𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿

8.. fighting in only your army

"It's a lot. You know there's a whole war out there, right? There are factions of rebels fighting to free the world, a government hellbent on testing on teenagers and a huge corporation building walls around cities and towns just to keep all of us out. They've taken over basically everything. This city... We're in danger. We've been locked inside for too many years."

Hugo continued, his voice growing serious as she took a deep breath in.

"And the biggest danger of all is that most of the people here are infected with a virus that turns you into a Crank, it only takes one cut and then you're done in a couple of minutes. That's what this whole flare thing is about. If you get too stressed out or something, you're gone before you know it."

Vicky's eyes slowly widened as she took in the severity of Hugo's words. Her expression was slowly becoming colder as her thoughts spiraled.

"Of course I know that," she was a non-immune herself — the Crank who cheated death.

Hugo nodded slowly, a somber expression on his face as he saw the sinking realization and the fear in Vicky's eyes.

He could tell that she was terrified, and he felt it was necessary for him to be honest with his friend, even if that meant scaring her.

"I'm sorry, I just... I had to be honest. If this is too much too quickly I-"

As they spoke, there was a sudden explosion outside of the building. The blast shook the building and they could hear loud sirens, shouting and screams outside.

Hugo snapped his head around to face the window, his eyes narrowing in concern.

"What the hell was that?"

There was another explosion, this time louder and more destructive. The walls shook violently and there was shouting and screaming coming from outside.

Everyone was now looking out the window, trying to see what was going on.

"The rebels must be closing in," Matt murmur, pacing over to the group. They needed him. "I have to go."

Vicky stepped forward and grabbed him by the wrist. "No, you don't."

Matt shot a quick, reassuring glimpse at Vicky and grinned before he was gone.

Vicky glared at the doorway after he left, her eyes narrowing. "I hate when he does that."

Once he had left, Hugo looked over at Vicky with a gentle smile. "You got this one, girl." He said, giving her an encouraging nod, passing Vicky her sword.

Vicky nodded quietly, her eyes flickering down at the sword. She knew she had to do this, and she was strong enough to do it.

She took the sword from Hugo, gripping it tightly. "I'll be okay," she said softly.

★

The city was dark and dusty, the winters here much harsher than in Safe Haven. The air pollution was so strong, the snow had turned grey, and the once-beautiful winters turned it into a bleak and desolate landscape. It was as if all the beauty had been sucked out of the world and replaced with misery and destruction.