chapter zero | hunter & murphy
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At the tender age of 15, Rylee Hunter's life took a tumultuous turn when she found herself behind bars, accused of assaulting four guards.

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Rylee's early years were marked by hardship, losing her mother during childbirth due to a shortage of medical supplies, leaving her father as her sole anchor. However, amidst the trials of life on the Ark, she formed a close friendship with a boy named John Murphy, their bond unbreakable.

When Rylee's father fell critically ill, a surgeon faced a moral dilemma, knowing that saving him would require exceeding the medical supply limit and breaking the law. The nurses who assisted in the procedure understood the gravity of their actions, as any breach would lead to them being floated.

The doctor's heroic efforts saved Rylee's father but cost him his own life. Consumed by guilt, Rylee's father descended into despair, turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism. During these trying months, Rylee found solace in her friendship with Finn Collins.

Despite Rylee's attempts to support her father, he ended up arrested for attempting to steal pain pills, a crime punishable by death on the Ark, where even the smallest infractions were considered capital offenses.

Left orphaned and without any family, Rylee and Murphy grew closer. While Murphy nurtured his desire for vengeance against the man who had arrested his father, Rylee remained his beacon of hope. Their world shifted once again when Murphy set fire to the office of his father's arresting officer, unintentionally involving Rylee in the chaos.

A heated confrontation ensued, with Rylee inadvertently assaulting a guard in her fury. Despite her actions, the guard showed leniency and issued a warning. Rylee's refusal to leave without Murphy escalated the situation, leading to a scuffle where she incapacitated several guards.

The skirmish ultimately resulted in Rylee's arrest, and she found herself incarcerated in the Sky Box due to her age, enduring two years of isolation with limited contact, restricted to conversing with only two fellow inmates: Jasper and Monty.

As the years passed, Rylee's spirit darkened, and a chilling resolve took hold. But everything changed the day the Ark authorities made the fateful decision to send the 100 delinquent young adults to the Earth's surface.

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- a big thanks to peachesh- for the banner darl, I love them x