Chapter 14 – The Cost of Loyalty
The message had ended with a scream, but it wasn't Lana's voice. It wasn't a clone either. The scream was real, raw, and filled with terror. And it belonged to someone else.
Ava stood frozen at the window long after the screen on her phone went black. The wind outside rustled through the trees, and for a moment, it sounded like whispers.
"She's beginning to suspect."
The voice had come from outside her door.
Ava spun around, heart racing, and pulled the door open.
It was Elisha, leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed. He didn't look surprised to see her.
"You heard that?" he asked.
Ava stared at him. "You said—she's beginning to suspect?"
He nodded slowly. "Not you. Them. The organization. They think you're getting too close to the truth."
"And you?" she asked, stepping closer. "What do you think?"
"I think they're right."
Ava didn't know whether to be comforted or terrified by that.
Downstairs, Lana's voice echoed. She was laughing. Not the carefree kind—more like someone trying to drown out fear. It had been her way lately. Pretend the world wasn't crashing until it hit her in the face.
"Lana's holding up better than I expected," Elisha said, following Ava's gaze.
"She's stronger than all of us," Ava replied.
"She won't be for long," he said.
Ava turned sharply. "What does that mean?"
Elisha's expression didn't change. "You know what they do to people who dig too deep."
That night, the house was unusually quiet. Even Jessy—always watching, always present—had stepped out to check the perimeter with Cami. It left Ava, Lana, and Elisha inside.
Lana was sitting on the floor with her back against the couch, scrolling through photos on her phone. Old ones. Ones of her and Chloe. Of late nights and junk food. Of stolen moments that looked so innocent now.
Ava sat beside her. "You okay?"
Lana shrugged. "I keep thinking about how fast everything changed. One second we were students, trying to survive assignments, and now…"
She didn't finish.
Ava took her hand. "We're still surviving. That hasn't changed."
Lana gave her a weak smile. "You ever wonder if Chloe saw this coming?"
Ava thought about it. About how Chloe had always been two steps ahead. About how she taught Ava to fight, to survive, to stay sharp.
"I think she knew something," Ava whispered. "But she didn't want to scare us."
They sat in silence for a while.
Later, Lana got up to get some water. Ava stayed behind, scrolling through the strange messages again. One had appeared earlier in the day, and she hadn't opened it yet. Her thumb hovered over it.
She clicked.
This time, it was a photo.
It showed the house. Their house. From outside. The lights were on. Through the window, Ava could see herself, sitting exactly as she was now.
Her blood ran cold.
"Elisha!" she shouted, standing.
He came running.
She shoved the phone at him. "Look!"
His eyes narrowed. "They're closer than I thought."
"Where's Lana?" she asked.
He glanced toward the kitchen. "She was just—"
But the kitchen was empty.
Ava ran through the house. "Lana? Lana!"
No answer.
Elisha checked the back door. It was wide open.
Outside, the wind had picked up. The trees bent under its weight. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked.
"Check the street!" Ava yelled.
Cami and Jessy came running from the woods. "What's wrong?" Jessy asked.
"It's Lana. She's gone."
Gone.
Just like that.
Later that night, when the group gathered in the living room, no one said it aloud. But they all knew what had happened.
Ava sat with her back against the wall, her hands clenched into fists. Cami paced. Jessy was on his phone, scanning every possible tracker and contact.
Ava's phone buzzed again.
Another message.
A video.
She opened it slowly.
It showed Lana. This time, there was no clone. No trick.
Just her.
Bloodied. Tied up.
A voice said: "Next time, we don't send a warning."
Ava bit back a scream. Her entire body trembled.
Elisha took the phone and stared. His jaw tightened.
"She's alive," he said. "We can still get her back."
"But they'll kill her if we move wrong," Jessy added quietly.
Cami punched the wall. "We should've seen this coming. They're picking us off."
"No," Ava said, voice shaking but determined. "They made a mistake."
Everyone looked at her.
"They touched Lana. And now I'm going to make them pay."
The storm outside raged. But inside Ava, something colder had awakened.
They had taken Chloe.
Now Lana.
And they had the audacity to think she'd break.
No.
She'd burn them all.
---
Far away, in a dimly lit room, Lana's breathing was shallow. She didn't cry. She didn't scream.
She stared into the camera and mouthed a single word:
"Ava."
Then the screen went black.