Feral → newt, tmr

Chapter 25: The Betrayer

Katherine is caught in the crossfire.

Screams, explosions, the deafening crack of gunfire—everything blurs together in a storm of chaos. The air reeks of burning metal and flesh, thick with smoke that turns the world into a living nightmare. She can barely hear her own thoughts over the relentless screech of WICKED's helicopters slicing through the sky, their missiles slamming into the camp.

How did they find them?

Another explosion shakes the ground, knocking her onto her hands and knees. Fire creeps closer, devouring everything in its path. Tents collapse in a heap of ash, bodies litter the earth—some still, some twitching, some crying out for help that won’t come. Her head pounds, heart hammering against her ribs, but she forces herself up.

A scream rips through the air. A soldier convulses violently, a WICKED device buried deep in his chest. The sickening hum of bioelectric energy pulses through him, sending shockwaves across his body until he collapses, lifeless.

Katherine's stomach churns.

She needs to move.

“There you are!” Arms wrap around her, pulling her back onto her feet. She barely has time to react before she’s staring up into the familiar face of the boy she loves—Newt. His blond hair is matted with sweat, face smeared with dirt and blood, but his soft eyes are filled with relief. “Come on, love. We gotta go.”

He grips her hand tight, and they run.

Gunfire cracks above them. Minho and Frypan sprint ahead, dodging between overturned supply crates and debris. The four of them dive behind a stack of barrels just as a fresh wave of bullets sprays past.

Katherine whirls around. “Where’s Thomas?!” Her voice barely carries over the madness. Her twin. He was just with Teresa, but now—now he’s nowhere. A sick feeling claws at her chest, cold and paralyzing.

No one answers.

Newt grips her shoulder. “We’ll find him. We always do.”

But she’s not convinced. Before she can say another word, she spots Harriet and Vince crouched by the weaponry truck, loading their guns.

Katherine signals to the others, and they make a break for it. Bullets chase their heels, but they reach the truck without a scratch. Newt staggers against it, breath coming in ragged gasps, sweat trickling down his face. He’s pushing himself too hard, but there’s no time to stop.

Minho swears under his breath before turning to Vince. “How can we help?”

“You need to cover us!” Harriet shouts. She slams a fresh magazine into her rifle, barely flinching as Vince fires a machine gun beside her.

Vince glances at Katherine and tosses her a weapon. “You know how to use this?”

She catches it with ease. “I was trained by WICKED themselves.”

And with that, she lets loose.

The rifle bucks against her shoulder as she pulls the trigger, unleashing hell on the soldiers advancing toward them. The air fills with the sharp tang of gunpowder and blood.