Chapter 3
Gunnar just needed a reason to throw me under the bus for the so-called 'greater good' and to save his precious one.
Turned out, I was just the clueless idiot kept in the dark from start to finish.
I clenched the Crystal Core so tightly that my nails nearly broke the skin.
Archie was right. Gunnar was a total fraud.
He had all his excuses ready before he threw me under the bus.
He'd head back to Nocturne Base and tell everyone I died a hero for the greater good.
He'd use my death to boost his reputation and show off his 'deep feelings' for Adelyn.
And I'd just be another highlight on his heroic record.
"Do you want revenge?" Archie asked again. "Nocturne Base can be your weapon."
I looked at him.
The infamous demon, rumored to be ruthless, was now offering me an olive branch.
"What's the catch?" I asked.
I didn't believe kindness came free in the apocalypse.
Archie fell silent.
He stood up, walked to the window, and stared out at the gray sky.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice distant.
"Back before the world ended, I was a programmer," Archie said.
I couldn't help but be surprised. That didn't fit the image of the lunatic everyone said he was.
"I had social anxiety," he added. "One time, it was pouring rain, and I didn't have an umbrella. I stood outside the office for two hours.
"Everyone just walked right past me, as if I didn't even exist. But then a girl came by. She handed me her umbrella and dashed off, getting drenched herself."
Archie's voice was barely above a whisper, as if he was recounting a memory from a distant past.
My heart gave a sudden jolt.
I remembered.
It must've been about a year before everything went to hell—another summer.
I'd just finished arguing with a client that day, and my mood was awful.
Heading out, I spotted a guy by the entrance, hugging his laptop bag, trembling, his face ghostly pale.
On impulse, I handed him my umbrella.
I couldn't even remember what he looked like.
"That umbrella was pink, with a cat on it," Archie said and turned to look at me. "It was you."
It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
I was totally speechless.
What a small world.
Who would've thought that a simple act of kindness would end up being my lifeline in the apocalypse.
"So, you saved me just because you owed me one?" I asked.
"Not entirely," Archie replied.
He walked over to my bed and leaned in close.
His face was so near that I could see the long lashes framing his eyes, and deep down, there was a glint of possessiveness—almost a fixation.
"Ever since that day, I've been searching for you," Archie said. "All I wanted was to see you again. Now, I've finally found you. Brinley, I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
His words sent a chill down my spine.
This wasn't about paying me back. It was about keeping me trapped.
From the start, this psycho had been after me.
I was basically confined here.
The door to my room was open, and I could roam the building as I pleased.
But every exit had someone standing guard.
Archie didn't restrict my movements anymore, but his guys were everywhere I went.
He still visited me every day, bringing all kinds of stuff he'd managed to scrounge up.
Books that looked brand new, CDs without a single scratch, and even a tiny pot of stubbornly surviving succulents.
He never bothered to ask what I liked. He just stacked up everything he considered worthwhile right in front of me.
He never said it, but I knew he was keeping me penned in, like I was some pet, all in his own way.
My wounds were healing, bit by bit.
Without S-Level healers around, people were still just as vulnerable in the apocalypse.
But the medical care at Nocturne Base was way better than I'd imagined.
At least, they had plenty of meds for infections and more clean bandages than I expected.
Bit by bit, I was able to get out of bed and walk around.
I started scoping out the base.
Unlike Gunnar's base, which was all about warmth and heroics, Nocturne Base ran like a precision machine.
Everyone stuck to their roles—quiet, efficient, no wasted motion.
No pointless chatter, no empty pleasantries.
Here, everything revolved around survival and power.
And Archie was the undisputed center of this machine.
Nobody dared to defy his orders.
I once saw him break a soldier's leg without mercy for failing a mission, then toss him out of the base like yesterday's trash.
That was when I realized the rumors were spot-on.
He really was a lunatic, a cold-blooded tyrant.
But for some reason, he never turned that coldness on me.
His guys all called me "Miss Carlson."
The way they looked at me went from total disdain to this weird mix of respect and curiosity.
They had no clue why their ruthless boss treated me, someone they thought was totally useless, like I was someone important.
I was just as clueless as they were.