The town had a ghostly silence as they entered, streets empty and cracked, buildings gutted by time and neglect. The sun cast a sallow, fading light over the ruins, barely illuminating the broken remnants of what was once a bustling neighborhood. Kai and Amelia moved silently, eyes scanning every shadow, guns ready in their hands. They reached the high school at the edge of town—an imposing, crumbling structure with shattered windows and walls overtaken by vines, stretching up like greedy fingers.
Amelia let out a huff as she kicked a chunk of concrete aside, her voice cutting through the silence as they entered. "Kai, you need to listen to me," she whispered, words sharp as the glass underfoot. "You need to lay off Zara. I don’t know what spell she has on you, but you’re acting like a fool. I can’t believe you’re still defending her after all she’s done."
Kai clenched his jaw, pausing only long enough to shoot her a hard look. "I don’t want to hear it, Amelia. You’re so set on finding a problem with her that you’re willing to spread lies. She’s done nothing but try to fit in—despite everything you’ve put her through."
Amelia scoffed, her face twisting in disbelief. "Oh, please. I don’t buy this whole memory loss story for a second. Convenient, isn’t it? She can’t remember anything but shows up with some grand plan to mess around with those plants? The same plants that killed Mom?"
Kai’s voice lowered to a near-growl. "Don’t. You. Dare. Bring Mom into this." He felt his grip tighten around his gun, fingers digging into the cold metal. "Why would the Vanguard make an Aurian a spy? They wouldn’t waste someone like her on something like that."
Amelia rolled her eyes, her voice rising slightly. "Maybe she’s just hiding something from us. Maybe she’s dangerous, and you’re too blind to see it."
Kai stopped walking, turning toward her. "If you keep this up—if you keep pushing her to leave, making her think I don’t care—I swear, I won’t be talking to you anymore."
She faltered, blinking at him in shock. "Kai… I’m your sister."
"I don’t care, Amelia." His voice softened, but his gaze remained unyielding. "I’ve let you manipulate my life for years. I didn’t stand up to you because it was easier than dealing with your tantrums. But Zara… I’m not letting you ruin this. You’re jealous, fine. But I’m done letting you control everything. I want something for myself, and I want her."
Silence stretched between them, Amelia’s face hardened with anger and hurt. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she opened her mouth, but she closed it again, glancing away, defeated. Kai took a breath, steadying himself, and turned his attention back to the task at hand.
The high school loomed over them, its stone exterior peeling, vines snaking through cracks, claiming the walls like scars. Glass crunched beneath their feet as they crept through the entrance, scanning the wide, empty hallways. Old lockers stood against the walls, some torn open, others still closed, untouched since the world changed.
The air was thick with the damp, musty smell of rot, and every creak or scuttle had both of them turning, eyes sharp, weapons at the ready. Kai’s heart hammered as they moved cautiously from one room to the next, the silence of the school unnatural, almost suffocating.
Room by room, they checked for any sign of creatures. Every empty classroom they entered seemed to echo with their breaths, each step carefully placed to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention.
Amelia finally whispered, “What exactly are we looking for, Kai?”
“Lab equipment. Zara needs it for her research.” He kept his voice low, hoping to avoid another argument.
“Of course it’s for her.” Amelia’s voice dripped with sarcasm, her expression sour. “Why are you doing all this for someone you barely know?”
He paused, his jaw clenching as he glanced back at her. “Because if we can figure out how those plants work—how to kill them—no one else has to go through what we did. No one else has to…” His voice faltered as memories stirred, painfully vivid.
He could still see their mother, standing in that cursed field, surrounded by those deadly, violet flowers. They’d seemed so beautiful at first, petals shimmering like jewels against the dark soil. The first clue should have been the unnatural silence of the field, the way animals avoided it, but they’d ignored the signs.
He remembered watching, helpless, as the vines coiled around her ankles, then her legs, thorned tendrils digging into her skin. Her blood ran down the vines, disappearing into the ground as if the earth itself was feeding. And then she was dragged, inch by agonizing inch, into the soil. She’d fought to stay standing, her voice strained as she ordered them not to come closer.
“Stay back!” she’d screamed, eyes wide with terror. “I won’t let you—please, don’t let it get you too.”
Kai had held Amelia tightly as she struggled against him, desperate to run to their mother’s side. But he’d kept her back, tears streaming down his face as their mother’s voice faded, swallowed by the earth, her last words a whispered, “I love you.”
Kai blinked, wrenching himself back to the present, pushing down the ache in his chest. “Amelia, if we can learn more about those plants, we can stop them from killing anyone else.”
Amelia scoffed, bitterness lining her voice. “You really think Zara is the one who’ll figure it out? You’re putting all your trust in someone who doesn’t belong here, Kai. Who knows what she’s hiding?”
He didn’t answer, instead turning his focus back to the hallway. The silence around them felt heavier now, charged with memories he couldn’t shake. They continued to check each room, opening doors with careful precision, guns raised and ready for any threat.
The hallway finally led them to the science wing. Their steps echoed in the dead silence as they stopped in front of a classroom labeled "Biology Lab." Amelia nudged him with her elbow, nodding toward the door. “Hopefully we find what she needs in here. This place gives me the creeps.”
Kai nodded, peering through the small window on the door. The room looked deserted, the dusty counters and cabinets untouched. He cracked the door open, sniffing cautiously for any trace of the sickly-sweet smell that signaled the presence of the creatures. When he smelled nothing, he motioned for Amelia to follow him inside.
They moved quickly, checking each cabinet and drawer, searching for the tools Zara needed. They found beakers, test tubes, and sample containers, and Amelia located gloves, masks, and protective eyewear. But Kai’s eyes kept returning to the back of the room, where a storage closet waited. He knew what he was really looking for—a microscope, something Zara could use to truly examine the samples.
As he approached the closet, his stomach tightened. His nose twitched as he picked up a faint scent—a too-sweet, almost cloying smell that made his throat constrict. It was unmistakable.
There were creatures inside.
Kai froze, his fingers hovering over the door handle, every instinct telling him to turn back. But he knew Zara needed this—if he could just clear them out quickly, he might be able to grab what he needed. His hand tightened around his weapon, calculating the risk.
Suddenly, Amelia’s hand clamped down on his arm, her eyes wide with warning. She shook her head vehemently, pulling him back. He glanced at her, and in her silent, fierce gaze, he saw a glimmer of fear—fear for him, for them both. Her grip tightened, a clear message: Don’t you dare.
Reluctantly, he allowed her to lead him back toward the door. As they slipped into the hallway, Amelia’s anger flared, her voice a harsh whisper. “Are you insane? If you get yourself killed over that girl, I swear I’ll drag you back from the dead just to kill you again.”
Kai’s heart raced, guilt flooding his mind as he followed her out of the school. They moved quietly down the hallway, tension radiating between them. Kai knew he’d only made things worse, stirring up more resentment between him and Amelia. He barely registered the sights around him, each step weighed down by Amelia’s icy silence.
They reached the entrance, and the dim daylight filtering through the shattered windows did little to lift the oppressive atmosphere. Amelia’s face was a mask of frustration, her lips pressed tight, her eyes stormy as they made their way back to the bus where the other compounders waited.
The walk back was silent, both of them locked in their own thoughts, each step heavy with unresolved tension. Kai couldn’t shake the weight of his decision, the mix of regret and dread that settled deep in his chest. He wanted to believe that bringing back the supplies, showing Zara he was willing to risk so much, would be worth it.
But as he glanced at Amelia’s set jaw, her fists clenched at her sides, he couldn’t ignore the cold realization that he had only fueled her hatred for Zara—and that the quiet understanding between them as siblings had been fractured beyond repair.