It was eerily silent in the conclave that we were in. The trees made no movement. There was no sign of life in the woods. No wind was blowing. My breath made slight rustling sounds in the quite environment, but in the quite it was like drumbeats in my ear. For all I knew, time had stopped in the world outside. 

His warm hand slipped into my icy cold ones.

"For what it's worth," his voice was barely audible, just a whisper, but here it felt like he was yelling at the top of his lungs, "if things go downhill, I...I'm glad we got paired together. I'd like to die with you."

I shook my head, putting my finger on his lips, "Don't say that. If things go downhill, we will not be the ones dying."

"If we kill them," he said, "we will be no better than them."

A soulless smile graced my face, my eyes cold with contempt, "They should have thought that before killing those Stakods kids. I don't mind being a monster if it means I'm saving innocent lives."

"You know what Alice said — we don't trade lives."

"Maybe she doesn't. I do."