The sky loomed overhead, still clouded in darkness. The night was pitch black, pierced only by the warm glow of a distant with a fire that flickered near the large pond at the heart of the campground. There were patches of snow scattered across the ground.

One noticeable change was the weather was gradually warming up; a shift that allowed everyone to not have to wear their heavy coats. Although Jason wasn't a weatherman, he guessed the temperature was around ten degrees Celsius.

In the past, when adults were around, sunlight seemed to shine freely without fear or threat from any lurking danger. Now, however, as he surveyed the dimly lit campground with its quiet tents and sleeping people, he sighed. He found himself seated in front of the fire while faint murmurs and laughter echoed an around him—a reminder that life continued in this hellish place.

"You can't just sit out here waiting for your housewife to return." Jason looked over to see Scarlett waddling toward him as he stood from his chair, in which she sat. "I'm pregnant, not in a wheelchair."

"I'm not expecting..." he trailed off.

"No, I'm expecting," she said, pointing at her stomach.

The discovery had been made six months ago. Someone was pregnant. The news came when the immense cold temperatures and raging storm random stopped. As it turned out, Scarlett was then one carrying the child.

Although, despite Scarlett being noticeably pregnant, she still appeared as beautiful as ever.

"I have to pee a lot. I don't vomit anymore, which is fantastic," she said, wearing her challenging smirk.

"Ah..." he trailed off, uncomfortable with the words.

"Would you like me to explain all the other strange changes with my body?" Scarlett asked, her eyebrows raised.

"No, no!" he rushed as she laughed. "What rank is it?"

"High."

The ranking system was something Scarlett was able to measure among mutants. The system indicated level of power and ability among individuals, and while many possessed these powers, only to held the highest rank: Jason and Greyson. Aside from them, the only others who could be considered high-ranking were Ashley or Divina.

"You cannot tell anyone," he whispered.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't just going to yell to everyone that my mutant child is probably thinking of crawling out of my stomach." Her sarcasm took Jason a moment to grasp.

For the past six months, they had been divided into two sides, but surprisingly there had been an unusual peace between them—a rare occurrence considering all the conflict. Typically, tensioned flared up between Greyson and Ashley's plans.

"It started kicking at five weeks, which is earlier than normal babies. That's not the worst part, but I can do things it must be able to do. I'm still a low rank, but..." she said, meeting his gaze.

"What are you talking about?"

"I once went to grab a towel, but it came to me instead. You know how I used to hear the voice? Now, it doesn't say much anymore."

Jason knew that this child would save them in some way. It could stop them from facing Ashley, the true monster. She hadn't attacked or caused any harm in the past six months, but Jason feared Scarlett knew something.

"Like extreme mutant powers?" Jason asked.

"Yes, which pregnancy is quite a bitch," Scarlett said with a smirk, grabbing a piece of dead grass from the ground, which grew wider. "This is one."

"It grows things like Divina?" he asked.

"Along with shrinking objects, but I don't know what other killer powers it has," she sighed, dropping the piece.

"Has Ashley located the baby?"

"I doubt it, but she will eventually. The baby definitely has multiple plans up its sleeve, especially with protection, and that we shouldn't worry. It has said it senses things."

Scarlett grabbed his hand, placing it firmly im the noticeable bulge beneath her red long-sleeve shirt. Almost immediately, he felt a quick kick, as if the baby knew exactly where his hand was.

"I'm twenty-four weeks, but close to twenty-five. I shouldn't be this big at twenty-four weeks," Scarlett stated.

"You still look pretty," he said with a hint of desperation.

"Isn't it wrong to tell the bearer of your niece or nephew she's pretty?"

"I didn't mean it that way!"

"You need to learn to take a joke sometimes," she said with a smirk. "I think Ashley's coming. I'm not saying send some huge abort mission, but the baby suspects something."

Jason felt a deep sense of unease as he realized he wasn't ready to face Ashley. There was still much to plan. He couldn't shake off the knowledge that she was beginning to develop the same mutant abilities that everyone a round him had.

"Does it know when?" he asked.

Scarlett shook her head, her grip tightening on the armrest of the lawn chair. "It's still a baby, Jason. If Ashley does come, I don't even want to know what she has planned." She slowly lifted herself out of the chair and faced him. "Well, I'm heading to bed."

"We'll set up some extra security," Jason commented.

He walked the campground, bubbling thoughts all over. It wasn't just about Scarlett and the mutant child; it was also about his brother. He couldn't send a letter implying that the mutant child thinks Ashley is going to come. They had peace between both sides, which meant having Ashley come to kill didn't mean sides anymore.

"If you keep moping, you'll have wrinkles early," Nevaeh remarked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm not," he retorted, though the tremor said otherwise.

The absence of Bella weighted heavily on him; no one knew where she disappeared to, but she was somewhere alone. She distanced herself from everyone, leaving him grappling with a whirlwind of unanswered questions and an overwhelming sense of longing.

"Heard any new news?" he asked.

"Other than you thinking Ashley is going to attack," Nevaeh slyly said.

Jason didn't want to think about a plan to stop Ashley. There were many questions, but he was unsure where to begin. However, he didn't have the motivation to do that because everything just kept piling up.

"The broken soldier lost his spirit," Nevaeh said, snapping a finger. "It's not something easy to plan, so talk to Zane about it."

Despite Nevaeh's suggestion, he hesitated at the thought of pushing the issue onto Zane. There had been peace in their lives lately, but he still felt that longing for Bella. It had been months since he last saw her, and all she left him was a letter.

"She used you," Nevaeh implied. "Because the golden girl wanted to be who she had always been."

He wasn't in the mood to listen to the crumbling truth that Nevaeh was so eager to spill. She always knew the latest gossip, the unspoken motivations, the reasoning behind how something would happen. She'd always been right about Bella with what she did.

"Bella lost her status as being popular, which was something she always enjoyed. Scarlett overthrew her looks, while you overthrew her status in popularity. She uses you because she's still selfish, then leaves her soldier to change. Eden seemed unbothered with her location."

"You've asked Eden?" Jason asked.

"Eden could care less about Bella's location. Haven't you seen she's always with those four?"

Jason had seen the crackhead crew, as they call themselves. Mia, Bryce, Will, and Eden are the crazy teenagers who would be classified as delinquents.

"Uden Academy had a hard time controlling them, considering Mia leads the wacky schemes," Nevaeh implied.

"Mia is the type of person who'd shoot herself in the foot," he mumbled.

"Sorry, soldier," Nevaeh replied with a smirk. "But I've got no other information."

She can hear thoughts when she talks to someone. It has changed over the months, which has now changed into a medium rank, according to Scarlett.

"It's fine," he sighed.

"I've heard Greyson is apparently irritated like a girl on her period," Nevaeh said, putting her hands behind her back. "I'm guessing that Greyson misses Scarlett because of obvious reasoning. Emma has been doing well, forming a new friendship with Mark. I haven't heard about the voices."

Mark was among those who an essential role by delivering fish that he caught. A handful of others fished regularly, making sure they received equal amounts for both sides.

Surprisingly, some seeds have been growing in the fields cleared of snow, but Jason assumed it might be the baby.

"Has Emma given any information?" Jason asked.

"Nope," Nevaeh said, setting both hands in the pockets of her grey sweatpants.

Jason feared Emma knew something. It had been like she always knew something, but Jason knew Emma would know when the terror would come.

In the plaza, Emma's gaze flickered nervously towards Mark, who sat beside her on the cold, cement steps of the church. They were surrounded by a thick layer of two snow still covering the ground. The place had remained largely unchanged for months; the relentless snow had begun to decrease as people grew tired of shovelling snow.

"Are you certain? That's a risk," Mark said.

"You know that feeling you get when you sit in a hot tub? It's that," Emma implied, placing a hand on her gut.

"So, you believe Ashley is going to start terrorizing again?" Mark asked. "Do you have any idea how to stop it?"

"We have to ambush, but I'm not good at teamwork," Emma rambled, running a hand over her face and her heart pounding.

Was Ashley going to burn all their heads off? No, that wasn't what she wanted. What Ashley wanted was the baby dead—the one who had been faintly warming the temperature, yet it remained slightly cold. Emma assumed it wouldn't warm up until later, but that would be years of being in this place.

"Maybe I'll fish up a shark to eat her," Mark joked. "Who are you going to tell?"

"I thought of Jason, but he isn't much of a planner," Emma replied, shaking her head. "That leaves Zane or Greyson."

She'd have to inform them about the panic, but Zane could plan. He's always been the one who could decide where someone should go or who shouldn't be on their own.

"See, we have to have freaks find her, along with those protecting Sunny's because of the mutant child," Emma rambled, holding her head in her hands. "We'd have to get most of the powerful freaks together. Then again, not everyone knows about the baby."

Greyson didn't know about his own child, and that may change The Bubble. Preston hadn't told him the blunt truth, which Emma may have to present herself.

"There is still transportation to get to Sunny's, but this breaks the peace between the two," Mark said.

"I'm the alert system, so I know something is wrong," Emma explained, unsteady on the steps. "No better with all the darkness. Everything is dimly lit, but it's still a horror movie. If I tell Zane, he'll most likely pair Jason and Greyson together, but that won't work because they hate each other. Stick is around helping, while Esme is running all over. Jade could help, but then there's Angel, James, and Cindy." She began counting to add up all of the people. "Conner, Talia, Nevaeh, and Eden."

"Do you want to go see Zane?" Mark asked.

Anxiety was soaring in her body, but not from being used. One part of herself is still deeply affected by it. Despite overcoming the endless crying, her eyes still felt raw. She somehow stopped thinking about it. It wasn't the easiest because she was still insecure, even if she had been the healer around here.

Suddenly, she jolted from her thoughts bye the sound of crunching footsteps. Emma whipped around, scanning the ur surroundings anxiously; darkness had become a terror that constantly made her heart race.

Angel came to them. "It happened," he whispered.

The ten children who had remained in the daycare since Ilya's death had all died. Their passing was not merely the result of starvation but some illness. Emma feared it had been the illness from the storm, but Hanna had said it was the flu. Maybe it wasn't all the flu because it was freezing temperatures for children.

"Bailey and I were going to head to Sunny's," Angel continued. "As you know, with Layla..."

Layla had committed suicide, and she used the exact drugs Ilya overdosed on. The shock was overwhelming for both Emma and daycare staff, who were left dealing with the aftermath. After all, it wasn't Greyson's job in Simcoe to take care of that.

Emma hung her head, letting out a shaky breath. She felt a deep sense of regret wash over her—she should have should have seen the warning signs sooner, especially with Mia still around Simcoe.

"We'll come with you," Mark said for her.

Emma could feel that lump in her throat. She watched helplessly as lives seemed to fade away, each moment dragging on painfully as she followed them to a red CRV. It was an emergency car was over for immediate needs or trading sides, but trading meant Maverick's illusions.

In the front seat of the vehicle, Angel allowed Mark to drive. Meanwhile, Bailey sat in silence, her gaze fixed downward before she finally lifted her eyes to meet the unsettling quiet a round them.

"Would you be willing to help with something?" Emma asked, turning herself back to look at Angel, but screamed when Mark hit a bump.

"Is the terror coming?" Angel asked.

Is this considered the end of the world for them all? Ashley finally gains all the powers to throw cars at them or slice their bodies open.

"We have to warn Zane, then Greyson. Well, that'd mean I'd have to go back to town with Zane and Jason." Emma began to ramble. "Split us into groups, but it's no easy process with the divided sides. It's not that we can shoot Ashley; we have to injure her badly. She'll be out to kill Scarlett out of us all, but Ashley has blurred vision, which helps us."

"Is Ashley desperate to kill the baby?" Mark asked.

"That baby is a threat to both Divina and Ashley. It can bring the light back and decrease those followers, leaving Ashley only with those powers," Emma rambled.

"What happens if someone with powers dies?" Angel asked.

"I think it weakens her because the baby is the main power source behind it all. If the baby is killed, our chances of survival are over," Emma implied, feeling chills run down her body.

"So, Scarlett being pregnant actually saved us in some twisted sense?" Angel asked.

"We'd all be dead because of that storm. It had everything that could kill a person," Emma said.

They walked to a car, where she set her head against the cold window, trying to concentrate on any of the voices. Those echoes of Divina, Ashley, or words from that baby. It was one baby that shouldn't be communicating through the mind, but she heard some of the things it said to Divina and Ashley.

Nothing came, which made her chew her lip. It's not that she knew if Zane or anyone else would be awake to panic with them. She needed to inform them all that Ashley is definitely coming, which means preparing.

Slamming her head on the dashboard, she groaned. It wasn't that she could fight; she only provided support to those who were severely injured.

Emma could mix up teams in her mind. Jason and Greyson would definitely have to go after Ashley.

"It looks pretty quiet," Bailey said.

Emma lifted her head and gazed out their surroundings. She scanned the area ahead and noted its unusual stillness. A fire flickered from a distance, casting an orange glow against the darkened sky, but there were no guards up front or anything. The snow was lower here than it was in Simcoe, and it was a lot cleaner, with fewer things broken or debris from the various buildings that blew down.

"Okay, find Zane," Emma said. She went to walk off, but the speed demon stopped her by knocking her off her feet.

"Hey, Emma!" Esme beamed. "Have you come to race?"

"I wouldn't race you," Emma mumbled, slowly standing.

"What's got you here with Mark, Angel, and Bailey?" Esme asked, peeking behind her as they barely moved from their spot.

"It's coming," Emma murmured.

Esme's eager grin faltered as she looked around at the different tents and trailers that were set up at the campsite. She went speeding through the dim campground as she came back with Zane.

"I feel it. Ashley definitely has all the powers." Emma rushed out, pacing back and forth.

"Are you certain? It's not some trick?" Zane asked.

"We have to ambush her, Zane. Greyson doesn't know yet," she panicked, chewing her lip.

Zane took a breath and walked toward the metal ladder leaning against a bell. He climbed in swiftly and struck a loud bell that echoed across the campsite.

Emma covered her ears as people fled from their trailers and tents. The sound of footsteps and frantic voices echoed a round her, and as she glanced up she saw many faces approaching, eyes wide with fear and curiosity. Her heart raced to the growing anxiety inside her. People began to greet her, asking questions about Simcoe.

Mark approached her as she began to pace again. "You have to calm down," he said.

"I think this is everyone," Zane remarked.

Emma felt a wave of dread wash over her as she took sight before her—every people was fixated on her with an intensity that made her skin crawl. While she could usually tolerate being the centre of attention im small group, noticed that everyone in the crowd was staring at her. She could tolerate the stares with a small group of people, but not this.

"What's going on?" Someone called.

"It's coming," Emma mustered out as whispers went through the crowd. "This means Ashley will come here and Simcoe will kill us all. It's scared because of the mutant child, which Ashley obviously wants dead."

"Why would she kill us?" someone called.

"Because Ashley wins if we're all dead. She has all our mutant powers, which means she has Jason's light or Greyson's telekinetic ability. If she senses correctly, she'll be here first," she said. "As I've said before, the mutant child can bring our light back, along with stopping Ashley somehow."

The baby could do basically everything they needed, but it wouldn't be born until a few months later. Emma knew they needed a plan with that in mind, especially with whatever Ashley pulls.

"I know we need to set up an ambush to prevent Ashley from reaching Sunny's. That means one thing," Emma murmured as Mark tilted her head up to face the crowd. "We have to work together with Simcoe."

River hadn't done much in Simcoe, but he could tell one thing from having to be Greyson's personal light: Greyson was becoming increasingly irritated. It was enough that even the simplest things upset him. One time, someone told him about something that seemed unnecessary, which left them flying in the snow.

"Why are people idiots?" Greyson grumbled, sitting in the dark church.

The church wasn't about prayer or anything; it was his personal office. People would bring information, but there hasn't been much. Not much has actually happened on their end due to all the warnings about Ashley attacking.

"Letter!" Will Conley called, holding the paper high in the air.

"Give it to me," Greyson spat, snatching the letter and standing. "My brother apparently wants to meet up about something. I'm guessing it has something to do with that thing called Ashley. Unless he is issuing a sudden fight."

River knew Jason wouldn't want to fight after all the peace they've had for these long months. If it did have to do with Ashley, he knew she could be plotting to murder them somewhere in this darkness. He looked around at all the stained glass windows before Cindy teleported into the dim church, glancing around.

"What does my brother want?" Greyson asked.

"It's Ashley-related," Cindy stated. "Emma feels Ashley has developed all mutant powers, which means she'll be after the mutant child and us."

River felt his skin grow pale because he didn't want his death to be caused by some crazy girl. At the very least, when they got out of here, he would have confronted the police about what happened. If he has to be used as a personal light, he is fine with it.

"Do they know who has the mutant child?" Greyson asked.

Cindy shook her head, looking Greyson dead in the eye. It was almost as if she had been covering something but keeping quiet. River wondered if she knew more information than they did.

"Where's Emma?" Greyson asked.

"At Sunny's," Cindy spat.

"The healer wants to talk to you," Bryce said, walking in and leaning on the wooden doorframe. "It's important information about the mutant child."

River followed Greyson out of the dark church and down the dark steps. Outside, Emma was pacing back and forth near the church steps, focusing her eyes on the snow and mumbling to herself.

"What's the problem?" Greyson snapped.

"Okay, Ashley is coming to kill the mutant child and people, but there has to be an alternative. We can't be just Sunny's and Simcoe."

River knew Emma wanted both sides to work together. It would be the smart objective because they couldn't do anything if they were on opposing sides. If they did work together, he would get to see Nevaeh more often again.

"And what if I don't want to?" Greyson asked with a frown.

"If you don't, the mutant child could die, which means the end of all our lives. That means more people die," Emma stopped, growing strangely silent.

River watched as fury filled Emma's face, startling him. Nobody was used to her ever getting mad at anything, since she normally blamed herself for something that happened.

"Listen to the healer, you stupid human," Divina spat through Emma's body. "Are you intending to all die? The baby can't stop everything in its mother's body. If you'd like to know, that mutant child is a higher rank than yourself," Emma pointed out at Greyson.

"That isn't physically possible," Greyson said.

"I've told all of you that the mutant child is stronger than God and I combined. Haven't you heard it in your head?" Divina hissed, tapping a finger on her temple.

"Yes." Greyson's voice was cold as ice.

"Haven't you ever attempted to connect the dots about whose child? Did you think of the possibilities because you were one of the humans who could hear the baby's voice?"

River couldn't tell if she was taunting Greyson or just implying a fact. When Divina talked through Emma's body, it was always the blunt truth about something they needed to know.

"I'm one of the high ranks, so it was bound to happen," Greyson spat.

"Yes, you're a high rank, but that's not the reason," Divina implied, looking around the empty plaza. "Has the thought ever crossed that you're the father, Greyson?"

River widened his eyes because he knew the overall facts from the people around him. Since Bryce isn't exactly one to keep quiet, he told Mia, who ended up telling him that Scarlett was pregnant with the mutant child that saved their lives.

Six months ago, he witnessed a horrid snowstorm that made people die like flies. There was an illness like the flu, but it was worse because people coughed up their lungs, intestines, and other body parts. Yet, halfway through, the violent snow, cold temperatures, and wind had vanished randomly.

Now, those who knew the true person who was carrying the child stayed quiet. Nobody wanted another conflict to disrupt the peace they had, but River had a gut feeling it would be the end of that peace.

"Spit it out," Greyson spat.

"You are indeed the father of that child. Your lover is carrying that mutant child, and God wants to kill it. Maybe that will fix your mind." Emma blinked multiple times, holding her head. "Not again."

River watched Greyson chew on his pinky nail, turning on his heel to walk into the darkness. The truth was revealed to him, which meant chaos was sure to endure.

"Wait, where's he going?" Emma panicked.

"Divina told him he was the father," River said.

"No, no," she repeated, pacing back and forth.

"It said the baby is a higher rank than Greyson and Jason," River stated.

Emma seemed taken aback by the news. "I don't think anyone heard, but this is bad. Now that Greyson knows, he'll probably go confront Jason about it when they meet," she rambled, stopping to sit on the snowy ground. "I'm going to be ambushed with questions, but the baby isn't due for a couple months. However, that baby might change its mind and—"

"It can access Scarlett's body to function if it detects danger," River said.

Emma paused, her eyes wide eyes at him. River didn't realize it was possible to have as much anxiety as she did. Yet again, he had that anxiety when anything about his mother was mentioned.

"That could mean Scarlett will be safe, but we don't exactly know. It might be limited time, which means we need someone that can protect Scarlett during Ashley's roaming," Emma rambled. "That might not even be an issue."

As he looked around the dim plaza, he noticed that people were scattered in various corners of the area. Some people had found makeshift beds beneath piles of debris, using whatever materials the y could find to create some comfort. Others were trying to harvest the fields that have grown food, or fooling off in a separate part. Everyone had some type of job since there weren't exactly any fights during the six months.

Mia came jumping on his back, but he jumped, pushing her off. "You're still so tense," she said, wearing her normal dazed smile.

The feeling of touch still scared him, especially from girls. It stirred within him a whirlwind of memories he would much rather forget—memories that made his heart race and skin prickle with goosebumps at just the thought of his mother's actions.

"I'm not taking your drugs," River said.

"Great choice," she said, waving a finger at him. "It's not my fault that they used my drugs for bad reasons. I'm honestly pretty sure they were street drugs made for anxiety."

"All your drugs are used for bad reasons," Eden implied, walking out of the darkness. "Your idiotic mind should know that by now."

"Jesus freak is off to find the housewife," Mia remarked with her tongue out. "The crackhead crew is off to find her too. Bryce suggested we all go because Eden will probably throw her in a ditch."

"Because she would," Bryce remarked, with Will on his back.

"She belongs in a ditch," Eden said, wearing an innocent smile.

River watched all four of them burst into laughter. He didn't want to step on that crazy train, especially seeing how their behaviour has changed over time.

"Ashley might kill you!" Emma panicked, waving her arms around.

Bryce walked toward Emma with a smirk on his face and kissed her forehead.

"Let's bring highlighter with us," Mia pleaded, waving a hand at him.

"Naw, we're too crazy for him," Will stated.

"Mia will be turning that Highlighter off and on." Bryce implied.

"She's got those glow sticks," Will implied.

Mia held up a bunch of purple glow sticks in her hand. She clipped one around her head like a crown, her tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Wait, nobody knows where Bella is," Emma said.

"Guess who can see anyone's location?" Will implied, winking.

"You know where she is?" River gasped.

"Are you bringing her back to town?" Emma asked.

"If the housewife wants to come, because she probably misses her dear soldier," Bryce remarked, waving dramatically.

"Did Greyson say you could?" River asked.

He watched as all four stared blankly at him. During the past months, he had witnessed their chaotic behaviour—attempting to jump over things or climb trees. It seemed like a comedic routine where Mia and Will got hurt, Bryce would laugh, and Eden would get angry.

"We're always full of surprises," Will stated, tongue out.

"I drive!" Bryce called, charging toward one of the cars they had in town.

"No!" Mia roared, running after him. "You always drive! You suck! Give me a turn for once!"

"Tell Greyson we'll be back eventually," Will called with a wave.

River doubted that would be his biggest concern. Divina exposed the mutant child as his, which he had been trying to determine for months.

"I'm terrified of everything here," Emma mumbled. "Especially that mutant child coming into this place."

The terror has begun! Who knows what types of problems will occur...

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