Setting Fire to the Stars (mxm)

Chapter 24: Elyria

**note: this chapter contains profanity, panic attacks, 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 crossed into the city of Elyria. Downtown was just as desolate as I remembered, with not a single sign of life to be found within the once-bustling district. 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 pain in my head had nearly subsided and I was able to help Synth walk the bike onto the rain-soaked asphalt. Although I hated the idea of traveling at night, we both agreed the best thing to do was to get back on the road to put some distance between us and the crash site.

Cautiously, I guided the motorcycle down a side ally, dodging the large craters and decaying bodies on the ground. A heavy shroud of smoke blanketed the city while a musty smell hung in the air, accentuated by the amount of flies buzzing over bodies. More than anything, I just wanted to get past them quickly for Synth's sake rather than my own. As I drove us around several grey corpses, a sharp intake of breath came from behind me. The slightly quiver to her shoulders as thin arms tightened around me was heartbreaking. I could only imagine what she was thinking right now. Steeling my heart, I avoided looking too closely at the dead. It would only make me sick again.

The gravel crunched beneath the tires as I slowed our vehicle, scanning the barren streets for any signs of Peter and the group. Fragments of bricks and shattered concrete scattered across the quiet boulevards. Relying on memory, I navigated the streets using the landmarks Peter and I had passed along the way.

The lulling growl of the motor echoed through the night and my mind drifted to the dark place I'd desperately avoiding. There was a 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 uncomfortable," Synth muttered from behind me, rousing me from my fearful thoughts. "Are you sure that this place is safe?"

"No," I muttered, turning the bike down onto Broad 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 thin arms tightening around my waist. I could feel her judgmental gaze searing into the back of my skull like a laser point. "This is a bad idea, Lauren. I understand that you care about these people, I really do, but if the Emperor told you that he killed them, it is highly likely that they are already—"

"I don't care what that asshole said," I argued, my brows knitting together in a tight grimace. "I won't believe it until I see for myself."

Synth didn't respond, falling quiet once again and we continued through the slumbering city. 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 one of the alien ships, the title reading in bold black letters, "IS THIS THE END?".