End of Days

The March on the Republic

(13)

For what seems like the tenth time tonight, my eyes snap open and I jolt up in bed. My breathing is rigid and choppy as is my heart beat. I run my fingers through my hair, squeezing it lightly as I attempt to calm down. I throw the covers off and pull my sweatshirt off, attempting to cool myself down. I notice a bit of light coming through the window and decide to give up on sleeping. I quickly change into jeans and a different long sleeve shirt, grabbing my hoodie to put on later. I quickly pack a bag with a change of clothes and my blanket before I slide out of the room and down the hall, hearing the snores of others in their rooms. I push the door to the outside open and I'm greeted with the cold, nipping, morning air. I notice a few others roaming around, Alec is the only one I recognize. He's sitting alone by the fire, just watching it flicker.

    "Can't sleep?" I ask, coming up behind him and sitting on the log. I rub my hands on my knees, letting the warmth of the fire relax me. I slide the hoodie on after a moment, realizing just how cold it is.

Alec's eyes finally move away from the fire and onto me, "I just keep thinking about what happens if she's not there. What if we break in the front, shoot up the place and it's all for nothing? We lose people they lose people and it's all just a waste. God, my dad's an asshole and I wouldn't miss him, but Maya's young. She wouldn't understand, she-she'd be devastated. I can barely take it when she scrapes her knee, how would I break it to her that she's never going to see her dad again." For the first time ever, Alec's cocky facade falls away. The true him rises up and shows itself. His eyes are filled with fear, he looks back at the fire watching it once again.

We sit in silence as I think about what he said. What if Sam isn't there? What if they moved her, or if she's already dead? I move my eyes from him to the fire as well, listening to the crackling and watching the flicking of each individual flame. I hear my name being called, snapping my attention from the fire to the group gathering at the gate. Everyone is there, ready to leave except Alec and I. We both stand up and make our way over, Blake meets us halfway and hands me a pistol.

"It's yours now and it's a glock like mine, so field stripping it will be the same as how I taught you on mine." He informs me as we rejoin the others at the gate. I nod, putting on a small smile as we start to walk out of Arcton. I slide the gun into my waistband and join the blob of people. He goes to speak again, but Sage calls him up to the front. He excuses himself and jobs ahead of everyone to meet her. Most of the members of Arcton are in the front. A few of the slower ones have mixed into the middle of us, but they stay together for the most part. All I can think about is what Alec said today and what Blake said yesterday. I hadn't really thought about the gravity of our situation. We are about to take on part of the army who had successfully conquered almost the entire world. Sure we weren't taking on the whole army, but enough of them to be worried about.

No one really speaks on the walk, partially because of how early it is and partially because everyone's mind is on something else. A voice beside me suddenly snaps me out of my train of thought, "I don't know if this is the best idea." His accent makes my heart flutter a little, but his words send it crashing back down. "I don't remember them talking about a training camp in Randall. I don't know who they would be training there anyway, they wouldn't bring troops here to be trained and they use the survivors they find as workers not soldiers." Enzo explains as we walk aside one another.

"They might have started all of this after you left, Arcton has been helpful this far, I don't know why they'd start being deceiving now." I glance up at him. He just nods and looks away, I notice him start to play with the side of his pants, a sort of nervous tick I guess. I grab his hand, getting him to look back at me, "are you okay?" I ask, feeling him tense slightly under my touch.