Archer

I sink to the ground as I hear Evelyn laugh.

Abby keeps her grip firm on Adam, the gun pressed against his temple, her finger locked around the trigger. She sneers as she watches me collapse in utter defeat. Evelyn stands up as she begins to laugh, and she pulls out her own gun and aims the barrel at me. I stare at it blandly, too used to having the gun pressed to me but never go off. Go for it, Evelyn. Just shoot already. But she only taunts me with it.

Mia stands in the middle; shaking, her eyes darting from Adam to me with terror stricken eyes.

"Well, seems like your little friends didn't do much," Evelyn smiles at Mia, and she clenches her fists till her knuckles stretch into a white color.

"May I shoot?" Abby asks, and I see Adam close his eyes.

"Please-" I say, my voice not sounding like my own.

"Ah, now he stops being a little dick," Evelyn's shoe presses against the rib Abby broke, and I wince. "Once your friends are in danger, you listen. Such a weakness you have. Such a shame, really."

"If you shoot him, I won't cooperate."

"If you don't cooperate, I'll shoot Mia. Seems like you're at a loss." Evelyn sneers.

At her words, I shut down. Her words; twisted with such hopelessness, such agony. She's won. She has Mia, she has Adam, and she has me. Casper is shot, Lydia is dead, and I'm out of reach from a bomb.

Hopeless. Useless.

"I give up."

I avoid Mia's helpless stare, god, her helpless stare that has wrecked me so many times. She hates to see me give up, and I hate her looking at me like I'm a sad, broken body.

But Mia's eyes never lie.

I'm broken. Evelyn has pushed me to my limit, and there is no possible way I could move on. She has Mia, she has Adam, and I can't bare that. I can't bare another death that I will have to blame on myself.

"What, Archer?"

Shit, Evelyn, don't make me say it again. "I give, I give up."

Adam's sob rips my heart, and Mia's small cry kills my thoughts. They deserved so much better, them and the others. Lydia, who has just been killed. Casper, who is dying. Dana, who lost her leg trying to find me. My sister, who died because of me. All of this hurt, all of this death, is caused by me.

But hell, I forgot about Tami.

A gunshot fires, and everyone watches as Abby's eyes widen as she grabs her stomach, the blood oozing from her flesh. She falls, the gun escaping from her hand and crashing on the floor along with her body.

The next few minutes are chaotic. More gun shots. Evelyn escaping the room. Mia and Adam helping me to my feet. Tami breaking the closest window with the butt of her gun, ordering us to run. As hectic as this whole series of events is, I can't help but look at Tami.

Tami? Really?

The girl who tried stopping Mia and I from escaping the dome. The girl who truly hated me from the beginning. The girl who turned me in.

That girl saves us?

I want to laugh and throw up and die all at once. We run, avoiding bullets as we dive for the woods. The guards scramble out of the building, guns raised and eyes peeled for us, but Tami has brought us to a good spot, one where we can see them but they can't see us.

And the spot where Casper lies. Breathing.

I turn all my attention to him as I collapse by his side. He holds the side of his torso firmly like if he lets go his body will crumble.

"Hey, Ar."

"Hey Cas, you have to hang in there-"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" It's a quiet tone, one that I need to lower my ear down to his level to hear, but his sarcastic words fuel me up. Adam leans down next to Casper and helps put pressure on his wound, and I crawl over to Mia and Tami.

Tami is killing off guards one by one. With them helplessly looking around, and Tami having a clear shot, it's easy.

"You need to get Evelyn."

"If she gets her ass out here," Tami mumbles, but from all the dead guards, I doubt Evelyn will come out.

Not unless I'm out there.

"She needs to see me."

"No Archer, we need to get out of here," Mia begs, and I purposely not look into those pleading eyes. I know that if I do, we will retreat, and Evelyn will only capture me again, and it will go on and on and on.

"Mia," I sigh, and I manage to look at her with my own pleading eyes, "you know we have to end this."

"We have to kill her," Tami says. We both look at Tami, who has her eyes firm at the building, waiting for more to shoot. "I know I've done shit to the both of you, but this is my apology. I saved everyone's asses. Abby came out here and killed Lydia and shot Casper, but I shot Abby, and that has to mean something."

"It does mean something," Mia says, "you saved us. Thank you."

"But I can't go back to Evelyn after this, and you know the Alliance wouldn't let me back that easily. I have nowhere to go until Evelyn is dead." Tami finally averts her eyes to Mia. She's on my side, Tami, and I hope that's enough to convince Mia that this is the time to end Evelyn's life...

"How are we going to kill her, then?"

And that I may have to end my own, too.

Tami places the bomb in my hands. She must've been left with the task to fight Mia off as I get a hold of the bomb. Mia looks frantically at the bomb in my hands.

"No no no no-"

"Mia."

"I can't let you do this, Archer, we can't, there has to be another way-"

"He has to go out in the open so Evelyn will go out there too." Tami says, but Mia protests.

"Then you can shoot Evelyn when she's out with Archer-"

"Stupid idea," Tami says, "once Evelyn dies, all hell will break loose. They'll shoot Archer easily and charge for the woods to finish the rest of us off."

"He can't just let himself-we can't, there has to be-"

"Mia."

Her eyes find mine, and we both freeze. For some reason I'm filled with complete sadness. I don't want this to be the last memory I have of Mia; wild, scared, desperate, and tear-filled cheeks.

This isn't the Mia I know, but it's the Mia I first met in her dome, the Mia who set me free, and the Mia who saved me.

I place the bomb down and grab her hands, squeezing them as she looks away from me. She shakes her head violently as reality dawns on her.

I will set the bomb, ending Evelyn's life and my own all at once.

"Look at me." 

Her quiet sob makes my eyes water, but her eyes finally look up at me. She's shaking, her hands clammy and breathing heavy. I smile at her, looking past all these things and into the eyes of the girl I love.

"I will be fine-"

"Don't lie to me." Her words are laced with anger and despair all at once. I take those words back. Mia doesn't deserve anymore lies.

"Mia, if I don't make it, I-"

Her sob stops my words, and I can't help but hurt for the girl who is internally breaking as I speak.

So I lean in and kiss her.

It's filled with snot and tears and sweat but I kiss her anyway. Her crying stops for a moment as our lips press together. I cup her cheeks in my hands, and she lightly presses on my chest as she kisses back.

For a slight moment, panic runs through me. I don't want to die. This kiss, I want more of it. I want more life with Mia. I want Mia, period.

But I can't. So instead I hold onto this kiss. I hold onto Mia, and all the memories of this girl that I love. All the hurt and pain and joy and happiness we've been through together. I hold onto it with all of my being.

Our lips depart, but our foreheads press into each other's. She closes her eyes, and I realize that she's holding onto this moment as well.

"I love you, Mia. You were the first thing I truly loved."

"So were you."

I kiss her one last time, and then I let go of her hand and pick up the bomb, making sure I don't look back as I walk onto the open grass. I hide the bomb, holding one hand behind my back.

"Evelyn!" I yell, and the fuel that Casper gave me is back. Evelyn must die, and this time, there is no way out of it.

And there she is. Her face is fearless, and she smiles at me standing out in the open. And she does the one thing I want her to do.

She comes closer. She comes closer to the bomb that I will end her with.

••••••

(I was asked to post a picture of what Archer looks like. It was SUPER hard trying to find a picture of a guy when my picture of him in my head is so specific. But, here it is! Again, not exactly how I picture him, but semi-close. You can imagine him however you want!)

WHY HELLO PEOPLE!👋

Another chapter y'all! And I will say, there is only a few more left!😬 I know I know, after a VERY long time, it's finally coming to an end.

Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter and story! Your comments seriously are the only thing keeping me going. You guys are so so amazing. I thank each and every one of you!

I did publish a NEW BOOK called "Her Babies" So if you guys could check that out as well that would be awesome!

Thank you all so much :)