Ascension

Indiana

I don't feel good about this. Lorelei told me to not look for her but I'm afraid that if I don't she might die. This terrain is hard enough to trek when you aren't injured but from Lorelei has told me she has a dislocated shoulder and an ankle injury.

Sounds pretty awful if you ask me. I run for the Picnic area. I have no idea how the Colony would know where to find us but Lorelei insisted that they would understand. I hope they do or else we are toast. I start running. Hopefully the Colony while get there early and so we can go save Lorelei from dying out in the wilderness.

I pull out my com device and com Lorelei.

"Lorelei are you doing okay?" I ask.

"I---burnt-------better--you?"

"I didn't catch that."

"You---in--out."

"Lorelei?"

The com went dead. I guess we are out of range. Welp. Whatever. I have to sit down for a minute. I recall the events in Headquarters to keep it fresh in my mind.

The building is in complete chaos. Everyone is running and screaming. I wonder how all this started. I run into someone in the rebellion.

"Indiana. Are we putting our escape plan in motion?" They ask me.

I think back to what Lorelei had told me. "Don't trust anyone."

I look down as I tell her, "We aren't escaping. Not today."

She sighs, "Oh."

I can't help but hurting for these innocent people I am leaving to the wolves but it is true. I can't trust anyone. Lorelei made that annoyingly clear.

In the chaos fights break out. They leave Soldiers sprawled out across the floor. I grab a coat and hat from one of the unconscious soldiers. I pull them on. The coat is a little to big for me. I pull the hat down to hide my stormy blue eyes.

To everyone else I look like a Loyal Bright Soldier that has shapeshifted. Yes Brights shape shift apparently. That's how Indio stayed in our camp so long.

In all the chaos all eyes were off of me. I run back to my room, quickly pack my bag and leave the hospital casually. As if I was only going back to my house in Headquarters.

But of course this isn't true. I am leaving this wretched place for good. I will find a new home within the house of Alivia and Luna Rose. Which probably isn't much but I am hoping they will except me.

I run into another Rebellion member.

"Indiana are we going now?" He asks me.

The poor member (in Bright's terms) was only a child. This was his second night of being awake.

I nod.

"Um-wait for me. I have to go get my sister." He sputters.

I nod at him.

He runs off leaving me near a not so crowded section of the hospital. I can't stay here. I know that. I also can't let him and his sister perrish. I pull a magazine out of the rack and write on the front.

'When you exit Headquarters head East until you get to the Darkness. We will be there for five days.'

I leave with that. I feel a sense of peace when I think about what I have done. They now have a possibility of surviving. I walk down the hallways with my hat pulled low to cover my face. In the hallways they are having an execution. Deep Wine Red blood stains the Pure White hallways.

The Soldiers shoot with no remorse for the people pleading for their lives. I look away. I feel disgusted with myself for wearing their uniform. Except I can't take it off now. I would be spotted and then I wouldn't get to meet Luna Rose.

In the confusion they wouldn't realize I would be gone. I walk out the front door. I think of the last mass break out two people were left behind. Now this mass break out. The two that got left behind made it out. Such twisted fate.

I start my trek towards my new home. Towards my new life. To a better life.

I had fallen asleep. I was extremely tired from walking and worrying all day. Now that I'm awake I still feel no sense of relief. Lorelei is still out there and I still have a lot more ground to cover.

"Indiana."

I basically jump out of my skin.

I look over and see the two siblings I had helped escape.

"Geez, you almost gave me a heart attack." I groan.

"We apologize." The brother tells me, "However we are confused on

why you left us and the rest of the Rebellion behind."

"Listen it wasn't my idea. The whole craziness outside, that was caused by our so called rebellion. Somebody turned us in and I couldn't trust anyone." I explained.

"But you still helped us."

"I couldn't leave you two stranded. I couldn't live with myself."

They stare at me intently.

"Even then I have a hard time living with myself." I mutter.

We get up and walk again. My legs feel very sore.

"We have a time limit so we need to pick up the pace." I tell them.

"We would however you look like you can't go any faster." They explain.

Not sure how I feel about that but okay.

"Who are we going to?" They ask me.

"We are heading to a rendevouz near the Darkness."

They walk in silence.

"Are we going to be okay."

I can't answer that question. Is anyone going to be okay? We are in a war. And war is brutal. It demands more then we have. It strips us of our layers until only our worst selves remain.

War is brutal thing we humans have invented with the flaws within ourselves.

It is a parasite that feeds off of our happiness. We know it is there within ourselves but we cannot get rid of it.