Mark lugged a green bucket of freshly caught fish into the centre of what was left of town, setting it down beside a crackling fire built from broken furniture and scrap wood.

Without hesitation, he grabbed a soot-blackened metal rod, skewered a fish, and held it over the hungry flames, which snapped and hissed.

Over time, Mark had built more than a routine—it was a lifeline. A rotating crew of over ten people took shifts: some fished at the lake, others cooked by the fire, each doing their part to keep everyone alive.

"Do we all have to move to Sunny's now?" Trent asked bitterly, jabbing a half-cooked fish toward the flames. "Because I'm not ending up on Jason's side. I'd rather starve"

"Pretty sure if we stay, we'll be burned alive," Helena said flatly, not looking up from the fire.

Trent and Helena had become two of Mark's most reliable helpers. They'd stepped in when food was scarce and hunger gnawed at the edges of everyone's patience. Back then, frying fish wasn't just a chore, but it was the difference between surviving and slipping into chaos.

Helena leaned in and rotated the fish carefully, trying not to let the tender fish tear.

The skin sizzled and popped as fat dripped into the flames, sending up bursts of smoke and tiny sparks. The smell was mouthwatering—rich, oily, and almost overwhelming after weeks of bland rations and empty bellies.

Mark wiped his greasy hands on his pants, leaving dark streaks across the fabric. He then made his way toward Emma, who paced a narrow stretch of snow-packed ground, arms folded tightly and biting her lip.

"Everything feels wrong," she said without meeting his eyes. "Even with the groups split, there's something else that I can't shake."

"What kind of feeling?" he asked with knitted eyebrows.

Emma exhaled sharply, her breath misting the cold air. "It's strange. These feelings don't come just as emotions, but hit me as physical sensations. Each one is different: fear, danger, or something else... threatening." She groaned. "Cindy went to check on the groups, but it's not like we can intervene. It poses a risk because..."

"Because what?" Mark pressed.

"Something is coming," she said, her voice rising just enough for those nearby to hear it.

Cindy appeared suddenly, breathless and wide-eyed. "Ashley's coming," she warned, voice trembling.

Without warning, Party Culture erupted into a roaring blaze—flames licking hungrily at the walls and scattered debris, turning the once lively place into a fiery death trap.

"Run!" Mark yelled.

The crowd broke out.

People dropped their rods.

Ran.

Screamed.

No direction. Just escape.

Mark dove behind a toppled flowerbed, yanking Emma and Cindy down with him. They pressed their bodies low against the icy, slushy ground, his heart hammering like a war drum.

He watched what was happening. Screams tore through the air. Fire wrapped around people, dragging them to their death. Others were sliced in half, blood spraying across the snow.

"We're going to die," Emma whispered, her voice shaking.

Mark reached over and squeezed her hand. His fingers shook, and he realized he couldn't remember the last time he felt this scared.

"We need to find somewhere safe," he whispered.

They crawled on hands and knees. Wet snow soaked through their clothes, chilling them to the bone, while the heat from the flames made their skin sting. Smoke curled around their faces, forcing them to cough with every breath.

The snow beneath them had turned to slushy mud, sucking at their boots and slowing each desperate crawl. Sparks hissed and popped as they landed nearby, sending tiny burns skittering across frozen puddles.

Through the haze of smoke and ash, a crumbling, abandoned building loomed in the distance.

"There!" Mark hissed, pointing sharply.

Without hesitation, they scrambled toward it, lungs burning and limbs screaming in protest.

He yanked open the rusted back door, and they stumbled inside. Mark slammed it shut with a heavy thud, pressing his back to the cold wall as he fought to steady his ragged breath.

"If we step outside, she'll turn us to ash," Emma murmured.

Mark's gaze snapped to the broken windows, his heart pounding. Beyond the glass stood Ashley—her blood-smeared face twisted into a wicked grin, making her look less like a girl and like a demon.

"She won't stop here," Emma whispered, eyes fixed on the windows. "She'll burn Simcoe to the ground and Sunny's is next."

A cold shiver ran down Mark's spine as Ashley's gaze pierced the glass—not at them, but through them. Without warning, she raised her bloodied hands, summoning Jason's searing light. The building erupted in flames instantly.

They screamed in unison, bursting through the back door just seconds before the inferno consumed the building. Behind them, fire roared, devouring everything in its path. Their lungs burned with smoke as they scrambled, desperate to find shelter amid the chaos.

"Is it even safe to go inside a house?" Cindy shouted over the roar, glancing back at the flames.

"We need to find a car," Mark rasped between coughs, his throat raw from the smoke.

They tore through the wreckage of Richmond Street—fallen trees blocking paths, shattered windows dripping ash, and fire burning at every surface. Overturned cars burned fiercely, their orange glow stabbing into the darkened sky.

As they moved, Mark's eyes caught something. There were bodies, twisted and burned, some missing limbs that was a result of Ashley's power.

"There!" Mark shouted, pointing at a battered white truck skewed sideways near a collapsed utility pole.

His boots slipped in the slush as he sprinted to the door. The handle stuck. He yanked harder, metal shrieking as it gave way. Emma and Cindy trembled in behind him.

Mark dropped into the driver's seat. His fingers were shaking too hard to grip the keys right.

The engine choked once. Twice. Then roared to life.

He didn't wait for seatbelts—just slammed it into drive and floored the gas.

The tires screamed against the snow.

The truck didn't move.

Something unseen clamped around it like a giant hand.

The entire vehicle jerked upward with a sickening lurch.

"We're in the sky! This is bad!" Emma cried out.

"No shit!" Cindy snapped.

Through the windshield, they saw her. Ashley stood beneath them, glaring up. Her body was a horror show—hair mostly gone, blood streaked her clothes, cheeks, elbows, and forehead.

"Tell me where the mutant child is, healer," Ashley sneered.

"No!" Emma screamed, her body trembling violently.

"I can drop this truck and kill you all," Ashley sneered.

"Cindy, go warn Zane," Emma whispered as Cindy teleported away.

Suddenly, the truck dropped.

Air tore past them as their stomachs lurched violently.

Below, Ashley staggered from the impact of a speeding car. She hit the asphalt hard, blood streaking her face.

Mark grabbed Emma's hand. "Go!" he yelled.

They jumped from the truck, slamming into the snow before scrambling toward a waiting vehicle.

River gripped the wheel, eyes wide.

"Teagan doesn't want to be one of Ashley's followers!" Mallory exclaimed.

"One of the followers is turning against her," Emma said, biting her lip nervously.

Mark glanced back at the town through the rear window. Simcoe was now nothing but smouldering ruins. Flames clawed at the sky, casting an eerie, unnatural glow that made everything seem unreal.

This wasn't just about Ashley wanting a child dead anymore. This was about everyone.

Emma's grip tightened around Mark's hand until his fingers tingled numb. "I sent Cindy to Sunny's," she whispered hurriedly. "So we have a little time."

"She's coming!" Preston shouted from the backseat.

River slammed the gas pedal to the floor, the vehicle bouncing wildly over the snow-covered field. Behind them, Ashley surged forward, her twisted figure growing clearer against the fiery backdrop of the burning town.

"Looks like most of us are headed to hell together," Preston remarked, sticking up a thumb.

"Shoot her!" Mallory cried.

Emma's eyes flickered to the floor, where she snatched the pistol. Her fingers trembled uncontrollably as she leaned over Mark, forcing the barrel out the window. Her hand shook violently, the gun wavering as she aimed at the blur chasing them.

She squeezed the trigger, and the gunshot cracked sharply through the air. The bullet struck Ashley. She let out a piercing yell and staggered.

"Nice shot!" Mallory exclaimed.

Ashley snarled viciously. "Stop toying with me, healer. Tell me where the mutant child is?"

"I'd never tell you!" Emma shouted.

"Where are we?" Mallory asked.

Mark slowly lifted his head, eyes scanning the desolate scene. The fire's heat had melted the snow, leaving a churned, muddy wasteland. In the distance, the town's ruins still burned, casting an ominous glow on the horizon.

"A field," Mark said.

"Ashley's rattled," Emma whispered, her voice trembling. "She'll head back to town to finish off the rest."

"And I thought we had more time!" Mallory panicked. "What now? What do we do?"

"Are we near the hospital or power plant?" River asked, squinting into the darkness.

Mark couldn't make out much in the thick darkness. Everything was shadows now, except for the fire still raging nearby.

"I think the power plant," he said.

"Bryce and the crackheads were at the power plant," Emma rambled. "Maybe with Greyson and Jason, but it's highly unlikely."

"Didn't you say Ashley was headed to the power plant to fight?" Mark asked.

"I don't know if they're injured or if they managed to find Bella," Emma said.

Mark doubted Bella would want to come return to this madness, especially after everything that happened. They'd barely managed to escape the chaos themselves. Still, it seemed like their only option.

"Are we even going to find them with only half a tank of gas left?" River asked.

Emma shook her head. "I don't think it's that far," she said firmly.

"Everyone says you're terrible with directions," Mallory said.

"I think I know the way," River remarked.

"They might not even be there," Mark said.

"If we do find them, let's try not to run them over," Preston joked.

Flames engulfed Simcoe, turning the sky a fiery orange that could be seen from miles away. Thick smoke churned into the air, blanketing the snow-covered town in a hellish haze. People ran in every direction, stumbling over debris and dodging collapsing buildings.

Despite the chaos, five people were attempting to figure out how to get back.

"Go and shake it up, what you gotta lose? Go and make it luck with the life you choose!" Mia sang, spinning wildly. "If you want it all, lay it on the line! It's the only life you got, so you gotta live it big time!"

"Stop singing," Bella snapped.

"Are you disrespecting Big Time Rush? Wait, let me guess." Mia seemed to be searching for an answer.

"She probably didn't watch it," Eden sneered.

"You were probably one of those Disney Channel girls," Mia said with mock disgust.

They stood stranded on a desolate, narrow road stretching endlessly into darkness, with no landmarks or signs to guide them.

Will and Bryce had both passed out—Bella's attempt to drag Will forward was agonizing. No cars, no phones, no idea which way to go. They were utterly lost.

"Do you even know if we're close to anything?" Eden asked.

The three scanned their surroundings, eyes straining in the darkness. The only light came from cheap glow sticks hanging around their necks, their weak flickers casting small shadows, barely enough to make out their hands.

"Whoa, it's glowing over there!" Mia exclaimed, almost losing grip on Bryce's legs as she pointed toward the flickering light in the distance.

Bella's head snapped toward Mia's outstretched finger, as her gaze locked on a strange glow far in the darkness.

"That's fire," Bella said dreadfully.

"Will! Bryce! Ashley's attacking!" Mia shouted, shaking them both.

Will groaned, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to stay conscious. "Can't wait to be fried," he muttered.

"Mia's the one who's gonna get fried," Bryce said with a sly grin. "Eden, are you sure you didn't torch the town?"

"Not my fire this time," Eden shot back.

Bella blinked, her thoughts stalling as Eden's words settled in her mind. A connection flickered to life—these crackheads weren't just reckless; Eden's casual talk about fire wasn't just bravado. The innocent act was a mask. Beneath it, she was an arsonist.

"We can't just stand here like corn stalks," Mia quipped, grinning. "We're gonna get harvested by a tractor named Ashley."

Bryce and Will cracked up, despite the pain.

Eden flashed her usual innocent smile, and then smacked Mia upside the head.

Mia stumbled, caught off guard, barely catching herself before falling.

"Focus on not dying," Eden snapped, eyes blazing. "Not tractors. This isn't some farm show with country music, cornfields, and daydreams about being horse girls."

Bella's breath caught in her throat.

Eden's mask had cracked.

The dangerous glint beneath her polished was real and unhidden.

Eden wasn't just the sweet, religious girl she pretended to be.

She was something far more dangerous.

"We could just play dead," Will mumbled.

"We're not making it to town," Bella said, eyes flickering to the raging inferno. "So, hospital or Sunny's?"

"Where's Sunny's?" Mia asked.

"Somewhere out on the outskirts," Bryce replied.

Bella didn't know exactly Sunny's was.

Not because she'd never been there, but because she hadn't been allowed six months ago.

"I don't know," she snapped. "Someone decided to drug me."

Eden didn't even flinch.

"I did you a favour," she sneered.

"Lights!" Mia screamed, lights slicing through the chaos.

Bella squinted through the thick smoke, straining to make out shapes. Headlights barrelled down the road, bright and blinding, moving far too fast.

A vehicle.

"Run!" Bryce shouted, but it was too late.

Will's legs buckled first, then Bryce, then Bella herself hit the cold, gravel-strewn ground. The car roared closer, cutting through the darkness.

"This is the part in the horror movie where everyone dies," Mia whispered.

The door creaked open slow.

No one dared to look up.

What if it was Ashley?

"If it's Ashley," Bryce muttered, "we'll all be in hell together."

"Eden's getting the front-row seat in flames," Will rasped.

"I was made to rot in hell," Eden whispered back.

"What happened?" River's voice cut through the heavy silence.

Bella finally lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes. The son of the fashion designer she'd once admired from afar, back when the world still made sense.

"We almost all died!" Mia laughed, sticking up a thumb.

Then Emma stepped out from behind River, and relief crashed over Bella like a tidal wave, momentarily washing away the thought of the burning town.

"Emma!" Mia screeched, practically launching herself toward her.

"Will and Bryce are hurt the worst," Bella said.

Emma knelt beside Bryce, her hand gently resting against his head. Her eyes filled with growing with worry.

"We got slammed by a bathroom door," Bryce muttered, wincing. "The car might still be burning back there. Oh, and the whole town's going up in flames. So yeah... that's great."

"You could have died!" Emma voice cracked.

Tumbles reached out to and Bella, helping her to her feet. She clung to it, her legs shaky and unless beneath her.

"They're so in love!" Mallory smiled, starry eyed.

Bella turned her head just in time to see Bryce pull Emma into a soft hug, pressing a kiss to each of her cheeks.

And that's when it hit Bella.

This wasn't flirting.

This was real.

This was love.

Emma's cheeks turned a deep red, but she said nothing. She didn't push Bryce away.

Instead, she focused—one hand on Bryce's, the other on Will. Healing them both.

Bella's chest tightened.

That kind of gentle, unwavering support—she never offered it to Jason.

In isolation, the truth had crept in like a slow, cold wind.

She's been selfish, possessive, and too afraid to share him with others.

She hadn't held space for him.

She tried to own it.

And in the end, she lost him.

"The rest of us are burned badly by Ashley," Bella added quietly.

"Where are those two?" Emma asked, scanning the area.

"Ran off somewhere," Will said bitterly. "Left the rest of us to drag our asses out alone."

"Yeah," Mark said grimly. "Ashley's burning the town."

That was the last thing Bella wanted to face upon returning. She would have taken any insane stunt from those crackheads over stepping back into this burning nightmare.

"People are dying all over town," Emma said, out of breath. "We don't even know how many made it. Sunny's the next target, especially because of the baby."

The words hit Bella like a punch to the gut.

A mutant baby.

Simcoe in flames.

Ashley was out there, wielding everyone's powers.

She had missed so much, and now the world was ending around her.

"Is this it?" Mia asked. "The endgame?"

Emma didn't hesitate. "Ashley's endgame. Not the baby's."

Slowly Emma turned to Mia.

She gently her palm against Mia's burned cheek, and golden light bloomed beneath her skin.

Mia flinched, then relaxed.

The wound began to shrink.

Emma's hands trembled, but she kept healing.

"They might be permanently scarred," Emma pointed at Mia's cheeks.

"Do we just stay here and wait for Ashley to finish us off?" River asked nervously.

"The baby... it wants to be born," Emma said softly.

Even as the world burned around them.

Bella's eyes widened, stunned by Emma's words. She thought back to the basics she'd learned in health class—nine months was the usual wait time for a baby to be born.

Mallory widened her eyes. "It isn't due for three months!"

"This isn't just any baby, and this isn't a normal world," Emma said. "Ashley wants all of us dead and total control. That's her endgame."

A shiver ran down Bella's spine. Coming back meant staring death in the face, and she hadn't realized how close she'd come to the edge. Ashley could have found her anytime.

"I say we just hole up here and wait it out," Will suggested.

"I'm definitely not in the mood to die today," Mia said casually.

What would Jason do right now? Bella hated herself for wondering. She didn't deserve him or anyone. Still, she forced herself to think like he would, pushing aside how much she missed him.

"We should get back to Sunny's," Bella said. "It's our best shot."

"Let's just play a game instead," Mia said with a tired grin.

"Come on, let's think about anything but dying!" Will cheered, pushing himself up.

"Stop! You aren't healed yet!" Emma panicked.

Will sat back down across from Mia with both his legs outstretched.

Emma stared at Bella's arms as she winced when she placed her hand on them. It ached, but she would rather be able to move her arms.

"Or we play 'Who Kills Ashley.' Oh, wait, none of us can," Bryce said dryly. "Alright, Eden, what's the Jesus-approved game for before we die?"

Eden paused, fingers lacing together. "We confess our deepest regret," she said. "I don't have anything I regret."

Bryce smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Really? Who was the one nearly bawling and apologizing like crazy when she thought those idiots were dead at that one party? There's a small pit of regret in your black heart, Eden," he taunted. "People have feelings, if you ever noticed."

Eden's face flushed bright red, teeth clenched tight. This wasn't the controlled Eden that Bella knew when she was drugged. It was the real personality.

"That has nothing to do with regret," Eden growled.

Bella couldn't help but laugh at herself as she thought of her own regrets. Since it all began, her list of mistakes had grown longer, each one tied to choices she wished she could undo. If only she hadn't used Jason, maybe she wouldn't have been forced into isolation.

"I remember that!" Mia exclaimed. "She was crying at one point, which she never does."

"All we did was almost drown jumping off the roof into a pool," Will said, shrugging. "Eden told us to do it."

"I say we head to Sunny's and get Zane's input," Mark suggested.

It seemed like the best answer. After all, Zane's always been one of the best planners in this place.

"We could jump over the fire pit," Bryce said.

"Yes!" Mia exclaimed.

They all piled into the car in a chaotic jumble, with some sprawled on the floor and others squeezed into seats. None were fully healed, but at least part of the pain disappeared.

"We should make it from Mark's directions," River said.

Inside the vehicle, Bella sat on the floor—crammed between Bryce, Will, and Mallory. In the backseats, Emma, Preston, Mia, and Eden were squeezed together, each try to make room. River drove, Mark sat quietly in the passenger seat.

The car rumbled through the darkness. Goosebumps rose along Bella's arms—not from the cold, but from the feeling that something was listening. Ashley was out there. Anyone could hear them.

"Are we just going to stand around, or are we going back on guard duty?" Mallory asked.

"We'll try not to die," Will said, sticking up a thumb.

"We used to play that game all the time!" Mia added, laughing. "Will and I almost lost every time."

Bella pressed her lips together. If she hadn't gotten involved with Jason's world—the heroic, self-sacrificial, dangerous world—maybe she'd be with these four. Chaotic, loud, alive in a way she hadn't been in a long time.

She used to like people like this.

People who adrenaline and laughter.

Even when she was the "golden girl," she went out.

She partied.

She let herself be wild, but only just enough.

Maybe that's why she saw them as reckless.

She never crossed the line.

Never drove headfirst into chaos.

She had been the golden girl.

Until she wasn't.

She had looks that turned heads, good grades, and a reputation that seemed untouchable.

Bella had grown used to being envied—the stares, the whispers, the admiration wrapped in jealousy.

She learned to accept it like second nature.

But Scarlet changed that.

There was something different about her; something that shifted the dynamic.

For the first time, Bella was the one feeling jealous.

Not the surface-level.

Not the beauty or popularity.

This was deeper.

Scarlett had a kind of magnetic pull, a seductive charm that reality in her favour.

Like the world tilted to meet her desires.

Cindy might've envied Bella's relationship with Jason.

Nevaeh never looked at her that way.

But Scarlett? She made Bella feel invisible.

That's when Bella realized that her jealousy wasn't about looks anymore.

It was about power. The kind Bella didn't have.

She hated the feeling.

Jealousy twisted her thoughts, especially during isolation, when there was nothing to distract her from it.

She glanced around in the crowded car.

Bryce was teasing Emma, who blushed and smiled without protest.

Will, Eden, and Mia were laughing over some reckless mall theft.

Mark chatted quietly with River.

Mallory and Preston watched the crackheads.

Bella felt utterly alone—something she'd grown used to during her time in isolation.

Most of the people around her were from Uden Academy, already bound together by friendship.

Maybe that's why she clung to Jason so tightly.

Everyone else had vanished, and he was the only one taking action.

She remembered that day her classmates vanished: the silence, the fear, the sick feeling that something had gone horribly wrong.

Where had her friends gone? Had the world truly ended without telling her?

Eden once told her she needed to do something selfless to make up for her past.

But what could she possibly offer?

She didn't have powers.

She wasn't a fighter.

She wasn't a healer.

She was just Bella.

And people like her couldn't stop monsters.

People didn't call her "golden girl" anymore.

Now she was just the housewife.

The girl left behind.

Was she really supposed to charge after Ashley and get burned alive trying to play hero?

"Emma, shooting a gun? Who would've expected that?" Bryce teased.

Emma, who had been having a mental breakdown ever since the truth of Greyson's actions were revealed, shot a gun. The old Emma would have refused, running away or hiding, leaving someone else to do it.

Bella had never really fully trusted Emma at first. She was always loyal to Greyson's side, but despite her doubts and insecurities, she stayed. That loyalty was what made her vulnerable and why she was used.

Mark's voice was low. "She shot Ashley a couple of times."

"I'm not sure if she's injured, but she might be," Emma mumbled.

Bella ran her fingers through the back of her hair, wincing at the uneven patches she discovered. What had once been perfectly straight hair now looked like a bad haircut.

Unlike Mia's, it didn't directly show where the burning of her hair happened.

Bella slid up her sleeve and stared down at her gruesome burns that no longer hurt. Emma had healed some of it, but it remained the same.

Eden spoke calmly. "Ephesians says we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers over this present dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Bryce snorted. "Sucks for you, Eden. We're fighting both flesh and blood and whatever else is out there."

"When this is over, can we fight against the government?" Mia asked with a laugh.

River's voice was serious. "We're already fighting them. If we make it out alive, I'm going to make sure of it."

"We're all walking into an endgame, but also a beginning," Emma said, panic in her voice.

"Welcome to hell, sinners," Bryce rolled on his tongue.

"Enjoy your stay because this isn't the peaceful place we started in. No, this is the life we evildoers live," Eden said with an innocent smile.

Will smirked darkly. "Good and evil? Forget that. This world's just pure evil now."

They were right. This was no longer the simple beginning, filled with hope and possibility. Back when everyone was still baffled by the disappearance of their parents or older siblings.

"We're all trying to kill someone while fighting to stay alive. This is blood, tears, sacrifices, and..." Mia seemed to get lost in her words.

"Death," Preston said.

Bella clenched her fists, heart pounding fiercely.

There would be no more rides back and forth to Uden Academy for simple fights.

This had become something far worse—something no one of them wanted to face: pure terror.

Luke faced Esme and Angel. Although his body and been chopped apart, it had moulded back together. All except his opposite arm—the one Esme had sliced off.

"I'm throwing you in the lake," Esme said, bouncing on her toes.

"You'll miss," Luke snarled.

"Your makeover looks amazing, if you didn't know. Everyone seemed to love it," Esme exclaimed.

"I'm still here," Luke stated.

Ashley had rejoined his body today. It had found all the parts, somehow assembling them together like some kind of doll.

It still made Luke angry. Ashley—that thing—looked nothing special. Just an ugly girl.

How could something so powerful look so ordinary?

Luke wanted to take his noodle arm and slice her body into pieces.

"It looks like the town is already burning," Luke said, spotting the dark clouds in the sky.

"That's unfortunate, but I have to stop you first." Esme implied.

Luke knew the bait was that Mexican. He lashed his noodle arm forward, the limb snapping like a whip. It struck Angel and sent him stumbling back, a scream ripping his throat.

Esme launched herself at him, knife aimed for his chest—but Luke's arm snapped out again, striking her mid-charge and sending her skidding across the snow.

"Wow... aren't you cool?" Esme coughed, struggling to steady herself.

Luke felt the ground cave beneath him as gravity suddenly shifted. It was that boy who appeared to be a bloody mess.

"Did that Dipstick send you two to find me?" Luke snarled.

"Zane did," Esme beamed, pulling out a second knife.

"You already lost," Luke laughed.

Esme went speeding around him in a circle. "You can't catch me," her voice taunted.

Luke felt a slice on his body as he looked down at the gash on his noodle arm. It didn't cut it off like last time, but Esme tripped backward, landing on the ground.

He struck her across the cheek with the scar, causing her to scream. The blood spilled from her cheek as he repeated the same motion before he felt his body sliced in half. He looked down to find the top half of his body on his side. Angel loomed over him, a bloodied knife in his hand, his teeth gritted.

"I'll mould back together," Luke snarled.

Angel sliced him right down the middle. He grabbed the second knife from Esme, who held her bloody cheek.

"I'm not seeing another person die in front of me," Angel spat, slicing another half of his body.

"Lukey is going to look worse than before," Esme remarked, blood dripping on her sweatshirt.

Luke felt one part of himself lifted up in the air before being thrown deep underwater into the dark lake. It had only been one-half of his top half without an arm.

The piece of him sank slowly, disappearing into the dark water below.

When it hit the bottom, Luke felt nothing.

No cold. No pain. Nothing,

It almost seemed as if he were immortal. It had all started when Greyson killed him. His body had actually died back in the power plant, but that ugly girl had given him a choice.

"Do you want to help me kill?" it had whispered, which he agreed to without hesitation. Yes, because he had been killed because of a stupid girl.

Above, he heard the voices of Esme and Angel. "We need to find Emma!" Angel panicked.

"We have to finish burying his pieces. Let's throw more in the lake," Esme stated.

Luke didn't want to stand on the sidelines because that had been what Ashley wanted. Ashley will do all the burning and killing to find that mutant child. He was able to cause Esme pain, which gave him pleasure. That girl had sliced his body up like the Mexican did.

When he was actually alive, he had more power. Greyson gave him something he enjoyed: punishing people. He had given punishment before, which Luke felt they were similar but they weren't. It wasn't even close because Greyson cared for someone while Luke didn't.

When Greyson told him about the reform camp incident, that's when he knew they were different. It made Luke feel alone, but he still went along with Greyson's plans. If he had still been able to punish people while enjoying it, he'd be his follower.

When Scarlett taunted him during the four months before the storm, which he wanted to kill her for the humiliation. That couldn't happen because every time she did, Greyson would be in the room. Scarlett knew that if he tried to hit or attempt to hurt her, Greyson would stop it.

Scarlett used him because she had been smart enough to know Greyson wouldn't let anyone touch her. It was disgusting to see how close the two of them had always been.

How people could feel something like that—he didn't understand it.

And he didn't care to.

All he wanted was to fight without anyone's orders. Ashley could do what it wanted, but Luke has become sick of its orders.

I tried to give a bit of humour because of all the chaos that happened this chapter...