Page 426

~~Holiday Special (Day 2/7, Page 2/6)~~
‘I won’t allow it,’ said Garovel. ‘Gina’s right. We can’t go to Harold.’

“But, Garovel... we can’t just let Abolish destroy an entire town full of people.”

‘Hector, we’re not “letting” them do anything. They’ll do it whether we’re there or not. Either we don’t go, and they destroy the town, or we do go, get killed, and then they destroy the town, anyway. That’s the reason we’re not going--because our presence won’t make a difference.’

“But... maybe we could... help some people escape, at least?”

‘At the cost of our own lives?’

His expression weakened. “You want me to just... sit this one out?”

‘I’m sorry, but yes. We could try to come up with something that’ll make the town evacuate, but even if we succeed and get away before Abolish shows up, they’d just pick some other town to destroy.’

He sighed and ran a hand over his head. His hair had grown out a little, as he hadn’t cut it since fleeing Brighton.

‘Listen. I know you don’t place much value on your own life. And to be honest, we’re oddly similar in that way. I don’t place much value on mine, either. I’ve lived for a very long time already, and while I don’t want to die, I won’t mind terribly when I do, especially if it’s for a good cause. And at times, it’s helpful that we feel this way. Makes us a bit fearless. But now is not one of those times, because our lives can still help save many others. We don’t have the best options in the world right now, but we have to choose the one that has the potential to do the most good.’

“Fuck...”

‘However,’ Garovel said slowly, ‘we do have an opportunity here to do something else. It’ll be dangerous, and it won’t save Harold, but if we succeed, it’ll definitely throw a motherfucking wrench into Abolish’s plans.’

Hector’s gaze hardened. “Sounds good so far. What do you want me to do?”

‘It’s gonna sound crazy.’

“Tell me.”

‘I want you to kidnap the goddamn King.’