"Kid..." Roscoe said, wiping the sweat from his face. "I won't be around for that long." With that he was completely silent for the rest of the night.

We blasted out of the tunnel into daylight a few hours later and I woke up.

What happened seemed like a dream and I wished that I could wake up but it wasn't. We were running away again and I didn't know from what, then there's what Roscoe said.

He wouldn't be around that much longer? What does that mean? What was he even talking about?

We got off of the train and immediately on a screen in the station was footage of the buildings back in Empire city being destroyed. It made me shudder to think about how many people died, and how one of them could have been me.

The female reporter shuffled some papers.

"The bombing in Empire City is a confirmed act of terrorism and four suspects have been taken into custody. The other two offenders have not been found, although this message, which was released minutes after the attack, has Americans everywhere in hysterics.

'IF YOU VALUE THE LIVES OF YOUR FAMILY DO NOT GO OUTSIDE.

WE HAVE PLANTED EXPLOSIVES EVERYWHERE FROM YOUR CAPITALS TO THE COUNTRYSIDES.

WE ARE IN YOUR PROVINCES.

WE ARE IN YOUR CITIES.

WE ARE IN YOUR STREETS.

WE WILL NOT BE IGNORED.'

Several witnesses who have chosen to remain anonymous have recently reported photos of someone who is believed to be Roscoe Moralez.

An apparently high ranking drug affiliate and arms trafficker who is believed to have provided the weaponry necessary for this vicious attack, as well as four other unidentified children.

Police have not confirmed this speculation but are still heavily investigating the case. More to come on Channel 7 Morning News."

Kelly scowled at Roscoe. "YOU did this!?"

Red filled his face.

"What the hell is WRONG with you?! Do you know how many lives you've DESTROYED?!"

Roscoe flew out of the subway and we followed behind, tripping up the concrete stairs from fatigue and chasing him towards a calm intersection.

I was still in total disbelief of what was going on around me. I couldn't comprehend how any of this was happening, why it was happening, I couldn't understand anything.

Most of all, I couldn't get why this was happening to me.

By the time we stopped running Roscoe had broken down behind a gas station. Seeing a man on the verge of tears only made me feel all the more uncomfortable.

"Roscoe, what's going on?" Thomas said. "You gotta tell us now."

"Roscoe and I aren't cousins," Liza spoke up after being quiet for so long.

"What?" Kelly said, her tone curious and aggressive.

"...Me and Tate were orphaned in a break in." Liza continued. "The house was burning, our parents were gone, and we had nowhere to go.

A few days after that we ran into Roscoe, and he offered to take care of us if we joined him and a cartel he belonged to. At the time we didn't know what else to do, but he said that they'd keep us safe and that they'd be like family, so we just said yes.

A year after we met him one of the drug lords gave him an assignment to transport explosives in exchange for contraband. They gave him everything he needed to evade security, and the connections to get us around."

Kelly's eyes froze open and her face twisted in shock. "Then what about us and-."

"We were getting ready to go to Empire City, but then I ran into you guys and found out you were running.

Roscoe told you about Kamarion, whose job was to finish the deal, and everything just fell into place.

I knew it was dangerous and I really wanted to help you guys out, so I had to convince Roscoe that following you guys would be a good idea.

But the only way I could do that was by..."

She paused.

"...Convincing him to try and recruit you."

I could feel my chest hollow itself out inside me.

"You USED us?!" Kelly yelled, expressing my emotions as her own.

"No! It's not like that! Haven't you heard?! Kids all over the country have been going missing left and right like crazy! There's never been anything like it! People are so scared they don't even wanna send their kids to school!

I knew that if you just ran away by yourselves something would happen to you! Convincing Roscoe to win you over by helping you run away was the only way to save you guys!"

Kelly pushed the hair out of her face. "Why the hell would you give weapons to those psychos ANYWAY?!"

By now Liza was practically crying. "W-We didn't know they were gonna-."

"It don't matter!" Roscoe interrupted "NONE of that shit's important! Because right now every force in the damn country in on our asses! So shut up and let's find that other brat before it's too late for him!"

"Wait," Kelly paused, regaining her composure. "What do you mean by too late!?"

Roscoe had already fixed himself. "It don't matter! Let's GO!"

Right then our escape had began. As soon as we made our way back to the subway, we made our move and tried backtracking through Dyson. After a half day full of train rides we were stopped by an officer.

"Excuse me sir but can I have some identification?"

Roscoe fixed himself. "Hey guy, I know my rights and-"

"Sir, I'm investigating something very serious. All I'm asking for is an ID or at least a Driver's license."

Roscoe bolted the minute those words left the officer's mouth and we ran after him.

We flew out of the subway and kept going block after block until we heard the sirens of squad cars fill the air. We climbed fences, ducked under cars and rushed through abandoned buildings.

There was a man coming to his parked car. Roscoe changed course, raced towards him, and pulled a machine gun out of the black duffle bag he'd been carrying around.

"DON'T EVEN TALK! Just drive before I blow your DAMN HEAD OFF!"

We got in the car and he drove. I couldn't believe what was happening.

We just forced an innocent guy to be our escape driver!

Before I could understand what was happening, my body flew forward and my face slammed into the back of the passenger's seat as the car collided with a brick wall.

Roscoe completely ignored the man who was still trapped in the car and launched from the vehicle, the rest of us sprung out and followed him into hiding behind a large truck until the ear piercing sirens caught up with us.

Then Roscoe pulled out another machine gun.

I stuttered "W-Wait-."

That's when the sound of firing bullets exploded in my ears, I crouched low, praying that I'd somehow be saved by a miracle and survive this.

As more policemen arrived, the storm intensified. Roscoe scanned the cars and instantly fired a torrent of bullets into the engines.

Kelly screamed. "ROSCOE YOU'RE SCREWED IN THE EFFING HEAD!"

The cars erupted, the violent combustion sending officers and what was left of their vehicles flying.

Roscoe fled the scene and we followed right after, not stopping until there was a peaceful silence and no sign of policemen. We settled down and rested for a bit in the back porch of an abandoned house.

I collapsed on the dusty hardwood floors, hopelessly trying my best to calm down as my blood pressure nearly hit the roof.

We had actually survived a police chase. We were wanted by the law. Nothing could change that. No story or explanation of our situation could reverse the damage.

Just being seen with Roscoe once and we were permanently labeled as criminals by the entire country.

*BWOOSH!*

"What the-."

*KABOOM!*

After what felt like seconds of sleep, we were jolted awake as the ground trembled with an explosion.

T-They actually did it?!

We kept running. We bolted through parking lots and roads as chaos unfolded around us. People scattered, pouring out of buildings and supermarkets as fire violently blazed and bled from one block onto the next.

We ducked under bridges, treked through under passes and ran again and again until we came across a sign in the evening of the next day.

It read a short greeting.

Welcome to Monica.

Roscoe peered at the small town in front of us. "We gotta find Tate! What street is this?!"

"We can't, look up!" I said, breathing heavily as my lungs seemed to get heavier.

The sound of choppers amplified ten fold from all directions as the sound of sirens blared down the streets.

"Damn BASTARDS! How the hell can they keep doing this anyways?!" Roscoe raged.

*BADOOM!*

Fire burst from the rooftops as flaming debris flew in all directions, spewing thick plumes of black smoke into the air as the once clear sky was painted with an endless black cloak and menacing red shadows. Trees and parks blazed as the fire spread across the plantation, eating away at every trace of green.

I pulled my shirt over my face and gagged as countless bodies stirred around us.

I saw a trail of white smoke appear in the sky and at one end I spotted a small plane, a tiny man fell out.

Like a flock of birds, more planes appeared and more tiny men spilled out of the planes. As they dropped like rain from the sky and got closer and closer to the small town, each tiny drop burst into a violent flame as yellow powder poured from each of the airborne crafts.

I stuttered. "T-That's-."

Kelly screamed. "SULFUR!"

Like rain and hail, sulfur and fire poured from the sky as the town blazed, causing the already devastated ruins to burn and smolder with a cringeworthy sizzle. In just seconds there was so much smoke, so much flame that I couldn't see the sun anymore. Just towering plumes of black.

And a storm of giant fireballs.

As we shielded our faces, coughing and crying uncontrollably from the fumes, I looked over to the side and caught sight of a large fence.

"Let's hide over there!"

We raced over and scaled the fence. I didn't even see what the point of running was.

How do you even escape something like this?!

The second I landed my sight locked on two familiar faces, and I felt a sense hope begin to well up while wishing and hoping that just somehow they'd be able do something and help us.

I shouted to them. "Fausto?! Kario?! Why are you guys here!?"

"We're leaving! We made it here just minutes before the attack!" Fausto started violently coughing. "We're preparing to take off!"

Thomas sent them a curious glare. "...Take off?"

"Look at the sign!" Liza yelled, pulling on his shirt. She pointed at a logo smack side of a large dome-shaped building. We were next to the landing strip of an airport.

They were both interrupted by a bright helicopter light and a blaring megaphone.

"Roscoe Moralez, Travis Kennedy, Thomas Colton, Kelly Nicholson, and Liza Jenson, GET DOWN ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES, RIGHT NOW!" An angry female voice echoed through the air.

Roscoe turned and shook Fausto.

"You're indebted to us right?! This your plane?! Get us outta here!" Roscoe said.

"B-But-." Fausto stuttered.

"Just do it! GODDAMMIT you OWE us!"

Fausto and Kario blankly gawked at us.

Kelly growled. "We don't have time for this! Let's GO!" Thomas, Kelly, Liza and I piled into the plane along with Fausto and Kario, who had already made their way to the front.

Then a shower of bullets barreled through the air, bursting with earsplitting cracks just as I climbed on board and turned my head immediately to see Roscoe plummet to the ground with a hard thud.

"ROSCOE!' Liza shouted.

"I can't move..." he said. "W-Why the hell can't I move?!"

Moved by desperation, I tried dragging him on board, gritting my teeth as I pulled with every fiber of my being.

"You can't do it! They're gonna kill all of us!" He said.

Thomas interrupted. "Yes you can! If you just-."

"No the hell he CAN'T! My LEGS GODDAMMIT, Someone shot the livin' hell outta my legs!"

"Wait!"

I turned my head to see tears streaming down Liza's face. "W-We can't go now!"

"I don't care! Just-." Roscoe's voice broke.

*BANG!*

"GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"

The shrill whirring from the jet began to roar louder and louder as the doors started to close and the engine began purring.

Fausto barked directions. "Sit down and fasten yourselves in! This could be rough!"

I looked at Roscoe laying in a bloody pool once more. He sat there, exhausted and sorrowful.

I felt myself wanting to cry a little.

My heart nearly broke through my chest and I fell back as bullets sprayed the doorway. As the door closed and shut out the chaos, I ran towards the seats and ducked low.

I peaked through the windows.

Helicopters and police were everywhere. Dogs sniffed through the wreckage as paramedics pulled pathetically weak people from under crumbled buildings while hordes of injured survivors scattered.

That's when I saw a helicopter fly out of nowhere and swoop down onto the landing strip.

Kelly winced at the sight of officers speeding towards us. "C'mon Let's get this thing in the air already!"

Kario braced himself. "Hang on!"

The plane began rolling and in seconds we were flying towards the end of the runway as the sound of bullets pounding echoed from the outside. Fausto's hand flew across the endless knobs until he took hold of the steering wheel.

Or whatever that thing's called.

And pulled back.

I stumbled and fell flat on my back as we rose above the gates, glid past the flames and through streams of ammunition, climbing higher and higher above the world below until we blasted through the thick terminal of dark clouds into the light above.

We soared miles above the chaos until the entire area became a tiny isle of black among white fluffy clouds.

Then there was silence.

It was over. We made it. We were alive.

"Where are we going?" Thomas said nervously.

"Home." Kario said.

The sun had set just beyond the horizon, painting the sky with swirls of pink and bright orange while the moon slowly took its position.

I never would have guessed that something as simple as wanting to be happy could go so wrong. There was no turning back. At that moment living ordinary lives was out of the question.

As that chapter of my life closed another one opened, and so did many more to come.