Vince and Damon wanted the same thing. They wanted Doctor Gene dead.

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Oliver's POV

"Hey, Doctor," I said while freezing a whole row of legs by the other side of the room. "Is there something you want to say?"

I had seen his eyes on me and was sure there was more there than only fear. The amount of secrets that little boy kept in mind was enormous and perhaps that was the time he could share one of them.

"Snow," Gene started. But I had to cut him off to shoot a guy who was about to strike a surprise behind one of mines.

"Okay, continue."

"If I die-"

"You won't die."

"-if I die, Miss Clay will get my place because she is my Second."

"Right."

"But I want you to get it."

I turned to him, bewildered. Someone came and knocked down some rebel that was about to steal the gun hanging in my fist. 

"No, Doctor, I was not trained to be the commander."

"You don't need to be trained."

"But I am only 19."

"Irrelevant."

The cuteness of that little person made me smile. And I thought of something I read a long time ago: The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind.

I turned around just on time to kick a man spitter of fire.

"Laureen, take my spot, I will stop Vince!"

"Yes, sir!"

I ran to battle.

Not to find Vince.

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Angelina's POV

Do people really think that killing each other will solve the problem?

The red maple and the oak disappeared from my sight as I was pushed and dragged and pulled by allies and strangers. I swerved from swords, jets of fire, and even balls of compressed gas. And the worst and most terrifying thing was that I didn't have enough thoughts to put up with. I was an ant in the midst of big, clever mounds. I was a point of no use while the others kicked faces, smashed rocks and fired without remorse. Without remorse.

"Angelina, stop thinking. There's no thinking in a war." Sebastian dodged us from a falling corpse. I recognized it as the woman
we saw
hanging clothes
on the clothes line.

My eyes shut. That image was too unbearable, I couldn't focus... "Sebbbastian..."

"Hold on. We are fine. We are winning."

No, we aren't. I had enough conscious to see we were less in number. And they also had weapons. Sebastian suddenly gave up dodging and pulled me between him. He raised two guns. And soon there was only shooting sounds side by side with my ears and the steady breathing that came out of his nose. "Pick the knife in my left pocket," he ordered. "defend yourself the way I taught you."

       Still between his arms I reached for his pocket. That's when both guns clicked and no more bullets came out.

"Fuck!" He threw them on the floor. I handed him the knife, but he ignored or didn't see. He pulled a guy into a punch and shoved his knee into another. His palms knocked two heads together and they fell as one.

Someone clapped.

Clap clap clap — "Wow... I wasn't expecting that. You fight very well, redhead. For a boy."

Sebastian turned to the source of the voice. "You!" He exclaimed.

A girl took a sword out of her belt. She had a black hair tightened lazily in a ponytail, and her skin was very tanned with bikini marks as if she'd just arrived from the beach. But I didn't like her eyes — they had a malicious bright. "So glad I am having the opportunity to end up with you myself. We have to finish what we started, right?"

"This isn't exactly what we started" Sebastian said.

She shrugged her shoulders. "War, love... it is all connected."

What the heck?

Her ironic smile was pissing me off. Sebastian shook his head slowly. "Well, it would be a pleasure to fight you but unfortunately I don't punch girls."

She smiled. "Such a gentleman... Did you lie when you said you had no girlfriend?" And the girl was already glued on him. She touched his chest. Something big started growing inside me. "Tsc," She continued. "I missed you... cutie"

And when I saw Sebastian's cheeks changing colors I bursted out. And in no time I was between them, taking the sword out of her grip and pointing it to her face. "Yeah, I know he's cute. Touch him again and I will kill you." I made her step back. She looked extremely confused, maybe hadn't even seen me there, or she just thought I was no one worth it. Your mistake, sweetie.

"Go away," I said. "or I will use your own baby to cut you in half!"

She howled back at me. "Gus! show these fools what you can do!"

Gus had red eyes. And I mean it literally. They were big, red, and frightful. He raised a hand, and Sebastian pushed me. He pushed me far. I bumped into a woman, but she was from Oxygen. I looked to where they were supposed to be, but there was nothing there, no girl, no Gus, no Sebastian.

I lost Sebastian.

I was lost.

"Help me!" Someone shouted. Was it myself? No matter where I turned, it was all negative.

"Help me!" She repeated.

I turned around and saw a girl about my age twisting her body to get out from under a fallen tree. My eyes widened. "I'm coming!"

I jumped a corpse to get to her.

"Stay still." I told her. It was a palm tree, not so thick, but heavy. I forced it up. "Hhhan!" A drop of sweat dropped from my jaw and it was disgusting. "I need help-"

"Marcello!! Here!" She groaned, and a man appeared to push the trunk. That's when I realized Marcello was wearing flip flops and his blouse, maybe once white, was almost transparent from so much washing, thinner than paper, and it had a scorched hole right in the middle, making us see his hamburger shaped belly. He was a rebel. So was she.

"God, thank you." The girl stood up and nodded to her friend and then to me. I stayed there, watching. Why didn't they attack me? Maybe because I was defenseless? Because I tried to help and they were grateful? Well, thank you so much; dying wasn't on my schedule anyway.

I glanced everywhere around, all heads, all faces, looking for someone I knew, but mostly Sebastian. Who was that flirtatious idiot? Where did they meet? What the man with red eyes did to him? The negatives thoughts kept coming like waves on rocks. Noise, noise everywhere. Noise of falling corpses, noise of gunshots, noise of screams, noise of my heart. We were losing. We were in too few for that number of rebels. The only thing that kept Oxygen alive was the super training from Room 9. Rebels had no Room 9, nor Oliver Snowfields.

Suddenly two arms appeared in my vision and I was pulled back violently. My body hit something hard and a hand appeared from nowhere to cover my mouth before I could scream. And I was dragged to a corner, directly to the wall.

I held my capturer with the greatest force as possible, clenching my nails in his coat so he wouldn't crash my head against that wall. And I suddenly familiarized with his cold hands and his bony grip. It was Filthy.