The room is suddenly filled with a flurry of activity. Men and women clad in black bulletproof vests and equipped with guns brush past me on either side. Two female voices shout over the top of all the clamor, giving orders to everyone else. 

I recognize those voices. 

As if they were in slow motion, Camryn and my old friend Celethe walk through the crowd of people. How they met is a mystery, yet here they are, and they brought Celethe's entire force of rebel friends. 

I look around. The One is lying on the ground, in a pool of blood that I assume is his own. Drayk and Ximon are still in their cell. They're alive. I choke back a sob of relief. 

My eyes wander over to Camryn. She's surveying the room, seeing where she can help, and commanding the rebels alongside Celethe. She looks like a leader. Meanwhile, me, Kaze Alio, self-proclaimed leader of an expedition outside the dome, is stuck tied to a chair, crying his eyes out. How weak and pathetic I look in comparison to my practically shining girlfriend. I don't deserve her at all. 

"Hey, Kaze," says Celethe's voice in my ear, abruptly shifting my attention away from Camryn. I jolt away from her lips, which were practically touching my skin. 

"Hi," I say, annoyed. "This isn't exactly how I imagined seeing you again." 

"Me neither. Let's break you out of this chair, shall we?" says Celethe. 

My bonds fall to the ground as Celethe cuts them away. 

"Thanks," I mutter. 

She grins, dangling my X-acto knife in front of me. Figures. She must've pilfered it to cut the bonds. What an arrogant woman. 

"Yeah, yeah. Save your thanks. We've still got to bust out of this place. We went through hell trying to get in, and I'm sure that bastard has a lot of reinforcements," Celethe says, gesturing to the One.

He seems to have gone unconscious, perhaps from the loss of blood. Good. He can die for all I care. 

I stand up on shaky legs, immediately going to check up on my two beloved cellmates. I stride over to the cell and drop to my knees next to my brother. I want to hug him and cry and apologize over and over again, but I don't. Instead, I simply grab his hand and hold it. 

I've already caused him enough pain. I don't want to cause any more. 

"Hey, bro," Drayk says. His voice sounds like its scraping his throat on the way out. How long has it been since he's had a proper drink of water? 

"Hey," I say tentatively. 

I'm not sure what to say next. It looks like he's content to sit in silence, however, and that's fine with me. Drayk closes his eyes and we sit together. I carefully look over my brother's condition, now that I'm closer to him. 

He's been bruised and beaten to a bloody pulp. Every inch of his skin houses a scratch or cut. His face is puffy and purplish. His once-beautiful braided hair is thick with blood, sweat, and who knows what else. 

The longer I stare at Drayk, the more enraged I become. 

How dare the One treat him like this. How dare he beat my brother like an animal, just because he's the leader of the dome. 

I look over at the One's still body again. I feel no mercy. This man deserves to pay for what he's done to my family. He'll pay for every last drop of blood from my brother and mother. I'll make sure of it. 

"Everyone, listen up!" Celethe yells, clapping her hands to get her people's attention. Camryn stands next to her, like a lieutenant. 

I snap my focus onto the two of them. I probably look like I'm glaring at them with the amount of rage I'm feeling. Hopefully neither of them take it personally.  

"If getting into this place sucked, getting out is going to be even worse," Celethe says. "I'm sure there are countless men waiting for us as soon as we leave the safety of this room. Never forget that we are all family here. We grow, learn, and fight together. If we must, we will also die together. So, let's fight for our family. Let's go kick some government ass!" 

The rebels roar in agreement, pumping their weapons in the air. Camryn and Celethe grab each others' hands and lift them skyward, showing their united front. I shift my eyes over to Camryn. She's looking all around the room at her comrades, but she's ignoring me. I silently will her to make eye contact with me. I hope nothing's wrong. 

I stand up, my anger still coursing through my veins. Reaching down, I help my brother up. 

"Can you stand?" I ask. Drayk nods fiercely, even though his face pales at the pain he must be feeling from doing so. 

"Hey, where's my helping hand?" Ximon says from the ground. "I feel so loved. You haven't even said a word to your dear mentor since you got over here." 

I almost laugh. Ximon is still his cynical self when he's on death's front doorstep. What a relief. 

I roll my eyes and pull him to his feet. Everyone in the rebel crowd is already pushing towards the exit. Celethe and Camryn stand next to it, stopping everyone from leaving just yet. Drayk, Ximon and I shuffle forward. Both of them are leaning on me for support. As we merge into the rebels, someone quickly takes Ximon off my right shoulder and onto their own. 

"Ready your weapons!" shouts Celethe. "Once we go through that door, all hell is going to break loose, so stick together and don't hesitate!" 

A raucous consensus arises from her people. She nods to Camryn, and both of them start feeling along the wall. After a few seconds, a click sounds throughout the room and large door opens up in the wall. Immediately, alarms start blaring. Chaos ensues. 

"Move, move, move!" Celethe and Camryn order in unison. 

Everyone rushes through the doors. My friends and I are the last ones through. We are greeted by absolute pandemonium. 

Burly government bodyguards clash with the rebels. Shots are being fired everywhere. Screams and shouts echo through the air. 

I look around, trying to get a bearing on where we are. It almost seems like we're in the middle of a Labyrinth. Hallways split off in every direction imaginable. Doors line the halls. How the heck did Celethe and Camryn find us? 

"Better let me just walk," Drayk mutters in my ear. "You can't carry me all the way out." 

"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear you," I say. "You look horrible."

"Thanks," Drayk grunts. "I'll walk." 

He takes his arm off my shoulder and stops leaning on me. He wobbles, and I thrust out my arms to support him, but he steadies himself. His face is a stark white. 

"I'll make it. Lots of adrenaline," he says, wincing as he shakily takes a few steps forward. 

"This way!" Celethe bellows, yanking me back to reality. 

I look back to Drayk, giving him a nod before starting forward with him toward the front of the mob. I zero in on Camryn, who is standing at the front with Celethe. She's confidently wielding a rifle. I am in awe with her. She's incredible. I struggle through the horde of people, careful to keep Drayk near me, until I get to the front. 

"Camryn!" I yell. 

She turns. Looks at me. Her eyes soften. Her beautiful, strong eyes. I reach for her hand. She reaches for mine. Our fingers barely graze each others when I am violently grabbed from behind. Huge hands clamp around my neck. I grab his hands with my own and thrash, desperately trying to break free, but my captor is too strong. My vision starts to slip. 

"No!" Camryn cries. 

A shot rings out, inches away from me. A warm rush of liquid drips onto my hands. The grip around my windpipe goes slack. I look down to see thick blood covering my fingers. Soft hands cup my cheeks and pull my gaze upwards and away from the gruesome sight. 

"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Kaze, are you alright?" Camryn says breathlessly. 

"Yeah," I say. 

She's here. She's with me. She's okay. I'm okay. We're going to be okay. 

"Camryn," I whisper, locking eye contact. 

In one swift move, I pull her lips to mine. I don't care about the fight. I don't care about how we might die. All I care about is showing her how much she means to me in this moment. She gasps against my desperate kiss, melting into me, her fingers threading up into my hair. Time slows and stops. The sounds of gunfire dull and disappear. Skirmishes rage all around us, but we may as well be here alone. Just her. Just me. Sharing a moment together. 

After who knows how long, we pull apart. Her cheeks are flushed. I can't imagine what I look like in comparison. 

"We're going to get out of this," I say resolutely. "You and me." 

"Yes," she says, staring up into my eyes. 

"And me too," adds Drayk. "Just pretend I'm not here. Carry on." 

He throws both of us a knowing smirk. I roll my eyes, but can't help smiling. Even on the verge of death and in who knows how much pain, he still somehow manages to have a sense of humor. I lace my fingers through Camryn's. 

"Let's go," I say.