The sharp crack of gunshots echoed outside, each one sending a shiver down my spine. What was happening? Were we truly under attack? I’d been sitting here for what seemed like hours. “Gabe?” My voice came out in no more than a whisper, although I didn’t exactly know why. Fear had a tight grip on me, making every sound, every moment, feel like an eternity.
I waited, listening for any sound, but his voice remained absent. I tentatively stood and walked through the silent, empty locker room, hoping to see my boyfriend. But there was no sign of him. Where could he have gone? Do I continue waiting for him? A loud explosion, as if answering my question, rocked the building, the shockwave seeming to hit me directly. They were getting closer.
I couldn’t sit here and wait for him; I knew I had to get out for my own safety. Fear gripped my throat—did something happen to Gabe? I ran out of the locker room, taking the stairs to the ground level, which opened into an empty ballroom. I sidestepped piles of brightly colored confetti on the floor, the silence amplifying the emptiness of the now-unmanned front desk. I pushed the metal door open with all my might and scurried down the alleyway, seeing the once-empty park now full of people. The night was alive with the roar of the fire, its orange flames licking at the snow, leaving behind a grim trail of black soot in the snow underfoot.
I peered out from the alley’s shadows and got my first glimpse of the chaos outside the infamous hotel. A wave of men in matte black armor surged through the streets, and the cold, hard gleam of their weapons reflected in the dim light. I could tell they were drunk on blood for the occasion because they each had a crazed look in their eyes, and their fangs were completely bared in maniacal smiles. It was the vampire military.
A wave of people surged past me, their bodies brushing against mine as I strained to find Gabe. Flattening myself against the stone building, I shimmied out of the alleyway, the snowy ground crunching softly under my shoe. Every time the deafening sound of gunshots pierced the air, I froze, the yells of the crowd a terrifying symphony around me.
Charred wood and debris littered the ground, the acrid smell of burning wood stinging my nostrils as tendrils of smoke swirled around me from the fires consuming the skeletal trees. The commotion in the park died down as a crowd of vampires stared at their enemies—figures in powerful white coats, their faces hidden behind menacing metal masks. Sleek guns were clasped in all the vampires’ hands, yet these newcomers brandished weapons like axes, outdated firearms, and arrows readied in their bows.
How barbaric.
A gunshot shattered the morning calm, and one of the white-clad intruders crumpled to the earth, crimson staining his companion’s clothes like an art canvas. In that moment, all hell broke loose. The composed groups on both sides, their faces grim, dispersed, and the sharp crack of gunshots echoed through the air. More soldiers from both sides poured into the area, their boots crunching on the gravel, completely covering the park. I watched in horror as a missile, screaming through the air, slammed into the top of the building next to me, shaking the ground.
Before I was hit with debris or crushed under a falling building, I made a mad dash to the staircase, the gritty dust stinging my eyes, and turned right, seeing the broken peak of the fountain in the town square, its once-graceful curves now shattered and distorted. Hurrying up the road, I couldn’t help but feel a pang in my heart as I ran past the mounds of snow in the area, knowing the starved vampires couldn’t save themselves from the invasion.
Fear gripped me, pulling at my mind and reminding me that my father and Gabe were right: The Wastes were dangerous. A deafening roar filled my ears as I was lifted off my feet and thrown violently across the walkway. The screams abruptly ceased, replaced by an unsettling quiet that felt heavier than any sound. Through my blurred vision, a plume of smoke rose into the air from a recently detonated explosion.
The icy snow clung to my face as I lifted my head, and a jolt of adrenaline surged through me, feeling like a swarm of bees buzzing beneath my skin. I was scared to move, nervous in fear that if I did, I’d be the next one shot. The people clad in white who I assumed were the Unicorns infiltrated the area. A bloody battle raged around me—vampires, with their fangs and talon-like fingernails, clawed at the human bodies, the air thick withthe coppery tang of blood and the screams of the dying. Crimson blood, like a macabre stain on a pristine canvas of snow, mirrored the robes of our enemies.
We were winning.
A vampire guard was backing his way toward me, and I reached out my hand to grab his ankle, hoping he didn’t mistake me for an Exile. He swung his gun downward, the cold steel glinting menacingly as I stared down its barrel. I couldn’t do more than whisper, “H-help me get back inside?”
The man paused, carefully weighing my question before giving me a slow nod and placing a firm hand on my arm, pulling me upright. Crouching low, I hid behind the guard, his finger tightening on his gun’s trigger. Fear pulsed through me, making my body shake uncontrollably as we inched backward toward the old fountain. Every step I took was stunted, hoping I didn’t get caught in the crosshair of a stray bullet by slipping on a sheet of ice or stumbling over a stray Exile lying in the street.
As we reached the stone fountain, a white-clad figure darted from a shadowed alcove high above, startling us. The guard in front of me swiveled his body and shot the intruder; their lifeless body fell to the ground in a puff of snow.
A shared glance passed between us, our exhaled breaths hanging like small, white puffs in the frosty air. The shocking realization of our near-miss was shattered as two more people launched themselves from a surrounding high-rise. A series of deafening gunshots ripped through the air, and I instinctively threw my arms in front of my face. One of the intruders, his white clothes stark against the night, stumbled backward as his accomplice lunged, the pale glint of moonlight on his knife.
The man’s firm hand clamped down on my arm, yanking me down as he crouched beside me with his arm in the air. The assailant halted midair before collapsing to the ground with a sickening, hollow thump.
“Are you okay?” the guard quickly asked.
“I’m fine.” I was immensely thankful for this guard risking his life for me. Hearing the gunshots, more and more people entered the area as vampires and intruders mixed in a swirl of white and black. It was impossible now to see who was winning the fight.
The guard turned to me, his helmet covering all but his mouth. A wispy, light-colored mustache sat on his upper lip, his fangs glistening. “Take a right behind the fountain and run straight ahead, I’ll hold them o?—”
With a terrifying whoosh, a sharp arrow plummeted from above, impaling the guard next to me. A cold dread washed over me as the arrow’s tip rested mere centimeters from my body. He collapsed onto the cold, hard ground, blood blooming crimson on the grey stone walkway. My eyes briefly left the still form of the dead man, and I saw someone in stark white robes raise their bow, the next arrow aimed straight at my chest. A wave of paralysis washed over me, but impulsively, I threw myself into the basin of the fountain. Like the whisper of the wind, a whoosh sliced through the air above me, the sound of an arrow missing its mark. “It’s now or never.”
With a mighty push, I jumped from the empty fountain and ran faster than I’d ever imagined toward Elysium’s entrance. Following the soldier’s directions, I found myself in a narrow, dark alley, with the sliding doors waiting for me ahead. My mind replayed the scene—the kind guard, his lifeblood seeping into the earth, his eyes wide and staring—and a wave of nausea washed over me. I couldn’t help but keep thinking that coming to The Wastes was a bad idea.
My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs, a deafening drumbeat obliterating all other sounds as I remained glued to the doors ahead. Between the rapid, frantic thumps of my heart, a faint, melodic tinkling like tiny bells drifted downfrom above. I saw arrows clink and ping off the glass, their metallic sound echoing, while small bullets peppered the ground around me like a sudden hailstorm.
Seeing the protective glass outside Elysium was as strong as they advertised, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief. Once I get inside, I’ll be safe. I reached for the glass doors when a deafening explosion rocked the building, the force lifting me off the ground and hurling me through the doors.
My body hit the hard floor, and I lay there for a moment in an attempt to catch my breath before a realization hit me. I wasn’t safe yet. “I need to get back to my room.”
I walked down a long, dimly lit hallway, the only sound my own footsteps echoing, until I reached a row of elevators standing in perfect formation. The emergency lights in the hallway flickered, casting an eerie, strobe-like glow. The shadows that moved along the walls seemed to writhe and shift, as if something were lurking within, ready to pounce. It was strange that it was just me. I assumed everyone got inside before the intruders fully invaded.
Pressing the elevator button, I rolled my eyes when no light emitted from the box, indicating it wasn’t in working order. With the power out, the building was plunged into darkness as I climbed the seemingly endless stairs to the top floor. I rounded the corner to find a lone door at the top of the staircase. My hand grasped the cool, smooth handle and pulled—locked, a small, disappointing thud punctuating the quiet. “Ugh, of course,” I whispered to myself. Reaching into my pocket, I retrieved the cool metal key card and slapped it against the unresponsive pad. Nothing. Probably a security measure for instances like this.
“Need some help?”
Gabe’s voice startled me, and I whirled around to see him standing behind me. His clothes were torn and ragged, revealing patches of skin beneath, a gash marred his cheek, and heclutched his bleeding right arm. Beads of sweat clung to his temples. He looked scared, even though his voice sounded calm. “Where the hell’ve you been? You scared the shit outta me! Are you okay?”
“Where haveIbeen?” He looked taken aback. “Where haveyoubeen, Vinny? I looked everywhere in The Carlton, and you just ran off…again!”
