PROLOGUE
"all war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal."
- john steinbeck

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     The sound of boots falling heavily on the soil was what pulled Dylan back into consciousness.

     Heavy breathing, birds chirping, a river rushing. Every little sound was enough for her to want to scream for everyone to shut up. Her head was hurting like hell, every sound threatening to penetrate her skull like needles. The last time she had felt this type of headache was when she had snatched some moonshine on the Ark and gotten drunk with Murphy. But this wasn't the Ark, and whoever was carrying her right now, was certainly not Murphy.

     Dylan forced her eyes open despite the blinding sunlight glaring into her eyes. She winced, groaned loudly, but refused to close her eyes. Instead, she squinted and settled for several blinks. Whoever was carrying her let out a loud breath of relief, peering down at her.

     When her eyes finally adjusted to the light, her eyes landed on the grounder that was currently carrying her. A loud scream ripped through the air when she realized, and out of instinct she kicked whoever it was. He hunched over due to the pain while Dylan tumbled to the ground, yelling at the sudden pain.

     Still, she didn't give up. Instead, she clawed away from him, gritting her teeth. "Get the hell away from me or you'll regret it!" Dylan growled, her intended to be threatening voice cracking, giving away to how vulnerable she really was. A deep chuckle caused her eyes to widen, followed by a voice.

     "What're you going to do?"

     Dylan threw her body around, eyes locking on him. Tall as ever, broad shoulders and that damned grin. Dylan couldn't believe her eyes. Lincoln was standing infront of her, a grin on display, his hood and mask pulled off. Dylan was never the sentimental type, but she couldn't help the tears threatening to fall at the sight of him.

     "Linc!" She cried out, scrambling to her feet. Surprising both herself and him, Dylan threw herself at him. He stumbled slightly, but once he regained balance, he wrapped his strong arms around her waist, hugging her as close as possible. Dylan took a deep breath, nostrils filling with his woody scent.

     "I'm so fucking happy your alive." She breathed once she had pulled away. Dylan kept him at arms length, eyes searching his face and body for any visible signs of injury. She did a double check before she was satisfied, pulling him into yet another hug. He's alive. This meant that Dylan hadn't lost everyone. She still had him. If he was alive, could that mean that there was a chance that the others were too? Clarke, Octavia, Jasper, Finn, Raven or Bellamy? The Kane girl had to know.

     "We need to get going." Lincoln quickly stated, pulling her along by her hand. Dylan halted, her hand slipping from his. Lincoln shot her a confused look. "If we want to reach the ocean by nightfall we need to keep moving."

     "Where are the others? Are they okay?" The dark haired girl queried. For some reason, Dylan couldn't remember much about the battle, or how she even survived. All she remembered was grounders being murdered everywhere, Clarke and the others disappearing into the drop ship and. . . They blasted off. That must mean that they were alive, she decided. A spark of hope was ignited inside her soul at the thought.

     "You were knocked out, I grabbed you and made a run for it. Dyl— it's a miracle that we're even alive!" Lincoln explained, stepping closer to her. Her eyebrows were knotted up togheter. No, they have to be alive. They are alive. I know it. She looked up at him, confusion written on her face. "Dyl, we need to leave. Tristan was still alive when I left. He could be tailing us which is why we need to hurry."

     His voice sounded urgent. Dylan wanted to listen, she wanted to run away to the ocean with him and never look back. A happy ending. . . But this was earth, and earth wasn't a place for happily ever afters. Old Dylan wouldn't think twice about running away like a coward. But that wasn't who she was anymore, so she pulled her hands away from him, shaking her head. The faces of her friends— no, her family, haunted her mind. She needed to make sure they were alive, they would have done the same for her.

     "I'm sorry Lincoln, but I can't. I have to find them." Her words clawed at her own heart, every word tugging at her heart as she watched his expression fall. Dylan made an attempt at offering him a reassuring smile, but it was terribly obvious how it was faltering.  "We'll see each other again. I promise."

     "And if not?"

     "There is no 'if not'." Dylan confidently answered. "But if not. . ."

     She stood on her very toes, her formerly soft hands finding either side of his face, the girl pulled him closer, closer than ever before. A thousand thoughts whirled in her mind as she tugged him closer, all of them repeating the same sentence over and over. She wasn't not going to make the same mistake agian. Not this time. So she pressed her lips passionately against his, the feeling causing butterflies to erupt in the very pit of her stomach. She could feel it flip at their close proximity, every cell in her body screaming in agreement. It didn't take long for him to fall into sync with her, his lips moving just as lovingly and lustfully as hers. His lips were softer then she had ever imagined, yet rough all at the same time. Hers tasted just as sweet as he had dreamt they would, so sweet it reminded him of the most tranquil water stream. Lincoln had never felt this way before. Her lips felt like the sun dancing across the water, warm and mesmerizing. Neither of them ever wanted to let go of one another as they melted into one soul.

Unwillingly, Dylan pulled away. Her forehead rested against his as her eyes searched his darker ones. Every fiber of her being exclaimed for her to remain this close to him forever, her heart demanding it. Wether it was her heart speaking, she didn't know, but something about pulling away from him left her with a horrible feeling clawing at her soul. But alas, she pulled away, her once vulnerable self hardening. And just like that, she searched her mind for something to say, the only words coming to mind goofy and cringe, yet she still spoke them;

     "See ya later, alligator."

     Lincoln remained glued to his spot, eyes wide as he watched the Kane girl disappear into the thick forest, blending in before she was no longer visible. The frown etched on his lips made it evident what he was feeling. And that's when he decided.

Watching her walk away from him was something he could never grow accustomed to.

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