"I'm going to shred them." Atlas said with passion as the squad began the journey back to the Fallout Freak's camp. "That leader dude in particular."

"I think Rave beat you to that." Fang chuckled and glanced at Raven for a reaction, but didn't get one.

Ryft huffed with frustration. "There's no escaping these people!" She said. "What do they even want?"

Jade stopped suddenly, pointing to a darker alley. "Guys."

A person stepped out of the alley, clearly not meaning harm. It was yet another girl their age. She had dark skin and black hair in many braids. She was wearing blue jeans and a pink and green striped sweatshirt.

"Hi." She said. "I assume you ran into those Fallout Freaks."

"Y- Tora?!" Raven gasped, sprinting up to the girl.

"Raven!" Tora responded, meeting her in the middle for a hug.

The rest of the group awkwardly watched the happy reunion.

"I didn't know you were visiting!" Raven gasped, pulling away.

"It was supposed to be a surprise, but I guess the bomb had other ideas." Tora said, somehow bringing humor to the situation.

"Well, ah, welcome to Sioux Rapids!" Atlas shouted, acting out an advertisement in front of a mangled building. "Designer houses and friendly neighbors!"

Ryft looked annoyed, though Soul and Spirit snorted.

"Why are you going in that direction though?" Tora asked the group, bringing all the attention back to the matter at hand. "You're heading straight for that group."

"That's the plan." Ryft said, anxious to get moving. "They have our friend and we plan to get her back."

"Or die trying." Raven added in a darker tone.

"You need a navigator." Tora grinned. "I explored the place myself. I know where they would keep people."

"How?!" Spirit shouted before she could stop herself.

"Well, I am pretty stealthy." Tora boasted lightly.

"Great, that will help, but we have to get moving." Ryft looked nervously at the sky. They couldn't have much daylight left.

"Alright. Follow me!" Tora said, leading the way to the enemy territory.

-> <-

"Okay, it should be around this building." Tora whispered, walking crouched low to the ground behind a gray brick building that was falling apart.

Soul and Spirit were keeping watch at the back while Fang and Atlas took the time to look through every window.

There was a line of short long windows at ground level in the building, many of which were broken.

While looking through one, Atlas froze.

"They're here!" She exclaimed with as much intensity as possible without shouting.

"They?" Whispered Fang.

"There's Silver and... someone else." Atlas moved some broken glass aside from the window, whispering loudly into it.
"Hey! We've come to get you out!"

Everyone else could glimpse a head turn immediately towards Atlas's voice, though it wasn't Silver's.

"Oh my God, thank you so much." Whispered a new voice.

She was once again a girl their age with straight dark brown hair just past her shoulders with brown eyes. Freckles lightly dusted her nose and under her eyes.

"I'm Cricket. And I don't know who this is, but she's hardly conscious." The girl continued, glancing around. "But be careful, people are guarding the door on the other side." She gestured to the door on the far side of the faded room.

"Thank you." Atlas said. "That's our friend Silver. Can you help us boost her out, please?"

"Wait. Guys?" Cricket said with shock. "You survived?"

"Hold on, Cricket?!" Ryft strained to see over Atlas's shoulder. "How did we not recognize you?"

"Silver now, reunion later." Cricket said briskly. "There's enemies everywhere."

"Got it." Ryft backed up again.

"Alright, Silver. We're leaving this dump." Cricket whispered to the silver haired girl, tapping her on the shoulder and helping her up.

It took about two minutes to drag a half-conscious Silver through the broken window. She was in bad shape. She looked even more pale than she was before, and her eyes could only open halfway.

Fang helped pull Cricket out, who looked around warily. "Um, hi." She said.

Tora looked a little disappointed that she wasn't the new cool person anymore but went with it anyways.

"We should leave, guys." Jade looked worried. "The longer we stay, the darker it gets."

"Alright, let's go." Ryft

->Fang<-

Something was wrong with Raven and Fang knew it.

He had watched her go dead silent when they entered the Fallout Freaks area. Not only was she quiet but she was visibly shaking. He had to do something about this.

They were about a block away from their shelter. The sky was turning darker and darker orange fast.

Suddenly, he heard a noise and paused to look.

There, standing on top of a pile of debris and rubble, was a pure white fox, its elegance seemingly untouched by the horrors of the radiation.

It watched the teens for some time before bounding effortlessly down the pile and down a dark alleyway.

Fang shook his head, surprised the fox was even alive, let alone doing good despite what had happened.

He focused back on the group when they reached the shelter.

"Do you want to stay with us? You can join us!" Raven begged Tora, pointing to the shelter door.

"No thank you." Tora smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, but I would much rather be on my own."

Raven's face fell, then smiled back. "I know I can't force you. Just-" She paused. "Be careful, okay?"

"You too, Rave." Tora grinned, and then ran off into the gathering darkness.

"If you don't mind..." Cricket spoke up for the first time. "May I stay? I just about lost all of my sanity being alone..."

"Of course!" Squealed Atlas before Ryft could say anything.

"Oh, thank you!" Cricket squealed back, hugging Atlas.

"We should get inside." Raven said quietly. "Silver needs rest-"

"Not before you tell us what's going on." Fang said loudly, blocking Raven from the door.

Everyone went silent.

"W-what?" Raven looked confused.

"You know exactly what I mean." Fang stared. "What happened at that fight?"

->Raven<-

She didn't know what had happened. But suddenly, she was being dragged. Dragged away from her friends. Not even the adrenaline from her desperation could free her.

Reaching an alley, the boy on her right threw her against a wall, the other keeping guard.

As she tried to get her bearings, the boy who had thrown her walked closer, way too close for comfort. There were less than two inches between them.

It was then when she saw the glint of a knife in his left hand.

She dove for the knife, catching the boy off guard. She twisted it out of his hand.

He lunged at her, making her strike out.

He was silent.

She looked down and saw the knife fully imbedded in the boy's stomach, warm red blood running over the handle and her hand.

She let go of the knife, opening her mouth in a silent scream as the other boy took notice and charged at her.

But all Raven could watch was the first boy's body slump to the ground, his lifeless gray eyes staring dully at her.

You did this.

Suddenly, the other boy was fighting her.

And she snapped.

She didn't know how she obtained the crowbar, but she was suddenly smashing it into the other boy's head, making him slump like the first one.

It was all a blur. A hazy foggy blur.

->Third Person<-

Raven began to sob, putting her hands over her mouth as if trying to stop the strangled noises from coming.

"I didn't - I meant- he was-"

"Hush." Silver held on to Raven's sleeve as best as she could while leaning on Jade. "It's over now. You saved us."

Even in her half-dead state, Silver was still trying to comfort Raven. Even Cricket, who had just joined, felt emotional.

"It's time to go in then. It's too dark." Fang said quietly.

Everyone slept better than they had in weeks that night.