31

Alayna

Monday 4th June, Year 825

I spent most of my time at Ben's little base and had my own set of keys. I slowly eased myself into it by meeting everyone, there were about twelve members in total including me and I was challenged to learn everything they already knew as fast as I could. The hardest thing was learning how to defend myself; I couldn't grasp it and always ended up getting floored by Paul. I was sick of my entire body aching from my daily beatings so instead I spent most of my time in the little research room.

I read about familiars and had Yalma's spell books—her extrinsic magic—basically memorised from page to page. Not like I could use any of them… they were written in a language I could not read, yet little notes had been made in them explaining what they did. Some caused the illusion of pain which apparently caused the caster headaches; some created fire which cost another element around the caster; others amplified senses at the cost of dulling another sense. I had never once seen Yalma use any of the spells. Yalma never seemed to use intrinsic or extrinsic magic... only potions. But because she never really used magic, I still had no idea what she was capable of. While most of her books were written in a language I could not understand, a few were written in Vakosian and the others were witchy history books. The most interesting book I had come across was not Yalma's. It was a giant book, almost like a group encyclopaedia, on Umbrith. It had all the information that everyone had collected over the years. I had learnt a lot from it. I opened the old, ragged book and on the first page, it had 'Umbrith' hand-written on it in large letters. I read the brief notes that followed but the book was as thick as a dictionary and I decided not to waste several months of my life reading it fully. The first passage read:

Umbrith Fact and Fiction

True

- They kill to feed, not for fun. If they catch someone they will kill them quickly and do not often leave remains unless disturbed.

- They make a strange hissing or scratching noise as they approach. It is better to try and ignore it; it is a tactic used by the Umbrith to confuse humans. This is due to the fact the noise sounds like it is coming from far away when in fact the creature is close. The closer the creature is the quieter the sound.

- Although no human can translate their language it is thought they can communicate with each other.

- Human spit acts like an acid if the Umbrith comes into contact with it.

- Shapeshifters: It has been known (but not in all cases) that once an Umbrith has killed its victim it can then take their form.

- Characteristic of their human form: They all look like Tom. (What, goregous?)

* It is believed they have difficulty mastering human languages when transformed so they do not talk often. It stops them from tripping themselves up. By day these shapeshifters appear normal but after the sundown, they will kill anything they can find to feed.

* They will most likely work in a field that involves blood. E.G. Doctor, Butcher, Etc.

(Alex owns a butchers) No I don’t you ass! Nobody trust Doctor Connor. Renee definitely owns a butchers.

* When Umbrith are in human form they seem to have more common sense and intelligence. We are unsure why this is but the theory is that they can feed off the intelligence of the victim they have taken over.

* They are awake at night to take their Umbrith form and awake during the day to take their human form. Potentially look out for people who sleep at irregular times or those who have bloodshot/dark circles under their eyes.

I mean, you’ve just described all of us lot. Definitely Ben

False

- Umbrith do not prefer children or pregnant women, they will eat all humans regardless of age or gender.

- Garlic and ancient religious artefacts will do absolutely nothing to repel the Umbrith. To think this is to be a complete dick. You’re not in a film.

Unconfirmed - Take it with a pinch of salt but also, it might be true.

- Umbrith can come out during the day.(Confirmed)

- Umbrith can speak limited amounts of common tongue even when not in human form.

Aaron definitely speaks Umbrith after a skinful

- Familiars cannot use magic on Umbrith. (Familiars can use certain magic on Umbrith. It is believed that, while psychic abilities don’t do anything, physical ones do).

- Asuwuang will not attack Lambentians.

- Umbrith can only take on the human form of familiars, though because most familiars aren't out and about with their magic, it's hard to draw a firm conclusion.

How to kill Umbrith

- You kill Umbrith with great difficulty. There are potions made up by familiars that can cause some serious damage (the most effective seems to be Lenad) but unless the Umbrith drinks it or bathes in it the creature probably won’t die.

Who is volunteering to give an Umbrith a bath?

- Serious trauma is enough to destroy an Umbrith but this means nothing short of cutting off its head.

- The most effective way found so far to kill the Umbrith is saliva-soaked bullets. Another alternative is to dip the bullets in Lenad but it is not always readily available. Weak spots are the heart and head.

N.B. Stop being assholes! I will scribble out all your shit.

I laughed at the page as I noted the group's playful rivalry, then flicked through the rest of the book. On the pages that followed there were thousands of entries of Umbrith sightings naming where they were seen, when they were seen and how many there were. It seemed Cassibare Meadow was a hot spot for them. That made perfect sense because I lived there…

I continued to look through the book with curiosity when a daunting thought came over me: Did Tiv know any of this? He had seen one and never given me any explanation as to how he had survived. Surely that meant they did not hurt Lambentians? I would never know. We were supposed to have more time for that conversation. I remembered how happy I had been that night, despite our almost Umbrith encounter. I had not felt happiness like that since. I smiled inwardly for a second before I realised he was still gone. I couldn't talk to Lucy about it. Or Jo. Ben was sick of me complaining and I didn't really trust anyone else enough to open up to. It was pretty lonely to be honest. I leaned against the wall and suppressed the urge to cry before I heard shouting echoing from the training room. Pulling myself together, I shoved Lucy and Jo in to the depression box and went to investigate the commotion, thankful for the amazing distraction this group had been. Tom emerged from one of the dormitories, clearly still half asleep.

"What the hells is going on?" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Beats me," I replied.

We walked down the cement-grey hallways and poked our heads into the training room.

"That hurts! Pack it in," Michael grunted.

Aaron stood with Charlotte, Ben and Chris, holding Michael in place while Yalma was trying to treat his bloodied arm, which had four deep gouges in it. Tom and me joined Alex and watched Michael in horror while Renée shied away, a look of revulsion covering her features as she hid behind Chris. Judging by the blood smeared down the wall, Michael had come into the training room through a small window at the top of the room which peered out to the sports hall's old car park. I had come to notice there were lots of sneaky entrances and exits to the base. Ben said it was by design in case they needed a quick exit.

"If you kept still we could heal you faster," Charlotte said impatiently. Yalma nodded her agreement.

"Hi Alayna. Hi Tom," Michael moaned.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"This idiot went looking around the Cassibare Meadow alone," Alex fumed.

"I didn't think there would be any there," Michael muttered.

"Why?" I teased.

"See! Alayna is brand new and even she knows you shouldn't have bothered there!" Aaron laughed.

"You were supposed to be doing rounds with me, not going off by yourself!" Alex continued ranting.

"You are lucky to be out of there alive," Ben admonished. "Don't be so damn stupid in future."

"Too much muscle. It's taking all the blood from your brain," Tom mused.

After Yalma had finished putting the stitches in Michael's arm, I watched as she poured a silvery-blue liquid onto his wound. Michael writhed until he was restrained when he then resorted to taking sharp breaths instead. Eventually, Yalma wiped the liquid away. Deep red gouges still marked his arm but there was no sign of blood anymore. I had watched her use the same liquid on my Dad when he was in hospital.

"The reason we do rounds in pairs is so we can look out for each other. What is the point if you fancy taking a walk-off by yourself?" Ben barked.

"I'm sorry mate. I've learnt the hard way never to do it again," Michael gave him a softening smile.

"Damn right," Ben replied, letting him go.

"Leave the stitches in or the wound will just open again, with or without the use of Venenum. In two days time the stitches come out and your arm should just have a bit of scarring," Yalma smiled.

"Ah good, I've heard girls love scars," Michael joked.

He winked at me as he said it and Ben slapped him across the back of the head and caused him to giggle like a toddler. I couldn't help but wink back, earning me a roll of the eyes from my big brother.

Alex was obviously still annoyed because he walked off quickly without laughing, Charlotte on his heels. I wondered if something was going on with them for a moment but my thoughts were interrupted by Tom.

"Never a dull moment here! How are you finding it?" he asked, draping an arm over my shoulder. Ben rolled his eyes again.

"It's mental," I grinned.

Tom face lit up, "Too right. It'll become normal real soon though."

"I already feel right at home."

He gave an endearing smile, "Do you want to grab some breakfast?"

What was it with the men here wanting to feed me?

Despite Tom being drop dead gorgeous, I did not want to date him. I wanted to date Tiv…

"I'm on days with Aaron here today, sorry," I smiled, not feeling sorry at all.

"What do you fancy doing today?" Aaron interrupted.

Tom, looking dejected, left us alone and guilt spiked slightly I shouldn't have been so short with him; Tiv wasn't coming back.

"Just going to read again I suppose," I replied to Aaron.

"You must have read everything in that room about five times over now. You're not staying in there for another day. Come with me, I'll teach you how to shoot," he ordered.

Excitement pulsed through me as I immediately forgot about Tom and followed Aaron. I should have seen what was coming; I barely made it five steps before Ben stopped us.

"You are not learning how to shoot," he growled.

"Why? Are you scared that if I learn how to use a gun I'll finally buck up the courage to maim you when you turn into an overprotective dick?" I mocked.

"Maim him please. He doesn't have enough scars yet," Michael called.

Aaron laughed. Ben did not.

"If you learn how to use a gun it means you will have to use a gun. Guns piss the Umbrith off. You're not making yourself a target and you are not learning how to shoot," he said with finality.

"Yeah I am," I protested stubbornly.

"No, you're not. Ben is the boss and if he doesn't want you to then you aren't going to," Aaron agreed.

My face dropped and Ben walked away smugly.

When Ben was out of ear shot I hissed, "Traitor!"

"Calm down, psycho. He's going to do rounds for Michael. He'll be gone in half an hour. Go back to the research room and I'll come and get you when he's away," he grinned.

Exhilaration pulsed through me at the thought I could learn something useful but with every footstep I took towards the research room, excitement turned to anxiety… Not because I didn't want to learn to shoot—I absolutely wanted that. No, it was because I wanted to do something I'd been putting off all day. I knew I had to act before I chickened out again. When the coast was clear, I pulled the silver mobile from my pocket and dialled a number I had written on my hand. The phone rang twice before someone answered.

"Anthony Hawes' office. How can I help?" the woman answered politely.

My stomach did a backflip.

"Hi… um, is there any chance you can tell me how to contact Tiv Hawes please?" I stammered.

The voice hesitated, "Can I ask who I am speaking to please?"

"Alayna Jameson," I said.

"Please hold," the woman said before elevator music sounded.

Within a few seconds I was connected and the phone rang again.

"Hello, Miss Jameson. Anthony Hawes here. How can I help you?" Tiv's dad said.

I almost swallowed my tongue. How the fuck did I manage to get straight through to him?

"Hi Mr Hawes. How are you?" I asked forcing politeness.

He paused, "I'd rather skip the niceties. I'm fully aware you've caused my boys to almost kill each other on several occasions now."

I felt like a little girl who'd been slapped.

"I want to talk to Tiv," I muttered defiantly.

"He does not wish to speak to you," he replied.

It felt like a blunt object had been forced through my chest, "Oh…"

"Tiv is happy now. He enjoyed his time with you, however, he knew the difference between you both was too pronounced. He said, if you were ever to call, I should ignore it however I felt that insensitive… He does not wish to speak with you again," Anthony explained formally.

No words came to mind leaving me gaping at the phone.

"I thought it was better to tell you now and save you the trouble of calling back," Anthony continued.

"Okay…" I whispered.

"I would appreciate it greatly if you left my boys alone and let them live their lives. Can I count on you not to disturb either of them again?"

"Yeah," I barely made a sound.

"Thank you. Goodbye, Miss Jameson. Give my regards to your mother," Anthony said.

He hung up before I replied.

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I sat behind the door in case someone came in during my mental breakdown. I couldn't cry. I felt like that is what I should have been doing but I just couldn't. I was thick. Course Tiv didn't want me. He was another asshole from Central. Even if he had felt anything for me, I was a novelty in a perfect life he thought was suffocating. He had a better life now. Better than anything he would ever have had with me; I was a scab.

I had tried everything. He was not coming back and I had to get on with my life. The bitter taste on my tongue spread as I cursed the coward who didn't even have the guts to tell me he didn't want me anymore.

As promised, Aaron returned to take me to the armoury and found me sitting on the floor behind the door.

"Everything alright?" he frowned.

"Just thinking about Jo," I lied, knowing he wouldn't press me.

I immediately felt bad for not thinking about Jo and sighed sadly. He offered his hand and pulled me to my feet. He squeezed it and gave me a small smile but, as I expected, he didn't ask for more information.

"Still want to shoot?" he asked.

Not at all. I wanted to go home end cry myself into a puddle. But I plastered a smile on to my face and pushed down the feelings. The wound that had opened in my chest. Tiv. All of it got shoved in that tiny little box in the back of my head as I replied, "I've never wanted anything more."

The armoury had had an upgrade in the last month making it look a lot more threatening. The walls were now lined with metal pointed spears and knives of all different shapes and sizes, there were bows and arrows made from several different materials and shelves of different coloured liquids which I assumed were potions for a number of things. Aaron approached a long filing cabinet and opened one of the drawers. Several guns lay in damaged black foam within the drawers. He then went to another cabinet and took some bullets.

"Come here and I'll talk you through everything", he said.

I approached him and peeked into the draw. There were a number of small guns in it.

"How the hell did Michael steal all this without getting caught?"

"It's taken him two years and he's a better thief than Ben," he smirked. "We have a better idea of how to use them at least, we know what we're looking for and we have figured out how to make bullets for some of the guns, or at least your Dad and Chris have."

"How'd you get the mobiles? Are they stolen?"

"Yeah. That’s all Dan. He nicks them and screws with them so the owners can't track them down," Aaron winked before nodding to the guns. "Okay, these are handguns. They are the easiest things to use for beginners without being an armful."

He held up one of the guns—a sleek-looking thing that seemed to promise revenge. Suddenly, I felt a weight in my chest, hard and icy. But I still took the gun, its heaviness feeling strange and intimidating in my hand.

"Here," Aaron chuckled, noting my trepidation, "is your LCP. No bigger than a finch but bites like a viper."

He popped the magazine out with ease that came from long practice. My fingers fumbled as I tried to imitate the motion. He nudged my fingers gently, nodding to the magazine. I slid it into the gun's belly, feeling an odd sense of accomplishment, contrasting the hollow defeat that had gnawed at me a few minutes ago.

He took my hand and led me into a larger room to the left. It was long and skinny with targets at the far end of it. I smirked when I noticed some of the targets had badly-dawn Umbrith and men in Guard uniforms on them. Aaron then continued to grab some earmuffs and goggles and put them on us. I was happily surprised by the resources Ben and his little gang had collected in two years.

"Okay. Now face forward, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and breathe steadily," he commanded.

It was easier said than done; I was nervous. He took my hand again and asked me to open it up wide. He placed the gun in the 'V' in my hand created by my thumb and index finger and closed my hand around it.

"This is how you hold the gun. To load it use your non-shooting hand and pull back on the slide then release it," he explained.

He stood directly behind me, his arms around me and his hands grasped my hands around the gun. He pulled the slide back with my hand loading the gun. His breath warmed my ear. Shit, he was closer than I realised. The air between us seemed charged. It sent waves of confusion through me. My pulse quickened, not entirely sure if it was because I wanted him or just a way to fill the void Tiv left.

His lips brushed the back of my ear making my entire body stand to attention. I felt my legs tense, trying to stop the pulsing between them.

Okay. You want him. Great…

Slowly, I turned my face to his. His lips touched mine gently, coaxing rather than claiming. It was weird but also kind of nice. But then Tiv's face flooded my mind—kissing him and receiving the beads I still wore around my neck. The feel of fire on my skin when he touched me. But that was months ago and he had moved on. Now he was nothing more than the best chapter in a bad book. I hesitated, caught up in my feelings; confused about losing Tiv and curious about Aaron. And then, as though a dam had broken in me, I found myself returning the kiss with an intensity that surprised us both.

Before we could get lost in the moment, a cough echoed through the room, pulling us back to reality.

"Ah-hem," Michael stood at the doorway with an amused grin.

I yelped, my finger twitching on the trigger with a bang as a bullet pierced one of the paper targets. Aaron spoke a long line of swears under his breath and swiftly took the gun from my hand, removing the magazine with practiced ease.

"Sorry, just putting this back," Michael smirked, holding up his gun.

Me and Aaron were silent, our gazes on everything apart from each other and Michael.

"Ben is going to kill you, mate," he laughed as he left the room.

"Only if he finds out and if he does I won't be the only dead man, Michael," Aaron shouted after him.

Laughter bubbled up inside me despite the awkwardness.

Aaron turned back to me with that infectious grin. "I'm starving. Wanna grab some food?"

A pang of guilt rippled through me as I automatically went to turn him down. But I knew it was unfair to mess Aaron about. Tiv left me and obviously didn't care anymore. He was not coming back and I did not owe him anything.

"Aren't we supposed to stay here?"

"Nah, Michael's here now," he said with an easy shrug. "And I think Tom's still hanging around somewhere."

My insides wriggled uncomfortably at the name. I had shot Tom down half an hour ago because of Tiv and now I was kissing another man and about to agree to a date.

"But trust me, if Ben needs us, we'll know." Aaron tapped his pocket where his phone undoubtedly lay. "The man practically haunts my call logs."

Pausing for a second, I really thought about it—Aaron waited patiently.

"I'd love to then," I said with a smile.

We entered the Grange through the broken fence rather than the main entrance to shorten the journey. When we arrived, you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Whistles flew around the square and I counted nearly twenty members of the Guard prowling within the first few minutes of our arrival. It was a normal Monday afternoon. There were no hangings scheduled, not like that mattered. Regardless, there were certainly too many of them for it just to be a random goods and wares check, or even a hanging. That could only mean they'd come to do harm. To put us in our place as they did every once in a while. Everything had reverted back to exactly how it had been the second Mayrina died. No governor had replaced Anthony, instead Vakoso's president, Hillary Williams, had assumed the responsibility until Harroworth held an election—not like it mattered; scabs didn't get a vote. In the meantime, Williams had changed nothing, not even bothering to leave her fancy mansion in Thruck. We were still fodder whenever the Guard got bored.

Aaron swore, "Can't they give us a break!"

"Maybe we should go. Trouble is definitely brewing," I whispered.

"Are you kidding? All the more reason to stay. Let's start some trouble," he grinned.

"I'd rather go home and play guitar," I whinged.

"What a little skiver he is," Aaron grumbled with a smirk, ignoring my protests.

I followed his gaze to Ben who was standing with Riley, Charlotte and Alex outside Piker's. They were all glaring nastily at the scaffolded area. On it stood two men and a woman in the Guard uniform, armed and scanning the crowd.

"Well if you don't want to start trouble, I can always rely on your brother," Aaron grinned.

I followed reluctantly as he strode over to Ben.

"Why aren't you in the base with Alayna," Ben said as we arrived, not taking his eyes off the scaffolding.

"Why aren't you doing rounds?" Aaron countered.

Ben smirked.

"My sixth sense was tingling, I knew you needed me," Aaron continued.

"How romantic," Ben's smirk widened to a cheesy grin.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"No idea, but they're going to do something. They've just closed the main gates. People aren't getting in or out," Charlotte murmured.

"Go get me some gut-rot and a rag," Ben told her.

Alex blanched, "If you start flinging fire bombs again, I'm out."

"They're going to kill people here unless we create a distraction bigger than whatever they have planned. Fire seems like a good idea," he explained.

"That's not a good idea," I hissed, my insides frozen. "You're going to cause a riot.'

"If you have an alternative, I'm all ears," he replied. "If they start gunning us down, there'll be a riot anyway. At least this way we have the upper hand. Riley, do you think you can floor that guard?"

He nodded to a uniformed man standing on the opposite side of the cobblestone square.

"As long as he’s not a familiar. I’ll need to physically touch him if he is," Riley said.

“Wanna risk it?” Ben asked Aaron.

“Absolutely,” Aaron grinned.

"Want me to do it now?" Riley questioned Ben.

"No. Wait for Aaron to shout."

Charlotte came back with a ready-made fire bomb and Ben hid it behind his back.

"Ben, you can't be serious," I hissed. "You'll kill people."

He shrugged, "Us or them Aly."

Alex immediately put his hood up and got as far away from us as possible. People around Ben noticed what was going on but, instead of keeping their distance, they stood closer, ready to hide him if they needed to.

"Come on," Aaron hissed, pulling me away from my thick brother.

"He's going to get himself killed," I fumed.

"No, he's not. Now move," he insisted.

He dragged me to the opposite end of the Grange, near the guard Ben had singled out. When she saw we were in position, Charlotte lit the alcohol-soaked rag and gave Ben a firm pat on the back.

"Bomb!" Aaron boomed as Ben lobbed his fiery concoction in an arc towards the scaffolding.

Several members of the Day Guard spun to where Aaron had shouted and he pulled me down with him. The crowd sheltered us like a cloak, keeping us hidden from view and scrambled us through the throng. The guard next to us with an unkept uniform, who had noticed a commotion, jerked abruptly, suddenly dropping to the floor and started screaming in agony, grabbing his head. Aaron crouched down beside him, easily taking the gun from his writhing body. I looked at Riley whose lips were moving frantically as he stared at the guard. My insides turned to ice. Tiv was right; familiars were dangerous.

The four of them had planned the entire thing without even talking about it. Aaron was an intentional distraction so Ben did not get caught. I felt sick at the thought that it was not the first time they had done something like this. The Guard were completely unprepared for the glass bottle that came from the opposite direction. A direct hit ignited one of them into a screaming torch. He fell to the floor, convulsing and wiping frantically at his limbs as if to brush the flames away. My whole body went cold despite the fire that lit up the entire platform. The Guards started screaming at each other, trying to find the culprit. I looked to Riley, Ben and Charlotte who were already gone.

"What a shot," Aaron grinned.

I did not find it funny.

The people in the Grange took the distraction as their moment. One woman grabbed a gun from a confused guard and shot him in the head. I gasped as his face exploded with the force of the bullets at close range. The shooter was immediately put down as another stall owner dived for the gun on her corpse. It was pandemonium. Gunfire ricocheted around the square as screaming echoed from every direction. I had witnessed a lot of riots in the Grange before but this was different. Usually, a brave few would try their luck by killing some of the Day Guards. This time the entire place stood against them. And we were winning.

Aaron plunged into the fray without missing a beat, executed a guard with a single headshot and grabbed their weapon. Shock shuddered through me as my adrenaline fuelled legs began trying to rush to Aaron before a crowd surrounded them blocking my view of him. I was stopped in my tracks by a woman's dreadful scream. She'd been shot in the shoulder while trying to wrestle a gun from her attacker and had fallen backward, shielding her young child. My head shot quickly from her to where Aaron had been, heart thundering.

I was not the only person to see the man who had cornered the woman and child between two stalls and a wall but I got there first. I threw myself on the man's back, punching him as hard as I could in the side of the head. He threw himself backwards, landing awkwardly on me and crushing the air from my lungs. We were on the ground for seconds before friendly hands pulled me roughly up. The hands were not friendly to the guard, neither were the feet. Several people stomped violently on him as he curled up in a ball. A young man pulled the gun from his feeble grasp and ran off with it but not before shooting the balled up guard in the back of the head. Gasping, I stumbled back to the woman, still protecting her child and stared at the gaping hole in her shoulder. Shuddering, I removed my hoodie and pressed it tightly to her wound. She screamed in pain, making the child cry harder before placing her hand over mine, applying more pressure to stanch the flow. It didn't help. Blood soaked the hoodie, seeping through our fingers in seconds.

What was Ben thinking?

Suddenly, my head jerked back as someone yanked my ponytail and I let out an ear-shattering shriek that echoed above the surrounding bloodshed. The wind was knocked out of me as I was slammed onto the cobblestones. Just as quickly, I was pulled back onto my feet only to be met with the sight of my assailant sprawled on the ground, choking on his own blood.

"Come on," Charlotte screeched from out of nowhere, holding a bloodied knife in her hands.

She yanked me to my feet and realised my hand was bleeding. Instead, releasing it instantly and grabbing my top, she pulled me through the crowd back towards Piker's Bar. We didn't make it before another guard threw the butt of her gun in Charlotte's face, knocking her roughly to the ground. I launched myself at the guard, trying to get the gun from her grasp. A swift kick to her shins caused the grip on her firearm to slacken just enough for me to pry it from her fingers. With barely any pressure on the trigger, I shot. She fell to the ground with a thud, screaming. My eyes widened at what I'd just done and I froze in place. Within seconds, Charlotte was back at my side, grabbing the gun from my grasp and shooting the woman again, finishing the job I had started. I stared at the woman's brains, now dashed across the muddy floor, the red and brown mixing unnaturally like jam and gravy. Her shirt was creased. It was all I could think about as the rest of my thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind. Charlotte hauled me around the back of the concrete building lining the Grange, opening a metal shutter and pushing me through the goods entrance of her bar. The chaos quieted to a low rumble when the metal shutter slammed behind us. My ears were still ringing from all the commotion, now replaced by the distant sound of a leaky tap. The air was thick with the smell of old beer and cleaning products. It didn't get rid of the stench of blood and sweat that still clung to my clothes.

Alex was already sitting at a table drinking a beer. The front mental shutters of the bar were shut, blocking us from the commotion beyond.

"Your brother is a lunatic," Alex spat through clenched teeth.

"Where the hells is he?" I asked frantically.

"He went looking for you and we all know you're as stupid as he is so don't even bother trying to go back out there. I can't restrain him but I can restrain you," Charlotte snapped. "Give me your hand."

I sidestepped her demand, shouldering past with an exit in mind. But she was quicker, her hand clamping on my shoulder and shoving me up against the wall with enough force to rattle my bones.

"Alayna, Ben will kill me if I let you leave. He's done this a thousand times; he'll be fine. Just sit down and give me your damn hand!"

She had clearly been training with Paul a long time and I had no want to get my ass handed to me. Against my better judgement, I hoisted myself onto a bar stool and presented her my palm. It wasn't particularly deep, but the gash still oozed blood like nobody's business. Charlotte dug out an old first aid kit; she popped open a small silvery-blue vial and completely ignored the deep cut on her temple. With a dropper, she drizzled some of the liquid onto my open wound. It stung worse than a hive of hornets but in less than a minute, all that was left was an irritating prickling sensation that trailed up my arm as she wrapped it with a bar towel soaked in more of the stuff.

"Leave that for a bit. It should heal up quick enough. If it doesn't, we'll stitch it and try again," she said, forcing a beer into my good hand.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Venenum. It's a familiar potion Yalma makes for us. Good for healing up and numbing pain," she explained. It was the same remedy I'd failed to make in Lilou's health class a million years ago.

Gunshots and screams echoed from outside, rising and falling for what seemed like forever. We waited out the storm, cringing with each new wave of noise. My heart pounded like a jackhammer; Ben had to be one of the voices being swallowed by the shrieking. My body trembled as I tried to think of things to make me less anxious and miserable but all I imagined was being soaked to the bone in a muddy field and golden-brown eyes gazing at me.

Determined to be the worst riot we'd ever had, the screaming began to rise again, quickly and fiercely. I looked between Alex and Charlotte who were just as apprehensive. We all jumped at the sound of someone frantically banging on the metal shutter at the back of Piker's.

"Charlotte, open the fucking door!" Ben shrieked, smashing his fist manically against the shutter in panic.

Charlotte bolted for the back door with me hot on her heels as we hauled it up. The sound of faint hissing floated through the air as Riley flew past me. Aaron dived in and Ben fell after him, tripping over a box and taking Aaron's legs out. Both sprawled on the floor, Charlotte lowered the shutter but before it closed entirely, a pair of clawed grey talons shot under the lifting shutter with a horrifying screech as the creature tried to claw its way in. Charlotte spat at the claw as Ben kicked at it violently. The skin where Charlotte's spit met flesh sizzled and fell away and the Umbrith pulled its humanoid talons away, allowing her to slam the shutter. It was damaged but still strong enough to keep them out.

"What? Can't three mighty warriors handle a single Umbrith anymore?" Charlotte quipped sarcastically.

"Turns out the Umbrith were just as interested in the riot. Or the dead bodies anyway. There's about twenty of them out there," Aaron panted. "I think we're sleeping in the bar tonight."

Still lying on the floor, Ben looked up at me, clearly relieved I was there. His coat was torn and bloodied at the shoulder. He was covered in blood actually... But the shoulder wound looked like the only injury he had. I just stared, pushing down fury as he burst out laughing.

"That was mental," he boomed.

I had not seen him laugh like that in years and his reason for it sent an icy shiver down my spine. Temper breaking, I kicked him hard in the ribs as he lay there cackling like a hyena.

"What were you thinking?" I shrieked.

"It's fine," Aaron grinned like an idiot.

"Don't even talk to me," I barked at him.

"Maybe you're not going to fit in with us after all," Charlotte smirked.

I kicked Ben again and he grabbed my foot, still laughing. I shook free of his grasp and went to sit with Alex who was also looking at Ben like he'd lost his mind.

"At least we finally have someone in the group who isn't scared to kick you," Alex snapped.

Charlotte was patching up Ben as I sat at the front of the bar, blocking them from view. I couldn't even look at my brother. The screaming outside wouldn't stop—he did that. I perched on the edge of my seat, the adrenaline wearing off, leaving me feeling hollow. My hands shook as I replayed standing there with the gun, shooting that guard… If it wasn't for Charlotte, I would have probably killed anyone who threatened us. I could still feel how heavy the gun was in my hand. How creased her shirt was.

Alex kept glancing at me but stayed quiet, just drinking beer after beer.

The horrible sounds from outside blended together, reminding me we weren't really safe, even barricaded in here. I hugged my knees to my chest, shaking, but it didn't help. Ben had done this on a whim. There was no way for him to know people would fight back. He had gotten lucky.

Aaron walked over holding a beer, interrupting my spiraling thoughts. "Hey," he said, trying to hand me the bottle. Seeing him pissed me off. I wasn't comforted—I was furious.

"I don't want it," I said through gritted teeth.

He held the bottle out a second longer before setting it on the table. He sat next to me, elbows on his knees, running a hand through his sandy hair.

"You okay?" Aaron asked, his voice cutting through the noise outside.

A snort escaped me before I could stop myself—an ugly, snide sound. "Do I look okay?"

"Charlotte told me what happened." He clenched his jaw. "I shouldn't have left you on your own."

I swear I could still smell the iron tang of blood. I held back the shudder and turned away from him.

"This was the worst first date I've ever had," I snapped, low enough for only him to hear.

He reached out carefully, tipping my chin up with a finger. "I'll do better next time," he said, smiling.

I scoffed a laugh, "Yeah, that's not happening."

His smile faltered as he realised I was turning him down.

"Maybe not," he acknowledged with a nod, his voice quiet. "But let me make one thing clear: you're not on your own." His eyes locked onto mine, their green and golden flecks catching the dim light. A warmth emanated from him, it made me feel warm too. "We've all killed. It doesn't get easier, but Ben's right—it's us or them. We're fighting because our lives are fucked up and things need to change."

Aaron moved closer to me slowly until there was barely any space between us. The screaming and chaos from inside faded into the background for a second and my breath caught in my throat at his closeness.

"I know," I whispered, looking away from his intense gaze to stare at the beaten-up wooden table.

When I couldn't find any other words, Aaron put his hand on top of mine where it rested on my knee, gentle but grounding.

"We're all okay," he reassured me. "And most the screaming out there are Vakosian Guard. Let them deal with the shit we've been putting up with for years."

Without hesitating, Aaron put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me towards him. I didn't resist, letting my body relax against him as the tension drained out of me. For the first time since the chaos erupted, I felt calm.

After a long silence, Aaron tilted my chin up again, leaning in closer. With a feather touch, his lips brushed against mine gently. I somehow melted into it without question. Then he kissed me for real, slow and deep; a burn that tasted of beer. His tongue danced with mine as his hand cupped my jaw while the other pressed against my lower back, pulling me tight against him.

"Wanna play card?" Ben interrupted from behind the bar like it was a normal fucking Monday. I was glad he was still hidden from view. I couldn't be assed with more of his shit today.

Aaron let out a small groan against my mouth before pulling back.

"I'll do better next time," he repeated in a whisper before giving a small wink and turning back to Ben.

I exhaled a rough breath. He was a good kisser. Not the best kiss I'd ever had but my brain was too fried to think about that Central asshole right now. Standing for no other reason than to stretch my aching limbs, I noticed Alex still watching me, a smirk finally playing on his lips. I rolled my eyes and sat as he continued to silently sip his beer. Neither of us spoke.

After hours the hissing had not stopped so, reluctantly, Ben called our parents and told them where we were and that we were probably trapped for the night. I could hear Dad shouting from across the room as Ben held the phone at arm's length. He had been right; my weird, fluctuating moods since Tiv left made my parents worry about me constantly. Because of this, in my brother's infinite wisdom, he refused to tell Mum and Dad I'd joined his little group. They would kill us both when that news got out.

We spent the night in the bar, listening to the screaming outside. Or at least I was listening. Ben, Aaron, Charlotte and Riley played cards, gambling and laughing like people weren't being murdered on the other side of the shutter. My little black box of depression was barely holding itself closed but I couldn't let it open in front of so many people. I tried to focus on their laughter, but my mind couldn't help but wander to the woman and child I had left behind. Were they still alive? Would they have survived if I hadn't shot the guard? And why did I feel nothing? Not even a twinge of guilt or remorse. My emotions were tangled up like a messy knot I had had no control over when the knot would unravel. But it would. I could feel it. I was unravelling.