One On One
The Proxies — Chapter 45
If you haven’t already, check out Chapter 1 to get started with the Proxies, or read Chapter 44 again to refresh your memory.
Diego was on the floor beside Tom, curled up in an almost fetal position.
I turned to the part of the room I was most scared to look at, the wide-open space between the couches and Rosen’s desk, where Mike had been standing.
He was lying on the ground in a crimson pool, steadily growing around him. The holes, three of them, bright red roses on his light blue shirt. I already missed him, and regretted coming here. All I wanted was to sit down in a corner and cry until I disappeared from the face of the Earth, but I forced myself to go to him.
Mike’s eyes were open, looking at the ceiling with the same expression he had had when telling me about his plans for the country and the bright future that awaited. The one I hadn’t believed in. Now it all felt grotesque.
He had gone through so much just to end up here. Trusted me, trusted Rosen. Sacrificed everything for a country that had betrayed him in the end. Believed in me, even if it didn’t take us anywhere.
I knelt down and placed my hand on Mike’s face, closing his eyes. Whatever happened here now, he shouldn’t see it.
