The crate was safe. The only problem was that we weren't yet.

Our entire group huddled behind the truck, slightly rattled. Sean was staring upwards, waiting for the bullets to stop. I feared they never would. I didn't even know how long we'd been waiting behind the truck, but I did know that there was no way we'd all be able to get in and drive away without at least one of us getting hurt.

I looked at the others, wondering if they had any clue what to do in this situation. I really wanted to move and get out of the way. They all seemed completely unfazed, though. Maybe a bit scared, but I had a feeling they'd been through this before. Their entire community of people had probably been through this kind of thing many times. Especially if their job mainly consisted of breaking people out of the Equator.

Finally, I heard the bullets frequency decrease. Then, they stopped coming completely. After a couple seconds, I began to move, but Sean quickly held up a hand, meaning stop. I wasn't sure how much longer he wanted us to sit there.

At this point, the entire storefront was shattered into millions of glass shards on the ground. The road was pockmarked with indents. The either crate had been shot so many times that bags leaked out of the sides of it, filled with a variety of foods.

The clouds hung far above us, dark and threatening as every window down the street remained closed. The place felt like a ghost town.

Sean put his hand down, and slowly began to stand up. When nothing else came to try hitting him, he waved at us to join him.

I stood up and rounded the back of the truck. I was almost certain one of those bullets had to have punctured a tired, but I was surprised to see they'd missed. The truck was still drive-able. I hopped into the back along with the others as Sean returned to the driver's seat. The crate was packed into the truck. It seemed like we were good to go.

"Who exactly was that?" I asked, hoping for some kind of answer.

Sean didn't respond. Gina was the one who ended up answering. "Just another crazy. Sometimes, they think we're coming to take them over or something and try to shoot us down." She refused to look at me, which made me question how honestly she was answering. I let it go. I was safe, and that was all that mattered.

By the time we returned to the encampment, it was far into the night. Nobody was awake to greet us. Even so, when we stopped, Sean immediately left for Claire's tent, telling us to grab the crate and set it down in the supply tent. I didn't question it.

Now that Sean was gone and the mission was over, everyone was a little more talkative. They all seemed a little concerned.

"I wish he wouldn't just storm off like that," Natalie murmured as she helped me pull the crate off the back.

"Why, does it happen often?"

Natalie just shook her head. "Yeah. That's the problem. The few recent times we've gone out, there have been shootings. Then, he just leaves, without another word. He doesn't even discuss it with us."

"I mean, there's not that much to discuss," Gina commented, but she didn't seem too sure in her words. Max remained silent on the issue, but he did walk to me and offer to grab my end of the crate. I was struggling to pull it off the side. I wasn't the best when it came to upper body strength, and I was grateful the second Max took the weight onto himself instead.

Natalie just shrugged. "I guess not. I just wish I knew more."

I did, too. But I had to remind myself that this was a mission to prove myself worthy of their trust. If I began to seem like I distrusted them, I might not pass this test.

Once we were in the main part of the encampment, Max and Natalie dismissed Gina and I, saying they could handle the rest on their own. It was only at that moment that I realized just how tired I was. I couldn't wait to get into bed and finally relax. Just the thought of it comforted me.

Our sleeping area was, of course, located in another tent, this one much bigger than the rest. On the outside, it was one large space, but inside, it was sectioned off to accommodate everyone. I walked inside and then down the hallways made of sheets of tarp to the back, where a space was laid out for our entire group. Everyone left over from the Snow Society who'd made it this far.

I got onto my mat, right between January's and the wall of tarp. She was sound asleep, just like everyone else. As I laid down, I thought about how much happier everyone seemed in sleep, especially her. She'd been through a lot, specifically because of Mace. I wondered what it felt like to be betrayed so deeply.

I felt myself drift into unconsciousness as I pitied January and her situation. I just hoped that never had to happen to me.