Maya woke up to a huge rumbling sound that was all too familiar to her.

Bombs! she cried out in her head as she jolted out of bed and peeked out the window. A huge patch of fields in the main part of the village was drowning in liquid fire, and so were the trees. The colors were fierce and angry, and they began to climb up the huge trunks, threatening to douse the whole village in a dome of fire. Maya watched in motionless horror until Rei grabbed her arm.

“Let us go downstairs!” Rei said. Her face contorted with both adrenaline and sleepiness.

The two of them left the room and fled down the corridor until they bumped into Zachary as he hurried out of his room. His golden hair was a mess and the sleeves of his black shirt was pulled up. Thick bandages wrapped his arm. “Where’s Folke?” he asked, eyes wild.

Maya did not need to answer. The three of them ran down the staircases with rapid footsteps. Down at the living room was Folke donning a big satchel over his shoulders. Two swords hung on his belt as well. “We need to leave!” he said as soon as he saw the three of them. “To the back door!”

They all went through the back of the manor, but not without hearing another blow from a bomb. It carved fear into Maya, and images of both Greencall and Oxford Bay started to flash in her eyes. Her ears became blocked to the screams of the people.

She exited the manor last and saw three horses hoofing uneasily under a makeshift stable.

“It’s okay,” Folke said to the horses soothingly as he opened the gate for them. “We’re leaving, dearies.”

“Who never rode a horse before?” asked Zachary.

Maya knew that riding behind another person did not count as horseback riding. “Me…” she said.

He frowned. “Yeah, of course. You’re riding with me on the biggest one.”

Another explosion. Everyone hastened their paces, and once all of them were mounted, they rode in full gallop out of the compound of the manor. Folke led the way with Rei guarding at the very back.

With each passing second, they came nearer and nearer to the exit of the domed village, and once they were there, they didn’t stop. Maya could see the oranges and reds reflected in the ground, trees, and shadows, and it saddened her that the Mossmore’s wonder of nature might not survive the attack.

“What about the village?” asked Maya. “The villagers? We have to evacuate them!”

“She’s right,” Zachary agreed as he slapped the horse’s reins. “Folke!” Folke did not reply, but Maya knew the answer, although it wasn’t an answer she wanted.

The world isn’t just black and white, my ass! she thought. “Zachary, turn the horse around.”

“What? But Folke didn’t say—”

“I don’t care! Turn it around, or I’m diving in there!”

Zachary bit his lips, his eyebrows furrowed. “Ah, dammit! Let’s go!”

It was only then that Folke stopped his horse and turned to look at the two of them. His face was a contortion of anger, intensified by all the red light flashing around. “Maya, Zachary. Don’t you dare!” His shouts echoed with terrible conviction.

Rei caught up to the fight, her face sweaty, though she looked calmer than most of everyone. “Zachary, Maya,” she said. “I understand that you want to help, but you have to take care of yourselves first. There are people waiting for both of you.”

“Those people need us!” argued Maya.

Conflict dawned on Zachary’s face, but he didn’t say anything. To Maya though, it was more than enough of an expression. She knew Zachary was changing his mind.

Maya raised her hands at him. “Zachary! You were just with me a second ago!”

“I… I know… But, I can’t risk anything right now.”

“Hold that thought,” said Rei. She looked past all three of them towards something ahead of Folke. She donned a perplexed face. “Mister Folke, who are they?”

All finding time amidst the chaos, the three of them looked to see where Rei was staring at. Maya sat frozen when she saw the familiar look of the black and red Military uniform.

The soldier stood in the middle of the dirt road, blocking their path.

No one moved then. Even the soldier looked as shocked as they were, despite his guns already brandished in his hands. Zachary was rock solid as he glowered at the unknown man, as though he forgot about his argument just a second ago.

“I’m afraid I can’t let any of you pass,” the soldier finally said. Maya was not sure what color his hair was because of the red lights, but she was sure his eyes were cold blue.

He turned his head to eye all of them one by one, but then his sinister stance turned slack when he looked at Maya’s direction.

She gulped, thinking he was looking at her.

In reality, the man was actually staring right at Zachary. “Oh,” he said, eyelids lowering. “It is you.”

Maya could only see a part of Zachary’s face since she was behind him, but that part was not pleasant to see. His teeth bared at the soldier and he gripped the reins too harshly. “Did you do this?” he asked, voice lower and quieter than usual.

“I did,” the soldier replied. “Because of you. What a mess you’ve made.”

Right when Zachary was about to lash out, Folke blocked the view with his horse. “Zachary,” he said. “Turn around. Now.” His voice was firm, and his hand hovered above the hilt of one of the swords on his belt.

“No,” said Zachary.

The soldier stepped closer into view. “That’s right. Don’t turn back. I need you as a prisoner.”

“Zachary, go back. You will follow my orders.” Folke did not budge.

But neither did Zachary. “No,” he said again.

The soldier drew his own sword. “Let’s end this, then.”

Maya became overwhelmed with fear that she started to breathe too quickly, and it certainly did not help that her metal box started to feel hot in her pocket. The fire was getting closer.

Her mind swarmed with thoughts about what to do, and out of all of them, she chose to shake Zachary’s shoulders. “Zachary, I think we should listen to Mister Folke.” She tried to meet his eyes, but they were too deep in the realm of anger.

Even Rei looked threatened. “Mister Folke, give me my sword.”

With one swift movement, Folke took one long sword out of his belt and threw it in the air.

Rei jumped out of her horse to catch it, and within a second, the tip of her thin sword faced one of the soldiers.

Apparently, that was Folke’s cue to turn his horse around and gallop away, and Maya’s signal to take over the reins to do the same.

“Hey!” screamed Zachary, angrily, but Maya was too fast for him. Their horse was on the run away from the fight.

They galloped away at full speed, so much that they passed the already burning manor on their way back. No one had time to stop by for it, though. Not even Folke who was the fastest of them all. Though his back was towards them, Maya could still see the agony in his form.

Soon enough, they arrived at the village center. The leafy dome was falling down on everyone, making it rain soot and burning wood. Maya felt like she was inside an oven as the fire spread all over everyone and everything. It spread so fast that no one had time to even react.

All buildings were collapsed to the ground, and underneath them were charred bodies that did not look like they would move again. Others were under the rubble, screaming in agony, and those who weren’t fully burned to death were wailing on their knees at their wounds.

Coldness spread despite all the fire. Maya did not need to rub her arms to discover that she was having goosebumps, and neither did she have the time to do it. She still led the reins although she wanted to vomit on the spot, her stomach gurgling from the anxiety.

Zachary, meanwhile, did not move at all. Maya did not know if it was from the past soldier or the current sights, but either way, she knew they felt the same way.

“Don’t slow down!” shouted Folke from up ahead.

Maya wanted to tear at her hair. Rei and Folke were right—they can’t save anyone anymore. This small beautiful village was beyond saving, but Maya could at least still save herself and her companions. Rei was back there fighting with her life, and she didn’t want her to come back to find that the three of them had also burned alive.

She needed to leave, and at once.

“Agh!” she screamed, slapping the reins one final time before Zachary snapped out of his thoughts. He took the reins from her.

“Never do that again,” he said.

“We can’t stay, Zachary,” Maya said, her eyes heavy with tears. It took up most of her will and energy to stop them from crying.

“I know.”

In a few minutes, their backs faced the village once more. They slowed down then, and the thought of leaving the people behind was much more painful this time. Maya could feel the guilt gnawing at her, and the fear of letting those people die drove her to tears.

“It’s not your fault, Maya dear,” said Folke.

“He’s right,” agreed Zachary, although his voiced thickened. “It’s mine. Sorry about this… You won’t be mixed up again.”

Maya didn’t want to hear that. She didn’t want to not be mixed up again. After all this, she’d never want to be ignorant to the war again, because once again, the Military has proven themselves as something horrible and terrifying.

The hesitation she’d been feeling the entire time was breaking. The contradictions in her head started to make sense. She knew what she wanted, and it was a stronger presence than ever this time.

She was going to join the Resistance as a true member, and not as debt collector.

She’d do it. With or without the reason of Mister Castel. She’ll come for him, of course, but at the same time, she was coming for the death of the Military.

Maya drew a breath in. “No.” The two men looked at her. “I’m taking blame. I’m a rebel, too.”

*

Mossmore village burned in the distance. Green and yellow swirled around each other.

Souls flew past Maya, tumbling her onto the obsidian ground. Oddly, she felt no pain despite the ground being molten and red. She blinked, and the very next second, she stood right in the middle of the disaster.

The burning structures loomed over her head as they grew taller and reached for the tree-covered sky. Maya was getting smaller, though the ground she was standing on was also sinking deeper and deeper. Her ankles felt like lead, and when she looked, a burning corpse gripped it with sunken eyes and melted skin. Charred bodies piled up around her to challenge the rising structures until both had broken the red sky.

Maya blinked again, and a corpse blocked her view—the very same one she saw in Mossmore. It screamed with a shrill voice, its burnt flesh and face forever plastering itself into Maya’s memory. It screamed once again, this time for help.

“Why aren’t you helping me?” it shrieked.