Clove POV

I am scared.

No, scared describes it weakly. An understatement.

I am terrified.

"RIKARI!" I smash her to the ground, and the bullet aimed for her hits the wall. Others were not nearly as lucky.

"Clove.. You saved me.."

"We need to run," I say.

"Agreed.." Layla mutters. She looks rather scared.

"Well there's no time to run like the present, move it," Eli says, gesturing us out a secret exit.

"Eli, how the fuck do you know so much exits," Rikari asks.

"Magic. And being imprisoned," Eli shrugs.

"Okay guys, COME ON," Glowy says, sounding about as nervous as I feel.

"Clove, you look like you're about to pass out and throw up," Valen says, which causes Layla to turn.

".. you'll be okay, right," Asks Layla.

"Oh god, I'm not sure," I say.

We end up splitting up, I'm with Eli and Rikari, the others, Valen, Glowy, and Layla, must've gone another way.

"Shit," Eli screams. He's stuck in the ground, and his ankle looks sprained.

"Oh no! Clove we've gotta pull him out!"

I feel so frail, and so weak, and my head is spinning, but I still help anyway. We can hear gunshots, the armies have come to either help or hurt us. I can't even tell.

Then the floor flies up and meets my face.

Rikari POV

....

"CRAP! Now Clove's down! I'm the only one of us in a stable position to walk," I say to Eli.

"Well now that I'm unstuck my ankle feels better, give her to me!"

"Duck, Eli," I say, spotting a bullet flying through the sky.

Eli ducks, and I look back at the sheer chaos.

It was horrible. Everyone had some type of weapon, and even people we knew were fighting!

"I'm glad we're not on the front lines," Eli says, looking at me.

"Me too," I say, "Especially since Clove is so nervous she passed out. She's always been a bit off whenever mentioning my altercations. I don't think she likes fights."

"Really? Clove? But she's sassy," Eli says.

"Clove's only sassy because she has to be, that's her layer," I say.

"Ahhh. I had one of those too," Eli says.

"Yeah. The poor thing, she was at her stress limit. Haven't you noticed how scared she's looked all day," I ask.

".. No, I'm sorry, I didn't," Eli admits, "I don't know her well, she hides emotional distress very well."

"She does. I noticed about an hour before it was too late," I admit, "Glowy definitely would've known."

"We need to find a new spot," Eli decides.

Glowy POV

"Where are they," Layla breathes, horrified.

"I-I don't know," I reply, "I think they're all together .."

"Well should we look or stay," asks Valen. We're currently in a barn.

"I don't think it's safe to do either," Layla says honestly.

".. That's true, it'll collapse," I say, pointing to the wall.

"Crap."

We all get out just as the building collapses.

"Well now where do we fucking live," I ask.

"I have never heard you curse," Layla says.

"Shh. I think I hear footsteps," Valen motions.

Indeed, we do hear footsteps, it's Rikari and Eli. Eli is hobbling, Rikari's holding limp Clove. Oh shit.

Layla POV

My mouth is wide open at the three. Clove's body is limp, Rikari's struggling to hold her up.

".. Eli," Rikari breathes.

"What, Rikari.. are you okay? Rikari?? Your breath seems shaky," Eli says, "Sit down, we'll rest here. I'll take Clove."

".. Clove is extremely cold."

I smack my hand on my mouth. I thought Clove had gotten shot, but she was passed out and was cold... but had no wounds.

"Shit. I think the cold weather is making her hypothermic due to being passed out. We need shelter—now," Eli says.

"That's what I've been saying for the past 20 minutes," Rikari sighed. The two walked off, Clove in Eli's arms.

".. Clove's in danger," Glowy says to me.

"What happened to her," I ask.

"Stress," Valen says, "Happens to me too. She looked so alarmed and she looked dizzy, too. We shouldn't have separated from them. The only one in remotely okay condition is Rikari. Clove's bit the dust for now, and Eli's got something up with his leg."

".. how are you so fucking smart-"

"No questions," Valen says, "Right now, they're doing the best thing. Finding shelter."

So we get up, Valen practically pulling my arm out of its socket "helping me up".

".. Eli.." we hear someone scream and turn around toward the direction.

".. Rikari, why is there blood in your eye?"

Eli POV

Shit. Rikari can't see and Clove's down.

Rikari's gotten a wound, someone crept in front of her and a mace pricked her left eye. She can't see, and I'm pretty sure her eye's blind forever. Clove'll wake up eventually, but Rikari won't be able to see out of that eye forever.

"Eli," a voice says behind me. I turn around.

"Oh, Valen. Thank God... You've got Glowy and Layla," I say.

"You look stressed," Glowy says, "What's the issues in your group?"

"What issues aren't there? My ankle's sprained, Rikari can't see, Clove's passed out."

"Rikari can't see? Crap," Layla says. She goes and gives tissues to Rikari and gives Clove her jacket. She must've overheard me saying she was cold.

"We aren't going to leave you. Not in your condition," Valen says, "I saw a building down there. I know Clove can't walk, Rikari'll probably be okay to, Eli, will you be okay to?"

"I'll be slow, but yes," I say.

"I'm still going to carry you," Valen says. Valen is very strong, they can carry me and Clove. It's awkward, especially considering I'm around six inches taller than Valen, but it works.

Soon After..

Everyone's fallen asleep. They're all inside. I'm the only one awake and outside.

Valen walks out. We aren't close, but I still smile to the best of my ability.

".. are you okay, Eli? You look lost."

"Thank you so much for helping us.. I'm thinking about what would happen if you didn't. Rikari's sightless, I'm slow, Clove's limp... our blood would be on those fields..."

Valen looks at me, tears in their eyes, "I'm not going to let that happen."

"..You don't need to rely on yourself for the war. I'm gonna be fine," I say.

"I need to protect you guys," Valen says.

"No you don't. We're capable," I say, "My ankle's healing. Rikari can still see out of their other eye. Clove's gonna wake up eventually.

".. I'm sorry," Valen says, crying, "I don't like to show emotion, normally.."

I hug them and say, ".. Never apologize to me again, please..."

Clove POV

I open my eyes in a barn.

".. where am I?"

"Clove," Glowy says, "Great, you're awake. Rikari and Eli weren't doing too well either, so we unsplit and now we're in a safe shelter."

"Oh. I passed out," I say, "Where's Rikari and Eli? I want to tell them I'm sorry."

"Rikari's been listening to the entire thing, she's right next to me," Glowy says, "Eli's outside. When we all fell asleep he couldn't. Valen woke up early and is out there with him."

"Oh."

"Do you have any other injuries, Clove," Rikari asks, "We all got injured in some way except for you that I know of. My left eye has blood in it right now and I cannot see out of it, Emma's leg is sprained."

"I'm not injured," I say, "I must've dodged it being passed out."

"You had an overload of stress," Rikari says, "I could tell. You didn't look very good before you passed out. I expected it."

".. you're not even making jokes? That's incredibly horrifying," I say, "You make jokes all the time, I didn't think you'd be serious in a situation like this."

The shots outside are getting louder.

"Shoot. Literally. Get Valen and Eli, we need to go farther back, the Lines are getting closer," Glowy says.

I go and get them.

"Oh, Clove, you're awake," Eli says.

"Yes, I am, and we need to leave, the Lines are closer."

"I figured," Eli says. I get the two off the ground and we all get to running. Although Eli is being very slow.

Valen POV

I was a world-star runner in my days of freedom. I'm fifteen, but I started track when I was practically born. I'm ahead by a mile and I'm not even running that fast.

But I'm forced to stop running when I don't see Eli when I look back anymore.

"Eli," I call out, "Eli?"

"Over here," he says. He's weakly hobbling, behind the others by at least a hundred feet. My expression changes from a neutral running one to a worried one.

"C'mon," I say, draping him over my shoulder. Then, I run to catch up with the others.

"Where were you," Layla asks, "You were ahead of us, then we didn't see you."

"I went back for Eli."

"Oh god, I thought he was right next to us, I'm so sorry," Layla says.

"It's okay," Eli says, breaking his silence.

"You're lucky we have Valen," Glowy says.

"We're all lucky we have Valen," Eli says. I can't help but blush at that comment. To hear him say it was unusual to me.

"We've gotta hurry, come on," Clove says.

And so we do hurry, all the while the Lines are getting closer.

The rest of them are inside, leaving me and Eli on watch again.

"Why'd you come back for me," Eli asks.

"Anything for a friend," I attempt to say.

"You hardly know me."

"Let's change that, hm," I ask, "We're gonna be in the same war group. We have to know everyone.

"That's true, I guess," Eli nods.

I look at him instead of out. Their brown hair is blowing in the wind.

"Is your real name Eli," I ask.

He looks shocked, "You're psychic. How did you know it wasn't?! I'm.. um, I'm trans."

"Normally I'd hate your new name, just cause I hate most male names," I say, "But .. on you, it sounds cool. Is that a weird compliment? I barely say compliments."

He giggles, "Of course not! That's the best thing I've heard in a while!"

".. Good," I say, "I don't want to make you sad."

"Valen, you're a strange being. You rarely show emotions, yet don't want me to feel any bad ones," Eli says.

"I'm aware I'm strange. I've been at this camp for as long as I can remember .. When you're a redhead, you kind of have to suck it up."

"Guess it's the same with being a prisoner," Eli sighs, "I was down there for eight years. I was the oldest prisoner down there. Even Rikari's only fourteen. I'm sixteen. I've been here since I was seven."

I shut up, wanting to hear more about Eli. He was interesting.. and even attractive. I wanted to know about him.

"They barely fed us," Eli says, poking his alarmingly visible rib, "Rikari got extremely lucky that she got down there on a good day, and that she was short term, but mainly on a good day. Where they fed us. But.. Eventually I got stronger. I was able to break down my cell and take Rikari out with me."

"You're interesting," I say, thinking out loud.

"And you are really immersed in my story," he says, giggling.

"Shit," I say, laughing as well.

The Lines are still out there; they're fighting really hard. That girl that Glowy talked to, Juli, she's out there. So are some other redheads, and even volunteers.

"It's sweet to think how all these people united to fight for what they believe in," Eli says, pointing at our side of the war.

It's true—there's so much variety of ethnicities, races, heights, ages... and they've all come together to fight.

And the Lines are emerging, I almost scream at Eli to move. One of the soldiers notice us. I try to block him from the brunt of anything, but I was too late. I thought he was okay, but I look at his leg and scream some more.

I was too late. Eli just got shot.

Glowy POV

"Someone's screaming out there," Rikari says absentmindedly.

"Shit," Clove says.

I go out there and find Eli in a bloody mess, and Valen crying.

".. They shot Eli.."

I carry Valen inside and tell them it's going to be okay, while Rikari runs out and carries Eli inside. Can she see? No. Can she still probably carry him? Yeah.

Valen looks stricken, heartbroken almost.

"He's not dead, why are you so worried," I ask.

They motion me to come here, and so I do.

".. I think I'm in love with him," they whisper.