The aching intensified as I pushed forth the path littered by abandoned vehicle and concrete wreckage. Thick vines covered what was left standing and trees scattered in the middle of broken roads. Footsteps roared behind us, announcing the enemy's advancement.

Something trickled between my legs, but I ignored it under the circumstances. I pressed my lower belly, withstanding the pain.

"Charis bleeding!" Ember gushed, causing all the others to halt abruptly.

"Don't stop. I have her." Alfie scooped me into his arms then continued running.

I looked behind us, baffled at the sight of HEROIN marching without a single broke of fire. July shot once then twice, expression wearing shocked. She stopped, blasting more in the dark. "What the," she mumbled before Ember dragged her forward.

Thalaa led ahead, beckoning his flashlight towards an intersection. "Over here. We're almost there," he let out between heavy breath, making a turn into an open building. He fished out his phone, clicking it before placing it to his ear. "We're at the port! Bring the boat ASAP!"

A view of a river revealed as soon as we stepped onto the remnants of what was once a pier. The capital sat on the distance, reflecting light on the surface of the water. July and Ember crouched on the moulded ground, scrambling with their weapons.

July huffed. "Have you seen them? They still run after I shot their legs. What crazy sh*t is going on?" She rushed to unstrap a heavy-looking weapon and held it out to Ember. "Here, use the machine gun."

Calmly, Ember kneeled, changed the slender front part of the machine gun onto something thicker. She mounted something spiral at the top and angled her eye on it. "I'm sorry," she breathed.

Bullet sprayed immensely seconds later. One by one, the enemy dropped to the ground, alas, more came. Tens were emerging from the shadow.

The sight itself was something out of what my mind could comprehend. Women ran towards us mindlessly, some of them plunged to the ground but got up again, making their way to us with bloodied and distorted body parts.

Thalaa joined opening fire, countless times glancing towards the water. "They're drugged," he claimed.

Soon Ember and July ran out of ammunition. They took out their daggers. Alfie put me down gently on the corner, instantly blocking a coming HEROIN. As he held her down, I saw her eyes red as fire. The vacant on her face signed soulless.

"What's wrong with them!" Ember screamed, slicing a HEROIN by the throat. The woman plummeted to the ground, crawling until she finally went numb with her eyes still drawing wide.

Dead bodies spread around minutes later, a product only possible after cutting off oxygen from their lungs.

July inspected one of them, sniffing something she just gouged from the corpse's shoulder. "Its heroin. They're drugged with the real heroin."

"Bravo."

Out of a sudden, a familiar voice broke our still. A loud thud followed when someone slumped on the cement ground near the entrance. A silhouette was pointing a gun at her head. When she pulled up her face, I recognised her instantly.

"Ma!" I gasped. My eyes moved to the person standing, her spectacle glint under the weak light.

Braile sneered, eyes piercing towards Alfie. "You, you are the cause of all this!"

"No, he did nothing wrong," my mother muttered.

My heart broke at the sight of her frail body. The curls tipping her shoulder I last remembered her, was no more. She had only a little covering her head, nothing to shroud the hallow on her cheeks.

"Then why did you leave me, Char?" Braile laughed bitterly. Her eyes moved from Alfie to Thalaa, who lowered his head. "And you! I should have known," she uttered, possessing a fleeting look of pain before she masked it with indifference.

"Because you change, Braile. You believe what they say. You let them ruin your mind. You let your eyes deceive you."

Rustles beat the eerie moment, hoards of HEROIN emerged from the dark, number raising to hundreds. Braile laughed. "It's too late. All men will die today. Behold, the X-trax perfected by me. And she "—her eyes beamed towards Lady Liberty standing proudly on the axis— "shall deliver us."

Two small lights flickered from behind, a white boat making an appearance. Braile's face morphed to anger, looking at Alfie who only stared at her. Under reticent, she turned to him, pulling the trigger.

"Alfie!!!" I screamed.

Time went into a standstill, mashing my reality with a memory of five years ago; the night we were set apart. I scrambled to push him. But someone jumped into the scene, taking the shot. My mouth gaped as a scream pushed out when Thalaa fell to the ground. A wild whistling blared the sound around me as I reached for him.

Trembling, I put his head onto my lap. "Why... I have so much to say. You've done so much for me. I'm sorry." I couldn't weight the words properly. My chest felt heavy from all the guilt and lament.

Thalaa shook his head. "P-pro-promise me, y-yo-you will li-live," he stuttered with much effort. Blood ran between the gaps of his lips. He held my hand, pressing as death pulled on him. Caressing his head, I nodded. When he smiled, memories of us growing up started playing in my eyes. At the moment there was only him and me. Slowly his grip loosened, and his eyes finally fastened. On my hand was an emblem with the HEROIN logo on it.

I hugged him, wailing. "No!"

Chaos poured into the scene. The mindless HEROIN army attacked July, Ember, and even Braile. They made their way towards us, while Alfie stared into nothingness, looking numb at the scene.

My mother's voice was what first entered my awareness. "Charis, run!" She was behind Braile who rounded off shots on the mindless women who strike upon contact. They were like feral animals, mauling on anybody other than among themselves.

Out of a sudden, the calm breeze turned wild. The earth under me vibrated. When I looked up, Alfie's eyes had turned into glowing emerald. Veins swelled clearly under his skin. He waved his hand in the air as if pulling something. I had to squint my eyes under the harsh wind, fighting with disbelieving when I witnessed climbing vines came to life, spiralling onto HEROIN.

Alfie bent his head to Thalaa with a ghost expression before waving his hand above Thalaa's chest. A bullet lifted to the air, flinging towards a HEROIN.

Snapping out of shock, I felt Ember grabbed me. But I painfully held on to Thalaa. "No, don't leave him."

Ember checked his pulse, shaking her head with dark tears pooling in her eyes. "He's gone."

Reluctantly I got up, looking back for the last time where Thalaa laid lifeless. July came with another pair of hand, rushing us out of the crumbling building. The boat rocked on the stormy water as we boarded.

"We have to go now. It won't hold much longer!" The woman who came to help us voiced. She stood at the front, holding the wheel. I presumed she was the captain.

"Please wait! Alfie and my mother."

Helplessly I watched as Alfie rushed to Braile who was lying on the ground. My mother was cradling her.

When a broken slab almost crushed onto Braile, Alfie jumped, making himself as a shield to protect her. The concrete broke as it hit him. Yet he stood, carrying her out from the danger with my mother trailing behind. The boat wasted no more time and started cruising off from the pier.

On the distance, Lady Liberty torch started flickering, calling to everyone's attention. Something was about to happen.

"The X-trex!" The captain gushed.

Braile, fighting to breathe, turned to Alfie. "Why- Why- did you safe me?"

Alfie hunched between Braile and me. Blood trickled down from his head. "You're my mother," he uttered.

My mother held Braile's hand. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I stole him so you can see he's human and what he could become with love surrounding him. I stole him because I love you too much to let you stray."

A trembling hand reached for Alfie's face. "I- I'm sorry," Braile whispered, voice breaking as she coughed out more blood. She arched, grunting in pain, but she managed to reach for something into her coat. "It-It's not-Too-Late." After touching the small device she just retracted, her hand dropped. Her stares remained on Alfie until my mother closed her eyelids.

Lady Liberty's torch dimming was my last perception before my sight turned hazy.

***

The hint of sunlight seeped through my eyelids. I jolted, looking around to find myself inside a cabin. An IV was attached to my arm. Next to my bed was my mother. Her eyes were at rest. I touched her hands, smiling at the serenity on her face.

A woman laid on the bed at the other corner, and her red hair was what first caught my attention. The sound of me shifting stirred her.

"Charis, you're awake." She rose, troubled by the blanket covering her body. As it slid off, I gasped. Her hands were gone, decapitated up to her wrist.

Alfie ran in through the gaping door, putting me instantly at ease. July and Ember followed after.

"Thank goodness. You've been out for hours. I thought Ember put the wrong solution on the IV," July chuckled.

Ember gave her a stink eye before turning to me. "How are you feeling, Charis?"

I caressed my belly. "I feel fine. But my baby."

Alfie sat next to me, pulling me close. "He's fine. He's a fighter like you."

I released a relief breath, leaning into Alfie's chest. I would have hugged him if only the room weren't filled with so many spectators. July snickered, Ember had a wide grin, and then there was April, giving me a small smile.

Staring at her bandaged hands, she began. "I knew there was something wrong with our mission. I hasted for us to flee, but we were caught. Braile knew about us, about HEROINE, the original HEROINE. I begged her for my sisters. In exchange I" —she wiped her tears— "I let her analysed my hands. She freed my sisters as she promised. Then I laid in HEROIN's lab, hands clamped on a machine. Until—"

Footsteps echoed from outside, demanding our attention. "I saved her. But I can't save her hands," the captain interjected.

Under the light, I finally had a clear view of her. Recognising who she was.

Leaning on the wall with her hands crossed, she smiled at me when I matched her gaze. "We meet again."

"You happened to be at the right time we needed you, Beatrice?" I narrowed my eyes at her, feigning scepticism.

"I go way back with those three." She glanced lazily towards the trio. "I arrived here without my body, although I haven't lost my grip on the mission."

Confused, I continued to watch her. Unlike me, the trio bent their heads down, suddenly finding the floor as something more interesting to look at.

"Let me properly introduce myself. I'm the general of 4th Armed Division of HEROINE. I go by the name, Xax."

***

Thank you for reading.

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