The gun felt heavy in Mellie's hands. Lilah had sprung into action the moment they saw the live on TV and she had pushed Mellie, Kailyn and the other man whose name turned out to be Lance something towards the stack of guns they had. Novah had shown them how to handle a weapon and now they were standing near the trapdoor, waiting for either Simon and Chris or an attack.
Lilah had told the woman and the child to hide. The little girl was scared—Mellie could tell from the faraway look in her eyes and the trembling in her hands. She didn't have to witness this too.
"How the hell did they find us?" Lilah hissed. "Do you two have trackers?"
"No, we broke them. What if they are not after us? What if they somehow found out there are people in this bunker and after whoever that might be?" Novah asked.
"Or maybe they are not particularly targeting anyone," Mellie said. "That's possible, right?"
"But why would they be patrolling all of a sudden?" Jordan leaned against the wall across from her.
"I don't know," She said. "There's a first time for everything. Who knows whether they just felt like doing it?"
"How the hell do you stay so optimistic now out of all the time?" Lilah asked a look of bafflement on her face. The cheerfulness that had started to freak Mellie out had completely disappeared the moment she saw the news. This was who Lilah really was.
Mellie shrugged, adjusting her grip on the rifle. "What else can I do?"
"Guys, listen." Novah held out a finger, slowly inching up the stairs towards the trapdoor. "Do you hear that?"
Kailyn frowned. "Hear what?"
Mellie tilted her head in confusion, trying to hear whatever Novah was hearing and Jordan seemed to be hearing too. First, all she could hear was their heavy breathing but then she heard it. It wasn't loud. It didn't seem to be near them, but she could clearly hear it like a roar in the distance.
Screaming. And the sound of a helicopter.
"Are they killing people?" Mellie gasped out. "Is that what they wanted?"
"Sounds like it," There was a look of concentration on Novah's face like she was trying to figure out something. Then she looked up at the trapdoor. "Where is Simon and your friend?"
"His name is Chris. Also, they should be here by now." Lilah straightened, aiming the gun at the entrance.
"Maybe we should go outside," Mellie suggested.
"No!" Lilah and Kailyn both said at the same time.
Lilah closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "If we go out we die."
"If we stay here we die too." Novah grabbed Lilah's arm, forcing her to open her eyes and look at her. "If they bomb this place and the bunker comes down on us, we die down here. So grab that kid and her mother and let's get out."
Lilah took a shaky breath, biting her lip. She looked at her other friend—Lance.
"She has a point, Lilah." He said.
"Fine," Lilah shook her head. "Okay, fine then. Lance, go get them. We are going aboveground."
The sound of screaming and explosions became louder the moment they set foot outside. There was smoke curling towards the sky in the distance, an orange glow illuminating the night. Mellie felt cold dread claw at her chest the moment she realised what was going on.
"They are bombing this place," Jordan muttered, staring at the helicopters that were circling the sky.
"But why?" Mellie asked, clutching the gun tightly.
"Who the hell knows? Run!" Lilah yelled.
They turned and ran away from where the helicopters were circling, stumbling and tripping through the rubble of collapsed buildings. She could hear other footsteps too—more people were fleeing the area but the fallen buildings made it hard to see anyone else. She wanted to go back and find Simon but she knew going back would be a death sentence.
Why were they suddenly killing people? Were they going to annihilate everyone because they wanted the subjects dead? Or was this their way of controlling people? Their way of showing who had the upper hand?
Mellie looked over her shoulder briefly, trying to see what was happening behind her. But it was all smoke and dust and the shadows of people running around. Air whistled out of Mellie's lungs, her legs hurt from all the running. She could hear the helicopters getting closer, the sound of their blades rotating echoing through the air like a war cry. Mellie could see no way they could survive this. How were they going to outrun a helicopter? How were they going to survive a bomb?
"Stay low!" Novah yelled from in front of her. "Try to find cover!"
"There!" Kailyn shouted, stumbling and running towards a pile of debris that had formed a roof-type structure. There seemed to be enough space for them to fit in until the danger passed.
"Come on," Lilah panted. "Go, go, go, go!"
It was hard to run in a crouched position when they also had to avoid tripping over rubble but they managed to run towards their newfound shelter with minimal injuries. Mellie's legs gave out as soon as Kailyn grabbed the collar of her shirt and pushed her under the debris. The others collapsed beside her in a tangle of limbs. The little girl was crying, tears marking track in the dust on her cheeks. The woman who might have been her mother was clutching her to her chest.
Mellie's lungs burned. She clutched her chest and stared at the running and screaming people in the distance. Novah and Lilah were pressed against her from either side, Kailyn half on top of her. Mellie could see her life flashing before her eyes—her childhood, her friends at high school, that fateful day in the subway, Novah on the bridge, stealing cars and sleeping on the ground, the subjects, the bunker. She had heard that people see their lives when they are going to die.
Am I going to die?
"You are not going to die," Novah panted, turning her head to look at Mellie. She must have said that aloud.
"Hmph." That was the only sound Mellie could make.
"We can't stay here forever," Lilah shifted next to her, trying to pull her legs underneath her and failing. "Where the hell is Chris?"
"Is he gone?" The little girl asked, raising her head from her mother's chest to look at Lilah quizzically.
"No," She gasped out, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than the little girl. "No, he's not."
Lilah looked at Novah over Mellie's head and she watched as they silently stared at each other with barely hidden panic. She knew what they were asking each other.
What if they are dead?
Mellie didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about Simon dying. They had survived for so long. He had been like a father to her. He could have just left Novah and Mellie on that train but he didn't. He took the extra burden of protecting two others when one could barely survive. He couldn't die. Not now. Not after all of this.
A bomb dropped nearby, exploding what was left of a building and crushing people. Blood sprayed everywhere and smoke and dust filled their vision. The debris over their heads shifted, dust falling on them. Mellie was not the only one who screamed. The little girl was still screaming when Lilah harshly pushed at them to get out.
"Out!" She was yelling. "Run!"
They stumbled out from under the debris, pushing at each other. Mellies fingers and knees were bleeding from trying to find leverage among the rubble. Her eyes stung from the smoke and her throat itched to cough. She had no idea where she found the strength to push herself upright and stumble after the others. The smell of blood filled her nostrils but that no longer bothered her. There was a time she might have thrown up. That time had passed long ago.
Novah, Lilah, Jordan and Lance were running ahead of her. Kailyn was behind her with the mother and the child. Mellie suddenly felt sorry for the little girl. This was no place for a child. This was no place for anyone.
There was a crash and scream from behind her and she felt a piece of concrete or something else scratch her ankle. They stumbled to a stop and turned, eyes widening as they caught sight of a part of a building that had collapsed.
Kailyn was pinned waist down, blood pooling under her head. Mellie dropped down next to her, feeling a sob catch in her throat. Novah and Jordan stumbled to a stop next to her, dropping their guns and trying to lift off the concrete off Kailyn. She gritted her teeth against the pain.
"Where are the others?" Lilah was screaming. "Where's that kid?"
Kailyn weakly turned her head to her right and the other followed her line of sight. A thin, small leg was visible under the concrete, blood running down the dust-covered skin. The only visible part of her mother was the tips of her fingers, reaching out under the rubble. There was no hope for them. They were already dead. Lance dropped to his knees with tear-filled eyes and Lilah kicked at a piece of concrete, hands tearing at her hair.
"You have to go," Kailyn gasped out. Blood bubbled on her lips. Mellies reached out and wiped her sleeve across her mouth.
"No," Mellie sobbed. "We are not leaving you here."
Novah and Jordan were still trying to lift the concrete but it was too heavy and they were too tired.
"You know I'm already halfway gone, Mellie." Kailyn smiled, her voice oddly calm. "You have to go. You have to leave me."
Mellie shook her head, feeling the tears escape her eyes. Kailyn turned to Novah.
"Novah," She said getting the girl's attention who was trying to lift a slab of concrete with everything she had. "You saved me once. You suffered because of that. You don't have to do that now. Go."
Novah gulped. "But—"
Kailyn shook her head weakly, cutting her off mid-sentence. "I know you know, Novah. You know I'm going to die—"
They were startled by another crash nearby.
"Everything will come down," Kailyn muttered. "Go. Save yourselves."
Novah nodded jerkily, stumbling back from Kailyn. She grabbed Mellie's collar and pulled her up. Kailyn smiled up at them. "Thank you."
"Come on," Lilah said quietly. "Let's go."
Mellie cast one last look at Kailyn as the others ran ahead of her. But her eyes were already closed.
Total word count 16,870