Leila had seen this betrayal coming long before Jace and Ellie even thought to make their move. The signs had been there—the stolen glances, the hushed whispers, the way they always seemed a step too prepared, as if they were making plans she wasn't privy to. She had spent too many lifetimes trusting the wrong people, but this time? This time, she was ready.
She had led them to the gas station on purpose. It was an old, crumbling ruin on the outskirts of town, a place she had scouted weeks before when she first began preparing for the inevitable collapse. The underground storage room had been reinforced, the back exits rigged with fail-safes, and more importantly, the supplies weren't real—they were decoys. Just enough to make Jace and Ellie believe they were getting away with something valuable. But when they took the bait, they would realize too late that they had walked into a trap of her own making.
The air inside the station was thick with dust and the lingering scent of old gasoline. Flickering light from a dying overhead bulb cast erratic shadows, making the space feel even more claustrophobic. The confrontation came the moment they attempted to leave. Jace had the stolen backpack slung over his shoulder, Ellie's fingers curled around the grip of a pistol she had taken from Leila's cache. But they didn't make it past the door before the heavy steel shutters slammed down over the entrance and exit, trapping them inside.
Leila stepped from the shadows, her expression unreadable, her voice calm. "Going somewhere?"
Jace's face twisted in an instant, shifting from guilt to frustration. "Leila, listen—"
"I told you," she cut him off, her voice steady but laced with ice. "I told you I knew what you were. You really thought I wouldn't see this coming?"
Ellie scoffed, shifting her weight as if calculating how quickly she could raise the gun. "You're paranoid."
"No," Leila said, tilting her head slightly. "I'm prepared."
She pressed a button on the detonator in her hand, and outside, the sound of a controlled explosion shook the ground. The vehicles they had parked just beyond the station? Disabled. Their planned escape route? Gone. Smoke curled up into the night sky, illuminated by the flickering flames of burning tires.
Jace's jaw clenched, his eyes darting to Ellie, then back to Leila. "You don't have to do this."
"You're right," Leila said. "But I want to."
She took a slow step forward, the dim overhead light casting harsh shadows across her face. "You stole from me. You lied to me. Again." Her voice wavered just slightly, a crack of something raw slipping through the mask of composure. "You left me to die once. Did you really think I would give you the chance to do it again?"
Jace swallowed, his fingers twitching at his side. "It's not like that. We were just—"
"Just what?" Leila's voice sharpened, her patience thinning. "Looking out for yourselves? Taking what you needed and leaving the rest of us behind?" She let out a cold, bitter laugh. "That's what you do, isn't it? Use people until they're no longer convenient and then toss them aside."
Ellie gritted her teeth. "It's survival, Leila."
Leila's gaze hardened. "Not this time."
The sound of footsteps outside signaled another presence before Kai emerged from the darkness, his gun drawn but held at ease. His sharp, calculating gaze swept over the scene, and then he turned to Leila, arching a brow. "Told you they'd make a move."
Leila smirked, though there was no real amusement in it. "You were right."
Jace stiffened. "You were working with him?"
Kai chuckled, the sound low and dangerous. "Leila and I understand each other. Unlike you two."
Ellie's grip on the pistol tightened, but before she could even think about using it, Kai had already moved. In the blink of an eye, he was beside her, twisting the gun from her grasp and pressing her up against the wall with one hand. "Not a good idea," he murmured, his voice like steel wrapped in velvet.
Leila crossed her arms, watching as Ellie struggled before finally going still. Then, she turned her gaze back to Jace. "Here's how this is going to work," she said, her voice cold and authoritative. "You're going to walk out of here with nothing. No weapons, no supplies, no backup plan. If I ever see either of you again, I won't be so merciful."
Jace hesitated, but he saw the resolve in her eyes—the unwavering promise of vengeance. Slowly, he nodded, stepping away from the stolen supplies and toward the back entrance that Leila finally unlocked.
Kai released Ellie, stepping back just enough to let her move. She shot Leila a glare filled with venom, but there was also something else—something almost like regret. But it didn't matter. They had made their choice, and so had Leila.
As Jace and Ellie disappeared into the darkness, Leila let out a slow breath, her fingers uncurling from the tension she hadn't even realized she was holding.
Kai stepped closer, his presence warm despite the cold edge he always carried. "You alright?"
Leila turned her gaze up to meet his, searching for mockery, for amusement. She found none. Only quiet understanding. The space between them seemed to shrink, the fire outside crackling like a distant heartbeat. Her breath caught in her chest, the weight of the moment pressing down on her.
"I will be," she admitted softly, and for the first time in a long time, she almost believed it.
Kai studied her for a moment, his eyes dark and unreadable. He stepped closer still, his breath mingling with hers as he reached out. His fingers grazed the side of her cheek, brushing away a lock of hair that had fallen into her face. His touch was gentle but left a trail of warmth in its wake.
"You know," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper in the heavy silence, "you're not as alone as you think."
Leila's heart stuttered in her chest. She had spent so long building walls around herself, convincing herself she needed no one, that this—him—was too much. Too dangerous. Too close. Yet, in the same breath, something inside her fluttered. Something that hadn't dared to stir in years.
Without thinking, she leaned into his touch, her breath shaky as her eyes flickered from his hand to his gaze, searching for something she couldn't quite define. His eyes softened, but there was still that edge to him, that quiet intensity she had come to recognize. He didn't pull away. Instead, he tilted her chin up, his thumb tracing her jawline.
"I've got your back, Leila. Always have," he said, his voice low, almost a vow.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to narrow to just the two of them, the outside chaos fading into the background. There was no fight, no survival, no betrayal. Just the warmth of his hand on her skin and the sudden, undeniable pull between them.
Her lips parted, and before she could stop herself, she stepped closer, just an inch, just enough to close the distance between them. The air between them seemed to crackle with something unspoken, something that neither of them had dared to address until now.
Kai's breath hitched, and his eyes flickered between hers, searching, waiting. The tension coiled tighter, the silence thick and almost unbearable.
And then, with a slow, deliberate movement, he leaned down, his lips brushing against hers in a kiss that was tentative at first, like a question.
Leila's breath caught in her throat, but she didn't pull away. She kissed him back, slowly, with the careful understanding of two people who had both been broken by the world. But in that moment, there was no brokenness. There was only them, standing in the middle of a crumbling world, finding something real, something they could hold onto.
When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested together, both breathing heavily, as if the kiss had stolen all the air from the room.
"I'm not going anywhere," Kai whispered, his voice thick with something more than promise.
Leila's eyes fluttered closed, her heart still racing. "I hope not," she breathed, her hand finding his and holding it as if it was the only thing keeping her anchored.
Outside, the fire crackled, and in the distance, the world continued to fall apart. But for now, in this moment, they weren't alone.