The next few hours were torture.

Jae and Elias marched along, weaving between buildings and clinging to the shadows. They saw no other signs of movement, no indication that anyone or anything else was in the vicinity. The quiet was almost too eerie, and the only thing to accompany them was their shadows.

Elias let Jae go ahead of him, and the silence stretched between them, as tangible as a rubber band. For the first time since he had met her, he didn't feel like making conversation and she seemed all too happy to oblige. His thoughts were taking him to dark places, beckoning him with open arms as he thought of the worst possibilities.

What if Lorenzo had taken the Pride to the next town over? What if Elias was wrong about where they would go next? What if Jae gave up on their rescue mission and left him to do it alone? What if it was already too late for Eden?

And the worst possibility of all: what if he never found them?

Though the thought of Lorenzo hurting his little sister was agony, the thought of never knowing her fate was even worse. But he couldn't think like that. He would find her, he had to. Even if it meant he spent the rest of his life searching for her, he knew that one day they would be reunited.

He wasn't sure what to do about his father of Lorenzo when that happened, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it. One thing was for sure, if Lorenzo harmed one hair on Eden's perfect little head, Elias would wrap his hands around Lorenzo's throat and-

Elias stopped that train of thought abruptly, terrified of where it was heading. He wouldn't let Lorenzo turn him into a killer. He couldn't. His integrity was all he had left and Lorenzo had already destroyed far too much. Including his own father's loyalty.

"Elias." Jae's voice broke through the dark cloud of ominous thoughts that Elias was stewing in. He glanced up to see she had stopped walking and turned around to face him. "It's getting really late. I think we should find a place to crash for the night."

Elias looked around, sure enough, the sun was approaching the horizon, the sky a beautiful burst of bright colours. While he had been lost in thought, they had made it all the way to the edge of the city centre, and were now on the outskirts of the suburbs.

He was so exhausted that even his bones felt weary, and so hungry that his stomach clenched, desperate for food. But he was reluctant to turn in just yet. They still had at least an hour of daylight left that they could make use of. "We should keep going until the sun sets," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Jae nodded tiredly, turning around and continuing on down the road. Elias tried to pick up his pace to cover more ground, determined to carry on until they absolutely had to stop. Eventually, the sky turned to navy, the half-moon did little to illuminate their way, and Jae turned to Elias.

"It's time to call it a day," she insisted.

Elias opened his mouth to argue, quickly closing it again. Jae had once told him how dangerous it was to be out after dark and now, he could see why. An ominous silence seemed to settle over the road and the hairs on the nape of his neck stood to attention. It felt as though he was being watched by something hiding in the shadows as he nodded his agreement.

"Great," Jae smiled wearily. She pointed to a double story house just a bit further up the road. "I'm going to see if that's open, and we can hide out on the top floor. Maybe we'll even get lucky and find some food in there."

She turned around and started heading in that direction with Elias a few steps behind. Desperate not to get lost in dark thoughts again, he watched her ponytail swishing from left to right, the movement almost hypnotic. It served well as a distraction as they approached the house.

The Risen came from nowhere.

Slamming into Eli's shoulder, it sent him flying to the ground. He landed hard on his back on the cold tar, the wind knocked out of him. Pain streaked like lightening up his spine as he gasped for air. He grunted in pain, trying to find the words to warn Jae that The Risen was there.

"Jae," he managed, looking to the side as she turned around to face him.

Even in the dim moonlight, he could see her eyes widen as she saw The Risen approaching her. With shaking hands, she un-sheathed her dagger, holding it out ready. She was trembling so much, Elias was worried she would drop it.

Desperate to help her, but still struggling to breathe, Elias rolled over onto his stomach, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. A loud scream carved the air in two and Elias looked just in time to see The Risen pick Jae up by her neck. Her dagger clattered uselessly to the floor, and Elias doubled his efforts to get up, his back screeching in agony.

Come on, Elias. Jae needs you.

Jae who was finally starting to open up to him. Jae who was helping him rescue his sister even though she had nothing to gain. Jae; the girl who was scarred by her past in ways that he couldn't even imagine. Jae; the survivor, the girl he trusted, his friend.

He couldn't let her die. He wouldn't. Feeling as though his back was being torn open, he managed to get to his feet with a loud yell, rushing for the abandoned dagger and picking it up in his trembling hands.

Jae's eyes met his over the top of the Risen's head. Her normally ivory skin was slowly turning red as she gasped for air. Elias could see the fear shining through her gaze as she shook her head at him slightly, and mouthed the word 'run'.

But, Jae was a fool if she thought he would just leave her there.

With all the strength he could muster, Elias slammed the dagger into the Risen's neck, watching in satisfaction as it dropped Jae to the floor. She fell in a crumpled heap, a loud groan escaping her lips as the Risen tried to yank the dagger out.

Elias ran to Jae, placing his hands under her armpits and scooping her up so that she was on her feet. Grabbing her hand, he started running as fast as he could, dragging her along behind him. After a few moments, Jae unsurprisingly took the lead as he struggled to keep up.

Terror sat on his shoulders, weighing him down as he tried to move faster. His heart beat wildly, slamming against his chest as fear enveloped him in a dark haze. He could see their impending deaths as clear as day and did his best to quicken his pace.

They sprinted down the road, taking a left, then a right, then another left, without ever looking back to see if they were being followed. Eventually, Elias could run no more and he cursed himself, once again, for his lack of cardio. Jae had been right about that as well.

He chanced a glance over his shoulder, his chest filling with relief when there was nothing in pursuit. He stopped running, causing Jae to be yanked back slightly by their linked hands. She quickly released him, wiping her palms on her trousers as she looked around furtively.

"We need to find a place to stay," she whispered. "Now."

Elias, who was still trying to catch his breath, simply nodded, marvelling at the fact that she seemed to barely be sweating while he was pouring buckets. He was unable to believe their lucky escape, knowing that he definitely hadn't killed the Risen. He wondered if, even now, it was chasing them, closing in on their location.

"This way." Jae inclined her head towards the nearest house. It was a single story, small and painted in a light grey. The front windows were intact, but several tiles had fallen from the roof, leaving gaping holes. The garden was a wasteland of empty flower beds and dead grass.

They snuck towards the door, looking around to make sure they weren't being followed. Elias had a feeling it would be locked and he was proven right when Jae tugged on the handle to no avail.

"What now?" Elias asked, the panic threatening to overwhelm him again. "Smash a window?

"That would make too much noise," she hissed. "Let's try and see if one's open. You go that way, and I'll go round this side. We'll meet in the middle."

Without giving him time to argue that splitting up was a bad idea, which he would have, she turned to the left, starting at the front window. Elias followed suit, not at all surprised to find the one on the right locked. He carried on around the house, each closed window increasing his fear by tenfold. By the time he met up with Jae at the back of the house, it was almost overwhelming and he fought the urge to hug her, so relieved that they were both okay.

"I found one," she mumbled. "But it's small and high up. I think I can squeeze through, but I might need you to give me a boost."

"What about me?" Elias struggled to hide the edge of hysteria in his voice. "How will I get in? Why don't we just go to another house?"

"Once I'm in, I'll open a bigger window for you," she explained, only slightly easing his worry.

Still fighting a sense of foreboding, Elias nodded weakly, eager to be out of the open. He followed Jae to the window and cupped his hands, allowing her to place her foot on them and hoist herself up. He watched with his heart in his throat as she climbed through and disappeared from sight.

Being outside alone was scarier than he could have imagined. He rubbed his hands up and down his arms, fighting goose bumps that had nothing to do with the cold. After a few more minutes of silence, worry swirled through his belly as he wondered what was taking Jae so long.

Were there already people in the house? Had they hurt her?

"Elias!"

The urgent whisper nearly made him jump out of his skin. His heart hammered against his chest as he looked to the left where Jae was half hanging out a large, open window. She motioned for him to hurry up.

He rushed to it, placing his palms on the frame and hoisting himself up as Jae took a few steps back. He slid to the floor with a loud thump, his back screeching in protest, the material of the curtain tickling his neck. Jae reached a hand out to help him up and he gratefully took it, struggling to his feet and looking around.

The room was cloaked in darkness, with only a few large shapes that stood out. He couldn't tell what the objects were, but he guessed that they were in a bedroom of some kind. Jae yanked his hand, leading him down a passageway, barely lit by the half moon, and into another room.

With no curtains obscuring the windows, this room was slightly easier to see. It was a kitchen, with long counters along one side, and appliances on the other. Elias wasted no time heading towards the stainless steel sink, almost crying with relief when he turned the tap on and water spurted out.

He gulped the tepid liquid down greedily, his throat scratchy from his earlier sprint. With droplets still running down his chin, he turned to see Jae paused in her effort to search the cupboards, her face filled with concern.

"You're bleeding." She placed the two tins she had found on the counter and approached him. "Turn around."

He did so, allowing her to lift his shirt up slightly and flinching as she gasped loudly. "Elias," she breathed. "Your back's a mess. Stay here."

She lowered his shirt and disappeared from the room, returning a few minutes later with cotton wool and antiseptic. "This is going to sting."

"Do we have to?" he asked, almost feeling like a petulant child. But he had been through enough for one day and he was already in pain without her adding to it. "Can't it wait until morning?"

He had been hoping to appeal to her softer side, but she should have expected the response that came from her mouth. "No," she barked. "Now take off your shirt and shut up."

He obliged, resisting the urge to make a comment about how she just wanted to see his non-existent six pack. He had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate it very much. A cold, damp piece of cotton wool touched his skin, followed closely by the sharp sting of antiseptic. He sucked in a breath, determined not to show her how much it hurt.

"It looks bad," Jae explained. "But it's mostly dried blood, I think. You must have been grazed by the tar when he threw you. At least he didn't break your back."

Elias grunted, in too much agony to think of an appropriate response. The silence stretched between them for a while as she cleaned the wounds on his back, and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from screaming out. He was almost surprised by how gently she was, her touch feather soft against his skin.

"Elias," she eventually said, her voice filled with fear. "Something's not right."

With a sigh of relief, he noticed that she had stopped dabbing at his back and turned around to face her. "What do you mean?"

"I've been going on food supply runs almost daily for months, and only ever seen a Risen occasionally. Like, once in a while and usually from a distance," she elaborated. "Now, I've seen six in the last three days, including the four we saw together. It's like their numbers are increasing, or something."

Elias thought about that for a moment, realising how right she was. Before the other day, he had never seen a Risen up close. Now, he had seen five, luckily avoiding the child one that Jae had encountered. It was possible that their numbers were increasing as more survivors with the chips died, but there was another, even more terrifying alternative.

"Or." Elias swallowed, almost scared to say the words out loud and make them a reality. "They're gathering and gearing up for something big."