Not a word emerges from either of our lips. He has his eyes fixed on the road as he drives, and I’m staring mindlessly out the window. I decide to turn up the music to cover up the odd silence.

I’m singing to a song on the radio, rather enjoying myself, and he starts laughing. I turn to look at him and ask, “What the hell is so funny?”

A playful grin appears on his face as he says, “You sound like shit.”

“Good, so I’m succeeding at my attempt to annoy you.” I begin singing louder, and he turns the music up to drown me out.

I turn it down and continue to sing loudly which starts a battle. I turn it down; he turns it up; I sing louder and turn it down again. I’m laughing so hard my eyes begin to water. He laughs too, and I wonder how he is paying attention to the road. Our laughter finally subsides, but he continues to smile.

“I have a confession to make,” he says as he moves his thumb back and forth across his lips. “I have no clue where I’m going.”

I laugh and realize where we are. “We are on the opposite side of town. Definitely not where we are supposed to be.”

He laughs and parks in a gas station parking lot. “Do you want to drive?” I nod my head, and we get out to switch places.

As I’m driving, I ask, “Should we look at other apartments or a house to rent?”

“That is up to you and Sage.”

I hand him my cell phone and ask him to text Sage to ask her what she wants. She texts back and says she doesn’t care. I prefer a house, so I start driving around neighborhoods that have places to rent.

I’m looking at houses and having Plath write the numbers down. “Oh, I like this one. What about you?” I ask him.

“Yeah, that one is-” He looks in the side mirror and sits up straighter. “Orion, we need to get out of here.”

I immediately look out the rearview mirror and notice a car behind us. “Well, shit. Where do you want me to go?”

“Just keep driving. We can either fight them in a public place or somewhere else. But, regardless, we are going to have to fight them.” Just as he says the last word, a bullet smashes through the back glass and through the windshield.

“Dammit!” I slam the vehicle into park, and as if on cue, Plath and I jump out of the vehicle with our guns in hand.

Three Sphere Hunters stalk towards Plath and me. I lock my sight in on one in particular. He has his hooded eyes fixated on me, eager for blood. My mouth curves into a wicked grin as I contemplate his death. I see he only has a knife and smile wider, knowing this will be an easy kill. I bring my gun into a threatening position, steadying it with my other hand and aim it directly at his heart. I shoot with perfect aim. I watch blood spill from his chest as his tall body plummets to the ground. I hear Plath shoot and watch another Hunter fall to the ground. People are rushing out of their homes and frantically talking on their phones.

“Plath, we have to hurry!” I say through a clenched jaw, motioning my head towards the bystanders.

I look around, trying to find the last one. I know I saw three of them! Plath and I are standing back to back, moving our heads from side to side, scanning the area.

“There was a third, right?” I ask over my shoulder. My chest is moving rapidly from my ragged breathing.

“Yes,” Plath replies. He starts walking. I stand in the same spot, gun aimed and ready.

I start to give up because we are running out of time, but then I see him. I’m about to scream at Plath to look out, but I’m too late. The Hunter is already making his way over to him and fast. Plath notices and quickly turns around. He points his gun without hesitation, killing the last of them.

I notice I’m standing next to the vehicle they were in, and I peek inside before I run back to my car. Plath is yelling at me to hurry, but I notice something familiar. I fall to the ground when I see what I least expected. I start shaking uncontrollably and can’t make my mouth work. I stutter unintelligible words as I drop my gun and place both hands on my head. Oh dear, God! Please no!

“Orion, we have to go! What the fuck are you doing?” Plath is screaming at me to move, but I can’t.

“Lllooook.” I barely get the word out as I point to the car.

He looks in the car and shakes my shoulders. “Get your ass up! We have to go find her!”

I quickly stand to my feet and run as fast as I can to the car. We get in, and I’m in no condition to drive, so he does. I start running every possible place through my head, but I have no idea where to start looking.

“Why did we leave her there alone!” I scream. “Was this your plan? To get her alone so she was easier to kill? Is it my turn now?”

“Are you being serious right now? You think I did this?” He punches the steering wheel as he drives. “I’m not responsible for this!”

“We have to find her!” I scream. Why did we leave her at the apartment alone? She didn’t want to come, but it shouldn’t have been an option.

Remaining calm, he says, “I understand you are freaking out right now, but screaming and blaming this shit on me isn’t going to help find your friend.”

I concentrate on controlling my breathing as I think about where she could have been. “Let’s look at the apartment first.” I try to fight back tears.

“She is probably okay, Orion,” he says, trying to comfort me.

“They had her phone, Plath!” I scream at him.

“Yes. But that doesn’t mean that they have her.” He makes a point, but it doesn’t help to calm me down.

We pull up to the apartment, and before he can even stop the vehicle, I jump out and start running. I sling the front door open and run in.

“Sage!” I scream her name as I tear through the apartment. Plath runs in, and he has a disturbing look on his face that sends me into immediate shock.

“Orion…”

I cover my ears and fall to the ground. Plath runs over to me and pulls my hands from my ears. “Orion, listen to me!”

Tears threaten to fall as I prepare myself to hear what I expect him to tell me. “Promise me you will not go outside. I will call the police and have everything cleaned up. Get your things together. We need to get out of here!”

I place my hand in my pocket to feel for my knife, and once I find it, I grasp it. I open it and then lunge towards Plath. He moves out of the way, and I keep moving in his direction, jabbing the knife, hoping for a successful blow.

“What are you doing!” He yells.

“Killing every last damn Hunter!”

He grabs both of my wrists and slams them back against the wall. Holding them high above my head. He stares at me breathing heavily. “Are you done now?”

Tears pour from my eyes. I take a deep breath and nod slowly. This isn’t his fault. It’s mine. I stand deathly still, staring at him, and drop the knife from my shaking hands.

After he let’s go of my wrists, I slowly push past him and make my way out of the door. I walk down the stairs and towards the back of the apartment complex. I stand there, frozen. For a second, I almost envy Sage. Dying would be so much easier than having to deal with this.

Sage. I see her body mangled and beaten. I walk closer to her body that is hung over the tall iron fence and run my fingers through her bloodied hair. When the sight of her becomes too much, I fall to my knees. I hear Plath walk up behind me.

“Did you call the police?” I ask, my tone cold and bitter.

“Yes, but they said they were already on their way. Someone from the apartment complex already called. It must have just happened.”

I look over my shoulder, and see him standing with his hands in his pockets. If I’m not mistaken, I see a sympathetic tear falling down his cheek. I nod my head and observe my bloody hands. Not my blood but Sage’s. I scream as I try to wipe my hands in the grass to remove it, but it won’t come off.

“Here, let me help you.” Plath takes off his shirt and spits on it. He starts to wipe the blood from my hands as I sit in a trance. Completely numb.

“She’s dead,” I barely whisper. “It’s my fault. It should have been me.”

“But it wasn’t.”

I watch as the last of Sage’s blood is removed from my hands. “I need to go.”

“Go where?”

I shrug.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you leave my sight. It’s not safe.”

“I don’t care anymore.”

“Don’t say that.”

I pull my hands from his and stand. “You have no right to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do! Don’t forget where you stand with me, Plath! Just because we have this thing, whatever it is, doesn’t give you the right to tell me how to feel! I just saw my best friend-” I can’t finish the sentence from the violent sobs that escape me.

His arms wrap around me and hold me tightly against him. I grip his shirt in my fist as I cry against his chest. I’m glad he’s here even if I can’t admit it out loud. I’d fucking die right here and right now if it weren’t for him holding me.

Sage. Oh god, Sage. I’m so sorry. . .