Malia curled against him, her eyes shut tight as he began to admire her features. She was exhausted, and his tight hold against her lulled her into a deep sleep. Her legs were tangled with his, her body held close to him by his arms as they remained wrapped around her. However, her dreams were not filled of walks along the river, hand in Carson’s. Not even a little bit.<br/><br/><i>They’d been separated. Fellow runners and striders alike began to fall around her as the Vanguard pushed forward. The buildings in the town were lit, flames licking the air as they flickered around her. It were as if time stood still, she spun around, watching them lose this battle piece by piece. She had to find Carson.<br/>
<br/>
Suddenly, however, It was all over. The sun rain began to pour atop the burning town, the flames being quelled by the showers. Malia held her side, a wound gracing her torso, though no blood spilt forth from it. She linked along, seeing the countless bodies as they lay motionless in the floor. Luke. Tanner. Max. Anyone and everyone she knew, anyone and everyone she called her family—they were gone. The Vangaurd had left, suceeding in their advances. The alliance had lost. Not a single sound was made, only the blowing of the wind greeted her ears. However, as she walked further, the sputtering of someone still alive, still breathing, filled the motionless air.<br/>
She turned her head in the direction of the sound, stepping over bodies. She turned the corner, looking around before her eyes found the source of the sound, and her stomach fell, her heart sinking. Carson. <br/>
<br/>
Sprinting over, she held his face in her hands, her eyes filling with tears. “Hey, hey hey. Carson, Carson look at me.”<br/>
<br/>
And he did. Though when he did, she took a step back. His expression was laced with malice, with betrayal. “You did this. You left me. You said you’d never leave me, now look what you’ve done!” She kept stepping backwards as he yelled, though she tripped over a motionless body. As she looked over to whoever it was, she saw Ollie laying there, a smile growing on his face. “Wake up.”</i><br/><br/>She shot out of bed with a gasp, tears dropping down her cheeks. She placed her hand on her chest as she painted, reaching over to grasp Carson’s arm as he slept. Though, he wasn’t there. It caused her more panic, and she shook her he’d, trying to take deep breaths. She swung her legs off the side of the bed, dropping her face into her hands as her heavy breathing continued, her eyes never unfilled with tears. A few moments later, Carson strolled into the rom, a smile on his face. Simply seeing him was enough to rein in the fear. She took a rather shaky breath, sniffling and wiping her eyes, hoping he couldn’t see her current state.<br/><br/>She nodded slightly in agreement to him, pushing herself off the bed. She was still naked, though her body slightly hunched. She began to pull on her clothes and gear alike, biting her lip. She cleared her throat, her back slightly to him. “Okay, I’ll get food and stuff, you can get to ammo?” She offered a plan.