The Morning After
The first rays of dawn spilled over the ruined landscape, bathing it in a golden light that burned away the lingering shadows. The oppressive air that had clung to the group all night began to lift, but it did little to ease the tension inside the halted trucks.
The convoy had stopped at the edge of a clearing, where the sunlight was strongest, keeping the shadows at bay. The vehicles were battered, their occupants bloodied and shaken. The silence between them was broken only by the occasional groan of someone tending to their wounds, but the weight of their decision—the life they had left behind—hung heavy in the air.
Caleb was the first to snap. He stood by his truck, his hands clenched into fists as he glared at Margot and Jack.
"How could you?" he demanded, his voice shaking with anger. "How could you leave her out there like that? Lara—of all people!"
Margot straightened from where she had been cleaning a gash on her arm, her face hardening. "We didn't have a choice, Caleb," she said sharply. "If we'd stayed, we all would've died."
"Don't give me that crap!" Caleb exploded, his voice rising. "You could've carried her! Dragged her! Something! But no—you left her there to die!"
Jack, leaning against the side of the truck, frowned. "She was already unconscious. We couldn't save her, Caleb. You think it was easy for us to make that call?"
"It doesn't matter how easy it was," Caleb shot back, his eyes brimming with tears. "You abandoned her! She would've never done that to any of us."
Lyn, sitting on a rock nearby, buried her face in her hands as sobs wracked her small frame. Her voice, muffled by her hands, broke through the heated exchange. "She listened to me. She was the first one who ever really listened."
Caleb turned to her, his expression softening slightly. "Lyn…"
Lyn's tear-streaked face rose, her eyes red and swollen. "Do you know what it's like to be ignored? To be treated like you don't matter? Lara was different. She didn't just hear me—she believed me."
Her voice broke, and she began to recount her memories, her words tumbling out between sobs.
"I remember when I told her about the prophecy… the safe towns… the Dunewalk. Everyone else thought I was crazy, but not her. She looked at me, really looked at me, and said, 'You're brave for speaking the truth.'"
Lyn hugged her knees, her voice trembling. "She gave me hope. And now she's gone, and it's because of you!" She glared at Margot, her sorrow turning to anger.
Margot stepped closer, her jaw tightening. "Watch your mouth, kid. You think I wanted this? You think I don't feel anything about what happened?"
"You didn't care enough to try!" Lyn shouted, standing abruptly. "You were too busy saving yourself!"
Margot took a threatening step forward, her voice cold. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Enough!" Caleb yelled, stepping between them. "This isn't about you, Margot. This is about Lara, and the fact that you let her die!"
"Caleb, stop," Jack said, his voice weary. "This isn't helping."
"No, Jack," Caleb snapped, rounding on him. "You're just as guilty as she is. You all are. And don't you dare try to justify it."
The escalating argument was interrupted by Roman, who had staggered out of the truck, his bandaged form barely upright. His face was pale, but his voice was sharp as a knife.
"You left her?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing on Margot. "You left someone in the shadows?"
Margot's shoulders squared as she met his glare. "It was a split-second decision—"
"You're a coward," Roman spat, cutting her off. He pointed a trembling finger at her. "You don't leave people behind. Not here. Not in this place. You think you've seen the worst? You haven't. You've just ensured it."
"What are you talking about?" Margot snapped, her temper fraying.
Roman's voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "The City remembers. The shadows remember. And when you abandon someone like that, you doom them to a fate worse than death."
The group fell silent, Roman's words sinking in like a stone in water.
Lyn, still sniffling, suddenly froze. Her tear-streaked face turned toward the road, her eyes widening. "Someone's coming."
The others followed her gaze. In the distance, a tall figure was approaching, their movements slow and labored. The sunlight glinted off the bloodstained fabric of their clothes, and with each step, they seemed on the verge of collapse.
Roman squinted, his brows furrowing. "How… how is that possible?"
Jack muttered under his breath, "No way."
"It's Elias," Lyn whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.
Elias staggered into view, his once-pristine shirt torn and soaked with blood. His gray eyes, dulled by exhaustion, scanned the group as he limped closer.
Margot instinctively took a step back, her hand going to her weapon. "How the hell did he survive that?"
Roman studied him intently, his expression unreadable. "That's no ordinary man," he murmured.
When Elias finally reached the group, he stopped, his chest heaving with labored breaths. His eyes swept over each of them before his voice, hoarse but commanding, broke the silence.
"Where's Lara?"
The group froze, the weight of his question hanging heavy in the air. Lyn looked away, tears streaming down her face. Caleb clenched his fists, unable to meet Elias's gaze.
Finally, Margot stepped forward, her voice cold and even. "She's dead."
Elias's expression didn't change. He stood perfectly still, as though he hadn't heard her.
"I didn't see her body," he said quietly. "Stop playing games. Where is she?"
"She's gone, Elias," Lyn said softly, her voice breaking. "The shadows… they got her."
Elias stumbled back as if struck, his bloodied hand going to his chest. He fell to his knees, his body trembling.
"No," he whispered, his voice raw. "No, she can't be…"
Lyn knelt beside him, her small hands gripping his arm. "I'm sorry," she said through her tears. "We tried to save her, but there were too many of them. We couldn't… we couldn't stop them."
Elias let out a guttural cry, his grief spilling out in waves. He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed.
Suddenly, Elias rose, his face a mask of fury as he turned to Margot. Before anyone could react, he slapped her across the face, the sound echoing in the clearing.
"How could you leave her?" he shouted, his voice thick with rage. "How could you leave her to die?"
Margot's head snapped to the side, but she didn't back down. She lunged at Elias, shoving him hard. "Don't you dare blame me for this! You told us to leave if you didn't come back!"
"You could've waited!" Elias roared. "You could've fought for her!"
"And gotten everyone else killed?" Margot shot back, her voice rising. "Do you think Lara would've wanted that?"
The two continued to shout, their voices filled with anger, guilt, and pain. The rest of the group watched in stunned silence, unsure of how to intervene.
Finally, Elias sank to his knees again, his energy spent. Tears streamed down his face as he whispered, "She's gone. She's gone, and it's my fault."
Lyn knelt beside him once more, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as he wept. "We'll find her," she murmured, though her voice trembled with uncertainty. "We'll find her, Elias."
But as the morning sun continued to rise, bathing the clearing in golden light, the weight of Lara's absence was inescapable.