And finally, the night fell. I had forgotten what darkness was. In the city, such a thing didn't exist. Neon lights invaded every corner as if with their bright and flickering colors they wanted you to forget the darkness that lay beyond the walls. However, the Narval House and the border were different places. Honest. Raw. Skinned. Only the necessary lights to work and see what really mattered. Everything else was swallowed by the dark.

Stella, Heather, and I gathered at the entrance of the tunnels and changed into regular clothes, like the ones an outsider would wear. I picked stirrup pants and a pale blue sweater with some fake stains. I wondered who those clothes belonged to, but immediately decided it was better not to think about it too much, let alone ask.

Heather took her time, pulling out several pieces from the pile and examining them carefully. None seemed to satisfy her, which felt funny because we weren't exactly choosing clothes for a party. After discarding about a dozen, she finally settled on an old military jacket with a garnet shirt underneath and tattered jeans. I couldn't help but smirk at her struggle to decide.

"What?" she said.

I shrugged, still grinning. "Just didn't think you'd be so picky about old and borrowed clothes."

Heather rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide a smile. "If we're going to be out there, I want to feel like myself. Or as close as I can get."

"So, a military jacket makes you feel like yourself? Interesting choice, although not surprising at all." I said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

I laughed. "Come on, Heather. Tough, practical, a little bit rebellious... it suits you."

She smirked. "You're missing the important things. It's got plenty of pockets and is extremely comfy. What's not to like?"

I nodded in agreement. "Fair point. Functionality over everything."

"Exactly and the fact that it also looks great on me is just pure coincidence." She said with a grin.

Stella stared at us, arms crossed on her chest. "Are you done with the clothes, prom queens?"

We both nodded in silence, hiding our laughter. "Great, because we have a mission to focus on." She said.

"All set." Tom's voice crackled from the walkie-talkie Stella held.

"Copy that. All set here too." Stella replied, then switched to channel 2. "Beverly, what's the status?"

Beverly was already inside the tunnels, ready to drive the SUV when the moment came. Tom and Brooke were at the gates, with the drones that would pave our way out.

"SUV's ready for the grand entrance, let's get this show on the road." Beverly replied.

"Great, let's move," Stella said. "Oh, hold on, nearly forgot." She extended her hand, palm up to us.

Heather and I observed her confused.

"The Reg Bracelets. Take them off." She ordered.

"Why?" I asked.

"You wouldn't want to cross over with those on your wrist, would you?" Stella replied.

"But without them, we won't have contact with anyone from the Reg Society." I said.

"Exactly. Why do you think we're the elite team? If an outsider sees our bracelets we are all dead." Stella said.

Heather unfastened her Reg Bracelet and then suddenly stopped, her eyes reflective.

"All good?" I asked her.

"Yeah." She fully removed the bracelet. "Just realized I've never taken this off before."

She caressed her now bare wrist.

"And how does it feel?" I asked.

She pondered the answer for a couple of seconds.

"Awkwardly liberating," she replied, eyes locked on her wrist.

I gave her a reassuring gaze. "I know that feeling. I felt something similar when I left the other side. Like stepping out of a cage that has been both a safety net and a prison." 

Heather nodded slowly, digesting my words. We all shed our bracelets and Stella tucked them into a small, reinforced box.

Suddenly, her walkie-talkie crackled to life. "Hey, what's taking so long? You gotta move inside." It was Beverly's voice.

"Got it." Stella replied then gazed at us. "Let's go."

As we descended into the tunnels, a musty smell hit me, and my lungs tightened. Why was the air so thick in here? I struggled to breathe, my chest locking up. It felt like my body remembered this place, and of course, not in a good way.

All of us were silent, the echo of our footsteps the only sound. A flickering light cast eerie shadows on the walls, illuminating the control room door. Memories flooded my mind like a sudden rush of waves at the beach. 

Heather walked ahead of me, unwavering, confident in herself. It seemed like nothing could faze her. How could she be so calm when every part of me was shaking? It was surreal, being back in this spot where everything went down. I couldn't help but wonder if Heather was feeling it too. Was she simmering with anger or maybe... hurting a little?

A few meters away, we found the SUV, with Beverly in the driver's seat. It looked just like I remembered from my days on the other side – a four-wheeled vehicle, slightly taller than usual, designed that way to avoid contact with the acid rain on the ground. Beverly had even modified it to resemble the vehicles on the other side. Dirt stains, worn-out stickers, rusty lenses—she had done a great job. We needed to divert as much attention away from us as possible.

"Let's kick off the ladies' party, come on inside." Beverly shouted, popping out from the driver's seat window.

We hopped in, Stella taking the co-pilot seat and Heather and I settling in behind.

"Tom, Brooke, at your orders," Beverly said over the walkie-talkie, then she turned on the SUV. The headlights illuminated the emptiness ahead.

Tom's voice crackled through the walkie-talkie. "Drones sent. Waiting for confirmation of the arrival at their destination."

"Copy that," Beverly responded. Then, she turned to us. "You two good back there? You're awfully quiet."

"Thrilled. This is my dream trip. A cozy SUV ride through dark, ominous tunnels." I said ironically.

Beverly smiled. "Right? Who needs sunshine and fresh air when you have the delightful aroma of musty tunnels?" Then turned to Heather. "What about you?"

"I can hardly contain my excitement." She said.

"That's what I like to hear," Beverly turned back to the wheel. "Security Master, give it a punch," she said to Stella showing her fist. 

"Seriously?" She said raising an eyebrow. 

"As serious as we're not gonna eat warm tonight."

I chuckled and glanced at Heather, who couldn't contain a smile. Stella bumped fists with Beverly, who made an explosion sound.

"Drones arrival confirmed. Detonation made for distraction. You have a clear way." Tom said through the walkie-talkie.

"Come on, ladies! Let's go!" Beverly shouted, pressing the accelerator. Then she turned on the SUV's radio, and to my surprise, it worked. Heavy metal music blared loudly.

"Are you mad?" Heather said immediately.

"What? I can't hear you!" Beverly shouted back.

"Turn that down!" Stella said.

"What? No! It took me three hours to repair the radio. Besides, we need to cheer up the atmosphere." Beverly said, dancing and driving at the same time.

"Know what?" I yelled over the music. "I agree!" Beverly looked at me through the rearview mirror, smiling satisfied.

"Well said Grace! Two against two, and my vote counts twice because I'm driving," Beverly said, grinning. "You can choose the next song if you want." She glanced at Stella, who just rolled her eyes.

Heather chuckled, and I couldn't help but smile. The tension in the air eased a little as we sped down the tunnels, which were marked by colors. Each one representing the distance from where we were to the other side. Whenever we spotted a new color, we had to notify Tom and Brooke so they knew our position. Eventually, we would reach a point where we would be too far to maintain the signal, meaning we'd be nearing the end of the tunnel. Stella took charge of keeping everyone informed.

"Green color, copy." Stella said.

"Copy." Tom said.

The tunnel turned out to be way longer than I thought. Dark and narrow like a dungeon. I felt like we'd been sucked into a dang wormhole.

"Purple, copy." Stella continued.

"Copy." Tom said.

Heather stared out the window, lost in her thoughts, one hand resting on her bare wrist. She looked so different in regular clothes. You'd never guess she had anything to do with the Reg Society. I couldn't help but wonder how things would have been if we'd met on the other side. What kind of person would she be?

"White, copy." Stella said.

Silence.

"White, copy." Stella repeated.

No answer.

"We are close." Heather said.

Suddenly a light at the end of the tunnel shined towards us.

"Ready, ladies? Say bye-bye to this wall." Beverly said, waving her hand.

A minute later, a sudden burst of light momentarily blinded us. As I blinked my eyes open, I saw two large lamps illuminating the end of the tunnel amidst the darkness of the night. Beverly slowed down, and Stella turned off the music, her attention fixed on the window. We couldn't see much, the wall was surrounded by at least five kilometers of desolate land. Heather glanced toward the rear window, where tiny silver lights denoted the presence of the wall, now fading into the distance as we moved away.

"According to the coordinates, we need to take a gravel road; it should be about ten kilometers west." Stella said, peering at the only device we had brought with us: a small coordinates keeper displaying our position relative to the destination.

"Let me see." Heather said, and Stella passed the device to her. I moved closer to get a look as well.

"We should avoid going in the same direction for too long. It's better if we switch every twenty minutes or so, so we're not too predictable." I suggested.

"That's a good idea." Heather agreed.

"It's too dark now. We'll stick to the route until we have light, and then we can start zigzagging." Stella said.

"What's that?" Beverly interrupted, peering through the rearview mirror. Heather and I both turned to look; a small red point of light glimmered behind us.

"Shit!" I blurted out. "Step on it, Beverly!" I yelled.

Just then, a shot pierced the SUV, shattering the rear window glass.

"Get down!" Heather yelled, pushing me towards the floor of the seat.

"What the hell!" Beverly shouted, flooring the accelerator.

A car was following us, getting closer at each passing moment.

"Who the hell are they?!" I exclaimed.

"Definitely not friends." Heather said.

A shot struck the back of the car. That was so close. Heather and I huddled together behind the seat.

"It's gonna reach us!" Stella said.

"We need to throw them off our trail," I said moving closer to Beverly. "Veer down that slope! There's a forest nearby!"

Beverly immediately obeyed, wrenching the steering wheel and sending us careening down the slope.

"Watch out for the trees!" Stella yelled.

"Trees or bullets, take your pick!" Beverly yelled back.

In a swift motion, Heather grabbed one of the backpacks from the back of the car and took out a laser gun.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"What does it look like? Taking care of those assholes." She replied, positioning her laser gun on the edge of the seat and aiming carefully. But before she could pull the trigger, another shot pierced the car.

"Watch it!" I yelled at Heather, pushing her down again.

Heather squirmed away from my grip. "We have to risk it!" She said.

The SUV jolted and shook, crashing through bushes and rocks.

"Beverly, we need to lose them." Stella said.

"I'm doing my best, but I barely see where I'm going!" Beverly exclaimed.

"I'm gonna kill them." Heather said, placing her gun again on the edge of the seat.

"Hang on! We can't see them inside. Let's aim for the wheels instead!" I said while taking the other laser gun from the backpack.

Heather nodded. "Alright! We'll do it together. You target the right wheel, and I'll aim for the left." She said.

"Just do it, but do it now!" Stella yelled.

"Beverly, ease up on the gas a bit!" I said.

"Are you nuts?" Beverly exclaimed.

"We need them closer for a better shot!" Heather explained.

"Okay, okay!" Beverly agreed, backing off the gas pedal as the other vehicle closed in on us.

"Ready?" Heather said locking eyes on me.

"Let's take out that car!" I replied, the lights of the other vehicle nearly blinding us.

"3, 2, 1, now!" Heather yelled, and we both fired.

They were two perfectly synchronized and precise shots. The car swerved wildly, its tires deflated. We got it.

"Nice shot!" Beverly exclaimed.

Heather and I looked at each other, satisfied. I had forgotten how stunning she looked when she was proud, her eyes sparkling. 

"Watch out!" Stella yelled.

A huge tree appeared before us, and Beverly dodged it with a sharp turn that lifted the car onto two wheels.

"We're gonna flip!" Stella shouted.

Beverly slammed on the brakes, but the car was out of control and flipped three times, leaving us rolling inside, until a tree finally stopped us.

Everything turned black. My head was spinning, my neck hurt, and pressure was building in my brain. I couldn't breathe. I coughed. Voices of despair around me, but I couldn't move. I forced my eyes open. Damn it. We were upside down. 

Author's note: 

Hello lovely reader! 💖 Thanks for being here with me. 

I enjoyed a lot writing this chapter, it was so fun to build the interactions between the four of them. But it seems like the mission didn't kick off on the right foot. Are you the adventurous type who would go on a risky mission without thinking twice? As for me, even though I love writing about wild adventures, I'm not exactly reckless, hahaha. I guess that's why fiction is so great, right? What about you?

Thanks a bunch for reading, you're awesome!

Ava 💫