Lazaretto (Camren)

T H I R T Y

*trigger warning for violence and death*

"What we live by, we die by." –Robert Frost

CAMILA

It was March, and the weather was starting to warm up again. The trees were starting to sprout buds, and the grass was slowly turning from brown back to green. The snow had long melted and been replaced with brightly colored flowers. As the weather changed, so did our spirits.

My wound had healed almost completely, only bothering me when I would exercise for long periods of time. Three weeks after the incident, Max removed the stitches to let it heal naturally. Now, I had a thick circular scar on my left side permanently reminding me of the day I almost died. Wounds will always heal to leave scars, but it's how you wear them that matters.

Lauren and I were catching up on lost time between training and workouts. There was never a doubt in my mind that I was in love with her, she just made it so easy. I never felt pressured to tell her, nor she I, because we knew it would come naturally when the time was right.

Today was the day we were going to raid the facility. Once everyone was healthy, we trained relentlessly from nearly dusk until dawn. After what had happened to Lauren and me, a new fire had been lit in everyone. Derek also tested out the contacts a couple more times just to see if there were any limitations or setbacks. On those days I stayed away from Lauren. I didn't ever want to see her like that again. Derek informed us after the tests that when the contacts were turned on, they became some kind of super human. They never tired, they never felt the need to eat, and they never felt the need to sleep. The contacts were more dangerous than we had originally thought.

When Lauren would return home from the tests, she would fall down onto my bed face first completely exhausted. Being unstoppable drained her. She would tell me she knew her surroundings and could recognize the people around her, but she didn't feel anything for them. She was completely desensitized of emotion. That was what scared me the most and her as well.

No one had heard from or seen Austin in nearly two and a half months. Troy told me he never found him in the woods, and I figured he ran off to his secret place by the waterfall. I don't know how long he stayed there, but I never went after him, and he never came back. I did feel bad with how we left things, though. I did love him as a person and as a friend, and I would always care about him. I hoped that he had moved on and was happy. That was all I would ever want for him. I had left him numerous voice mails and text messages, but he never responded. I hoped he would show up at the raid.

Sloan and I had also rekindled our friendship. When I wasn't with Lauren, I spent my time with him, teaching him how to fight and how to shoot a gun. He was a little hesitant at first, but he eventually got the hang of it. I would often smile at the thought of my first days here at the warehouse and how far I've come now. From learning how to shoot a gun even remotely close to a target to teaching someone else to do the same. I was glad that he was here with me. Having him around made me happier than I ever thought imaginable.

It was nearing eight, and the sun was starting to set. We would be leaving to go to the facility within the next hour when it was completely dark outside. Everyone was gathered in the workout area going over the plans one last time and examining all the possible escape routes in case things were to go awry.

Lauren walked up to me with a smile on her face, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"I'm more than ready. I've been waiting for this day since I escaped."

She put her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "When we are in there, don't leave my side. I can't watch you get hurt again."