Hurricane // Danger Days (Book 2)

28.

"Ram!" Storm heard someone shout as he continued to run. It was Revolution, who ran over to Rampage's side and knelt next to him.

Storm finally reached the scene. He dove toward his sister, who was still laying on the ground. "Hailey! Hails, are you okay? Please tell me you're okay."

Sunset coughed a couple of times, then she nodded. "I'm okay," she said, her voice cracking. "Can you help me up? I think she broke my arm or something."

Storm lifted her right arm over his shoulder and stood up, helping her to her feet.

Revolution leaned over Rampage and shook him. "Ram, wake up! Goddamnit, talk to me!"

His eyes fluttered open. He was right on the verge of consciousness. "...Lucy..." was all he said.

"What do you mean?" Revolution asked frantically. "Who's Lucy?"

"...I had to save her..." he muttered. Then he exhaled, and his eyes closed.

"No, no no no!" Revolution shouted. "You can't! Come back! Fuck, no, you—" their voice broke, and they let out a sob. They hated crying, but right now it was acceptable.

"Rev!" Alien burst through the wall of people fighting around them. Then she saw Revolution. "What's going on?"

"He sacrificed himself for Sunset," Revolution managed. "Grenade almost shot her but then—" she choked up.

Storm and Sunset walked over to where their group was. "Rampage?" Sunset asked, clearly tearing up. She broke away from Storm and knelt down next to Rampage's body. "I- I'm so sorry."

Then, coughing was heard from a few yards away. Storm's head whipped around as he realized that it was Grenade. She had been knocked out, but she had just reemerged into consciousness.

She stood slowly, still coughing. Her nose dripped blood, and she wiped it with her sleeve. Then her eyes caught Storm's, and her face became that of a tiger that had found its prey. She instantly started running towards him, fire in her eyes.

Storm stood his ground. He wouldn't run anymore. He braced himself for impact and closed his eyes.

"HEY!" A high-pitched voice yelled suddenly. Storm opened his eyes and saw none other than Toxic Revenge standing between him and Grenade. He was keeping her from him, protecting him.

"Ven?" She asked in disbelief. "What are you—"

"Ven?" Alien gasped from behind Storm.

"Shut the hell up!" Grenade yelled at the top of her lungs.

She had intended it specifically for Alien, but all around them, Rioters stopped fighting. They abandoned their fights, and instead crowded around Grenade, standing behind her. They were always loyal to her. The Killjoys responded to this by running in the opposite direction, crowding behind Alien. They were all completely silent.

Grenade huffed, "Ven, I told you to stay in the van—"

"No!" Revenge shouted. "Ren, do you see what you're doing? You just killed that man! And he didn't even want to hurt you. He was protecting his friend, but you killed him anyway!" The boy stepped forward and grabbed his sister's bullhorn from her belt, then guided his words towards the Rioters. "Do any of you know what you're doing? These people don't want to hurt you, and you're murdering them in cold blood! They only want to show you that the morals you live by are wrong. Yes, BLI have hurt and enslaved many innocent people, but that doesn't mean that the innocents deserve to die along with them! They're only under BLI's control, and with time, they can all be set free! I know you want to listen to my sister, and I understand that. But hear me out when I say this: we have been accusing the people in Battery City of crimes that they didn't commit, and eliminating them because of it." He stared into Grenade's eyes. "Would Mom and Dad have wanted that for us, Ren?"

Grenade audibly gasped. She looked like she was about to say something, but she never did.

Revenge took a deep breath. "But the Killjoys realize that everyone deserves a second chance. BLI has shown many times that they don't deserve that. But the people in the city can be saved." He raised something that was in his hands. It was his welding mask, which he put on over his face, then raised to the top of his head. He put the bullhorn to his lips again. "Now tell me," he addressed the mass of people behind Grenade. "Which side are you on?"

Then he did something which shot fear and guilt into the hearts of every Rioter: he walked over to the Killjoys and stood with them, next to Storm.

There were several audible gasps from both sides. No one on the Killjoy side expected this tiny Rioter to speak so eloquently and have such good points, and the Rioters were shocked that this kid, this genius, would straight up contradict the leader of the entire army, and his sister, no less.

But the one thing that was filling all of the Rioter's minds was this: he's right.

And then, one Rioter stepped forward. Storm recognized her as the Riot's head medic, but he couldn't remember her name. She stepped out of the crowd, hesitated, took a deep breath, then followed Revenge over to the Killjoys' side.

And slowly, all of the other Rioters did the same.

Grenade was sure that she was feeling every single negative emotion in existence in that moment. Her brother had just completely betrayed her, her "best friend" hadn't been her friend at all, and all of the people she thought were on her side just abandoned her. But she also felt guilty. Her parents were killed by BLI, and that was what sparked her hate, but one of their neighbors had saved her and Revenge from the Exterminator that was about to kill them. She realized that everything she had been doing and saying this whole time was exactly like what BLI was preaching to the masses. Her eyes filled. In her entire life, she had never felt more alone.

Grenade collapsed to her knees, sobbing. Revenge ran over to her and knelt down beside her. Then, he put his arms around her neck and, sounding like a child for the first time in years, whispered: "It's okay. I still love you, no matter what."

She threw her arms around him, clutching onto his green hoodie for dear life. He was still there, everything was okay when he was there.

Storm watched, and felt so much guilt. He had betrayed this girl, who had thought he was her best friend. He decided, right then and there, that he was going to give her a chance. She might not let him, but he was at least going to try.

Sunset walked up next to her brother and put her arm around him. She had been on the verge of tears this whole time, but she tried to hide it until now. She pulled Storm close to her and hugged him, softly weeping into his denim vest. He held tight to her. He knew they had grown apart for a while, but now he knew he had to hang on to her. After all, she was his family.

And family, whether it's by blood or by choice, is one of the few things that matter most in the world.