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The Burning 26
Ben shot me a small, sympathetic smile as he began cleaning the wound. "You’ll be fine. Tough as nails, remember?" I snorted, though the sound was more of a pained wheeze. "I'm starting to feel more like rusted nails." He chuckled, but the laughter didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was something else there—something darker, something that had been lurking just beneath the surface ever since we’d escaped Eagle’s Nest. I didn’t have the energy to ask him about it now, but I knew we’d have to talk about it eventually. There were too many secrets between us, too many things left unsaid. Once Ben had finished stitching me up, we moved our small group to the second floor, where we found a storage room filled with old, dust-covered furniture and a few broken shelves. It wasn’t much, but it was safer than staying on the ground floor, where we’d be too exposed if Marcus or anyone else came looking. We settled in for the night, each of us taking a corner of the room. The silence betwee
The Burning 27
The moment we stepped into Dylan Matthews' camp, I knew something wasn't right. The air felt too still, too heavy, like the forest itself was holding its breath. There were no birds singing, no rustling of leaves, just the low murmur of conversations from the Nomads scattered around the campfire, their faces half-hidden in shadow. Dylan stood at the center of it all, tall and broad-shouldered, his grizzled beard flecked with gray, his eyes sharp and calculating. He looked like someone who had seen too much—someone who had survived this world long before it crumbled. His Nomads were a ragtag bunch, dressed in mismatched survival gear, their weapons hung casually at their sides. But there was nothing casual about the way they watched us. "Welcome," Dylan said, his voice low and smooth, like he was trying to put us at ease. It didn’t work. "You've picked a hell of a time to wander into our little corner of the world.." I exchanged a quick glance with Ben, my stomach twisting wit
The Burning 28
I needed to tell Ben and Sarah what I'd overheard. I knew that. But every time I opened my mouth to say the words, something stopped me. Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was the fear that if I said it out loud, everything would fall apart. Or maybe, deep down, I wasn't sure if I could follow through with the consequences of outing Marcus. If he was double-crossing us, we’d have to deal with him. And dealing with Marcus wouldn’t be pretty. Stupid, I know. As we sat in silence, the door creaked open, and Dylan stepped inside, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. He looked at each of us in turn, his eyes lingering on Marcus for a moment before he spoke. "I figured you'd want to know," Dylan said, his voice low. "The Scorchers are close. My scouts spotted them a few miles south of here." My heart skipped a beat, my mind racing. If the Scorchers were that close, it was only a matter of time before they found us. We needed to get out of here. Now. "We'll be gone before
The Burning 29
The explosion shook the cabin walls so hard I thought they might come crashing down. Dust rained from the ceiling, filling the air with a thick, choking cloud. My heart lurched into my throat as the sound of gunfire erupted outside, sharp cracks cutting through the stillness of the night. The Scorchers were here, and they didn’t waste time with pleasantries. "Get down!!" Ben shouted, pulling me to the floor just as a window shattered, spraying glass across the room. I hit the ground hard, the impact jarring my ribs, sending a fresh wave of pain through my side. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe, my vision swimming as I tried to pull myself together. But there was no time for pain, no time for weakness. We were under attack. Sarah was already scrambling for her gun, her face pale but determined as she crouched behind the overturned table. Ben had his rifle in hand, his eyes locked on the door, his body tense and ready for a fight. Marcus, of course, stood in the corner, calm as eve
The Burning 30
In a blur of motion, Ben lunged forward, his rifle swinging up to knock the Scorcher's gun aside. The shot went wide, the sound deafening in the night, but Ben didn’t stop. He slammed the butt of his rifle into the Scorcher's face, the sound of bone crunching echoing in my ears. The Scorcher crumpled to the ground, blood spurting from his broken nose. I gasped, my body finally snapping back into motion as Ben grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the trees. "MOVE!" We ran. My legs burned with every step, my lungs screaming for air, but I kept going. We darted through the trees, the sounds of battle fading behind us as we pushed deeper into the forest. The river was close—I could hear it rushing somewhere ahead, the sound of the water cutting through the chaos like a lifeline. But just as we broke through the trees, I heard a scream. I stopped, my heart lurching in my chest as I spun around. Sarah. She was on the ground, a Scorcher standing over her, his knife gleaming in the moo
The Burning 31
The blood wouldn't come off. No matter how hard I scrubbed, no matter how raw my hands became, it stayed there, a dark stain that seemed to sink deeper into my skin with every passing second. I crouched by the riverbank, the cold water biting into my fingers as I rubbed them together, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. The night was quiet now, the battle behind us, but my mind was still filled with the screams. The gunfire. The bodies. I’d killed. We....had... Of course, it wasn't my first time. far from it. This world didn’t allow for innocence. But tonight was different. Tonight had been brutal, savage. The Scorchers had come at us like wolves, and I'd fought back the only way I knew how. I'd fired my gun until it clicked empty, then grabbed a knife and kept going. I hadn't thought. I hadn't hesitated. And now, as the adrenaline faded and the cold reality set in, I couldn't stop shaking. How many had I killed? Four? Five? I couldn't even remember their faces, ju
The Burning 32
I opened my eyes, meeting his gaze. There was something in his eyes, something raw and real, that made me believe him. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was stronger than I thought. But it didn’t stop the doubt gnawing at my insides, the fear that I was losing myself in the process. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. "I just... I don’t want to become like them." "You won't." Ben said his voice firm. "As long as you remember why you're fighting, you won't." I nodded, though I wasn't sure if I believed him. But I wanted to. I wanted to believe that we could survive this nightmare without losing everything that made us human. We sat there in silence for a while, the sound of the river rushing past us, the night settling in around us like a heavy blanket. The battle was over, but the scars it left would stay with us long after the smoke cleared. As we made our way back to the camp, the air was thick with the stench of death. Bodies lay scattered across the grou
The Burning 33
The wind howled like a wild animal outside the bunker, rattling the metal doors and sending a low, eerie moan through the narrow corridors. I could feel the tension in the air with every gust, the oppressive weight of the storm pressing down on us like a vice. Dust storms were common in this part of the world, but this one was different. This one was massive, a roiling wall of destruction that had swept in from the horizon like something out of a nightmare. We'd barely made it inside before the first wave hit. The sky had darkened to a sickly orange, and the winds had picked up so fast that they’d torn the air right out of our lungs. Now we were stuck, huddled together in the suffocating darkness of the underground bunker while the storm raged overhead. "This place gives me the creeps...."Sarah muttered from her spot near the door, her eyes flicking nervously around the cramped room. The bunker was small, just one chamber with a low ceiling and bare concrete walls. Thick iron shel
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The Burning 65
The air was thick with smoke, the acrid scent of burning wood and flesh choking my lungs as I stumbled through the chaos. Flames licked at the edges of the settlement, casting long shadows over the walls and turning the night into a fevered nightmare. Shouts echoed across the square, the sharp crack of gunfire splitting the air as Captain Laura Wells and her soldiers clashed with Chloe’s forces. I hadn’t seen the attack coming. One moment we were being thrown into one of the holding cells, our hands still bound, and the next, explosions tore through the gates. Chloe’s loyalists scrambled to defend the settlement, but they hadn't been prepared for a full-scale assault. Captain Wells had arrived, just as Ben had said she would, and she wasn’t pulling any punches. "Move, Maya!" Ben shouted, grabbing my arm and pulling me down behind a stack of crates as bullets whizzed overhead. "We need to get to cover!" I was still reeling, my mind struggling to catch up with the violence unfoldin
The Burning 64
I stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest. "Chloe, you can't—" "I can." she cut me off, her voice cold. "And I will. You’re either with me or you’re against me." The silence that followed was deafening. I felt like I was standing at the edge of a cliff, staring down into a void. Chloe had backed me into a corner, forced me to choose between my loyalty to her and my own moral compass. But how could I stand by her side when I knew what she was doing? How could I betray everything I believed in? Before I could respond, Ben stepped forward, his voice steady but urgent. “Wait.” Chloe’s eyes flicked to him, her expression impatient. “What?” Ben shifted slightly, his bound hands clenching behind his back. “There’s something you don’t know.” Chloe raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued. “Oh? And what’s that?” Ben glanced at me, his eyes full of unspoken words. Then he turned back to Chloe. “I’ve been in contact with another group. A military unit. They’ve been tracking you
The Burning 63
The moment Logan lunged, time seemed to slow. His meaty hand reached for me, and instinct kicked in. I dodged to the side, just narrowly avoiding his grasp. Ben and Daniel weren’t so lucky. Logan’s men were on them in seconds, rough hands pinning their arms behind their backs, muffling their protests with swift, brutal efficiency. Samantha’s eyes wouldn’t meet mine as I backed away, my heart hammering in my chest. I could still hear her voice, that soft, apologetic tone she’d used when she betrayed us. I wanted to scream, to demand an explanation, but I knew it was useless. Whatever loyalty she’d once had to the settlement—or to us—was gone, replaced by her blind faith in Chloe. “Maya,” Logan growled, his voice low and menacing, “don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Chloe’s waiting.” I glanced at Ben. His face was set in a grim mask, but his eyes flickered with something else—something I couldn’t quite place. He held my gaze for a moment, then gave the tiniest nod, as
The Burning 62
She’d been a schoolteacher before everything went to hell, and even now, she still had that calming presence, that way of making you feel like things could be okay, even when they weren’t. She was exactly the kind of person we needed on our side—someone people trusted. “Did you find what you were looking for?” she asked, her eyes darting between Ben and me. I nodded, handing her one of the papers. “It’s worse than we thought. Chloe’s been orchestrating everything. The raids, the attacks—it’s all her.” Samantha’s eyes widened as she read the document, her face pale. “We have to stop her.” “That’s the plan,” Ben said, his voice steady. “But we need to be smart about this. Chloe’s got Logan and the rest of her loyalists watching every move. If we mess this up, we’re dead.” Samantha nodded, her expression resolute. “I’ll talk to a few people I trust. Quietly. We’ll need to move fast, though. Word’s already spreading that something’s off.” Daniel appeared in the doorway, his fa
The Burning 61
The moment Chloe’s cold, steely gaze locked on me, I knew I was in deep shit. My pulse pounded in my ears, and I could feel the weight of the papers tucked beneath my jacket, the incriminating evidence I’d found only moments ago. I had seconds to act, seconds to figure out how to explain why I was rifling through her things like some common thief.Damn, should've picked a better time. But there was no use lying. Chloe had always been good at sniffing out deception, especially when it came from me. “Maya,” she said again, her voice low and dangerous, a predator toying with its prey. “What are you doing?” I straightened, clutching the edge of her desk to steady my shaking hands. “Looking for the truth, Chloe. You can’t keep hiding it!” Her eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something—guilt? Fear? But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, buried under the ice-cold mask she wore so well. “You’ve been listening to the wrong people,” she said, stepping in
The Burning 60
Daniel looked at me, his eyes full of quiet determination. “Because you’re her sister. And because I don’t think you’re like her. People are starting to lose faith in Chloe, Maya. The settlement’s on the verge of fracturing. If you don’t do something soon…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t need to. The thrreat was clear. If Chloe kept pushing, if the people kept living in fear, it would only be a matter of time before everything collapsed. I stood slowly, my mind racing. “I need proof,” I said, my voice wavering. “If I’m going to confront her, I need more than just rumors.” Daniel nodded. “I know. But be careful. Chloe’s not one to take kindly to being challenged. And if she thinks you’re a threat…” He didn’t need to finish that sentence either. I already knew what Chloe was capable of. I returned to the clinic, my head spinning with Daniel’s words. Ben was awake when I walked in, sitting up on his cot, his eyes sharp.. “You were gone a while,” he said, his voice low
The Burning 59
I couldn’t sleep. The weight of everything pressed down on me—Chloe’s cold words echoing in my mind, the tension in the settlement, the gnawing feeling that something deeper was wrong. I tossed and turned on the small cot in the corner of the clinic, listening to the soft rustle of the wind outside. The fires had died down, leaving the night dark and eerily quiet. Too quiet, especially for a place like this. Ben lay a few feet away, his chest rising and falling steadily now that he was mostly recovered. He was still pale, but the strength was coming back to him, slowly but surely. Part of me wanted to wake him up, to talk through everything that was swirling in my head. But I knew his answer already: We needed to leave. But I... I wasn’t ready for that yet. I couldn’t just leave Chloe behind, no matter what she had become. She was still my sister, and some small, stubborn part of me believed I could reach her. That I could help her see what she was doing. But the more I tried to co
The Burning 58
Dr. Shaw glanced around, making sure no one was listening, before leaning in slightly. “We’re out of almost everything vital—antibiotics, painkillers, clean bandages. I’ve been asking Chloe for weeks to send out a team to scavenge for medical supplies, but she refuses. Says the security of the settlement comes first. She’s been hoarding resources for the guards, for the walls. Meanwhile, people in here are dying from infections and wounds that could be treated if we just had the right supplies.” I felt a surge of anger rise in my chest. “That can’t be right. Chloe wouldn’t—” Dr. Shaw gave me a sharp look. “Wouldn’t what? Put her own survival above others? Use people as pawns to keep her control? You’ve seen how she runs this place, Maya. She’s not the girl you remember anymore. whoever she was.“ I bit my lip, my mind racing. I didn’t want to believe it, but deep down, I knew Dr. Shaw was right. Chloe had changed. Drastically. Maybe more than I was willing to admit. “She’s hidi
The Burning 57
Thhe smell of antiseptic and sweat hit me the moment I stepped into the clinic. It wasn’t much more than a hastily erected tent with a few cots and a couple of shelves lined with ragged bandages and half-empty bottles of medication. The moans of the injured filled the air, mixing with the low hum of voices and the occasional clatter of metal. It took me back—back to long nights in the ER, back to the controlled chaos of saving lives on the fly. But this wasn’t the ER. This was New Haven, and we were ALL hanging on by a thread. I forced myself to swallow the knot in my throat and stepped deeper into the tent. One of the settlement’s guards, a young woman no older than twenty, sat on the edge of a cot, clutching her arm. Blood seeped through the makeshift bandage wrapped around her forearm, and her face was pale, her lips trembling. “Hey,” I said gently, kneeling beside her. “Let me take a look at that.” She flinched at first, like she wasn’t used to someone offering help.
