CHAPTER 1(iv)
Still Grey's POV
We drive.
The streets aren't familiar anymore. Not really. The billboards still scream fake smiles and car sales, but behind them—smoke curls into the sky like it owns the air now. Cars flipped, glass shattered, bodies limp on sidewalks. Some twitch. Some get up.
No one says much. Jane's curled into the window, hugging herself like it'll hold her together. Scarlett keeps looking out like she's ready to fight the moment something breathes wrong. Luke's driving with both hands tight on the wheel. For once, he's not talking.
I appreciate that.
"Grey," Luke finally breaks the silence, voice low. "We can't head back to my place. Not with everything like this."
"Didn't plan to," I murmur. "Too open. Too many windows."
He glances at me, then nods. "I know a warehouse on the edge of Distract Q. My uncle used it back when he was still running those sketchy delivery gigs. Should still be empty."
"Better than nowhere."
Scarlett leans forward. "Can we trust it's safe?"
Luke doesn't hesitate. "If it's still standing, yeah."
That's good enough.
As we take the turn out of the main city, I rest my head against the window. I feel the motion in my chest more than my mind—steady, but heavy. The girls are quiet. Luke hums something under his breath. A nervous tick, maybe. I don't stop him.
It's better than silence.
We finally pull into a gravel lot half-covered in rust and weeds. A wide metal building stands ahead—dark, looming. Luke parks close.
I step out first, checking our perimeter. My bat's still broken from earlier, so I grab a pipe from a half-crushed car nearby. Not ideal, but it'll do.
"Scarlett, stay close. Jane, help Luke carry Amy."
They listen. No complaints.
The warehouse creaks like it hasn't heard footsteps in years. Dust clings to the air. The back office looks secure enough, and after barricading the main door with a few broken shelves, it feels... manageable.
Not safe.
But manageable.
We settle inside. The faint light bleeding in from the high windows paints long shadows over us. Luke hands out a few protein bars he found in the glovebox.
Jane barely touches hers. Scarlett eats without looking up. I sit cross-legged in the corner, unwrapping mine slowly.
"So…" Luke starts, his voice softer than usual. "What now?"
I chew. Swallow. "Now, we stay alive."
"Grey," he says again. This time quieter. "Do you think anyone else made it out?"
I meet his eyes. There's something behind them. Fear. Hope. Maybe both.
"I don't know," I answer honestly. "But if they did, they'll be thinking the same thing: stay quiet. Stay moving. Don't get caught."
Luke nods, looking down at his hands. "You think my parents are okay?"
I don't answer.
Scarlett speaks up for me. "We can't think like that right now," she says, almost like she's convincing herself. "We need a plan. Something better than waiting in a warehouse."
She's right. She knows it. We all do.
"We'll rest here tonight," I say, standing. "And tomorrow, we start looking for real shelter. Supplies. Answers."
Jane finally speaks. "And what if this doesn't end?"
I pause.
Scarlett looks at me like she wants me to lie. To say something warm. Reassuring.
But I won't.
"Then we don't either."
Luke lets out a breath. "Guess you've always been the dark one."
"Guess so."
Silence again. But this time it's not empty—it's focused. Everyone's thinking the same thing.
This is real.
The world just flipped.
And we're not kids in class anymore.