And now he'd gone and killed himself for her.
Tidwell let out a shaky breath. His hand rose and pressed to his side. Wet. Still bleeding. The pain barely registered under the noise in his head. His eyes were still fixed on the exact spot where Elias had knelt.
Gone. Just like that.
No dramatic speech. No real goodbye. No last laugh to spite the system. Just a choice. One last damn choice.
The ground didn't even remember him. His blood was still there, but the body was gone. The image stuck in Tidwell's head like a migraine.
The guy who chained us up. Who left us there to die.
The guy who also pulled us through hell before that.
His mouth opened again. No sound came.
Around him, others were moving. He heard Faye cry out, saw Kikaru fall forward onto Elias's last imprint. Saw Wes stiffen like someone punched through his chest. Paul was saying something—loud and unsure—but Tidwell didn't register the words.
He didn't move.
He didn't blink.
