Liberation

Chapter 28

Peter's point of view:

Evil, I've come to realize, is not just one specific thing in a specific place. It exists anywhere and everywhere, surrounding and consuming those who fall victim to it.

I sense it in the wrongdoings of people, feel it around every corner, but most importantly, I see it where it most cleverly hides itself:

Within the hearts of those we love.

I find myself wondering if this is all humans are capable of, spreading evil and causing people immeasurable hurt.

Perhaps we are not even humans, rather instead soulless beings who roam the earth aimlessly, searching for something and finding nothing.

I knew who I was when I woke up this morning, but now I'm not so sure anymore.

Did Kyle know who he was when he woke up? Did Cassia? Did Susan? Did Adam?

Did Julia know?

Regret settles into my heart, washing over me like an afternoon rain in the middle of summer. But it's not regret for saving her life. God no, certainly not regret for that.

I cannot place the feeling's origin, the only thing I can register is that it's there, and I can't make it go away. Regret for something I can't identify, nor can I remember.

I suppose that's just another part of being an immeasurably flawed person of an infinitely flawed species:

Forgetting what was good and remembering what was bad.

I attempt to remember every moment of happiness I shared with Julia Lancaster, try my hardest to recall even the faintest of details about her that made me smile.

But when I try to remember, all I can see is her screaming at me in a rage to get out of her life, her green eyes burning with a kind of entirely new anger.

Quite possibly the worst fact of it all is what breaks me inside: it wasn't Henley messing with Julia at that moment; all of those words were her own.

But as I look down at this senseless fight, I see the total amount of destruction people are capable of:

A raging war underneath a crimson sky, the air thick and unbreathable with smoke. Once purely innocent snow is now stained with soot and the blood of the dead. Fires ravage through the city, consuming anything unlucky enough to be caught in their path.

It's the perfect picture of human ignorance, displaying just how far people will go for a taste of power.

And the funny thing about all of this is that I am about to join that fight, that senseless war going on for nothing.

Despite my loss of faith in humanity, I can't ignore the fact that my friends are down there. I might not make a difference to them, but I know it would make a difference to me.

Sighing to myself, I get down from where I stand and head to the battle that I know both sides have lost.

**********************

Killing at random is never a particular preference of mine, so instead I take the little handgun Adam gave me and fire at our enemies, disarming people of their powers and effectively swaying the fight a little farther in our favor.

But the minute I run out of bullets, a terrified shout jerks my attention.

"Peter!" A high pitched yell calls for me.

I turn my head to see someone running for me, blonde hair whipping in her face and blue eyes looking wild. A short girl follows her, black rimmed glasses hanging half on her face and her dark hair pulled back. Two red headed men trail behind them.