Jade's body trembled in my arms. "How are we gonna get through this?"

"Sshh." My hands caressed her exposed shoulders. "We're going to do whatever we have to. The first step is staying alive."

She looked up at me, her eyes filled with uncertainty and fear. I pressed my forehead against hers, feeling the warmth of her breath against my lips. "We have each other," I whispered, my voice steady and reassuring. "We'll find a way."

Jade nodded, her grip on me tightening as if afraid to let go. "I don't want to lose you." Her murmur caused a lump to form in my throat.

"You won't," I promised, pulling her even closer. "We'll survive this. Together."

In that moment, the world outside ceased to exist. It was just us, clinging to each other in the dim light, finding solace in our shared strength and determination. The future was uncertain, but as long as we had each other, we knew together we could face whatever came next.

Jade and I slowly separated, but the bond between us remained strong. As we moved to clean the blood from the wooden floor, our glances conveyed the emotions words couldn't express.

The floor was covered in straw, which made the task more difficult. The straw absorbed the blood, but it also made the stains more visible.

We worked in silence, using the straw to soak up the blood and kicking the bloodied straw into the crude hole that acted as the safe house toilet. Most of the blood had seeped through the uneven cracks of the floorboards, but what remained was considerable and enough to keep a heaviness in the atmosphere.

Jade's eyes met mine frequently, seeking reassurance. I would nod subtly, offering a small smile, trying to convey that we were doing the right thing, that we were in this together.

As we worked, the grim reality of our situation hung heavy in the air, but those fleeting moments of eye contact and the gentle brushes of our hands as we moved brought a strange sense of comfort.

The blood was stubborn, seeping into the wood and straw, a stark reminder of the life that was just lost. Jade's hand trembled slightly as she swiped a bead of sweat from her neck, and I reached out, placing my hand over hers to steady it. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with gratitude and fear. I squeezed her hand gently before letting go, and we continued our grim task.

We finished by covering the stained floorboards with fresh straw since the worst of the blood was gone. The remnants of bloodied straw in the corner were a gruesome testament to the violence and loss we had endured. We stood up, our faces smeared with sweat and dirt, but there was a renewed sense of determination between us.

Jade leaned into me, her head resting on my shoulder, and I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. We stayed like that for a moment, finding relief in each other's presence. The world outside was a nightmare, but within the confined space, we found a flicker of hope in each other.

"When we get out of here, I'm taking you to get proper ice cream," I whispered in her ear.

"A real date?" she whispered back, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

I nodded, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "A real date," I confirmed.

She looked up at me, her eyes shimmering with a mixture of fear and longing. "I'd like that," she said softly and carefully removed my crescent blade and brass brace, dropping it to the floor.

Without thinking, I leaned down, my lips meeting hers in a gentle, lingering kiss. Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer, and the pent-up tension in her body melted away. The kiss deepened, and all the fear and uncertainty faded, replaced by a warmth that spread through both of us.

We slowly sank to the floor, the straw crunching beneath us as our hands explored each other with newfound urgency. The world outside ceased to exist as we lost ourselves in the moment, the connection between us growing stronger with every touch, every kiss.

Jade's fingers tangled in my hair like the stray fragments of hay. Her heartbeat thumped against my chest, steady and sure. I ignored the stinging in my hand and carefully traced the curve of her back, pulling her even closer. We moved together, our breaths mingling, our bodies seeking comfort and passion in each other.

In that moment, amidst the chaos and danger of the world around us, we found a brief, intimate escape. It was a promise of something more, a beacon of hope that we clung to as we held each other close, refusing to let go.

I pulled the denim straps of her overalls from her shoulders, exposing her smooth skin and bra beneath. My lips traced the valley between her breasts, savoring the warmth of her body. Fully aware of the possibility of millions of eyes on us, I kept her modest and teased her through the fabric of her black bra, feeling her respond to my touch.

She gasped softly, her breath hitching as I continued to explore her sensitive bud with my lips and tongue. Her hands moved between us, finding my hidden zipper below. As she tugged it down, I let out a whimper of anticipation. I sighed in pleasure as the sensation of her fingers sinking in sent waves of desire through my body.

Her touch was both gentle and persistent, and heat quickly built between us. I kissed her deeply. Our moist tongues entwines as we lost ourselves in each other. Her hands worked skillfully, exploring me with a mix of curiosity and confidence that left me breathless.

My hands roamed her body, sliding beneath the fabric of her bra to caress her bare skin. She moaned softly against my lips, her body arching into my touch. The connection between us was electric, a powerful force that drove us closer together.

Her fingers caressed rhythmically, drawing out gasps and moans that I couldn't suppress. The urgency of our desire was obvious, a raw, unfiltered expression of the hunger and escapism that had been building between us.

Our entwined bodies moved together as we got to fulfill the deep yearning that had consumed us. Every touch, every kiss was confirmation of our connection, a promise that we would fight for each other no matter what.

The intensity of our movements grew, our breaths quickening in unison. Jade's fingers worked expertly, drawing out shivers of pleasure that radiated through my entire body. Tension built within me, a wave of ecstasy that was impossible to hold back.

Her soft moans and the way her body responded to my touch only heightened the sensations. I continued to kiss and caress her, every stroke and every kiss driving us closer to the edge. The room around us faded into the background, the grief, fear, anger, and pain went with it. All that existed was the connection between us, the shared passion that consumed us both.

With a final, breathless moan, a wave of ecstasy crashed over me. My body tensed, shuddering with a force. Jade's own release followed, her body trembling against mine as she cried out softly. The intensity of the moment left us both gasping for breath, our bodies entwined and trembling in the aftermath.

For a few moments, we simply held each other, our hearts pounding in sync. The world outside the safe house existed in that moment as a distant memory, the danger and fear temporarily forgotten in the comfort of our shared intimacy. Slowly, our breaths began to steady, and I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"We'll get through this," I whispered, my voice filled with a newfound determination. "Together."

She nodded, a small, satisfied smile playing on her lips. "Together."

As we lay there, tangled in each other's arms, the bond between us felt unbreakable. No matter what challenges lay ahead, we knew we had each other, and that was enough to give us the strength to face whatever came next.

A few minutes passed when I realized Millie and Spencer were still out. "Should we be worried that they haven't come back yet?"

"They need time to properly bury him." Jade stood and stretched before running her hand down her clothes and through her messy ringlets, a subconscious attempt to groom herself.

"Without any tools, I would use the mounds of straw," I said. "Maybe that's what they're doing."

"And getting a lay of the land too, remember."

The speakers crackled to life and the TV powered on. Footage of Millie and Spencer doing just that was captured onscreen. Millie kept an eye out while Spencer used his hands to move the straw from a nearby mound.

I couldn't help but notice the convenient coincidence of receiving an almost immediate answer to my question. "Someone, possibly Tobias, is feeding us information through the TVs." It was obvious now. I glanced around the room, wondering if Tobias had somehow obtained access to cameras from the control room and was watching everything we were doing in real time.

Did privacy even matter anymore?

Three knocks at the door interrupted my thoughts. The knuckles on the wood were spaced out with one-second pauses that didn't mimic how a person would knock.

"Millie?" Jade called out.

I pressed my finger to my lips. "Sshh. That's not Millie."

There was no follow-up. No one answered Jade's call or continued to knock.

"I think it's the Piper." I tiptoed to the door. "Who is it?" I called out and waited for a response. When there was none, I knocked three times on the door with my knuckle, mimicking what I'd heard.

The three knocks tapped on the door again, followed by a low, muffled whisper, "Knock on wood when you're ready to pay the Piper."

An ice-cold chill ran down my spine.