

The Citizen

By

Krysten Williams
The Citizen ©2017 by Krysten Williams. Previously published under A.K. Williamson.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotation in a review or article, without the written permission from the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used fictitiously, and resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials.

To my incredible muse. You inspire me every day to be a better person, and I love you with my whole heart.

This one is for you.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Acknowledgements

About the Author

#  Chapter One

"Good morning, citizens. And welcome to another beautiful day in our Nation."

I stood in the front row with the other guards. My neck ached as I tilted my head up to look at the giant screen that stood in the middle of the town square. I squinted my eyes, trying to focus the image of the announcer. The morning sun distorted his face with its orange glow.

I tried to keep my attention on the screen, but it was almost impossible. Every day since the first day I could remember, we did the same thing. Everyone, citizens and guards alike, got up at the same time, got dressed at the same time. Then, we stood in the village square and watched the morning announcements.

Even these hardly changed.

Of course, there were the occasional updates on the citizens who dared to disobey our Nation. The announcer would report on those, and how they suffered the consequences of their treason. But, even those were becoming common as the days went by.

I glanced over at Jax. His arms were neatly stacked, one on top of the other. He stared up at the screen, attentive and reverent.

Jax was a fellow guard and my mate. We were paired together when we were twelve, found to be the most compatible genetic match among the other children at The Silo, and the most likely to have healthy children.

Jax was the person I knew best, and I still could not understand him. He was one of the most intelligent citizens, yet never seemed to get bored of life here. He never seemed to wonder what was beyond those gates that surrounded The Silo, or the forest that bordered our village. No one else seemed to care, either. Everyone seemed content and happy, and walked around, brightly greeting one another with huge smiles on their faces.

My insides turned into an anxious crawl as I listened to the announcer. I felt like I was going to split apart if I had to listen to his voice one more day, or if I had to see his combed, red hair again. It, too, never changed. It was always parted to the left side, never to the right.

"We have some exciting news for you, citizens," the announcer said, folding his hands on top of the table. "Over the next few weeks, you will be receiving a visit from some of our Nation's finest doctors. We do not want you to be alarmed, and we expect your full cooperation. There has been a small infection running through some of the silos, and to ensure our citizens stay well and productive, they will be giving you an injection. There will be only minor discomfort and there will be no side effects."

A few of the citizens behind me broke into whispers. A guard on my left turned around and gave them what I imagined was a warning look. The whispers stopped.

"Remember, you have no reason to be alarmed," the announcer said, almost as though he could sense the worry of the citizens through the screen. "As always, before we close, let us have a moment of silence to commemorate our beautiful Nation and all the benefits it bestows upon us."

I bowed my head in time with the other citizens. But, my eyes were wide open, staring at the ground. I snuck another glance at Jax. His eyes were closed, his head resting downwards.

"Thank you, citizens," the announcer said, breaking the silence with an approving nod. "With that, I will allow your local officials to carry out the rest of your morning announcements. Thank you, and united we stand."

"United, we stand," all the citizens repeated, some of them shouting the words.

The screen went blank, but we all remained where we stood. We waited for The Magistrate, the leader of The Silo. We watched as he walked up the creaking stairs to the stage, and watched as he walked up to the podium, directly below the screen that we had just been watching the morning announcements on.

The Magistrate was the oldest person in The Silo. There were crinkles around his eyes and his black hair was speckled with gray. His appearance always struck me as such a contrast to the dewy, unmarred faces of the citizens.

"Citizens." He paused and looked at the crowd. "I am deeply grieved to the bone. I am sad to share that one of our own has betrayed us."

I felt a bubble of bile rise from my stomach as The Magistrate looked in my direction.

Perspiration dampened my forehead as The Magistrate and I held each other's gazes. I knew this day was coming. I had long suspected it, even from the time I was a child. I was the bane of The Silo's existence, rambunctious, curious, and emotional. I never outgrew these tendencies, as the other citizens seemed to do. I felt things keenly and spent most of my time wondering what was beyond The Silo's gates. I never let on to my thoughts or feelings, not even to Jax. I always walked around, emulating the smiles of the other citizens, speaking brightly to everyone I saw. I tried to give the appearance of being a model citizen and guard.

Perhaps they figured out that I was just pretending.

I swallowed hard. I kept my eyes on The Magistrate.

"Citizen Rain, would you please come forward?"

I breathed a quiet, guilty sigh of relief. I glanced over my shoulder. The other citizens were looking at Citizen Rain, who was standing a couple of feet behind me. Her dark brows were stitched together and her eyes glistened.

"Please come forward, Citizen Rain," The Magistrate repeated.

Her eyes darted to the many emotionless faces of her fellow citizens. Realizing that no one was going to help her, she trudged down the aisle. She hesitated at the steps to the stage. Two of my fellow guards, Zander and Rhea, stepped to either side of her and escorted her up the steps. They stopped beside The Magistrate.

"Citizen Rain, you have been charged with treason, for the reason of your refusal to bear children. You are also charged with perjury, as you have lied to officials of The Silo. You will be released into the forest, and will die in whichever means the forest sees fit."

"I want to have children! I want to, I just can't!" Citizen Rain shouted, yelling at The Magistrate, yelling to the crowd. "I've tried so many times!"

One of the laws of The Silo was that each citizen must have one child by the time they were nineteen years old. If they did not, they were condemned to death, as they were considered a drain on resources.

"Restrain her," The Magistrate ordered Zander and Rhea. They jumped in and secured her hands behind her back. "Your lies will not be tolerated any longer. You have received the utmost care from our doctors, who have assured me of your ability to conceive."

"You're lying!" she yelled, lunging at him.

"Take her away," he ordered the guards.

"Please!" she yelled. "Someone help me! They are lying!"

The guards struggled to restrain her as they trudged down the aisle. Zander tried to stuff a rag into her mouth, to silence her cries. He winced in pain, pulling his hand back. Bright red blood pooled in a half-moon along his hand. "She bit me!"

"Silence her!" The Magistrate yelled.

Zander tried to stuff the rag into her mouth again, forcing her head back by pulling on her hair.

"Now, you see for yourself the lies of this betrayer. This is what we must all remain vigilant for, liars who are determined to not see peace and prosperity, and those who cannot restrain their feelings. These are the people we must be on the lookout for, as they will destroy the sanctity of our great Nation." The Magistrate addressed the crowd, pointing at Citizen Rain. "Why would someone want to give up this life? A life of comfort, all human needs met? We ask so little, and give so much in return. Don't be foolish, young citizens, and be wary."

The Magistrate stepped down from the stage. He paused and studied the guards, all standing at attention.

His gaze fell on Jax and me. "Guard Jax, Guard Lysa," he said, "please accompany the prisoner to the forest."

We nodded and jogged to catch up to the prisoner. The guards were struggling to get her into the back of the wagon. The two, black horses who were attached to it, looked back at us. Their ears flicked back and forth, listening to the commotion.

As we approached, I noticed Citizen Rain's eyes. They were locked on mine, wild and pleading. I felt another pang of pity for her. "Is it really necessary to stuff the rag in her mouth?" I said, looking at Zander.

"I am not going to listen to her scream the entire way."

"She's not going to scream anymore. Are you?" I asked the prisoner.

Her eyes were still wide, but she nodded her head in assent.

I reached out and grabbed the cloth out of her mouth and tossed it to Zander.

"You have to help me, please."

"Please get in the wagon," I said. "There is nothing I can do to help you."

She bowed her head and nodded. I followed her up the steps of the wagon and removed the restraints. I slipped one hand out of the cuffs, and secured her in the shackles that would keep her from jumping out of the cart. I did the same for the other hand.

I hopped down from the back of the wagon and stood with the other guards. I wasn't sure what to do, and I tried to keep my excitement and nerves from showing on my face.

I glanced back at Citizen Rain. A tear ran down her face. I felt a bite of sorrow in my chest. I felt bad that I was excited to finally leave the gates of The Silo at her expense, only to release her to her death.

"Let's get on with it then," Rhea said.

Rhea and Zander jumped in the front part of the wagon, Rhea grabbing the reins. I followed Jax back up the stairs, past the prisoner. We sat on the bench, facing the prisoner, our backs to the other guards. Rhea nudged the horses forward, and the wagon lurched with movement.

I realized that Jax was watching me. My breathing had quickened, and I had my hand on my gun. I took a deep breath and placed my hands on my lap. I mimicked his posture, upright and attentive.

Along with my excitement in finally leaving The Silo, I was also frightened. From the time we were children, we were taught to be wary of the dangers that lurked beyond the gates. No one was allowed out of them, except on patrols, and guards stood watch over the fence perimeter at all times.

There were also whispers among the citizens, who told each other stories of red eyes watching them from the forest, or pained howls that awoke them in the middle of the night.

I had never seen red eyes in the forest or heard any howls, but I heard stories from the guards. At least every week, some of the guards were sent out of the gates to patrol the forest, to make sure our Silo was safe from outside threats, and to bring back fresh game if they could. Some of the stories they told in the quarters gave me nightmares. The most recent story, from a guard named Silas, was about how they found an animal that had been shredded to bits, scattered across the forest floor.

"We will be fine," Jax said. "Just as long as we get back before dark."

Rhea stopped the horses at the gate. I heard the rustling of papers as she gave the guards at the gate the movement orders for the prisoner.

"Open the gate!" I heard one guard yell.

The gates opened with a creak and Rhea guided the horses through. I watched as the gates shut behind us.

The prisoner began to rock back and forth, huddled in a ball. "I don't want to die, I don't want to die," she chanted.

I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but to do that would be a treasonous act. I would certainly be put to death for it. "No one wants to die," I said. I turned away, trying to ignore her wide blue eyes.

I studied the expanse that ran between the forest and The Silo. The grass was long, almost mid-way up the wagon. One of the horses tried to sneak a bite of it as they walked along.

The clearing was much larger than I imagined. It seemed to extend for as long as the eye could see in both directions. It took the horses quite a while to bring us to the line of trees that marked the forest.

We halted at the edge of the forest. The trees blocked the sun, almost seeming to touch the sky in their might. The air grew cold around us.

One of the horses tossed its head. Rhea ignored it and prodded the horses forward. They balked, prancing in place for a moment. The wagon wobbled back and forth, and then lunged forward. I held on to Jax to avoid falling off the bench.

We were in the forest moments later. The air was cool and fresh, but smelled unlike anything I had experienced before. It almost smelled like cut grass after it had been rained on and left to decay. I crinkled my nose.

I squinted as I tried to study my surroundings. It was dark in here, the trees blocking much of the sun from reaching down to us. We bumped along the road, branches snapped and crackled beneath the wheels of the wagon.

The road was barely wide enough for the wagon to fit through. At one point, I reached out and touched the trunk of a tree that was at least three times wider than me, feeling the scrape of the bark against my palm. I looked at my palm, feeling something sticky coating it.

Blood. I recoiled when I saw that it coated my hand. I brought it to my face, examining my palm for scratches. The bark had been sharp as it scraped against me, but I did not think that it had sliced my skin.

The blood was already a rust color and beginning to congeal. Could it have come from the tree?

I looked at the trunk as the wagon passed along. The same rust-color stained the tree and the ground below it in an uneven splatter. Leaves were covered in it and twigs dripped with it. Bits of what looked like fur littered the ground.

Silas' story came to my mind, about the animal they found ripped to shreds. It had been true, after all.

But, that meant that whoever, or whatever, did this was still out here, and we were out here with it.

#  Chapter Two

"Jax?" I said, looking down at my palm and back out at the ground. "What happened out here?"

He looked down at my hand. "Wipe it off," he said.

"What is it from?"

"Wipe it off," he said. His voice was even, but his gray eyes widened.

I wiped my hands on my pants. I tried to get as much off as I could. The rust color now stained my white pants, long streaks extending along the length of my pant leg.

I looked up at the citizen. Her eyes were locked on my hands, and she was barely moving.

"Why are we taking her so deep into the forest?" I said, whispering to Jax.

He did not reply. His eyes scanned the forest.

I had never seen him anxious before. I sat up straight, forgetting my bloody palm, and kept my eyes on the forest. I wasn't sure what I was even looking for, but I halfway expected to see red glowing eyes staring back at me, or monsters tearing an animal to shreds.

Jax had been on escort duty and patrol duty many times. He escorted the last citizen out here a week ago, a young woman who was condemned to death for adultery. Every time he returned from the forest, he was always quieter than normal. Whenever I asked him about it, his answers were always short and dismissive, such as, "fine," or "there were a lot of trees." Seeing his reaction now, I couldn't help but wonder if there was something out here that frightened him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a fence. It was a solid mass of rocks and stone with a gate at the front. I turned around and peeked over the bench that Rhea sat on as she guided the horses. She was steering the horses to the gate.

We stopped outside of the main gates and a few guards approached us. I heard the shuffling of the papers once more as Rhea gave the guards the transport orders for Citizen Rain.

"Let them through!" a deep voice yelled.

The gate screeched open and Rhea brought the horses through. She halted them by the entrance of a large building, gray and windowless. Green moss sprinkled the roof. I could taste something foul in the air as we neared the building. I only breathed as much as I absolutely had to.

"What is this place?" I said to Jax. I placed my hand over my mouth. "And, what is that smell?"

Jax said nothing. He glanced down before he stood up and walked to the end of the wagon.

I got up and followed him, helping him unfasten the citizen's shackles. She sobbed and her words were incoherent. I tried to stifle my pity as I led her shaking frame off the wagon.

After I got her down, and Jax had ahold of her, I jumped down. Guards in the same uniforms we wore swarmed the citizen from every side. As they swept around her and led her up the steps of the grey building, the citizen threw a panicked expression to me.

"We are supposed to follow them," Jax said.

I nodded. The smell was getting stronger as we neared the building, and it was making my stomach turn. I took a deep breath before we stepped into the dim, cavernous room. Even holding my breath, I felt the stench hit me. I fought the urge to gag.

We followed the guards as they led her to what appeared to be a trough on the far side of the room. I could barely see the citizen through the wall of guards, but I had to imagine that she wanted to know what was going on just as much as I did.

We both turned our attention to a door opening to the far right of the room. The sound of screeching metal echoed throughout the chamber as the door opened and slammed closed again. A tall, thin man approached us. He was followed by two guards. "Jax! Good to see you again. And, who is this lovely citizen?" The man said, stopping short of me.

"Bev, this is Lysa, my mate. Lysa, this is Bev."

We both nodded to each other.

"This is Lysa's first transport mission," Jax said.

"A newcomer! Let's give her the grand tour. What do you say, Jax?"

Jax tried to respond, but Bev continued. "We do some important work here. It is a thankless job, the most thankless in The Nation, I would say. But, it's important. A small price to pay for our great Nation."

"We will have to decline, Bev. We have no clearance to stay."

I heard a stammer in Jax's voice. I cast a sideways glance at him.

"Nonsense. And, if The Magistrate gives you any trouble, send him my way. Not that he would ever come out here to pay me a visit, mind you. Come along, lass."

I trudged behind Bev. I hesitated, looking at Jax. He stood rooted to the ground, eyes wide.

"Come along, now," Bev said. "There is much to see."

I followed behind Bev and eyed Jax. He matched my stride, but his brows were stitched together and he picked at the skin around his nails.

The guards shuffled the citizen, who was squirming and crying, into the room that Bev came out of only moments earlier.

We followed Bev and the group of guards into the room. There was a trough, similar to the one the cows drank out of at The Silo, with a few young citizens kneeling in front of it. They were shackled to the ground, but they all seemed to struggle against the restraints. One of them, a young man who I did not recognize, was crying.

The guards struggled to bring Citizen Rain to the trough, but she flailed, knocking one of the guards down. Another one hit her in the back of the head, and her body went limp. A few of them picked her up and restrained her arms and legs, resting her body on the edge of the trough.

"It looks like we can begin," Bev said. "We try to do this in batches, in order to make the process more efficient. Processing all at once saves time and resources in the long run."

"Processing what?" I asked.

Bev did not answer. No one answered. I watched as one of the guards took a knife and sliced open a citizen's neck. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the guard rested the twitching body over the edge of the trough.

The room became hazy and began spinning around. I did not realize that I had startled to topple over until I felt Jax steady me, standing me upright.

"She has a weak stomach," Bev said. I caught a hint of disapproval in his voice.

"She hasn't eaten much today," Jax said. He placed his palm on my forehead. "She hasn't been feeling well the past couple of days."

I looked up, my eyes focusing once again. I saw the body of the citizen, being bled dry like the pigs we slaughter at The Silo. Two guards unshackled him from the ground and placed his twitching body on a conveyor that led him into another room, somewhere out of sight.

"We try to leave some of the blood in the body. It makes for a little bit of a mess when it comes to butchering time, but it helps to preserve some of the flavor and tenderness. And, it keeps it from drying out so much during transport," Bev said.

I threw up on the floor.

"That's a biohazard. Clean it up!" Bev shouted, pointing at my vomit.

Guards ran up with a mop and bucket. I stared down at the red-tinged mop water. They spritzed the floor with a chemical that burned my eyes and my nose.

"We should probably get going. I need to take her to the doctor," Jax said.

"Yes. That would be most wise."

Jax helped me out of the room. I knew that I didn't want to, but I looked behind me, one last time at Citizen Rain. The man with the knife was standing over her. He grabbed her hair and yanked back, exposing her neck.

"No!" I cried.

No one stopped and no one looked at me. The man sliced her throat, a line of red emerging where the blade had been. One blink later, blood spurted into the trough, and the guard laid her body over the edge.

Jax led me out, forcing me to turn away. I nearly fell down when we got outside. I gasped, trying to keep from vomiting again.

"Get up," Jax nudged.

I picked myself up and we walked back to the wagon. I tripped going down the stairs.

"What's wrong with her?" Zander asked.

"She needs to go to a doctor. Let's get back to The Silo."

I did not remember much of the ride back to The Silo. I blocked out all the thoughts of Citizen Rain, and focused my attention on the trees, the horses, anything else that I could think of. I had to maintain my composure. As it was, my stomach was threatening to vomit after every bump in the road.

I rested my head in my hands. I could not afford another mishap like the one back there. I was already afraid that talk of it was going to make it back to The Silo. Would what I did be considered treason? I was not sure. These days, it seemed that breathing the wrong way was considered treason.

A mix of anxiety and relief filled me when the gates of The Silo came into view. I looked over at Jax. He was staring off in the distance of the clearing, his brows furrowed. I tried to catch his attention, but he ignored me.

When the wagon stopped within the gates, Jax got up and jumped down from the wagon. I followed him, but gently got down. I knew if I jostled my stomach too much, I would be sick again.

"You need to go to the doctor. I will take you over there."

I nodded, knowing it was no use to argue.

He led me to the doctor, his arm intertwined in mine. We stopped outside of the door and he spun me around. He gave me a hug.

I wasn't sure how to react. Jax rarely hugged me, and never hugged me in public. I stiffened in response to his unexpected touch, but he pulled me closer. "Tell them that you think you might be pregnant," he whispered in my ear.

He backed off but kept his arm intertwined with mine. Before I could respond, he opened the door to the infirmary and led me inside.

A nurse greeted us as soon as we walked in. "Good day, citizens. How can we help you today?"

Jax explained a little of what happened. "My partner has not been feeling very well the past couple of days and got sick on a mission."

The nurse nodded. "Let's get you back to one of the rooms."

The nurse led me to a hallway, where numerous, identical doors lined each side. I cast a glance back at Jax before I followed the nurse down the hall. He watched me, and I kept his gaze until he was out of my sight.

She led me into a room to the right, five doors down. She gestured to a flat table in the center of the room. "Go ahead and lay down there. The doctor will be in shortly." She exited the room and I hesitated before getting near the table. I slowly sat down, the chilliness of the metal seeping past my pants and onto my skin. Goosebumps popped up along my legs and all the way up to my arms.

I sat on the table, dangling my feet over the edge. I studied the room, trying to keep thoughts of everything that had happened from taking hold of my consciousness.

I jumped when I heard a knock on the door. I watched as a young female citizen, a little younger than me, entered the room. "Citizen Lysa, how are you doing today?"

"I've been better," I said.

"I understand that you got sick on a mission, and that you have been feeling ill for part of the week. Is that true?"

I nodded.

"I am going to run some tests. Is there a chance that you might be pregnant?"

"I think I might be," I stammered. I wiped my palms on my pants.

She nodded. "Ok. Let's have a look at some of your vitals." She grabbed a few instruments from a cabinet. She grabbed a wand and began rubbing it across my face. When she finished, she nodded. She grabbed another instrument. "Hold out your finger," she said.

I gave her my right index finger, and she clipped a small, white thing to the tip of it.

"Your blood pressure and your heart rate are very elevated," she said. "Let's get some blood."

She gathered a few more supplies from the cabinet and asked for my finger back. She poked it with a needle and drew a small vial of blood. When she was finished, she put some gauze on my finger. "Put pressure on that," she said. "I will be back in just a few moments," she said, and exited the room with my blood.

She was gone for only a few minutes. I jumped at the sound of her knock, already lost in a world of my own thoughts. "You are not pregnant," she said. She closed the door behind her.

"Really?"

"For certain. I suppose that you could been pregnant and miscarried, but we probably would have noticed a higher incidence of hormones in your blood. You have had no other symptoms, other than feeling sick?"

I nodded, unsure what to say. "Just sick."

"Let's get a little more blood. We will run some more tests to make sure you do not have any infections. Until then, bedrest and stay hydrated."

"Thank you," I said.

She took some more blood, this time from my left index finger. She gave me more gauze to press onto the pierced skin.

"Take care, citizen," she said with a smile. She was holding the small vial of my blood.

I stepped out of the room. I walked down the hallway. It seemed so much shorter going out than when I came in.

I spotted Jax waiting in the room. He was sitting on the bench, still and upright, his eyes staring at the wall ahead of him. He saw me approach and looked up at me. I nodded and he stood up. We walked together up to our room.

"I'm not pregnant." I said, after we closed the door to our room.

He put his fingers to his lips. He sat down on the bed and grabbed some paper and a pencil. I sat down next to him and watched what he scribbled on the paper.

"You are in trouble and we are being listened to."

I tilted my head and looked up at him.

"Bev told the Magistrate what happened. They think that you were sympathizing with a traitor of The Nation."

"How do you know this?" I mouthed.

"Not important," he wrote. "We need to find a way to save you."

I shook my head.

"We might be able to buy you some time if you actually turn out to be pregnant."

I grabbed the pencil. "True, but they move too fast." I shook my head. I swallowed, trying to quench the clawing heat that ripped through my stomach and into my throat. "There is no way around this, is there?"

"No," he wrote, dragging the pencil slowly across the paper.

I stared at the word. So final. Such a simple word that meant so little and so much, all at the same time.

"No," I whispered. I tried to hold back the tears that threatened to escape my eyes. I was going to die, just like Citizen Rain.

#  Chapter Three

The thought of dying was the least scary part of everything. I did not want to die, but I was worried about Jax.

I would meet my end quickly. But, Jax would have to wait until his nineteenth year to meet his end. In The Silo, when a citizen was condemned to death, the mate was also executed, but only after they reached nineteen and were childless. Jax would be no exception. He would know with every passing day that he was that much closer to meeting his fate in the slaughterhouse.

I grabbed the pencil once again. "What do they do with the bodies?"

Jax sighed. "You already know. Bev told you."

"I need to hear it from you. What do they do with the bodies?"

"You didn't think that they could feed us from the meager farming of the citizens?"

My stomach lurched and I swallowed bile. "They always told us it was lamb or pork. Or a gift from The Nation."

Jax placed his finger to his mouth. I did not realize that I was speaking out loud. I took a breath.

Jax wrote, "You have to be careful. You might get away with today. But, another slip and they will kill us both."

"Is that how you live with it?" I wrote.

"You don't think about it. That's how you live with it."

He quietly tore the paper in half. He took half and shoved it in his mouth, chewing it. It took me a moment to realize what he was doing. It was the only way to dispose of the evidence of our conversation. I reached out my hand and he gave me the other piece of paper. I shoved it in my mouth. The bitterness of the charcoal burned my tongue.

"Dinner is in an hour," Jax said, standing up from the bed. "You should probably get some rest until then."

I tried to stifle a gag at the thought of dinner. Every night, some kind of meat was served. I would never be able to look at my plate again without thinking that perhaps it was Citizen Rain, served up along with potatoes and vegetables.

I tried to close my eyes, but every time I shut them, all I could see was Citizen Rain. Even when I opened them, I could not get rid of the memory of the red line that followed the knife blade around her slender neck.

I sat up from the bed when the dinner bell sounded, not having been able to rest at all. I sat on the edge of the bed, convincing myself that I could do what Jax does. I could exist like everyone else, blissfully and willingly ignorant of the ugly truth that was right in front of our faces.

Every step I took towards the cafeteria filled me with more dread. As I walked, I saw a wagon enter the gate. That was our shipment from The Nation, gifts of fruits, vegetables, and meat, given to us to ensure our happiness and health.

I tried not to think about the meat. Were they the bodies of the citizens that I saw get slaughtered? Was Citizen Rain in the back of that wagon, being unloaded by the guards right now?

I tried to maintain my composure as I walked into the cafeteria and sat next to Jax. He briefly took his attention off his plate. I looked past him and down at his plate. There was a small lump of mashed potatoes, a few carrots, and a huge lump of meat with gravy on top of it. I stared at the meat.

"You should probably get yourself something to eat," Jax said. "Keep your strength up."

I nodded. I felt the other guards watching me as I walked to the front of the cafeteria. I stood behind the counter and a young citizen handed me a plate. I thanked her and took the plate. I carried it with two hands, trying to steady my shaking hands. I stared at the meat the entire way back to my seat.

I kept staring at it as I ate a bite of the carrots. I ate the potatoes, only eating the ones that did not touch the meat.

Jax nudged me with his boot. I jumped, not realizing that I had stopped moving, focused solely on the meat on my plate. I looked around me. The other guards were talking, but their voices seemed far away. I looked at Jax. He glanced at me, but turned his attention back to the other guards.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. The voices seemed a little louder for a moment, but disappeared when I picked up my fork.

I cut a small slice, a few crumbs practically, off the edge. I balanced them on the fork, watching them as they neared my face. I wondered which citizen this was that I was about to taste. Was it the one from last week, who was sentenced for adultery? Was it the woman who tried to hide her second, forbidden child? Was it the child? Was it poor Citizen Rain?

I dropped the fork and puked, right on my plate.

Jax stood up and helped me up. "We need to take you to the doctor."

I wiped at my chin. I let him lead me out of the cafeteria and to the infirmary.

Vaguely, I was aware that I should feel embarrassed. I left my plate full of my sick at the table, but I did not care.

I did not look at Jax as we walked through the empty street. I stared straight ahead, trying to silence the dread that filled me with every step we took.

I hesitated when we were outside the building. I expected him to hug me again and whisper something into my ear, like he had earlier. I hoped for some advice on what to do. But, none came, and he led me inside.

"Back again?" the nurse who was there earlier asked.

"She got sick at dinner."

"Follow me," she said.

I followed her down the hall, not bothering to look back at Jax. I did not want to look at him. I would not be able to restrain the emotions that were warring within me if I did.

The nurse led me to a room at the end of the hall, on the left this time. She had me sit down on the table. It was as cold and hard as the one I sat on earlier today.

"The doctor will be in with you shortly," she said, before closing the door.

This felt surreal. Everything that had happened today felt like one of my wild imaginings, one of the many that I let myself get caught up in at night, when I could not sleep. But, even then, I had never imagined anything like this before.

Maybe this feeling, of being removed from reality, is how it feels to know you are going to die.

I shook my head. I was not going to die. This had to be my overactive imagination at work. None of this was real.

I jumped when there was a knock at the door, and the doctor entered the room. "You are back. What happened?"

"I got sick while I was eating."

"I see. Our test from earlier should be finished running by now. I am going to check the results and I will bring them back with me. We will see how to proceed from there."

I nodded in assent and watched as she exited the room. She seemed much less friendly than she had been earlier today.

I took a deep breath, trying to force myself to relax. I realized that I had been gripping the edge of the table with my fingers. I looked at them, examining the deep impressions the metal left on my fingertips.

Why could I not have just listened to Jax and ignored it, like he did?

I wrapped my arms around myself. I wanted to yell. I wanted to knock things over.

Because of my stupidity, Jax and I were both going to die.

The doctor came in, this time without knocking. "All of your tests came back normal," she said.

"Then why do I feel so sick? Could it be the infection that they mentioned on the morning announcements?"

She ignored my question. "I heard from one of the other guards that you went out to the forest for the first time today."

"Yes," I said.

"Did that, by chance, have anything to do with it?"

"No. I felt bad before that."

"I cannot find anything wrong with you. There are no signs of infection or imbalances of any kind."

"I will just go to my quarters then," I said. "I will get some rest and I will hopefully feel better tomorrow."

"Good idea, citizen," the doctor said. She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

I pulled myself up from the table. I walked past her and I felt her eyes on me as I left the room. I walked down the hallway and nodded to the nurse. She nodded back to me, watching me as I left the infirmary.

I walked back to Jax and my room, ignoring the looks of the other citizens as I made the short journey. I rushed up the stairs and opened the door. Jax was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head hanging down.

I sat down next to him. "I'm so sorry," I said.

He looked up at me. I had never seen his grey eyes the way they looked now. The only way I could think to describe them was sorrowful.

He pulled the paper and pencil off the edge of the dresser. He started scribbling. "We have to get you out of here."

I shook my head. "Why?" I mouthed.

"They are going to condemn you as a traitor."

I grabbed for the paper. "Escape with me," I wrote. "I won't go without you."

He looked at me. He nodded slowly.

"How?"

"Tonight," he wrote. "We will tell the guards on night watch that we are relieving them of duty. We will go out the front gate."

"At night? What about the forest?" I wrote.

"We will have our guns."

"Ok." I whispered.

He took the paper and shredded it. He gave me half and he took half. We stuffed the paper into our mouths and chewed on them.

All that was left to do was wait. We still had a few hours until nightfall.

I kicked off my boots and wriggled out of my uniform. I crawled to my side of the bed and laid down.

Jax did the same and laid down next to me. I looked over at him and let my fingers touch his hand.

He looked over at me. I wanted to kiss him. I looked down at his lips and let my eyes travel to his eyes.

Citizen Rain. Her face took up the space where Jax lay. I blinked and she was gone.

I rolled over and faced the wall. I tried to hold my tears back.

I felt some of the tenseness leave my body when Jax wrapped his arms around me. "What's wrong, Lysa?" he whispered into my ear.

"How could you have done it, knowing? How could you have eaten them?"

"Because the alternative was going to hurt you."

I lost my breath. My insides felt heavy. "I'm so sorry," I said.

"You've always wanted to get out of here," he whispered. "It will be an adventure."

I looked over my shoulder. I had never told anyone of my dreams of leaving The Silo, and exploring the world behind the gates.

"You're smart, Lysa," he said, seemingly in response to my thoughts. "But, you are easy to read."

I turned over to face him. I kissed him and he pulled me close to him. I felt myself drifting off to sleep, almost like he was a shield against all the horror that I saw today.

We both jumped when our door opened. Jax wriggled out of bed and stood up.

Three guards forced themselves into the room. They stood at the foot of the bed, looking at me.

"Guard Jax, we need you to move."

"What is this about?"

The guard ignored him. "Guard Lysa, you are under arrest for treason."

"Treason?" I asked. "What do you mean?" I could barely hear them over the pulse that thundered in my ears.

"I'm sure this is some kind of misunderstanding," Jax said.

"We are under orders from The Magistrate to take her to jail," one of the guards, Guard Mikel, said.

"Could you please give her a moment to let her get dressed?"

Guard Mikel nodded and the guards turned their backs. I eyed Jax, studying his movements.

Jax pulled his guard uniform back on, and I followed his lead.

"Thank you, guards," he said, after we were both dressed.

The guards whipped around, almost in unison. Guard Mikel spun me around, and secured my hands behind my back. They led me out of the room.

I was able to catch one last glimpse of Jax before Mikel shoved me out of the room. He stood in the doorway. He brought his right hand up, waving goodbye to me.

#  Chapter Four

I spent the night in the prison. I could not sleep, but that was no different from most other nights. But, instead of thinking about what was beyond the fence of The Silo, I kept replaying the sight of Jax, waving goodbye to me.

For all I knew, it might be the last time he would see me.

I shook my head, trying to clear those thoughts away. I could not keep thinking that way if I was going to survive this.

I was already planning. There had to be a way to survive this. I could not simply accept that I was going to end up like countless others, simply food on the plates of the citizens.

"Wake up."

I jumped, roused from my thoughts. I looked up to see who the deep voice belonged to. It was Guard Mikel.

He began rattling the bars of the prison door. "How does it feel to be on the other side?"

I clenched my teeth, but I did not respond.

"I can tell you how it makes me feel, seeing you trapped in there. Helpless." He fumbled in his pocket. He pulled out the key to the door. "I couldn't get the thought of you out of my mind last night. What you would do for the chance of survival."

"I'm not interested. Go away," I said. I stared up at him, and kept my voice even. There had always been rumors that Mikel molested the prisoners, but no one had been able to confirm them. He must have been extremely careful not to get caught, as it would certainly lead to his own execution.

I watched him as he closed the cell door behind him with trembling hands. He unfastened his belt. "I've been wanting you for ages, but Jax never leaves your side." He pulled down his pants. "Besides, you're going to die today. What does it matter?"

I patiently waited for him to expose his lower half. "I've been wanting this too," I said. I slid in front of him. I put my hand on his shoulder.

He pulled back, and then relaxed. "I did not think that you wanted me, too."

I drew my knee into him, as hard as I could.

He screamed and doubled over. I stepped to the side before he collapsed onto me.

"I wonder if that will have an impact on your fertility. You have, what? A year left before they come for you, too?"

"What is going on up here?" A female guard shouted, thundering up to the cell. It sounded like Rhea's voice. "Why are you up here, Mikel?" Rhea asked.

"Mikel is a little busy right now," I said, looking down at him. He was retching on the floor. "You might want to help him pull his pants up, though."

Rhea looked at me, and back down at Mikel. She unlocked the gate. "Get up," she said. "Come on, get out," she said, pointing to the open door.

He crawled out of the cell, his pants dragging behind him. "We will deal with you later," she said after him.

She regarded me for a moment before she closed the cell with a rusty snap. She nodded to me before she followed Mikel, telling him to pull up his pants and kicking him in the rear end.

I stood at the cell door. I wiggled it, but it was locked. I walked over to the tiny window at the corner of the room. I craned my neck to try to spot Jax and my room, but it was obscured by another building.

I sat back down on the tiny cot. I ached to be next to Jax, waking up next to him like I had every morning for so many years. I wondered if he felt the same way this morning, waking up alone.

"Lysa!"

I jumped, and looked over my shoulder. Mikel was standing outside the cell door. He held onto the bars of the gate for balance. Sweat beaded along his forehead and his shoulders were hunched. "Back for more?" I asked.

"The Magistrate wants to see you. Now."

"What for?"

"How do I know?" he said. He opened the gate and I walked over to him. He grabbed my arm. I suspected that he squeezed it with all the strength he could muster. My arm was numb before we left the prison, but I held my chin high and kept pace with him.

I inhaled the cold morning air, fresh with the smell of dew. It was refreshing compared to the dank odor of the prison.

We stopped outside of the door to The Magistrate's quarters. Mikel rapped on the door. I heard the scuffle of footsteps inside.

A guard, a young citizen of about fifteen, opened the door.

"We are here to see The Magistrate, at his request," Mikel said.

The young guard nodded. "Come in."

We entered the room. This was the first time I had ever been in here. It was a stark contrast to the rooms of only a dresser, a bed, and a nightstand that the citizens inhabited. The room was large and spacious, with multiple couches and chairs, lined with red, soft-looking material. There was a fireplace in the corner, a fire lit and the wood crackling.

"Citizens."

Mikel and I both turned to where The Magistrate was standing. I did not even hear him enter the room.

"Magistrate, the prisoner you requested," Mikel said.

"Thank you, kindly. Please leave us," he said. Mikel nodded, throwing me a final glare before he and the young guard exited to the outdoors.

We stood in the center of the room, regarding each other. He held my gaze.

"Lysa," he said. "You have never been good about hiding your thoughts."

"Excuse me?" I had heard that same thing two times in the past day, first from Jax and now from The Magistrate.

"My living quarters. They offend you, do they not?"

"They are quite nice, Magistrate."

"They are, but they offend you."

"They confuse me. They are different than what I am accustomed to."

"They are."

I took a deep breath. I had nothing to be afraid of. I was already being sentenced to death today. "It's just, I thought that our society was based on simplicity and humility." I looked around his cabin, studying the lavish décor.

"Some jobs take more resources and have more responsibility. More should be given to compensate. Do you not feel that is just?"

"That makes sense. But, the guards have more responsibility than the citizens. Why do they not get more, then?"

"This is why I love you, Lysa. Why I have always loved you. Your mind. It fascinates me." He chuckled. He circled around me. "Strong, intelligent, beautiful. The three most dangerous traits in a woman."

I followed his stare as he circled me, flicking his eyes over me.

"Allow me to be blunt," he said.

"Do I have a choice?"

He smiled. "You're not like the others. You know it, I know it. Everyone knows it."

"Your point?" I said. Heat rose into my cheeks.

He stopped exactly where he started and faced me. "I have a proposition for you. But I need your word. Your unconditional word."

"On what?"

"I can't tell you unless you give me your word. But, I do think it will be beneficial to both you and Jax."

I straightened when I heard Jax's name. "You have my word."

"Excellent," he said. The corners of his mouth lifted. "It would have been a shame for you to end up like Citizen Rain."

I picked at the loose skin on my thumbs.

"I need you to find someone for me. There is a group of people who live beyond our gates, The Resistance they call themselves. They are a threat to us. They go against everything we stand for, and their numbers are growing. I want you to find their leader, and I want you to bring their head back to me."

"How?"

"That part is up to you. I can't help you escape, but if I know you like I think I do, you will have figured out a plan to do so already."

I ignored the blush in my cheeks. "What about Jax?"

"I will make sure his life is spared."

"How will you do that?"

"We will have him condemned like every other citizen who does not have a child by nineteen. But, instead of killing him, we will send him to work in one of the processing factories, where no one will know him or recognize him."

I hesitated before I answered. Jax would be miserable, butchering citizens every day. But, at least he would be alive.

"I realize it is not an ideal situation. But, he would be safe to live out the rest of his natural-born days."

I looked up at The Magistrate and gazed into his eyes. "You have a deal."

"Excellent." He smiled his curious smile again, with only the outer edges of his mouth lifting up. "Tell me something," he said.

"What?"

"I have been curious for ages about this. What do you see in him?"

"Who?"

"Jax."

'What do you mean?"

"You resent Jax for his lack of curiosity, which comes so naturally to you. Yet, your parting wish is for me to make sure he is safe. Why? Wouldn't you be more intrigued by another? Someone who could match your level, could understand, and quench, your desires?"

"Time makes us fonder of those around us, Magistrate. Sometimes."

He smiled. "Your cooperation has been most becoming."

The Magistrate rang a bell that was resting on one of the smooth cabinet tops. The young guard rushed in from outside. "Yes, Magistrate?"

"Please let Guard Mikel know that he can take this prisoner back to her cell."

The young guard rushed outdoors and brought Mikel back with him. I kept The Magistrate's gaze as Mikel crushed my arm in his grip, and led me outside once again.

I spent another half an hour in the cell, waiting for the sentencing to begin. I began shaking, more with every passing minute.

I listened to the morning announcements as I sat on the edge of my cot. Part of me, the part that was used to routine, longed to peek out of the tiny window and watch the announcer. The other part of me was happy that this would likely be the last morning announcement I would hear.

Before the announcement ended, Mikel returned to my cell. He led me back downstairs with his crushing grip. When we stepped out, I squinted, trying to find Jax in the midst of the citizens. I could not find him, not even in the place we normally stood.

Mikel led me to the foot of the stairs and we waited as The Magistrate spoke. "Citizens, it is another sad day, indeed." He announced to the crowd. "It is a sad moment in time when we can no longer trust those who are endowed with the privilege to be guardians of our Nation. Guard Lysa, would you please come to the stage?"

Mikel led me up the stairs. As we climbed, I looked out at the crowd. Bored, impartial eyes stared back at me.

The thud of my steps seemed to echo across The Silo as I walked up the creaking, wooden planks. I stopped across from The Magistrate, the same place that Citizen Rain stood only yesterday. I looked down at the crowd once again, this time spotting Jax on the far side of the throng of citizens. My heart leapt when I saw him.

"Citizen Lysa," The Magistrate said, pointing to me with a shaking finger, "disclaimed loyalty to our Nation through her treasonous actions of sympathizing with a traitor. When we fail to work together, we are no longer unified. We are no longer strong." He looked out to the crowd. "Citizen Lysa, you are sentenced to death by whatever means the forest sees fit, for your acts of treason and dishonesty."

I looked over at Jax. I desperately wanted to scream, to tell him that this was not real and that this was not going to be the end of me. But, I could not fail him this time. I had to keep him safe, no matter what it did to me.

"Let this unfortunate incident remind you of the reasons why we must stand together. Thank you for your participation in keeping The Silo unified." The Magistrate remained on the stage as Mikel drug me down the steps and to the wagon.

I kept my eyes on Jax for as long as I could, until we passed him. I was shackled in the wagon, and Mikel was sitting on the bench where Jax and I had been sitting just yesterday. I searched for him, and I spotted him walking towards the gate. He must have been taking his place for the morning fence patrol rotation.

Rhea was again driving the horses, and handed Jax the movement orders. He gave them back to her, a slight shake of the hand betraying his composure. He flashed me one last glance before he turned his back and opened the gates.

His eyes were a storm, clouded gray and raging beyond the calm surface. As Rhea led the horses through the clearing, my blood chilled and time seemed to stop. All at once, I realized what was happening.

It was Tuesday. Jax did not have fence patrol until Wednesday.

He was going to carry out the plan we made yesterday, by relieving the guards of their duty and slipping out of the gates.

Jax was going to come after me, and there was no way to stop him.

#  Chapter Five

I watched The Silo's gates as the horses led us through the clearing and towards the forest. I could not see Jax, and I did not see any signs of him trailing behind us. Maybe he was waiting until the wagon was in the forest, out of the sight of Mikel, before he made his escape.

I could not let thoughts of Jax distract me. Even if Jax was coming after me, I still needed to be prepared, in case he did not make it to the slaughterhouse in time.

I closed my eyes and ran through each step of my plan again and again.

"Are you scared?" Mikel asked.

I opened my eyes and looked at him, but I did not respond. I closed my eyes again.

"I wonder when you will end up on our plates," he said, "and, I wonder which part of you they are going to use first."

My pulse was thundering in my head. I clenched my fists, but stayed silent.

"It must feel strange to feel the life drain out of your body, along with your blood," he said. "You probably feel it pour out of your neck before you lose consciousness."

"Death is a relief from having to live with idiots like you," I said.

Mikel was silent. He was probably trying to think of a good retort.

The wagon came to a slow stop. We were at the edge of the forest and the horses balked, refusing to go into the woods. After some firm coaxing, Rhea drove them into the forest.

I was thankful that Mikel was quiet for the rest of the trip. I kept my eyes closed, rocking with the wagon as it traveled over the bumps in the road. It was only after the wagon slowed that I opened my eyes. The gates of the slaughterhouse were within sight.

My hands were shaking, but my limbs felt light with adrenaline. I tried to slow my breathing.

When we pulled up to the gate, Rhea halted the horses and handed the guard the movement orders. The gate opened and Rhea led the horses through. We stopped outside the steps that led into the building.

Mikel got up from the bench and unshackled me. I took a deep breath before he let my last shackle free. Before he could grab me with his crushing grip or restrain me with handcuffs, I punched him in the throat. He sank down onto his knees, his eyes bulging in surprise.

I grabbed the gun from his belt and shot a few of the guards who were reaching for their weapons.

The gate was already closing. I jumped from the wagon and ran for it. I shot the guard who controlled the gate.

Gunshots rang out in unison, and I felt bullets whirl past me. One scraped my cheek, but I felt no pain.

I watched the gate as it closed, inching closer to shutting me in here with no hope of escape. I squeezed through, barely fitting through the gap. Strands of my hair were caught in the gate, but I did not stop running. I felt the sharp pull of the hairs as they left my scalp, and warm blood rushed out of the wound.

I ran deep into the forest, towards the darkest, most heavily wooded area. I realized that in my haste, I had dropped the gun. I cursed, but continued running.

Something roared and screeched behind me, a sound that I had never heard before. I tried to ignore it, and ran faster, looking for somewhere to hide. I did not dare look behind me.

I tried to jump over a bush, but I tripped over it instead. I tumbled down a hill and rolled, feeling rocks and sharp twigs pierce and scrape my skin. I got up, ignoring the pain. The deafening screeching was getting closer.

Only a few feet away, I spotted a small, covered alcove in the hillside, where roots of a tree came up and created a little hut underneath. It looked well-hidden, with small roots covering the opening.

I jumped under it, seeing that I would be able to fit. I rearranged the small roots that dangled over the entrance, trying to clear any evidence of my presence. I pulled off my white jacket and turned it inside out, letting the black of the lining show. I placed it over my pants, hoping it would help to shield me from view.

The roars were closer, and I wondered what it was that made those sounds. It did not sound like the noises that came from a living creature, but I could not be sure. I had no idea what lived out here.

I heard the whine of one come up behind my hiding spot. I held my breath as it passed over me, and relaxed as the noise faded into the distance, somewhere to the right.

"We have to hide," a man whispered.

I froze. The voice sounded like it was coming from right above me.

Two people jumped down in front of my hiding place. One was a man and the other was a young girl. The girl pulled back the roots and stopped, staring at me with wide, gray eyes.

"Ryan?" she said, her eyes still focused on mine.

The man named Ryan turned around and peered behind the roots. "You must be who the guards are looking for."

"There is enough room for us all," I said.

"There is not enough room for us all," he said. He pulled out a knife, the blade speckled with rust. "Get out or I will kill you."

"I would rather share."

"Move," he said. He brandished the knife at me.

I grabbed it, catching the blade between my palms and ripping it away from him. I ignored the pain of the blade as it sliced my palms open. I put the knife down at my side.

The roar was coming back. I could hear it in the distance, and Ryan perked up his head, looking around.

"Get in," I said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Ryan shoved the young girl in and he squeezed in right after, sitting between me and the young girl. "If you make a move, I will kill you."

"With what? Your bare hands?"

He glared at me, and I glared back at him.

Our attention was diverted by the roars and screeching outside. We all froze when the sound came close. None of us dared to breathe. It was right above us.

With a deafening noise, the thing left. It knocked dirt onto our heads with the power of the sound.

"What are those things?" I asked, when it had been silent for quite some time.

"Motorcycles," the young girl answered.

"Motorcycles?" I asked.

"Hush, Aya. You don't need to talk to her," Ryan said. He glared at me once again.

We did not speak again until the early afternoon. We were all antsy and the young girl was fidgeting with some twigs. My limbs ached to be stretched.

More than anything, I wanted to get out of here and find Jax. The entire time we were here, I was thinking about him. I wondered if he made it out of The Silo, or if he was caught before he could escape.

I was on the verge of getting out when another roar sounded in the distance. It neared us and we all quieted our breathing.

It stopped right over the top of the alcove. Twigs snapped above us as footsteps cracked over dried leaves and twigs.

I held my breath, willing myself to quiet my raging heartbeat.

More twigs snapped, and a man jumped down in front of the alcove, his feet heavily thudding against the ground. The man was dressed in a guard's outfit, and his face was obscured by a helmet.

I gripped the knife, readying myself to strike.

The guard turned around and looked at us. He walked over and pulled back the roots before peering in.

"Wait," Ryan said.

I ignored him. I drove the knife into the guard's neck, right underneath his helmet. The guard stumbled and fell backwards before I could pull the blade out.

"No!" Ryan said, getting out of our hiding spot. He walked over to the man, who was writhing on the ground. He gently pulled his helmet off. "Oh my god!"

"What?" I asked. I peeked around the forest before I exited the alcove. I walked over and looked down at the guard, feeling dread deepen with every step I took. "Jax?"

"Aya, get over here!"

The young girl ran up to us. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Jax.

"Get his motorbike. We have to get him to the doctor!"

I knelt next to Jax and put my hand on his forehead. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you," I said. Tears were running down my cheeks. One dropped onto his nose and I gently brushed it away.

He looked at me, but his eyes were unfocused. It was as though he was looking right through me.

"Don't touch him," the man said, pushing me away.

"He's my mate!" I yelled, standing up.

"You're Lysa?"

"Yes," I said, and knelt back down by Jax. "How did you know my name?"

"Ryan!" Aya called out. She was panting, pushing a large machine that was almost as tall as she was.

"Help me get him on the bike," Ryan said.

He grabbed Jax's legs and I grabbed him under his shoulders, careful not to jolt his head around. Aya kept the bike steady as we placed Jax on the bike, and Ryan got on behind him, his arms containing him as he swayed side to side. "Follow me!" he said over his shoulder.

The bike came to life, and I jumped at the intensity of the sound. Ryan steered the bike forward, crushing the twigs and branches that littered the forest floor.

I looked at Aya and she looked back at me. We started jogging behind the motorcycle. Neither one of us could see the bike any longer, but Aya seemed to know where she was going, and I followed her lead.

"Where are we going?" I said.

She did not answer. She stared off into the distance. Tears spilled from the corner of her eye.

"How do you and Ryan know Jax? And, how does Ryan know who I am?"

Aya was silent.

"You aren't going to tell me anything, are you?"

She looked straight ahead, almost as though she did not hear me.

We jogged until we reached a fence. Aya slowed down and I did the same. We walked through the gates. There was a gray building on the side, not unlike the slaughterhouse I just escaped from, and a small, dilapidated shed across from it. The bike was lying down on its side, in front of the shed.

Ryan hovered over Jax. Numerous other people surrounded them, mumbling and gesticulating amongst each other.

I ran up to them and knelt next to Jax. "Is he ok?"

"He is still alive," Ryan said. He kept his eyes on Jax.

I looked at Jax's chest. His breathing was uneven and his forehead was sprinkled with sweat. His eyelids fluttered.

"Ryan got him here just in time."

I looked up and saw a man with gray hair standing over Jax. He slowly bent down and examined the knife that still was sticking out of Jax's neck.

"It seems to have narrowly missed any arteries or nerves. Very lucky," the gray-haired man said. "But, we need to take it out."

"Do you need us to move him inside?" Ryan said.

"We need to wait until the object has been removed. Obviously, this is not the most ideal environment, but any more jarring could cause the blade to shift."

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked the man.

"Thank you, dear, but we have a nurse who will help with the extraction."

"If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be in this mess," Ryan said. He stood up and glared down at me.

I sprung up. "I didn't try to kill him on purpose. I didn't know who he was."

"I told you to wait, and you attacked anyway."

"I should trust you? You threatened to kill me."

"That is the problem with your kind. You only see what you want to see."

"My kind?"

"You Silo types. All you care about is—"

"Calm down," the doctor said gently.

Ryan closed his mouth and we both looked at the man.

"All this yelling is not good for Jax," the man said.

I looked down at Jax. His eyelids were fluttering wildly now.

I threw a glare at Ryan before I knelt next to Jax. A woman, who I assumed was the nurse, began laying gauze around the wound.

"We need everyone to back up," the doctor said to the crowd. "Are you squeamish?" he asked me.

I paused. "I don't think so?" I had never heard that word before.

"Then you can stay. I just ask that you don't crowd us."

I nodded and sat down. I placed my hand on Jax's while the doctor removed the knife.

It was a quick procedure and the doctor had a steady hand. He pulled the blade straight out, and ordered the nurse to put pressure on the wound after the knife was out. "There does not appear to be any arterial bleeding," he said. "With some rest and good suturing, he will be as good as new."

I let out my breath. I did not realize that I had been holding it.

I watched as the doctor prepared the sutures. The nurse removed the gauze, red with blood, and he began sewing the edges of the wound together.

"At least it is a clean laceration," he said. "The jagged ones are always very tricky to stitch up."

I felt Jax's hand twitch each time the needle pierced his skin.

When he was finished, the doctor assessed Jax's vitals. He used archaic equipment, so unlike the white, sterile equipment at The Silo. "His vitals are strong," he said, looking pleased. "We can probably move him indoors now."

He asked a few of the larger men, who were still standing on the periphery of the scene, to come forward. They helped to lift him onto a board and carry him into the small building. I followed them in, but before I stepped into the building, the doctor stopped me. "I will let you know when Jax is awake and ready to see you," he said gently. "Until then, please feel free to explore our humble fort." He closed the door.

I turned around to find all the people who were gathered around Jax moments ago, staring at me. Their expressions spanned from curious to unkind.

"Hello," I nodded to them.

Only a few of them nodded back to me. The rest of them continued to stare.

I looked around for the only two people I knew. I spotted Ryan, sitting against the large, gray building, and Aya, sitting next to him.

I trudged over to them. "Can I ask what is going on?"

Ryan looked up at me. "No."

"Too bad, I'm asking anyway."

"Too bad. I'm not answering your questions."

"What's your problem with me?"

"Other than being from The Silo? Nothing."

"What is your problem with The Silo?"

"Only someone from The Silo would be stupid enough to ask that question. Besides, it's not up to me to tell you what is going on."

"Who do I talk to, then?"

"Your mate, Jax, of course. But, thanks to you, who knows when he will wake up."

"What does Jax have to do with anything?"

"People from The Silo really are slow." He rolled his eyes. "Your dear Jax is our leader."

"Your leader?" I laughed. "You can't be serious. Leader of what?"

"Jax is the leader of The Resistance."

#  Chapter Six

My heart stopped beating and my throat tightened. "Excuse me?" I said. "That simply isn't possible. He's been in The Silo, with me, since we were both young."

"Jax will have to tell you the specifics," Ryan said. "Until then, it looks like you're stuck out here."

I sat down in the grass, across from Aya and Ryan. I rested my head in my hands. "Is there anything else that you can tell me?"

"No."

"What's your problem with me anyway?"

"I don't like you."

"Why not? You don't even know me."

"Well, you guys eat people, for starters. You all pretty much know it, and choose to ignore it to preserve your precious, perfect little lives. What's not to love?"

"We don't know it, actually. That's why I'm out here. I witnessed it and..." I searched for what to say. "I could not cope with it." I tried to refuse the images, the ones of blood from Citizen Rain's neck spraying into the trough, from flooding my mind.

"If you thought about it, you would have known."

"Perhaps," I said. "But, it is hard to imagine something so horrible and cruel."

We were silent for a little while. "How do both of you know Jax?"

"I'm still not telling you anything."

"I don't think that telling me how you know Jax is going to spoil a critical secret."

Ryan sighed. "Jax, Aya, and I are siblings. Any more than that, Jax will have to tell you."

I understood immediately why they both looked so familiar. All three of them had the same gray eyes, the same blonde hair, and the same stocky build.

Time passed and I walked around the fort, trying to ignore the curious eyes that followed me. After multiple laps around, I sat down, my back against the gray, cold wall of the building. The door to the shed was in my view.

By the time I was invited inside to see Jax, the sun was overhead, beating down on us, over the immense height of the trees. I ignored the gazes and whispers of the people, pointing at me as I walked into the shed.

My head swirled with questions that I had been saving for him. Would I even be able to remember them all?

My anxiety lifted when I saw Jax, sitting up at a table, a plate of untouched food in front of him. "Jax?"

Jax saw me and struggled to stand up.

"Not quite yet, Jax," the doctor said, placing an arm on his shoulder. He gently pushed him back down.

I rushed over to him. I hugged whatever part I could hold onto, and I let my tears freely flow. "I'm so sorry, Jax. So sorry."

He placed his hand on my back and gently stroked it. "It's not your fault. I should have taken my helmet off. I wasn't sure it was you under that alcove, though."

I pulled myself up and wiped my tears away. "I'm so happy you are ok."

"I think I will leave you two alone," the doctor said. "I'm sure you have a lot to talk about."

I waited until the door snapped shut behind him before I pulled myself into the chair beside Jax. "We do have a lot to talk about."

"I know you have a lot of questions. But, before we get on with the inquisition, I need you to understand something."

"What's that?"

"I need you to understand that I am going to be different than the person I was at The Silo."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I have had to be a certain way to survive in there. It is like how you pretended to be happy, to blend in with the other citizens. I just do not want you to be surprised if you see me yell or act differently than I normally would."

"Thank you," I said. I felt like I was ready to jump out of my skin. "Will I still like you?"

Jax laughed. "I hope so."

I smiled. His laugh always had a way of making me feel better.

"Do you want to get to your questions? I know you have been saving them up for me."

"Have I ever," I said. "The first one is, you're the leader of The Resistance?"

He nodded his head. "Yes."

"How is that possible?"

"I'm going to need to start at the beginning. Get comfortable, because it's a long story."

I sat back in my chair. It felt good to stretch and relax my back.

"I'm sure you already know that Ryan, Aya and I are related."

I nodded.

"Our father, before he died, named me as leader of The Resistance."

"How did you know, and how did you lead, when you were always at The Silo?" I could not help the question from slipping out.

"Patrols. Since they sent me out on weekly patrol duties, we were able to meet up in the forest sometimes. Or, we communicated through notes. I would give them information about The Silo and they would let me know what the group was working on, along with any other intel they gathered."

"What could you have possibly had to say about The Silo? Nothing ever changes there," I said. I rolled my eyes.

"You would be surprised."

"That's ominous," I said.

"They wanted to give the appearance of things never changing. But, there was a lot that went on there. I will get to that later," he said, in response to my questioning stare. "I found them when I was on patrol a couple of years ago. They came up to me and I tried to kill them, but they held me down. When I calmed down, I noticed how much they looked like me. They confirmed it when they told me who they were. I didn't believe it at first. I went back to The Silo and tried to forget, but it was all I could think about."

"You did an excellent job hiding your thoughts," I said. "I had no idea anything happened to you out there."

"It was not easy to keep from you."

"How did you end up in The Silo, when the rest of your family was outside?"

"My father," Jax said, clearing his throat. "My father chose me to go to The Silo when I was a baby. He left me somewhere he knew The Nation officials would find me, so I would become one of the children 'saved' by The Nation and raised as their own. He knew it was a huge risk to send me in there. But, he hoped that one day, our paths would cross and we could work together to destroy them."

"Why do you want to destroy them?"

"The Silo, and The Nation, are not all that they seem," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I guessed that a long time ago. But, why?"

Jax opened his mouth to reply, but he paused. We both perked up when we heard screams coming from outside. Gunshots rang out, along with a deafening roar.

"Find Ryan and Aya. Follow them and we will meet up," Jax said, pulling on a pack that was by the door.

"Can't I go with you?"

"Get out of here! Go out the back door," Jax said.

I looked at him one last time before I ran out the back door.

The scene was chaos when I got outside. Smoke was rising from the large, gray building and Silo guards were walking around, shooting people. I spotted Aya and Ryan in the distance. Ryan was fighting, hand-to-hand, with a guard.

I needed to get over to them, but I would certainly be seen and shot at.

I peeked around the corner of the building. There was a guard standing a few feet away, her back to me. I snuck up behind her. I had my eyes on her sidearm, resting loosely in the holster. I grabbed it, cocked it and pulled the trigger before she even had a chance to turn fully around.

I wiped away the blood and brain matter that sprayed my face. I couldn't let it bother me. I had to get to Ryan and Aya.

I peeked around the corner. I spotted another guard, firing on a group of Resistance members. I shot him, hitting him in the side. I cursed The Silo's sidearms. They were inaccurate and weak, compared to the rifles and other weapons we trained with.

He turned around and went to fire in my direction. I took another shot, this one hitting him in the head. He slumped backwards, hitting the ground with a dull thud. One of The Resistance members grabbed his weapon, and began firing on a group of guards.

It was the distraction that I needed. I ran across the grass, over to where Ryan was still dueling with the guard. I came up to the guard's side, shot him in the head, and waited for him to drop.

"Jax said that I needed to find you."

Ryan looked down at the dead guard, and back at me. "We need to get out of here."

"Obviously," I said. I bent down and grabbed the guard's sidearm, and handed it to Ryan. "Don't use that on me," I said.

We started to cough as the smoke from the fire began to choke out the fresh air. It was hard to hear over the roar of the flames and the gunshots going off in every direction.

"We need to go over the fence," he said. "There is a section that has partially collapsed. Follow me," he said.

Aya and I ran behind him. I noticed that they both had packs, similar to what Jax put on before I left. I wondered if they had prepared for something like this to happen.

Behind the burning building, there was a partially crumbled section of fence.

"Climb!" Ryan ordered Aya. She obeyed, and he helped push her over to the other side. She landed on her feet. "You next," he said to me.

I holstered the gun and climbed up and over, landing next to Aya. We both watched as Ryan climbed over. Once he landed, he said, "Run!"

The roar of the motorbikes whined in the distance, drowning out the sound of the fire.

"Should we try for the hill again?" I asked.

"Too far. I have another place," he said.

We ran through the woods until he stopped. He looked up at a large tree.

I followed his gaze up. I was not sure what he was looking at. I squinted, but I could not see anything. "What is it?"

"Our escape. Climb," he said, looking at Aya.

Aya leapt onto the tree and scaled it. "Climb," he said, ordering me to do the same.

I had never climbed a tree before. I watched Aya's movements. She grabbed onto branches and knobs, using them to balance as she pulled herself up.

"Climb, now," Ryan said.

I jumped onto the tree, grabbing onto a branch. The roughness of the bark scraped my palms, tender from the knife wound, as I pulled myself up. I ignored the splinters as they invaded my skin.

I watched Aya as she climbed to the top of the tree. I had to squint, but it looked like there was a little house concealed in the branches. She leaned down from it and offered me her hand.

I was afraid I was going to drag her out of the tree. "I'm alright, Aya," I said. I panted, pulling myself onto the wooden plank. It creaked under my weight and I was afraid it would snap, sending us careening onto the ground.

I plopped down onto my knees and allowed myself to catch my breath.

Ryan pulled himself up and onto the plank, next to me. He crawled into the house and Aya and I followed. I tried to ignore how far above the ground we were.

"What is this place?" I asked, after our breathing slowed.

"It's a hideout. In case things went to hell, just like they did."

"Hell?" I asked.

He looked at me, eyes wide. "It's a place of fiery, eternal torment."

"Oh. So, yes."

Aya and Ryan sat down in one corner and I sat across from them. We were quiet as we listened to the sounds of the motorbikes and gunfire erupt somewhere in the distance.

I tried to push away thoughts of Jax. He was safe, he had to be safe. He was far too important to The Resistance. They would have gotten him out of there. Right?

"They got him out of there." Ryan said. The worry must have shown on my face.

"How do you know?"

"Because we planned for something like this to happen. We've expected it for a long time and we had an escape route planned out already. You saw the people, fighting the guards off?"

"Yes."

"They were keeping the guards at bay, giving Jax time to escape."

I thought for a moment. "They sacrificed their lives for him?"

"They wanted to. That's how much they believe in our cause."

"What is your cause? To destroy The Nation?"

Ryan crossed his arms. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything. You're just like them. You will never understand."

"Understand what?"

"What The Resistance is about."

I sank back into the corner. "I apologize. I have not made sense of everything yet and Jax hardly had a chance to explain before..." I crossed my arms in front of my chest, "before the attack."

Ryan relaxed his arms, letting them rest in his lap. He nodded, but remained silent.

"It's just difficult to realize that everything I have known, even if I have never liked or trusted it, is so cruel," I said, breaking the silence. "I'm just trying to understand."

"You will still need to wait for him to answer your questions," Ryan said, his voice a little softer.

We were back to being quiet and it stayed that way until dusk fell over the forest. It was cold inside the treehouse, and I curled my knees up to my chest to stay warm.

I was lost in my thoughts, but my senses snapped to life when I heard footsteps, crunching over dead leaves and snapping twigs, near the trunk of the tree.

I looked over to Ryan and Aya. They were still and quiet, straining to hear, as well. No one moved and it seemed that we all fought the same urge to peek over the side of the treehouse to see who it was that ventured so close to our hiding spot.

"Somebody? Lysa? Anybody? Help me."

Ice trickled up my spine. I knew that voice. I hoped that I would never hear that voice again. "Mikel?" I whispered to myself. I sat up straight against the wall. What was he doing out here? Did he get lost out here while he was on patrol?

I looked at Ryan and he looked at me. In the shadows, I saw him shake his head.

I craned my neck to see out of the opening of the door, out into the dusk outside. I knew I wouldn't be able to see very much in the dim forest.

"Someone, help!"

I heard more crunching and breaking of twigs on the forest floor, but it did not sound like boots walking over the earth.

There was a growl under the tree, followed by a fierce, splitting cry.

Mikel screamed.

I leapt out of the treehouse and peeked over the edge. Mikel was staring at something under the treehouse, whimpering. It looked like a large wet spot drenched the front of his white guard pants.

I tried to find what he was looking at, but I could not see anything. But, behind Mikel, in a bush, a pair of glowing, red eyes regarded him. They were bright scarlet and unblinking. They disappeared, and moments later, another shrieking, unearthly cry echoed through the forest.

Mikel screamed again.

I barely trusted my eyes when it jumped out of the bushes, a hideous, enormous monster. It was huge, a thing that walked on all fours, but could stand into something tall, with long arms that extended into claw-like fingers. Its skin was black and long hair covered its head. It roared, and fangs emerged from its mouth.

"Mikel!" I called. "Mikel! Climb the tree!"

He remained frozen in place. I searched the treehouse for a rope that I could throw down to him, but there was nothing. "Climb!" I yelled again.

He remained frozen, staring at the monster.

"Climb up the tree, Mikel!"

He looked up at me, and I gestured for him to climb. He continued to stare at me, his eyes wide in dumb fear. I reached down to him, even though there was no way I would ever be able to reach him.

He started to scale the tree, one hand on a branch, ready to pull himself up. But, the thing pounced, sinking its fangs into his leg. It ripped off a huge hunk of flesh from his calf.

Mikel howled in pain, but continued to pull himself up.

The monster devoured his flesh, licking its lips with its long tongue. It lunged at him again, this time yanking him off the tree. It flung Mikel towards the bushes and jumped on top of him. It sank its fangs into his neck, pulling strings of bloody flesh up as it started feasting on his body.

Mikel's arms and legs twitched violently, and when they stopped, the thing howled again. Another monster joined in, and began tearing at his body.

I crawled back into the hut, back to the corner where I had been sitting.

"What are those things?" I asked.

"The reason that we don't wander around the woods after dusk. We call them 'the creatures.' Was that a friend of yours?" Ryan asked, his voice dry.

"No," I said, playing with the tattered pieces of my shirt. "He tried to molest me back at The Silo. Those things, the creatures, can't get up here, can they?"

"No. They can't climb. Why did you try to save him if he tried to hurt you?"

I thought for a moment. I had no idea. Why would I try to save him?

I could still feel Ryan's gaze on me, even in the dim light that we had. I was quiet, unable to answer his question.

"I guess there might be a little more humanity in you than I thought," Ryan said.

#  Chapter Seven

Like most other nights, I hardly slept. My dreams were a terrible mixture of watching Mikel's body torn to shreds by the creatures, Citizen Rain having her body bled dry in the trough, and the terrible cries of the feeding creatures outside. At one point, I dreamt that it was Jax who had been eaten by the creatures.

I awoke in the morning, my eyes heavy with exhaustion. I sat up, realized that I was cramped between Aya and the wall. I watched her, peacefully asleep, covered with the blanket she must have carried with her in her pack. I looked over to see Ryan, asleep next to Aya. They must have huddled up with me at some point when I was asleep, probably for warmth. It was freezing outside. I could see my breath, even in the shelter of the treehouse.

I studied Ryan's face. In sleep, he looked almost identical to Jax. The only difference was the hair, blonde, but a few shades darker than Jax's golden hair.

A wave of sadness washed over me. I missed Jax, and I missed waking up next to him. I missed seeing his sleep-mussed hair and groggy eyes in the morning, and the taste of his morning kisses.

I put the thoughts of him out of my mind. I stood up and pulled on my boots. Ryan stirred and sat up as he heard me move around.

"I'm sorry," I said, lacing up a boot. "I was hoping not to wake you."

"It's ok," he said. He rubbed his eyes and pulled the blanket off. "We should get moving anyways." He stood up and began putting on his boots. "You are probably wondering why we were next to you this morning. I hope we didn't scare you."

"Not at all," I said.

"We woke up to you calling for Jax. Aya thought that it would help if you felt someone next to you. Besides, it was cold."

"That was very nice," I said. I felt heat rush into my cheeks. I thought back to my dream of Jax being killed by the creatures. It must have been during the dream that I started calling his name. "I'm just surprised that I didn't wake up to your movements."

"You definitely slept better after," he said. He knelt down and shook Aya's shoulder. She opened her eyes slowly.

"Good morning," she said, looking at Ryan and then at me. Her voice was thick with sleep.

"Good morning," we both answered.

She got up and they packed the few belongings that were scattered around the treehouse.

Ryan gave one final look around. "Ready to go?"

Aya nodded.

"Ready," I said.

Ryan climbed down the tree first and Aya second. I looked down at them. I felt dizzy, looking at the ground. I leaned forward, feeling like I was going to fall off the edge of the treehouse.

"Stop looking down at the ground," Ryan said, yelling up to me. I looked over at him. He was standing on top of a thick branch, steadying himself by holding onto a small twig.

"Ok," I said, calling down to him. I knelt on the edge of the treehouse and started scaling down the tree. My legs were shaking, unsteady as they searched for something solid to rest their weight on.

It felt like forever until I was standing on the ground again. Slowly and regretfully, I turned away from the tree. I already knew what I was going to see. But, it was so much worse when I saw it.

Blood stained the trunks of the trees, and some of the leaves of the bushes were stained red. Pink tissue, still moist in the cool morning air, scattered the ground. I walked over to the bushes, where the creature drug Mikel before it ripped out his throat. Pieces of white uniform and dried blood were all that was left of him.

I looked back at Ryan and Aya. Ryan was holding Aya's shoulders, making sure she stayed facing away. It struck me as odd, trying to shield her from something like this. Living the way that they had, it seemed like she should be used to death in all its brutal forms.

I walked behind the bushes. I could not imagine that if Mikel was carrying a sidearm, that the creatures would have eaten it. Flesh and blood seemed to be more what they were after.

I grabbed a stick and started poking at the shards of uniform, turning the pieces over. The stick made contact with something heavy under what looked like a piece of his pant leg.

I used the stick to push away the blood-stained piece of material. Under it was his sidearm, laying in the leaves. I picked it up, trying to ignore the blood that coated it. I checked it for ammo. It had a full clip.

Damn it, Mikel, I thought. If only you had thought to pull your weapon, you might still be alive. "I think this is all we are going to get," I said, calling over to Ryan, holding up the gun. I stomped out from behind the bushes.

I tried to wipe some of the blood off with a few leaves, with little success. I gave up and secured the gun behind my back, securing its nose into my pants.

We began trudging through the dense forest. "Where are we going?" I asked him.

"To meet up with Jax," he said.

We stayed quiet for a while, until I spotted a slaughterhouse in the distance. I stopped in my tracks and stared at it.

"Relax," Ryan said. "It has been long abandoned."

I squinted, trying to bring the building into focus. Studying it, I could see what he meant. Parts of the roof had collapsed, and the walls had tendrils of ivy creeping up and over the top of the structure. Moss covered the entire top of the building.

"Can we go look at the flowers?" Aya said. She pointed to the wildflowers that were scattered along the outside of the slaughterhouse. The flowers were vibrant, popping up in healthy clumps where the trees had not choked out the light.

They were so different from anything I had seen in The Silo, far removed from the plain white and yellow flowers of the crops that we sometimes let go to seed. I did not show it, but I wanted to see the wildflowers as much as Aya did.

"Plus, we haven't had a break in a while," Aya added.

Ryan looked at me, and back at Aya. "Ten minutes. Lysa, would you mind going with her? I am going to review the rest of our route."

Aya slipped her hand into mine and led me to the flowers. We walked through the collapsed fence. I stopped at the edge of the circle of flowers. Aya slipped her hand out of mine and ran through the flowers. She skipped through them, humming a tune I had never heard before.

"Have you ever skipped through wildflowers?"

"No," I said.

She plopped down in the tiny meadow. "Come here!"

I gently moved through the flowers. I felt bad disturbing their repose as I walked through them.

Once I reached her, she plopped backwards, spreading her arms and batting at a few of the colorful heads.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking down at her.

"Having fun!" she said. She got back up and played some more.

I moved over to the edge of the meadow and watched as she skipped, carelessly knocking some of their heads off, trampling over them, smashing the stalks into the ground. I almost felt sad watching them as they met their untimely end.

"You should join me!"

"I am ok just watching," I said. I sat down on a piece of concrete that had fallen from the building.

"No fun," she said. She skipped over to me and sat down next to me.

"Sorry," I said. I placed my hands in my lap, unsure how to respond to her.

"Why don't you want to play in the flowers?"

"I just enjoy looking at them. I don't want to disturb them."

"They actually are quite beautiful. Did you know that they used to dump body parts out here and the flowers sprung up from that? Ryan does not know that I know that. I listen, more than he thinks."

"I'm not sure I would describe that as something beautiful."

"Is Jax your husband?"

I had no idea what she meant, and the rate of the topic change made my head spin. "My what?"

"Your husband? The one and only person that you love? Your soul mate?"

"I have no idea what you are saying to me."

"You don't know much of anything, do you?"

"I don't feel like I do."

She looked at me, her eyes gentle. "A soul mate is someone that you love and takes you on evening strolls, you kiss and have babies with."

I thought about this. "It sounds like our mate, or our genetic partner, in The Silo."

"Genetic partner?"

"Yes. Jax is my genetic partner. We kiss and were supposed to have babies together. That hasn't happened yet, though."

"That sounds so impersonal. Like you are forced to be with him."

"Not forced. We are simply assigned to each other, based on our genetic compatibility."

"So, you don't love him."

"I don't know. I guess I do. Why are we even talking about this?"

Aya shrugged. "I just want to meet that one person," she said. She sighed, looking up at the tree-filled sky. "He will be handsome, and strong, and funny and smart."

"Are you boring Lysa with your daydreams about your knight in shining armor?" Ryan asked. He walked around the circle of wildflowers and sat down next to us.

"The Silo people are weird. They don't know what love is."

"No one knows what love is," he said. "And, especially not the authors of those romance novels that you insist on reading." He gave Aya a disapproving look. "We should probably get going. We have a long way to go to get to where we need to go, and we don't want to be stuck here at dusk."

I shivered at the thought of the creatures. I tried to keep my mind from replaying the sound of Mikel's flesh ripping and the sight of his twitching limbs as the creatures attacked him.

Aya skipped through the wildflowers one last time.

"Don't mind, Aya," Ryan said, as we walked around the patch of wildflowers. "She has a very immature definition of love. I hope she did not offend you."

"Not at all. This is all new to me. Especially the love thing. I still have no idea what she is talking about."

"Love is a strange thing. A lot of people wonder if it even exists, and a lot of people think many different forms of it exist. It means something different to everyone."

"What does it mean to you?"

He cocked his head at me. "It means that I would live for those that I love, and I would die for them."

"What about the kissing and the making babies part that Aya was talking about?"

He snorted and I chuckled at his expression. "It doesn't have to be that way. You can love someone without ever touching them."

"Interesting," I said. I tried to make sense of it. "It does not make sense now, but I'm sure it will in time."

"Good luck," Ryan said. "If you can understand love, then you would probably be the only human being to do so."

"Why is that?"

"I will have to show you a few examples when we get to our destination. Hundreds of books and movies and songs were created that tried to explain the inner workings of love."

"That would be very helpful," I said.

We gathered our equipment and we began trudging through the forest.

I lost track of how long we walked. I kept to my own thoughts, pondering over the concept of love that Ryan and Aya tried to explain to me.

We walked through the forest for hours. Little bugs kept swarming us, and we swished our heads to be rid of them, even for just a moment. We kept walking along until Ryan stopped, his eyes on a building ahead.

"I don't remember that building," he said.

I walked up next to him. It was a small building, smaller than a slaughterhouse. It was in ruins, stones scattered across the ground. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that building shouldn't be there."

"Did you get us lost again?" Aya asked.

Ryan cursed. He pulled off his bag and started rifling through it. He pulled out a piece of paper, thick parchment, and unfolded it. It looked thin and worn, stained with dirt. He searched through the map with jolting eyes. He cursed once again.

"What is it?" I said.

"I took us the long route."

"Which means that we are lost," Aya said. She rolled her eyes. Under her sarcasm, she seemed afraid. Her eyes teared over and she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"We need to go this way," he said. "And we need to go quickly, before it starts to get dark out."

"How long do we have?" I asked.

"Just get moving," he said. He started off at a brisk jog, his pack clanging heavily against his back. Aya and I set after him. We knew what was happening. We had to get to cover before nightfall, or risk being out here with the creatures.

#  Chapter Eight

We had been jogging for about an hour when Ryan slowed. "We should be getting there soon."

I looked up at the tops of the trees, trying to make out the sky through their evergreen cover. The sky was beginning to turn gray and the air was becoming chilly.

My heart thudded wildly in my chest, not only from jogging for the past hour, but because the night was near and we had not gotten to our destination.

"Where is it?" Aya asked. She was panting, out of breath, but her voice was shrill.

"It should be here," Ryan said. He was also out of breath. He looked around, his eyes wildly scanning the forest.

"I see something. Over there," I said, pointing to the right. "Is that what you are looking for?"

Ryan squinted, and looked to where I was pointing. "I don't see anything."

"C'mon," I said. I jogged ahead, and I listened as their labored footfalls thudded behind me.

"How did you even see that?" Ryan asked, as the building came into view.

"How could you not?" I said.

"Doesn't matter," Aya said, wheezing from exertion.

We stopped outside the building, what looked like another slaughterhouse. This one was the best preserved of those we had seen. It looked almost new, its gray walls washed and clean, its roof free of moss.

"Do you think this one is empty?" I whispered to Ryan.

"They haven't used the ones out here in years," Ryan said. "But, we should still be careful."

The scream of a creature rang out through the forest. A few others screeched in reply.

We all jumped. "Come on!" Ryan said, tugging Aya by the arm and pulling her to the front door.

We ran to the door and Ryan shoved it in. We all jumped into the cavernous front room and he slammed it shut behind us.

Ryan grabbed his flashlight and turned it on. I realized that my nostrils were filled with the same rancid stench from the first slaughterhouse, where Citizen Rain was killed. I gagged.

"Don't enjoy the scent of death?"

"Is that what that is?"

"Rotting body parts. What's not to love?" He shone his light on me.

"If that is what death smells like, then I am never dying," Aya said. She held her breath before gasping in another breath.

We walked around the perimeter of the room, making sure there were no creatures lurking in the shadows. I checked all the doors to make sure they were closed and secured.

We all sat down in the middle of the room. We were all quiet as we sat in the dark, with only a lantern for light. Each time we heard the cry of a creature in the distance, we all sat a little straighter, listened a little harder.

I assumed that it was about nine o'clock when Ryan opened his pack and pulled out a book. He handed it to Aya, who began flipping through the pages, studying each one.

I tried to peek over at it, but was not able to see the pages in the flickering light. She noticed my efforts and invited me over to sit next to her. I scooted next to her, sliding against the cold, concrete floor.

The book was full of pictures, vividly colored and so unlike the condensed black-and-white writing of the books from The Silo.

"What are these?" I whispered.

"Paintings," she said. "Well actually, pictures of paintings, if we are being technical. The real ones have long been destroyed, or are enormous and can't be contained in a book."

"Aya," Ryan said. His voice was filled with warning.

She ignored him and continued looking at the book.

I stared in renewed awe with each page that Aya flipped through. "How come I have never seen these?"

"The Silo is not so keen on art," Ryan said, before Aya could answer.

I sensed that he was holding something back from me, but I did not press it. I filed it away as something I would need to ask Jax when I saw him. I tried to fight back the feeling of uncertainty, that I might not see him again.

I watched until Aya had flipped to the end of the book. I wished that I could look through it again and again, feeling like I had not examined the intricate details enough.

"Those were amazing," I whispered.

"If you like that, then you will probably like this," Aya said. She rifled through her pack and pulled out a book and handed it over to me.

"Aya," Ryan said.

"What?" she said. "She's never read a romance before. I figured it would be an excellent education piece."

Ryan sighed and shook his head.

"Thank you, Aya," I said. I was touched at the gesture. "I will make sure to return it as soon as I am finished with it."

"Enjoy," she said.

We were all quiet for the rest of the evening. Aya was lost in her daydreams and flipped through another book. Ryan sharpened his knife, briefly looking up to study us every so often.

I devoured the book. I read it into the morning, hardly noticing when Aya and Ryan had both drifted off to sleep. Each time Ryan woke to check to make sure everything was safe, he saw that I was still reading, shook his head, and fell back asleep.

I did not understand parts of the book, but I loved it. I had no idea about some of the things they talked about, such as computers, cars, airplanes or refrigerators, but it did not matter. I wanted more, and I understood why Aya adored these books. The relationship between the main characters, Calista and Zach, drew me in.

I put the book down, even though I craved to read it again, but I needed to get some sleep. I set it down next to me, and let my imagination mull over the story. The main characters had travelled across time to be with each other. The thought seemed so preposterous, yet so touching. I wondered if I would do that for Jax, or if he would do that for me.

My mind was filled with thoughts of me traveling through time to find Jax. I pretended that I was Calista and Jax was Zach, and I went back to some ancient time to find him and bring him back. I pictured the ancient time to be The Silo. In my imagination, I replaced the citizens with women who wore large dresses and men who spoke in affected accents, just like the story described.

I don't remember when I fell asleep. I jolted awake to uneasy dreams of Jax being mauled by the creatures. I opened my eyes, convinced that I heard growling. I held my breath and listened, coming to my senses quickly. Outside, I heard scratching at the wall, followed by another growl.

Ryan was awake, his knife in his hand. He was listening to the noises, too.

We both listened, still and silent, until the scratching and growling subsided. Even after it had been silent for some time, neither of us dared to move.

Only after Ryan relaxed did I snuggle down into my blankets. Aya had crawled next to me sometime while I had been asleep. Her warm body was curled up next to mine, her breathing deep and even. I watched as she slept, watched her eyelids flicker in the waning light of the lantern. She was so young. Her face, peaceful and absent of lines, gave her away.

I wanted to protect her and shield her from all the horror that lurked outside these walls. I wondered if the same instinct is what made Ryan keep her from seeing Mikel's remains yesterday.

I turned onto my back, my eyes searching the ceiling, watching the shapes the light made as the light flickered, casting shadows onto the ceiling. I felt Ryan's gaze on us. He played with his knife, switching it from one hand to the other. His stare made it difficult to sleep, but my eyelids grew heavy and I drifted off to thoughts of Jax.

I awoke to the rustling of blankets. I sat up, and saw Aya. She was standing, looking down at Ryan. She gently shook him awake, before taking a few hasty steps back.

Ryan sat up. He grabbed his knife and held it up, looking around and ready to strike. He looked at Aya, then at me. "Sorry," he said, clearing his throat. "Good morning."

Pity stabbed me. The Silo was not great, by any means. But, the citizens never had to sleep with their knives next to them, ready to attack at any given second. We could, at least, sleep peacefully, knowing that our safety was guaranteed until morning.

"Good morning," I said. "I'm glad you finally got some sleep."

"Same for you," he said. He sat his knife down and rubbed his eyes and stretched. "We need to get up and get going. It's daylight out." He pointed to the light coming from a small crack around the door.

I got up and we packed our things. Ryan passed us each an apple and we ate it as we finished getting everything together.

I followed him as he neared the front door. He turned the knob, but the door did not move. He yanked it and he pulled, with all his strength. He kicked it, but the door still did not budge.

"What the hell?" He said. "We came through here yesterday and it worked just fine."

"Maybe the creatures damaged it last night when they were trying to get in?" I said.

"Probably. But, that means we are going to have to go out the long way. Even though we are inside, we still need to be careful going into dark places," Ryan said. "The creatures sleep during the day, but they sleep in dark places. Get your weapons ready."

I pulled one of my guns, Ryan readied his knife and checked the gun he had in his holster. Aya pulled out a small knife from the sheath on her side. Both of them had flashlights.

We walked over to the other side of the room, where there was another door that led further into the building. "Ready?" Ryan asked, looking at us both.

I nodded and Aya stared at him, wide-eyed.

He opened the door slowly, trying to minimize the creaking. We froze when we heard deep breathing coming from the room.

We listened to the breathing. It was deep and even, almost like a light snoring. Ryan gestured us to follow him, and we crept behind him. We listened to the breathing as we shuffled past the creature, making sure it stayed even and peaceful. The creature was curled into a ball, sleeping by a door that led outside. It was barely cracked, letting little beams of light through.

We were at the door and Ryan opened it. It creaked, louder than any of us expected. It echoed through the chamber, assaulting our ears with how it broke the rhythmic breathing of the creature.

The creature picked up its head and sniffed the air.

Ryan grabbed Aya by the coat and pulled her outside. I felt his hands drag me by my coat and shove me outside after her. I caught my balance before I fell down the stairs. I spun around to see the creature lunge as it shrieked. It flicked its tongue out and wrapped it around Ryan, dragging him to a corner of the room where light would not reach it.

Ryan held the doorframe, trying to keep himself from being drug into the creature's enormous jaws.

I reached in and grabbed his arms and pulled. His legs were only inches away from the creature's fangs. He kicked at it, but his kicks seemed to do nothing to deter the hungry creature.

I held onto Ryan with one hand and grabbed Aya's knife with the other. I sank all my weight backwards as I sawed through the creature's tongue. Ryan and I fell backwards, onto the steps of the slaughterhouse, safely in the light. Aya slammed the door shut behind us, closing the creature inside. It shrieked in agony, its cries only slightly muffled behind the thick walls.

I looked at Ryan. His face dripped with the creature's blood, and I was sure that mine looked the same. I leaned back on the steps. Aya was huddled over Ryan, checking him for cuts.

Aya helped him to his feet. He stood up and looked down at me. He extended a hand to me. I grabbed it and he pulled me to my feet. "I owe you a thank you."

I used my sleeve to wipe my face. "You would have done the same for me."

He smiled. "Maybe not when I first met you."

"True," I said.

We held each other's gazes. My face burned hot and I averted my eyes. "We should probably go," I said. "I'm sure that we have a lot of time to make up."

Ryan agreed. We gathered our things and holstered our weapons before we set off once again.

As we walked, I tried to keep my thoughts from drifting to my worries of Jax. I kept my mind busy by thinking about the paintings that Aya showed me, and what they meant. I puzzled over the meaning of love that Ryan and Aya tried to explain to me, but I caught myself worrying over my feelings for Jax and if they meant that I loved him.

I tried to replace those thoughts with something else. I focused my attention on the landscape, but reminiscent of The Silo, nothing changed. Instead of morning announcements and the same routine every day, there was just mossy trees and rocks and twigs that all looked the same.

I replayed the hundreds of questions I had been saving for Jax. I rehearsed them in my mind, and finally, I resigned myself to my worries over him. I hoped that by nightfall, I would be able to soothe the uneasy ache of fear, the one that had been filling me with thoughts and nightmares that Jax was not safe.

#  Chapter Nine

By the time we reached our destination, another Resistance stronghold hidden in the middle of the woods, our legs were dull and aching. We moved slowly, but I felt lighter, hoping that Jax was somewhere close by.

A few Resistance members greeted us as we entered the gates. There were only a few left, a much smaller number than the group that I first encountered. I felt a pang of sadness, realizing how many had died in the scuffle with the guards.

They greeted us all, myself included, with smiles and pats on the back. I nodded and smiled back, and we continued to the main building.

Ryan knocked at the door of a large cabin. My heart pounded in my chest. As we waited for the door to open, I swallowed. My mouth was dry, but I felt like I had to keep my insides from escaping through my throat.

Jax opened the door, first looking at Ryan, then at Aya, and then at me. His gaze hung on me. I smiled and walked up and hugged him. He hugged me back, crushing me against his chest.

I had no words to express what I was feeling, all the relief and joy in seeing him again. Even if I had the words, I would never be able to choke them out.

He let go of me, and my body craved to be enveloped in his arms again.

"Let's get you something to eat. I'm sure you must all be hungry," he said, his bright, gray eyes not leaving my face.

We followed him into the cavernous room. I looked over at him, noticing the white gauze that covered a part of his neck.

"How is your wound?"

"Healing up quickly, thanks to the good work of the doctor," he said. "We were all getting very worried about you," he said.

"We had a small delay. But, thanks to Lysa, I'm still alive," Ryan said, as we sat down at the table.

"What happened?" Jax asked.

"Had a run-in with a creature," Aya said. "It wrapped Ryan up in its tongue and Lysa cut it off and saved him."

Jax looked at me. "I'm glad that you did. Thank you."

I nodded. "I know he would have done the same for me."

"That's what we are about," Jax said. "Working together as a team. Even if it means dying."

I looked up, thinking of all the brave men and women who died to keep him safe. I was so thankful, yet so sad, for their sacrifice. But, because of them, I was here with Jax, right now.

We ate our food in silence. I tried to keep myself from shoving it all in my mouth in a few bites. It was dense bread and mushrooms, but it was the most delicious thing I had in quite some time, especially since I had not eaten very regularly since my escape from the slaughterhouse.

"We will leave you," Ryan said, after we were all finished eating. He stood up. "I know you two have a lot to talk about."

Aya stood up and wrapped her arms around my neck. "See you soon," she said.

"See you soon," I said. I patted her back.

I waited until I heard the door snap shut, leaving Jax and me alone, staring at each other.

"You are just waiting to pounce. Go ahead."

"I honestly have no idea where to start," I said. "Maybe, we should just begin where we left off."

Jax sighed and I sat on the edge of my chair. I folded my hands on my lap.

"I think where I left off was when I was saying that The Silo is not what it seems to be. About a hundred years ago, there was a great war between two groups. They were the founders of The Resistance and the founders of The Nation. By the time the war began, humanity was at its knees. War, famine, natural disasters killed half of the population. The Nation founders wanted to wipe the slate clean and begin again, and do things differently."

"And The Resistance wanted to keep things the same?"

"Yes, kind of," Jax said. "They knew that changes needed to be made, but they did not believe in the radical methods proposed by The Nation. Eventually, the conflict escalated to a full-scale war. The founders of The Nation nearly eradicated The Resistance, along with most of humanity."

"Then, how did we get here?"

"The Nation took our parents and grandparents, and even our great-grandparents. They imprisoned them and used them to build the slaughterhouses and their great capital city."

I heard disdain in his voice. I waited for him to continue.

"After they were finished building, they put them in farms. They used them for food, for us in the silos, and for themselves."

"Then, why kill the citizens of the silos? They would not need them for food if they were already using our ancestors. Would they?" I tried to ignore my stomach's queasiness at these thoughts. I could not help but to think of Citizen Rain.

"I'm sure you noticed that the sentencing and killing of the citizens came in waves."

"I did. It was becoming more and more common."

"Yes. They are running low on supplies, both human and man-made. But, going back to the beginning of things," he said, giving me a firm look that told me to hold my questions, "after the war, The Nation instituted individual silos. When they were organizing the new world, they did not want to have everyone together. They wanted to keep the population to a controllable size, so in the case of unrest, they would be able to enforce order. So, they split us up into numerous groups, which is how multiple silos came to be."

"And, by 'us,' you mean—"

"You, me. Almost everyone in the silos. We are the children that they 'saved' from the brink of death. At least, that was the story they told us as we grew up."

I shook my head. I remembered hearing that story many times in my youth, especially with a serving of guilt every time that I misbehaved.

Jax continued. "We weren't saved from death. We were taken from our families and forced to live in the culture that The Nation created for us. They raised us the way they believed would lead us to success, and would avoid the mistakes of the past."

"How was that?"

"They removed technology and limited science. They removed things like money and love, as passion and greed were two things that led to the downfall of numerous people in the old world."

"Money?" I asked. I recognized the term from the romance book that Aya had given me, but I had no idea what it was.

"It was what was exchanged for goods and services. The more of it that people had, the more social power they possessed."

"It does not sound like a good thing."

"It's not a bad thing either, if it is used for the correct purpose."

I tried to puzzle this out.

"They had good intentions. They wanted to save humanity from making the same mistakes that brought us to so much pain and suffering. They did things, terrible, atrocious things for the good of all. But, they are not good people, Lysa. Especially, not now."

"How come?"

"They have been corrupted. They have become greedy and power-hungry. And, even though they fought long and hard to remove those tendencies from our culture, they are blind to it in themselves."

"What does that mean for us?"

"It means that once they have the next generation of people, the citizens of the silos will meet the same fate as our predecessors."

"We—they—will be used as food?"

"They will. The Nation planned that once they had the next generation of people, and when the children were about one, that we would be used to labor and build the new cities. Then, we would be sent to slaughter to feed to our children."

I shook my head. "That does not make sense. Why would they go through all the trouble of changing us, when they were just going to kill us?"

"It goes back to their intentions. We were supposed to be the beginning of a new world, founded on peace and prosperity. We were a test, to see if a culture like ours could be sustainable. But, now we are simply a means to an end. We were simply a way to see if they could create a culture that was malleable, and that could operate against our natural instincts."

"What were they going to do with the next generation?"

"Use them to produce for them."

"Produce what?"

"Anything. Everything. Whatever they wanted."

I shook my head. "This is a lot to take in."

"I understand," he said. He placed his hand on top of mine. "The people of The Resistance do not want to see that happen. You need to understand what we are trying to accomplish. We want to liberate the citizens so they have a chance for freedom, and for safety. We aim to stop The Nation before they destroy even more lives."

"How do you propose we do that?"

"We have to destroy the Founders of The Nation. They are still alive."

"They are?"

"Yes. The Founders are geniuses of science and technology, and pretty much of everything. They were able to develop a serum that enables them to live far past the human life expectancy."

"If they are so advanced, then why couldn't they develop a food source instead of using humans?"

"They may be advanced, but even they cannot make something out of nothing. Besides, they have not mastered the art of cloning. Their food is unstable, and they are afraid to run out of resources for themselves, so they also use more renewable options."

"Do you know who the leader is of the Founders?"

Jax smirked. "You are not going to believe it, but it is our very own Magistrate."

"Our Magistrate?"

"Yes."

"You're right. I don't believe it. Why wouldn't he be in the city, then? Why wouldn't he be living his life leading the Founders?"

"It all comes back to you, Lysa. He stayed there because of you."

"What do you mean?"

"You are their worst enemy. You might not have ever realized it, but you were the very thing that they feared the most."

"How so?" My heart was pounding in my chest.

"They have worked tirelessly to socialize humans a certain way, working against our instincts in some instances. But you saw past it. No matter their efforts, you retained your humanity."

"I don't understand."

"It's your ability to love."

"I can't imagine that. I don't even know what love is."

"But, you feel it, while every other citizen has been able to ignore it. You felt compassion for Citizen Rain when she was executed. You could not bring yourself to eat when you realized what happened to the citizens. And, you bargained with The Magistrate to spare my life. Those are things that no other citizen has done. The Magistrate knew that you were the ultimate test. If you could be defeated, then humans could be manipulated in any way. You were The Magistrate's greatest experiment, and you proved him wrong."

"Why didn't he just execute me, then?"

"He was certain that he could make you see his way, but he realized that he could not when you bargained with him to spare my life. It was then that he realized he had failed."

"So, he never had the intent of keeping his promise."

"No. I'm sure he figured that you were going to die in the forest and he would never have to see you again."

I shook my head. "Does he know that you are the leader of The Resistance?"

"I'm sure that he does now," Jax said. He smirked. "You have no idea how much self-control it took to not kill him." His gray eyes stared off into some distance that was only visible to him. Jax blinked, his gray eyes heavy. "It seems like only yesterday when The Nation officials found my father. They took him and tortured him. They dropped his mutilated body off a couple of days later, right in front of one of The Resistance forts."

"I'm so sorry." I clasped his hand.

"I knew if I killed him, that I would undo all of the work that my father had done. Since the day he died, I have been the leader. I have been giving orders and passing information, hiding notes throughout the forest on my patrols."

"You definitely keep a good secret," I said.

"I'm sorry that I could not tell you. If I was discovered, I figured that the less you knew, the safer you would be."

We sat quietly, Jax still gripping my hand. "Why did you chase after me when I was condemned?"

"Because, you are my mate. Regardless of if we are in The Silo our fighting for The Resistance, there is still no one that I would rather be with."

I smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

"Besides, it was time for me to get out of there. One way or another, I had to escape, and I planned on taking you with me, liked what we talked about before you were arrested. Things are becoming critical now."

"How so?"

"We are running low on fighters, weapons, and supplies. And, The Nation knows it. They have been coordinating strikes like the one we escaped from, to reduce us to nothing. But, they are readying for a major strike against us in a few days, one that will certainly wipe us out. That was the last bit of information I was able to collect while we were still at The Silo."

"What do we do?"

"We strike first. I'm going to need your help if we are going to be successful."

"Of course. Anything."

"Thank you," he said. "Before we start executing our plan, I need to work things out with Ryan. Would you mind getting him?"

"Of course." I got up and walked to the door.

"Hold on. Come back, Lysa," he said.

I turned around and walked back to him. He stood up. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to his body. He lifted my chin up and kissed me.

I almost melted. I forgot how safe his lips made me feel and the warmth that coursed through my body whenever I was close to him.

"Now, go get Ryan," he said, rubbing his thumb across my cheek. "I will get you before it is time for bed."

I kissed his cheek and peeled myself away from him. I tried to ponder everything that I just heard as I looked for Ryan.

The only thing I knew for certain that I was unsure of everything.

#  Chapter Ten

"You are kidding, right? You can't be serious, Jax!" Ryan's voice could be heard from within the building.

I tried not to look obvious that I was listening in on Jax and Ryan's conversation. I had no idea what they were talking about, but whatever it was, it was not going well.

I did not feel too guilty for my eavesdropping, though. Aya was standing outside the door, as well, but her ear was pressed to the door.

"I am not joking," I heard Jax say.

"Then you have lost your mind."

"Do you question my reasoning?"

"No, but—"

"But, what? This conversation only proves my point. You are a hothead, Ryan, and you know it."

"You are the hothead. I just pray that you are making this choice for the right reason," Ryan said.

Aya and I both scattered away from the door as we heard footsteps near.

Ryan slammed the door open. "Lysa," he said.

I turned around, hoping that I looked surprised. I was bending down, examining a yellow flower on the ground.

"Yes?"

"Jax needs to see you. Now," he said. There was a deep crease between his brows. I could tell that he was struggling to keep his voice even.

"Thank you," I said, but he was already walking away.

I shrugged and walked back into the building with Jax. I softly closed the door behind me.

"I'm sorry if you heard that," Jax said.

"What was that about?"

"Just some strategies that we don't see eye-to-eye on. Nothing abnormal." He smiled and held his arms out to me.

I walked over and allowed myself to be enveloped in his embrace. I let heat fill my body as I inhaled his scent.

He kissed me, less gently than before. I threaded my fingers through his hair and he kissed my neck.

We made love, as the romance novel called it. Afterwards, I fell asleep, wrapped in his arms.

I was not sure what time it was when I woke up. Jax was no longer in bed with me. I peered out one of the cabin's windows, and saw that it was still dark outside. I scanned the perimeter, and the gates were closed. I peered into the forest, expecting to see a creature staring back at me, but everything was dark and quiet.

I was about to lace up my boots and look for him when the door of the cabin opened and Jax stepped inside.

"I was worried about you," I said. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," he said. He bent down to kiss me. "I was going over some plans with Ryan. We want to set out on the mission at first light."

"Good," I said. "Now, come back to bed," I said. I grabbed his hands and drug him back onto the bed. "Besides, I thought we weren't supposed to go outside after dark? Something about people-eating creatures."

He rolled his eyes.

"What are they, anyway?" I asked.

"They are a gift from our dear Nation, designed to help eradicate The Resistance."

"That's horrible."

"That's The Nation," he said. "One thing before we set out tomorrow."

"What is it?" A bubble of dread popped in my stomach.

"On our mission, I'm not going to be your lover. I'm going to be your leader. I need you to listen to what I say and I need you to do what I tell you, no matter what it is. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," I said, laughing.

"I'm serious, Lysa. No matter what, you need to listen to me. We aren't going to be lovers. Do you understand?"

"I do. But, why does it have to be that way? Can't you be my lover and my leader?"

"It will keep us both safer if we are not distracted."

"It's more distracting to try not to be your lover," I said.

"Trust me. It's better this way," he said.

"Ok. I will trust you. But in that case, we should prepare." I rolled over on top of him. I pinned his arms down by his side and kissed him, and helped him undress.

We both fell back asleep sometime before dawn. My sleep was not as peaceful as the one before, but I still felt warm and cozy next to Jax.

I was not ready to wake up when daylight fell upon us. I struggled to pull myself out of bed.

"Time to wake up," Jax said.

I grumbled. I dressed quickly, pulling my hair back into a loose ponytail. I slipped on my boots and laced them up. Jax watched me, already prepared to leave.

"Hurry up. We are not delaying this mission because you do not want to wake up."

I stared at him for a moment. He had never spoken to me like this before. I studied his face, trying to see if there was a glint of a smile behind his gray eyes. There was not.

"Yes, sir," I said. I rolled my eyes. I wondered if this was what Jax the leader was like. If so, then he was going to run more risk of me killing him than the creatures or The Nation ever getting close to him.

Jax tossed me a bulky pack and we walked out of the cabin. I snapped the door shut behind me. We walked over to the main building and Jax peeked his head in. Ryan was standing over Aya, asleep in one of the many rows of cots. He tucked her in, and she remained sound asleep.

"Goodbye, Aya," I whispered as I watched Ryan tuck her in.

Ryan walked over to us and snapped the door quietly behind him. "Morning," he said to us.

"Good morning," Jax said. "Ready?"

"Ready," he said. He secured his pack onto his back.

Ryan and I followed Jax out of the fenced perimeter and into the forest.

As we walked, I pondered. In all my time in The Silo, I always wondered what was out here, if it was an exciting life full of mystery and unknown creatures. So far, the only thing the forest was full of was trees, moss, abandoned slaughterhouses and creatures that ate people.

"We are going to get to the capital city by this time tomorrow morning," Jax said, over his shoulder.

"That is a lot of ground to cover," Ryan said.

"We have no choice," Jax said.

"That's going to mean traveling through the night."

"You don't think that I am fully aware of that?" Jax said. He continued ahead, and I watched as Ryan's face flushed.

"Your plan is great unless we die before we get there."

"We are going to die if we waste time. I would prefer it if we were the ones killing before we all get killed."

We were quiet as we stomped through the forest. I wasn't sure how I felt about walking in on a city to execute its inhabitants. Then again, if Jax was right, they were preparing to do the exact same thing to us.

We trudged past a farm, and we waved to the people who were tending it.

"Who are they?" I asked Ryan.

"They are part of The Resistance. They tend our farms, and make sure the fruits and vegetables stay safe from animals, guards, and the creatures. We have a few of them scattered out here, along the river, just in case the guards find one and destroy it."

"That's a good idea," I said.

We passed the river, its rush deafening. Flecks of cold liquid spilled onto my face as we filled our canteens with the icy water. Jax rushed us to get moving and we began walking through the woods once again.

I was not sure how long we had been walking when Jax stopped in front of us, gesturing us to stop. He stared at the forest floor, and Ryan and I both peeked around his shoulders.

The bloody remains of something was scattered across the mossy carpet and along the trunks of the trees.

"Interesting," Jax said. He knelt down and picked up a piece of flesh. He held it up, studying it. He brought it to his nose.

"What are you doing?" I said, recoiling.

"This isn't human. Or animal," he said, still holding the bit of flesh

"How can you tell?"

"Death. It has a very distinct smell. Every creature has its own decaying odor. I have never smelled this one before."

"You don't think it is a creature, do you?" Ryan said.

"I am wondering," Jax said.

"But, the creatures do not hunt each other, do they?" I said.

"Not normally," Jax said. "We should keep moving." He threw the skin back onto the bloodstain.

I caught myself looking over my shoulder numerous times as we walked. I was sure that I was imagining hearing things creak behind us, but after seeing the gore we left behind, I did not want to risk running into whatever massacred the creature.

As the noon sun began to pass over the treetops, Jax picked up the pace and we began jogging through the forest. My legs were heavy and my feet ached more with each step. I was having a tough time keeping my breath when Ryan asked for us to take a break.

"We need to stop, Jax," he said. "Just for a few minutes."

"We don't have a few minutes. Every minute we waste is more ground that we have to make up tonight, fighting the creatures. Keep moving."

Tears tugged at my eyes. I had to rest. I felt like I had nothing left to give, and my body was ready to collapse right where I was. "I'll catch up to you. Don't worry about me," I said to Ryan, between labored breaths. I slowed my pace to a walk. "I will keep you in my sight, so I don't lose track of you."

Ryan slowed his pace and matched mine. "I need a rest, too," he said.

Jax heard us. He looked over his shoulder. He shook his head, but continued forward.

"He is making a mistake, making us travel by night," Ryan said.

"I don't like it much, either."

"Are you afraid?" he asked me.

"I'm terrified," I said.

"I mean, are you afraid of dying?"

I thought for a moment. "I'm not sure."

"How can you not be sure?"

"I don't know. Every time I've had to face death in the past couple of days, it is almost like death has not been an option. I don't know how to explain it."

"It sounds like you are not meant to die. Not yet."

"I hope not." I said. I looked at Ryan, and searched for Jax up ahead. I spotted him in the distance, still jogging. "We should probably catch up to him."

Twilight was beginning to wash over the woods. Even against my sweaty face, the air was cool and damp, a welcome change from its daytime mugginess.

By the time we caught up to Jax, he stopped. He dropped his pack and pulled out a couple of straps, covered in what appeared to be lights. "Put these on," he said, handing a strap to Ryan and a strap to me.

"And, this is?" Ryan asked, examining the straps.

"The way we will stay alive out here," he said.

I followed Jax's lead as he wrapped himself in the lights. He wrapped it around both of his legs individually, wound it around his torso and around his neck. He held up a handheld switch and flipped the lights on.

I did the same. I blinked as the sudden barrage of light shocked my eyes. "It works," I said. "It will definitely blind anything looking at the light."

"It took a long time to gather the batteries for these. Don't waste the light," Jax said.

I flicked the switch off. We watched as Ryan tested his, before he quickly turned the light back off.

"Good. Let's get moving again. I will tell you when to turn the lights on." He pulled his pack onto his shoulders and set off at a jog once again.

Having stopped moving for only a few minutes, I was aware of the heavy ache in my legs. It felt like they weighed hundreds of pounds, and I was not sure if I would be able to move them.

"Bet you never thought you would get this much exercise out here," Ryan said.

"I did not know this much exercise was possible," I said. The guards had a strict exercise regimen, but it was only for an hour a day. Half of it was a jog around the gates of The Silo and the other half was lifting weights.

We were quiet, only the sounds of our breathing and our footfalls cutting through the silence. I wanted to continue talking to Ryan. It would make the time go by faster, but I had no idea what to say. I was also afraid that talking would make me lose the tenuous control I had over my breathing.

By the time I thought about something to bring up, I instantly forgot it when I heard rustling in the bushes beside me. A deep growl emanated from the shrubs.

I jumped and grabbed for the switch to the lights. I fumbled with it before I flipped it on. I lost track of my surroundings as I blinded myself with the brightness.

"Stay still," Ryan said.

Staying still was the last thing I wanted to do. My body ached to run, even though my legs rejected the thought.

My eyes adjusted to the light. Glowing, green eyes studied me from within the bushes.

Ryan pulled off his pack, careful to not make any sudden movements. He kept his gaze on the glowing eyes as he sifted through his pack and pulled something out. He tossed it into the bushes.

The eyes instantly disappeared. I could hear it voraciously attacking something, chewing and ripping at it.

"Let's move. I would turn off your lights so Jax does not get mad."

I flipped my lights off. "What was that?" I whispered as we jogged to catch up to Jax, who had not stopped.

"It was a wolf. One of the last few around here. I'm surprised that there are any left."

"What is a wolf?"

"They are like wild dogs. Have you seen a dog?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, they are about thigh-high. They are hunters, and they normally live in packs. They eat other animals, like rabbits. They don't have much food out here these days. Not only do the creatures eat all the small animals, but they also eat the wolves. This one was alone, so it is probably the last one alive from its pack."

"Poor thing," I said. "Will it be back?"

"It might, but it will be less likely to attack if it has had some food, and we are all in a group together."

We caught up to Jax. The air was cold now, and parts of the forest were enveloped in complete darkness. I struggled to keep my breath even. My eyes darted every which way, looking for signs of the creatures.

Jax held up his hand and we both halted. We listened to the growl emerge from the bushes. It was unlike the growl from the wolf. Hair stood up on the back of my neck, and I did not dare to turn around.

"Turn on your lights now!" Jax yelled.

We all grabbed for our light switches and we turned on the lights. The three of us lit up, casting eerie blue shadows through the forest. In one of the shadows was a creature, its tongue whipping out, trying to grab us, but not get too close to the light.

"Run!" Jax said.

I could not run. Darkness threatened to overtake me, and it hovered along my periphery. Everything slipped out of focus, and I almost forgot that the creature was close by. In the gray shadows, I was barely conscious that I was seeing the creature, its open, hideous mouth unleashing its tongue to grab me.

I knew what was happening, but I could not react. I was frozen, watching the scene unfold like I was a bystander, helpless to do anything but let it all play out. I could already picture how it would go. The creature would envelope me in its tongue and drag me to the bushes, where it would rip my throat out. Neither Jax nor Ryan would be able to stop it before it killed me.

I was resigned to it. I closed my eyes and thought of Jax as I surrendered myself to what I knew was coming.

#  Chapter Eleven

I felt something grab my hand and pull me. My body flew, and I was vaguely aware that it did not feel like it had been the creature's tongue that had pulled me. I looked down at my hand. Ryan held it. He pulled me again, this time dragging me behind him as he ran. My sluggish mind began to grip reality, and I realized that we were now running for our lives.

Blindly, I ran behind him. I felt like the creature was stalking us, inches away from devouring us with its enormous fangs. The thought propelled me forward, and I refused to look behind me, as I was afraid of what I was going to see.

I stayed close to Ryan and Jax, keeping pace with them as they jumped over stumps and dodged rocks that poked up from the ground.

A panicked thought crossed my mind. Would we have to run like this until the sun came up?

I struggled to not think about that. If I thought about it, I would have to admit to myself that I would not be able to run that long, that exhaustion was already starting to take hold of my body. My legs were no longer dully aching, but were shaking, threatening to buckle each time I leapt over a downed tree.

A shriek of a creature echoed through the forest behind us. It was loud, which meant that it had to be close, stalking us and following our trail. Shrieks answered back, enveloping us. Some were near and others sounded like they were miles away.

"Oh god," I heard Ryan groan.

I knew that Ryan was thinking the same thing that I was. Were we going to survive this?

There was crashing behind us, with heavy footfalls falling right behind us. I decided to be brave and I peeked over my shoulder. One of the creatures was trailing us, its tongue hanging out, spittle flying out of its mouth with every stride.

"Jax?" I cried. "Behind us!"

"Keep moving!" he yelled.

I turned back and concentrated on running faster.

Jax pulled out a gun and fired it. Something that looked like a flame shot out, and hit the creature in the face. Its face turned red, the flame singeing the skin. It halted and cried out in pain, shaking its head to rid itself of the heat that was spreading over its flesh.

Jax turned around and fired another shot, into another creature. Its black body slowly caught fire. Some of the other creatures stopped their chase, and watched as the two who were on fire rolled around on the ground, crying.

Both the creatures succumbed to the flames, pieces of skin turning to red at the edges where it bubbled and melted off the bone. They howled and flailed and tried to save themselves from the torture. One got up and ran into a few of the other creatures, catching their hair on fire.

"Lysa! Keep moving!" Jax called.

I did not realize how much my pace had slowed. Jax and Ryan were already far ahead of me. I ran full speed back to them, jumping over rocks and downed branches, willing my legs to keep going.

"Was that a good idea?" Ryan yelled to Jax. "They will catch the forest on fire that way."

"Do you have a better plan?"

"Not getting us incinerated would be a good start! We can't outrun a fire."

"We can't outrun all of those creatures, either. Shut up and keep moving."

We ran, for how long I was not sure. The creatures did not come near us, but we could still hear their howls and shrieks in the distance. We slowed down and Jax sniffed the air.

"I don't think they caught anything on fire. We would have smelled smoke by now."

Ryan and I came to a slow jog beside him. I was happy for the break to catch my breath.

"Good," Ryan said. "The last thing we need to do is draw attention to ourselves and have the silos notice. Or the city." His voice was strained and his breaths were more like wheezes.

By the time the morning light fell upon us, we were all exhausted, our jogs more like labored walks. We had only a few more visits from the creatures during the evening, but Jax shot them and they ran off, skin burning.

"I need to stop and rest," Ryan said.

Jax agreed to take a short rest, to eat and hydrate.

We found a large, downed log and we all sat down on it. We threw our packs off. Even the wood seemed comfortable after so many hours of moving. I was ready to collapse down and fall asleep.

Jax opened his pack and pulled out some bread, goat's cheese, and a bit of meat. He offered some to Ryan and me. I took the cheese and the bread, still not entirely trusting any meat I came across.

I devoured the food, my stomach still begging for more, yet I was devoid of the desire to eat. It seemed like too much work.

We finished eating and drank from our canteens. We all sat on the log, staring out into the trees. My eyes were unfocused as I struggled to keep awake.

"We need to go," Jax said. "The more time we have, the better off we are going to be."

We stood up and put our packs back on. I still felt dazed. It was a challenge to keep balanced, especially when every way I moved stretched my painful muscles.

"We are almost there," Jax said. "We will be there in only a few hours. It will give us some time to study before we attack."

Even a few hours felt like hell. Jax picked the pace up to a brisk jog once again.

No one spoke for the rest of the trip. We were probably all convincing ourselves to push our bodies one step at a time. At least, that is what I told myself. I lied to myself the entire rest of the way there, saying that I only had one, two, three more steps and it would be over.

The rain came, which made it that much harder to move forward. The ground was beginning to become muddy, and with each step, our boots sunk into the ground a little more. My muscles screamed at the extra effort it took to lift my legs up, but the wetness felt good against my sweaty, dirty body.

The closer we got to the capital city, the more the bugs swarmed us. I assumed that part of it was because none of us smelled great, considering our jaunt through the forest, and our sweat probably attracted them. But, they flew up our noses and some kept landing in my eyes. I wanted to swat them, but the effort was too great and there were too many to deal with.

"Don't let them bite you," Ryan said. His voice was barely above a whisper. He sounded as exhausted as I felt. "And, don't swat them."

"Why?"

"They're mutants. They are attracted to the smell of blood. They will swarm if they smell it."

"Good to know," I said. I was annoyed that they did not tell me this sooner, but I was too tired to sound irritable.

I promised myself that the next one I came across, I would study it to see what he meant. From what I saw of them, they looked like the normal bugs that we had back at The Silo, but my curiosity was piqued.

We had been moving for an hour when Jax began to slow down the pace. Even he was exhausted, and suggested that we walk the last bit. "We made good time. We can afford to relax a little before the real work starts. But, we need to be on the lookout. They might have people patrolling out here."

I looked into the forest behind us. Trees, bushes, dead leaves and moss were the only things I could see. Could there be someone hiding in the shadows, watching us right now? I ignored the chills that ran down my spine.

We walked for about an hour. I was able to examine one of the bugs up close. It had landed on my arm and I trapped it under my hand. I peeked at it, trying to keep it contained enough to study it. At first glance, it looked normal. But, it had large fangs, two identical ones in the front of its tiny mouth.

I cringed, and brushed it off my arm. The Nation sure knew how to make some ugly creations.

"We're here," Jax said.

Ryan and I stood next to him, looking over a bush that lined a steep cliff. I peeked over the bushes and saw rows of white-washed buildings. People milled through the streets.

I was struck with its magnificence. Some of the buildings were taller than I ever thought could exist, much taller than the two-story buildings in The Silo. "Wow," I said.

"It is something, isn't it?" Jax said. He pulled out a pair of binoculars from the pocket of his pants. "Too bad they used the slavery of citizens to build it."

My stomach turned. I thought about my parents, unknown as they were, being forced to build this city that they would surely never live in.

"Do you think they are still alive?" I asked. "Some of our parents?"

"They might be. We will be able to tell more about the survivors after we get through with this. But first, we need to watch. We need to find the best way to get in there."

"You mean you don't have a plan for that?" Ryan asked.

"I have a plan. We have to find a way to get in there, find their artillery stockpile, take all of the weapons, and kill them."

"All of them?" I asked. I watched the people, milling about in the streets. Some of them were children.

"All of them," Jax said.

"That might be going a little far," Ryan said. "Can't we at least leave the children? Find a way to take care of them?"

"So, we can do the same thing that the Founders did to us? No. It is best to be rid of them all."

I did not like the crazed look in his eye. He scared me.

"This is not about revenge, Jax. This is about carrying out the plan, and the plan never was to kill all the children or the women. It was just to kill the Founders themselves, so they could not carry out their plan."

"Who says that the women can't do it? Or, the older children? It is best not to risk it."

I looked down at the children, a few of them playing with a ball in the streets. How much could they have known about us? Were they even old enough to know who The Resistance was? "Maybe if this is what The Resistance stands for, I don't want to be a part of it," I said.

"Excuse me?" Jax said.

"I am not about to kill a bunch of innocent people, just so you can have your revenge. We would be no better than the Founders. We would just be repeating the exact thing they did, by ridding the world of people who were a threat to their way of life."

"Do you think that we are anything like those disgusting bastards?"

"No, I don't. That's why I want you to reconsider what you are asking. Let us leave the children alive, at least."

"Fine. Instead of killing them, we will just let them starve to death, instead. So much more of a merciful end."

I paused. "Do what you want. I am not going to kill them."

"You are talking like you are the leader. You aren't. Either do what I say or you can go die in the forest."

I stared at him. I wondered if I heard him correctly. "What?"

"You do what I say or go die out in the forest. You heard me right the first time."

"How could you say something like that to me?"

"I told you, I am no longer your lover out here. I am your leader. If you do not like that, then leave."

I felt hatred boil in my blood. I turned around and I walked away.

"You are just going to let her wander around the forest? You idiot!" Ryan said.

"We cannot risk this mission, no matter the cost."

"You are so blind. All you want to do is destroy The Nation and the Founders. You are going to get her killed."

"That's her choice, not mine."

"Lysa! Lysa, come back here." Ryan called after me.

I didn't bother to turn around. I kept walking back the way we came. I had no idea where I was going, or where I was going to go. None of that mattered now.

Tears welled in my eyes. I knew that I was walking to my death, but I did not care.

#  Chapter Twelve

"Lysa," Ryan said. He put his hand on my shoulder and spun me around. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving."

"You will die out here," he said.

"What does it matter?" I said. My voice was choked, but I didn't care. "He obviously does not care."

"It matters to me. I'm not going to let you die."

"Why do you care?"

"Because we have to stick together. That is the only way that we are going to survive this."

"I am not going to go back there and kill those innocent children."

"I know you don't want to do that. I don't either. Jax is being an idiot right now, but he has a point. If we don't do that, they will starve and they will die. They will meet a much crueler end."

"Nobody deserves this," I said.

"No one does, no. But, this is where we are now. If we do not do this, we will all die and the Founders will go on, killing innocent people so they can live. They will go on to kill everyone in the silos and feed them to the next generation. Do you want that to happen?"

I shook my head.

"Then, we have to do this. Even though it is difficult, we have to do this."

I hung my head and let a tear fall from my cheek.

"We need to be strong right now. Just take orders from Jax, don't think of him than anything more than your boss."

"My boss?"

"Or, The Magistrate."

I curled my nose at that thought.

"I know, but it will help you to get through. Now, we need to get back before Jax runs in there by himself and gets himself killed."

We both turned around and walked back to where Jax was holding the binoculars, watching the city from behind the bushes. Without a word, Ryan and I took our places beside him and began studying the people as they moved through the city.

"What is it that they are eating and drinking?" I asked. I watched a man and a woman, sitting outside, eating something I had never seen before. They were drinking a red liquid that looked like blood.

"Who knows," Jax said. "Probably a citizen. Or, some of their genetically modified food."

"How, and where, do they produce their modified food?" I asked.

"We are not sure of their methods," Jax said. "But, they probably produce it in a lab."

"What if we were able to poison their food source, or what they drink? Would that work?"

Jax and Ryan both stared at me.

"That is not a bad idea," Jax said. "Where is the lab?" He asked, pulling his binoculars back to his eyes and scanning the city. "Look for people in white coats. They might lead us to the lab."

I scanned the streets, spotting one person in a white coat. "There," I said, pointing to the person. "He is heading to the building in the center of the city."

"Good. Let's try to find a couple of more people and see if they head to the same place. If they do, then we probably have our lab."

We all watched the center building. A few more men and women dressed in white coats entered the building. We counted five in total.

"So, we have our lab. Now what do we do?" Ryan said.

"Two of us go in. One of us stays behind to keep watch, and if anything happens, they get back to camp and alert everyone."

"What would we alert them to?" Ryan asked.

"They need to run as far away as they can."

"Who is going and who is staying?" Ryan said.

"Lysa and I are going. You are staying behind."

Ryan clenched his jaw, but nodded in agreement.

"Lysa, come with me. We need to take two of the scientists by surprise and steal their lab coats."

"Ok," I said. "How do we even get down there?"

Jax scanned the area and looked over the cliff. "There. It looks like there are rocks that we can use to climb down."

"Do you think we will be seen?"

"Probably not," he said. "There are a lot of trees that line the city. They will shelter us from view."

We said goodbye to Ryan. It was difficult to leave him, and I was nervous to work with Jax alone.

Jax threw his leg over the precipice and began climbing down.

I watched him climb. The rocks looked jagged and threatening from this height. I looked at the ground. It was a long way down, and the fall from this high up would certainly be lethal.

The dizzying sensation of falling forward unbalanced me. I looked away, and looked at Ryan, trying to reorient myself.

He nodded in encouragement.

"Just do it," I whispered.

I swallowed hard and kicked my legs over the edge of the cliff, like Jax did. I missed the rock I was aiming for, to steady my descent. I slid down. I frantically searched for anything to catch myself on. I grabbed onto a rock. It was sharp and it pierced my skin.

I kept myself from crying out in pain. I steadied myself, now balanced on a few stones. I looked at my right palm. Thin slices gouged the skin, and blood dripped onto the ground. I looked down at Jax, who was almost halfway down the cliff.

I looked back at my palm. There was nothing I could do, and I had nothing to wrap it with. I would have to work past the pain.

My hand was tender, but I fought to ignore it. I tried to use my left hand as much as I could to steady myself, and I climbed down the cliffside.

When I reached the bottom, Jax was waiting for me, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "About time."

"Cut myself," I said, showing him the caked blood on my hand.

He pulled out a cloth from his pocket. He tore it with his teeth, and handed me the long stretch of fabric. "Wrap it up with this. It will help it not get infected."

"Thanks," I said. I grabbed the cloth from him, a little more harshly than I meant to. I clenched my teeth as I tried to pick some of the dirt and small pebbles out of the cut. I wrapped it tight.

"The day will come when you will understand."

"Understand what?"

"Understand everything I do. I have to be strong, and I have to say things and do things that people, even the people I love, do not like."

I had no idea what to say to him. I remained silent.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you. But, this is life and death for all of us. No matter how much I love you and care about you, I can't jeopardize everyone and I can't put our cause at risk."

"Fine," I said. "I'm here, right now. Let's just get this over with," I said.

Jax studied me. "One thing you will learn about being out here is to let stuff go. Who knows if those will be the last words you say to me."

I looked at him. "Guilting me is not going to help things. I am hurt, and I am trying to function. I'm hurt because I care about you and I love you."

Jax stepped forward. "I love you too," he said. He wrapped his arms around me. "You know I never would have let you die out there, right? I would have completed the mission and come after you to find you."

I rest my head in the crook of his shoulder.

"I am just trying to be a good leader and a good man for you. Sometimes, the two don't mix very well. I'm sorry, Lysa." He smoothed my hair, and trailed his fingers down to my ear. He brought my lips up to his.

Even though tears were still threatening to spill from my eyes, I kissed him back.

He pulled away. "I would much rather be kissing you, but we have to do this."

I nodded. "What do we do?"

"We need to hide behind some buildings, maybe in the bushes, and wait. We need to steal some lab coats, preferably from a man and a woman."

"How long is that going to take?"

"Probably not long. Human beings are always human beings. Let's go."

As we walked through the woods, to the edge of the city, I puzzled over what he meant.

By a deserted street, we found a few shrubs with pink flowers. He squatted down behind them and we listened. Not ten minutes later, we heard the voices of a couple of people as they neared us, walking through an alley. We peeked over the top of the shrub. It was a man and a woman, dressed in white coats. They were kissing, the man ramming the woman into the wall of a building and kissing her neck.

Jax nodded to me and we jumped from our hiding spot. Careful to not make a sound, we approached them from behind. Neither of them noticed our presence.

Jax punched the man in the back of the head, between his skull and his shoulders. The man crumpled to the ground while his confused lover watched his body sink into a heap at her feet. Before she had a chance to scream, Jax snapped her neck. I watched her body fall next to the lifeless body of her lover.

"Let's get them out of sight," he said. "But first, we need to take these." He stripped the male corpse of the white lab jacket. He then drug the man's body from the alley and hid it behind the bushes we had been hiding behind.

I followed his lead. I took off the woman's lab coat and put it on. I grabbed her ankles and pulled her behind the bushes. I tried to ignore how her head lolled around and her blank eyes followed me, no matter which way I turned.

"That was some luck," I said to Jax. "How did you know we were going to find someone so quickly?"

"Alleyways have only been good for one thing, no matter who you are and when you are living," Jax said with a wink and a smirk.

I rolled my eyes.

We searched the bodies for anything that would be useful, like badges or keys. Each of them had a badge, and we grabbed them and slipped them into our pockets. Neither of the photos on their badges resembled us. I hoped we would not have to show them to anyone.

We smoothed out the wrinkles on the jackets and straightened up our appearances. For having jogged and sweated for miles, neither one of us looked terribly dirty. It had to have been the rainstorm that we traveled through that was our saving grace. I wiped a small smudge of dirt from Jax's face and looked him over. The jacket was a little small in the shoulders and his shoes were a little dirty. Other than that, he looked like the sharp, scrubbed people of the city.

"How do I look?" I said. I could feel that the lab coat was a little small in the chest.

"Beautiful, as always. Ready to go?" Jax asked.

I nodded. My heart thundered in my throat, and I tried to swallow it back down, calming its frenzy. "Ready."

We walked from behind the bushes and down the alleyway, making our way down to the center of the city.

#  Chapter Thirteen

I was expecting some strange looks from the inhabitants of the city, but we did not encounter any. People went about their daily business, staring at little devices they held in the palms of their hands. Some of them carried out conversations with themselves, gesticulating to no one. Every person was busy doing something or going somewhere, too busy to notice us.

Even though we did not rouse suspicion, I still breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the entrance of the building at the center of the city. The doors were closed and they did not look like they had any handles. Jax pulled me aside and he began whispering nonsensical things to me, gesticulating with emphasis.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Blending in. Go with it," he said. He spoke nonsense to me as he peeked over my shoulder at the doorway, watching people as they entered the building. "They use their thumbprints to enter the building."

"That's not good," I said. There was no way either one of us would be able to get into that door.

We continued our pretend conversation, and I nodded with intense interest. I saw Jax's eyes widen and I turned around. There was a large group of scientists approaching us.

My heart froze. They looked like they were heading directly for us, but they instead turned toward the building, lining up to enter the building in a large group.

Jax grabbed my hand and we went to the back of the line. We stood behind one of the scientists, who was busy reading a small device with a bright screen, almost brighter than the enormous one from The Silo that we watched our morning announcements on. He did not notice our proximity.

I held my breath as we entered the building, and exhaled when we got through. We both stopped as soon as we walked in. Neither of us had ever seen something so magnificent. Every surface of the cavernous room was spotless white, so unlike the minimalism of The Silo and the squalor of The Resistance strongholds.

"We should probably get moving," I whispered. My eyes darted around, trying to process the imposing brilliance of my new surroundings.

"You're right," he said. He was still studying the room.

I went to move forward, but realized I had no idea where I was going. There were numerous doors, at least ten, all leading to unknown places. "Where do we go?" I whispered.

"Let's follow them," Jax said. He nodded to a group of scientists. They were heading towards a door across from us. It seemed that most of the people in the room were making their way to that door.

We got behind a large group of scientists and made it through the doors, before they shut us out. We were instantly greeted with the smell of food. The smell of meat sent my stomach into a fit of hunger, and my mouth began to water. But, my stomach's painful hunger instantly turned into waves of nausea. I remembered poor Citizen Rain, and my body clenched.

"How are we going to find their food source?" I whispered to Jax. I studied the crowd of people. Most of them were sitting at tables, in small groups. Some of them chatted over plates of food, but most of them looked down at the devices they all seemed to carry.

"They have to store their food somewhere close by. Probably right there." He nodded to a door to the right, on the other side of the cafeteria.

"How are we going to get over there without being noticed?"

"Blend in, just like we've been doing." He started walking to the line of plates at the front of the room. I followed him. He grabbed a plate of food and I did the same.

I felt like I was right back in The Silo, reliving the same day that got me condemned to death. It was the same meal on my plate, potatoes, green beans and a steak. I stared at it. I did not realize that I had stopped where I was standing, staring at my plate, until Jax nudged my arm.

"Let's go sit down," he said.

I followed him. I kept my eyes on him, on the people surrounding us, anything rather than what was on my plate.

Jax picked a seat next to the door. We studied it, trying to garner as little attention as possible. The door was fit with a finger keypad, like the ones we had encountered so far. The issue was, no one was going through that door.

We both were silent as we ate. Jax steadily shoved bits of food into his mouth.

I barely had an appetite. Nausea swept over me and I felt like throwing up on my plate. I ate bits of the potatoes and green beans, but left the meat completely untouched.

Jax picked up his plate and stood up. The meat on his plate was also untouched.

Thankful to not have to sit here any longer, I grabbed my plate and followed him over to the conveyer, where people placed their dirty dishes. We placed our plates on the belt. I watched as it whisked our plates from view, into a cutout in the wall.

We both left the room, a few other scientists following behind us. I was happy that there was no finger scans necessary for exiting the room.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The restrooms," Jax said. He stood off to the side of the cafeteria door and watched the people mill around. "There," he said. He nodded to the door across from the cafeteria door.

It seemed that women entered on one side of the double doors and men on the other side. This struck me as peculiar. In The Silo, men and women used the same facilities.

"Wait by the women's side," Jax said, before he entered the men's side of the door.

I waited outside of the women's door. I felt exposed. I felt like everyone who passed me was staring at me, and knew that I did not belong here. It was not true, though. Everyone was so absorbed with the miniature screens that they held in their hands that they did not question my presence.

I froze. A guard, dressed in the white outfits that we wore in The Silo, walked towards me. I panicked, trying to think what to do.

He looked at me as he approached. He looked like he was going to say something as he neared, but he did not. He instead entered the men's restroom.

Relief flooded me, but I struggled to keep my breath steady. He was in there with Jax. Would the guard recognize that he did not belong here?

About ten minutes later, Jax emerged from the bathroom. He was breathing a little heavier than when he went in, but otherwise, he looked fine. A slight bump in the pocket of his lab coat caught my attention.

"You don't want to know," he said. "Let's go," he said.

We walked back to the cafeteria door. "I need to test this," he said. He fiddled in his pocket and brought out whatever was causing the jacket to bulge.

I saw the tips of a few fingers peek out of his pocket. They looked like they were bundled in dark cloth, probably to keep blood from leaking onto his coat. "A hand?" I whispered, first making sure that we were out of earshot of anyone else.

He nodded. "From the guard."

He pressed the thumb to the keypad, and it lit up in a bright green and beeped. The door to the cafeteria opened and we stepped back inside. We walked over to the storeroom door. I was afraid that someone was going to ask what we were doing. I cast a glance behind us as Jax pushed the thumb to the storeroom keypad. No one seemed to notice or care what we were doing.

I relaxed as soon as I heard the door snap shut behind us.

For the second time since entering this city, I was struck in awe. I had never seen so much food in one place. Potatoes, apples, vegetables, and things I had never seen before were stacked in crates that filled the entire room.

"It looks like they are doing pretty well for themselves."

"How are we going to poison all of this food? What are we even going to use?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"This has all been genetically created," Jax said. He picked up an apple and sniffed it. He wrinkled his nose and set the apple back in the crate. "They have quantity down, but their quality is terrible. If we had more time, I would let them poison themselves with their own creations."

I sniffed. "Why do you say that?"

"They have definitely not mastered the art of cloning clones. Which means, they are probably running very low on resources."

We studied the room for a moment. "Would we have better luck with the water?" I asked.

"Probably, but I bet that it is under a great deal more security."

"Where do they source their water from? Do they have any rivers around here?"

"They probably get it from the river to start with, and then create more from that."

"At The Silo, I know the river was where we got our water from, but was there another water supply?" I said.

"There was a small backup," he said. "It was in the Magistrate's cabin. The one place the citizens would never discover it."

"Do you think the water supply here would be somewhere like that?"

"No, I don't think so, but I do have an idea."

"What's that?"

"If it is in this building, then it might be upstairs."

"What is upstairs?"

"Probably the Founders' quarters, or maybe a lab," he said. "It might be dangerous to go up there, though."

"How come?"

"Security might be tight going up there. They might recognize that we are intruders and arrest us."

"What other options do we have?"

"None. Just to not get caught."

"Agreed." I swallowed hard.

"In case things go bad up there, I want to tell you that I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too, Jax."

He took my hand quickly and squeezed. "Let's do this."

He took a deep breath as he opened the door. We both stepped out into the cafeteria. No one seemed to notice our exit from the room. We found ourselves in a swarm of people in white coats, and left with them.

Once again, Jax and I stood in the lobby. We studied the room, hoping to find some clue as how to get to the top of this building.

"Over there," Jax said. He nudged me and pointed to a door, nestled in the corner by the main entrance of the building.

A few people were lined up, outside of the white doors, waiting. When an arrow lit up above the door, they opened and people filtered in. "It looks like an elevator."

"I have no idea what that is."

"It takes people to different floors."

"So, that's what we are looking for," I said

Jax did not answer before he set off towards the elevator. I followed him, matching his brisk pace. We stood outside of the door, along with a few scientists. They looked up from their screens only when the elevator dinged and the doors opened. People exited while we filtered into the tiny space in a unified herd.

Jax pressed the button for the top floor, while a few more people squeezed in.

I did not like the proximity to the other passengers, but they did not seem to mind. They had already retreated into their own worlds, centered in the palms of their hands.

I mused as we rode, stopping at ever floor to let people off and bring new people in. I was terrified to enter the limits of the city. From the way Jax and Ryan talked about the city, I was expecting an advanced society, with a small smattering of people who would instantly notice when anything was different than normal. I was not expecting a society of numerous busy bodies who lived in their own realities.

But, as strange as the notion was to me, I was not going to complain about it. The fact these people were ignorant of their surroundings made Jax and my mission so much easier.

Jax and I were the only ones left in the elevator as we approached the top floor. I followed Jax's lead as he stepped out onto the solid floor. My legs were a little wobbly, but I managed to retain my composure.

The lobby was decorated with fancy couches with splashes of bold color. It was similar to The Magistrate's décor in his cabin at The Silo. The only difference were the windows. The windows were huge, floor to ceiling, which allowed copious amounts of light into the room.

I was drawn to the window. I pressed my nose to the glass and looked down. Imbalance struck me as I looked down. People milled about, but they were tiny particles from this height.

Ice froze my veins and I was rooted to the ground. It was the same feeling that I had when I looked down from the treehouse the first time. But, this was so much higher off the ground. I was thankful there was a barrier between me and the unforgiving ground below.

"What are you two doing here?"

I jumped away from the window. We stared at an enormous man who was studying us both with a cold stare. He was wearing a guard's outfit.

I tried to steady my breathing as the realization set in on me. We were discovered. Our mission was over.

#  Chapter Fourteen

"We are reporting for duty, sir," Jax said. He puffed out his chest and his voice deepened. "We just changed rotations."

I cast a sideways glance at Jax. He was so still that I did not think that he was breathing.

"Stop dallying then," the large man said. "I'm sure that your crew must be waiting for you."

Jax nodded curtly to the man and we walked past him. When we were out of earshot, Jax whispered, "That is what is called a bluff."

"A bluff?"

"It means we got lucky," he said.

We searched through the floor. I tried not to look out of the windows, but my eyes kept wandering over to them. My stomach flipped each time I caught a glimpse of the ground beneath.

"It's right there," he said.

"Where?"

"The room to the left of us."

I peered over. There were two men standing guard in front of the door. They stared at us as we walked past.

"We need to take them out," he whispered. "Our best bet would be to kill them both, drag their bodies in the room, take out anyone else in there before they can sound an alarm. Then, we find something to taint the water with."

"How are we doing to do that?"

"I need you to create a diversion. I will walk back, over by the lab doors. Once you have their attention, I will come up behind them and kill them."

"I don't like this."

"I don't either, but we have to do it."

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too. I am going to go by the lab. Count to fifteen, and then start screaming."

"Ok," I said, but he had already left.

I counted to fifteen and started screaming at the top of my lungs. As anticipated, the two guards from the lab came to see what was wrong. I continued screaming, and they watched me. One of the guards regarded me with a confused stare.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

"It's a spider," I said, pointing to the floor.

One of the guards came a little closer, trying to see what I was pointing at. The other guard was still. A snap of his neck and his head twisted to the side, and he fell to the ground.

Jax appeared behind the man, and reached out for the other guard. In a simple twist, the other guard toppled down, next to his colleague. "Get them into the lab," Jax said.

Jax grabbed the larger guard by his legs while I drug the smaller guard. When we got to the door, Jax dropped the guard's legs with a dull thud. He grabbed the dismembered hand from his pocket and shoved a finger to the keypad. The keypad turned red and buzzed. The words "access denied" flashed across the tiny screen.

"Oh no," Jax said. "Oh no."

I looked down at the guards. Both of their necks were bent and their eyes were lifeless. I set down the guard's legs and pulled his hand up to the keypad. The keypad flashed green and the doors opened. I peeked inside quickly, and did not see anyone in there.

We drug the guards into the lab. We made a quick pass of the entire room, and it was unpopulated. We stopped and stared at the gigantic blue orb that was in the center of the room. It was suspended in midair. Tubes came out of it in all directions.

I had never seen anything like it, and had never seen so much water in one place before. The brilliant blue of the liquid was beautiful and clear, so inviting that my body ached to swim in it.

"They must use this water for everything. Experiments, drinking, washing. Why else would there be so many tubes?" Jax said.

"I have no idea. How are we going to poison all of this water?"

"Start looking around for chemicals," Jax said.

We searched the lab. I grabbed bottles of strangely colored liquids, some red, some dark brown, and others clear. I showed them to Jax and he shook his head. He held a handful of equally colorful liquids. "I don't know very much about this stuff, but I assume things that have skulls on them might be deadly."

I looked at the containers he had. They were printed with black skulls on the front. "Safe bet," I said.

"I think we have enough. Let's figure out how to get this into the supply and then get out of here."

I looked at the orb. "What if it has a lid on the top of it?" I asked.

"It's worth a shot," he said. "Climb up there and take these with you," he said. He handed me an armful of the chemicals. "Please do not drop them on your way up there."

"Easier said than done," I mumbled. I started climbing up the stairs that led to the top of the orb. I was at the very top of it when the door opened. "Freeze!" A couple of guards shouted.

I froze, but I realized that they were only looking at Jax. I did not move and I did not dare to breathe. I felt one of the glass bottles began to slip from my grip.

"State your intentions here," one of the guards said.

"I was admiring the pretty blue ball." He looked over his shoulder, at the blue orb. "It's really pretty."

"Come with us," they said. Jax held out his hands and they cuffed him. As they took him out of the room, he cast a glance up my way before the doors closed on them.

I caught the bottle before it slipped. "No, no, no," I said. They got Jax. What was I going to do? How was I going to save him?

"Get this done, then go save him," I whispered.

I climbed up the last stair, to the platform that led down to the top of the orb. I peered down. As I had hoped, there was, what appeared to be, a large lid.

I climbed down. The surface was slippery, almost like wet glass. It was challenging to keep my balance while holding all the containers, but I reached the lid without dropping anything.

I studied the lid. It was small, but it would work for my purpose. My heart sank when I saw that the lid had a keypad on it.

I cursed and I balanced the chemicals on the lid, the only place they would not slide off. I pulled myself up to the platform and climbed back down the stairs.

I ran over to one of the guards, whose lifeless body lay still on the ground. I drew my knife from underneath my lab coat, and grabbed his thumb. "I'm sorry," I said.

I sliced his thumb off with a few sawing motions. I felt like I was going to be sick, but I had to work through it. Holding the bleeding thumb away from me, I quickly cleaned my knife off on the leg of the dead guard's pants and climbed back up the stairs. I was careful not to get any blood on the immaculate white of the lab coat.

I climbed back on top of the orb, grabbed the chemicals from the lid, and pressed the thumb to the keypad. The lid opened. Humid air splashed onto my face. I uncapped each bottle, dumping the contents into the water. I hoped there was enough poison for this much water.

The water began to heat up, and steam rose from the orb. The acrid scent burned my nose, and I knew that this part of the mission had been a success. I quickly closed the lid, and climbed back down the stairs, still holding the dripping thumb a healthy distance away from me.

I walked back to the guard whose thumb I took. I cut a piece of the guard's shirt off, and wrapped his thumb in it. I stashed it in my pocket, like Jax had done with the hand.

I did not know what to do next. I needed to find Jax, and we needed to get out of here. But, I had no idea where they took him. Perhaps it was somewhere on this floor?

I stepped out of the lab and began walking down the hall.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Strong arms grabbed me from behind, and forced my hands into cuffs.

"You are coming with me," the man said. I tried to twist my head around to get a good look at his face, but he shoved my head down. His hands were firm on the back of my neck.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see soon enough."

He walked me all the way down the hallway and to the other side of the floor. He brought me inside a room, pressing his thumb to a keypad. The door opened.

Jax was sitting at a table, his hands cuffed to the table. Two men sat across from him.

"Leave us," the man on the left side of the table said to the man who brought me in. The man left, and snapped the door shut.

"Is this the girl that you came here with?"

"I don't know. She looks a little familiar, I think. My vision is not that good these days."

"I'm sure you will begin to be more cooperative when you hear her scream," the man on the right said. "Torture of loved ones has a way of making people talk."

"Doesn't it?" Jax said, his eyes locked in a cold stare onto the men.

The man on the left side of the table got up. "Where are my manners? I did not offer you something to drink. Thirsty?"

"Parched," Jax said. "Do you have a glass of water?"

I tried to keep my expression neutral. I felt my heart thunder in my chest.

The man got three glasses of water, filling them in the sink in the room. He set a glass in front of Jax and unchained one of his hands. "You are going to be a good boy now. No funny business," the man said.

"Yes, Mother," Jax said.

The man sat back down. Jax grabbed his glass and lifted it up. "Cheers," he said. He took a sip, and then took a gulp.

The two men exchanged looks. "I did not offer any to your pretty lady here. Do you think she would like some?"

"Like I said, I'm not even sure if I recognize her. But, you can always ask."

"You are a slippery one, Jax," the man on the right said. He raised his own glass to his lips and took a hearty drink. The man on the left watched the other man down his water, and then drank his own.

"Now, where shall we begin?" the man on the right said. "How about why the leader of The Resistance happened to wander through our beautiful city?"

"It was quite fortuitous," Jax said. "I had been wandering the forest for some time, sick and starving. It was like a beautiful mirage, your city, drawing me closer. I found my salvation when you two brought me here, to this comfortable and cozy room." Beads of sweat were beginning to form along Jax's brow.

Both men regarded him. "So, you have no idea how you ended up in one of our labs?"

"I tell you. I have been very sick these past days." Jax bent over, his head below the table. I saw him stick his fingers down his throat. He sat back up. "Ate something bad, I did." He puked all over the table. Some of it splashed onto the men. They both jumped backwards. They wiped the puke from their fronts and tried to wave it off their hands.

"Get the hazmat crew, you idiot!" the man on the right shouted.

The other man rushed past me and pressed a button on the wall. He spoke into a space next to the button. "We need the hazmat crew in here, now! We have a spill."

"You did that on purpose!" the man shouted at Jax. "You had this all planned out from the beginning!"

"I'm flattered, but timing my pukes perfectly is an art I have not mastered," he said.

The man punched him, and Jax's head flung back.

I tried not to move. I knew that if I lunged for the man, it would give away the thin cover story that Jax had created. I clenched my fists instead.

The hazmat crew showed up, a crew of only one. He was dressed, head to toe, in a crinkly, yellow suit with a mask. "What happened here?" the man in the suit asked. He snapped the door shut behind him.

The man closest to Jax spoke. "This disgusting piece of—"

He did not have a chance to finish. Jax sprang up, stretching as far as his cuffed hand would let him go. He grabbed the man by the back of his neck and brought his head into the corner of the table.

It was my cue. I drew my knife and stabbed the other man, who was still standing beside me, his mouth agape, in the throat. I drew my knife out, blood spurting all over the place. I pushed him over and he collapsed onto the ground, clutching at his neck.

I closed in on the man in the yellow suit. He held up his hands, but I stabbed him in the neck, stabbing through the suit. Blood sprayed up on the inside of his mask and he collapsed backwards when I withdrew the knife.

I searched the man who Jax killed for the key to the cuffs. I found it in his pants pocket. I tried a few of the keys, and one finally released Jax's hand.

I hugged him. "Are you ok? I got the chemicals in the water. Is the water going to hurt you?"

He squeezed me. "I don't think it will hurt me. I got it out of my system quickly," he said. "I'm just glad that we are both ok."

I nodded and hugged him again. We were both spattered with blood, and his jacket was splattered with vomit.

"Let's wait for a little while, and let people start drinking the water. Once things start progressing, we can hopefully slip out of here."

I nodded, and we sat down, our backs against the cold door.

I wasn't sure how long we waited, but we both listened for screams, cries, anything. But, the door was so heavy that it blocked all sounds.

We held hands while we waited, and I rested my head on his shoulder. "I don't feel like much of a lover," I said.

"Why do you say that?'

I looked at the bodies that surrounded us. "This."

"You killed to save us. There is nothing to be ashamed of."

I tried not to look at their faces, or at the blood-spattered mask of the hazmat worker. "I know."

"It's not an easy thing to do. But, because of you, we are still alive."

He hugged me, and I fought the urge to close my eyes and fall asleep in his arms. We stayed like that for almost half an hour, until Jax said that we needed to see what was going on.

We got up and he helped me onto my feet. He opened the heavy door and peeked his head outside. There was no one in the hallway. We both crept out and we looked out of the window, down to the town below. It was mayhem down there. People were running around, and we heard screaming, even from this high up.

"I think we were successful," he said.

We walked down the hall, and we both froze. The lab door was open, and numerous scientists were in the lab, rushing around frantically. Some were on top of the orb, dumping chemicals in, and others were on their mobile screens, pressing them wildly.

"How many do you think there are?" I asked.

"Five or six."

"Do you think we should?" I said.

"We did not risk everything for it to go to waste."

We both drew our knives, and we ran into the lab and attacked.

#  Chapter Fifteen

After the scientists lay dead on the floor of the lab, we found some more chemicals marked with skulls, and dumped them into the water. We had no idea if it was going to make a difference, or if more scientists would come and try to fix the water supply, but it was for good measure.

I wanted nothing more than to get out of this place, but there was one last thing that I wanted to do before we left. I grabbed a few more chemicals that were marked with black skulls. I opened the bottles and sniffed the contents. I picked ones that were odorless and grabbed a few. I gave Jax some to carry, and we hid them under our coats. We took the elevator down to the ground floor.

The first floor was a swell of madness. People were running everywhere. There were bodies on the floor, blood emanating from their mouths. Some people were puking in the corners of the room.

We walked into the cafeteria. No one noticed us, and the cafeteria was almost empty. Only a few writhing bodies remained.

I grabbed the guard's thumb from my pocket and pressed it to the keypad. We both entered the food store. I unscrewed one of the bottles of poison and started dumping the contents on the food. Jax did the same, and we had fully doused almost everything by the time we ran out of poison.

We kept the bottles under our jackets as we walked back out, out of the cafeteria and out of the building.

It was early afternoon and the sun beat overhead. We squinted when we walked into the light. We heard the madness before our eyes had a chance to focus in the onslaught of light.

We saw hundreds of people running through the streets. People were shouting, arguing with each other. Some were even in fistfights. Numerous people lay dead in the streets. Jax had to pull me away from a young child who was dead, a toy still in his hand.

"Keep moving," he prodded, and pulled me along by my arm.

Jax led me down the alleyway and past the bodies of the lovers that we killed, still motionless and laying behind a row of bushes. We stripped off our lab coats, now liberally speckled with blood, and tossed the empty bottles of poison on top of them.

We scaled up the face of the cliff. We grabbed onto the rocks and pulled ourselves up. I ignored the pain in my hand as I heaved my body upwards. It was almost like climbing a tree, I told myself. I tried to ignore my sore legs as they complained at the intense effort required of them.

It was an immense relief when we got to the top. We saw Ryan, with his binoculars focused on the city below.

"You did it," he said.

"You sound surprised," Jax said, hugging his brother and patting him on his back.

"I'm not going to lie. I had my doubts there for a while," he said. He opened his arms to me and I gave him a hug. "Amazing job, you two. You both should be known as heroes of The Resistance, and you did us proud today. But, you both look like you've been through hell."

"Thank you," Jax said. He rolled his eyes. "But, we need to make sure it is a success. I will not count it as one until the city is destroyed. We definitely hurt them, but I'm sure that we did not kill them all."

We sat down and we watched the scene below. I found it difficult to watch. Fewer and fewer people were running around, and more of them were on the ground, convulsing and vomiting.

Cries echoed up from the city. Even from where we were sitting, the pain in their voices was clear to our ears, unmistakable agony.

The adrenaline disappearing from my body, everything that had happened, and everything that I had done, began to sink in. My limbs shook and tears threatened to spill from my eyes. It had to be done, and I knew it did, but it still hurt to watch.

I never thought I would be responsible for all this death. Not during all the restless nights I spent at The Silo, where I let my imagination run wherever it wanted to. I could never have imagined anything like this.

I held my stomach and my eyes remained glued to the horror unfolding before us.

Ryan looked over at me. "You don't have to watch. Why don't you keep an eye out behind us for right now?"

I nodded. I welcomed the excuse to turn away from the terrible things that were happening in the city. I hated myself for even suggesting poisoning them in the first place. I really was no better than the people from The Silo. I was no hero, no matter what Jax, Ryan, or anyone else said.

I wanted to numb my ears to the sound of the horror from below us. Was there some way to quiet it?

I swallowed. My eyes flipped all around, unfocused as they moved.

"Lysa?" Ryan said.

I paid no mind to him. I had to do something. I was going to jump out of my skin. I was going to cry or scream or laugh or run for hours and get as far away from this place.

"Lysa," he said again. "Are you ok?"

I looked over at him, but I did not recognize him for a moment. I looked past him, searching for Jax.

I found Jax. But, I had no time to warn him about what was behind him.

A dark figure, dressed all in black, stood behind him. He had a blade, something that resembled a sword. The blade swung. The spray of blood hit Ryan and me in the face. Jax's head rolled from his shoulders and onto the ground.

I blinked and watched as his head stopped right in front of us. His eyelids twitched.

The dark figure approached us and swung the blade towards me. I ducked, feeling the whirl of the blade as it traveled over my head. I rushed the figure, tackling it and taking it down to the ground.

Ryan helped me pin the figure, struggling to hold the arms down. Ryan wrestled the blade away.

I studied the figure. It appeared to be a man, cloaked head to foot in black material. All that were visible were his eyes.

"Who are you?" I screamed. My legs shook and I struggled to keep my balance.

The figure was silent.

"Hold him," I said to Ryan.

Ryan pinned him, and the man did not struggle as I uncloaked his head.

I was shocked at how young the man was. He had no facial hair. His clear blue eyes stared up at me, and his lips twisted into a smirk.

How could he smile? "You disgusting bastard!" I yelled. I punched him in the face. "Why? Why?"

Ryan watched as I punched him.

After I could no longer raise my arm, I stopped. I looked down at his bloody face. My breath was heavy.

He did not say anything. He smirked again, blood staining his teeth and running down his face. He looked back at us, his gaze remorseless.

I grabbed the blade and stabbed into him, over and over again. I ignored the blood that blinded my eyes and ignored the taste of it in my mouth. I collapsed backwards when I could no longer lift my arms above my head. I backed into a bush and curled up on the ground and cried.

I did not hear Ryan approach me. His hands were on my back, stroking in long caresses. I uncovered my face. My gaze instantly fell onto Jax's dismembered head, his eyes staring at me.

"Don't look over there," Ryan said. He pulled me over to face him, away from the gruesome sight. "We have to get up and get moving. There might be more around here."

"I don't care," I cried.

"I care," he said. He pulled me up by my arms and made sure I was steady. He walked over to Jax's body and grabbed the pack from it.

I looked back over at Jax. I grabbed my knapsack and walked over to his head. I tried not to notice his twitching lips and cheeks. I closed my eyes as I scooped him up and placed him in the bag.

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked.

"I'm not going to leave him like this. We can't carry his body back with us."

Ryan studied me, holding the pack midair. "Ok," he said.

I zipped the pack back up. "Goodbye, Jax" I said. I zipped it up as he disappeared from my view.

I grabbed the sword that I used to kill the young man with. I rifled through his body to see if there was anything I could take, but apparently, he traveled very light. The sword was the only thing worth taking.

"We need to get somewhere close with cover. We are going to need to keep watch on the city, and kill the rest of the survivors, if there are any," Ryan said. His voice was quiet.

"Do we have a stronghold around here?"

"No. But, there is a treehouse. We need to keep watch as we move. We might be being followed."

"By those people dressed in black?"

"Yes. They are assassins. We might not even know that we are being followed."

I nodded. I vowed that the next one that I came across, I would kill.

Ryan led us at a slow jog. Neither of us moved quickly, but we needed to make time before twilight fell on us. I did not care if the creatures got me, but I did not want anything to happen to Ryan. If I was traveling alone, I simply would have waited next to Jax's body, until nighttime came, and I met my death.

It took us about an hour before we found the treehouse. We scaled up the tree and scooted into the covered part.

"Go ahead and get some rest. I will stand watch. I will wake you when I need to sleep," I told Ryan.

He nodded.

I knew that he would not be able to sleep. Neither of us would be able to. The last few moments of Jax's life would replay in our minds in an endless loop, slowly driving us to grief-filled exhaustion.

Ryan settled down into a corner and I stared outside, keeping watch for anything that moved. Everything was silent and still as the night fell. The only sounds were those of the creatures, their cries miles away.

I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, and I wanted to jump from this treehouse and end everything that I felt. I felt so guilty. If only I had been able to warn him, he might still be alive. It was my fault that he was dead.

The edge of the treehouse called me a little closer. I peeked over the edge, tempted to just lean a little more. The fall would certainly kill me.

It was a stupid idea. Killing myself was not going to honor Jax. Making sure I destroyed The Nation would. With whatever time I had left, I would honor his wishes. I would make sure that The Nation paid for all the pain and suffering they had caused.

#  Chapter Sixteen

I stayed awake for most of the night, staring out into the forest. Even though Ryan was laying down, I knew he was not asleep. I heard him crying, and I wanted to go over to comfort him, but I knew he needed his space. In the time he did sleep, it was not peaceful. He tossed and turned violently. I was sure that he was reliving the last few moments of Jax's life, just like I had been for countless hours.

I waited for dawn to wash over the forest. I passed the time by watching the creatures. They ran across the forest, in search of their next meal. If they had not already, they would come across Jax's body, and leave it a bloody splatter on the forest floor. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of those thoughts.

I woke Ryan up a few hours before twilight broke through the gloom of the forest, when I could no longer keep my eyes open. I took his place in the corner. I fell into a thick, dreamless sleep.

I did not remember Jax for the first minute after I awoke. I felt refreshed, like I was ready to conquer the mission. Reality crashed into me moments later, and I wanted nothing more than to lay in this spot and die.

I forced myself to get up. I remembered the vow I made to myself as I sat on the edge of the treehouse. I needed to make The Nation pay for all that they had done.

"Wake up," I said, shaking Ryan. He had dozed off, resting his head against the rough wood of the doorway.

He opened his eyes slowly. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to fall asleep."

"Don't worry about it."

It almost looked like he had just remembered about Jax, too. All the color drained from his face and his eyes were stormy. "We should probably get moving," he said.

"Back to the city?" I asked.

"Yes. I don't want to go back," he said.

"I don't either. But, we have to." I realized that I was yelling, rage fueling my words.

Ryan looked at me.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm not angry with you."

"It's ok. Listen, before we leave, I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" I said.

"Do you remember before we left the stronghold, when he and I were arguing?" He choked on the word "he." I knew he was trying to avoid saying his name.

"Yes."

"The reason we were arguing is because, in the case that anything happened to him, he wanted to make you the leader of The Resistance."

"Me?"

"Yes. He named you leader."

"Why me? You are way better suited to be the leader than I am."

"He said that you would be the one who would bring us to success. He said that you are strong and a natural leader, and I believe that he is right. You fight for what you believe in, and that is exactly what The Resistance needs."

Tears welled in my eyes. "He was a leader. Not me."

"I trust his judgement. You will do him, and us all, proud."

I was not sure how to respond. I turned away and gathered my things. I wiped my eyes dry as I packed the few items that I had taken out during the evening. I packed everything in the front pocket of the bag, not wanting to put anything on Jax's head.

We left the treehouse and scaled down the tree. My legs were sore. It felt like bending metal each time I had to stretch, but I coaxed them into working. I climbed down slowly, partially procrastinating the inevitable, and partially to let my body warm up to movement.

When we were both on solid ground, Ryan and I set out at a brisk jog. We were both keeping watch for any signs of the assassins. It did not seem that we were being followed, but we were careful in our approach to the city.

We went back to the same place that we were yesterday, the bushes that overlooked the city.

As I had imagined, his body was not there. Either was the assassin's. Only blood stains marked where they had been, along with pieces of tattered clothing that hung on bushes.

It was almost easier to see this than his headless body. A blood stain didn't mean anything. It did not mean that it was Jax. It could be anyone or anything, some nameless, faceless creature instead of the boy I grew up with, and the man that became my mate and my lover.

Stop it, I thought. I have to stop it.

I swallowed the rawness in my throat and tried to ignore the sting of tears. I looked at the city. People lay out in the streets, their bodies motionless, sunk in a shared pool of vomit and blood. There did not appear to be any movement in the city, a stark contrast to the busy whirl of activity from only yesterday.

"Get your binoculars and check for any activity in the city," I told Ryan. "I will keep watch for anything behind us."

Ryan pulled out his binoculars. I grabbed the sword out of my pocket. It was a strange contraption. It had a button that drew the blade into the handle, small enough to fit within the pocket of my coat. Yet, when the blade was fully extended, it was sturdy, sharp, and deadly.

I extended it fully. I centered myself and kept watch.

"I am going to go check a few buildings down there. I want to make sure there are no survivors."

"Don't you think we should go together? What if you are outnumbered?"

"What if something goes wrong, and they are still a threat to us? Wouldn't you need to warn the citizens to escape?"

"Yes. But, it is too risky to let you go down there alone. We have no idea how many there are still alive."

"Fine. But, promise me that if things go bad, and I tell you to run, that you will run."

"I promise," he said.

"Good. Let's go."

We climbed down the rocky slope. The trip down this time was a little easier. I knew where to step and I went down the slope first, and Ryan mirrored my movements.

When we were both on the ground, we drew our guns and entered the city. We popped into a few buildings as we made our way to the center building. Nothing but bodies, blood, and vomit littered the ground, and we were satisfied that there were no survivors left in them.

"We should probably check the center one," I said. "That's where the lab is."

He agreed. He kept his eyes trained as we walked to the central building, keeping an eye out for anyone who might spot us or shoot us.

We stepped over countless bodies that lay in the streets. When we approached the building, I bent down and picked up the arm of a scientist who lay dead next to the door. I grabbed his cold hand and drug him to the keypad. My stomach lurched as his arm cracked while I manipulated his hand into compliance.

The dead scientist's thumbprint worked on the keypad. I dropped his hand as soon as the door opened and brought my sleeve up to my nose. The smell of death was not noticeable outside or inside any of the other buildings, but it seemed to be magnified here. Perhaps it was due to the magnitude of death. Bodies covered almost every inch of the floor.

I stepped over the bodies, and tried to avoid stepping in the stale fluid as we walked to the elevators. I pushed the button that pointed up, and we waited for them to arrive. When the doors opened, it revealed a young woman, dead on the ground and laying in a pool of her own fluids.

"Charming," Ryan said.

We stepped into the elevator and rode it, exploring each floor on the way to the top. We found a few survivors on the second to top floor. They were unarmed scientists, their lab coats stained with red and yellow.

Ryan and I stood in front of them. They huddled together as soon as they saw us.

"Please don't hurt us," one of the scientists said.

I looked over at Ryan and he looked at me. I realized that he was looking at me to tell him what to do.

A bolt of panic shot through me. I did not know what to do. I had never had to make this kind of decision before. I always would have looked to Jax for guidance, just like Ryan was doing now.

I did not want to kill them. They were unarmed and scared. But, leaving them alive could mean jeopardizing the rest of The Resistance. Who knew how many of them were left, or if they were strong enough to still carry out the strike?

"I'm sorry," I said. I could barely believe I was saying the words. I drew my knife and Ryan followed me. We killed them. I tried to make it quick, a stab to the side of the head. A few of them struggled, but they were weak. I did not look at them.

As soon as they all lay dead, I turned around and walked out of the room. We explored the rest of the building, and found nothing but death wherever we went. I avoided going into the room that Jax and I sat in, where we killed the two men who were questioned and the hazmat worker. I asked him to search the room. He came out and said it was clear. He did not ask what happened in there, and I was thankful for that.

We rode the elevator down to the bottom floor. We searched the other doors in the lobby, and I quickly searched the cafeteria. My eyes were glued to the place where Jax and I had been sitting, where we shared our last meal together.

I drew my eyes away and finished exploring the room.

Satisfied that the building was clear, Ryan and I exited the room. We searched a few other buildings, and killed one survivor that we found.

"I think that if there are many left, that dehydration will take them. The river is not close to here, is it?"

"No. They would have to travel through the night to get to it, and there is no shelter from the creatures on the way. A terrible design flaw on their part, but it works in our favor."

I agreed.

We both wanted to leave. As the afternoon sun began to rain down on us, the stench of death was getting worse. We left the city, climbed back up the cliff and back to the bushes where we started.

We checked for signs of assassins before we left. I struggled to ignore the two bloodstains on the ground as we began our trip back to The Resistance fort.

It was a grueling trip back. We returned to The Resistance stronghold a few days later, drained. People cheered for us when we entered the gates, but their cheers slowly quieted to timid anticipation when they realized that Jax was no longer with us.

Aya rushed up to Ryan and hugged him. She looked around him and then around me. "Where is Jax?" she said.

I felt the stares of the people on us both.

"Jax is not here anymore," Ryan said quietly.

I drew my eyes to the ground. I knew that if I looked at Aya, that I would not be able to restrain tears from escaping my eyes.

"But, we will stay strong," Ryan said to both Aya and the crowd of people who watched us. "We have destroyed the Founders and their city, and we will continue on proudly, under our new leader, Lysa."

I snapped my gaze up. Everyone stared at me. Some looked utterly shocked, but the rest still looked sad. They watched me, as though they were expecting me to speak.

"I'm sure that Lysa has a few things she would like to say," Ryan said.

I cleared my throat. "I know I am not who you expect to be leader. You might not even want me to be your leader, and I understand that. I respect that. It was not that long ago that I came from The Silo, and even though I never agreed with their ways, there are still parts of my own humanity that I have not learned yet. Jax taught me so much about myself and who I truly am, even in the short time that we spent out here." I swallowed, trying the even the pitch of my voice. "You have all taught me what it is like to love. I hope that we can do the same for the citizens of The Nation. Freedom is one of the ideas that we, The Resistance, believe in. Everyone has the right to choose the life they want to lead. It may be a difficult journey, but I believe that we can succeed if we stick together and work together. It is what Jax would have wanted, and I believe the best way to honor him would be to carry out his vision of undoing the wrongs of The Nation."

I met gazes with members of the crowd. A few people wiped tears from their eyes. Some clapped and cheered.

Ryan leaned over to me. "As part of our culture, whenever we lose a member of The Resistance, we have a small celebration for them. We believe in honoring their sacrifices for our cause."

"We will have a celebration for Jax. Ryan, will you please help me see to the preparations?"

"It would be my honor," he said. "Let us all prepare for a celebration tonight," he said to the crowd.

People wiped their eyes and turned back, and busied themselves with preparing for the evening's celebration.

By nightfall, we had built an enormous fire in the center of the stronghold. People were dancing and singing, holding hands as they circled the fire. Aya and Ryan tried to put up a good show by joining a few songs and dances. But, I had no idea of the songs they sang or the moves to the dances. I clapped my hands in time to the music, mimicking some of the other people who sat back and watched. But, I had no desire to celebrate, even if I knew how.

After a round of dancing, Ryan came over and sat next to me.

"I don't like that look," Ryan whispered.

"What look?" I asked.

"The one that tells me that you are planning something."

I looked at him, dropping the rhythm I kept with my hands. If he and Jax had anything in common, they were both perceptive, almost to the point of reading my mind. "Maybe."

"What are you going to do?"

"Something that I have to do by myself," I said.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "Whatever you have to do, you are taking me with you."

"You don't even know what it is," I said. "Besides, there are some things that I have to do alone."

"I have a suspicion what you are planning. You are going to need help," he said. He paused and studied me. "You are going to kill The Magistrate, aren't you?" he said.

"I am not going to let you risk your life on my account. If something happens to you, I would never be able to forgive myself. And, Aya needs you. She needs you more than I do, and I need you alive."

He looked over to where Aya was dancing around the fire, in between an old woman and the doctor.

"I don't have to tell you that if something happens to me out there, that you are the leader of The Resistance. You will make a fine leader, much better than me."

"I would not say that. Jax knew what he was doing when he named you leader."

"I am just some stupid girl who dreamt that freedom and happiness existed beyond the gates of The Silo."

"No. You are a woman who believes in good, who believes in freedom and equality. You are strong enough to stand up for what you believe in, even if it means death. That is what a true leader is. You have what it takes, and Jax could see it. We all can see it."

A tear escaped the corner of my eye. "When I first got here, I could not imagine that you would ever say anything so kind to me." I tried to laugh, hoping to conceal some of my emotions.

"I could not imagine that, either," he said. He nudged my arm with his elbow. "I know you blame yourself for him dying. It wasn't your fault."

I looked at the ground. "If I wasn't so upset over those stupid Founders, he would still be alive. They deserved to die, not him. I was so stupid." I hid my face in my hands.

"It's not your fault. None of us were paying attention. You had no idea there were assassins around. We knew that they could have been around and we missed the clues. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine."

"It's not your fault."

"And, it is not yours, either."

I was silent for a moment. "I am leaving first thing in the morning," I said. "I will say goodbye to both you and Aya tonight, so I do not wake you when I leave."

He nodded. "There is no way to talk you out of this, is there?"

I shook my head.

"You might be a lot of things, and stubborn is certainly one. Jax always said that you were obnoxiously stubborn."

I let tears escape freely as I laughed. "I used to irritate him so much. He put up a good show about it, but I know he wanted to yell at me all the time."

"He loved you so much. I don't want your memories of him on the last day to make you forget that. Jax was a great leader, but he was out for revenge. His judgement could be clouded by his single-minded purpose. But, every time he spoke of you, he lit up. Both my father and I knew that he loved you. We knew that he was biding his time until he could come out here and live with us, and bring you with him."

I cupped my hands over my eyes. I cried harder as I felt Ryan's hands on my back, stroking in long passes. Jax used to do the exact same thing whenever I was tense.

"I miss him so much," I said.

"I know you do. We all do. But, don't make the same mistake he did. He was blinded by the need for revenge, for everything The Nation did to our family and the numerous other people out there. Don't let yourself be blinded." Ryan continued stroking my back. "Can I tell you something that might help?"

"Sure," I said.

"It is a belief among us that the dead don't always leave us when they go."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we believe that the essence of the person, their spirit, stays behind and helps us through the hard times. We sometimes will talk to them like they are there."

"I have never heard of that," I said.

"You might find that it will help. Ryan patted my back and got up. "You should probably get your rest. You have an early morning tomorrow."

I got up and pulled him in for a hug. "Thank you," I said.

He hugged me tightly. "Be careful out there, and come back here alive," he said.

I gave him a small smile. I waited on the perimeter of the dance, and waited for it to be done. I walked over to Aya and pulled her into a tight hug. "I love you," I said.

She hugged me back and said that she loved me too.

"Goodnight, everyone," I said. "It was a lovely celebration. I am going to rest right now, and I hope you all have a good evening."

They told me to have a good rest and I retired to the quarters. I opened the door and walked in.

I had been dreading this moment for some time. These were Jax's quarters, which now belonged to me. This was the same room we had slept in, and the same bed that we made love in.

I closed the door behind me. Everything looked the same as when we had left it, the blankets still mussed from our sleep. I sat down on the bed and inhaled the scent of him that lingered on the bed.

I cried myself to sleep, my body wracked with deep sobs that did nothing to quench the grief.

#  Chapter Seventeen

I was awake for most of the morning. I was already dressed and packed before there was a hint of morning light in the sky. As soon as the light crept over the dome of trees, I stepped out of my quarters and inhaled the thick morning air. I opened the front gates and slipped through, taking care to make sure they closed quietly behind me.

I needed to make good time. I started out at a brisk jog. For my plan to work, I needed to get to the treehouse, the same one that Ryan, Aya, and I stayed in the night that Mikel was killed. It was going to be a stretch to get there before dark, but I had to make it work.

I barely made it to the treehouse, even only after stopping once to eat. I scaled up the tree and pulled myself onto the wooden porch. I peeked into the covered portion to make sure it was vacant. I cringed when I saw beady, black eyes staring at me. I relaxed when I saw that they belonged to a squirrel. It was huddled in the corner, shaking as it watched me.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said. I placed my pack into the corner opposite it, and backed out of the treehouse. I sat down outside, on the short porch of rickety wooden planks.

I reveled in the evening air, the coolness whispering along my damp face. I watched the forest, seeing a few moths fly by, undisturbed by the waking cries of the creatures. I vowed that after this mission was complete, one of the first things I was going to do was wipe out every single creature, until the forest was safe.

I puzzled over the logistics of how to do that while I watched a few of the creatures chase a small animal into the woods, shrieking to each other, inviting one another to the hunt. I shook my head, hearing the cries of whatever it was that they caught. Even from here, I heard the ripping of flesh from bone.

I tried to ignore the terrible sounds of them feasting. I crawled into the treehouse, careful not to spook the squirrel. It was still huddled in the corner. "You found yourself a good hiding spot," I said.

The squirrel stared at me.

"You can have that corner, and I will have this one. It would be sad to see you have to go out with those things."

It stared at me, but it remained in its spot.

I laid down and looked over at my pack. "What should I do, Jax?" I asked. I felt ridiculous, talking to Jax's head, nestled in my bag. But, it was oddly comforting. "Am I making a mistake by doing this?"

There was, of course, no answer.

I tried to think what he would do if it was me, and he was the one sitting here, with my head in a bag. Would he exact his revenge for me, his father, and thousands of other nameless people? Or, would he do the smart thing and let it go, until the time was right for The Magistrate to answer for his crimes?

Would Calista do this, if her lover, Zach, was murdered by her enemies? I thought back to the book that Aya had given me. The story seemed so simple and so unrelatable to the reality I faced.

It did not matter what a fictional character would have done. And, it did not matter what Jax would have done. He was no longer the leader of The Resistance. I was.

And, I didn't care if I died doing this.

Ryan's face flashed in my mind, followed by Aya's. Do you still not care if you died? A little voice in my head asked.

I turned over, hoping that I had not scared the squirrel away. I peeked behind my shoulder. It was curled up, its eyes open and watching me. It looked like it was ready to sleep, as well. "Goodnight, squirrel," I said.

I fell into a dark, dreamless sleep of exhaustion.

Even though I slept soundly, I still felt tired when I woke up with the morning light. I looked to see if the squirrel was still there, and it was. It was sleeping, its tail folded over its nose.

I grabbed a bit of bread out of the front pocket of my pack. I nibbled on some of it, and threw some small chunks to the squirrel. It woke up, picked its head up and sniffed the ground. It got up, stretched, and hopped closer to the bread. It devoured all the chunks. It looked at me when it had finished eating.

We started a game, of sorts. I would take a bite, and throw a piece to the squirrel. It would eat it and then look at me. We continued that pattern until the bread was gone.

The squirrel studied me as I packed up and readied myself to leave. "Goodbye, squirrel," I said. I looked down at its wiggling nose and I set my pack down. I grabbed the last bit of my food out, half of an apple, and set it down. "Be safe out here," I said.

I scaled down the tree, and the last glimpse I got of the little creature, it was devouring the apple.

I plopped down on my feet, on the ground once again. Roughly, I knew which way I had to get to the slaughterhouse. I suspected that it would take me most of the day to get there, but that worked for my plan.

As I suspected, I reached the slaughterhouse shortly before dark. When the grey building came into view, my stomach rolled in mixed dread and sickness. The smell of death hung heavy in the air, even this far away. I wondered who the latest victims were who met their fate here.

I tried not to think of Citizen Rain. In the short time since I had been gone, there had probably been many more Citizen Rains, naively being led to their terrible, painful deaths.

I gagged and tried to stand somewhere, anywhere, where I would not keep getting whiffs of the smell, but that was almost impossible. I would have to deal with it. I wondered how the people who worked in there were ever able to get used to the smell of rotting gore.

I crouched behind a tree. I was behind the back part of the fence, out of view of any of the guards. Unless they came outside, which they were unlikely to do, there would be no way that they could spot me.

Even so, I kept my eyes out and my ears open. I constantly watched my back, making sure no assassins were sneaking up behind me. The only noises were the sounds of the birds in the trees.

By the time twilight came, the guards were preparing to go inside of their quarters for the evening. I wished they would hurry up. I could already hear the creatures stirring in the woods.

When I was certain there were no guards wandering, I climbed the fence that surrounded the slaughterhouse. It was a little difficult, being almost solid concrete and stone, but I was able to get a firm foothold on some protruding rocks. I pulled myself over the wall.

I climbed down the other side, first checking to make sure that no one was around. It was quiet and dark.

I snuck behind the guard's quarters, a small building that held four guards in one room. I crouched down in the back of the building, listening to the sounds of laughing and joking. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but I wondered what they could possibly be joking about. They were probably making fun of the people they killed and butchered.

I sat, waiting for the sounds to quiet down. It was probably close to midnight by the time everyone settled down. I was not impatient, though. As long as I got what I needed by the morning, I would be set for the rest of my mission.

As I waited, Ryan's words weighed heavily on me. Was I doing this just out of my need for revenge against The Magistrate? Was I making the same mistake that Jax did? Was it a mistake at all, to seek out revenge on those who hurt so many?

I argued within my own mind that I was not doing this just for revenge. Avenging Jax was a part of it, but I had to kill him, for the safety of the citizens, for Aya, and for Ryan. It did not matter why I was doing it anyway. The Magistrate had to die, one way or another, before we could start approaching the silos and inviting them to join The Resistance.

"It's time," I whispered, talking down to Jax. I hoped that he would be proud of me and this mission, if he was here to see it.

I pulled myself up and slipped the bag off my shoulders. I tiptoed to the front door of the guard's quarters. If it was anything like The Silo, then there were no locks on the doors.

I tried the handle and it opened freely. I opened the door slowly, thankful that the hinges did not squeak. I stepped in and closed the door, barely making a sound. Even in the dim light from the moonlight that filtered through the window, I could see the guards, five of them, laying on their beds. I listened to their snoring and the breathing, even and deep.

I stepped among the beds, trying to study each of the guards. I picked one who was similar to my size, a small, tall man. I looked down at him. His eyelids fluttered and his arms jerked.

I looked down at the ground next to his bed. His uniform was folded on the floor next to him. I bent down to grab it, and froze when his breathing hitched. I looked over at him.

He was still asleep, but his breathing had quickened. I grabbed the uniform, careful to not make a sound.

Once I had the material in my hands, I was ready to leave, but paused when I noticed his sidearm resting by his boots.

It would be a good thing to have another gun, I thought. I still had two, but ammo was precious to The Resistance. Besides, the extra weapon would be a good backup, in case things went wrong with my plan.

I kept my eyes on him as I bent down and grabbed the gun. Once I held the dense metal in my hands, I crept back down the aisle, past the rows of beds. I reached the door without making a creak. I took one last glance around and listened to the breathing. The sounds remained steady and rhythmic. I opened the door and slipped back out.

I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I closed the door and stepped down from the cabin. I grabbed my pack from behind the building and walked back to the wall that I had scaled over. I changed my clothes, and tossed my old ones over the fence. I figured that throwing my clothes over would attract the creatures, the scent of my skin drawing them close.

I was right. Only a few minutes later, there were stomps of a creature echoing in the forest, along with its cries. It found my uniform and started sniffing it, and then began tearing it. It had to be disappointed that there was nothing else for it to feast on.

I zipped up my jacket. At least now, with the clean uniform, I would be able to pass for a guard at a distance, unlike my dirty and tattered one that certainly would have given me away as an intruder. The fresh uniform felt strange, so reminiscent of my time in The Silo. If I had let myself believe it, I could have imagined that everything that had happened was just a dream.

But, that would be a lie. A comfortable lie, but a lie all the same.

I did not dare fall asleep as I waited for the night to pass. As soon as the twilight came up, I would need to scale the wall. The missing uniform would certainly attract suspicion, and I could not risk being found out.

Instead, I let myself get lost in my thoughts. I remembered the last time I was at this slaughterhouse, after being sentenced to death. Things were so different. It felt like years had passed, instead of a few, mere days. I felt like a different person than the one who was fighting for her life. That person still believed in the freedom that was beyond the gates of The Silo. Yet, the only thing that existed out here was suffering.

It almost did not feel like something so unattainable as freedom could exist out here.

"Did I make a mistake?" I whispered.

Grief overwhelmed me. I should have just laid down and died the day I was sentenced. If I had just accepted my fate, Jax would still be alive. He would be leading The Resistance to victory against The Nation. I would have died with the hope that there was more to life beyond the gates of The Silo.

I cried. Out of fear, anger, frustration, and uncertainty. I cried because I felt like the freedom that The Resistance was fighting for, the freedom that Jax died for, was an illusion.

I looked down at my pack. "What do you think, Jax? Should I go on?" I wiped a tear from my eye.

There was no answer. But, I knew that he would have answered "yes." Jax was not a quitter, no matter the odds. Jax led us to take down the city of the Founders, even though we were weak, tired, and outnumbered.

I knew my answer. I had to continue on, if nothing but from the knowledge that Jax would have wanted me to.

#  Chapter Eighteen

Once the hints of twilight teased the tops of the trees, I grabbed my pack and scaled back over the fence.

I had picked a good time to make my escape. The guards were stirring and the one whose uniform I had stolen was beginning to make a ruckus. There was shouting, and I heard the word "intruder" yelled a few times. Doors slammed shut.

I ran full speed through the forest. It was almost like repeating the same day from a few days ago, running from the slaughterhouse guards, trying to find anywhere that I could hide. The only difference was that I did know where I was going to hide. It was the little alcove that was hidden from view, the same one where I first met Aya and Ryan.

I tried to recall how I got to it, but I could not remember. I knew it was somewhere around here, just over a hill. I looked around, trying to find a hill, but all I could find was flat ground. I ran straight ahead, convinced that I had not gone far enough.

I continued running forward. The motorcycle engines started, back at the slaughterhouse. The guards would be coming this way soon. I had to find the alcove, or else I would certainly be discovered.

My heart lifted when I saw a small hill. I knew that it was the hill that I was looking for. I slowed and approached the alcove, nestled in the hillside. I swept the roots back and I recoiled. Asleep, a creature lay sheltered from the light.

I cursed. What was I going to do? The motorbikes were coming closer, their rumbles getting louder. I had to get undercover, or else I would be discovered.

I jumped in, avoiding the napping creature. I was amazed that I did not wake it. It was the first time I had ever been so close to one and able to study it. Its skin was glossy black. They were almost completely human in their form, and even had long hair. The only thing not distinctly human about them was their mouths. They protruded slightly from their face, and as I knew too well, hid many rows of sharp teeth.

I slowly reached for my sword and grabbed it. I extended it with the push of the button. The metallic scrape woke the creature up. It looked at me and yawned, exposing its rows of teeth. But, it did not lunge at me or threaten to attack in any way. It laid its head back down, but it did not fall back asleep. It continued to glance up at me, maybe expecting me to kill it at any moment.

That was different than the reaction I had expected. I was expecting it to lunge at me the moment it saw me.

I wondered if it was sick. It looked miserable and it whined with a high-pitched wheezing. I looked at it again, a little closer this time. I could see its ribs. It was starving.

That made no sense, I thought. A creature that was starving, yet made no attempt to attack me.

I wanted to give it something to eat, but at the same time, they were terrible things and they deserved to die. I quenched the pity I had for it. But, I made no move to kill it.

It continued to whimper and looked at me, cocking its head.

"I wish you could say something," I whispered.

"Can," it said. Its voice was deep and croaking, and barely above a whisper.

"You can talk?" I said.

"Little," it said. It's breathing quickened.

"Wow," I said. "I don't know what to say," I stammered. "Why didn't you attack me?"

"Don't eat people," it answered.

"You don't eat people?"

"No," it said.

"Why?"

"Wrong."

"Well, we have that much in common," I said. "But, you are starving."

"Want to die."

The pity came back. "Why do you want to die?"

"Was human."

I felt goosebumps raise on my arm. "You were a human?"

"We were. Nation."

"The Nation?"

"Did this."

"The Nation made you this way?"

"Yes," it said.

A motorcycle screamed past us. We both froze, and neither of us dared to breathe.

We waited for the sound to disappear before we spoke again. I was thankful that the guards were terrible at scouting, and somehow, missed the alcove.

"Why do the others hunt people?"

"Forgot what they were. Some like me," it said.

"I'm going to have to leave soon. If I can get you food, would you eat it?"

"Yes," it said.

"Who were you before this?"

"Resistance," it said. "Mother. Wife."

"You were part of The Resistance?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"Captured. Turned to this."

"I'm so sorry," I said.

It whimpered. "Hate," she said.

"You hate them?"

"Yes."

"I do, too."

It looked at me. "Who are you?"

"My name is Lysa."

"Resistance?"

"Yes," I said. "I'm on a mission."

"Guard." It stared at my white uniform.

"I stole it. It is part of my mission."

"What mission?"

"I should not say."

"Understand," the creature said.

"Thank you," I said.

It was a long morning and afternoon under the alcove. We did not speak for quite some time. The screams of the motorcycles had long silenced, and the forest was beginning to still with the promise of the evening.

"I need to leave," I said, breaking our silence.

"At night?" the creature said.

"Right before nightfall. It is the only way I will be able to do what I need to do."

"Be safe," it said. "Have light?"

"I do," I said. "I have lots of lights if I need them."

"Good," it said.

"I will come back for you. I promise," I said. "I will get food for you, and then I want to take you to our stronghold."

"Why?"

"I want to see if there is something that can be done to reverse whatever The Nation did to you."

The creature remained silent.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Hope," it said.

"Hope?"

"You have hope," it said.

"I'm not sure I would say that."

"Life takes it. Keep hold of it."

I nodded, but I stayed silent.

"Lost someone?"

Her question stabbed my heart, ruthless and unyielding. "Yes. Someone I loved."

"I'm sorry," the creature said.

"Me too," I said.

"Revenge?"

"Yes," I said. "And, no. It has to be, no matter what." I peered outside. Dusk was looming over the forest. I needed to start my journey. "I have to go. I will be back for you."

I crawled out of the alcove, dusting the dirt off my otherwise white pants. I knelt back down and drew the roots away from the hiding place. "I did not ask you for your name."

"Marie," the creature said.

"It's been nice to talk with you, Marie," I said. "I will see you soon."

"Be safe."

"Thank you. You as well."

I let the roots hang back down and I set out at a run through the forest. I stopped as I neared the slaughterhouse. It sounded like the guards were still out and about, stirring behind the slaughterhouse walls, but their sounds were quieting down. Behind me, I heard the creatures waking up, their shrieks erupting somewhere in the distance. I tried to calm the pounding in my ears and steady my breathing. I could not run past them without being discovered. I needed them to hurry up and go into their quarters.

I waited for as long as I could, until most of the noises had quieted down. I set off at a full run, once again. I followed the path, the same one that The Silo's horses took to get to the slaughterhouse. I figured it would take about fifteen minutes of sprinting to get to the edge of the forest. It should be enough time, but I was afraid that I had waited too long. The creatures were awake, and I would not be able to use my harness of lights without giving myself away. The guards who stood at the gates of The Silo would certainly spot me, and then my plan would be spoiled.

As I ran, I tried to ignore the hungry shrieks that seemed to envelope me. The cold air burned my lungs as I inhaled, and my throat was raw from the briskness. I heard the crashing of a creature as it ran through the forest. It had probably caught my scent and was trying to find me. I focused my sight on the path, keeping time and making sure I did not stumble and fall.

I only had a minute left, if that, before I reached the edge of the forest. But, the creatures were closing in on me. I heard their frantic panting as they inhaled my scent. I knew they were already salivating, spittle flying behind them as their tongues hung out, waiting for the right time to strike and restrain me in their grasp.

The edge of the forest was in my sight now. Only a few more strides and I would be to the clearing. I hoped that my assumption was correct, that the creatures would not venture into the clearing. After all, in my years of standing guard at the gates of The Silo, I had never seen one venture close to the fence. I guessed it was because they needed the darkness of the forest, which shielded them from the light of the moon.

I jumped in the clearing, rolling onto the ground, just before the tongue of a creature flung out and wrapped around me.

I watched the angry, red eyes that glowered at me from the cover of the trees. Angry shrieks echoed as they paced back and forth, planning how to get the meal that was only a few, tortuous feet in front of them.

I caught my breath, laying in the damp stalks of grass. I peeked up and over the long stalks. I squinted to bring the guards of The Silo into focus. They were looking the opposite way than where I was. I laid back down, thankful for whatever had them distracted from seeing me.

I took a few minutes to think through my plan once again. I would need to crawl through the grass, hopefully only piquing the interest of the guards enough to think that I was a small animal, rustling the grass. The grass was tall enough that if I crawled on my stomach through it, it should shield me from view. I would have to do that all the way through the clearing until I reached the back fence of The Silo, where I would climb over.

I could do it, even though exhaustion threatened to wipe my motivation away. I took a few deep breaths, flipped onto my stomach, and began crawling through the grass. I did not dare to peek my head up the entire way through the clearing, in case the guards were watching my movements. I stopped a few times to catch my breath, and hopefully bore the guards, if they were even looking, into finding some other distraction worthy of their attention.

About two hours later, I was at the perimeter of the fence and was heading towards the back part of it. I stopped and quieted my movements when I was about fifty feet away, straining my ears to hear whispers or footsteps of the guards. I did not hear anything, and slowly approached the fence.

All was silent in the back part of The Silo, as it normally was. I stood up, careful not to disrupt the grass too much. I did not want the sound to carry to the front, where the guards were.

I scaled over the chain-link fence, wincing at every clink and clank that I made as I climbed. Why couldn't the fence have been made of the same solid concrete and rock that the slaughterhouses fences were made of? It was so much easier to climb and it was much quieter.

As soon as my feet touched the other side of the fence, I paused and listened. It was difficult to listen over the sound of my thundering pulse in my ears, but otherwise, there was only silence. I stalked behind some of the citizens' quarters and began making my way up to the front of the village, crouching behind buildings and peeking behind corners. I worked my way up to the jail, right beside the town square, with its wooden stage and enormous screen right above it. The Magistrate's cabin was right across from me.

Rage boiled inside of me and I fought the urge to race across the stage, break down his door, and destroy him.

I vowed to myself that by morning, only one of us would be alive.

#  Chapter Nineteen

I peeked at The Magistrate's cabin from behind the walls of the jail. I heard the guards, standing at the front gate. They were talking and laughing. They were near, but they were not paying attention. I skirted behind the stage, staying covered in the shadows, and I heard no break in their conversation. I stood on the corner of the stage closest to The Magistrate's cabin. I would just need to sneak across and open the door without being seen.

I can do this, I thought. I can do this.

I took one last look around the corner of the stage. The guards were turned the other way, their backs to me. I skittered to The Magistrate's front porch and reached for the doorknob. I hoped that it had no locks. I was relieved when the knob turned freely in my palm. I pushed the door open and stepped in, and snapped the door behind me, gently.

The Magistrate was sitting on his couch, warming himself near the roaring fire, reading like there was nothing wrong. I clenched my fists and ground my teeth together.

"Lysa? Is that you?" The Magistrate snapped his book shut and stood up. For the first time since I had known him, he looked surprised. His eyebrows drew up.

"I came to deliver on our promise." I took the pack off my back and set it on his couch. I could almost sense him recoil. The dirt on my bag probably offended him, marring his spotless couch.

"What is this?"

"Open it and find out."

He opened the bag with only two fingers. He wrinkled his nose and zipped the bag up quickly. "What is that?"

"That is the head of the leader of The Resistance. Our very own Jax, if you can believe it."

He studied me, his head cocked to one side. "Why don't you sit down? I'm sure you have had an exhausting week."

"I will stand. I don't plan to be here very long."

"Oh? And, why is that?"

I ignored him.

"You promised me that if I brought you the leader of The Resistance's head, that Jax would be safe."

"It does present somewhat of a conflict, does it not? Since Jax and the leader are two in the same people. Or, should I say were." The Magistrate lifted a dainty white cup to his lips, taking a sip of tea.

I grabbed the tea out of his hand and splashed the scalding liquid onto his face. "You killed him. The Nation, you all killed him."

The Magistrate did not cry from pain. His skin turned red, but he remained calm.

"The funny part of it is that Jax was the leader, and he led them right under your nose for years. You had no idea." I laughed, and then glowered at The Magistrate. "I'm here to collect. For Jax, and for all the innocent people you have killed so you could carry out your pathetic delusions."

Instead of looking worried, as I hoped he would, The Magistrate clapped. "I had no idea that you had it in you."

"Had what?"

"So many things." He shook his head. "This is the exact reason why people like you must be destroyed."

"Why?" I said. "Because we have humanity?"

"More than humanity. Love."

"What is so wrong with love?"

"Because you loved Jax, you are willing to commit an act of atrocity against an innocent man."

"You are not innocent," I said. "You have more blood on your hands than I ever will."

"I would not be so certain of that, Lysa. I have heard about your little stunt at my city. Killed everyone there."

"And, I won't be satisfied until you are dead along with them."

"Which is why I tried to have you all killed. You, and the rest of The Resistance, are pests. You refuse to see the truth in front of you." Spittle flew from his lips.

"You sent the assassin?"

"Of course I sent the assassin. You cannot tell me that you believed that a random assassin showed up and killed Jax by chance. I sent him to be rid of you all, but seeing that we are having this conversation, it must have failed."

My hands shook and I forced myself to keep from pounding his face into his skull.

"You are smart, Lysa. But, you are so blind, especially when it comes to how you feel."

"It is better than to be blinded by greed and power."

"See, you agree with me. Greed and the desire for power, along with love, are terrible things. They lead people astray."

"You've led people astray."

We glared at each other in silence.

"I truly feel bad for you," I said.

"For me?" he asked. His white, bushy brows drew together.

"Yes. I'm sorry that you are so threatened by us Resistance," I said. I held the tiny sword in the pocket of my jacket. I fiddled with it, my finger on the button that would make it extend. "It must be difficult to know that your entire life's work could be so easily unraveled by a small group of starving, beaten down men and women. The Nation's time has always been limited, at best."

The Magistrate smiled. He put his index finger to his lips. "We will never see the same way. I made the world better for us all. We have had no famine, no war. Our society has been stable, which is more than I could say for most of humanity prior to this. But, it is people like you who will ruin it for everyone."

"I'm happy that I will never see things the way you do. You wiped out entire generations, and entire cultures and replaced it with your own. You were going to kill us all, after we raised the next generation. You were going to use them to expand your cities. All you want is power now. And, now your time is up."

I whipped out the sword, pressing the button to make it extend. I stabbed him in the heart. Blood stained his white shirt. He looked up at me, and his wrinkled face curled into a smile. Blood ran out of his mouth.

I pulled the blade out of his chest. Blood flung from the blade onto my cheek.

"You are no better than me. You will see." His head fell backwards, hitting the back of the couch.

When his chest no longer rose and fell in rhythmic time, I knew it was time to move. I gathered my pack and pulled it onto my shoulders. I scoured The Magistrate's cabinets and pulled out some alcohol. I dumped it on the floor around his body. I grabbed a poker by the fire and pulled out a flaming log. I pushed it onto the ground where the alcohol was. It was not long before it caught fire. I stood there only long enough to make sure the fire caught before I exited the cabin, careful to close the door quietly and duck behind the stage, unseen by the guards.

I was already hiding behind the jail when the smoke attracted the guard's attention. They tried to find where it was coming from, and the blaze lighting up The Magistrate's cabin quickly gave it away. Panic began as the citizens began yelling, asking each other what to do. The commotion attracted the attention of curious citizens, some of who walked outside, staring at the blaze open-mouthed.

I walked past of few of them, but no one paid me any mind. I went into the storeroom, where some of the fruits and vegetables were kept. I grabbed enough for Marie and me both. I zipped them up in the front pocket of my bag, away from Jax.

I walked out of the storeroom, and I walked into the midst of chaos. Citizens were shouting at each other, trying to be heard over the roar of the fire. They were rushing about each and every way. Some of the guards were hauling water from the river, trying to put out the blaze by dumping buckets of water on the cabin. But, it was no use. The flames had consumed the building and everything inside.

I walked past a few of the citizens, until I was comfortably behind the buildings, skulking through the shadows. I climbed back over The Silo's fence and jumped onto the other side, into the clearing. My heart was lighter than it had been in quite a long time.

It would not be long until I would be back here again. I needed to come back with members of The Resistance, so we could approach the citizens and invite them to join us. That was something I could not do alone. They certainly would have killed me, especially if they realized that I killed The Magistrate. They would be lost and leaderless, and I would need to be there for them before someone else, equally or more damaging, came into power.

I crawled through the grass, on my belly, once again. I was certain this was an excessive precaution, but I did not want to risk being discovered, especially after I had come so far, and I did not want to dodge bullets all night long.

I took my time getting to the edge of the forest, and I stayed there until twilight peeked over the trees. The smell of smoke hung heavy in the air, tangled with the fresh morning dew.

I walked into the forest and began my long journey back.

I made it to the alcove where Marie was laying, in the exact spot where I left her. I popped under the roots, taking her by surprise. "You are back," she said.

"I'm back. I promised you I would be," I said. "And, I brought you food."

I unzipped my pack and put a few pieces of vegetables and fruits in front of her. She wrapped them all in her tongue and devoured them at once. Flecks of liquid splashed my face.

I took and apple for myself and gave her the rest. "You are hungry, you need these more than I do."

She looked at me, down at the food and back at me. "Thank you," she said.

I smiled as she devoured the food once again. I spoke when she was finished. "I want you to come back with me, to The Resistance's fort."

She stared at me, licking her lips. She remained silent.

"I might be foolish to have hope, but if there is any way that I can help you, I want to do it. But, we need to leave soon, or else I won't be able to make it to my stopping point by nightfall."

"I will go with you," she said.

"Good. We should leave," I said. I crawled out from the alcove, and held the roots aside. Marie slowly got up, her joints creaking. I winced when I saw how thin she was. Each of her ribs were visible, her skin sagging in loose clumps around her hips and legs.

I tried to set out at a jog, but Marie slowly trudged behind me. It was almost like she was using all of her energy to keep pace with me at a walk.

"I stretch," she said. "Will be faster."

"I understand," I said, even though I was itching to pick up the pace.

We continued at a slow walk until she stretched her limbs. Then, I had a hard time keeping up with her. "Help you," she said.

"Excuse me?"

"I help you," she said. She turned around to face me.

She enveloped me in her tongue. I struggled, instantly in a panic. Both of my arms were pinned by my side, and I felt her warm breath on my face. I was defenseless, and I hoped that my last vision would not be her teeth pulling at my skin.

# Chapter Twenty

She flung me onto her back, unravelling her tongue as she let me free. "Don't be afraid," she said.

"I'm sorry. You took me by surprise."

"Sorry," she said. She readied herself and began at a slow jog. I wasn't sure how to hold on, but I crouched down and balanced myself by holding onto her shoulders.

She was much faster than I was, even at a full run. At this pace, we would reach The Resistance by evening.

I directed her through the woods. I asked her to stop as we passed the treehouse, trying to calculate how long it would take until we reached the fort.

"I think we will make it, if you are ok with the pace you are going at."

"Not tired," she said.

We agreed to keep going.

We entered the open gates of the stronghold before dusk. Some of The Resistance members dropped what they had been holding when they saw me. I'm sure the sight of me, balancing on top of a creature and riding through the gates, was a little shocking.

Ryan was one of the people who had dropped what he was holding, which appeared to be a half-eaten plate of food.

"Ryan!" I said. I jumped off Marie and ran over to hug him.

"Is that a..." he struggled to find words. His body was limp in my embrace.

"Yes. She can talk and she does not eat people, so please do not hurt her. Come here so I can introduce you."

I pulled Ryan over and introduced him to Marie. He looked even more incredulous when she spoke to him, introducing herself.

"Hi," he said, stuttering. "It's good to meet you, Marie."

"She helped me get back here so quickly. Would you mind if we got her food and water and a place to let her rest?"

"Sure," he said, still wearing a dazed look on his face. "Can I talk to you?"

"After we take care of her, yes."

"Of course," he said. He walked over to a group of equally incredulous Resistance members. They nodded and ran their ways, probably gathering food and supplies for Marie.

When Ryan returned, having regained some of his composure, I excused us. "I will see you soon," I said to Marie. "Please let me know if there is anything that you need."

She nodded. "Thank you," she said, and sat down on her haunches, waiting for the people to come with her food and water.

I closed the door of my quarters behind Ryan and me, and I sat down at the table. Ryan scooted into the chair across from me.

"I know you are dying to ask," I said.

"Yeah. I really am. Out of the entire forest, how did you come across the one creature that can talk and is a vegetarian?"

"Vegetarian?"

"It means someone who does not eat meat."

"Oh. I'm honestly not sure. I found her curled up in the alcove that you, Aya and I hid in. Right before I stabbed..." I could not bring myself to say his name. "Well, you know what happened."

He nodded. "Do you think she is trustworthy?"

"I think so. She had a million chances to eat me, and she never did. So, I think that is a promising start. But, I would recommend being wary until we know for sure."

"Agreed," he said.

"She said that she was once a part of The Resistance. I want to find out who she was. And, I want to see if we can change her back."

"Change her back?"

I realized that he did not know the full story. "Sorry. She told me that she was once human and part of The Resistance. They turned some of the people they captured into the creatures."

"Oh," he said. "If you want to know who she is, or how to change her back, I would talk to the doctor. He was once a part of The Nation."

"What?" I asked. It was my turn to be incredulous.

"Don't worry," he said. "Our father brought him into The Resistance and he has been loyal to us. He has never given us a reason to question his loyalty."

"I will talk to him," I said. "I guess that if there is any way to help her, he would know how. Do you have any idea who she might be, though?"

Ryan shook his head. "Over the years, they took so many people. It is hard to know who she is."

"She said she was a wife and a mother before she was taken," I said, pressing. "You don't have any thoughts on who she might be?"

"No."

"How is Aya?" I changed the subject.

"She is good. She is working in the fields today, helping to water the crops."

Neither of us said anything more. We sat in anxious silence, until Ryan broke it. "I am happy you are back."

"I'm happy I am, too."

"Did you kill The Magistrate?"

"Yes. And, burned down his cabin."

"We are going to need to confront the citizens."

"I know. I need your help for that."

"Do you want to leave in the morning?"

"I do."

He nodded in agreement. "I should leave you to your rest. I'm sure that you are exhausted." He got up and left the table.

I got up after him. "Ryan?"

"Yes?"

I pulled him close to me and hugged him. He enveloped me in his arms, and for a moment, I let myself feel safe in them. I pulled away.

"Before anything, I need to know where we should put..." I took a deep breath, "where we should put Jax." I nodded to my pack, which was laying against the door.

"I think he would have liked to have been buried," Ryan said. "It was a tradition of the old culture. We buried our father. Maybe we should bury Jax next to him."

"Tomorrow morning, before we leave? Maybe just you, Aya and me?"

"I think that would be what he would have wanted."

"Thank you," I said. I held back tears. "I will see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," he said. "I will see to it that Marie has a comfortable place to sleep."

"I appreciate it." I shut the door behind Ryan and sat down on the bed. Exhaustion hit me almost instantly. I leaned back and fell asleep.

The next morning, Ryan, Aya and I walked through the forest and to a small cemetery. It was beautiful, with a tree overlooking it and wildflowers springing up along the rock-lined circle. A few large rocks marked the graves.

Ryan dug a hole next to the largest rock, which must have been their father. When he was finished, I took Jax out of my pack. I cried as I carried him to the hole, the scent of fresh soil filling my mouth. I knelt down and placed him into the ground.

Ryan stood at the head of the grave and began speaking. "Jax was a dear family member, friend, and lover. He was a leader to all of us, and the rock that we held onto, even when all hope was gone. He will be missed and loved always, but his memory will live on, in our minds, in our hearts, and in the very existence of The Resistance." He paused. "Do you want to say anything, Lysa?"

I hesitated. I had so much to say but no words to say it in. Ryan stepped away from the head of the grave and I took his place. "Jax was always there for me. We grew up together and were joined together. He was smart, and kind, and always caring. He was always who I depended on to show me the way and he always did. It feels like a different world without him here and nothing will ever be the same again. I love you, Jax," I said. I stared down at the hole. "That will not change, whether you are here or not."

I wiped my eyes and walked away. It was Aya's turn to take the head of the grave.

She stared down into the hole, at a loss for words. "Goodbye, brother. I love you," she said. She threw a few flowers into the grave, sprinkling the dark blanket with their vibrant colors.

Ryan shoveled a few scoops of dirt into the hole, gently covering him. After he was no longer in view, he scooped larger shovelfuls of dirt in, until the grave was filled. We placed a rock, about the same size as their father's, to mark Jax's grave.

We quietly walked back to the fort. The finality of it all, the finality of Jax, weighed down on me. Aya looped her arm into mine and we dried our eyes as we walked. It felt like a different world now, with the last bit of him at rest in the ground. It felt like a part of me was buried along with him.

When we got back to the stronghold, Ryan and a few men and women gathered some weapons and supplies for the trip to The Silo. I checked on Marie to make sure she was settling in, and that she had a restful evening. She was feasting on breakfast when I arrived, and sat up when she saw me.

"How are you doing?"

"Good. Sleep well?"

"Very, thank you. How about you?"

"Good."

"I'm glad. I am going to have to leave, probably for a couple of days. Will you be alright here?"

"Yes," she said.

"I am going to talk to the doctor before I leave, to see if there is anything that he can do for you. Hopefully, he can figure something out while I am away."

"Leader?"

"What?"

"You leader. Resistance."

I might as well admit it. It was no secret around here. "I am."

"They are lucky."

"Thank you," I said. "We had a truly great leader before me, though. Jax," I said, forcing myself to say his name. "I have to leave, but I will see you as soon as I get back." I nodded and left.

I found the doctor and asked him to take a look at Marie, to see if there was anything he could do to restore her human form. "Also, maybe you could ask her some questions, find out who she is," I said. "If she has family, then I want her to be able to find them."

"Understood," he said. He looked perplexed, but I could tell that he was excited at the prospect. I left him in his room, rummaging through books and trunks, muttering to himself.

I looked for Aya. She was sitting outside, playing with a limp wildflower. I hugged her goodbye, wiping her tears away from her cheeks and told her that we would be back.

"Promise?" she asked me.

"I promise," I said. It was foolish to promise such things these days, but seeing her tear-stained face, I could not say anything else.

We set out on our journey to The Silo. It was me, Ryan, two men and a woman. I did not remember their names yet, but I knew their faces.

We made it to the treehouse by dark, scurrying up the tree as the creatures awoke from their slumber. Their shrieks echoed throughout the forest as they called to one another.

I looked for the squirrel when I climbed up, but it was not there. I hoped that it was safe.

As darkness enveloped us, we settled down to sleep. One of the men volunteered to keep watch. He sat in the doorway, looking out onto the forest. His presence allowed us all to relax a little more, feel a little more in control.

Even though I was with a group of people and sleeping next to Ryan, loneliness suffocated me. I closed my eyes and dared to think of him.

Am I making a mistake? I asked Jax in my mind.

I contained my sobs. I had no idea what I was doing. Maybe I was leading all these people to their deaths. How did I even expect the citizens to listen to us?

You would have known exactly what to do, I said to Jax.

Tears rolled down my cheeks and I tried to close my eyes. I lost myself in the sound of Ryan's rhythmic breathing, and I pretended that it was Jax who was lying beside me.

The next morning came too quickly. We woke up as the sun filtered into the treehouse. We pulled on our shoes and packed our bags before we scaled down the tree. We were going to need some extra time, and we needed to leave as early as possible. Instead of waiting until dark to travel by the slaughterhouse, I wanted to pass by it at a far distance during the daytime, where the slaughterhouse guards would not be able to see us.

We made a large loop around the slaughterhouse. As we walked, I thought about how I was going to deal with them. Of approaching anyone in The Nation, dealing with the slaughterhouses would be the most challenging, as they were more aggressive than the citizens. I decided that I would get through talking to The Silo before I worried about dealing with the slaughterhouses.

We got to the edge of the forest by late afternoon. We sat, hidden in the trees, waiting until nightfall. We ate and talked in hushed tones, afraid to attract attention from our voices carrying.

The others seemed to enjoy the break. They were relaxed, and a few of them were even smiling and laughing. I did not enjoy the break, however. I kept watch on the forest, to make sure we were not being watched. I did not like sitting out here, exposed. I was also nervous to approach the citizens, but I was anxious for it to be over with.

Ryan must have sensed my internal struggle. He sat next to me and did not leave my side until it was time to leave for the clearing. I was thankful for him being there, even though his presence did nothing to ease my anxiety.

When darkness fell and the creatures began wandering the forest, we began crawling through the long grass of the clearing. We spaced ourselves out enough to not rouse the guard's suspicions. We did not want to appear as a threat. Their nerves were probably already heightened, due to The Magistrate's death, and they were probably stressed and trigger-happy.

When we got to The Silo's fence, we climbed and went over, one by one. I was the last one to go over. I led them through the cover of shadows, until we reached the jail. I told the others to stay behind and I summoned Ryan to follow me. I hoped my guess would be correct as we neared the door of the jail and slipped inside, closing the door with a creak.

One guard sat at the table, thumbing some papers. She looked up, her mouth dropping open as soon as she recognized me? "Lysa?" she said.

"Rhea," I said.

"You're alive? I thought they sentenced you to death."

"They did. But, I have quite the story to tell you," I said. "This is Ryan, by the way. Ryan, this is Rhea. She was my fellow guard."

She looked at us, eyes hazy. She was probably wondering if she should listen to our story or shoot us. Luckily, she chose to listen to us. "Please, sit down," she said, gesturing at the table.

Both Ryan and I pulled back chairs with a screech against the wooden floor.

"Where is Jax?" she asked.

"Jax is no longer alive," I said. Every time I had to say his name, it was like a punch to the gut.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"I am too. Why is The Magistrate's building burned down?"

"We have no idea. We think that he fell asleep while he had the fire going, and a log must have rolled out and caught his house on fire."

"He is dead?"

"We think so. We could not find his body, but that is not surprising. Everything was burned to ashes."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It's been strange. Everyone has looked to me to lead them, and I have never been a leader before."

"I know exactly what you mean," I said.

She looked at me, puzzled.

"I am going to need you to have an open mind about what I am about to tell you. Promise me that you will listen and then we can talk about it after."

"I promise."

I took a breath, and started at the beginning. I told her about the first time I went to the slaughterhouse, and saw Citizen Rain being murdered, and how I ended up being sentenced to death myself. I told her that I escaped and came across others outside, who lived in the forest, a group of people who did not agree with some of the things The Nation did. I told her there was a great war between the two groups and that The Nation came into power, and The Resistance had been living on the fringes ever since. I explained that the leader of The Nation, without specifying that it was The Magistrate, created the silos to begin a new generation, one that was free of the mistakes of the past. I told her what happened to our parents, and how we would meet the same fate. I said that our children would be slaves to The Nation.

I did not tell her about Jax being the previous leader, how we destroyed the city of the Founders, or that I killed The Magistrate. Those details would have to wait for another time to be shared, if they ever were.

"They had good intentions by creating the silos," I said. "But, they were corrupted with power."

"I have no idea what to think," Rhea said, shaking her head. She stared down at the papers she had been thumbing. "What about The Magistrate?"

"What about him?"

"How does he fit into all of this?" she asked.

"He was a Founder," I explained.

"Are you part of The Resistance now?" Her eyes snapped up and narrowed at me.

"I am their leader. But, that's what I want to talk to you about. I don't want there to be two separate groups anymore. I want us all to work together to build a better life for ourselves."

Rhea nodded. "I see. How do you see this new life?"

"I see us being self-sufficient and I see us growing our own food, raising more livestock. I see us giving each other the ability to live life freely, and to stop murdering innocent people."

She regarded this for a while. "If I was to agree to this, how would you propose we begin?" she said, after a long silence.

"I propose that you and I work together to lead this silo, and to slowly invite the rest of the citizens from the other silos to join us."

"Why should I do this?"

"Because we are stronger if we are unified. The Silo has been our home, and it is difficult to think of it as changing. But, there is a whole different world out there, and I have seen it. And, you can see it and learn about it, too."

She nodded. "What are the consequences if I do not accept your offer?"

"Then we leave you to your life and what you choose to do. We just ask that you give us the same courtesy."

Rhea was silent for a few agonizing minutes.

I held my breath. My pulse ricocheted in my head.

She spoke. "I have always liked you, Lysa. You are strong and you have always been brave enough to be different. I accept your offer."

#  Chapter Twenty-One

Ryan and I stayed in the jail until it was time for the morning announcements. I told Rhea about the other members of The Resistance that we brought with us, and she asked that we bring them to the jail, as well. We all stood around the table, waiting for Rhea to finish talking to the citizens. We could hear her voice through the wooden walls.

"Citizens, today marks a new era for us all. It is an exciting time in our lives, and many changes are going to come our way. I need your promises that you will be open to these changes and hear what we have to say. Keep your minds open. I know that it will be difficult, but as your new leader, I am asking this of you." Rhea remained silent, and I was certain that she was gauging the reactions of the citizens. "Thank you for your cooperation. Please help us welcome our guests."

It was our time now. The door to the jail opened, and a shocked guard locked his eyes on me, instantly recognizing me. I nodded to him as I walked past, Ryan and the rest of The Resistance members following me.

Audible gasps emanated from the crowd as we walked up the stairs to the stage.

"Lysa is here to join us, along with some of her guests. Please give her your full attention and save any questions for after she is finished."

"Hello citizens," I said. I swallowed, trying to keep my voice steady. I had never spoken in front of so many people before. My knees shook and I felt beads of sweat form on my brow. "I'm sure that most of you recognize me. I used to be a guard here, and was sent to death to the forest. I'm sure that none of you expected that you would see me again."

I continued, watching the careful eyes regarding me. "This is not going to be something easy to hear, but like Citizen Rhea said, please keep your mind open to what I am going to tell you."

I told them the same things that I told Rhea, how I escaped the slaughterhouse and why I was sent to death for treason. I spoke about The Resistance and talked a little about the war between The Nation and The Resistance, and how we all came to be, and that I was now the leader of The Resistance. I concluded. "I know this is a lot to take in at one time, and I'm sure that it is difficult to believe. It was difficult for me to come to terms with it, as well. The Silo has been what we have known for so many years, and it is impossible to think of a life outside of these gates, or a life different than the one we have now. But, trust me, it is out there." I paused and looked into the crowd. "Thank you for listening and I appreciate your attention." I stepped back and let Rhea take the stand.

"Thank you, Lysa," she said. "Do you have any questions for Lysa?"

The citizens looked confused. There were whispers among each other. A citizen raised his arm and Rhea invited him to speak. "Did you kill The Magistrate?"

My heart sank and flipped. A surge of adrenaline spiked through me. That was not a question I expected, but should have. "What happened to The Magistrate was an unfortunate accident. No, I did not kill him."

I hated to lie. I could feel Ryan's stare bore into me. But, I knew that I would lose the citizens at this moment, this very crucial moment, if I told the truth. Who knows what they would have done? They might have revolted and killed us all, and The Resistance would have been finished. I could not let that happen.

That was the only question that the citizens had. Rhea began speaking once again. "Thank you for listening. If you feel that it is a good idea, I would like to unify us with Lysa's group. We are stronger working together, especially in this time of the loss of The Magistrate."

A citizen raised her hand. "Do the other silos know about The Magistrate? Maybe they can help us."

"The equipment he used to communicate with the other silos was destroyed in the fire. We are sure that they will come visit when they realize that they cannot reach us. At the time they come to us, we would like to invite them to join our group."

The citizen asked another question. "What is so great about being part of your group?"

Rhea looked at me and I answered. "We are not very different from how The Nation does things, actually. But, we believe in freedom to live your lives the way you want, and we believe that citizens should not be sacrificed to be served as food."

"But, they were criminals. They deserve to die! You deserved to die," a citizen in the back shouted.

There was muttering across the crowd.

"That is a difficult thing to believe. Most of the people who were accused and sent to death were killed without basis. It was only when there was a shortage of food that some of our citizens were sent to slaughter. They were sent to sacrifice for the rest of us."

The mutterings became louder.

"How exactly do you plan to feed us, then?" a citizen shouted.

"Through increased farming efforts. In the forest, where The Resistance lives, we have a few large farms that would produce a great deal of food. I propose that we do the same here, and until the farm is situated, that we share the food from The Resistance farms."

"What if that is not enough?"

"That is the issue we have been facing every day, without even realizing it. That is why we resorted to killing our own. I am proposing that we no longer live in fear of being condemned to death, but work together to find an answer that will benefit us all. I believe that we can do that."

I saw a few of the citizens nodding to each other.

"You said that The Resistance believes in freedom to live how we want. Is that not what we have here?"

"The Resistance believes that while there is a leader who is responsible for things like housing, water, and food, the citizens are able to work in the farms if that is what they want to do. We believe in doing good for the group, and working together to make sure our needs are met. We think that the citizens should be able to be with who they want to be with, and that they do not need to have children by a certain age, and we do not believe in killing. You are welcome to maintain those beliefs if you choose, but we do not believe that you should be required to."

"What if we do not want to be a part of the group?"

"Then we ask that you let us live our lives peacefully, while we let you live yours."

"I know these are radical things that Lysa is saying," Rhea said, "but please consider it. We will be asking you how you feel about these changes later this afternoon through a show of hands. Please take the time to consider your decisions."

Ryan was the one who suggested the show of hands. He said that it was a concept from the old world, in which the group with the majority of votes won. He said that it was called a democracy, an ancient idea of a fair society.

Rhea dismissed the citizens and we all walked back to the jail. She closed the door behind us.

"Do you think they want to join?" I asked. Doubt was beginning to fill me. "It did not seem to resound with them."

"I don't know," she said. "Some of them looked very excited and convinced, but some of them were pretty skeptical."

"Agreed," I said. "It is going to be a long wait until the vote," I said.

"It is. Until then, can I get you all something to eat?"

I looked at the men and the woman. Their faces remained passive, but their eyes screamed that they were very hungry. "Yes, please," I answered.

Rhea got up and asked the guard outside the jail door to go get us something to eat. "No meat," she called after him.

"Thank you," I said, as she closed the door. "That is very kind."

She nodded. We sat in silence until the food came, and then we ate. I had not had a meal like this since one of my first days at The Resistance fort. I shoveled food into my mouth, enjoying the taste of the eggs and mushrooms, but desperate for more. Ryan looked like he was enjoying it, as well.

"You all are eating like you are famished," Rhea said, taking a dainty bite of egg.

"It has been a long trip," I said. "We did not take much time to eat."

She nodded.

We ate the rest in silence. We stayed in the jail until it was time for the vote to take place. I fidgeted with my fingers, trying to ignore the stale air of the jail. The scent brought me back to the night I spent here before the day of my judgement. I tried to shake those thoughts from my memory.

When the time for the vote came, we exited the jail. Rhea led us and we followed her up to the stage. The citizens were already standing in their normal spots. They fidgeted, some of them shifting from one foot to the other. It was such a contrast to the normal, orderly fashion they stood for the morning announcements.

"We are going to ask Ryan for help," Rhea said, gesturing to him, "since this is a new concept for us all. Please give him your full consideration."

She nodded to him and Ryan took the stage. I saw him swallow hard before he began. "I am going to say two options. If you agree with the option, please raise your hand. We will count how many people raise their hands. The option that has the most hands raised is the winner. For those in favor of joining The Resistance, please raise your hand."

My heart swelled when I saw hands fly up into the air. It was not even worth counting.

"For those in favor of not joining The Resistance, please raise your hand."

Only three citizens raised their hand. All the other citizens looked at them and they quickly put their hands down.

Rhea stepped next to Ryan, and Ryan stepped back to my side. "That settles it, then. We will be joining The Resistance as part of their group. We will let you know the next steps of the transition as soon as we know. Please, enjoy the rest of your day."

The citizens rushed around in a flurry of activity.

We retreated to the jail once again, and snapped the door closed behind us. "What do you want the next steps to be?" Rhea asked.

"I think we should bring some of the agricultural workers here to start increasing the farm that you have. I know that it is late in the season, but there might be something that we can do. We will also bring food with us the next time we come back."

She nodded. "What should we do if we have our shipment of food come in? It is due to come in within the week."

Oh no, I thought. Having destroyed the city, would there be any more shipments of food coming to the silos? Would they have enough food to sustain themselves? "Just go ahead and accept it like nothing has changed."

"Should we tell them about The Magistrate?"

"Not yet. You and I will need to discuss that further in the future. But, I just remembered that I need to speak to Ryan about something urgent. Do you mind if we step out?"

"Not at all," Rhea said.

"Thank you," I said. Ryan followed me outside. I walked past the jail and into the back corner of the fence.

"We destroyed the city. They aren't going to get the shipments of their food, are they?"

"Probably not, since there is no one to coordinate it. We don't want them having it anyways. It's all butchered people and vegetables."

"I know that. But, if they don't have the food, then they might try to kill some of their own citizens. And, also thinking about it, the slaughterhouse is going to notice if we stop sending them people."

"Oh," he said. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"That means our timeline for approaching the other silos, and the slaughterhouses, has just moved up very, very quickly."

"What do you want to do?"

I was thinking how to answer when a plume of smoke, rising above the forest, caught my attention. I stared at it.

"What?" Ryan asked. He turned around and saw what I was staring at.

"Isn't that about where The Resistance fort is?"

"Yes," he said. His voice was faint.

"We need to get back there," I said. "Now."

We ran back to the jail and pushed the door open.

"I apologize, Rhea. We need to get back to our camp. There is smoke close to where we are located."

Rhea stood up and looked out of the door. "Oh no. Of course, and please let us know if we can help."

"Thank you," I said. I gathered the other men and the woman. We ran to the gate and were let out by the guards. We ran through the clearing and into the forest. It would not be until tomorrow when we would reach The Resistance's fort. It was too far away. Who knows what would have burned by that point?

We got to the treehouse by dark. The squirrel was back, and I told everyone to leave it alone. They were looking at it like it was a prime dinner catch.

The squirrel was quivering, terrified of the number of people crowding it. It calmed down when I tossed it some food. It began nibbling at it.

I could not sleep all night. I wished for the time to pass quickly so we could see what was going on. I was tempted to continue through the dark, but that would be foolish. But, as soon as the light peeked into the forest, I roused everyone from their slumber and we continued onwards.

We ran all the way there, smoke getting thicker as we went. I was expecting to see a raging fire, but there was none. We got to the fort shortly before dark, and there was no one there. Not even Marie was there.

We followed the smoke, coughing from the ash that irritated our throats. My heart sank when I realized what had burned. We all stopped as we watched The Resistance members, Aya and Marie included, carrying heavy buckets of water. Marie held the buckets and Aya took them, one at a time. She poured the water on patches of fire, and dumped some along the fire's edge, trying to keep the hot embers from catching. I walked up to them. I already knew the answer, but I needed to hear it.

"What happened?" I asked.

Aya and Marie stopped and looked at me. Marie set the buckets down on the ground.

"The farms," Aya said. Her face was covered in ash and her light hair was blackened. "All of the farms are burned."

"How did this happen?" Ryan asked.

"We don't know," Aya said. "It happened yesterday, in the early afternoon. We have no idea how the fires got started. Maybe an accident or something?"

I stared at the pile of ashes, and the red embers that speckled the ground. The entire farm, gone. All of them, burnt to the ground.

It all began to make sense at once. This was no accident. This was planned.

Someone knew that we were joining with The Silo, and that we would share our food with them. They knew that this was our only food source, along with the animals.

The animals. "Check the animals, Ryan," I said.

He cocked his head at me, and then ran into the fort. He ran back moments later. "They are dead," he said. "Their throats have been cut."

"Butcher the bodies and preserve them the best you can," I said. "Do you have any kind of seed backup?"

Ryan nodded. "We do. It is hidden."

"Good. We need to split it into thirds. Keep one third hidden, give one third to the agriculturalists to plant, and give one third to me for safekeeping."

I was thankful that they had a backup for the plants. We had one at The Silo, just in case something like this happened. I might need to ask Rhea if we could have some of it to plant, as well.

Even so, we would have to begin again. We would need to replant, and it was already late in the season. We would have to capture animals, even though the creatures had destroyed most of them. It would take time to start again, and time was something that we did not have.

Realization began to dawn on me. Someone here was a traitor, and someone here was trying to sabotage us. Someone here was going to try to kill us all.

I looked at Aya, Marie, and Ryan. I just hoped that it was none of them.

# Check out an excerpt from The Forsaken One,

# the sequel to The Citizen

# Chapter One

"I have no idea what to do," I whispered. I did not bother to look around. I was out here alone, with only the trees and the birds above to hear me, and neither cared of my turmoil.

I seated myself on a stump. I stared at a smoldering pile of ash that had once been part of The Resistance's food supply.

I spoke to him, like Ryan suggested right after the loss. It comforted me to feel like he was sitting next to me, listening to my words. I refused to think his name, or say his name out loud. To do so would bring an endless onslaught of pain, and an endless loop of the last seconds of his life. "You would never have let something like this happen. I let you down. I'm so sorry." I buried my face in my hands.

The crops and the animals, which had all been butchered, were our sole source of food. Not only that, but just yesterday, we had struck a bargain with The Silo, in which they would stop the butchering of citizens in exchange for part of The Resistance's food. By all accounts, it should have been a happy day today. We had finally achieved something that The Resistance had been working towards for years. Yesterday marked a new beginning for a hopeful future.

But now, we had nothing. We had preserved the murdered bodies of the animals the best that we could, but it would not be enough to sustain us. It was too late in the season to do much for the crops. Even though I had made the order to replant, it was simply for show. I needed people to feel like they were doing something. It was already too late in the season, too late to plant more crops. There was already a crispness in the air, a crunchiness as I walked over the fallen leaves in the forest.

"Why is this happening?" I yelled at the sky. The birds stirred in the trees above, some of them flying away in a panic. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't want this!" I buried my face in my hands again and began to sob. "It's all my fault. We are going to starve, and it's because of me."

I held my stomach and rocked back and forth on the stump. It was so obvious now that I should not have killed The Magistrate when I did. We weren't prepared to make a bargain with The Silo. We weren't prepared for approaching the other silos and the slaughterhouses. All of this could have been avoided if we had taken some time to plan, and if I hadn't been so thirsty to avenge his death.

I sobbed harder.

"You didn't fail."

I jumped at the sound of the voice in my ear. It was so close, but there was no one around. I would have heard them sneak up on me. Unless they were an assassin...

I jumped to my feet and looked around. Nothing.

Perhaps it was a bug that flew past my ear.

I shivered and sat back down. It wasn't just anyone's voice that I had heard. It was him.

I inhaled the acrid scent of the smoke. The stench brought me back to the present, at least for the moment. I looked down at the forest floor, now blackened by chalky soot. Who could have done this?

I didn't know, but every fiber of my being burned to find out. It was someone who knew our plans to unite with The Nation. It was someone who betrayed us, knowing that our alliance would fail if we were unable to provide the food we promised. And, not only had they jeopardized our treaty with The Silo, but we now faced starvation.

I clenched my fists. "I'm going to find out who did this," I whispered.

I did not want to think that it could be Marie, but it was possible. She was not only the newest addition to The Resistance, but the only creature who did not eat people. She could have been sent by The Nation to gather information on us. But, that seemed illogical. One creature could wipe us all out by attacking when we least expected it. The Nation would certainly not waste the chance to kill us all.

Could it be someone else, someone closer?

The smoke scratched my throat, making it harder to breathe. The dewy morning air almost made it seem denser, like it was weighing down on my skin, a part of every bit of air that I breathed in.

I stood up and kicked the ash. Now, more than ever, The Resistance needed a leader. He would have been able to feed The Silo and The Resistance both. He would have found out who was responsible for this atrocity.

"You will find a way," the voice whispered in my ear once again.

Shivers ran up and down my spine. It was his voice again. I wanted to cry when I heard it, but I didn't want it to stop.

"And, I will," I said. I hugged my arms tight against my stomach, and stared into the vast expanse of the forest.

A little while later, I trudged through the forest, back to The Resistance's stronghold. As I entered, I noticed more people than normal standing around, talking. Some of them were sitting on the ground, looking at the dirt below their feet, like I had been doing only a short time ago.

A few days ago, a scene like this would never have seemed possible. The fort was always buzzing with activity, with people rushing about with purpose. It was always stirring with movement and energy, talking and sometimes laugher. But, never idleness.

I greeted them as I walked past, towards the center of the fort. Some nodded back, others ignored me.

The idleness could have been due to hunger. Since last night, we had all been on a mandatory, indefinite ration, with only one small meal per day. But, that was a lie, and I knew it. The Resistance was no stranger to hunger or thirst.

It was their eyes that betrayed them as I passed through the crowd. Their eyes were not the eyes of the hungry. They were the eyes of those who had given up hope.

"I have something I would like to say," I said. I stood in the middle of the fort, and looked at the people sitting around. Some of them came closer, but others stayed where they were, hardly paying attention.

"I know that what happened to our crops is a blow. It is a devastating blow and it is scary. But, we are The Resistance. We are fighters. We have survived for years, attack after attack by The Nation and by natural forces. We are forces to be reckoned with, not The Nation, and definitely not the traitor who committed this act of cowardice. We do not give up! We fight and we find ways to survive. I had better not see you out here again, looking like you do now. We have a war to fight, and you better believe that we are going to find who did this and make them pay for what they did."

Fire returned to some of the people's eyes. A few of them got up off the ground.

"Your words are eloquent, but they mean nothing on an empty stomach," one of the men said.

A few more people shouted in agreement.

"You let me deal with that. Do you trust me? Have I let you down before?"

"We hardly know you!"

More assents from the crowd.

I looked at them. I did not know what to say. How could I respond when their words were true?

"Do you not trust me? Did you not trust Jax?" Ryan asked, standing next to me, addressing the crowd. He waited for them to respond, and their fiery shouts died down into mumbles.

I ignored the electric pang of grief that ricocheted through me. Every time I heard his name, it was like being stabbed, over and over again. It sounded so foreign hearing Ryan say it, since I had spent so much time trying to forget the way it sounded.

"Then show your leader some respect. Trust her when she says she will deal with our food supply. Jax would never have named her leader if he thought that she could not take care of us. Now, get back to work. Clean your weapons, practice your skills. Warriors are not idle."

People began to scramble, getting off the ground and onto their feet. I watched as some of them made their way to the large building at the edge of the fort, presumably to attend to their daily chores. A few of the younger men began to practice disarmament techniques

"Thank you," I said to Ryan, after the others had scurried back to work.

"I hope you don't mind me ordering your people around," Ryan said with a grin.

"If it wasn't for you, we probably would have had a riot on our hands. You saved the day," I said. I stared down at the ground, thinking of what to say. "Can I speak with you privately?"

"Sure," he said.

I led him to my cabin and snapped the door shut behind us. We both took a seat at the small table.

"I have no idea what to do," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't know how we are going to survive this. How are we going to find food? How are we going to find out who did this, so they can't hurt us again?"

"Your speech made it seem certain that you will come up with a solution, if you hadn't already."

"And, we will. But for now, they have hope and purpose, and we have time to figure things out." I sighed. "Do you have any ideas? I am open to pretty much everything."

"Other than foraging and hunting the few animals the creatures have not gotten to, and The Nation has not hunted, no."

I shook my head. I stared out of the cabin's solitary window, watching the people as they practiced with their weapons. I could not let them down.

My eyes fell on The Doctor as he walked past the cabin's window, wandering past a few of the others who were sharpening their weapons.

"The Doctor," I said to myself.

"What about him?" Ryan asked.

I didn't respond to his question. I jumped up from my chair and raced out of the cabin. "Doctor?" I said, calling across the yard.

Everyone stopped and looked at me. I flushed, but my eyes did not leave The Doctor.

"Yes, my dear?" he called back to me.

"Can I have a word with you?" I asked.

He nodded, and began trudging back towards the cabin. I felt like I was going to burst if I had to wait a moment longer.

"Are you able to clone food?" I asked, as soon as I shut the door behind him.

The Doctor tilted his head to the side. "You mean, like The Nation does?"

"Yes," I said, nodding my head. "Can you do it?"

"I know the process. I helped to develop it during my time there," he said. "But, we don't have any of the supplies to do it."

"Can you do it if we go to the Capitol? We could use their lab, their supplies."

"Yes," he said. I sensed hesitation in his voice.

"Good. You and me will leave for the Capitol at dawn." I was disappointed that it was too late in the day to leave now, or else we would have. "Thank you," I said.

"Don't thank me yet," he said. He nodded and walked out of the cabin.

Ryan waited until The Doctor was gone to speak.

"Please take Marie with you tomorrow."

"Why?" His words sent the well of hope within me crashing down.

"Just to be safe. We don't know if some of the survivors came back to the City."

It was true. The attack that Ryan, I and him did on the City did not kill all The Founders, I was certain of it. Some had to have come back to the City. Who knew how many were there.

I sensed there was something more that Ryan was trying to say. I leaned towards him and invited him to speak.

"I'm not saying that we should not trust him. He has never given us reason to doubt his loyalty. But, just be cautious of The Doctor. We know his background."

I nodded. Even though The Doctor had once been a part of The Nation, he had served The Resistance well. He had even saved his life when I accidentally stabbed him.

That memory was bitter. Any memory of him was. I tried to shake it away.

"I will keep my eyes out," I said. "But, I don't think he's involved."

"I don't think so either," Ryan said. "But, I'd rather you be safe. Besides, it gives Marie a chance to get out, too."

"Do you think that we can trust her?"

"I think so," Ryan said. "She could kill us all at any moment. If she was working with The Nation, she probably would have done it already."

"Agreed. I will go talk to her," I said.

Ryan opened the door and let me outside, and he followed me out into the crisp air. We went our separate ways, him towards the group of people cleaning their weapons, me to the other side of the gray building. Marie stayed on the far side of the building, in the corner where the building and the fence met. I knew it was because she didn't want to be seen.

"Hi," I said, as I approached her.

"Hi," she said in her croaking voice. She sat up when she saw me. I sat down, across from her.

"You know, you are welcome to stay in the gray building. If people are not making you feel welcome, I will have a talk with them." I knew some of the people were still hesitant to welcome a creature inside their quarters, even though she had never showed any violent tendencies.

"It is not that. I am cozy out here," she said.

"You don't have to lie to me. I can see what goes on here. You can always stay in my cabin. There is room for us both," I said.

"Thank you."

"How do you feel about a trip tomorrow? We are going to the Capitol City, hopefully to get food."

Her red eyes brightened, and she sat up a little taller. "I would like that."

"Then I will expect you at dawn. It will be me, you, and The Doctor."

"I look forward to it."

I nodded to her and left. I spent the rest of the day among the members of The Resistance, working on combat and disarmament techniques. By the time the evening fell, my heart was filled with dread. The moments of the day I dreaded most were upon me.

I said goodnight to everyone and watched as they gathered their things. When everyone was inside their quarters, I slowly walked towards my cabin.

Don't forget to check out the rest of The Forsaken One, available on  Amazon and Smashwords

# Acknowledgements

There are a lot of people that I need to thank for helping me along in bringing this book to completion. First and foremost, my husband deserves the greatest thank you of all. He has supported me through endless days and nights of stressing, contemplating, and discussing plot points. Not only that, but he has endured endless hours of hearing my keyboard click away in the middle of the night, and talking to me as I lived behind my computer screen. I could never have finished this book without his support.

My friends and family have also been incredible throughout this process. My mom has been wonderful, always volunteering to be my first beta reader and understanding how important this project is to me. She has endured endless cancelled plans so I could write. She is truly amazing. My grandma has also been instrumental in bringing this book to completion. Without her, I never would have realized my love of language, or been brave enough to pursue my love of writing. She is an incredible writer and I am thankful to have her influence, encouragement, and input in my writing.

And, especially, thank you to my fans for supporting me and giving me a chance as a new author. You have been hugely encouraging as I have navigated the new-author scene, and as I have tried to make a name for myself.

Cheers, to the next one!

# About the Author

Krysten Williams is a horror blogger and author, who went from hating horror to making a lifestyle out of it. Her debut novel, The Citizen, is a genre-bending horror-dystopian-romance, and the sequel, The Forsaken One, is set to release in January 2019.

Krysten lives with her badass husband and their assortment of non-conventional pets. The hamster thinks she is the cutest.

When she is not writing, you can usually find her watching horror movies, riding her horses, playing Call of Duty, or jamming out on her guitar.

# Connect with Krysten

Thank you for reading The Citizen, and I hope that you enjoyed it! Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a review of my book. I am also always happy to connect with my readers, so feel free to follow me, like me, subscribe to me, or reach out to me in any way listed below.

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