Chapter 195: Selfish or not? pt 3

Early hours

Zane’s POV

I’m free from that family of psychopaths. I’m free from Damien Deus and his obsession. I’m free from those four walls.

"RUN FASTER!" yells the man who agreed to take me and I stumble. My lungs are burning, my legs are becoming heavy, and my eyes are watering.

The wind is slapping my face, but I dare not stop. The things we do for love. I love Noah, so I’ll do this for him. His life is important to me in every way.

"Here" he says and pulls me to the dark alley of a large building. I’m not familiar with Gottingen, but the hell I’ve been taught to hate feels a little too peaceful. I press my back against the brick wall and look up.

"T-there’s a camera right there" I say as I point upwards and he looks at the camera.

"Shit" he curses as he picks up a piece of rock and throws it at the device. I flinch as it hangs there broken.

"I’m Raul" he introduces himself with a hand held out. "Zane" I say and shake his hand. Adrenaline is still pumping through my veins. The idea of escaping has been sitting on my mind, but I didn’t dare do it alone. The Gods are animals, I knew they’d catch me before I even made it out of the basement, so I killed every thought of getting out. Whoever these people are, they are my salvation.

There were about twenty men who manage to escape the house, but they scattered into the night paired in twos. I watched them do what Raul and I did by running through the city in confusing patterns like it’s one giant maze.

"Who are you?" I ask, looking around to see if I can spot anyone.

"I told you I’m Raul" he says and I shake my head. "No. I meant who are you to sneak into the Deus’s home" I reframe my question.

"Oh. We’re a rising rebel division called Redemption" Raul says and I nod slowly. "Rebels..." I repeat and he nods.

"Don’t worry, we’re not amateurs. Our boss has been building this for a long time. He wants to counter everything those self-entitled Deus family does and then eventually knock them down" Raul says, bending forward to catch his breath.

"No one can knock the Deus out" I laugh bitterly. If it was possible, it would have happened years ago. The sheer number of enemies those men have is terrifying, yet they thrive like wild roses.

I slowly slide down the wall and sit on the floor to catch my breath. I can still see Damien’s face, I can still see him holding a tray of food I don’t want, I can still feel his fingers tying me up and shoving the food down my throat.

I hate the way he never takes anything serious. I hate him so much. I want revenge for every single time.

I want to make him and his family pay. It’s selfish of me to leave my best friend behind, but I’ll come back for Noah. I swear on my soul.

"I want the Deus dead too" I say coldly and Raul nods.

"I will take you back to our boss’s home and he’ll choose what will happen to you" Raul says and I push my hair back. Giving up anything is worth meeting my goal. I’d sign my soul to the devil if I have to.

"Why did your team split up?" I ask as Raul looks around.

"Confusion. They’ll find CCTVs of different men running through the city and it will give them something to stay busy with" he says.

"They’ll find you still" I say flatly.

"We hope so" Raul murmurs and his phone dings. "It’s time" he says and we both run out of the alley.

I follow him into a van and find other men seated in it. Some of the men are from the basement. I stay in a corner to be unnoticed. My eyes stay wide open as we get driven away.

"Anyone who isn’t willing to sign into the new clan by blood can leave now" a man announces and no one responds. "This is the only and final warning, whatever you find waiting for you after this is completely your consequence to bear" he says.

I want whatever this is. I want it and will do it. After a life of being in my shoes, nothing risky scares me.

The ride is long and I stubbornly stay awake through it all. Morning comes and after what seems to be six hours, the van comes to a stop.

"Look alive people. Welcome to redemption base" the man from hours ago yells and people who were sleeping start to stir awake.

As soon as we get down one by one, we are greeted by a man with the aura of a leader. He’s dressed in leopard print jacket, a pair of sunglasses, and a smile. His hair is messy blonde, he’s tall, and his eyes are two different colors; brown and blue.

He looks like the sort of man Noah and I read about in manhwas...the dangerously insane type.

"Welcome to my base, dear rebels. I am your new leader, Klaus Vesper" he says as his eyes move from one person to the other.

His eyes land on me and then move to the next person. He looks calculating underneath his insanity, so I stay as unnoticeable as possible while holding my head up. I’ve done enough hiding.

"Now that you’ve stepped foot here, I’d be glad to let you know that there will be no escape" he says and suddenly, different guns are pointing at us in all directions. In the same beat, three shots ring out, ending the lives of three men who tried to run.

"I’m not a villain, everyone. I am a good guy, but I have rules" he says and takes a step forward.

"Everyone gets three years of training to become a part of my team. Excel before three years and become a member immediately. Waste my time and die in three years’ time. So...are you rethinking coming here?" Klaus Vesper asks and I tilt my head.

"Raul, get me my fleshlight of the day" Klaus says before turning around and leaving. Only when he’s gone do ten men appear to clean up the dead bodies. I stare as they take the men out like nothing.

Am I rethinking my decision? No. His brutality and organization are at the exact frequency an enemy of the Deus needs to be at.

Am I selfish for leaving Noah with those abusers? No. I will come back better and stronger to save him...and to kill Damien Deus.