RAVENS POV
I always knew I wouldn't live long. The thought of death never bothered me even as a child. I knew it was normal and I'm sure it was much better than being around my father all the time. I kept reminding myself this fact every day when I was imprisoned by my father. I knew my life had no value to fight for when I took the first blow from the fist of my father. And after when I would examine what he had done to me I would always think about that fact. It gave me comfort that I would someday not have to live through this anymore. I wouldn't have to be strong. I could just relax and fade away into nothingness.
Just as all my hope was fading, a new rumour was spreading. The invalids were out there in the trees. They lived free and were everything I wished I could be. I could leave and never come back to my father. I could start new and nobody would be able to push me around. I could be free. More importantly, I could give Blue a good life. I knew the rumour was real no matter how many people denied it. But if for some reason I was wrong about what was really out there, I would create my own resistance in the Wilds with Blue. We would live there together happy and more peaceful than I did in my own home.
That fantasy became a reality when I decided to run away with Blue. We made it just in time and people greeted us. The wilds were everything I ever could have imagined and more. It was free and I was a leader. Finally my life had a little meaning to it. The happy and peaceful part didn't come along in the package though. Neither did Blue. I still can't think of her much now that she's gone. I hope she's in a safer place than I am.
Now I stand in the resistance. We're in the middle of a raid and everything is going just as planned so far. I'm climbing the massive wall surrounding Portland with Pippa close behind me. She has the bomb that we're going to use to blow Portland's concrete wall to pieces. This is just one step in the many we need to perform to take everything down. Then I might get my peaceful happiness. Just not yet.
I look up to see Tack fighting with a bulky guard. The guard has a gun but I don't worry about Tack. I know he can handle himself in situations like this. I knew that since the day I met him in the homestead when he went across the border to get medicine for Blue. I never thought he would come back but he did. I also knew I loved this man. I whispered it to him last night when we were laying on the ground surrounded by the darkness and the stars up above. He whispered it back with a smile plastered on his handsome face. My heart had felt like it was bursting from happiness when he said it. In that moment I swear we were infinite and even the stars couldn't shine brighter than our love.
I reach the top of the wall and see chaos unfolding everywhere. There are more guards than there should be. The alarm is blaring and invalids are running everywhere. I see Julian a few yards away take down a guard. Then he's running and he takes down some more guards. I never thought Julian would actually be a good member of the resistance but he proved me wrong. I spot Lena close behind. She looks beautiful and strong. She really has grown since she had got here and she is everything I wish Blue would have been. I glance down to my stomach where I know another baby Blue is growing safely. The father is Tack and he couldn't be a better choice for the job. I don't know how I'll manage to raise this baby but hopefully by then we will have access to all the medical supplies we need. I know my baby will have a good life. This time it's a promise I won't break.
Suddenly the alarm gets louder as if a million people are screaming all at once. I slap my hands up to my ears but put them away when I realise the alarm wasn't the one screaming. I look at Lena and see shock and terror plastered on her face. I confused at first by the screaming and look of terror but then I look at Pippa. Pippa has the same emotion on her face. I adjust my eyes so they are looking where everyone's eyes are set. I make eye contact with a guard on the ground. His gun is pointed at Pippa and his finger is on the trigger. I see the darkness of the barrel and I know what will come out of it soon. He pulls the trigger.
It seems as though time stops. Everything is silent except for the click of the trigger. The bullet starts coming out of the gun, making its way right for Pippa. I don't think. I act out of the thought that it will all be over if I don't stop it now. I thrust my body in front of Pippa's just as the bullet is about to hit her.
The bullet hits me in the stomach. It pierces through my skin with so much force it's impossible not to cry out. I look down at my stomach where my baby once grew and see a gaping hole with blood spewing out. Pain rips through my body like nothing I've experienced before. I scream and gasp for air but I know it's useless. I know I'm dead before I even hit the ground. I see everyone looking at me falling just before my mind erupts into flashes of my life. Strangely though, I don't get flashes of all the happy things that have happened to me. I don't think about what will happen after I'm gone to both me and my now dead baby. Instead I think of my father. I think that he was right about all of it. I will never accomplish anything. My life was a worthless piece of crap that will end shortly.
My body hits the ground with a sickening thud but I don't feel the pain I should have. I feel nothing. I am nothing. My eyes start to darken now. The world I once knew will be gone in a few short moments. The last thing I see is Tack running towards me with such speed I swear he was superman. He can't be superman today though. There's no saving me. The darkness covers my vision and then I'm gone forever.