"Get down!" I yelled, once again dropping to the floor and bringing Mae down with me. I moved my arm over her head as debris flew through the air around us, the helicopter ripping apart anything in its path.

As I lifted my head, people were scrambling up from their kneeled positions, trying to get their hands on any sort of weapon they could before they were manhandled again. I rolled off Mae and scrambled to my feet, seeing her do the same as our heads turned different directions, looking for nothing in particular.

"Freeze!" The voice of another WICKED guard spoke up—I was starting to get really sick of them. Tommy chucked the bomb into a pile of crates that they were standing next to, immediately sprinting the other way as Mae started to do the same.

"Run! Get down!" He screamed as he fell to the ground once again, pressing the red button that was previously going to end our lives. Mae and I managed to get a few feet further from the explosion before we dropped, shielding ourselves as the ground rumbled from the debris flying everywhere. I could feel the heat on my back as I lifted my head, looking over my shoulder to glance at the damage. Thomas was standing to his feet, and I quickly turned my head to pat Mae's back.

"Let's go." I grunted, standing to my feet and ignoring the pain in my leg. She hopped up, holding onto her shoulder and clenching her teeth. As soon as we stood, Minho sprinted over, almost knocking us over as Frypan joined as well.

"Where the hell do we go?" He screamed over the chaotic mess happening around us. We all turned around, unsure of what to do in the moment. I ran my hands through my hair, wishing that we could just erase all of this and go back to a few hours ago, where everything was okay.

Suddenly, Mae detached herself from the group, running over to a fallen WICKED member and grabbing the handgun from their pocket. She stood back up, pointing it at two soldiers who had been slowly advancing towards us. She pulled the trigger twice before turning back to us.

"Get to Vince!" She screamed, and we obeyed. All four of us started to run towards the man who was screaming in the truck, shooting anything that got in his path. Occasionally, Maisy would shoot a soldier that tried to shoot us with the launcher, taking him out easily. I wanted to scream, to cry—but I didn't have time to do either as another person shot at me, the electricity just barely missing my head as I ducked.

In front of me, Minho leaned down and grabbed a stray gun from the floor. "Go! Get outta here!"

Pushing Mae along in front of me, I turned to face him, not stopping as I ran. "Careful, Minho!"

I could hear Thomas from below as I ducked behind a few crates, watching him run towards us. "Get down!" I yelled as he crouched himself beside me.

Mae placed the gun on the top of the crates, somewhat covering Minho as he tried to fight off the guys that he could. She shot the ones he didn't see coming, only for him to glance behind and nod at her as she hit another one. The girl was a good shot.

But when the gun clicked, and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, her face filled with horror. "I'm out!"

We all looked back at Minho, seeing him fumble with the gun as he tried to reload. A guard in front of him raised their launcher, pulling the trigger before he had time to protect himself. The boy shook with the electricity that coated his body, falling onto one of the crates behind him as he lifted his head to look at us.

"No." I breathed, slowly lifting myself as Thomas screamed his name, running towards the boy. Mae did the same, leaping over the crate and sliding to the other side. Before I had the chance to grab her, she was already running—the need to save at least one person was the only thing on her mind.

"No! Minho!" Thomas yelled as he continued to run from us, trying to get to the boy as WICKED guards approached him.

"Thomas! No!" Jorge suddenly stepped in front of the boy, pushing him back as he fought. Frypan was quick to grab him by the waist, pulling him back as I continued to run after Mae.

"Mae!" I screamed as she yelled Minho's name, but it was no use, she was ten times faster than I was with a bad leg. But that didn't stop me. I kept running, if she was going to get taken by WICKED, then so was I.

"We're twins, remember? If you go down, I go down with you."

Her words echoed in my mind as I pushed myself to go faster, hearing my name being called from behind as I ran after my girl.

But the sounds of gunshots suddenly made her slide to a stop. A line of fire being shot directly in front of her made her scream and cover her head, turning around as I slowed myself, grabbing her biceps and wasting no time to run back towards the others. Looking up at the giant machine gun that Vince had been firing, it was pointed right at us, keeping Mae from becoming reckless and selling herself to our enemy.

Jorge was still pushing Tommy up a hill as we approached—he was still screaming our friend's name. My heart broke for Minho as Mae and I made our way to the top, turning around and watching him be dragged into the ship.

Everything was in slow motion as the aircraft began to move off the ground, carrying our friend, and a girl who had betrayed us inside. My eyes welled up with tears as the thought of having Minho be experimented on, maybe even Teresa conducting those experiments. He'd been there for me through everything...my best friend. And there was nothing we could do to save him.

The sound of a quiet whimper finally broke me out of my thoughts. I swiveled my head around, trying to find who had made the noise, but when I turned to see Mae on her knees in the dirt, staring up to the sky as tears flowed out of her eyes, my heart broke for her.

I didn't know what to do. Although I'd seen her cry before, it was never like this. She had fistfuls of dirt in her hands, while her hair was a mess. The bruise on her face was accented by the moonlight and the glowing fire that surrounded us. Her quiet cries echoed through the mountains, making all heads turn towards her as she struggled to let it out.

"I'm done..." She whispered, gently pushing her fist into the earth beside her. I flinched at her actions although they were so small...so quiet, covering my mouth as I tried to contain my own emotions.

"My mom is dead." She cried, her words becoming louder with each second that passed. She stared at the sky although it was a person she could actually talk to. All of us were silent as she broke down, the wall that she's tried so hard to keep up these past few months was gone. Mae leaned forward, letting the sobs out of her mouth and pulling the roots in her hair as though she wanted the pain.

She waved her hands around. "Make it stop, please..." She inhaled a shaky breath as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, pinching her eyes shut. "I can't...I can't. Make it stop, Newt. Make it stop, it hurts."

At the sound of my name, I took a step forward, dropping my hand from my mouth as I sniffled and wiped my eyes. It hurt me to see a person I cared about so much in this amount of unbearable pain. Quickly glancing around, I saw how everyone was turned towards Mae, either crying with her, or frozen as they watched—in another world.

I looked away, kneeling down in front of her as she lifted her head from the ground. I gently brushed the hairs out of her face, placing them behind her ears and out of the way as tears continued to coat her glistening skin. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm for her. I couldn't deteriorate as well.

My hands found their way to either side of her face, wiping the tears from her eyes as she pinched them shut, crying into my touch. I shook my head, forgetting that everyone else was watching us. In my head it was just the two of us right now, the whole world was quiet as I tried to calm my mind, doing anything that I could. I searched the depths of my memory, pulling out anything that I could remember made her feel better.

I reached for the back of her head, bringing it down to my shoulder and massaging my fingers through her hair as I shushed her sobs. I bit down on my bottom lip as it quivered, and I shook my head—when things like this happened, there was only one thought going through the girl's head. I knew her well enough by now to know what it was.

"It's not your fault." I whispered, trying my best to comfort her in any way I could. Mae shook her head in response, another long string of sobs coming from her body as she refused to believe me.

"It's not your fault." I repeated, needing her to accept the message. I felt a fist on my knee, while her other one was scrunched up in the dirt. Looking down, I noticed how white her knuckles were, nails penetrating into her palms. I removed my hands from her back and head, reaching to grab both of her hands and pry them open.

"Look at me, Mae." I moved my shoulder slightly, causing her head to lift. Her eyes met mine, the area around them puffy and as red as her cheeks. Her nose was a shade too pale as tears ran down her face—how could she make broken look so beautiful?

I replaced her clutched fists with my hands, not letting her hurt herself in this moment where she was already so damaged. As she stared at me, I shook my head again. "It's not your fault."

She nodded slowly, averting her gaze to our hands. "I know." Her voice was quiet, forced, and shattered as she willed herself to speak an answer she thought I wanted to hear.

Once again, I shook my head, shifting my position so I was kneeling even closer to her—if that was possible. "No. No you don't." My voice was becoming more forceful as I tried to get the message over the hill in her mind. "It's not your fault."

I will keep repeating this until she understands, I thought to myself, tightening my grip on her hands.

She furrowed her eyebrows, slowly nodding again as she looked into my eyes. "I-I know."

"It's not your fault."

"Alright..." She breathed, another tear falling out of her eye as she tilted her head slightly back. She still wasn't getting it. I was going to burn this message into her brain until it was the only thing she thought of for days. I wanted—needed her to know that her mother's death wasn't on her. That Minho's capturing wasn't on her. None of the deaths that have happened were because of her.

"It's not your fault." I spoke quieter, feeling a tear slowly make its way down my cheek, leaving a burning trail behind. This time, she didn't respond, but slowly closed her mouth as her bottom lip began to shake as though she was going to burst once again. So, I said it once more. "It's not your fault."

She inhaled a sharp breath. "Don't mess with me."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault."

"Don't mess with me, alright?" She became loud with frustration as she let go of my hands and pushed my shoulders. "Don't mess with me, Newt. Please. I can't..."

"It's not your fault." I repeated once again, looking into her eyes with as much sincerity in my body as I possibly held. Everything I had left in me was given to this girl right now, and I was willing to stay up all night repeating these four words if it meant that she would believe me in the morning.

But when her face softened, and another tear fell from her eye, I knew I had finally gotten somewhere. I grabbed the sides of her face and pressed my forehead to hers, seeing Mae close her eyes as she let out a muffled cry. "It's not your fault, Maisy."

"It's not my fault." She breathed, placing her hands on either side of my torso now. "It's not my fault, Newt."

I nodded. "I know. I know."

We stayed like that for a few moments, hearing her cries become nothing but occasional sniffles and gasps of hitched breaths. With our foreheads pressed together, I knew that I was going to be okay with her. We were going to be okay. No matter what happens in the future. If the world falls to pieces again like it did tonight, we would fall down together.

"Alright, kids." A scruffy voice from beside us spoke. My eyes snapped open, almost forgetting there were other people around us. Vince started to walk towards the two of us, placing a hand on Mae's shoulder, causing her to look up at his tear stained face. "Let's try and get some rest for now. If you won't be able to sleep, like me, then you can help start to put out the fires. The plan still stays. We leave at dawn. We'll see what supplies we still have."

Mae stood to her feet, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "I can help."

Vince was quick to shake his head. "No, kid. You need rest." He looked at me as I got up as well, standing beside her. "I want you to stay with Newt."

"But-"

"Mae." The man pushed, placing his hand on the side of her face and tilting his head to the side. "Just get some rest please. Stay with Newt. You can help in the morning."

She finally gave in, nodding slowly. I grabbed her hand again, starting to lead her down the hill to find any place where we could get some rest before we had to leave tomorrow. Before we could take a step though, Mae paused, causing me to look back at her.

Vince had his hand on her shoulder again, reaching into his pocket and fishing out a red inhaler. "Your mom wanted me to give this to you."

Mae stared at the tool as though it were some sort of foreign object. I patiently waited for her to take it, giving her time for her thoughts to catch up with everything that's happened. After a few moments, she lifted her shaky hand, taking the inhaler from Vince and wrapping her fingers around it. She looked into his eyes, giving him a slight nod before turning back around and heading down the hill with me.

We walked slowly, hand in hand as I led her through the black smoke. Squinting as we passed through a cloud of it, I took her to a stray truck—far enough away from all of the heat of the fires. Away from everyone else.

I wiped off the dust that had accumulated on the window with the pads of my fingers, cupping my hands around my eyes as I peered into the car. When I saw it was clear, I opened the door, cocking my head for her to get in. She obliged, face still void of any expression as I climbed in after her.

Sighing, I gently closed the door, staring at the seat in front of me. I took a moment to myself, letting my heart ache for the girl who sat beside me, and the friend we couldn't save. I closed my eyes, letting my mind clear with the silence and the musty air we were enveloped in. When I opened them again, I turned my head to look at Mae, who was staring at the the floor with the same blank expression.

"Hey." I whispered, scooting closer to her. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head—an answer I was expecting. Hell, I wouldn't want to talk about watching my mother be shot if someone asked. But I just had to make sure.

Nodding, I turned my head around, looking for somewhere she could lay down. I reached for the side of the seat, feeling a small leaver just like I hoped there'd be. I leaned forward and pulled up, watching as the seat reclined behind me. I looked back up, only to see Mae staring at me already, the bags underneath her swollen eyes starting to become darker.

I motioned towards the seat. "Wanna lay down? Get some rest?"

She nodded, moving closer as I pressed myself against the door, giving her enough room to be comfortable. I watched as she laid on her side, moving her hands underneath her head and curling her knees up to her chest.

I could practically feel the emotional distress radiating off of her as she laid there, staring at the side of the car with a frown on her face. Despite everything that's happened tonight, I missed her smile already.

Slowly lowering myself down in between the wall of the car and her body, I faced her. Her eyes didn't move as I obscured her view, and she was now looking at me. I reached up, brushing her cheekbone just to feel her soft skin. She was so perfect in every way, I didn't know how I was the only one who fell for her. She could bring the Devil to his knees if she wanted.

"Newt?" Her voice was quieter than a whisper, and I had to wait a few moments just to make sure I hadn't heard her sweet voice in only my mind.

Humming in response, I was all ears as she opened her mouth to whisper again to me.

"Do you think we'll always be running?" I could tell she was speaking her mind as her eyes became heavy with a painful exhaustion.

I hummed again. "No. We're gonna live on a beach when we're older, remember? With a dog named Lucy. And we're gonna be as far away from this place as possible."

She nodded slowly, fully closing her eyes and letting the chaos of the day blow away as nothing but a simple yesterday as she drifted off into a sea of what I hoped was good dreams.

As she drifted off into a deserved nights rest, I found myself staring at her grace in my own exhaustion. My eyes were heavy with sleep I desperately needed, the warmth that surrounded the two of us as we laid in this car sent me into a strange sense of comfort. Our body heats fed off of each other, hearts beating in unison.

I slowly scooted my body closer towards her, placing my hand on her hip. My bad leg timidly pushed in between her thighs, tangling our bodies together as I needed to feel as close to her in any way possible. Up close, my eyes stayed on her closed ones, admiring every eyelash—they matched her hair color. I studied her breathing, the way she inhaled a tad sharper than she exhaled. Her heart rate was the peaceful beat of a melody I had yet to listen to, but when I did, I wanted it to sound just like her. I wanted to shut my eyes—to drift off into a sleep she looked like she was enjoying, but I couldn't.

I couldn't stop staring at her.

I couldn't stop.

My hand moved gently to her back, resting in between her shoulder blades as I laid my head less than an inch away from hers.

"Mae..." My voice came out scratcher than I expected, wanting to see if she was still asleep.

When she didn't respond, I assumed she was in a state of innocent tranquility as she stayed unmoving in my close hold. Her hands folded underneath her cheek, slightly squishing her face together as my eyes danced around every feature, looking for a sign that she was still asleep.

"Maisy?" I whispered again, feeling my eyes become heavier with every moment that passed.

She didn't move, her hair fanned out against the cold leather of the seat as she stayed quiet and still.