We stop running once we can no longer see the fence. We both pant a bit, winded from sprinting so far. My heart pounds in my chest, and I take a moment to take in my surroundings. My surroundings consist of, well, nothing. The grass has been burnt and shrivelled, and I realize it's real grass. I bent down to touch it, and it basically falls apart at my touch.

Looking around, I find a few buildings. Or, rather, what's left of them. Rubble sits all around me. Looking up, the sun is hidden by the clouds as though it doesn't want to witness such destruction. Weeds are sprouting up to touch my fingertips and an odd smell permeates the air.

"What happened?" I breath. Everything is so different from the city. Everything is so fragile. Delicate.

"This is what lies outside the city," Kaylee says. She gathers her hair in a ponytail before continuing down the path. It almost looks like a road was once in the middle of all the dead grass.

"The grass is real," I continue. I remember Dad and I had always wondered about real greenery, and now I'm seeing it. Without him. A lump forms in my throat.

She stops and turns to look at me. "I'd almost forgotten you'd never been out here."

I begin walking towards her. "How could this happen? How could all of the destruction be lying right outside of the city we call home?"

"Because," she says, now walking beside me, "our city has rebuilt. This is the remains of what society was before us. The people who called this place home are long gone. The didn't have Chips. They didn't have an all-controlling government. They had something called democracy, where they elected people to run the government."

My eyes grow wide. "Really?"

She nods. "I don't know everything. I just know from them, came us. There were riots, and then there were Chips to control and label us."

"I want to know what it was like to live in a democracy. Or to just live as the people here had," I respond. I feel like my head will explode. It's difficult to comprehend a world so different from the one I know. The grass crunching under my feet is real. It's not synthetic. The buildings that have crumbled once housed families.

"Sometimes, I wonder if it would've been better to have been born before. I know there was turmoil and war before, but was it really worse than our reality?" Kaylee ponders. She keeps her eyes straight in front of her. Maybe she's scared to look at the remains of a once free nation.

"I want to know, too," I say.

"We should be to the nearest city soon," she tells me.

I nod. My brain tries to formulate images of the other cities. Do they look like ours? Do they have ice cream? Or hair salons? Are the people are trying to be perfect, or have they begun to rebel like we did? My stomach twists into knots as I think of all the possibilities. Have they heard of me? Will it be easy to enter another city? Will the citizens hate me for all that's happened? Love me?

"Hey," Kaylee says softly, "Try not to think too much. I know it's overwhelming."

"It's just so insane to me," I respond. "There are other cities. There are more people out there, and they're being controlled by the same government we are. Do they still have Chips?"

She shakes her head. "Their Chips were destroyed when ours were. I'm sure some of them know who you are. I'm warning you, the news has made you out to be a monster. I'm pretty sure Harold is going to try to eliminate you."

I suck in a breath. "Would he really?"

She shrugs. "I mean, why not? He's made it so most of the city won't miss you. You're the only person that could mess up his plans." She grins. "Well, maybe not the only person. You need some help."

I laugh softly, but it's forced. "Yeah, I guess."

"And with your ex-friend by Harold's side-"

My heart clenches. "Let's talk about something else."

She glances at me sideways. "He betrayed you, did he not?"

I feel an odd mix of anger and sadness. Ex-friend reminds me that he was my friend at some point. All this time, I've been harboring intense anger towards him because of Eva. Now, I can step back and remember all the good times we shared. Then, I can remember how she's brainwashed Eva. I can remember how he betrayed me and tried to create his own rebellion; how he broke Eva's heart. He broke Eva.

Should I go back and help her? Is Jared beyond saving? Did Harold make him into the monster he's become? What about Cody? Is he safe? My heart twists in different directions as everything becomes overwhelming.

"I'm sorry I said anything," she says. "Just remember what you're fighting for."

"Okay," I whisper, replaying her words in my head. She's right; I have to remember what I'm fighting for. I'm fighting for all of them, and I can't go back now.

"You're sure it's not far, Kaylee?"

"I'm sure," she responds.

Now, we walk in silence. I wish I had my earbuds and watch. I wish I had my friends by my side. What of Aubrey and Avery? Will they continue to live in denial? Will they be okay? What about Ash? I wished day and night to have her back when I thought she was dead. Now, I willingly left her company. I miss her and her wise words. If she was here, she could help me with both my mission and my state of mind.

I miss everyone I've come to care about; especially those I can never see again. This is for them. I can't let their deaths be for nothing.

Eventually, the buildings disappear and our only company is dead grass. The only sound is the grass crunching under our shoes, and the few cuss words Kaylee mutters after tripping on a rock. There is hardly a breeze, and the sun has decided to peer down at the desolate landscape. Sweat beads on my brow, and I swipe it away every few minutes. My shirt clings to me, and I yearn for water.

"Water?" I voice.

Kaylee shakes her head, her eyes lighting up as she points at a fence ahead. "Not on me, but in there."

I grin, and I pick up my speed. Once I'm inside of this new city, this journey can truly begin.

As we get closer, I realize there's a big gap in the fence. Huge trucks drive in and out, and there seems to be a booth places to the left of the gap.

"So, can we just walk right in?" I ask. My eyebrows furrow. "Why is there a hole in the fence? Did someone blow it up? What about the trucks? Have rebels overtaken the city?" My heart picks up its pace.

Kaylee lets out a short, hearty laugh. "No, silly. This city is just less closed off than the capital. The trucks going in and out are trading trucks. There are four cities including the capital. The other three trade supplies with each other. This one also tries to find things of value in the desolate land outside of their fence."

I stare at it in wonder. "They- trade? They know each other exists?"

"Yes," she says. "This is Janua, the closest city to the capital. The cities are mainly to give goods back to the capital, along with house the people not good enough to be in the government's city."

My brain feels like it's being overloaded. I stare at the hole until Kaylee grabs my arm and drags me. There is a line of big trucks waiting to be allowed entrance. Kaylee walks to the back of one and presses a button. The hatch opens, and she all but drags me inside. She reaches out, presses the button again, and we're engulfed in darkness.

----

Thoughts? Of the cities? Of the chapter? Of Kaylee? Of the series as a whole? Please, please comment and vote!

-Sarah