The End Does Not Justify The Mean Novels & Stories

"Alpha Thane. You should understand warfare just as well as the rest of us. If not better. The winning decisions are never easy to make." I knew that. I had made so many calls in my life that hadn't been easy. That had made me question my own morality. "You're new to our fight." Celeste spoke. "But believe me when I say the ends always justify the means." I stood up and stared at Celeste. "She deserves better."

I was pretty sure even his own teammates only put up with him because he could play football. "So what happened?" Jackson asked. Evan laughed without any humor. "What do you think? I beat the crap out of him. But I'm not done. Every time I see that guy, it's on." The others nodded like they understood. I stayed quiet, thinking about how actually messed up everything was. Using somebody's girlfriend or sister just to get back at them. That was so wrong on so many levels. And I was not saying that because I was suddenly a saint or I thought I was better than everyone.

Because that— That was the moment. The moment everything changed. I didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe properly. I just stared. Because whatever I was looking at— Whatever had been captured in that frame— Was enough to destroy everything. Everything. I didn’t stop the video. But my mind had already gone ahead of it. Processing. Connecting. Understanding. And the more I understood— The heavier it became. This wasn’t just going to win the case. No. This would end it. Completely. Decisively.

" He kept talking about how great the future would be, not even noticing the cops and reporters sneaking up behind him. "Please tell me why you ended your old flame's life. After putting her through ten abortions and losing her womb for you, don't you feel even a little sorry?" "What went through your mind when you found out your daughter was gone? Do you think you still deserve to be alive? Maybe it's time for some serious self-reflection." "Jack, we're the police, and you're coming with us." ... Jack stumbled backward, his arms up to shield his face, babbling wildly.

And yet each weight pulled me further and further away. I closed my eyes. Murder had been in my past. I'd given it all up, moved beyond, and now I was there again. "Details?" "Do you really want to know?" "She was innocent." That simple statement was what ate at me. Then again, I'd seen other innocents die. They'd died for power, for revenge, and for love. "Her death took precedence over her existence," Deloris said matter-of-factly. "Sometimes the saying is true: the end justifies the means. She was available. Besides, her fate was sealed when she reneged on her obligation to Infidelity and attempted to blackmail Spencer."

Her eyes were filled with anger and sadness. "Yes, I'm crazy! But you're not much better! It was you who paid those people to beat up Lawrence!" Upon hearing that, the police immediately grabbed Julia. "Ms. Ware, we need you to come with us." "No, I was just out of my mind! I didn't mean to hurt Lawrence! Julia looked up at Lawrence, but he didn't even spare her a glance. "You're no good, Julia. You were with Lawrence for seven years and never even thought to give him a title. How are you not a bitch? And now you want to beg for forgiveness? Dream on! I'm the one who truly loves you! We're the perfect match!"

I listen in silence as my eyes adjust. “We have done some terrible things. Acts of cruelty we will never be able to forgive ourselves for. I could tell you that every time we did as instructed it was with one goal in mind but the ends do not justify the means.” The woman who is talking steps closer and right into my line of sight. It is her, the one from the forest.

“That it’s not destruction he wants.” “I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Xander said. “I know he killed Isadora without blinking, used her like fuel and called it fair trade. I know he had Elaine shot the second she stopped being useful to him. That doesn’t sound like a man building something gentle.” “Maybe it’s not about gentle,” I said. “Maybe it’s about believing the ends justify whatever cruelty gets him there. That’s different from wanting cruelty for its own sake.” “Does the difference matter,” Xander asked, “if the result is the same amount of blood?”

Stumbling backward, she collapsed onto the floor. Arthur's final words echoed over and over inside her mind. "Liam and Ava won't forgive you! You're our enemy!" She tilted her head back and let the tears run down her cheeks. Then she actually began to laugh. "That's right… I'm a sinner. I'll never deserve forgiveness."

That idea somehow felt worse. The End wasn't motivated by hatred. Or revenge. Or conquest. It genuinely believed it was helping. The memory shifted again. Showing stars dying. Worlds collapsing. Civilizations fading naturally. Time claiming everything. Orion gestured toward the vision. "The End witnessed the first death." The stars dimmed. "It witnessed the second." Another dimming. "The thousandth." The vision grew darker. "The millionth." Silence. The forgotten Sovereign looked toward them. "Eventually it decided death was unacceptable."