| How to run from the mess you’ve made

Violet was confused as to why they were separating her from the action. There were three loud gunshots and chaos consumed the dining hall. Heidi immediately pulled her away and towards the cabin farthest away from the infirmary.

"What's happening?"

Kyle and Ezra were in the dining hall with them. Ollie was the only one who wasn't there, could he've been the one to shoot? Or the one getting shot?

Violet haulted in her tracks at that thought, turning back to see the infirmary cabin surrounded by girls with weapons.

The hand around her wrist tightened,

"Come on, the cabin's right there."

Violet's fists clenched.

"No! Why are you trying to hide me away?"

"For your protection-"

"Bullshit!"

Violet yelled, attempting to pull away but Heidi's grip made no effort of letting up.

"You've been training me for three days, and now that there's something going on and you need the help you're pulling me away?"

Heidi rolled her eyes before her grip on Violet's arm became painful and she began to pull aggressively.

"Heidi, stop!"

She struggled as the older girl forced her towards a cabin and up the porch stairs.

"I'm trying to help you Violet!"

"I don't want your help!"

Violet was dragged kicking into the cabin, the door closing behind them.

"Violet!"

Violet paused. A confused expression fell over her face at the familiar deep voice that called out for her desperately from outside.

"Cash?"

Violet kicked the taller girl hard in the back of the knee, finally jerking her hand free. Heidi tried to grab her again but Violet moved away, her brows knitting and lips parting as she looked over the woman she looked up to.

"Violet!"

Her name was yelled again, closer now. There was no doubt. It was her brother. Why would he be here? Why was Heidi acting so weird? Without another word she bolted from the cabin. Heidi called after her, chasing the smaller girl as she ran out.

Cash felt his blood boil as his eyes finally fell on his younger sister being dragged unwillingly into one of the many cabins.

"Violet!"

He called after her, speeding up to try and catch her. Tabb struggled to keep up with Cash's new pace. The girls were distracted by the others, none of them noticing their disappearance yet.

"Violet!"

He roared her name hopelessly, a look in Cash's eye that Tabb hadn't seen in a long time. They were almost to the porch when Violet burst out the door with the yell of her brother's name. She paused, her eyes widening as they fell on Cash and Tabb's freshly beaten figures.

Cash's long locks were now replaced with short patchy hair that only reached to his ears. His left eye was bruised, his hand lazily wrapped in a bloodied wrap, and his olive skin an unusually pale shade.

On the other hand, bruises blossomed over Tabb's entire body making his bony figure look even frailer than usual.

She ran to the two men with teary eyes, attempting to wrap her arms around both of them in a tight embrace. They immediately hugged back, Tabb petted her hair gently as he leaned over her while Cash squeezed with enough power to take her breath away.

"Violet!"

Heidi suddenly came through the door, a gun in her hand as she pointed it back and forth between Tabb and Cash with shaky hands.

"What are you doing?!"

Violet yelled in disbelief, quickly widening her stance to shield them. Cash growled as he glared at her, the gun in his own hand suddenly becoming heavier.

"You're safer here. With us. I don't get how you can't see it!"

"Not if it means my family is killed! What is wrong with you people! I trusted you!"

Heidi took a couple steps closer, slowly stepping down the stairs as she kept her aim.

Without warning Cash lifted his gun from behind Violet and shot Heidi in the kneecap. A violent scream echoed through the air as she dropped her gun and fell to the ground. That had definitely grabbed the other girls attention and now a couple of them were running in their direction.

Violet stared, mouth agape as she watched the woman she had thought of as a mentor only minutes ago cry out in pain.

Cash casually walked past his younger sister, standing over Heidi with a leg on either side of her.

"I know what you did with my friends."

He spoke in a gruff voice, his eyes forcefully holding back tears to keep a poker face. He fell to his knees before grabbing her throat with one hand and punching hard enough he felt the bone of her nose crack beneath his fist.

"You sick fucks."

A honk suddenly rang out from behind them and both Tabb and Violet turned to see Ollie speeding towards them in a large red truck, the back seat filled to the brim with luggage.

"Lets just get out of here while we still can."

Tabb spoke up, resting a reassuring hand on Violet's shoulder in attempt to ease her obvious distress.

Cash grit his teeth, a war raging on in his head. His finger tightened and loosened on the trigger as he aimed between her brows. She hurt his family. She tortured Tabb for hours before he got here and then did the same to him and the rest of his comrades.

She ate Xzavier and Finn.

"Cash, please don't do something you'll regret."

Heidi looked up at him with wide, horrified eyes. They were nothing like Red's or Harper's. She was truly scared, tears falling from the corners of her eyes and soaking her hair while snot and blood dripped from her nose.

He tightened his grip on her throat and she began to make a choking noise. She reached up, grabbing at his wrist in attempt to pull his hand away.

"Cash!"

Violet's voice caught him off guard and he quickly looked up and turned to her. She had tears in her eyes as she watched in horror.

"Please, don't kill her..."

She pleaded in a quiet tone.

"She was my friend."

She stood close to Tabb, a frightened expression on her face as she held onto him.

Violet was scared of Cash.

He could see it in the way she held Tabb unusually close. He could see it in Tabb's ajar mouth, his brows knitted with concern.

Cash's grip on her throat loosened and she took a deep breath.

"We have to go!"

Jude suddenly limped past them with a yell of the warning, a bag tight in his hands as he sprinted past all four of them and jumped onto the truck, the others right on his heels.

Tabb left no room for questions as he turned away and grabbed Violet by the hand, pulling her towards the truck.

Cash looked back down at Heidi with hatred in his eyes.

"Please.."

She gasped, her voice hoarse from being strangled.

"I don't want to die..."

That was a breaking point for the dark haired man.

"Neither did Xzavier or Finn."

He growled before pulling the trigger of his pistol, a loud bang following and blood spewing to his face at such a close angle.

He got to his feet and followed the rest of the group, shooting at anyone who got too close.

Rory heard the honk of a horn, a flood of relief filling his bones. Jude ran past the others with a yell at them to hurry up. Rory slammed the bud of his gun against girl he was fighting's temple and she fell to the ground with a grunt. The lack of guns that the sanctuary possessed was weird, maybe to reduce the noise? But swords, knives, and arrows could only get you so far.

Rory started toward the truck when Red took advantage of his fail state and tackled him to the ground. The unexpected blow caused him to drop his gun but he quickly recovered it, aiming it towards the intimidating woman.

He hesitated.

She backed away with a fearless look in her eyes.

"You tortured my friends. You tortured me. Why?"

Her poker face didn't seem to waver as her blue eyes met his bruised browns.

He wanted to shoot her but his body refused to move. What was wrong with him? Why was he fighting himself on this?

"Meat goes bad fast. It's better when cooked fresh."

Rory snarled, "you sick fucking piece of shit! I could kill you right now!"

He cocked the pistol.

"Then do it, mother fucker!"

Red screamed and Rory obliged, aiming and firing the pistol without hesitation. She leaned her head to the right, the bullet missing her by the tip of her hair. She ran at him in attempt to tackle him to the ground again. Instead he moved to grab her, she used this as an advantage, jumping into his arms and wrapping a leg behind his head, throwing him to the ground with as much force as she could. He came down head first, eating dirt as the gun dropped from his hand. She climbed onto his back, pulling him into a tight headlock as he reached for the weapon.

She grunted at the force it took to hold him back, her hair falling over her face. Rory struggled to his feet, Red holding onto his back like a monkey. His face turned scarlet at the lack of oxygen and Red made no effort at letting up. He fell back onto her, slamming her into the ground with enough force to loosen her grip. He sucked in as much oxygen as he could before scrambling to his knees and grabbing the gun. He turned to aim at her but she kicked his hand, the gun sliding from his reach once again.

"God damnit!"

He yelled before he was kicked across the face making his head bobble and blood spewing from his lips. She stood up, running towards the pistol but Rory grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the ground and crawling in top of her. He punched her across the temple and she paused for a moment, the harsh blow almost knocking her out of consciousness. He used this moment of weakness, quickly grabbing he gun.

"Wait! Stop!"

Red finally surrendered from their wrestling match when he was on top of her, the pistol pressed firmly against her forehead.

"I know what you are."

Her voice became less panicked, the words sliding out quietly as if she knew Rory didn't want anyone to hear.

"What?"

He asked breathlessly, still panting from their fight.

"You died. I remember."

His grip loosened at the words. She had said something earlier, but in all the action he hadn't made much of it.

"I know what's happening to you. Dying and coming back. I know because it's happening to me too."

His brows knitted, unbelieving of her ridiculous claim. I mean, he could barely believe it was happening to him. Let alone running into someone who was also being unwantedly resurrected. He inspected her expression carefully but she didn't seem to be lying.

"I can give you answers. We can figure it out together."

His grip on the metal in his hand tightened again. He thought back to the basement they had been stuck in for the past couple days. The moler they'd ripped out of his mouth. The dagger they'd stabbed through Cash's hand. The way they'd use them as punching bags because they knew the chained men couldn't fight back.

"I'd rather see you dead."

He decided. He was going to kill her.

If she was telling the truth, what were the odds they'd run into each other again? And if she was lying, this was his chance here and now to rid the world of one more snake.

"Then shoot me, but when I come back, and I will. I'm coming after you and your-"

Rory pulled the trigger of the gun before she could finish her sentence. He would rather be clueless than be at her mercy.

Rory sucked in a deep breath, his gun not moving from it's aim.

Why did he hesitate? Why did he suddenly feel this dread in his stomach? Why was Red different like him?

"Rory!"

Jude called from the back of the truck, stealing his attention away. With one last glance at the dead girl that might've been the only answers he'd get, he ran after his friends.

The truck didn't stop, only slowing down enough to pick up the others as Ezra aimed from the bed and Rory from the ground, covering the others as they jumped in. Violet got into the front seat with Ollie while Cash and Tabb were pulled in the back with the others.

The girls had finally stopped fighting, it almost sounded too good to be true. As soon as the thought entered Rory's brain an arrow landed inches from his feet, stabbing deep into the grass below.

He looked up to see a plethora of sharp tipped arrows flying in their direction.

"Move!"

He quickly grabbed Dax's hand and pulled himself in, slamming a hand on the side of the truck to signal to Ollie to speed up.

"Kyle!"

In the blink of an eye Kyle was pushed out of the way by Ezra, an arrow piercing through his sternum with enough effort to pin him to the bed of the truck.

"Ezra!"

Kyle screamed hopelessly at the sudden, unexpected attack.

"Get down!"

Cash called as they got closer to the closed gate. He leaned over Tabb, the others following his command. Without another warning the truck slammed through the wooden gate, tearing it to shreds along with the Zs that stood just outside. The truck only struggled a little, quickly picking its speed back up as they reached safety.