The sky glowed with a display of fireworks, bursting into shades of orange and purple, the colours bleeding into the smoke that already hung in the distance. Jason watched them from the edge of an empty field, standing beside Greyson.

Zane decided that it was best that they go together again, despite Esme's nagging to trail along.

"Is it a display," Greyson muttered, squinting,"or Ashley's location?"

Jason didn't answer right away. His chest felt tight again. It had been happening more often—ever since Divina.

"I'm guessing location," he said. "Cassandra's been hunting Ashley down with Divina."

Even saying her name made something twist sharply inside him. Divina wasn't Divina anymore. Not really. The thing who inhibited Bella's body now was not the same girl he and known and loved. Those once warm eyes had turned cold, always wearing some look of evil.

He forced himself to look away.

Behind them, something flickered.

Jason turned. "Is Uden burning?"

Greyson followed his gaze.

From the distance, flames crawled across the buildings outside Simcoe, spreading in uneven waves. The front gates of Uden Academy still stood, tall and untouched, but behind them was swallowing fire. Smoke poured into the sky in thick, choking plums.

Jason frowned. "Ashley wouldn't go here."

"Those four shouldn't have been placed there," Greyson muttered. "People knew it would be coming."

For a second they just stood there, watching the place burn.

Then Jason started forward, ignoring the pain in his chest. Greyson followed without a word.

By the time they reached the front gates, the heat was already pushing outward in waves.

Will was the first person they saw.

He stood off to the side like he was waiting for something, green sunglasses on, casually twisting a bow in his fingers.

"Isn't it so cool?" Will said, grinning. "Eden grabbed a bunch of stuff up before lighting it all up."

Jason blinked. "What?"

The east end building—one Jason knew too well—was completely engulfed. Flames roared through the windows, eating everything inside. He remembered being there, searching rooms, getting ambushed, barely making it out.

"Is she insane?" Jason snapped.

"Of course she is," Will said easily. "Eden used to burn things all the time."

Jason stared at him. That wasn't something you just said casually.

The door burst open.

Mia skipped out the doors like nothing was wrong.

Purple sunglasses. Blue bucket hat. A dazed smile stretched across her face as she swung her arms to some rhythm no one else could hear.

"Starships were meant to fly!" she sang, spinning in a circle.

Jason felt something cold settle in his stomach. It wasn't just that she didn't care—she genuinely didn't see the danger.

"Can't stop 'cause we're so high!" she continued, dancing closer before finally noticing them."Oh—hey!"

"Mia," Jason said flatly, "what are you doing?"

"Eden said it's a distraction," she slurred slightly, still swaying. "We got weapons. Lots of them. Oh—and Bryce had an idea."

Jason followed her loose gesture.

Bryce was dragging something across the ground—a long, grey stand-up table, scraping loudly against the pavement.

Greyson stared at it. "Throwing a table at her isn't going to work."

Bryce smirked. "Who said anything about throwing it?"

Jason looked at the table again. It was wide enough for maybe two people to kneel on. Three if they were desperate.

The only solution he could think was using it was like a surfboard. He had only used a surfboard once before, on a surfing machine at a water park during a summer trip.

"We could try some magic carpet flying," Bryce added.

Jason let out a short, humorless breath. "That's not—"

"Cassandra could make us fly," Bryce cut in, "but she's busy with the unhinged ones. So this is what we've got."

There it was again. Improvised. Risky. Probably stupid.

Jason stared at the table, then at the sky.

Then back at the table.

It might actually work.

Barely.

"I'm controlling it," Greyson said, already stepping forward. His voice had that edge to it—the one that meant he'd decided and wasn't arguing.

"Great," Bryce said. "Then soldier boy can shoot beams or whatever while you balance."

Greyson placed both hands toward the table.

At first, nothing happened.

Then the table jerked—just slightly—before lifting an inch off the ground.

The table lifted higher.

Two feet.

Three.

It shook the entire time, like it might flip over if either of them breathed wrong.

Mia gasped. "It's like a hoverboard!"

Jason ignored her.

"If we fall," he said quietly, "we're dead."

Greyson didn't look at him. "Then don't fall."

Before Jason could respond there was a figure that stepped out of the burning building.

Eden.

She held a lighter loosely in her hand, her expression calm—too calm—as the flames roared behind her.

Then the building exploded.

The blast ripped outward, sending fire and debris into the air. Glass shattered, scattering across the ground like glitter. The shockwave pushed heat across the field, igniting dry grass instantly.

Jason flinched back.

"That was fun," Eden said.

She smiled.

In that moment, she wasn't the innocent Catholic girl, but the girl she used to be. How enlightened she seemed that she could burn one whole building down.

Will actually laughed. "You blew it up? How?"

"Secret," Eden replied.

Jason looked away. He didn't want to know.

Fire was spreading fast now.

Too fast.

"Get on," Greyson said.

Jason didn't argue.

He climbed onto the table carefully, lowering himself into a kneeling position and gripping the edge tightly. The surface vibrated under his hands.

This was a terrible idea.

"What!" Mia whined. "I wanna ride!"

"No," Greyson said instantly.

As the table began to ascend higher into the sky, he wondered why they hadn't thought of this earlier. Then again, avoiding death from Ashley, along with Bella's death, had left his mind distraught.

The table steadied.

Below them, Mia and Will were laughing again. Bryce stepped back, watching like he'd just sent off an experiment instead of two people.

The fire spread outward in a ring, swallowing the academy.

Above it all, the fireworks were still going.

From up here, Jason could see everything—the lake in the distance, the glow of explosions, the smoke cutting across the sky.

And somewhere out there was Ashley.

Jason tightened his grip on the table, his chest aching again.

He didn't know if this was revenge, or survival, or something worse.

But one thing stayed clear in his mind, louder than everything else.

Ashley had to die.

Yara's eyes lit up. "Wow... look at the fireworks!"

Zane barely glanced over, still sorting through the piles of supplies others had dragged in from the new Foodland—cold medicine, stomach remedies, painkillers, anything that might keep someone alive a little longer.

Hanna, on the other hand, felt like she might pass out just looking at all of it.

Months without proper food, water, or medicine had left her body weak and unsteady. The sight of so much supplies—things they should've had all along–made her stomach twist. Still, she forced herself to focus, crouching beside the boxes and sorting through them.

Advil. Cough syrup. Antacids.

The storm had passed, so the cough syrup wasn't urgent. Painkillers mattered more. Infections mattered more. She tried to think practically, even as her head swam.

"We're ready to go!" Esme said brightly, bouncing on her toes.

Nearby, Jade clutched a small bag—protein bars, fruit snacks, and a single bottle of water. Not much, but more than most had.

Emma had been yelling at Esme for what felt like five minutes straight, warning her not to ditch those she was going with. Hanna had turned it out after a while.

She stood and stepped away from the noise—only to nearly trip.

Conner caught her arm before she hit the ground.

He kept his hold on her arm once she steadied herself.

"What's up?" she asked. "Are we not allowed to talk with people around?"

He released his hand and sat himself down on the cot in the new infirmary.

Hanna crossed her arms, studying him.

They looked almost identical—same green eyes, same freckles, same sharp nose. For a moment, that familiar closeness settled in her chest.

Then the worry followed.

"I figured it out," Conner said suddenly.

Hanna frowned. "Figured what out?"

A beat.

"Why I'm confused," he said.

Maybe he was confused about all the information that had been unloaded. She hasn't physically gone to the edge of the barrier that reveals the real world, but police officers wanted to talk to them all.

"I'm gay."

The words landed heavier than she expected.

Hanna blinked, caught off guard. She had been bracing for something about the barrier. Or their mother. Not this.

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly. "How do you know?"

He let out a shaky breath.

"I just do," he said. "It's not something that I can ignore anymore."

They never really talked about who they were attracted to because of the homeschooling and living in the countryside, which made it difficult to make first.

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"Mia figured herself out years ago. Jade too. Everyone just knows. Or they don't care." His voice tightened. "And I'm stuck here, trying to make sense of something that I don't even want."

People say Uden Academy taught about sexuality or wrongdoings. That's where all the danger comes into play. It wasn't just the danger of the storm, but much more. How drug use can lead to overdose or unprotected sex can lead to pregnancy. Simple concepts they're taught, but some don't realize.

Hanna hesitated.

She didn't fully understand what he was feeling—but she understood that it mattered. That he mattered.

"That's why you've been off?" she asked gently. "Was it because of baseball?"

Connor played baseball in the summer, while she played soccer league in Simcoe. The baseball league he was involved with was one their uncle had once played for, located just outside or Simcoe.

"Maybe. I don't know." He shook his head. "I don't even look like someone who would be."

"You have to... accept it," Hanna said softly, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder.

She found this whole thing confusing herself because she was surprised by his confession. She's known about other people around here with different sexualities, but most of them embraced who they were.

"I don't want to be this way," Conner admitted, voice low. "But I am." He swallowed hard. "And it feels stupid worrying about it now. People are dying, we're probably next, and this is what's in my head?"

Hanna sat down across from him.

"You're still allowed to feel things," she said. "Even now."

Conner didn't respond.

She leaned forward and pulled him into a hug.

For a moment he stiffened—then slowly relaxed.

Hanna closed her eyes, folding onto him.

She didn't understand everything he was going through. But she didn't need to—not right now.

She just needed to be there.

The infirmary tarp flew open.

Zane stood there, breathless, staring out toward the horizon.

"There's an explosion."

Everything inside Hanna went cold.

She and Conner were moving before another word was said, rushing out into the darkness.

The scene outside stopped them in their tracks.

Fire.

Not close—but far enough.

It burned violently across the dark sky, bright enough to rival the fireworks to crackling near the hospital. Orange light flickered across the camp, across the faces gathering around them.

Hanna squinted toward the distance, her chest tightening.

"That's not Simcoe," she said.

Zane shook his head.

There was only one place it could be.

"Did Ashley..." Hanna's voice faltered. "Did she burn Uden Academy?"

No one answered.

They didn't need to.

The flames climbed higher, swallowing the structure whole. Some of the former students nearby stared in stunned silence. Others looked almost relieved.

Hanna's stomach twisted.

This was it.

Not a warning. Not a build up.

The end.

"What if she comes here next?" Hanna asked.

Zane didn't look at her. "Then we run," he said. "If we want out of this, we fight through whatever's left."

Hanna pressed her lips together, eyes fixed on the fire.

"Sometimes the strongest heroes don't always survive," she murmured.

Zane's voice was quieter this time. "We're not soldiers," he said."We're just trying to survive something we were never meant to face."

The firework reflected across the water, bright and almost beautiful against the destruction.

For months, they've lived in darkness.

Now everything was burning.

Hanna tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, her heart pounding.

Ashley didn't want them alive.

She wanted them gone.

That substance that entered her knee that Emma had told her about, all seemed like a possession from some alternative place.

"I hope we make it out," Hanna said softly.

No one moved.

They all stood there, watching Uden Academy collapse into flames—unsure if it meant freedom.

Or something worse waiting for them next.

Esme bounced on her toes as Jade stared in the opposite direction. The sting of rejected lingered in her mind, but she forced it down. This wasn't the time to dwell on it.

Despite the storm of emotions swirling inside her, Jade had never thought of herself sensitive to pain. Physical pain, especially, had always come second to frustration at mistakes, at people and herself.

"We'll keep her down with your ice while I shoot," Esme said.

They moved along the broken stretch of highway toward Paradise Hotel. Parts of the road were still paved but others had crumbled into uneven slabs and gravel that scraped on their shoes.

"Don't run!" Emma had shouted at Esme earlier. "You'll set something off or get yourself killed!"

Esme had just waved her off.

Now, above them, the fireworks were dying out—fizzling into faint sparks before disappearing entirely.

Jade's stomach tightened.

That meant one of two things: they ran out or Ashley did something.

Jade wasn't sure, but she knew that it could be something deadly. It wasn't about their powers, but all three highest ranks could be settled around like the final fight.

"We don't know who's there," she said, scanning the darkness ahead. "Emma could be there. Or River."

Esme groaned, swinging the pistol loosely in her hand. The metal caught the faint beam of Jade's flashlight.

She reached out quickly and grabbed her wrist. Their fingers brushed just for a second. Her heart stuttered and she pulled back.

"We are not starting a shootout before we even get there," Jade spat.

Esme huffed but didn't argue.

They kept moving.

"I can't believe someone had the guts to burn down Uden Academy!" Esme exclaimed. "I wish I could have seen it!"

Among those who remained, Eden had probably caused it. Many people were beginning to see through the facade she maintained under the guise of religious devotion. The crackheads had kept this secret from everyone, preventing her from suspicion.

Jade shot her a look. "You want to get charged with arson too?"

Esme gave a dramatic shrug. "Aren't we already criminals?"

Jade exhaled slowly.

If they reached Ashley before Greyson and Jason, they might be screwed. It wasn't about power, but Esme still has injuries, even when they are closed.

"I want to shoot off some fireworks at her! That would be so cool!" Esme beamed.

"Depends if they are doing it at a different location. Divina might be off with Ashley when we get there, or Cassandra may have sent her flying," Jade said, smiling.

She actually felt fear for both Esme risking death and her own. Cassandra can't save them from everything, and neither can Divina.

Cassandra needs sleep like any of them, but Divina would torture Ashley until she had no limbs left. It's quite possible that has happened, considering her body looks crispy.

Ahead, the air shifted.

Wind rushed past them.

Jade's head snapped up.

Cassandra.

She was there with her teeth clenched and narrowed eyebrows. She pinned down Ashley to the ground with an invisible force.

Suddenly, Cassandra was thrown backward like she weighed nothing.

She hit the pavement hard, sliding several feet.

A manic laugh cut through the air.

Divina.

She stood nearby, covered in gashes, blood streaking down her arms and soaking her clothes. But she was smiling like she was enjoying every second of this.

If this had been Bella, she would never have looked this way. There was no fear that death was staring right in front of them, but the fulfillment of torture.

Jade's stomach twisted.

Ashley stood at the centre of it, burned and smoking, her skin cracked and charred in some places—but still standing.

"Try all you want," Ashley growled. "You're not stopping me."

Jade barely had time to react before Divina lunged forward, grabbing a shard of glass.

Jade's breath caught.

Divina drove it into Ashley's burned skin, digging in without hesitation.

The sound was met and tearing that made Jade's stomach churn.

Ashley snarled and flung Divina away with a violent burst of force, sending her skidding across the highway.

"Let's do it!" Esme shouted.

Gunshots rang out.

Jade forced herself to move, slamming her palm down.

Ice spread rapidly across the pavement, locking around Ashley's legs. The frost cracked under the heat from Jason's power.

Ashley struggled, glaring.

"Idiots! Get out of here!" Divina barked, already charging back in.

Esme circled again, firing again, too fast to see.

"Are you trying to kill more people, goddess?" Ashley taunted.

Suddenly, Esme was thrown backward.

She hit the ground, the gun flying from her hands.

Jade's eyes widened. "Esme!"

Divina sprinted for the weapon, but Ashley slammed her aside again. At the same time, Cassandra forced Ashley upward, holding her suspended—though her arms shook violently with effort.

"Not... even you..." Ashley snarled.

Cassandra slammed her down again—but stumbled back immediately after, barely staying upright.

She was exhausted.

Completely drained.

Divina grabbed the gun and started firing wildly at Ashley.

"This might put you in a coma again!" she shouted. "Wouldn't that be fun?"

Jade turned, spotting Esme barely through the dim light.

She was moving but barely.

She rushed to her, dropping on her knees. "Hey, look at me."

"She has my gun," Esme muttered weakly, blinking hard.

Jade shook her head. "Forget the gun."

Esme tried to push herself up anyway.

"I can keep going," she insisted. "Superheroes stop at nothing."

Jade placed a firm hand on her shoulder. If both of them ended up dying, it would be a bitter fate for both.

A blast of light exploded nearby. Divina yelped, clutching her arm as the gun slipped from her grasp.

Ashley caught it.

She turned slowly, aiming it.

"You're all leaving with something," she snarled.

A force slammed into Jade.

She hit the ground hard, pain exploding in her head.

Everything spun.

Esme stumbled beside her, holding her chest, panic etched across her face. Jade tried to push herself up, but the ground felt like it was swallowing her whole.

"Leave them alone," Cassandra spat, narrowing her eyes.

As Ashley started laughing, Divina yanked her shirt, and threw her forcefully onto the highway.

"You've been crying like a baby over my gunshots," she taunted. "All it shows is how pathetic you are."

Esme attempted to assist Jade, but she felt the world spinning uncontrollably. It was like being trapped on a carnival ride, and she staggered unsteadily, struggling to maintain balance. She lowered herself to sit on her knees, holding her head in her hand.

Ashley aimed the gun at Divina."You're being a bitch with your nonsense," she growled.

Divina started laughing, holding her stomach, and looked like she'd fall over.

Ashley's pleasure grew into fury and she raised the gun.

For a split second, everything slowed.

Jade's breath caught.

The shot rang out.

It echoed across the empty highway, sharp and deafening.

Divina jerked slightly, the impact punching straight into her chest. Blood spread quickly, dark against what was already soaked in her clothes.

For a moment nothing happened.

Jade expected her to fall.

To stumble.

To react like a normal person would.

Divina didn't.

She looked down.

Then, she laughed.

Not a pained laugh.

Not even a strained one.

A genuine, amused laugh.

"Oh no," she mocked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What ever shall I do?"

Jade felt her stomach turn.

Divina pressed her fingers into the wound and pulled the bullet out.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Her teeth clenched slightly as she held the bloodied metal between her fingers.

"Gasp," she added flatly. "I think I'm dying!"

She wasn't.

Jade could see it.

The wound was still bleeding—but that didn't matter.

If anything, Divina looked energized.

Her grin widened, her eyes lighting with up with something greedy. Unstable.

Suddenly, Esme went speeding towards Ashley, tackling her to the ground.

The gun slid across the highway with a metallic clang.

Jade's vision blurred; the spinning chaos made her chest tighten.

"Stay out of this, Esme! You'll get killed!" Cassandra exclaimed, her invisible force slamming Ashley into a nearby tree.

Esme stood, brushing dirt off her sleeves. "I'm fine! See? I took her out by myself!" she said, chest heaving.

Jade struggled to focus her ice power, finding it nearly impossible to aim it in the proper direction. The world around her spun wildly, and she gripped tightly onto a fallen pine tree for support.

"These humans are quite idiots. Did they get that from you, goddess?" Ashley snarled.

Divina laughed as viciously slashed at Ashley's face, the piece of glass cutting deep and leaving a trail of blood dripping down her face. She didn't even look like a proper human anymore, but a character from a horror movie.

As Divina charged to find the gun, Ashley fired a blast of blue light.

Jade stumbled backwards, her legs wobbling as she tried to regain her balance. The world spun around her—retreating might save them, but it could also be a death sentence.

Concentrating, Jade extended her palm and froze a patch of ice beneath Ashley's feet. The ice spread, cracking slightly under the heat of Jason's light.

Ashley growled in frustration and stomped, melting the ice in an instant, and swung her arm toward Divina.

Divina leapt sideways, narrowly avoiding the searing light.

"Here, I'll do something," Esme whispered, tiptoeing toward Jade.

She felt her own heart racing, closing her eyes to try to decrease the pain.

Jade looked at Cassandra, who was attempting to stay on her feet but looked like she might pass out any minute.

"Who's going first?" Ashley taunted.

Divina charged forward with a feral grin. "Are you going to shoot me? I can throw those bullets at you," she taunted.

Ashley gritted her teeth, pointing the gun at Divina before using an invisible force to throw her into a tree.

"Shut up," Ashley spat, still holding the gun still and pointing it side to side.

Cassandra held out her palms towards Ashley, causing Cassandra to stumble slightly.

Her weakness was overall exhaustion. She had been using her powers all day, which leaves her body drained. That means she didn't even have the capability to speed them back to camp.

"I can hear you," Ashley taunted. "You can't do everything, Cassandra. That's why I'm a god, while you're just a stupid mutant child. I can defeat anything, even with this stupid body of mine."

Jade blinked hard, trying to focus.

Beside her, Esme staggered, holding her chest.

Something felt wrong.

"I don't feel—" Esme started.

Gunshots cracked.

Jade felt it this time.

Sharp. Burning.

Her breath caught as she looked down.

Blood spread across her chest.

Two shots.

Her mind went blank.

No...

She turned toward Esme and froze.

There was blood at the back of her head.

More down her spine.

"I..." Esme's voice faltered. "Guess..."

She tried to smile, but it didn't fully form.

Jade's chest tightened painfully. "Esme—stay with me. Don't move. Just—just stay—"

"I'm fine," Esme said automatically.

Her knees gave out and she collapsed.

Jade lunged forward, grabbing her arm. "No, you're not. You're not okay."

Esme blinked slowly, her focus slipping.

"We were supposed to win..." she whispered.

Jade shook her head, panic rising fast now. "We still can. Just stay awake. Please."

Esme let out a faint breath.

"At least... we tried..."

Her fingers twitched weakly in Jade's grip.

"Hey..." she murmured. "We're... together... right?"

Jade's throat tightened.

That wasn't what she meant.

Not like this.

"Esme—"

Her hand went slack and she didn't move again.

"Esme?"

Nothing.

"Esme."

Jade shook her, harder now. "No. Get up. Come on—this isn't funny—stop—"

Her voice broke completely.

Around her, the fight still raged—but it felt distant now. Muffled.

Unreal.

Jade looked down again at the blood soaking through her shirt.

She could feel it now.

Every breath hurt.

Her strength was fading.

Slowly, she sank beside Esme, her body giving out.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end.

Her gaze lingered on Esme's face—too still, too quiet.

Memories flickered.

Esme laughing after tripping in training.

That wide grin.

The way she never stopped moving.

Their hands brushing earlier.

Jade's vision blurred completely.

"I didn't even..." she whispered, the thought unfinished.

The cold crept in—not from her powers, but deeper.

Final.

Her head lowered beside Esme.

If this was it...

At least she wasn't alone...

Darkness closed in.

Two deaths in one chapter... Their death was painful to write, then again I've been saying that about most of the deaths I've written so far.