We hurry back to the bunks, speechless.

In the chaos of the mid-day, we are lost.

No one asks us why we are so pale and quiet. No one bothers to wonder why I have dirt on my knees and sweat on my neck, why there's imprints of my fingernails on my palms, why Lexi has bitten her lip into a bloody mess.

Neither one of us can talk about it, either.

Lexi and I lay on my bunk together, staring up at the metal spirals of springs. I listen to the world around us, the sounds of someone singing the National Anthem, someone losing a game of Red Hands, two men wrestling and thumping against the concrete floor.

What did we just hear?

What's in the Repor?

What hurt that truck driver? That question alone opens up so many more. What is starving? What are they carrying?

I close my eyes, the pounding behind my eyes starting to get worse.

"I can't sit here," Lexi says, jumping up. Her cheeks are the color of her hair. "I need to get some fresh air."

With that, she runs out, shoving past the wrestlers. Her shoulder rams into Naomi who stands in the door. I watch her approach, worry on the lines of her forehead.

"I don't have time to ask," she mutters as I open my mouth to explain, "I've got to report to the hospital."

"It's your day off," I say, sitting up, "Why?"

"They called all of the trainees in for an emergency. I just got the notification."

On her hip is a black metal device that's blinking red. I've never seen anything like it before, but I'm not surprised that the medical staff are on call at all times. I just wonder if it has anything to do with the driver.

"Any idea why?" I ask.

"Something about a guard getting attacked by an alligator," she mumbles, pulling on her uniform shirt over her other clothes, "I'm not sure, Quinn. I'm in a hurry."

It's the first time she's ever been so mean to me; yet, it makes sense, considering what happened this morning. I just don't have the patience right now, with my headache and everything I've got to think about.

"Okay, whatever," I say, laying back down.

She gives me an angry glance before hurrying out of the bunks, swinging her stethoscope behind her.

Then, I'm alone, my head swarming with questions like bees.

I pull my tablet out, searching through the restricted archives for anything about the Decontamination or phases or anything. Nothing.

In a last stitch effort, I type in "Repo----r-".

The buffering circle turns, black and white in succession. I hold my breath, watching as the search engine loads the results.

Repository, noun: a place, building, or receptacle where things are or may be stored.

I've just saved the results when my tablet blacks out, the battery symbol in the corner flashing. It seems like a pointless success. I knew it was a storage building of some sort; that's not new. For once, finding out the definition of a word doesn't help me at all.

I pass the rest of the afternoon reading, waiting for light's out. Lexi doesn't come back for a few hours, and when she does, she's sweaty and flushed. It's safe to say she went for a long run.

We go to bed without talking, but I stay awake, listening for Naomi to return.

She doesn't.

When the alarm sounds the next morning, it takes a few moments for me to realize what day it is.

Monday.

We are leaving for Compound 4 today.

I jump out of bed, pulling on my uniform with a struggle. Stumbling more than once, I zip the outfit up, shoving my feet into my boots. I run out of the bunks, past the sleepy faces of the soldiers I am about to send into our first attack in a decade.

"Good morning, Lieutenant General Austin," says Rivers as I exit the elevator at the HQ building. "You're early."

"Is President Kovach in?" I ask, brushing my hair back.

"No, I was just about to leave but figured you would be all confused when you got here and no one was in. We are meeting the captains and their squadrons out by the gates."

I swallow hard. We aren't wasting any time.

"Let's hurry, then," I mumble, jumping back in the elevator. He follows, humming under his breath. "Rivers, can I ask you a question in confidentiality?"

Rivers laughs.

"That's some big language," he says, "But yes. You can ask me anything."

"What do we keep in the Repository?"

Rivers turns to look at me, eyes going wide.

"How do you know about the Repository?"

"My best friend Lexi and I got in trouble a while back for scaling the wall," I answer, careful not to tell him we were there yesterday, "I saw the building, and since it's a storage building, I just wondered."

He looks away, staring at the metal elevator walls. A minute or two passes before he sighs.

"I can't tell you," he whispers, not looking at me, "It's not my information to share. You will know eventually, Quinn, when you're ready and General Kovach gives clearance to tell you. Until then, you need to leave that place alone."

"Why?"

"Nothing good is stored in the Repository. Death, despair, and filth."

His voice trails off as the doors open.

Deciding not to push it any further, I follow him back towards the bunks. They're empty now, but the trainees mill around in front with their captains, talking under their breaths. Rivers leads me around the crowds, towards the Ag Fields. I catch a glimpse of Lexi who is standing very still by herself. She reminds me of the girl I saw on the day of our IE, the vulnerable child afraid of failure. She knows what's coming, where we are going, and I can see that she's terrified by the way she chews on her lips, knotting her hands together.

The captains whistle as they catch sight of Rivers and I, and all at once, everyone starts following us, blanketed now in quiet.

At the gate, fifteen Compound 5 trucks wait. President Kovach is standing by the first one, her hands on her hips. She's changed out of her skirt and now wears a uniform just like the one I wear. I notice the medals and ribbons on her shoulder, medals that catch the sunlight like waves, sending it back towards us.

"Good morning, soldiers of Compound 5!" she says, throwing her voice over the crowd like she's holding a megaphone. I watch her chest rise with the effort, sucking in air to project it even further. Her face is still the same, stony and firm. I see the veins in her neck as she talks.

"This morning, we are launching a surprise attack on Compound 4, who has been sending us threats. Your captains have broken you into three different groups based upon your strengths. Squadron One, please step toward the first four trucks."

A bunch of soldiers young and old step forward. I don't recognize most faces. In the midst of them is Toby, chest all puffed out, head held high.

"You are responsible for breaking down the wall," Kovach continues, "Bombs placed at every thirty degrees around the wall will do enough damage to disarm their wall guards and allow us entry within the compound. Your greatest struggle will be to make it past their highly trained guards without getting shot.

"Squadron 4, step towards the next four trucks."

In this crowd is Lexi. Her hands shake as she stands by the blue trucks, but she holds still, watching Kovach. I wish she'd been in another group. Any other group, really.

"Squadron Two, your job is to go into the compound and utterly destroy anything and anyone in your path. These people are enemies of Compound 5. You will leave no one alive!"

At this point, Kovach is screaming. A few soldiers seemed pumped up by the show, but others just look scared.

"And my last squadron, step to the next four trucks," Kovach continues, in her usual quiet voice, "Your job is to make sure they left nothing behind. You will be armed with weapons of fire, and you will demolish everything, leaving it in a pile of ash behind you."

She motions for the captains, and they move into action, ushering their squadrons into the trucks and handing out weapons. I stand beside Rivers, waiting to be told what to do.

"Ready, Quinn?" Kovach whispers to me, squeezing my arm. I nod. "We will be riding in one of the trucks behind the medics. Let's go board."

As we walk to our truck, I watch the medic team board, surprised that Naomi is among them. She doesn't see me, but I count the breaths she takes, note the thick bags under her eyes.

Am I doing the right thing?

The drive to Compound 4 takes an entire day. We drive on through the night, not stopping. The next morning, mountains start to appear around us. The ground isn't flat like back at home. I trace the hills with my eyes, listen to the rivers as we pass over. There are less empty spaces and more forests, trees as far as the eye can see. Scraps of cities pass, nothing but piles of metal, concrete, and brick. I feel like I'm looking at pictures, because everything is just so still.

It's nearly dark when we get the signal from the first truck that it's time to unload.

"Should we help?" I ask, watching the soldiers pile out, now carrying weapons that seem bigger than them.

"No, Quinn," Kovach says, "We wait here where it's safe."

That doesn't seem fair, considering I planned this attack. Yet, the wall shines bright from here; the silhouettes of guards patrolling are black against the sunset. My hands are shaking, and I feel sick again.

I wouldn't last five seconds in the line of duty.

"Let's go watch from a safe distance," Kovach finally says, getting out of the vehicle.

The soldiers are grouped off in squadrons, quieter than mice. The first group is already making their way down towards the wall, bodies low against the ground, navy uniforms blending in with the darkness around them. As I watch, they split into pairs, some of them disappearing around to the unseen sides of the wall.

"Ready?" Kovach whispers, and I notice she's holding a flare. "Do the honors."

I take the flare from her.

Five...

Is everyone around the wall? Yes.

Four...

What is this fails? What if everyone gets shot?

Three...

If phase one fails, there will be no phase two. I'll be the joke of Compound 5.

Two...

I light the flare, nodding as I take a deep breath. I planned it; the chances are slim it will fail.

One... The flame meets the flare, shooting a bright red streak into the air. All around the wall, miniature flames come to life. The sounds of the wall guards meets my ears as they begin to panic, not sure where to run or shoot. Then, the bombs start going off.

The ground under us shakes from the shockwave of the bombs; the blasts light up the night sky as if it's dawn already. Then, the second wave hits as the wall falls, crumbling like a playing card tower. Screaming fills the air, and for a moment, I panic, unsure if it's our people or theirs.

The panic passes quickly as Kovach gives the signal for the second squadron to move along. We press forward with them, now within reach of what remains of the steel wall. Bodies are scattered along the ground, but they wear the olive uniforms of Compound 4. Our first group are retreating towards the medics, smiling. Their joy is contagious, and as I watch Lexi disappear into the darkness of Compound 4, I feel proud.

If I thought the bunks were chaos, I didn't understand what chaos was.

As residents of 4 try to escape, running past us, the third squadron shoots them down, surrounding Kovach and I in the bodies of countless adults and children. At first, it turns my stomach as the smell of blood, urine, and feces fills the air. This is my doing. I did this.

This is good. These are our enemies. I can't forget that.

"Quinn!"

In the middle of everything, I hear Lexi scream my name, and I pull out of Kovach's grasp to hunt for the telltale sign of Lexi, that bright red hair.

She's standing a few feet away, holding the form of a young woman against the ground. Once Lexi's eyes fall on me, she breathes a long sigh, holding her gun in the air.

"They are unarmed," I barely hear her say, "You're asking us to slaughter unarmed people, Quinn."

I approach her, hear the terrified cries of the girl in her grasp. I can't find my voice, can't form words.

"This isn't right, Quinn," Lexi pleads, "I thought you said we could trust General Kovach."

I meet her eyes, swallowing hard.

We can trust her. These are our enemies.

"Lexi, you need to follow your orders," I whisper, taking a step back.

"If you give me the command, I'll listen, Queen," she says, barely audible under the sounds of a fight around us, "But otherwise, I refuse to kill unarmed people."

"Alexis Collins, I command that you leave no man, woman, or child alive," I say, watching the tears form behind her eyelashes.

"As you wish, your majesty."

Her eyes close as she pulls the trigger, the body of her victim falling limp in her grasp. I have to look away, have to run back to Kovach, who is watching the scene unfold with that half-smile plastered on her face.

These are our enemies. Why can't I remember that?

Discussion Question: So, this chapter was SUPER hard to write, especially towards the end. Things are slowly going downhill, and it's only going to get worse. For this part, I want to ask: Who is the real enemy here?