All That Remains

17. Jaelynn

When they set out again, it was with determination in their step and a cloud of thick, black smoke in their wake.

They left Jonah's body to burn as per his wish and though Jae was still devastated at the loss, she was starting to understand his choice. A heavy ache filled her heart and rage sat on her shoulders as she walked. She knew that she would avenge all the people that had been killed. Martha, Kenji and Jonah. Lorenzo would pay for their lives with his own, she would make sure of it.

Revenge coursed through her veins like a wildfire that refused to be tamed. Grief and sadness came second to the burning desire of vengeance that coursed through her entire being. A red haze covered her vision as she walked, tinting everything in scarlet.

Elias walked beside her, the map in his hands as he occasionally pointed out a familiar landmark or street name to ensure they were heading in the right direction. Keenan and Tyrell trailed behind them, both seemingly lost in thought.

"Jae." Keenan finally spoke up as they rounded another corner onto a long street that was dotted with potholes. "I'm beginning to wonder if this is a good idea. In the last two days, we have lost three of our own. I don't want to risk anyone else."

"You should have thought of that before you burnt Jonah to ash!" she shouted, turning around to face him. Her anger, barely simmering beneath the surface, lashed out, eager to have something to focus on.

Elias stopped as well, lowering the map down slightly. From the corner of her eye, Jae was sure she saw him take a step back, as though he was scared to face her wrath. To his credit, Keenan didn't even flinch, eyeing her carefully and speaking in a calm voice.

"You can be as angry at me as you like, Jae," Keenan said. "But I did what was asked of me. If you think you're the only one who is hurting, you are sorely mistaken."

"You were supposed to be our leader, Keenan," she accused, even though she knew that none of it was Keenan's fault. "You promised to keep us safe. We trusted you."

"Let's all take a breath and calm down," Tyrell intervened. Jae threw him a nasty look, which he took in his stride, responding with a small smirk.

Keenan took a step forward closer to Jae. For a moment she wondered if he might strike her for her awful words. Instead he did the opposite, pulling her close in a tight hug and resting his cheek on the crown of her head.

"You have lost so much and I am truly sorry that you are in so much pain," he soothed, stroking her hair softy. "I know I've failed, but I promise you this, everything I have done has been with my best intentions. I'm just a man, and I make mistakes too."

Jae found herself cracking underneath his kindness, her anger dissolving like sherbet. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she allowed him to comfort her. Keenan was right, as always. They were all human, and all of them had made mistakes.

Jae herself had made the worst of all, a fact that Elias now knew thanks to her confession last night. And yet, both he and Keenan still trusted her, even though they were aware that she was a murderer. Maybe she owed Keenan the same level of respect. His only real mistake had been caring too much about all of them.

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt." She sniffled against Keenan's chest, allowing him to comfort her and ease her worries. She was sure that Elias and Tyrell were watching her breakdown, but at the moment she really didn't care if they saw her being weak.

Too much had happened in too little time. It was a lot for anyone to handle, but especially for Jae, who had her fair share of tragedies since the world turned to chaos. She was tired of pretending that she wasn't in constant agony and that she didn't miss her parents every day. She was tired of fighting for survival in a world that wasn't really worth living in. She was tired of the people she cared about getting hurt.