In District A of the Bale Trailer Park, there was a movement of people determined for freedom. This included the lifeless hair and fat-deprived skin of Mel, the caveman-adjacent face and body of Willy, and the atlas-spanning back and conservative biceps and triceps of Bonn—the other neighbours of Celia and Jo long aligned with Jakob—and the many people who followed them.

To the average guard, they were a mighty force that made people get out the way. For those bold enough to face them, they were often overwhelmed by the fighting spirit of hundreds, and for the more unfortunate, they were trampled by the resolve of their feet.

As a group, the obstacles they confronted were brushed aside by their combined strength. They seemed unstoppable and this eased their path towards the border with District B. Morgston's redistribution of guards meant a solid opening out of the trailer park and into the forest.

Jo's legs began to put in extra effort knowing their escape was almost complete. He could see him and Celia spending a new life together without the agony of waking up to go to a place where hatred and exploitation of their lineage were rife.

It would prove formidable for them to be out in the forest doing what they could to survive. There was little he knew about living in the wilderness outside of making a fire, but as long as they stuck with the people aiding them in their escape, they should be fine.

"Where am I?" Celia woke up dazed as they took a break after passing the bent sign that welcomed those to District B.

Hearing Celia speak got him to turn. Jo ensured he was always near for this moment, making sure his breath was devoid of exhaustion before doing so. "You don't have to worry, Celia. We're close to getting out of this place so we can finally spend quality time as friends."

"Are you sure?" She threw a couple looks throughout her surroundings and saw Jakob, whom she resented. To save herself from this supposed fiend, her arms lapped round his neck in an attempt to break out of this cursed piggyback ride.

"Celia, stop! He's helping us even though I know it sounds ridiculous to hear it from me of all people."

"Why should I trust him?" She got her arms to squeeze more against his windpipe, causing him to gag. He refused to fight back, knowing he would take it too far too quick. "He's probably kidnapping me right now if I have to guess."

"It's not wise to judge people like that, Celia. People can change, you know."

"How should I—"

"Just listen, okay?!"

She was perplexed by this. Even so, seeing him act out made her and others nearby willing to hear what he had to say.

"Jakob and his friends learned about what we did on our return to the trailer park from the place we got our water from and sought to help us because of this. He said that our actions brought out something lingering under the surface for a while now and that we were an inspiration for everyone here."

"Wow. I never expected that." She had let go of her potent grip before getting off him. "Sorry for trying to choke you, Jakob. It was my reflexes acting on their own."

He sucked in a deep breath to recover the oxygen that couldn't come in and rubbed the area below his Adam's apple to soothe the pain her arms brought. "All forgiven. On behalf of me and my crew, I must say sorry for all the times we tried to steal from you. It was just us trying to make some money to survive in this place."

She was impressed to learn that Mel, Willy and Bonn were also here. Could it be true they had turned over a new leaf? When they revealed themselves through the crowd, she saw positivity instead of their usual gruffness.

They looked like a different bunch of people from the ones that would bother them while passing by. Celia would never let go all the altercations, insults and the times they chased them off for suspicious loitering around their property with something to hit, stab or shoot, but she could acknowledge when someone was trying to do good.

You really think if we were free, that we would do the things we do to each other?

These and other lines from when they first met Mr. Tim reverberated in Jo. Remembering his words in this context brought hurt to him since he had no knowledge of his status or his other friends. It would have been great for all of them to be here so they could enjoy their final moments of suffering. Despite this, he at least had the most important person in his life here with him.

"Something feels weird. I can feel it coming out of me."

It repulsed him to tell her how she ended up this way, but it had to be told for her sake. "Celia, the reason why you have that weird feeling is because someone... did something... uhhh... like something kinda bad..." For Jo, his nerves had reached every part of him. There wasn't any way to hide the quaking from within as he attempted to inform her what had happened.

To Celia, he was acting strange once more. This had to be bothering him quite a bit to be like this. And to be that way, at least in part, had gotten some to become soft and stare like those a little while beforehand. "What are you trying to say, Jo?" She didn't want him to revert to when the nightmares of his family were affecting their relationship. He had to speak his mind. "Just tell me what's going on. I don't think being like this benefits either of us."

Jo knew she was right in what she said. It was ridiculous to be shy about this. His friend had been violated and to be anything but honest would be even more damaging. "Celia... I'm saying that someone, a really bad person, did something very, very, very terrible to you. That's why you might be feeling a certain way with your body. That's all."

"Is that what you truly wanted to say to me?"

"Yes, Celia. I said it the best way I could."

"Really, Jo? That can't be it." She did what she could to unpack his words, causing some brain lag. "I'm still confused. Can you tell me more while being clear?"

"I don't know if I could do that." His eyes became avoidant from the first letter; for him, there was no desire to describe the scene in any true detail as he believed it would hurt her as much it would hurt him.

"I must be making you uncomfortable, aren't I?" Celia could see that she was pushing him too far, so she had to decipher it herself. In doing so, there came a certain possibility she struggled to fathom, but it answered everything that felt off about her.

There's no way someone would do 'that' to me. All the men I've met or know of think I'm ugly besides Jo, so why would anyone think of me in that way? Her pants had absorbed some of what came out, and it made for some minor stains she did not want to see. It at least explains why I feel the way I do instead of my time of the month appearing unexpectedly. Celia thereafter left her thoughts to say this: "You were rather vague, Jo, but I get it now."

"Oh, I see. I just felt so bad for not protecting you." He became squeamish admitting this.

"No need to feel that way. If anything, it's my fault for making us get that water so we could live together more comfortably."

"No, it's my fault for not being there for you when you needed me the most."

It was hard for her to stomach the guilt coming from him. She had to get him out of this state somehow. "Being this hard on yourself isn't going to help you with all your trauma. Wouldn't that make your nightmares worse? The fact I am here with you means you did everything you could, Jo. That's the most important thing."

Even though there was sense in what she said, he couldn't let this go. Jo had to give himself ample time to move on from this failure.

Jakob, ignoring the bits of bloodied semen on his back from running with Celia and the possible implications of the two teenagers' discussion, told them they had to move since some guards were coming at them from multiple sides.

Jo felt fulfilled on how understanding and perceptive she was with the bad news he gave her. It was hard for him to be honest with how poor he was with other disturbing acts, but such a terrible scene deserved nothing less than the truth.

A woman ahead of them with luscious curls and a mint she swirled within her cheeks saw what seemed to be vehicles coming down the road. She got her description disseminated amongst them, prompting quick preparation for what was coming.

From this, they made a rough estimate of the size of the crowd. Their quick calculations proved that to go across the narrow stretch of road would be unfeasible without some of them being run over. While doing this, one of the flying vehicles broke from its group and flew towards them. As it came closer, it startled them with its larger size and being more decorated in armour compared to the helicopter they were used to.

"Come on, everyone. Let's push through!" Jakob knew they were at the last stretch. Their chance of freedom was clear but closing, so they had to risk it by crossing. However, he stopped because they told him to do so. They were afraid of being mowed down if they went ahead with the opportunity.

The group of hundreds, once strengthened by the common goal of freedom, splintered into the streets of District B for their own preservation. Their escape depended on it, unless the addition of Iridale's military properly subdued them to centuries more of forced labour.

For Jo, Celia, Jakob, and the many alongside them, they hoped this would never be their destiny. But to do so, they would have to resist—and resist they would.