Setting Fire to the Stars (a MM Sci-Fi Romance)

Chapter 25: Elyria

**note: this chapter contains profanity, panic attacks, mental illness and portrayals of depression, and graphic depictions of death.**

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Lauren
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The sun had long since descended below the horizon by the time we entered the city. Downtown Elyria was just as desolate as before with not a single sign of life to be found. The headlight of our motorcycle was the only source of light in the darkness, the street lamps were reduced to useless lumps of metal.

Synth remained silent behind me as I drove. The young alien had woken me up from a restless slumber once the storm had moved on. Thankfully by then, the pounding headache had subsided. With Synth's help, we had walked the bike onto the rain-soaked asphalt. Although the idea of traveling at night was less than appealing, both of us agreed the best option was to distance ourselves from the shuttle.

Cautiously, I guided the motorcycle down the boulevard, dodging the fissure in the concrete. A heavy shroud of smoke blanketed the city while a musty smell hung in the air, accentuated by the amount of flies buzzing over the untouched bodies.

As I drove around several grey corpses, a sharp intake of breath caught my ear as Synth's grip tightened on my shoulders. Her trembling made me want to comfort her. My heart bled at the thought of the dead and how such a young girl should not to witness such horrible sights. I wanted to pass the bodies quickly for her sake.

The gravel crunched beneath the tires as I forged ahead, scanning the barren streets for any signs of Peter and the guys. Knowing them, they're probably still cooped up in the Foundry. Fragments of bricks and scattered concrete litter across the quiet boulevards.

Relying on memory, I slowed the bike once we came across some of the landmarks Peter and I had passed along the way. The old factory building. The stop sign with the dent in it. A old antique shop with the window blown out. The lulling growl of the motor echoed through the night.

Against my will, my thoughts drifted to a dark place that desperately been avoiding thinking about. There was the very real possibility that Peter and the others were dead. Anxiety bubbled in my chest and for the first time, I dreaded what I might find once we reached the Foundry.

"This city is making me feel very uncomfortable," Synth muttered from behind me, rousing me from my fearful thoughts. "Are you sure that this place is safe?"

"It isn't," I admitted, turning the bike down onto a side street. After all, the hunters had been able to track us pretty easily. "But this is the last place I saw them. If they're here, I'll find them."

Synth stilled, her body tensing against my back. I could feel the judgmental gaze searing into the back of my skull like a laser point. "I believe that this is a bad idea, Lauren. I understand that you care about these people, I truly do, but if the Emperor told you that he killed them, there is a high probability that they are already—"

"I don't care what that asshole said," I grimaced. "I won't believe it until I see for myself."

Synth fell quiet. Scanning the empty road, I noticed a sheet of crumbled newspaper tumble across our path, the last publication from the day of the invasion. The front page had a big picture of the alien ships, the title reading in bold black letters, "IS THIS THE END?". I couldn't help but wonder that myself. Passing more busted boutiques, I slowed the bike to a crawl.