There were only two words in my head at the moment. And I'd be damned if I didn't yell them out with all my might.

"TALISE, RUN!!!"

   Dorian, Rav and I seemed to have one mind as we all cried out the same thing in unison. No one stopped after the first time, and when Camila joined in soon after, each shout countering the previous one with more ferocity.

   I never thought the sounds of heavy breathing and screeching metal would give me so much hope, but they did. They were indications that Talise wasn't giving up. That she was running her heart out. That she stood a chance of making it out of Zav—

   The loud crash that boomed through Rav's speakers froze our tongues and breathing. The next few seconds constituted of scraping and shuffling until we heard,

"LET ME GO! LET GO—"

"SHUT UP!" The yell from Eugene was piercing enough to even make me wince from my end.

"Talise!" I was practically sharing Rav's chair as I cried out into his mic, "Fight, do you hear me?! Don't let them take you away!"

"There you go again, Beth," I stiffened at the scolding tone of voice by Eugene. "Giving your best friend horrible advice. Will you ever learn? You and the others decided to involve the innocent in a battle you are doomed to lose. I hope you know that everything that's happening to Talise is your fault. You..."

   Keeping my hands pressed over my scorching ears to avoid the remaining words that came from him proved useless. The damage was already done. Now, nothing was capable of hindering my mind from replaying what Eugene said.

   Which, let's face it, I already knew to be the truth.

   This was my fault. Talise was in grave danger because of me.

"Beth, don't listen to him!" Tali's call appeared so far away. "Let me go, you creep!"

   All of a sudden, a loud thud resonated through Rav's device—comparable to the noise from a sandbag finally falling after being tossed from a six story building— right before a sickening, goosebump-inducing scream.

"Li!" It didn't take a genius to realise she'd been thrown across the room.

"I'm okay, Beth," Tali's reply was interrupted by hysterically deep chest coughs. "I mean... I would just..." more coughs "I would just prefer not to be tossed across a room like a paper doll, but I'm okay, I promise!"

   I shook my head with an aggressive edge, barely conscious of the tears flowing down my face in streams. Why were we still standing here when we could save her?

"Camila, drive us to Zavlon now," I said, my throat raw and scratchy from all the shouting. "We can break in and, and—"

"Beth, no," Tali coughed again.

"What do you mean, no? Camila, don't listen to her driv—"

"They're here." She erupted into more coughs after whispering.

   Eugene must have definitely bumped Tali's head or something. First, protesting my idea of rescuing her and now, she was rambling out of context words. I had to get her here before she really lost it.

   By knowing glances exchanged by the others, I didn't seem to be the only one who believed she clearly wasn't doing well.

"Who do you mean by 'they', Tali?" Rav was the only one brave enough to ask.

   More slow breathing was the only feedback we received until she murmured, "The Yunies. I see them... everywhere."

   And there could only be one reason why.

   And just like that, my mind took me back to the classroom with the two Yunies and the girl. And the gun that was used on her...

   No.

"Camila, start driving now." I tapped her shoulder after struggling to get those words out without crying. "We're going to get Talise. "

"It's okay, Beth," Tali's strained voice said. "I'm okay. I'm ok—"

   A gut wrenching noise that stood between a click and crack stifled her response.

   A gun-like sound I knew all too well.

   That was the last thing we heard from Talise's earpiece.

   Then it all came rushing in again. The memories.

   The memories of the screams that led me to the classroom on the Saturday of Liberation Week. I, hiding behind the room's door, watching the girl struggle wishing the Yunies hold while releasing head-piercing screams. Until the click of the gun in one of the Yunies' hands from being used on the girl's head. This time, however, when a frame arose with a robotic stance, I wasn't staring into the dilated eyes of a Zavolonian student...

   ...but of Talise.

   The fiery pangs that seemed to pierce every part of my skin came with a weight so strong, my feet couldn't handle it no matter how hard they tried. In effect I was sent crumpling onto the floor on my knees.

   I didn't know whether I thought saying it was what I needed to come to terms with the obvious fact, but my mouth choked out the words before I could stop myself, "They-they've g-got her. They've got Talise."

***

   Seconds, minutes—who knew really?— passed with me rooted in my dazed position. My tear ducts were deserts by now. Not a single tear had been shared since Talise's last words.

   Last words she never even got to finish.

   But they didn't have to be.

   I noticed everyone else in the van flinch, startled by my abrupt rise from the floor, but that was the least of my worries. Not when we had to get my best friend back. My quick steps soon led me to the van's door.

"Uh...Beth," Camila called my name, I realised, with caution.

"We don't h-have t-time fo-for this," My fingers was already fumbling with the door's handle. "If we don't hurry up now, how will we be able to bring her back?"

"Beth, we can't just barge in there," Rav muttered.

"We need a plan," Camila added. "Your decision, though perfectly understandable, is irrational."

"You don't know what you're talking about," I responded, my hands jerking the handle with more force. It appeared to be stuck. "We need to leave n-OW!"

   That sudden shout was due to the stinging sensation that shot through my arm at the next yank I gave to the handle. Almost immediately, however, I shook it off, not even bothering to glance at the pain's effect. My fingers made for the handle once again, pulling and pushing, twisting and turning.

"Beth." Dorian rasped.

"Why wouldn't this stupid door open?!"

"Beth."

   His next call, though louder than first, was even more distant to my hearing. I wasn't giving up in the battle with this stupid handle for whatever he had to say.

   I wasn't giving up in the battle for Talise.

   An unexpected tug of my arms broke my focus. Before I knew it, I was in Dorian's hold, my eyes locked with his.

   Snapping myself from the trance that his green eyes didn't fail to cause like always, I struggled against his hands, trying to reach for the door once more. Dorian, however, didn't budge.

   He instead tried to keep me still as he said my name for the third time, "Be—"

"WHAT?!" With that thunderous yell arising from the depths of my throat came an unforeseen strength. A strength I harnessed and released by pushing Dorian away.

"You—you're bleeding," Cami whispered.

   Tracing her and the others' disturbed gawk to my arm, I saw nothing but red.

   Blood that began from the side of my right arm had dripped down and taken its due course all over my palm and fingers. My other hand moved to the source of the flow, brushing the deep, lightning shaped cut on my arm like it would handle a fragile object.

   I couldn't stop staring at my lower arm and hand, which, by the looks of it, had been trembling all this while.

   For some reason, this was what my tear ducts needed to cloud my vision with uncontrollable tears. Soon enough, heavy, wounded sobs wracked my body. Just like my tears, I couldn't suppress my thoughts from being flooded with everything that just happened with Talise.

   What was some stupid little wound? Talise was taken.

   Her beautiful jet black pupils were most likely dilated by now. I couldn't stop picturing her mind controlled state being led to wherever the other Zavlonians were.

  Why did I make the stupid decision of bringing her into all this? Why didn't I just keep her in the dark, even if it meant she'd be angry with me for the rest of our lives. At least she'd be safe.

   My emotional meltdown didn't cease as Dorian did the best he could to stop the bleeding with a part of his shirt he'd ripped off. Neither did it waver when he was successful. Neither did it falter when he led and placed me into one of the van's seats.

   Not even when Dorian sat right beside me and rested my head on his chest, engulfing as much of my frame with his arms as he could, into a warm embrace.

   This was us the entire ride back to the motel.

A/N: 😭😭😭😭

Vote and comment on how depressing this chapter was 😭. I definitely felt it🥲🥲.