John

The next day, after taking care of as many chores as he could, Ralis and Maki set off to the market with a few of the Revived to help them gather enough food and supplies for all of the refugees. While the fires and riots had been calmed, the whispery smell of smoke still sat in the air, reminding Ralis of the previous night; it seemed like a far-off nightmare. He wished it was.

The snow from the previous night had stuck, burying some of the evidence of the previous night, but not all. They still passed burnt-out homes and destroyed residences. Soldiers patrolled the streets, weapons at the ready. A few of them eyed Ralis and his group as they walked through the empty streets. He grabbed Maki’s hand, pulling her closer to him.

“Things haven’t been this bad for ten years,” one of the Revived, the man Ralis had been talking to the previous day, whispered.

“I can’t believe they let it get this bad,” Ralis replied as they climbed the short hill that emerged into the market.

The Wall bore markets of the chaos of the previous day. Several firefighters were working through the rubble of several crumbling buildings. Despite this, the market was still busy with hundreds of people moving between the shops, no doubt stocking their supplies in case of further disaster.

However, while the Market was usually a loud place, today, it was eerily quiet. Ralis felt that he could have dropped a pin and heard it pierce the quiet as it hit the ground. The only sounds were that of muted footsteps and shifting ruins. Transactions were performed in silence.

“Alright,” Ralis said to the group in a whispered tone, not wanting to break the silent blanket over the city, “You all have the list of things we need. Let’s split into smaller groups. Get everything on your section of the list and we’ll meet back here.”

The Revived nodded and split off. Ralis turned to Maki. She was staring at the firefighters as they worked on a nearby building. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “It’s just sad,” she said. “How do people hurt each other like this? Aren’t we all the same?”

Ralis smiled, remembering Father Prosbin’s words the day before. “I wish more people had the same insight you do,” Ralis said, squeezing Maki’s hand, watching as the firefighters began to pull a blanketed form from the building.

“Come on,” Ralis said, pulling Maki away from the scene, “Let’s get what we need and get back,” he said, glancing at the sky. “It’s beginning to snow again.”

***

After being on lockdown in the capitol building all night, John was ready to get home. He opened the car door for Martha, letting her enter first, then followed, settling comfortably on the vehicle’s leather seats. He gently grasped Martha’s hand, giving it a light squeeze as the car started down the drive and towards their home.

“So,” she said, “what’s your plan? What will you do?”

“There’s only one thing to do,” he replied.

She let go of his hand and leaned forward, tilting her head to look him in the eyes. “What’s that?” she said.

“Destroy them,” he said.

She smiled. “You found a way?”

He nodded. “Jefferson did. I just put the Commander in charge of it. He’s already found whole camps of them in the Lower District. They’ll be gone by tonight.”

“Good,” she said, smiling.

“I’m glad you agree,” John continued, glancing out the window only to see the ground. He frowned perplexed then felt immense pain as the car rolled.

His head lurched into the window, shattering it. In the confusion, he could only see red. He could only hear the sounds of crunching metal, of broken glass, of impact.

His body erupted into pain. His neck was sore. Something snapped and he inexplicitly found himself lying on the black pitch of the road, his body reeling in pain.

Martha, he thought, turning to look at the wreckage of his vehicle a few paces away. Through sheer will, he struggling to his feet and stumbled over to the wreck. The car was on its roof. Gas was pouring from the burning engine.

He knelt down, looking into the cabin he and Martha were in. She was hanging upside down limply. “Martha,” he cried hoarsely, crawling back into the vehicle.

He felt himself go cold as he saw the rest of her body, it was mangled and broken. She wasn’t breathing. He knew she was gone.

He screamed, punching the interior of the car until his fist bloodied. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw flames licking the interior of the car. “Take me too,” he called to them.

The flames obeyed, engulfing the car, searing John’s flesh. But the pain was too much for him. He pushed back from the vehicle as his flesh began to boil and scampered back from the vehicle, then watched it burn.

As it did, he saw the ruin of another car nearby. He clenched his fist and got to his feet. The front of the vehicle was completely crushed. The windows had mostly shattered.

John limped over and glanced at the man inside. He was still conscious, staring at John. He had a piece of glass through his chest, pinning him to the seat. His face was wide in fear.

“Who are you?” John questioned.

He gagged, choking on blood that John could see faintly on the corners of his mouth. “You’re one of them,” the man said.

“What?” John said, stepping forward.

“No,” the man shouted, “Stay away!” he twisted and turned, pulling himself from the chair. He dove across the car, scrambling out the door. As soon as he stood, however, he fell again. John heard something crunch against the asphalt. The man didn’t rise.

What’s he talking about? John thought, turning from the car.

But something there caught his attention. Reflected in the metal of the car was someone else. Someone that wasn’t him.

And it was only then that John looked down at himself, realizing the massive holes in his side, slowly repairing themselves. When he realized that his skin no longer burned but looked and felt normal. “Impossible,” he said, staggering back and falling to his knees as snow began to fall.

***

As they proceeded back to the church, Maki grabbed Ralis’ coat, pointing him to a few huddled forms in an alleyway. “They need help,” she declared adamantly.

Ralis nodded. “Of course,” he said before turning to the Revived. “We’ll meet you back soon,” he said to them.

“Sounds good,” their leader said, starting off.

Ralis reached into the bag of food they’d bought, handing a loaf of bread to Maki. “Let’s give them this,” he said.

“Yeah,” Maki smiled, running towards the alley. Ralis followed closely behind.

As they neared, Ralis was surprised to find the group was fully young children. The oldest among them might have been sixteen or seventeen. They looked up as Maki and Ralis approached.

“What do you want?” the oldest, a young man, said.

“We have food,” Maki replied, shoving the loaf of bread forward, catching the young boy by surprise.

He glanced up at Ralis, who nodded. The boy took the bread, thanking Maki, then began to split it up among the other children. There were about six of them in total.

“Here,” Ralis said, offering the rest of the supplies to them.

“Really?” one of the children said, their eyes sparkling.

“Of course,” Ralis said. “And make sure to get somewhere safe tonight, out of the cold. You could come back with us?” he offered.

The oldest boy shook his head. “Mom said she’s coming back soon,” he said. “But thank you.”

Ralis nodded. “We should get going,” he said to Maki.

A few moments later, they exited the alley and started towards the church. As they did, Ralis noticed a plume of smoke in that direction. “Maki,” he said. “let’s hurry.”

Together, they emerged onto the street before the church to find it full of people shouting and yelling. Before them, the church was burning, surrounded by a group of rioters. From within, Ralis could hear screams and cries. Someone tried to push their way out of the inferno, only to be shot by the rioters and thrown back into the building.

Soldiers stormed into the square, tackling and arresting the rioters, even shooting a few.

Ralis immediately grabbed Maki and covered her eyes. “What’s going on?” he whispered as broadcast drones flew into the square.

All over the city, Ralis could see more smoke rising. A loud voice emerged from the drones. “Citizens,” it said. “This is Mire Wesdon, speaking on behalf of President John Clay. We have reports of riots all across the city targeting Revived. To those needing a place to flee, a place to feel safe, I offer my estate. Come, and I will protect you.”

“Grandpa,” Maki said, her voice shaking. “What’s happening? Where’s Father Prosbin? My friends?”

Ralis blinked away his tears and cleared his throat, pushing away his fear, his sadness. “Come on, Maki. We have to go,” he said.

“Where?”

“To see your friends,” he said. “They’re… somewhere else now.”

He looked back at the wall. “Come on,” he said to Maki. “We have to go there, to somewhere safe.”