All Astrid could see was red. The memory of the accident stained in her mind. She didn't pay attention to her dirty black hair as it was whipped across her face by a strong gust of wind. All she could think about was heading to a Safe Zone before dark. She didn't want the Reeds to get to her.

The gray clouds covered the sun and gave the air a slight chill. Among the long deserted road there were decrepit skyscrapers, tumbling landmarks, and dead trees.

She stumbled along the road, terrified of the images flashing before her eyes. The sounds of screams resonating in her mind. She tripped on a broken piece of pavement, scraping her hands. At that moment, the pain of her situation dawned on her. She sat back on her feet and screamed as loud as she could. Tears streamed down her cheeks creating rivers through the dirt and blood caked on her face.

The weight of her guns pressed hard into her back. Her dog Artax sat by her side and whined. Almost as if he could feel her pain. She turned to Artax and pulled him into her lap, burying her face into the soft fur. She clutched onto him as if he was the last thing on Flare. Theoretically, he was. 

Astrid heard the rumble of thunder above her and she decided to keep moving before the rain started. She started jogging down the road, careful to avoid the jagged pieces of the broken pavement. Artax's tags jangled as he trotted besides her. 

She seemed to move on autopilot, weaving in between broken cars, her feet crunching dead leaves. She had been down this road hundreds of times. Before the Raid, she'd drive down this road with her family. Late night drives that ended with her dad yawning while her mother slept in the passenger seat. Her little brother fast asleep, sprawled across the seat with his legs in her lap and his sweatshirt pressed against the window as a make-shift pillow. Weekend afternoons coming home from a fun family lunch. Taking early morning runs around the neighborhood. The simple things that made her life perfect.

She remembers the last time they drove down this road to their house in the middle of the street. It was a bright and sunny August afternoon. They were coming back from the beach and were going to get ready to surprise her brother Mason with a family barbecue to celebrate his 14th birthday. They had the windows down, blasting the radio and singing along to whatever they knew. They were laughing and telling jokes, the biggest smiles on their face. They got home and walked to the backyard with Mason on Alex's shoulders. They said hi to everyone and then they heard it. A huge explosion. The ground shook underneath them, shattering the glass from the windows of the surrounding buildings. Mason screamed as their house collapsed. Alex threw Mason off of her shoulders just as a piece of the building collided with her head knocking her unconscious. 

Astrid shuttered at the life changing memory. She didn't remember much after that. She had woken up in a Safe Zone house two weeks later. Mason had been standing beside her bed the entire time. He had refused to leave until she had woken up and knew she was okay. He had also changed his name to Hunter. That's when Alex decided to change her name to Astrid. 

She cried even more. Her tears blurring her vision. She started to jog faster as the rain started to get heavier. The sun was no longer visible, now covered by the dark storm clouds. She looked sadly to her old house as she made her way to the Safe Zone at the end of her street. Her Uncle Mack was the leader of Safe Zone 378. 

She took a deep breath as she walked up to the guards standing outside of the concrete wall. She showed them her permanent resident badge and without a word they started to open the large doors. 

"Hey Astrid! Where is Hunter? Didn't he go with you?"

Astrid turned to look at Sharky, the guard who started talking to her. That's when he noticed her red puffy eyes and tear streaked face. Her chest covered in blood even though she seemed to be okay physically. She quickly turned away and ran through the doors, Artax right behind her. She sprinted through the street until she got to house number 13. Fumbling for her key, she opened the door quickly, slamming it behind her and Artax. She slid her back down against the door, her sobs wracking her body while she struggled to breath. Her best friends Minxie and Sapphyre ran into the front hallway with concern written all over their faces. 

Minxie hugged her tightly while Sapphyre stood in front of her talking calmly. They both immediately notice the blood covering her and the missing presence of Hunter. They give each other a look and continue to console their friend. 

"Mason! I-i couldn't save h-im! I f-failed as a sister!" Astrid screamed in between sobs.

Sapphyre and Minxie started to cry a bit as well. They'd all been a small family since the Raid happened.

After a while, Astrid began to calm down a bit. They all made their way to the couch where Minxie continued to hug her and Sapphyre gave her a glass of water. Artax sat at Astrid's feet, licking her hands. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Minxie asked cautiously. 

Astrid just looked up at her and tiredly shook her head no. Sapphyre sat on the other side of her and pulled them all into a comforting and supportive hug. They all sat there quietly, enjoying the silence. After a few minutes, Astrid slowly stood up. 

"I'm going to try to get some sleep. Can we talk about it in the morning?"

"Of course, We're always here for you Alex." Sapphyre said sadly.

"Yeah. We love you no matter what. Go get some rest." said Minxie, standing up and giving her a hug.

"Thanks guys. I love you both. Come on Artax." She walked up the stairs two at a time. When she got to her room, she pulled her guns off her back, and grabbed some comfortable pajamas from her dresser. She walked into the bathroom and took a shower. The water at her feet quickly turned brown-ish red from the mud and blood on her body. She thoroughly scrubbed her body clean and hopped out the shower, drying herself off with her grey fluffy towel. She quickly got dressed, brushed her teeth and walked out of the bathroom, throwing her dirty clothes into the hallway hamper. She walked into her bedroom, flopped onto her bed and fell into a deep sleep, cuddling Artax to her chest.

"Alex. I need you"

"Mason?"

A/N Hey everyone!! I hope you guys like this! Here are some notes based off of some points in this chapter that have not been entirely touched upon.

Safe Zones~ Large areas with multiple houses. Surrounded by concrete walls and barbed wire. Large iron doors guarded by Safe Zone workers. Each Safe Zone has a leader who is required to keep the peace within the zone. They are also required to restock the houses with food and medical supplies. Some Safe Zones have permanent residents. All houses (besides those that belong to residents) are open for anyone to use. 

Names~ Everyone has their own name to keep their original identity a secret. Only family and close friends can use original names. 

Reeds~ You will learn a lot more about them as the story progresses. Basically, the Reeds are monsters that attacked on the day of the Raid. They only come out at night when they are hungry, unless you disturb their slumber. 

8/9/21~ edits and details added