Prologue

Siren’s reputation has blossomed into fame ever since she arrived at the Haven and became the only known Flame in existence. It seems her life is finally falling into place. As much as it can anyway in a world being eaten alive by the Plague, a disease that turns living and breathing humans into the vicious Undead that live off the flesh of the very humans they once associated with. It’s become nearly impossible to survive in the world, but Siren has found her home in the Haven. Which is named quite literally for its safety and solitude from the Dead lurking on the streets.

 

          In the Haven, Siren is among the Prophets who have welcomed her like family. Her boyfriend, Dimitri is just an added miracle in her newfound life. It appears everything is going wonderfully, and Siren’s life can finally begin. Except that the leader of the Haven and the Prophets has deserted them, leaving everyone vulnerable and unsure how to proceed. What can you do when the one who’s led you for years and taken care of you has suddenly abandoned you, and hope?

 

          Felix has skeletons in the closet that he cannot hide forever, and Siren is quickly catching on to some of the leader’s secrets. If Felix really had everyone’s best interest at heart like he claims, then why does it seem he wants nothing more to do with his apparent failed project? The Prophets were founded and taken care of by him, and they were told as soon as they joined that they were meant to save the world and bring it back to its prime. There are just a few things Felix hasn’t told them yet, and they may never know, until it’s too late.

Chapter One: Progression

 

“I just need more time.” Izzy assured us as he sat on the hood of the old car we practiced on.

 

          I stood with my arms crossed and fighting the innate urge to tap my foot in impatience. We had been standing out here for hours waiting for Izzy to show us an example of his ability, and so far there had been no progress whatsoever. Rach leaned all of her weight on her left foot and ended up stumbling into me. I laughed and said it was okay and she gave me an apologetic smile. She was just as tired as we all were. Since Felix left, we had been getting up at the crack of dawn to practice like we knew he would’ve wanted.

 

 Even though Lilith on my left was blind, she was none too impressed with Izzy’s nonexistent progress as we reported to her, and was already on edge as it was with Felix’s departure. Out of all of us, she was the closest to Felix. She looked up to him and sought him for protection. Without that, she was at a loss. She found some sort of strength and solace in me, and our friendship had gotten very strong in the eight weeks I’d been at the Haven as a member of the Prophets.

 

          This setback with Izzy would leave us all behind schedule. We all knew it, even Izzy himself. This was why we could see the sweat dripping down his face from his effort (no matter how small) and his anxiety at the fact that he couldn’t perform for us.

 

          I was about to speak up and call it a day when Isaac stepped on the scene, angrily stalking over to his brother.

          “Are you serious?” He demanded. By the tone of his voice I could tell he was serious and pissed.

 

Izzy physically cowered at the sight of his furious twin brother, and I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. Eighteen years old, and he was afraid of his own brother. The word pathetic came to mind, but I didn’t say anything. Isaac had this one handled.

 

“Do you know how disappointed-not even that. Disgusted  we all are with you? You’ve wasted everyone’s time here today. Do you really think this is what we wanted? To see you sweating and sniveling under pressure? What do you expect to happen when you’re out in the real world, away from these walls and have to fight a real pack of the Dead? You think they’re going to give you another chance if you cry and whine and say, ‘I can’t do this, I just need more time’. They’re going to fucking tear you to shreds, and I’m not going to be there to help.”

 

At the end of Isaac’s furious tirade, he turned around and left his brother standing alone in stunned silence. I was a bit surprised myself, but not totally. I hadn’t expected anything less from Isaac. He was harsher and much more to the point than his brother. The moment I saw him coming I knew Izzy was in for it.

 

“Well I think that’s enough for today.” Lilith announced. No one argued.

 

We all filed inside the apartment complex shared by the Prophets. Izzy trailed miserably behind, and made his way to the stairs as soon as he could. Nobody stopped him or tried to console him. I suppose in our minds he just didn’t deserve it. We had given him enough attention for one day, and he had wasted it for all we were concerned.

 

Rach followed Izzy’s suit, and I was about to as well when Lilith grabbed my arm.

 

“Can I talk to you a minute?” She asked.

 

“Of course.”

 

We turned our backs to the empty lobby and went outside once again. Lilith didn’t need to, but she kept ahold of my arm as we walked into the backyard of the apartment complex. I stopped at the rusty car we used for practice, long thawed out since Lilith had frozen it. I helped her climb on and we sat on the roof. From here you could see the large concrete wall that held the Haven in its palm, completely cut off from the rest of the world. I hadn’t been out there in over two months. I wasn’t afraid of what I would find per se, I knew very well that nothing had changed. I just didn’t want to see the same death and decay of a once great civilization.

 

I pulled my legs up to my chest and looked to Lilith, who sat cross-legged and staring unseeingly at the vast landscape. “What’s bothering you?”

 

She sighed. “Isn’t it obvious? I’ve tried, Siren. I really have. I’ve tried to be strong for everyone and act like nothing’s wrong, but I just can’t do it anymore.”

 

I knew what she was talking about, and I didn’t want to address this right now. If I had known we would be talking about Felix, I wouldn’t have even come outside. But now that I was already out here, I knew I couldn’t get away. Felix was a touchy subject with me as well as Lilith, in two totally different ways though. Lilith was missing him and in despair over his leaving. Me? I was furious enough to burn down half the city of Seattle. Felix had just up and left us with no warning or anything to let us know where he was going or what he was doing. It was as if he didn’t give a shit about us. That’s how I saw it, anyway. I knew Lilith didn’t see it as that, and I wasn’t about to get my ass frozen just so that I could speak my mind. So, I did the next best thing. I played dumb.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Lilith scowled, and I knew I hadn’t fooled her. “You know full well what I’m talking about. Felix-” Her voice broke when she said his name, and she had to take a minute to compose herself before she continued. “Felix is gone. No one has any idea where he is or if he’s okay. We’re just sitting here doing nothing.”

 

I straightened up and stared at the blind girl, hearing a tone in her voice suggesting that she was going somewhere with this. I knew I wouldn’t like it either.

 

“What are you saying?” I questioned.

 

“I’m saying, we should go and find him.”

Chapter Two: Ridiculous

“That’s insane. Lilith, you know we can’t do that. We can’t afford to lose anyone. Felix wouldn’t want that.” I tried to sway her, but I knew that she had already made up her mind. When Lilith makes a decision, there’s no use in trying to change what she’s already decided on.

 

“It’s not insane, it’s practical and necessary. It’s been over a month since he left and we haven’t done a damn thing to try and find him. What if Cal’s got him? Or what if he’s sick and dying somewhere and we aren’t there to help?”

 

“Felix is a big boy who knows how to take care of himself. And I think we’d know if Cal had him. Do you really think Felix would go quietly?” No matter what I said, I knew it was going in one ear and out the other. But I kept going.

 

“Try to think logically. If Felix was really in trouble, somehow, someway, we’d know. There’s no use in sacrificing a search party when Felix will come home when he’s ready.”

 

“We wouldn’t be sacrificing anyone.” Lilith corrected me, even though I knew and she knew that there was no way of knowing if she was right or if I was right.

 

“Lilith, please. Listen to me. If Felix doesn’t want to be found, then there would be no use in looking for him.” I surmised. By her silence, I knew the argument was over. She knew that when it came to this at least, I was right.

 

I got down from the car, offering her my hand. “C’mon, the sun’s going to set and it’s going to get cold soon.”

 

“I’ll be in later.” Lilith responded.

 

No use in arguing that either. I sighed, and headed inside. I turned once before I shut the door, seeing Lilith’s slim silhouette outlined by the setting sun.

 

Chapter Three: The Past

 

It has a way of creeping up on you. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think it would be this hard to let go. When I moved into the Haven, into the building where all the Prophets live, I thought I would easily be able to forget all about my old life as a wanderer. I didn’t miss it in the least, but the things that I experienced and had done were still making their appearance.

 

If Felix were here I knew what he’d say. He’d say I should stop wasting my time dwelling on things that didn’t matter anymore and that I should focus on what matters now. However, at this point I wasn’t even sure I knew what mattered right now.

 

 It seemed as though the drive and will to live that first amazed me when I came to the Haven was slowly leaving the people here. They moved sluggishly with a dazed look in their eyes. If you stopped them on the streets and spoke with them, they would be able to hold a conversation. But when you would leave you would realize that what you had been speaking about didn’t really have much meaning to it at all, and that you had just wasted your time.

 

I wondered if it was just me who thought this, if I was the only one who noticed the light dimming in the Haven. I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t be the only one noticing the changes, and yet I had to be because no one else spoke up about it.

 

Some things just went around and around in my head, in a never ending game of tag. Neither side came out the victor.

 

I was in my room shared with Dimitri when he stepped inside and flung his leather jacket over one of our moth eaten chairs. His hair was wet. It took me a few minutes to register the pitter patter of rain outside to make sense of his appearance. He kicked off his boots, running a hand through his dripping black hair. Finally, he looked at me. Dimitri’s eyes were bright green and brown, like a forest. His muscles strained against his soaked white T-shirt. When my eyes went back up to his face, he was beaming at me. I had always marveled at how white his teeth were. I smiled back, feeling an embarrassing heat flush my cheeks.

 

“You’re back . . . early.” I had trailed off because I saw out the window that not only was it raining sheets, but it was also getting dark. I had forgotten the sun was setting. Usually Dimitri got back around sundown.

 

He hunted with the better half of the Haven, the stronger and fitter types. On a good day he and the rest of the hunters would bring home dinner for the whole place. On a bad day, well it was vegetable soup with a few bits of rabbit or squirrel meat here and there. And even that was beginning to get few and far between. To say I was worried would be an understatement.

 

Dimitri’s smile faltered as he unbuckled his belt and slid it off. “Things are rough out there, Siren and only getting rougher.”

 

He spoke as he undressed, taking off his jeans first and then his shirt. When he was wearing only boxers he sat down on the bed next to me.

 

“I’m afraid for the Haven’s future. This location-it’s not suited for anything long term. I don’t know what Felix was thinking.” Dimitri said, shaking his head. “Game is scarce, very scarce. No one understands better than the other hunters and me. Winter is coming, and that means no more crops for nine months. And these past three have been bone dry.”

 

He ran his hand through his hair again. I’ve noticed it’s a habit of his he only does when he’s anxious, or scared. I took his hand and held it in mine as he continued to confide in me.

 

“We don’t really have a leader anymore, and we need to think of a solution food wise and fast. What worries me the most is a possible change in location. These people have been here for years and I don’t even see how logic could persuade them.”

 

I swallowed hard. My stomach had dropped when he mentioned moving. I knew he was right. No one would agree to it. And without a leader, we were stuck between a rock and a hard place. A very, very hard place.

 

Dimitri sighed, giving a small shake of his head. “Well, anyway. How’s Lilith doing?”

 

I jumped at the welcome subject change to something easier, however my excitement dimmed at this particular topic. I wasn’t even sure if Lilith had come inside yet, and it was nearly dark out. I would have to go looking for her if she didn’t come in soon.

 

“She’s doing as we expected.” I said.

 

He wrinkled his nose. “Not good then, I suppose.”

 

“You know how much she cared for Felix. She’s not going to get over this.” I said.

 

I tossed around the notion to tell Dimitri what Lilith had tried to get me to agree to. Sending a search party for Felix and possibly losing a fraction of the people here. But I didn’t say anything. I didn’t feel that it was all that important, not unless she brought it up again.

 

“We all cared about Felix.” Dimitri’s voice had dropped, as if he was afraid Lilith could hear what he was saying. “But there’s nothing we can do now. He left, knowing exactly what he was leaving behind.”

 

That was the thing about Dimitri. He could care so much about someone else, almost to the point where he completely disregards his own wellbeing. And then there’s other times when another human being isn’t even on his spectrum of compassion. Although I suppose that’s what a world like this does to a person. You either care too much, or you don’t care at all.

 

I laid down on the bed, patting the space next to me. “You worry too much. How about we try to get some sleep?”

 

He took me up on my offer, sinking gratefully down next to me. Dimitri threw his arm over my shoulders and I nestled into the hollow of his neck. He gave my forehead a quick kiss.

 

“Goodnight, Siren.” He murmured.

 

I didn’t have time to respond before I was sinking into deep, blissful sleep.

Chapter Four: Vertigo

Someone screamed. I sat straight up in bed, Dimitri along with me. It was pitch black in our room. The generator automatically shut itself off at midnight in order to conserve energy. As we scrambled out of bed without a word and pulled on some clothes, I snagged a flashlight off of Dimitri’s hunting belt. He grabbed a knife and gun, handing the knife to me. I was more comfortable with that, I worked better with knives than I did with guns.

 

We ran haphazardly down the steps. I tripped over a few in our haste to get to the lobby. I wasn’t sure where we were going, and I knew Dimitri was just as clueless. All we knew was that we had to get there, and quick.

 

It seemed like an eternity before we finally reached the lobby, where every single Prophet was gathered and fully dressed. I scanned the room until my eyes found Lilith and Aurora. I made my way over to them, Dimitri in tow. I shone the flashlight at our feet once we were facing the twins.

 

“What happened?” I asked over the chattering of confused voices around us.

 

“We know just as much as you do.” Aurora said. Her hot pink hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She wore a pure white dress, and was barefoot as usual. Her sister sported the same look, except her hair was as white as the dresses they wore.

 

I wanted to ask Lilith if she was okay regarding earlier, but by doing so I would give away that she had been upset. So to avoid any further conflict with her, I kept quiet.

 

“Is everyone alright?” Dimitri asked the sisters. Aurora opened her mouth to respond, but a window in the corner of the room shattered before she could speak. The loud noise drowned out anything else, along with the scream that came with it.

 

We all spun around. I saw with horror a gnarled gray hand reach through the window, grappling for whatever it could find. Everyone had cleared out of the way, safe from the claws of the Undead. I gripped the knife I had and made my way over to the window. I looked out, seeing shining white eyes staring back at me.

 

I turned to Dimitri and nodded. Without another word we both made way for the door. Someone grabbed my wrist from behind and I stopped, but didn’t look back.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Aurora’s voice was panicked. I realized with a sick feeling in my gut that this must be the first time she had seen one of the Dead in years. I patted her hand.

 

“We’ll be fine. We know what we’re doing.” I assured her, prying her fingers off of me.

 

We didn’t have the luxury of time to say anything else. We just had to hope and pray that no one was out on the streets at this time of night. The last thing we needed right now was a city wide panic. And one of the Undead sneaking in through our gates would do just that. We would have to be quick, and we would have to be quiet.

 

Dimitri went out first, checking the streets before waving for me to come along. Outside, it was bare. Thank god. We flattened ourselves against the brick exterior of the complex then slowly crept along the edge. When we reached the corner, Dimitri peeked over and stepped out. I did the same, seeing the entire creature before us.

 

 Its clothes dangled from its husk of a figure in shreds. There were wisps of hair on its mangled skull, which was missing bits of skin. The Undead thing crouched before us looked like it had been attacked, and the state it was in now was so gruesome you couldn’t even tell it had once been a human being.

 

I was past the state of feeling any kind of emotion for these Dead creatures, but this one made a certain kind of sadness wash over me. The breath was knocked out of my lungs, and for a moment all I could see was the pathetic thing in front of me, reaching, struggling through the broken window.

 

My momentary spout of grief vanished with one single gunshot to the creature’s head, which rang out sharply in the otherwise silent night. The Dead crumpled in a heap in front of us. I looked at Dimitri, who held the smoking gun at his side, shaking his head as if he too felt the same kind of pity for the now truly dead thing.

 

***

 

We dumped the body outside the wall before anyone else could see. It didn’t take us long to find how the Dead had gotten in. Luis, the one who is supposed to be watching the gate, had fallen asleep at his post. The gate had been easily jostled open because not only had Luis passed out; he had also failed to lock the gate correctly.

 

We weren’t sure what kind of punishment this deserved, so we just sent him home and brought someone else to keep watch instead. It was around three in the morning when we made it back to the complex and calmed everyone down enough for them to go back to bed. Dimitri and I made it upstairs last. I barely stripped myself of my clothes before collapsing on top of our mattress.

 

I closed my eyes hoping for sleep, but only saw the Dead with its gaping jaws and jagged figure, trying to grab one of us, to make us its life source. My eyes snapped open just as Dimitri lay down next to me. He turned to face me, gently brushing his knuckles against my cheek. I wanted to close my eyes again, but didn’t, fearing I would only see the soulless inhuman being again.

 

“Are you okay?” He asked, his mouth turned down in concern.

 

I nodded, although I wasn’t too sure. Dimitri gave me a knowing look. He could tell I wasn’t being honest. Even though I’d only known him for a few months, he knew me better than anyone since my family who were long dead now. There really was no point in keeping anything from him. He would get it out of me sooner or later anyway.

 

“Lilith wants to go after Felix.” I whispered.

 

Dimitri cocked an eyebrow, encouraging me to go on.

 

“I told her it was impossible. We would be sacrificing a group of innocent people searching for a needle in a haystack. Who knows how bad it is out there? And I mean really out there, not just slightly beyond the wall. Felix gave no indication of leaving at all let alone where he could’ve gone.”

 

“Did you explain that to her?” He asked.

 

 I tossed my hands up. “You think she listened to me?”

 

Dimitri pursed his lips, picking up my hand and rubbing my palm with his thumb. He was trying to relax me, but I was wound so tight based off of all that had happened tonight. I knew I would be getting no sleep.

 

“You can’t control what she does.” He murmured, bringing my hand up to his lips and kissing my fingers.

 

I sighed. “Don’t I know it. And that’s not even what I want. I don’t want to control anybody. I just want her to understand the dangers and risks of a search party, especially for someone like Felix.”

 

I knew Felix. Definitely not as well as Lilith, but I did know that he was stubborn. Like I had said before, if he didn’t want to be found then we wouldn’t be able to find him no matter how hard we looked.

 

“You should really get some rest.” Dimitri said softly, smoothing down my unruly hair.

 

“Funny joke.” I barked out a laugh.

 

“I wasn’t joking.”

 

I laid my head down on the pillow just to appease Dimitri. He watched me for a few seconds before turning around. It wasn’t long before I could hear him snoring softly. Usually that sound was enough to put me right to sleep, but every time I shut my eyes all I saw was the . . . I shuddered to think of it that way, but all I saw was the zombie.

 

I wasn’t sure why that particular creature had left such an impact on me. I had seen millions of the Undead in the years the Plague had gone on. Millions of ragged, bloody, and soulless corpses walking around the streets hungry for human flesh. And for some reason, a pathetic, skeletal Undead being that had wandered into our civilization left me shaking and my skin crawling.

 

For a moment it had seemed Dimitri felt the same way about the Dead corpse he had shot, but he hadn’t said anything to me or brought it up, so I certainly wasn’t going to.

 

I checked my watch. Four in the morning, and I was about as close to sleeping as I was to stepping outside the wall with sausages slung around my shoulders. I got up, careful not to jostle and wake Dimitri, shoved some clothes on, and headed into the hallway.

 

It was light enough to see in front of my face, but the stairs were a little darker being as there weren’t any windows around. I opened my palm and exhaled as a small burst of flame ignited, pulsating and radiating a comforting heat in the center of my hand. My fire gave off enough light to illuminate the staircase, and I headed down.

 

I was halfway down the stairs when a voice startled me enough to snuff out my makeshift flashlight.

 

“Couldn’t sleep?”

 

I jumped as my fire vanished and I pressed my back against the railing, gripping it so hard my knuckles burned.

 

“Who’s there?” I called out louder than I probably needed to.

 

“Chill out, Sirenia.” A flashlight clicked on, and illuminated the round face of Maddie and her twin brother Matthew, both of them grinning mischievously. They were obviously proud of scaring me to the point of jumping out of my skin.

 

I let out my breath, feeling my heart pounding hard. “What are you kids doing here? It’s four in the morning.”

 

Maddie shrugged. “The same reason you’re here. We couldn’t sleep.”

 

I looked at Matthew, who stayed silent. His and Maddie’s hands were interlocked, and I realized that must’ve been the reason I couldn’t see them. Matthew’s powers of invisibility weren’t limited to just himself. If he was touching someone or something while invisible, that object or person would also become invisible.

 

“Do you children get enjoyment out of scaring people to death?” I muttered.

 

Maddie giggled and Matthew smiled slightly.

 

“Only on occasion.” Maddie said sweetly.

 

“Can I have that?” I held my hand out for the flashlight, which Maddie handed over.

 

I shone the beam on the stairs, and we all continued our decent.

 

“Sorry for scaring you.” Matthew apologized on our way down.

 

“It’s alright.” It wasn’t the first time I had been scared tonight.

 

“We didn’t expect a little zombie to frighten you so much.” Matthew commented absently, and I nearly stumbled down the stairs.

 

“Matthew!” Maddie scolded. “What’s wrong with you? Sirenia has been through so much. She and Dimitri just saved us all. Great way to show your appreciation.”

 

Maddie sounded very embarrassed and angry at her brother. Matthew didn’t say anything more and neither did I. I didn’t want to cause any problems between the twins, but it seemed something was bothering Matthew. And if something was bothering him, it was probably a subject on others minds here at the complex as well.

 

Once we got to the lobby, Maddie apologized for Matthew’s behavior and then roughly grabbed his hand before they disappeared. I went outside and into the backyard, seeing a figure sitting on top of the old practicing car. Expecting Lilith, I climbed up and sat down next to them. When I got a better look, I saw that it wasn’t Lilith, but Izzy. I could tell it was him because of his slouched posture. His twin brother Isaac never so much as let his shoulders fall forward. Izzy’s elbows were resting on his knees and he had his chin propped up in his hands. He seemed to be staring out near the wall, deep in thought. He didn’t even flinch when I appeared next to him.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.” I apologized, only realizing how bad the words sounded once they were out and it was too late.

 

Izzy shrugged. He didn’t look at me, so other than that I wouldn’t even have thought he had heard what I said. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I let out a loud breath and leaned forward to watch the sunrise.

 

“What are you doing out here so early anyway?” I asked.

 

He didn’t answer at first, and I worried that I had overstepped my boundaries. After another awkward chunk of time went by without either one of us saying a word, I was ready to leave before Izzy finally looked at me. His gaze stopped me in my tracks. His usually bright and inspired blue eyes were dull and glazed over as if something had happened to seriously upset him. I opened my mouth to ask if he was alright.

 

“I’m not, Siren.” He blurted out.

 

I blinked, taken aback but staying quiet. I had a feeling he had more to say than just that.

 

“I’m not-okay. I’m really, really awful.” He said so softly I barely heard him. “My own brother wants me to leave the Haven because he feels ‘I’m a waste of time and space’. What the fuck am I supposed to say to that?”

 

My skin prickled at the sound of Izzy cursing. Everybody did it except for the younger children, but hearing Izzy swear just seemed wrong. I wanted to comfort him somehow, pat his arm and tell him that everything was going to be okay. However I wasn’t a very touchy feely kind of person, and I sucked at lying. I figured keeping my mouth shut was the best alternative in this situation. Izzy seemed like he would keep going without any coaxing from me.

 

My assumption proved wrong when Izzy looked away from me and back at the skyline. I once again had my mouth open to speak, but couldn’t find any words seeming fit to deal with this situation.

 

I knew it sounded like a poor excuse, however I had never dated anyone other than a woman until Dimitri came along. I didn’t know how to deal with boys very well, especially when they were upset. Dimitri rarely ever got upset. Izzy was overemotional at best. I was very, very much uncomfortable and out of my element.

 

I swallowed, hoping to clear my throat of anything wrong I could say. “I’m sure he didn’t mean that.”

 

Izzy laughed, but it was flat. “Yeah fucking right.”

 

I winced every time he cursed. “He’s your brother and he loves you.”

 

“Shut up, Siren. Don’t bullshit me.” He snapped.

 

“Excuse me?” I asked, my eyes widening in shock.

 

“You heard me. Shut your spoiled mouth. Jesus Christ, just because you can throw fire doesn’t make you any more special than the other Prophets. God you’re so fucking privileged. It’s absolutely sickening.” Izzy scoffed.

 

Despite myself and knowing that he was just hurt and taking his anger out on me, I could feel my blood beginning to boil and my hands itch. I wanted to throw some fire right now, at his feet so that he could run screaming like a scared little girl.

 

“Who do you think you are?” I questioned.

 

He rolled his eyes. “I should be asking you the same thing.”

 

I clenched my fists and stood up on the hood of the car, hovering over Izzy. He looked up at me, his eyebrows raised and waiting. I pointed a finger at him as I yelled, not even caring who heard.

 

“Have you lost your mind? I’m trying to talk to you and help you, and all you wanna do is fuck with me? Are you serious? Is this why nobody here likes you? Or is it because we all think you’re a fake and can’t do shit to even protect yourself? How in the hell did you even survive out there without your brother to hide behind? Oh I know, because not even the Undead wanted your ass.” I finished with relish, noting the small flame bobbing from my fingertip like a lit match.

 

Izzy’s blue eyes had widened and filled with what I could only assume were tears with every word I said. I shook out my hand to extinguish the small flame and crossed my arms.

 

“Well? No sarcastic remark?” I asked.

 

“Siren.”

 

I stiffened when I heard the cold voice behind me. The voice identical to Izzy’s, except for the stern bite to it. I slowly turned to face Isaac, his blue eyes hard and narrowed. My insides chilled and I gritted my teeth, knowing that Izzy wasn’t the one who had fucked me over. No, I had just done that all on my own.

 

Chapter Five: Truce

 

Izzy scrambled to his feet, swiping at the tears that had trickled down his cheeks. Isaac’s cutting gaze flitted to his brother for no more than a second before it rested back on me. There was a few seconds of terrible silence like the kind between Izzy and I. The only difference was, the tension now was so thick you could’ve cut it with a knife.

 

 I looked quickly from Izzy to Isaac. I couldn’t get over the astounding personality differences between the twins. Izzy looked just as shocked as I was, but I on the other hand wasn’t about ready to piss my pants like I could imagine Izzy was just at the sight of his brother.

 

“Isaiah, get your ass back inside.” Isaac ordered harshly.

 

Izzy hesitated for half a second before clambering down from the rusty car and nearly bolting inside the complex, clearly glad to be out of any conflict.

 

I shut my eyes for the briefest second, wishing like hell I was anywhere but here. Sadly when I opened my eyes again I hadn’t teleported like I would’ve appreciated.

 

When Isaac looked at me again, his whole expression had softened. His forehead wasn’t creased and his lips weren’t pinched in stress or anger. He looked more relaxed than I had ever seen him. Still incredibly stern and business like-but definitely less stressed out.

 

“Would you mind going for a walk with me?” He asked.

 

I was caught off guard by the odd request. I was expecting him to shriek at me for disrespecting his brother, so I wasn’t particularly keen on saying yes. When I was about to refuse, Isaac’s face broke out in the biggest smile I had ever seen either twin produce. He chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking quite modest if not a little shy. Another first for him.

 

“I’m not going to bite your head off.” He joked.

 

I couldn’t help but smile a little. He was actually making a joke about our fucked up world. At that, I agreed to go for a walk with him.

 

***

 

Isaac led me to the complete opposite end of the Haven, where corn fields, vegetable patches, and some cattle could be found grazing. It was the equivalent to the countryside, and probably the closest any of us would ever see again in our lifetimes.

         

At night I know the livestock is securely locked away in the barn, just in case any other incidents like tonight happen again. Everything nearly confines themselves where they live. Better to be prepared than caught off guard.

 

 Isaac walked idly beside me, not saying a word the whole time. I couldn’t believe when I asked for the time and he told me it was only four thirty. It felt like an eternity had gone by since the incident with the Dead and with Izzy.

 

“I wanted to apologize for my brother.” Isaac said.

 

I nearly jumped at his voice breaking the silence. I regained my composure and looked questioningly at him.

 

“Why?”

 

He shrugged. “I feel like he’s my responsibility. I found him and brought him here.”

 

“It’s not your fault.” I promptly stuck my foot in my mouth. I pursed my lips. I don’t think any person has ever fucked themselves over this many times in one night before. I must’ve been setting a new record.

 

Isaac didn’t even look my way. He just continued to walk, looking straight ahead with the same perfect grace and posture.

 

“You’re right. It’s not my fault that he’s fucking up. It’s only my fault that he’s here.” Isaac agreed. More or less anyway.

 

I had already screwed myself over enough tonight. What I should’ve done earlier was keep my big mouth shut. And that was exactly what I was going to do now.

 

“I had figured my brother would come here and show everyone how amazing his abilities were. I thought he would prove that he belonged here. But so far, all he’s proved is that he belongs with the common folk, under our protection because he can’t protect himself.” Isaac said calmly.

 

“I never expected-I never expected him to fail, so miserably.” He admitted.

 

I listened to Isaac, an understanding look on my face. “I’m sure you’re disappointed.”

 

“Disappointed? I’m very much beyond that, at this point.” Isaac scoffed.

 

“Look”, I leaned towards him. “I know you’re upset with your brother, but you have got to remember that he is your brother, your one and only brother. Don’t take him for granted because one day, he might not be here anymore.” My voice caught at the end and I had to stop talking. I would cry if I went on any longer.

 

Memories, as sharp and painful as ever were making my throat ache with every word I said. I wasn’t an only child, I had had a little sister that I loved and protected with my life. But that wasn’t good enough. She had died because I wasn’t able to protect her. I didn’t want Isaac to be filled with the same guilt and sadness that I was to this day, years after her death.

 

Isaac didn’t speak for a few moments, but then he stopped walking and looked right at me. He seemed to be searching my face for something. When he apparently had found what he was looking for, he sighed.

 

“I know you’re right. It’s just hard to appreciate him when he behaves the way he does.”

 

“He’s not a kid.” I blurted out.

 

Isaac snickered. “Same difference when it comes to Izzy.”

 

“What I really wanted to ask you on this little walk is for a truce.” He added.

 

I looked at him strangely. “What do you mean?”

 

“I was hoping you could speak to the other girls, Lilith an Rach so that they wouldn’t be so hard on Izzy. I came to you because you seemed like the one in charge.” He said.

 

Me in charge? Hmph, that was a funny joke. I shrugged.

 

“Sure I guess.”

 

Isaac nodded sternly. “Good. I’m glad we could have this talk. Finally I got a chance to speak to the infamous Sirenia Katrine.”

 

I wasn’t sure if he was mocking me or not but I didn’t say anything. Enough people here held misconstrued ideas about me thanks to Felix’s big mouth.

 

“It was nice talking to you too.” I said simply.

Chapter Six: Impossible

I didn’t go back to the apartment complex. Isaac and I walked there, but halfway I changed course and went for the gate. He didn’t question me, just nodded goodbye and that was it. Instead of going to the complex, I went to the gates.

 

A new watchman whose name I didn’t know came down to greet me. He was a burly man with a thick brown beard and bushy eyebrows that seemed forever pressed into a scowl. He asked in a deep voice to state my name and business as to why I wanted to leave, and what time I was expected to be back.

 

“Siren, I’d like to go hunting.” I said.

 

He looked me up and down, obviously not believing me. I pursed my lips and stuck my hand into the leather sheath at my calf, pulling out my twelve inch knife. For a moment the man’s eyes widened and he let out a gasp of surprise-maybe even fear.

 

“Wh-what about a gun?” He stammered, beads of sweat popping out on his forehead.

 

I shrugged, putting my knife back in its resting place. “I have my ways.”

 

With no further questions, he scuttled over to the gate, placed a key in the lock and turned. He pulled back the right side and gestured for me to move forward.

 

“Good luck out there. Be back before sunset.” He warned as he shut the gate on my back.

 

I grimaced, facing the barren landscape and asking myself why I was out here in the first place. It was hard to conjure up an answer at first but then I remembered. I wanted some time alone and away from everyone in the Haven. Which was strange, because a few months ago I would’ve kissed the ground everyone in the Haven walked on for allowing me to live in their home.

 

I took a few steps, spotting old buildings in the far distance. I would just walk to that city-whatever city that was-and spend a little time there and get back before noon then hopefully no one would notice I had been gone. I knew it was a long shot, a really, really long shot. But it was all I got.

 

I wasn’t sure what particularly was getting to me in the past few weeks. Whether it be the problems with Izzy, Felix deserting us, Lilith’s depression, or the incident that had happened today with the Undead I couldn’t tell. It could be a combination of all of those things. In which case, I wasn’t getting anywhere and probably wouldn’t any time soon.

 

As I approached the seemingly empty city, I noticed two people walking on the cracked sidewalk. They seemed civilized enough, talking to one another in voices too soft for me to hear. I advanced a little closer before jumping behind a building for seclusion. I was now close enough so that I could hear what they were talking about.

 

“Don’t be irrational. Haven’t we been through enough? These two months have been some of the worst of my life. Our people need time to live, not just survive.” Wise words spoken from the woman of the couple, and the man sighed.

 

“I know, I know. But does it really seem safe here?”

 

“As safe as any other place.” The girl answered.

 

By the sound of it, they had come from some sort of group. This put me on edge, because if I disturbed a large group of people I could potentially be attacked. Not everyone is as friendly as those back at the Haven, that I knew from pure experience.

 

“Well, then what do you suggest we do-”

 

The guy’s sentence was cut short by a loud scream not too far from here. I looked around the corner to see that the man and woman had gone off sprinting in the direction of the sound.

 

This was my opportunity to book it out of there and back home. And for some reason I can’t really explain, I didn’t take it. Instead, I headed after the couple running towards danger. I don’t know why, and I don’t know where my regard for my own safety went. All I knew was that I was going where the two people were, not sure what I would find when they stopped.

 

 

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 24.03.2015

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