"Who are they?" I asked Nathaniel.

His gaze shifted from the dilapidated building to the people - or things - sitting beside a few passengers. "Them?" I nodded and he gave a sharp laugh. Thankfully, he didn't attract any attention. "I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet. They're low-level demons. They're doing their job." Their job? As if reading my mind, he said shortly, "Demons are in charge of collecting human souls. They're waiting for them to die."

Waiting? How did they know they'd die? Could they see the future? I still didn't fully understand what he meant, but I had more pressing things on my mind.

The light bars lining the subway car flickered randomly. It was obvious they hadn't been tended to in a long time. Actually, the whole railway system hadn't been maintained in over a century.

It made sense, seeing as only the poorer used this way of transport. I could tell even just by looking at the passengers they're from the rundown part of North. Everyone's face is ashen and unamused, including the young children.

Thankfully, there are no cameras anywhere near here, and everyone minds their own business, so I should be able to get to the South without being noticed. The fact puts my nerves at ease.

I flicked through the letters out of boredom. Grandmother had sent them over the years, and I hadn't once looked at them. Not until last night. It was clear that Mother and Father had opened and read through them before passing them onto me, but I didn't mind. They were precious.

Nathaniel snuck a peek at the letters, clicking his tongue. "You really are fond of your grandmother, aren't you?" I nodded silently. I can't do much, but if I can convince her to leave the South and bring her back, then that's enough.

I adjusted my sunglasses, tired but not comfortable enough to fall asleep. "Nathaniel?" His eyebrow raised, a stark contrast to his olive skin. "What are you?"

"What am I?" He looked caught off guard for a split second before he scoffed. "What type of question is that?"

"No, I mean—" I tried to turn my thoughts into words. "Are you a demon?" The car shook dangerously underneath us, and the power went out for a few seconds.

Nathaniel gazed at our surroundings in mild disgust. "What do you think?"

What did I think? I knew he wasn't human for sure. But he didn't look like the other demons that also shared the subway car. He looked more . . . alive wouldn't have been the appropriate term to use, but he didn't look as lifeless and mundane as they did.

"Do I look like a low-level demon?" he scoffed again. I glanced at him. "You're the strangest human I've ever come across."

"How so?"

He crossed his thin arms, scrutinising me with his red gaze. "Your existence is hypocritical. You're polite and well-mannered. You're easily manipulated and influenced, like other human beings, but you have the power to influence others. You're not afraid of my kind, but you're afraid of death." He paused as we hurtled through a tunnel. "Why is that?"

I kept quiet. Was I really afraid of death? I hadn't thought about it before. I hadn't thought about death ever since Lavia's death. But that was a long time ago. The more I thought about it the more it seemed true. Maybe I am afraid of death.

"I'm afraid of dying without making a change," I murmured and clasped my gloved hands together. Silence fell between us for a moment.

"To yourself or to the world?"

I shrugged. "Both, I guess."

That was the last time either of us spoke. It took an hour for the train to reach the edge of the South, and an additional forty minutes for us to find the neighbourhood my grandmother lived in.

I could see why Laura thought Southerners has nothing left to live for. The area was overpopulated, with barely enough houses to accommodate a few thousand people, let alone thirteen billion.

As we walked further into the city, the air got thicker with smoke. If I had working lungs I'd be coughing just like the young kids on the street. My non-functioning heart hurt at the sight.

"It's hard to believe that half of the worlds population lives in such a horrible place," Nathaniel said as he wrinkled his nose. The look of pity I thought I saw on his face was replaced by indifference. "I could have gotten us here in ten seconds flat."

"This is something I have to do on my own. And besides, I still don't trust you," I muttered absently as we weaved through crowds. Every person I passed by looked weary, and yet a smile was fixed on their lips.

Nathaniel briefly floated beside me, as if mocking my humanity, before his feet settled on the ground. "You're such a bully. Are we close to your grandmother's house?"

"I'm not sure." This area didn't look familiar. Then again it was my first time there. Grandmother had lived in the North for most of my life, and when she'd moved to the South we hadn't visited her once. We had actually cut off contact with her.

After asking for directions we eventually found the area, and I wished I hadn't.

The area surrounding the neighbourhood of Sunbrook was completely burnt down, and it got worse the deeper we went in. What used to be houses were barely distinguishable. The houses that managed to stay upright had charred, sloping roofs and missing foundations.

I knew Grandmother wasn't here.

"Excuse me," I asked a middle-aged woman fondly watching a child draw pictures into mud. Her tired eyes still smiled at me. "Do you by any chance know a woman called Silvia Penber?"

The woman's face fell just as the wind picked up speed. My hair whipped my face, presumably as punishment for having such high hopes.

"My name is Faith, and this is Michael," she said. She let her son sit on her lap and ran her fingers through his hair. "We used to call her Granny Sil, because she was like family to us. She was stubborn like a mule but cared for everyone." Her gaze dimmed. "Just last month soldiers destroyed this place and killed anyone standing in their way." Faith coughed back tears. "Granny Sil fought for her village. She's now in the Lord's care."

I'd forgotten how religious the South really was. The monasteries that I'd seen in history books must have been destroyed or burnt down. I recounted her previous words. "Soldiers?"

Beside me Nathaniel shifted on his feet, presumably bored. The woman nodded, "There were at least one hundred of them, wearing dark purple uniforms. Or maroon. But they had guns and big cars. We were sure they were from the North."

Dark purple uniforms. The E.C.J. There was no doubt in my mind that they were behind such an attack. And it would make sense that they would be getting rid of the South's residents. They clearly held a certain hatred for Southerners. The only question was why. Was it because they weren't as rich?

The fact that Grandmother was really gone hadn't sunk in fully. Faith squinted at me and tilted her head. "Are you Granny Sil's granddaughter?"

I smiled faintly. "I am, yes."

She stood up and carried her son on her back, asking me to follow her. I exchanged a look with Nathaniel before I followed. Faith led the way to a dilapidated building. I assumed it was her home, by the few possessions and single bed beside a pile of toys. She lay her sleeping son on the bed and gestured towards another room.

"Please give me a minute." I nodded and watched her disappear into the small room.

Nathaniel clacked his teeth impatiently. "How come she hasn't acknowledged you yet?" I wondered aloud.

"Humans cannot see me. Surely you must know that by now, from the looks those humans gave you on the subway." He looked extremely amused. "They must have thought you were insane, talking to yourself."

I was about to question him further when Faith came out with a small wooden box in hand. She held it out expectantly and I thanked her for it, unsure of what it was for. It looked polished and unmarred, unlike the rest of this village.

"Granny Sil asked me to keep it safe for the day you came," she told me. The dim lighting made her dark skin look pasty, almost grey. She pushed some hair from her face. "It hasn't been opened or touched since it was in my care. It was the least I could do. You know, you don't look anything like your grandmother but the way you two speak is exactly the same."

Her last sentence caught me off guard but made me smile. How had Grandma known I would come to South?

The sudden sound of a car engine and a scream cut through the air. Nathaniel looked unfazed while Faith's heart rate visibly increased.

"What was that?" Faith could barely shrug. I set the box on a table and ran past her frozen frame into the street. I swapped my sunglasses for regular ones so I could see clearer.

Two men in uniform kicked around and taunted a boy barely old enough to defend himself. The sight of the E.C.J.'s soldiers angered me. What business did they have here? Hadn't they hurt these people enough?

"Where's your mother, little man? Didn't she tell you to get a goddamn haircut?" A burly man with a tight fitting uniform and thick beard waved his gun around, ramming the barrel into the little boy's temple.

The other man chuckled and swiftly kicked the boys stomach. The bruised and bleeding boy cried and begged them to stop. "How dare scum like you tell me what to do—" They dragged him around in anger.

"Leave him alone," I called out, and both men glared at me. Once they saw my eyes and hair they backed down but didn't release their hold on the boy. "I said, leave him alone. Let him go."

"Why are you among these filthy pigs?" The thinner one of them called out. I didn't recognise their faces as I got closer to the scene. They looked even tougher and menacing close up.

"This boy has nothing to do with you, so let him go," I repeated. I could feel my anger growing by the second. The reality of the situation - of the world, in fact - was that the stronger preyed on the weaker. It was like an unwritten rule that everybody followed. Respect the people with power, look down on those with less of it.

And the reality of the situation was that I was breaking that rule.

"We suggest you leave before you get hurt, missus."

"Yes, we wouldn't want you to be caught up in a little accident, now would we?"

I stared at the sadistic men. "Are you threatening me?" The little boy gazed at me in fear and awe, half of his dark hair covering his face. I could tell he was too scared to even move. They had released him from their clutches, but he wouldn't run.

"Stay back or we'll blow your brains out." I wasn't sure which of the men spat it out, but they both pointed their guns at me. By now a thick crowd of people had formed a few miles away. "I said stay back!"

Their guns fired just as I lay a gloved hand on the boys shoulder. The bullets bounced off my skin as I helped the little boy up on his feet. His whole body shook with fear and pain. "Can you walk?" He nodded faintly and I brought him to who I assumed was his mother. She sobbed as she hugged him tight and thanked me over and over again.

The men stared at me in confusion and irritation. "Leave these people alone. They haven't done anything to hurt you," I raised my voice above the hysteria.

They came at me so quickly I didn't have time to prepare. The blow to my stomach was ten times more painful than I could have imagined. I remembered Nathaniel's words. You may not be living, but you can feel pain. It's much worse than it was when you were alive. I let out a silent moan as I coughed up blood and tried to recompose myself. So what he said was true.

The burly soldier aimed his gun at my head, which I quickly kicked out of his hand. My body was beginning to ache, not used to moving so much in such a short amount of time.

The redhead scowled as he shot at my leg. "What the hell?" he swore. His fist swung at my cheek and knocked my glasses to the ground.

The second they made eye contact with me they fell to the ground. I stood for a moment in shock. I didn't mean to kill them. They made me do it, I convinced myself in panic.

The whole village fell silent, the only sound the distant wailing of a child. I slipped my glasses back on, wincing at the cracked lens. Nathaniel caught my eye from afar, and I was surprised when he gave me a thumbs up.

Did he think I did the right thing by killing them? Did he know it was an accident? My head started throbbing just as people erupted into cheers. Cheers at what? I was jostled into a crowd and embraced by countless people I'd never seen before.

"Thank you so much for saving Rafa, and saving our village," someone cried out. They were thanking me for getting rid of the men?

The joyful atmosphere slowly changed the horrible feeling of guilt inside of me, and for the first time since arriving in the South, I smiled. I wasn't able to save Grandmother but I was able to save a whole village. The townsfolk looked happy and unfazed by the lifeless bodies of the two men.

I glanced at Nathaniel, who leaned against a church cross and watched the charade. He avoided eye contact but there was a contagious smile on his face. It was the type of proud smile that made you feel special, and most of all, useful.