So I'm left with my thoughts, completely alone, not even the head-hurting streetlights to focus on. I wish I could just sleep - I have adequate silence with which to do so - but I keep thinking about the gunshots, and where South East must be. It smells planned, or at least allowed. The "Lot's wife" suit let her go back to the car, even closed the door behind her. And she had said the phrase "Goodbye" as if we wouldn't see each other for a long time. Had she known?

I break my conspiracy theories into two camps: 1. The government killed her or 2. Some faction within the government killed her, against the rest of the government's wishes. This faction might have originated from somewhere besides the government, but it definitely has the cooperation of the "Lot's wife" guy. Each of these options of course has two horns: 1. South East knew and went along with it, or 2. She didn't. I'm assuming, for all of these, that she is in fact dead. She's not here. And my heart tells me she's dead. I don't feel morose about it, just grimly aware. This is my life now, I suppose.

 

Option 1 Horn 1: The government killed her and South East accepted. This I think makes the least sense, as the government already has her under their control. Or at least I thought they did anyway. I don't even know who I'm referring to as "the government." Whoever's in charge of the Inheritors. These secret service looking guys presumably? Or whoever gives them orders. Anyway, as South East was the Inheritor of the Compass, the only reason the government would kill her it to take the Compass out of her hands. And therefore also their own hands. The Compass though is by far the hardest Inheritance to track down, as it is the one necessary to track down all the others. Assuming the government killed her, they'd all but ensure the Compass was out of their control. They would also have been waiting for this moment, killing the old Inheritor of the Chill or waiting for her to die, for an excuse to get the Compass out of Inheritor's Valley. Or no, couldn't they just kill her whenever they wanted? They have control of the Valley, so if they wanted her dead, they could've killed her without all this circumstance. I rule out Option 1 Horn 1.

Option 1 Horn 2: The government killed her and she didn't know. This could explain the lengths they went to to hide it, but again, they could've just had her killed at any time they wanted. Maybe they wanted it to look like someone else did it? Maybe they wanted to pin it on a rebel group or foreign power. That would explain the lengths they (presumably) went to of (presumably) killing the previous Inheritor of the Chill. I don't know what reason the government could have for blaming their loss of the Compass on someone else. They wouldn't let the Inheritors loose no matter what, since we're so dangerous and all, but maybe they're trying to reason someone else has control over Inheritors too? I keep this blame-option on the table for now, even though it doesn't seem particularly likely.

Option 2 Horn 1: Someone else killed her and she knew about it. This, I think, best explains the words that were said to me. Well, said and mouthed. There are innumerable organizations that are not the United States government, so this doesn't particularly narrow down my options as to what actually happened, but it does mean I might should look for Lot's wife, whoever that is, rather than avoid her. Well, if the government wanted me to l might should as well, but I trust very little what the government wants. The Inheritors are dangerous after all, and they see us volatile weapons. If the government wants me to look for Lot's wife, I have no doubt doing so would be a precursor to war or some other atrocity. If it was something pleasant, they wouldn't be so secret. However, if someone was working against the government and wanted me to look for Lot's wife, their intentions had the potential of being good. The odds for good intentions are not marvelous, but they do exist. Additionally, I think this is the most likely option. The suits seemed to be in a general panic, and I was clearly separated from South East, by her volition as well as the "Lot's wife" guy.

Option 2 Horn 2: Someone else killed her, and she had no idea. This was just as plausible as the last one. Her "Goodbye" might not have been intended to communicate permanence. But this was uncomfortable to think about, so I unconsciously dismissed it out of hand. Besides, if whoever the "Lot's wife" guy was affiliated with (assuming he played a part in this) hadn't told her, why would she "forget" something? Why wouldn't she have been surprised when that man shut the door behind her? No, she had to know. More than that, I wanted her to know she was going to die. It made it seem... more noble, somehow.

Going through that logic, I had two semi-plausible theories. 1. The government killed her in order to... do something, instigate a war against "foreign interference" maybe? Or 2. Some other body (maybe foreign, maybe just rebellious) killed her. My only lead in finding out either of these options was to "Look for Lot's wife" but the risks were probably greater if this is the U.S. government's doing. Well, even if it was, what choice did I have? I had to look for Lot's wife, the one who looked back upon the apocalypse befalling Sodom and Gomorrah, the one who was turned into a pillar of salt.

A pillar of salt. Such an odd thing to turn her into.

Satisfied with my machinations, I finally found sleep. It was easy enough once I was trying. The black bag they covered my face with permitted no light through, and a surprisingly ample supply of air. I wish I could've gone to the bathroom before I dozed off, but people imprisoned for the crime of being unlucky couldn't be choosers. I hoped that, by the time I woke up, I would be at Inheritor's Valley.