Curiosity Killed the Cat

Those Who Lurk Within the Walls

Kat's POV

I shove my hands in my pockets and glance away. What is wrong with me? I think. I'm one of them. I should be stronger by now, right?

But I've never seen someone die before, let alone my best friend. The image of her blood soaking into my shoes sends a shudder down my spine.

"Kat, you're doing it again," Jason murmurs. His voice brings me back to my senses.

"Right. Sorry," I murmur. I climb behind him on the horse. Jason goes full speed, not even checking if I have a steady grip. I'm forced to wrap my arms around his waist, clinging to dear life. I've never seen Jason this serious before.

The night seems darker than usual. The shadows look like they're closing in. Despite Jason's attempts to save us and the camp, I part of me knows it's not going to work. They're just too strong. It's an army against a group of kids.

Gunshots are heard, most definitely from the camp. My chest tightens and it's suddenly a great effort to swallow.

"They'll be on to us soon," Jason says.

"They're faster than a horse, you know," I reply.

"Good point."

He stops abruptly. He pulls me off the horse and slaps its side, making it bolt forward. They'll be chasing the horse, thinking it's us. That'll give us some cover.

Smart.

Just as he pulls me into the darkness of the trees, several men in white armor zoom past us. They're on gyrocycles, the fastest vehicle I've ever seen. You don't see them much inside The Walls unless there's an emergency.

Once they've past, we run the opposite way in the woods. We sprint until we can barely breathe. Jason hasn't let go of my hand the whole time. It's almost as if he thinks that if he does, I'll disappear. I know why, though. He's lost too many people in his life.

"I- I know a place," he pants. We walk for a few minutes, stopping in front of an entrance to a cave.

"I used to come here when I was little," he explains. "When I got angry."

The image of spiders and all kinds of horrible things crawling on me flashes in my head, but I follow anyway. I don't exactly have a choice either, since he's gripping on to my hand.

The ancient cave is leaky and cold, but it beats getting a bullet to the head in the woods. But the cave doesn't block out any sound. It amplifies it. The gunshots were one thing, but screams of terror and agony echo through the dark.

"We have to help them," I splutter, attempting to stumble out of the cave.

"It'll only make things worse. They'll realize that you're not under their sanctuary soon enough," he orders.

I glare at him. "Or we could surrender and no one would have to die!"

"They'll kill you!"

"They're killing your family! I'm not your family, I'm not someone who you grew up with. Stop risking their life and yours for me."

I pull my hand away from his and take a step back. "This is all my fault. Why can't you see that?"

A mix of angry and sorrowful tears fill my eyes. I've never felt so much pain in my life. A deep, aching pain in my chest throbs. I've never felt anything like it.

Jason tries to embrace my frail body but I shove him away. His eyes fixate on me with a perplexed and slightly hurt look.

"If you're not going to help, I will," I murmur.

"No!"

His hand grips on to my wrist with force. His eyes suddenly light up with intensity and a tinge of anger and frustration.

"I can't lose you. You're not like them. People inside The Walls, nor at camp. You're like me. You're the only person who has ever really cared about me!" He protests.

"That's not true. Everyone loves you at camp. They're your family."

"There's a difference between loving someone and pretending to just because of their authority."

I take a deep breath and sigh, feeling all my rage release. "I'm sorry, Jason. But I'm not going to make people die because of my mistakes. That would be selfish."

I walk out of the cave notice that my hands are still trembling as violent as ever. I swallow hard.

Goodbye, Jason

It only takes seconds until I'm completely surrounded out of nowhere.