New era? [iii]
New era? [iii]
They didn't want us to leave.
Scarlett stood quietly as the voices rose.
"You'll die out there," one man spat, stepping forward. Greying hair, fraying nerves. "This is suicide. You think you're better than the rest of us?"
"She doesn't even talk," someone else chimed in, sneering at Scarlett. "Acts like she's too good. Holding that damn knife like it makes her special."
Scarlett didn't flinch.
"She's just scared," another woman muttered, louder than needed. "All of you are. Playing soldiers. Hiding fear behind weapons."
Luke's hand clenched. Jane's jaw set.
Grey's eyes locked on the man as he stepped closer to Scarlett. Too close.
6 years ago <<
Eva stood in the hallway, arms crossed as two girls jeered.
"Always writing. Always whispering to yourself. You freak."
She didn't reply. Didn't blink.
Until Grey stepped up. Calm. Silent.
They backed off.
Present <<
Grey moved.
Not from rage. From memory. From principle.
He took Scarlett's knife from her belt without a word.
The man didn't even realize until the blade was in his eye.
Silence. Then chaos.
One of his friends lunged—Jane kicked him back. Another grabbed Luke—he slammed the man's head against the copier.
Scarlett didn't need her knife.
She used a broken chair leg.
In under a minute, three bodies hit the ground. One didn't get up.
Blood pooled fast.
Breaths came faster. Tension soaked the air.
No one else stepped forward.
"Anyone else got something to say?" Luke asked, voice low.
No one did.
They dragged the bodies aside. Taped over the broken glass.
"We're not here to play guardian," Jane said. "Just survive."
They divided shifts. Luke first. Then Grey. Then Jane. Scarlett and the boy—Jonah—would rest.
Grey sat by the window. Watched as the hallway flickered with shadows.
Read their expressions.
Panic. Anger. Confusion. Too many people already on the edge. Too many hoping silence meant safety.
But fear? Fear made you slow. Made you stupid.
Fear got you killed.
Grey kept watch. As the night grew quiet. And colder.