Emily slowly felt pieces of her heart fall off and flicker away and dissipate.
She felt as if her whole body was coming apart, pain blew up in her stomach and extended up through her throat and filled her brain.
James had forgotten her.
She saw it in his eyes, the way he almost looked past her with a blank stare, as if he felt nothing.
She saw it in his body as he turned away from her and walked towards the entrance of the abandoned building, following Cliff, Gage, and Mason, Chapman's three soldiers. Everyone went by last names here, Emily had learned shortly after joining.
Emily pushed back the wall of tears that pressed against her eyes.
"Hey girlie," Emily turned and looked at Chapman. His dark eyes scrutinized her, blank and guarded as ever. "No time for crying now."
Emily thought she could detect the smallest hint of sympathy in his tone.
She followed him out of the building, reaching behind her and grabbing hold of the comforting rubber grip of her dagger. They jogged back onto the road and Emily sped up to reach James, his curly hair a halo in front of the crescent moon.
A fire had fluttered up in front of them, from the previous explosions. It was a sharp contrast against the cold icy air.
"James," she called out, unable to stop chasing the boy she loved.
James kept walking.
"Hey, wait up," Emily jogged quicker, until she was beside him. Her heart pounded with dread, turning her bones to lead. She didn't know how James would react. "Do you know where they are?"
"I'm going to find Rory," He said without feeling. "I have to find him. I owe him."
"James..." Emily swallowed against the lump in her throat, grief blooming in her chest. "What happened to Helena?"
"I'm not going to talk about it," James snapped and started to run faster, to get away from her. "I don't even know you."
Emily let him go, fighting away her nausea. She looked at his face, and caught sight of wet cheeks before he was too far ahead.
Emily felt another piece of her heart break off and flicker away.
The ground shook underneath them as army tanks shot missiles farther into the city. The sky lit up behind them. They were in the middle of a war zone, looking for survivors.
That was their job, Emily had learned. They went out in search of survivors and brought them over the border to Quebec to be treated. Except Emily didn't stay in Quebec.
No one really cared what you did when there was an apocalypse, she had learned that too.
The fire became closer and Emily knew there was no way anything or anyone could have survived in that.
Chapman's voice sounded behind them. "Okay, we'll go around the fire and start from the back."
They did as they were told, the fire melting the snow rapidly, and the snow dousing the fire rapidly.
Smoke rose in thick clouds and it gradually became harder to see. The continued down roads, skirting the fire. Emily squinted her eyes and coughed roughly, trying to find fresh air to breathe. Someone ahead of her started to cough as well.
"Victims," a female voice called back through the smoke. Gage.
Gunshots rang out and Emily dropped to her stomach, unsure which side they came from. She heard someone fall to the ground, hard. Someone was shot.
