The trail is easy enough to follow, even with it becoming dark outside, but I still hold on tightly to Braeden's hand, not wanting to trip over anything. All of us are silent, not daring to say a word about what just happened, how our lives have dramatically changed in the last couple hours.

My feet are just beginning to ache when the trail starts to level off from the slow decline. The ground is becoming more dirt packed, with plants closing in on the trail. Hopefully this means we are getting closer, because we have been walking for at least an hour, maybe two, and I really need to take a break.

Finally, just when I am thinking about sitting on the ground to get off my feet, a small little shack comes into view. It is completely run down but looks sturdy enough. It is a few yards off the trail, partially hidden by trees. If we hadn't been looking for it, we probably would have missed it.

Alex walks ahead of us all, branches snapping under his feet as he walks away from the path. The door swings open after a little bit of jiggling, and the human steps inside, shining his flashlight around the shack. He comes back out a minute later nodding his head.

Braeden wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me close against his side as we walk over to the shed. Alex has a few candles set up, casting a warm glow around the room. One wall of the room has shelves lining the wall and boxes neatly stacked on top. Sleeping bags are in a small basket by the entrance, and we each grab one, laying them out on foam mattresses that Alex had managed to find somewhere.

"Better get some rest," Braeden says, "we have a long journey ahead of us."

He helps me to sit down on one of the sleeping bags and I let out a sigh of relief once my feet are off the ground. Quinn seems frozen by the door, his eyes wide and lost.

"Quinn," I say, voice soft. He looks over at me, blinking a couple of times as if confused. "Come sit down."

He looks like he is about to protest, but Link whispers something to him, and my best friend just snaps his mouth closed. His mate places a hand on the small of his back leading him over to the sleeping bag to the right of mine. Link and Braeden walk over to one of the candles, laying out the map that Dr. Greene had given us and talking quietly with one another.

"Are you alright?" I whisper, gently grabbing onto Quinn's trembling hand.

He looks up at me, his green eyes bright as tears start to spill over. "How could I be alright?" he whispers, letting out a little hiccup. "Our best friend, the one who took us in when we were little, is gone."

"I know," I whisper, not quite knowing what else to say. But I feel his pain. How could I not? Lena's parents had accepted both of us into their home once our parents were gone, raising us as their own. We had been best friends with Lena ever since, and it feels as if a part of me is missing now that she is gone.

"What are we going to do, Henley?" he says, hand tightening around mine.

Pulling him closer, I wrap my arms around him, running my fingers through his hair as he buries his face in my neck. "We're going to survive," I whisper, placing a soft kiss on his hair. "She would never forgive us if we didn't survive."

Quinn nods his head, his tears leaving a wetness behind on my skin. Someone clears their throat, and I look over at them. Alex looks a little awkward, looking like he doesn't quite know what to do with himself.

"I brought you two some tea," he says, holding out two mugs with steam coming out of them. "It's Chamomile. My dad used to make it for me when I was little whenever I couldn't sleep."

"Thank you, Alex," I say, and he gives me a small smile. He sets the mugs down on the floor next to us before walking back over to an overturned wooden crate covered in small containers.

Quinn has calmed slightly, so I pull away from him, wiping away the rest of his tears with my thumbs before placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Let's have some tea, hm?" I say, handing him a mug before grabbing my own. "It will be good for us."

Quinn gives a shaky nod of his head before leaning his side against mine, carefully sipping the hot beverage. Alex comes and sits across from us, a small container of food in his hands. He places it between us, grabbing a piece of dried fruit while drinking his own tea.

"Do you think the doctor will be alright?" Alex asks, looking up at me.

His words cause me to pause. It is hard to think of the fact that Dr. Greene is still back in our own colony, instead of joining us. She had seemed determined to stay, though, so I know there was no possible chance of me convincing her to join us.

"I hope so," I say, giving the human a tentative smile.

Alex nods his head, his eyebrows scrunched together as he continues to drink his tea. We stay quiet after that, and soon enough my exhaustion starts to weigh on me. This is the most tired I have been since the beginning of this pregnancy. Even with everything going on, though, there is no anxiety bubbling inside me. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that now we have a partial idea of what we are dealing with, rather than before when we had no clue what was going on.

The baby inside me kicks, and I drop my hand down to where she is pressing against me. She has been more active lately, especially when I am tired. At night, she likes to kick the most, only calming when I walk around for a little bit. Braeden likes to rub my belly when ever he gets the chance, seeming to take comfort in our daughter's movements.

The thought of my daughter being out in this dangerous world makes me wrap my arms around my stomach.

We have to make it to the safe place Dr. Greene told us about. Our old home is falling apart and everything that we had been taught is wrong. There is going to be a battle between the humans and the hybrids and it is a long time coming. I just want all of us to get as far away from it as possible, and according to Dr. Greene, this place will protect us from what is coming.

Setting down my now empty cup, I see that Quinn is almost completely passed out against me. The exhaustion must be catching up with him, as well.

Alex scoots off the sleeping bags without me even having to ask him, and I give him a grateful smile. Quinn grumbles a little bit in protest when I strip him out of his dirty clothes, leaving him in a pair of boxers, but I just shush him, helping him to slide inside the sleeping bag.

His eyes fall closed as soon as he is lying down, and I know that he is asleep in just a matter of minutes.

Pushing myself up, I let out a low groan, placing my hands on my stomach in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure. Braeden looks up from the map when he hears me, giving me a worried look.

"I'm fine," I tell him, walking as quietly as I can over to where he and Link are staring at the map. "So, what does the map tell us?"

Link points at a few of the red dots on the map. "These little dots are checkpoints, places where there will be food and water, maybe even some shelter."

"But," Braeden says pulling me against his side. "This place where we are headed is pretty far away."

"That's a good thing, right?" I say, looking up at him. "The farther we can get away from all the chaos, the better."

Braeden nods his head. "Yes, it is better that we are as far away as possible, but it also means that we are going to be traveling for a while."

Link looks down at the map, scribbling something on the paper with a pencil. "By our calculations, that we have triple checked, it looks like it will take us about two months, sixty-three days to be exact, and that is if we manage to walk fifteen miles a day."

"But since both you and Quinn are pregnant," Link says, looking over at his now sleeping mate. "It may take a week or two longer."

"Nine to eleven weeks?" I say, my hand cradling my stomach. "The baby will almost be here by the time we make it there."

"That's why we have to get there as soon as possible," Braeden says. "We can't risk you having the baby out here. It's too dangerous."

Nodding my head, I look back over the map. "How far apart are the checkpoints?"

Link does some quick calculations on the paper, before answering my question. "Looks like they are on average about fifty miles apart."

"So about four or five days in between each one," I say, and both Link and Braeden nod. With a heavy sigh, I lean into Braeden, not wanting to look at the map anymore. "We better get as much rest as we can, then, while we are here."

Link makes a sound of agreement, carefully folding up the map before leaving us to go join Quinn. He shucks his own clothes, slipping into a sleeping bag and scooting as close to his mate as possible.

"How is he doing?" I whisper, my eyes finally leaving Link to meet Braeden's.

My mate's lips turn down in displeasure and his hands tighten on my waist. "He hasn't talked about it," he says, looking over at his friend. "I don't even know if he has fully processed what has happened or if he is just silently grieving."

Nodding my head, I wrap my arms around Braeden, resting against his chest. "It's been a hard and painful day. I just hope we all pull through."

Braeden places a finger under my chin, gently making me look up at him. His lips press against mine in a chaste but comforting kiss. "We are going to get through this."

"Alright," I say, leaning up on my tip toes so that I can give him another kiss. "I believe you."

My mate seems appeased by my statement, his shoulders losing some of their tension. Together, we walk over to the sleeping bags, me slipping into the one on the other side of Quinn, while Braeden takes the one next to me. Alex is already in his sleeping bag, fast asleep. My eyes fall closed as Braeden blows out the last candle, leaving us in darkness.

His arm wraps around me, resting on my stomach as he places a soft kiss on the back of my neck. "Love you."

"Love you, too," I whisper, finally allowing myself to fall asleep.

It has been a hell of a day, so long that it is hard to believe that just this morning I had been getting ready for my Initiation Ceremony. But we are far from being safe, despite being outside city limits. There is a long journey ahead of us, and I send up a silent thought to whoever might be listening that we make it to the safe place before the baby comes.

*****

I am so sorry for the long wait between updates. I was sick with the flu for about a week and just started to get over it a few days ago.

Hope you all enjoy the update and the next chapter will be coming soon.