face. "Your breathing... that wasn’t normal. Has your asthma gotten worse?"
Emma laughed lightly, clearly trying to brush it off. "No, of course not. It’s just... the usual."
"The usual?" Alex asked, not convinced. "Emma, I haven’t seen you wheeze like that in a long time. That wasn’t usual, it was scary."
Emma hesitated, looking away.
"It’s nothing," she insists. "It just comes and goes."
He hated the sound, like her lungs were fighting underwater. It took him back to when she was nine, curled on the living room floor, gasping as he called their dad in tears. That helplessness hadn’t left him. Even now, years later, it still clung to his memory.
He remembered promising her back then, "I’ll always look out for you." But lately, he hadn’t been keeping that promise, not really. Not with everything else going on.
"It wasn’t nothing, not really, but Emma didn’t want to burden her already troubled brother. She had learned to smile through the tightness in her chest, to act like she was fine even when her lungs said otherwise.
*****
The Gatehouse was quiet as usual. Alex stepped inside. No one was there, and he didn’t have time to look around.
Because right there, sitting on the edge of an old couch, was Elliot.
Alex didn’t waste a second. He stormed toward him with a clenched fist, not to fight, but to finally speak.
"Enough," Alex said, his voice low but sharp. "You’ve been avoiding me for days. Giving me the silent treatment like I’m your enemy."
Elliot didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Just stared ahead.
Alex took a step closer.
"If you’ve got a problem with me," he continued, "then take it up with me. Don’t act like you’re mad at the whole world because of me."
Still, no reply.
"Or maybe," Alex scoffed, "you don’t even have a real problem with me. Maybe you just need someone to blame, huh? Maybe you’re looking for an easy excuse so you don’t have to deal with your own choices."
That got Elliot’s eyes to flicker, but he stayed silent.
Alex wasn’t done.
"You saved me, yes. And I appreciate that. I really do. But don’t throw it in my face like I owe you my soul."
His voice began to rise now.
"You knew what you were doing when you helped me. You knew what they would do to you if they found out. You knew the risks. But you still stayed. You stayed and let them find you. Why?"
Elliot shifted slightly, jaw tightening.
"You had other options, Elliot! You could’ve left. You could’ve disappeared. But no, you stayed. So why are you blaming me now? Why are you pretending like I pulled the trigger or lit the fire?"
His voice cracked with anger and frustration.
"You’re not being honest, man. Not with me. Not with yourself."
Alex moved closer until they were face-to-face.
"You can hide in this dusty room all you want. You can shut me out and pretend you’re the victim. But you can’t hide from the truth. You owe yourself that much."
He pointed a finger at Elliot’s chest.
"Because like it or not, you’re the one who got yourself into this. You’re the one to blame for what happened to you."
And just like that, the silence broke.
Elliot shot up from the couch, eyes filled with anger.
"I saved you because I had to!" he yelled. "You had people who needed you. People who depended on you. I couldn’t stand there and watch them take you out. I made a choice."
He was breathing hard now. "But you!" He pointed at Alex. "You had people! You had responsibilities! So why the hell were you out there doing crazy things with dangerous people, huh?! Why were you risking your life like you had nothing to lose?"
Alex opened his mouth, but Elliot cut him off.
"You knew you had people to take care of. You knew that! So why put me in a position where I had to choose between saving your reckless self and staying safe?!"
The two men stood there, both of them shaking with emotion, the room filled with tension.
Then, suddenly...
"Enough, boy."
The voice came from behind.
Both Alex and Elliot turned sharply.
Raymond said angrily, stepping out from the room behind them. "I’ve had enough of your crap. You don’t appreciate the fact that we rescued you. Well, tell that to the man who just lost his life in the process."
Silence. Both Alex and Elliot froze and looked at Raymond with surprised faces.
"Yes, Edward is dead," he said grimly.