Conny turned the corner sharply and caught his breath against the back of a building, ducking as rubble crumbled to the ground above him. Carly had her hands resting on her knees, desperately trying to fill her lungs with a bit of oxygen before they took off again.

Whatever squad they had been following had broken apart. With a quick glance around at the chaos ensuing, it was clear that they were losing. More Preserver armies were emerging left and right, and Conny felt as if he tripped over more of the bodies of his comrades than the actual enemies.

"This way," Carly said, leading him into an abandoned living residence. They ran down one of the halls, stopping near the end to just receive a few moments of peace. Conny already had some cuts and bruises, and he had twisted his wrist at one point trying to deflect some of the rubble that had been thrown at him by the impact of missiles.

"We're dying out there," Carly murmured in between catching her breath.

"Quite literally," Conny said grimly, restocking his gun with more bullets. The whole plan had descended in chaos. The only good news was that the prisoners had been freed and they had successfully been able to take over the prison from the Preservers. But the squads moving toward Lynch were being slaughtered or separated so far. If the losses continued, the prisoners might meet a similar fate.

Conny's heart seized knowing his brother and Cassie were one of those squads heading to Lynch. Had they been killed along the way?

"We don't stand a chance unless we kill Lynch," Carly admitted. Her eyes gazed to a nearby drinking fountain, and she lurched for it, guzzling water as if she had not had a drink in years. Conny followed behind her, quenching his dry mouth. As the water soothed his dry throat, he tried to think in his head of what to do next.

"I don't know how much success we'll have with that," Conny said. "Considering every squad thus far hasn't been able to fully get past the Preservers."

"If they can't get through, then we'll lose the prison too," Carly stated. "What should we do?"

"I-I don't know," Conny admitted. He listened to the quiet hum in the hallway. The heater was still on, he realized, as if the civilians were still tucked away in their rooms, admiring the winter glow from inside their warm homes.

"We need to figure out something. It's already getting to afternoon, and some of us won't be able to run on an empty stomach much longer," Carly said.

Conny fished around in his pockets, finding a spare protein bar to give to her. She snatched it up greedily and shoved it down her throat in a matter of seconds.

"Sorry...did you have one for yourself?" Carly asked as she discarded the wrapper.

"Yeah, I have one more," Conny said, though he'd be willing to give it to her if she needed it. His stomach felt too queasy to eat. This morning Conny had been filled optimism for spiritkeepers. He imagined the triumph of his allies when they announced that Lynch was dead, that the Preservers were no more, and that people would finally pay deeds for their crimes. But now, it seemed hope was dwindling quickly.

A silence had settled between them. Though they knew they could not remain in the living complex too much longer, Conny admired the peace, if only for a few seconds. He could still hear the sounds of warfare out the doors. It was going to take all his mental willpower to prepare himself to face the battle again.

"Hey, Carly," Conny murmured, fumbling with his hands.

"Yeah?" she asked quietly in response.

"Do you...do you think we should kiss?" he asked.

The silence became overwhelming now. He heard Carly shuffle slightly and then exhale as she responded. "Do you want to?"

"We don't have to!" Conny exclaimed, waving his hands in the air. He nearly bit on his tongue as he stammered over his own words.

"No. Let's do it," Carly said, grasping hold of his collar and pulling his face down toward her. Conny held back a gasp as her eyes peered into his. Then, her eyelids slowly shut as her lips pressed gently against his. Conny found his eyes closing too as he tried to savor the feeling of the kiss. Carly wrung an arm around his neck, molding her lips close to his.

It felt weird...no...good? Conny had never kissed a girl before, but he imagined it was supposed to feel like this, like your heart was about to explode out of your chest, and your hands were quivering, and...

Carly slowly pulled away, panting slightly. Her eyelids were half-shut as she peered into Conny's eyes. He found his eyes only widening in response rather than staring at her with the same admiration.

"H-how was that?" Carly asked him.

"Um, very good!" Conny exclaimed. "So...so..." His voice trailed off as he took ahold of her hand. It was cold from the winter air outside. "If we live through this, will you please go on a date with me? I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend or anything like that but...would you give me the chance to take you to dinner?"

Carly tilted her head slightly, pondering his request. He let out a tiny gasp as she leaned down once more. He expected another kiss to the lips, but she only pecked his cheek.

"Okay. Okay!" she said more enthusiastically, her eyes beginning to light up again.

Conny grinned in response, slowly letting her hand drop. "Then...let's focus on getting out of here then so I can take you to a nice lobster dinner."

"Lobster?"

"You prefer steak?" Conny asked.

Carly ignored him. "The prisoners are still requesting more medics. We can try heading back to base to see if we can recruit some more, as well as stop any that are nearby. I have a feeling not everyone still has their walkie-talkie."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan," Conny said as he drew his weapon close to his body again.

Carly sucked in a deep breath and began walking down the hall, back toward the doors. She turned to look back at Conny one last time and gave him a gentle smile that slightly calmed his nerves.

"We ready?" she asked, pausing near the door. Her hand was clutched tightly around the handle, and her eyes peered outward to the bloody streets ahead.

Conny took more deep breath and nodded, standing next to her as she pushed the door open.

"Let's do this," Conny said as he stepped back out into the icy snow with her.

"Time to kick some Preserver ass!" Carly announced, her spirits suddenly lifted. They ran forward, hoping that somehow or other, the battle would turn in their favor.