A/N: Artwork for this chapter is at the end!

"Get on that fucking horse." The command is a whip, jarring in the unsettling quiet that suffocates the Commons.

"Sam," Galya murmurs at Sam's side, Alicia watching the whole ordeal with a raised brow. Sam's hand shakes as she rubs at her temple, the dark circles under her eyes not doing anything to reassure Alicia that this journey will be a success. "He doesn't want to go." The boy trembles beneath Sam's gaze, unable to look at her.

"None of us want to go, Galya, but no one is volunteering."

Alicia glances at the people around her. The people of the Commons have gathered in the mud of the street, waiting for someone to save them. Many believe this is the end of days, many believe that nothing they do will stop this. The gods have forsaken them. Alicia doesn't care for the gods but she does care for innocent lives.

Oliver lights a cigarette and inhales deeply before blowing the smoke to the sky, somehow unaffected by the scene before him, thumb tracing over the golden pocket watch in his palm, always looking at the time, knowing every second is one closer to the Greys reaching their walls.

She's reminded of their conversation the other day and how he hasn't made an effort to hide how he now stares at her. He looks at her like he's trying to unravel her, pull apart her pieces and inspect every piece until he understands it. Alicia revealed too much, she let him peek at her hand and now he wants to see more.

But it worked, she can't find it within herself to regret it.

Many people watch the three of them—Sam, Galya, and Oliver—but none want to travel beyond the walls towards the herd that advances with each breath taken.

"When did you all become such cowards?" Sam steps forward, away from the calm of Galya. "We're exiles, we were sent out here to die, and now you're afraid of death? How many times have you cheated death? How many times has the Reaper ran away from you?"

"This is how we save the Commons," Galya speaks up, eyes steadily watching Sam as she addresses the people. "This is how we keep our home safe. If we do nothing, then we all die. None of you are the type of people who sit and watch others fight for you. So, who's going to help save the only home they have anymore?"

"I'll go," Alicia calls, the words nearly getting stuck in her throat but she forces them out. She wanted to lead the Greys away from the Commons and the capital, so she may as well be part of it. She pushes through the crowd, straightening her shoulders as many turn to look at her. "I'll help in whatever way I can."

Sam studies her for a long moment, the events of the last time Alicia was beyond the Commons with her flashing within the princess' eyes. Alicia's hesitation nearly got the woman killed and she's not going to forget such a slight any time soon. But Sam still nods, giving Alicia her blessing.

Alicia goes to Oliver who picks up one of the rifles leaning against the cart and offers it to her. Alicia hesitates for long enough that he raises a brow. Sighing, she takes the rifle, the weight foreign, yet familiar.

"You load the bullets—" he begins but Alicia's jaw tenses as she cocks the lever-action rifle before aiming down the sight, leaning her shoulder into it, getting a feel for the weapon as it's been years since she last held one. "You've shot before."

Alicia glances at Oliver, lowering the weapon. "Every girl with two older brothers partly raised on a farm learns how to shoot bottles off a fence. It's how I earned my lunch money until they figured out to stop betting against me."

The smile that stretches across his lips lights a spark in his eyes that has heat blooming in Alicia's chest. "I won't make a habit of betting against you then."

"Well," Alicia replies, slinging the strap of the rifle across her shoulder. "It has been a few years, so we'll see how I hold up. Might be worth betting." Alicia takes the black belt of bullets he offers and wraps them around her hips as she moves to the horses. She brushes her hand along the chestnut flank of one of the animals as Sam continues to organise her people.

"Hey there," she murmurs to the horse who huffs a breath, nuzzling the hand she offers. "We have quite a journey ahead, girl, you up for it?" The horse pushes against Alicia's hand, deep brown eyes studying her. If they didn't need the animals, Alicia would insist on leaving them within the walls. The Grey Bloods terrify the strongest of souls, she can't even imagine what these peaceful creatures think of such monsters. Alicia just sighs and steps back, steeling her resolve for the task ahead, knowing there's no turning back.

This is the path and the home she chose when she exiled herself, the least she can do is protect it. And make certain that Sam doesn't decide to lead the herd to the capital.

"Anyone else?" Sam is asking, the group of people who have volunteered having grown after Alicia stepped forward. Each take rifles from Oliver and jump onto the carts filled with barrels, horses shifting in anticipation. "Keep the walls secure." She turns and her dark eyes meet Alicia's. "You're with me." Sam turns, hoisting herself onto the cart. The princess grip the reins as Alicia pulls herself up next to her.

Oliver and Galya take the others, and with nods of assurance, they split ways beyond the walls, carts rattling as eyes watch their departure. They leave their people behind in a cloud of dust and nervous murmurings.

Their plan is simple. Alicia is told they've done similar things before, a common strategy to draw Greys away from places they wish to scavenge or paths they need to take. Noise attracts the Grey Bloods like crows to a corpse. The barrels on the cart behind them are filled with black powder, enough for an explosion that could very well kill them both if they're not careful. But Alicia's thankful that she's not alone, Sam's gaze is tired but firm as she scours the trees around them. The girl whips the reins, sitting forward and narrowing her gaze.

Alicia glances at the map at her side, crosses and paths crudely drawn onto the surface. They each have their goals, their roads to take. She touches the watch that trembles on top of the map and feels it ticking like a heartbeat, counting down the seconds. There's no turning it back. There's no more time to waste.

There's a plan, even though Alicia knows Oliver would have curled a lip at it, he still set the watches and stared them each in the eye and told them to make the final shot count. He'd met her eye and told her without words that it's because of her this herd—this army of the dead—will go to waste.

She refuses to feel guilty about it.

"Oliver has given everyone repeating rifles," Alicia observes, "a gun worth twenty men. Are you expecting to have to shoot through the herd?"

"No," Sam says. "But not everyone is a good shot, at least with these they can shoot twenty more times."

Alicia manages a smile at that, remembering Adrian's poor marksmanship and how Kieran would laugh as his eight-year-old sister bested him with a revolver. Adrian was quick to get his hands on a repeater when they first saw one in the window of a shop just before the war. Alicia's smile fades when she remembers the lashing he received from their ma when he came home with the stolen weapon.

"How long until we need to get there?" Alicia asks, dragging herself from her thoughts, her hands suddenly damp even with the chill. She digs into her satchel, needing to do something with her hands.

"Two hours," Sam replies on a breath, blinking hard as Alicia pulls a pair of dark leather gloves from her bag, some of the last items of clothing she managed to take with her from the capital. Alicia frowns at Sam, studying her more closely, the red in her gaze a deeply concerning thing. Her eyes droop and Alicia mutters a swear.

"Give me the reins, Sam," Alicia orders, pulling on her gloves before offering a hand. The girl blinks, looking at her as though she forgot Alicia was right beside her. Alicia gestures to the reins. "You look exhausted and I don't want to ask when you last slept." Sam simply sighs and hands over the reins to Alicia without argument. She watches Sam crawl into the back of the cart with the barrels beneath the canvas, resting her head on her arm as she lays down.

Alicia focuses her gaze ahead and wills her fortitude to not fail her, even as she hopes she won't need to use the gun at her back.

The forest is quiet one moment, only the rattle of the cart and the horse's hooves echoing in the still air. Then the first Grey stumbles into Alicia's path. They manage to avoid it, Alicia glancing back at the shambling figure, only to turn back around to find more lurching onto the road.

She lets out a swear, grips the reins and tugs them to the right, the horse narrowly avoiding the Grey that reaches for them.

"Sam!" Alicia shouts, her eyes widening as she sees more of the creatures in the trees.

They've only been riding for a little over an hour, they shouldn't have reached the herd yet. Alicia curses as she whips the reins, urging the horse to go faster so the Greys can't grab a hold of them.

Alicia sees a fork in the road and manages a quick glance down at the map, Oliver's lines telling her where to go. But as she looks up and towards the right she can only suck in a sharp breath as the Grey Bloods turn their milky gazes to her upon her approach. They block the path, a thick cluster of them that she has no way of getting through. Alicia yanks the reins, the horse whinnying in protest as she takes the animal towards the left, the cart shuddering violently.

They take a different course to what they've planned and Alicia's stomach lurches with the cart.

"Sam! Get up!" The desperation in her voice sickens her.

"Shit." Alicia looks back as the girl curses, Sam scrambling to her feet, rocking unsteadily as the cart jumps. Greys reach for them, hands clawing, eager to satisfy their hunger, surrounding their cart as they continue to speed through the forest.

"They must have split from the herd," Alicia calls as Sam pulls her gun from her belt, leaning on barrels of black powder to inch her way to where Alicia struggles to keep the horse moving.

"Don't stop," Sam orders as she climbs beside her, gun aiming ahead of them as she pulls the hammer back.

"I wasn't planning on it," Alicia snaps back, whipping the reins with a cry, eyes darting over the Greys that stumble for them, shadows of them moving within the trees.

"We can't get stuck here. How long until we reach our point?"

"We've veered off course, so it's anyone's guess," Alicia manages to say between breaths before Sam narrows her gaze, squeezing the trigger. The bullet tears through a Grey ahead of them, forcing the stumbling figure from their path with a spray of dark blood.

Sam only manages to mutter another curse in response, clutching the cart as they lurch over a Grey. Sam glances back at the barrels while Alicia's gaze goes to the horse, the mare's panicked cry causing Alicia's palms to dampen within her gloves.

"We can't stay like this, Sam."

"We're still moving away from the Commons," Sam declares, her gaze on the dwindling sun, stars already beginning to litter the darkening sky. She twists back around.

"There are more of them ahead," Alicia says, her eyes widening as her chest fills with the familiar ache of terror.

Alicia was willing to throw her life away for the people of Muovea, why not for the people of the Commons too? All she knows is she has to lead this herd away, no matter what.

But Sam doesn't give her such an option of self-sacrifice.

"Get on the horse," Sam orders, loud enough to be heard over the wind rushing in their ears and the throaty growls of the Greys around them, beckoning them closer to the Reaper's den.

"Sam—" Alicia starts, watching the girl shove her revolver into her belt and reach for the reins.

"Now!" Sam's voice makes Alicia flinch. Sam takes the reins from her forcibly. Alicia suddenly sees why her people follow her as Alicia does as she's told, scrambling forward, making a clumsy jump onto the horse's back. She clambers until she's sitting up, trying to soothe the animal as the mare bucks.

Alicia looks back at Sam just in time to see her leap for the horse. Alicia grips the girl's shirt, dragging her onto the horse behind Alicia. Sam whips out a blade from her boot and cuts at the leather tethering the horse to the cart. Alicia doesn't question it, instead gripping the horse's long reins, hoping for a damn miracle.

The leather snaps and wood cracks as Sam kicks away the tug. The horse lurches as the cart breaks away from her, hooves digging into dirt with a burst of speed, the Greys stumbling as they crash through them.

Alicia squeezes the horse's sides with her thighs, urging the animal onward as Sam pulls her revolver back out again, taking aim. Alicia can only look back, waiting for her to make the shot.

But the girl hesitates, her hands shaking as she squints.

Alicia grits her teeth and twists around, swinging her own rifle up, keeping one hand tangled in the reins as she squints down the barrel, her muscles straining with the weight of the weapon in one hand. It isn't something she hasn't done before.

There's a moment, a single moment when everything is clear before her. The Greys part, the world around her falls away, her dark hair a gentle wave around her face. She sees the cart, barrels spilling from the back as it collides with the Greys. Kathryn is a calming voice in her ear, telling her to breathe out as she squeezes the trigger, a firm hand against her elbow keeping her aim steady, confidence radiating from her. The woman taught her how to shoot, not realising what Alicia would later use it for.

Alicia squeezes the trigger as she lets out her breath, the shot ringing in her skull. Sam nearly drops her gun from the shock of it, ducking quickly. Then there's a cracking boom that splits the forest. Fire erupts, unfurling like a rose in bloom. It devours the Greys and the forest around it. Sam wraps her arms around her head as Alicia lowers the rifle and urges the mare into a sprint once more. Alicia's eyes sting with either the wind or the memories that surface; she doesn't care to think about it in this moment.

The horse keeps moving and the fire burns hotter, turning the sights of all the Greys to its inferno.

The wind whistles in her ears as they break away from the cluster of the monsters, the trees whipping past them, the explosions of black powder dying behind them.

Alicia keeps her sight ahead even as she feels Sam's gaze piercing her neck.

"You didn't tell me you could shoot," Sam says over the wind, her tone breathless.

Alicia clenches her jaw. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me." She hopes to keep it that way.

Stunning artwork done by the very talented Andreia Ugrai over on DeviantArt