The Risen don't scream.

But, how could that be possible? He had heard them. He'd lost count of the nights he stayed awake, listening to the sounds of pain that wafted through the warehouse. He'd spent far too many hours blocking Eden's ears and singing to her so she wouldn't have to endure it.

Unless...

"No." He shook his head furiously as though he could rid himself of Jae's revelation. "You're wrong. They do, I've heard them."

"Elias, you saw the ones outside." Her face had finally softened. She was no longer looking at him with that hard glare of hers. Instead, her oddly coloured eyes were filled with pity. "They're basically robots with their settings stuck on 'kill'. They aren't capable of feeling pain."

"But, if they don't then that means-," he stopped abruptly, the implication hitting him with all the subtlety of a twenty-tonne lorry going full speed. The sympathy on Jaelynn's face reinforced how serious this was.

His knees buckled from under him and he fell to the tiled floor as though he could no longer stand under the heavy weight of the truth. Pain shot up his legs but he ignored it as he brought his shaking hands up to his face. He choked back a sob, unable to believe how stupid he had been.

Everything started sliding into place. He had always wondered how Lorenzo managed to catch The Risen as they were so much stronger than humans. It also explained why the experiments were done at night, so that no one else would see.

People.

Lorenzo and Delta were removing the chips from people. They were killing them, all in the name of experimentation. All those nights when he lay awake listening to the screams; he was hearing someone being tortured to death.

Did his father know?

He hoped not. He couldn't bear the thought of his father being involved in something like this. But Emmanuel was essentially Lorenzo's right-hand man; it was entirely possible that he was aware of what was happening. And what about everyone else? Was Elias the only one blind enough to believe Lorenzo's lies?

Lorenzo had always made him uncomfortable, and now Elias knew why. It had nothing to do with his greasy hair or sinister grin. Lorenzo was a killer, worse than the Risen. The Risen were controlled by the technology that lived in their brains. Lorenzo didn't have the chip to use as an excuse. He was a monster.

"No," he whispered into his hands.

"I'm sorry." Jaelynn awkwardly patted his back. He could tell it had been a long time since she had to comfort someone. He looked up. Her eyes were darting around the kitchen as though she was determined not to meet his gaze.

He didn't bother to respond, shaking off her touch and climbing back to his feet. He angrily wiped his tear stained cheeks with the back of his hand and cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the betrayal he felt.

He had shown her, once again, that he was weak and he hated himself for it.

"I'm fine," he muttered. But his actions contradicted his words. His hands curled into fists and he began to tremble with rage, loathing Lorenzo with every fibre of his being. "I just can't believe they would do this. How do they even know who has chips and who doesn't?"

"They probably don't," she answered quietly, her words shattering the last of his resolve.

"Damn it!" He turned to face the wall, slamming his fist as hard as he could against the ugly beige paint. The action sent a sharp pain pulsing through his knuckles and he drew his hand back quickly, cradling it against his chest. His eyes squeezed shut as though he could block out the ache currently throbbing through his fingers. "Ouch."

He was expecting a snarky remark from the girl in front of him; she seemed to be particularly good at those. Instead, she shocked him by saying, "You need to stop them."

"Stop them?" Even he could hear the edge of hysteria in his voice. It was higher pitched than normal, cracking on the last syllable.

"There aren't that many survivors left," she pointed out. "And now your leaders are killing them off one by one? The Risen already outnumber us. We don't need to give them an even bigger advantage."

Though he hated to admit it, she was right. If Lorenzo and Delta continued, soon there would be no survivors but them. Was that their plan? Elias highly doubted it. Lorenzo was quite proud of the community that he built within the walls of the warehouse. So what was their end goal?

Most importantly, did Lorenzo know that Elias, Emmanuel and Eden all had the chips? Would he kill them next?

The thought made his blood run cold. He had to convince his father to leave. Maybe now, he finally had the ammunition that he needed. Eden could be in serious danger if she stayed near Lorenzo. Surely Emmanuel would see that?

"My father keeps refusing to abandon the Pride," Elias said, stretching out his aching fingers to ensure that nothing was broken. "He thinks that we're safer there than we would be alone. He's one of the leaders, along with Lorenzo. I don't know if he was aware of what Lorenzo was doing. What do I do? How do I get my sister out before anything happens to her?"

"Kill the people doing it." Jaelynn shrugged. "Lorenzo and the other one, I forgot her name. I can't tell you what to do about your father though; that's up to you. I guess it depends on whether he was involved or not."

Elias shivered, her cold words and nonchalance eliciting goose bumps along his skin. She made it sound as though it was easy. As though murdering someone was something she did every day. For the first time he wondered if it was a good idea to be here in the building with her. He had guessed she had a dark past, but now he was unsure just how dark.

Had she killed someone before?

In light of the recent revelations, his strange fascination with her suddenly seemed dangerous. He didn't know a thing about her, apart from the fact that she had a snarky attitude and oddly coloured eyes. He took a step back from her, eager to put some space between them. He wasn't sure what to feel. Angry, confused, betrayed, sad.

Scared.

"I can't do that." He shook his head quickly, clenching his trembling hands together. "I can't just kill someone. I'm not a murderer."

"No, but they are," she retorted. "This is a cruel world, Elias and sometimes death is necessary. Killing them could save countless other lives, including your sister's."

"Did it cross your mind that maybe we could lock them up?" he asked. "Does murder have to be our only option?"

She stared at him for a long moment, her eyes unreadable, before responding. "Your integrity will be the death of you."

"Maybe. But at least I will die with my humanity intact and my hands clean," he fired back, a jumble of emotions swirling through his belly. "I bet you can't say the same."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to pluck them out of the air and stuff them back in. Anger flashed in her eyes, quickly followed by something else, something he knew far too well: regret. Her small hands balled into fists and when she spoke, her voice shook slightly.

"Screw you, Elias," she spat. "You clearly have no idea what it really takes to survive. You sheltered, privileged, self-righteous prick!"

Though he knew he deserved her anger, the extent of it took him by surprise. The words seemed to flow from her, almost as if she had been thinking them all along. He could practically feel the rage radiating off her in waves, crashing against him.

"I'm sorry." He raised his hands in surrender, guilt now taking the forefront in is mess of emotions. "I didn't mean that. It's just-,"

"Just what?" she cut him off, her voice filled with venom. He saw the challenge in her eyes as she waited for whatever lacklustre excuse he would come up with.

"Well, I know nothing about you. And you speak of killing someone like its second nature to you," he did his best to sound reasonable, but he was sure it came off as condescending. "For all I know, you could be a murderer."

"And yet, you were determined to follow me up here?" A smile crossed her face, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. When he didn't immediately respond, she spoke again. "You can think whatever you want. I'm going to sleep. I have to leave early tomorrow."

And with that, she stormed off towards the bedroom, leaving Elias standing in the kitchen with only his regret for company. He stayed there, long after she had slammed the door shut, debating whether he should let her cool off, or go after her.

The latter won out as he realised that this girl, with her sarcastic remarks and dark past, could be the ally he desperately needed to escape Lorenzo's clutches. He walked to the door to the room, lowering himself to the floor just outside of it and gently tapping on the wood.

"Jaelynn?"

His call was met with an eerie silence, and he wondered whether she was ignoring him, or if she had fallen asleep already. Considering how it had only been twenty minutes or so since she went in there, it was a pretty safe bet that she was awake.

"I'm sorry. Your past is your business and I have no right digging into it."

Still, she didn't answer and Elias realised she probably never would. Beneath her tough exterior, she was just a girl and he had clearly hurt her feelings. He lifted himself off the floor, deciding that he would give her until morning to cool off.

Wandering into the kitchen, he turned on the tap, sighing in relief when it spurted out some light brown water. Cupping his hands he splashed his face and took a few tentative sips, hoping that it was clean enough to drink.

Then, he made his way over to the couch, settling down on the uncomfortable cushions and looking out the open window on the opposite wall at the night sky. The stars twinkled brightly, with not a cloud to be seen against the dark indigo. He wondered if, even now, Eden was crawling into his bed searching for him as terrified screams filled the air.

He had to decide his next move from here and he wasn't sure what it should be. Approach his father? Confront Lorenzo? Take Eden and run, regardless of the consequences? Find Jaelynn's group and join them?

Whatever the answer was, he wouldn't find it when his eye lids were heavy from exhaustion and the events of the day played on a loop in his brain. Too much had happened since he met the girl sleeping just a few feet away. Without even realising it, she had turned his world completely upside down, shattering the earth beneath his feet until he wasn't sure where to stand.

She was an enigma that he couldn't decipher and he wasn't sure he wanted to anymore. Her secrets could be too dark for him to handle and he was almost certain he didn't want to find out what they were.

One thing was for sure. His hunch had been correct. Though his outburst was a mistake, there was no denying her reaction to it. Hurt, anger, regret. Her rage towards him had been justified. After all, nothing hurts more than the truth.

And the truth was, whether intentional or not, Jaelynn had killed someone.