Trigger warning: the following chapter contains gore. Please read with caution.

For a second, everything seemed quiet before drone clusters exploded one by one in quick, fiery succession. Lost in the light and noise was another cluster, and then another.

Lilac covered her face as acrid smoke stung her eyes and clogged her airways. She coughed, sucking in more toxic smoke. Rubbing away tears, she stared blankly at the spectacle in front of her; smoking bills of shrivelled rubbish, and people screaming in the fire. Charred fingers reached out from the flames in an attempt to flee, only for the people to fall, wailing as the pain became too much. Though the temperature was rapidly rising, chills ran down her entire body. Not even her worst nightmares could compare to a horrific sight like this.

Another explosion shook the walls, making small bits of debris sprinkle to the floor. Screams mixed into the blasts in a cacophony of nightmarish sounds. Lilac closed her eyes, unable to distinguish whether the shaking was from the shockwaves or her fear. Safety was non-existent, but flimsy walls offered a strange comfort. It was better than nothing. Anything was better than nothing!

With every tremor, she crawled towards Chickadee, ignoring the pain as the heat seared her hair and skin. In the lull between explosions, shrieks filled the air, saturated in fear and shock. Lilac shakily curled up onto a foetal position.

Why did she want to die?

Another scream pierced the air.

This was scary; dying was scary.

Tears fell in quick, warm streams.

Cries of absolute agony mixed with the loud crackling of the fires; scalding, toxic smoke wafted in with every shockwave, and tremors made the walls creak as metal slid on metal. Lilac covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Temperatures rose to an almost unbearable degree, but the girl refused to move.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

A deafening boom shattered the air, and then everything went silent. Lilac stayed still for a while, listening to an eerie, echoing ring that seemed to make itself known in the absence of any other sound. In that silence, her muscles still shuddered even though the tremors and the explosions ceased. She couldn’t move. Her limbs seemed locked in an invisible mould. What if the explosions started again? What if death came to them with the twitch of a finger?

“I’m scared.”

Lilac froze. Chickadee was awake. She watched as the small girl reached out with a shaky hand.

“Everything hurts. Please hold me. I don’t want to die alone.”

Lilac took a deep, shaky breath and slowly crawled forwards. Terror flashed in the back of her mind, but she curled her fingers around Chickadee’s damp, feverish palm. No crying. She had to be strong, for herself and for the only person that cared for her.

A second after, Chickadee smiled and closed her eyes.

Lilac’s heart skipped a beat. No! Her eyes scanned Chickadee’s small form.

The chest was still, devoid of life.

Lilac collapsed.

Why? Chickadee wasn’t supposed to die. Neither of them was supposed to die. She just wanted to scream, to batter against the rules by refusing to do what they wanted. She never wanted…

Lilac gazed at the girl and blinked. It took her all to hold back relief. No way. She had to be hallucinating. She leaned over and placed her hand on Chickadee’s chest. There was a moment of silence before a subtle movement made itself known. Relief bloomed from her chest as a smile sprang upon her face.

Chickadee was alive!

Lilac began to laugh. Hysterical laughter forced itself from her throat. It was a false alarm. Just a false alarm. It was just – she stopped laughing.

Just because Chickadee was alive did not mean she was going to stay that way. She was running on borrowed time. Lilac turned her gaze to the outside, still hazy from the plumes of smoke rising from the ground. What should she do now? She looked back at Chickadee, barely holding onto life. What options were there for her? Dying. She shivered at that thought. Dying was not an option.

In the end, they were back to square one. All this agonising was for nothing. Perhaps it was just better to give up. There was no point.

“Go out. There is nothing for you here.”

Lilac froze. Goosebumps broke out on her skin as felt the gaze of something behind her. She turned around, seeing nothing but the compacted trash wall.

What just happened? Was hunger making her hallucinate already, or was desperation playing tricks on her mind? The girl turned her attention back to the outside. Well, she had nothing else to do and nothing else to lose but their lives. It wasn’t like the outcome would change if she stayed.

Lilac crouched and mustered her strength to piggyback a limp Chickadee. She frowned as various spots on her skin screamed with pain.

Burns.

The girl took a few unsteady steps before stopping. The wind blew, making her sweaty clothes stick to her skin, and the sky was still overcast with the smoke and ashes. With a sigh, she let gravity do its work, plunging her feet into the hot, spongy trash.

Lilac had no energy to cry. Her gaze averted from the corpses that littered the rubbish. Some were just charred stumps, while others had limbs missing. The harsh absurdity of the situation was not lost on her. Trash lived in the trash and died in the trash. Morbid amusement spiralled into disgust as parts of the corpses twitched.

Something popped and spewed hot, red juices all over her leg. Lilac turned a hollow gaze towards what seemed to be a piece of flesh melded together with melted plastic. Suddenly bitter bile rose from her throat, and the girl doubled over.

...

Somewhere along the line, the skies began to darken as the air cooled, and more people joined her on her aimless walk. Perhaps they needed something to do, or perhaps they were just like her, not even understanding the purpose behind their actions.

After that small incident, numbness began to settle in. Lilac was barely aware of the cuts and burns accumulating on her feet. Her body screamed, creaked and protested in pain, but something drove her forward. The listless girl yet again, ignored the screams of help and the impending feeling of doom as she felt Chickadee slowly slip away from life.

She didn’t know why she was here. Why was she still walking? Every part of her body begged for her to give up, but she still went even though the burden of her dying sister grew heavier on her back. Her steps faltered, and threatened to make her legs give out. Yet, she still stood even when she climbed up and down the trash hills.

Lilac tiredly plodded on and slipped. With sharp, stinging pain, the ground and the sky blurred together before suddenly stopping. The girl tried to push herself up but failed.

Ah, this was it; total exhaustion.

Lilac closed her eyes, almost falling into comfortable unconsciousness before she stopped. Something deep within her mind pushed back against the tide of deep sleep. Chickadee! She had to check on Chickadee. Panic flooded her system, but not even a finger moved.

She had no energy, nothing.

Desperation mixed in with the panic. No matter what, Lilac had to make sure Chickadee was okay, no matter what. Once they were safe, she could collapse, but that time was not now. She had to get up.

With a twitch of a finger, Lilac slowly picked herself up with jerky, agonising movements. Her arms shook with exertion, threatening to collapse. Her vision tilted, and a headache made its presence known; sharp and throbbing. It took more than a second for the girl to recognise the scene in front of her. Large buildings loomed up in front of her, glowing with light from their many, many windows.

The sight was unmistakable. It was the city of Cerella, but logic screamed that such was impossible. The Great Fence would have vaporised her unless...

Lilac shakily turned around. What would have been smooth pillars of metal were cracked and scorched. Generating a Forceshield in that state was out of the question. Looking down, she saw twisted metal, melted plastic and shattered glass forming a ring around each pillar.

Those explosions concentrated themselves here? Was that why the ground was still warm even though everything else was beginning to cool?

She turned her attention to the pile of trash behind her, breathing a sigh of relief as Chickadee’s limp form sprawled across the floor.

“Hey girl, behind you.”

Lilac blinked as she looked up, seeing the faces and fingers of the others pointed at something behind her. She followed their gaze to an illuminated sign which marred the sunset with an ominous line.

“As of today, the City of Cerella belongs to the Antra of the Immati.”

The sign promptly changed.

“Please stay indoors as the Immati Security force commences the inspection and cleansing of city streets.”

Lilac blinked as spots of bright light began bathing the city streets, turning even a scrap of paper to dust. Fear pierced through the numb fog of her mind. Adrenaline gave her the strength to pick Chickadee up once more. Only one thought presented herself as the lights rapidly approached her.

Survive.