The basement looked like it was on fire and the walls were severely damaged. The smell of melting plastic and smoke almost chocked me back to unconsciousness. There was no sign of corpses - Thank God! - but I couldn't understand how was I still alive. Who... was it because of me? Did I create this disaster? Maybe... Is this the change Bill was talking about?!

“Allaya! Bill!”

What have I done? Please don't be dead, please don't be dead!

“Allaya!”

After too much struggling to get up, my feet finally synchronized with my brain and I headed to the exit. Did I damage only the basement or everything around it? This thought made me run as fast as I could, screaming Allaya's name. I opened the door, or what was left of it, and I went upstairs. A familiar voice caught my attention, helping me find them.

“Bill, hold her hands, and you Elliot hold her legs. She mustn’t move, do you hear me?”

Someone screamed so bad that it froze me for a second. I was so scared, but I kept walking until I got closer to the group. The image hit me when I saw Ria's naked back as she was lying on the grass with her face down... Dear Lord, what have I done?!

“Ria, stay with me. Ria!”

Ria was almost unconscious, breathing heavily. Her body had uncontrollable muscular spasms and her back was covered in blood. A nauseous smell hit the air that made Elise vomit and me hold my breath. Warily examining the damage I caused Ria, I was shocked to discover that the smell was coming from her injury. The wounds resembled deep cuts, and the edges of the wounds were...charred! No... no... It can’t be! I fell on my knees, feeling helpless and hating myself. In that moment, while looking at the ground, I knew that a part of me had been lost.

I almost killed a person.

Their voices became fuzzy, my eyes couldn't see anymore and my senses were frosted over. Actually, I didn't know if I was still breathing or for how long I stood there. Eventually I noticed some intense sounds drifting in the air and that somebody was shacking me.

“Mia? Mia, can you hear me?” Elise asked.

“Maybe I should beat the hell out of her! That'll wake her up.” Bill nervously screamed.

“Cut it out! I don't remember you handling the transition any better than she did.” Allaya said, without taking her eyes from Ria's wounds.

“Well, it's not like I will hurt her more than she hurt Ria!”

“Look, Bill. I understand, as much as my state of mind can right now, that you are furious, scared and lost. We all are, including Mia. Not knowing what's happening with your own body and with your world is... I don't know! It's just terrifying. And this is why we have to stick together and help all the people we can. You can’t beat or blame every person you are mad at, just because the world is a mess and you can't or don't know how to live in it anymore. “

“Allaya, I didn't want to...”

“Listen. Every day since this thing happened, I try not to lose my mind by telling myself that I will be alright and safe, because I found you guys. This is what keeps me sane, do you understand?” Her voice was trembling and Bill knew he touched a nerve.

“All I am asking of you is to meet me in the middle. Not every time... but at least when I can’t carry our burdens and responsibilities by myself.”

“Letting you do it all was never my intention. But you must understand that we can’t save all the people. And most importantly, I won’t allow every person we meet, join our group only because we feel pity for them. We can’t just blindly trust people. Now more than ever. We are in the same situation as they are and only the strong or the lucky survive.”

“But, Bill...”

“Listen. I will give Mia a chance if you let this crazy idea go away. This is the only way we can live.”

“Ok, let's say we have to fight with other groups that think just like you. What then? Do you really think we can win? If we help people, if we stick together and...”

“Did you not see what Mia just did?! I’ll bet you she can erase an entire battlefield in a blink.”

“Oh, so now you’re ok with Mia, aren't you? The one who hurt Ria, the one who a second ago you wanted dead?”

“Now who doesn't meet who in the middle?”

Both of them were intensely staring at each other with no intention of backing down.

“If keeping you all alive means being a merciless asshole, then so be it. But you know this is the truth, Allaya. We are facing hard times and being soft will kill us. We are all fucked.”

“Ok, Bill. I understand. But let's not make it an actual rule, ok? At one point, we will need to have more people around us.”

“Ok. Until then, let's focus on finding a decent home and food. How’s Ria?”

“She fell asleep, but her wounds will not heal very soon. And… it will cause her a lot of pain.”

“But, what about your... power? If you can feel every organ within a body, can't you manipulate the organ tissue to recover faster?”

“I thought about that, but I’m too afraid to try it on Ria. What if I hurt her more than she is already?”

“I know, Allaya. I do. But eventually, you’ll need to find out if you can or can't do that. Finding what your powers are will help you accept the new you. And knowing who you are will make it easier to understand this new world. Which again, you have no choice, but to accept it for what it is.”

“This and the beginning of a war will mean needing to heal you all on the spot.” Allaya concluded.

“Uh...yes, this too.”

I heard her sighing.

“Ok, let's find a home and some food. You will carry Ria, I will take care of Mia.”

Bill nodded and Allaya came to me. Her voice was gentle as she wiped the tears from my cheeks.

“Mia, sweety. Are you ok?”

“I killed her...”

“No, you didn’t. Ria will be fine, I promise. No one is blaming you because we all know it's not your fault. What happened back there is not easy to control, but we will help you learn to do so.”

“No, I don't want this! It makes me a monster, don't you see?”

“If you are a monster, then so are we. But we...”

“You’re a monster?! Allaya, you just treated the person I almost killed. How does that make you a monster, tell me?”

Bill approached me and instinctively I got up into a fighting position, with my arms in front of my face, ready for a fight. It was a bad idea to move so fast. My arms started to hurt, but my focus was on Bill, who was carrying Ria on his back.”

“Don't worry. I won't pick a fight with you. Maybe after you've healed.” Bill said. “And your arms are bleeding, by the way. Again.”

“I got this.” Allaya said while picking the first aid kit from the ground.

After Allaya finished with my arms, everyone was exhausted, but somehow it felt different. Something changed in their attitude, like an encouraging melody was being heard among us. It gave us a tiny drop of optimism.

And from that moment, I didn't feel as alone anymore.

I finally looked around to see what was left of my world. The sun had just risen and several people were still searching through the ruins of the demolished buildings. They looked so pale and weak, covered in mud and dried blood. A dog was whimpering and barking over its owners’ dead body. How long would that dog stay by his side?

Allaya told me that they found me after six days had passed since the disaster and I was unconscious for a week more. They fed me by infusion, until one day when I woke up, suffering from amnesia for another two weeks.

During that time, I was bedridden, due to lack of food, fluids and my injuries. They gave me more food than they normally had to eat for themselves and Elise talked to me every day about random stuff from her life. She and Elliot are 18 years old and they are that type of twins who look and think almost exactly alike.

Now I understand why Bill was angry with me and I can’t really blame him for this, considering the timing. Who needs such a burden in this mess? Maybe one day I will return the favor to all of them. Until then, my help will be unconditional, trying to be by their side, no matter what.

Someone gently touched my back and when I turned around, I saw Eliot, smiling at me.

“Let's go, Mia. Time to find a home.”

The rest of them were already in front of us, waiting for me to join.

“Yes. Let's find a home.” I whispered, surprised by his kindness.

While searching for a place to stay, Elliot and I kept talking nonsense, to keep us distracted. He was so familiar… it reminded me of someone. His way of talking, the slangs only teenagers use and the drive he had...

“I used to like horror movies, you know? I always asked myself what would I've done if I would have to live in one…” Elliot said.

“Horror movies…?”

“Yes, horror movies. Ghosts, demons, vampires...our actual world.”

I stopped.

“Mia...are you ok?” He cautiously asked.

“Horror movies...are...”

“...causing you a heart attack? Mia?”

So many thoughts were spinning in my head, as I tried to pinpoint the one that was making me feel like this. At once, my pulse had skyrocketed and I started to panic. Something was coming back to me and I was so scared of what...of who... and then I screamed.

“KARL!!!”