Light ➳ TST, Thomas [2] ✓

Chapter {15}

(A/N): what's there left to say— i am so sorry. Also I over-calculated word count for this chapter, so yup. There will be another one, sorry.

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Hour by hour the day got darker, turned into a cold evening with wind blowing, fires alight in diameter of the valley and white fog materialising as I breathed out. Sky was a deep color of blue, almost like water as torches beneath heavy surface lit and crackled with endless flame. Peaceful— it felt peaceful for the first time after days. No running from anyone, no fear, no heat...no death.

Sitting on a stone, besides me Nico and in front of me Aris and his friends, I listened to Nico's enthusiastic talk of future, pure happiness was something with which his voice sounded and tired eyes glistened amongst the last few fading lights. "I always pictured it as some type of beach, you know? Waves, sunsets, a place to call home."

Harriet smiled gleefully, unable to contain her happiness as well. "And friends." She added shortly after.

"People to love," Aris spied me knowingly, a smile spreading on his features which I just could not refuse as I smiled back, a thought of Thomas wandering through the back of my mind that after all of the time made me truly realise we grew to be something more than just 'us' together.

If I were to say a life I'd start soon did seem distant, a fantasy in comparison to what I've faced so far I would be no liar, maybe that dream we all had since the Glade, a dream of safety was what made it even harder to believe. Another smile spread through my lips, blissful feeling enveloping me from the inside and it truly felt unbelievable that we had managed this far, to safety at last.

Then, my smile dropped. All too suddenly I felt no happiness, no peace. There was it again, a heavy burden dropped into the pit of my stomach that growing in a state of terror, soon enveloped the feeling of peace upon me— all because in that moment, all too familiar sound of aircraft floated over. Squinting over the faded pink as the color of horizon, my eyes met few black dots on its endless screen; WICKED had found us again and this time, I knew there was no other choice but to stand and fight. I felt myself go pale, a state which just would not let go that it did not matter Nico shook me awake from my daze. It was all over too soon, too soon I began hoping we would be safe. 

The scene got considerably worse as Right Arm took longer to prepare— previous black dots of aircraft, helicopters and planes became more distinct, now even men or WICKED's armed soldiers ran around the valley, their weaponry aimed at innocent people in their way. Bullets, bombs, fire— it all rang distraction around my slow running, my lagging behind as the scenes only made it worse the longer I looked upon them.

"Nico, where's Devon?" I ran aside the boy, no matter how hard it was not to take in notice the scenes around me that would only slow me down, I slowly managed to catch up.

In a split second he turned to me then back at his front. "I don't know! But I do know that Vince needs help! Follow me!" He shouted, took a turn right amongst the mortifying screaming and encouragements shouted, tents on fire to our left covering the valley and lighting it up with a stench of burned material, even death as he deftly dodged the falling derbis.

"Ammo?" I asked, heaving to a stop outside a tent, the only one that still hadn't caught on fire.

"Yeah." Nico breathed out heavily, parted the hanging door which was spread over the tent's entrance. Yet as he was about to step and I followed suit, there was a voice. It stopped us both, recognisable yet cold, unwelcoming and defensive it was like a blade through heart to hear it that way. It was Devon's voice.

"Ah, thought I'd never find you." She appeared between two broken down plastics of tents, burning on her left and right like two separate fences whose only entrance was between them. Her walk was slow and steady, even taunting and her features set into an impassive expression, unreadable, marred by nothingness in her dull eyes which only brought a faint cold look upon her.