The militia men were climbing up the side of the hill, panting in the burning sun. I wiped a line of sweat off my forehead, supplicating to Allah to help quench my thirst. Titan was humming a song quietly to himself. He hasn't been the same since our encounter with Falcon. He's our prisoner now and I don't think Titan could face him again. I turned around to see the devil himself chewing on his nails, and eyeing me suspiciously. 

"Whatcha lookin' at, chacho?" he spit at me.

"Chacho?" I muttered under my breath, ignoring him.

"So, you playing both sides or what?" he inquired.

I blinked twice, "Excuse me?" 

"Ya know? You're like real white lookin' and sh**. Almost like one of us. What's up with that?"

"Oh I don't know. Maybe the fact that I'm not a racist bigot out to destroy mankind?" I growled at him. 

"Nice one, really," he smirked, causing me to grind my teeth. I turned away from him, uninterested in a confrontation. Luckily, Titan was ahead of me and had avoided the exchange. 

"You didn't really answer my question..." Falcon prodded.

"I'm a convert, asshole. Nothing means more to me than my religion. Now shove off."

One of the guards nudged him hard in the ribs when he tried to come towards me. He doubled over for a second, then sat back up with a wide smirk.

"I know why Titan came to you. I know about your sister, his sister, even about your little lover," he snarled. My spine went rigid. 

"Got your attention now, don't I?"

I clenched and unclenched my fists, just barely containing my rage.

"What.Do.You.Want.Falcon?" I spit between clenched teeth.

"Oh nothing... Just complete access to your little secrets. Your little room of secrets that is. I trust you know what I' m talking about... And maybe a little swipe at wifey dearest? She really is delicious, isn't she?"

I couldn't contain myself any longer. I threw my fist into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He tried to retaliate but his handcuffs prevented him from reaching me. I punched him again, this time square in the jaw. And again in the nose, which rewarded me with a satisfying crack. I lifted myself off the ground, placing my dusty boot on his chest. 

"If you ever even let the thought of Zahra into your mind again, I will finish you."

He spit blood onto my boot, his eyes stony and unfeeling. One of the guards pushed him up as I turned to walk away. Titan stared at me from a few feet away. I rubbed my aching knuckles and headed in his direction.

"W-What was that all about?" he stuttered. I rested a hand kindly on his shoulder.

"He tried to hit on my wife in my presence." I grind my teeth at the fresh memory.

"Well, he deserves what he got and more."  Titan whispered, shoving his fists in his pockets. 

I truly felt sorry for him. To have everything taken away and then to watch his best friend spiral into savagery. I saw a small tear barely escape his eyes and then disappear under his chin. I gently patted him on the back and then fell into step beside him, both of us reveling in mutual respect but preoccupied with our own thoughts. 

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When we set up camp that evening, I had an uneasy feeling in my gut. The night was clear, the air crisp, and the cold wasn't too bitter. The wind smelled distinctly of fresh flowers which was an odd smell for the end of summer in the desert where most plant life should be scorched by now. Everyone was unnaturally relaxed, except me of course. When I expressed my uneasiness to the others, they just brushed me off. This behavior concerned me further.

If I had ever missed Zahra on this trip, I hadn't missed her more than that second. She would have believed me. She would have gone rigid, asking what I thought was going to happen. She would have squeezed my hand to show her support. I hid my face behind my knees, reliving happier memories. 

I sat like this until way into the night. But no matter what I did I couldn't ignore the feeling growing inside me. Something was going to go wrong.

A small snore made me look up. Great. The guy on watch is sleeping. I walked over to the post and shoved him. He groaned and turned over. I rolled my eyes and pushed him over, taking his spot and his job. 

I had been sitting there for what seemed like hours, drawing pictures in the dirt. My finger froze in mid-drawing at the sound of a branch snapping. I turned slowly, casually, to not let on that I had heard anything. I stood up and walked towards a table with a gallon of water on it. I put it to my lips, drinking while surveying the surroundings. There was only one spot in this whole place that you could hide and it was behind the large group of bushes to my left. I caught movement in the corner of my eye. I set down the jar and walked towards the post again, this time quicker paced. As soon as I was about to reach for the whistle to alert the others, a hand closed around my wrist.

"I don't think you should do that," Falcon whispered, dangling the handcuffs once around his wrists in my face. I cursed under my breath and looked him straight in the eye, holding his gaze. This gave me half a millisecond to punch him in the face and get the whistle to my lips. I blew it with all my might, causing waves of half delusional men to run out in their shorts.

"What's going on?" I heard someone yell over the chaos. I didn't have time to answer because Falcon has recovered from the hit and is now out for my blood. Just as I'm about to escape him, a group of what must be at least 150 Hunters emerge from the bushes. 

The militia didn't look so sleepy anymore, their eyes opened wide at the scenes before them. Falcon attacked me from behind, shoving me to the ground beneath him. Just as I'm about to punch him, he pulls a knife out and puts it to my neck.

"You thought you were sooo slick capturing me, didn't you?" he smiles smugly. I felt the blade digging deeper into my neck, one drop of blood slowly making it down my throat. Before I had the chance to say anything, something large slammed into Falcon, throwing him completely off balance. 

"DAMN IT, TITAN!" Falcon yelled. 

"WOULD YOU STOP F*****G TRYING TO KILL MY FRIENDS?!" 

"All you have to do is work with me, and I'll leave your little pricks alone."

"What so I can kill others just like them?! You are sick, Falcon. You were human once, can't you try to remember that?" 

Something shadowed over Falcon's eyes. Nostalgia, maybe? Movement in the corner of my eye caused me to spin around. Another Hunter was charging towards the pair, no doubt trying to free Falcon. 

"TTTTIIIITTTAAAAAANNNN!!!" I yelled, jumping to save him from the man.

But I was too late. 

The Hunter slammed into Titan, forcing Falcon's knife straight into Titan's chest. 

I crawled quickly in their direction, pulling Titan away from the Hunters as quickly as I could. Titan sputtered as I dragged him towards me, but the deed was done.

Titan was dead.

Falcon sat paralyzed a few feet away, his bloodied knife still in his hands, his best friend lying dead in mine. Just before the other Hunters dragged him away, I saw the slightest trace of tears streaming down his face. 

Titan quivered slightly as I set him down. I double checked his pulse. Nothing. My hands were soaked in blood and the dirt beneath me was colored a sickening crimson. I glanced around me, my heart breaking bit by bit as I saw each body surrounding me.

10 dead.

20 dead.

50 dead. 

100 dead. 

104 dead.

I was the only one left.