Tori reached the main entrance to the subway tunnels about forty-five minutes after she started her trek over the rubble. She had a deep gash on her leg from falling through a weak car roof and her shirt was shredded from crawling between sharp rocks. Also, the wound in her neck had reopened. She spotted Tracy but didn't think much of the dead body lying in a pool of blood because it was so common Abovegrounds. She glanced back at the girl on the ground because she looked familiar.
"Oh my God!" Tori stared at her. She was unwilling to risk stepping foot off of the asphalt. Trina's gang had personally planted several land mines in the surrounding area of the school for protection. Only members of her camp knew where to walk and Tori hadn't stayed long enough in the camp to learn. She took a shuddering breath and continued on what felt like the path to Hell.
When she finally made it to the front entrance to the school her body ached and she assessed the newest cut she acquired, this one was on her stomach and she was pretty sure that there was still a piece of metal inside of her. She had slipped and fallen onto a piece of sheet metal. The sharp material sliced through her skin like paper. It hurt a lot but she didn't think anything vital was injured, she was bleeding a lot though and felt faint.
She pushed the door open and walked in. A guard pulled a gun on her.
"Halt!" He said menacingly. He was a tall and burley man and he could easily take her down even without the gun.
"I need to see Trina Vega." She said with her hands in the air.
"She is unavailable at the moment." He told her.
"I am her sister!" Tori said. The man froze and stared at her before a grin suddenly spread over his face.
"Tori Vega, as I live and breathe." He lowered his gun and stepped forward.
"Uhm – do I know you?" She asked warily and put her hands at her side wincing slightly at the movement.
"I was a friend of your father, you know," He cleared his throat, "before the End." She nodded her head and stared at him. He didn't look familiar to her. The man shook his head the grin still in place.
"Wow, she catches Jade West and then her sister comes back. This is her lucky day." The guard said. Tori scowled.
"I need you to take me to her right now." She demanded.
"Yeah, I can't do that." He said. She crossed her arms in order to look menacing but it hurt too much.
"If you don't, I'll tell her you did this to me." Tori gestured to her wounds. The guard's smile dropped and his face hardened.
"Fine," he spat at her, "right this way." He started down the hallway. She was surprised at how empty the place was, she had remembered there being many more people the previous time she had been there. The man stopped at a door and knocked on it.
"I'm a little busy at the moment!" Trina's voice drifted through the wood. The man shrugged at Tori.
"Trina!" Tori yelled and pounded on the door. A few seconds later it was pulled open.
"Tori!" She yelled and threw her arms around her. Tori peaked over her sister's shoulder and saw that Jade was handcuffed to a chair.
"Are you okay? Did she hurt you? I'm so happy to see you!" Trina grinned and babbled on without waiting for any answers. Tori jerked away from her sister.
"I need you to let Jade go." She demanded. Trina stared at her blankly before bursting out in laughter.
"Come on Tor," Trina went to reach for Tori.
"No, let her go." Tori brushed past her older sister and stepped into the room. Jade glanced up.
"Tori." She said softly. Her face was cut up and bloody and her right eye was swollen shut.
"Jade!" Tori hurried over to her and fell to her knees beside Jade. Trina followed her sister in slowly.
"What are you doing?" She asked skeptically.
"Let her go." Tori repeated angrily. Trina shook her head.
"You already said that." She crossed her arms.
"Why are you doing this?" Tori stood up so that she was level with Trina.
"She kidnapped you!" Trina insisted, "And she doesn't let anyone into the tunnels unless she approves, she keeps supplies from those of us living up here, she's an evil bitch!" Trina yelled.
"She didn't kidnap me!" Tori snapped. "She saved me." Trina narrowed her eyes.
"That does not excuse her other actions." Trina said.
"Tori," Jade cleared her throat, "get out of here." Her left eye was brimming with tears.
"What?" Tori asked in confusion.
"Trina is evacuating the school; I want you to go with her. They're clearing out the state." Jade said urgently. Tori didn't understand, she started to shake her head.
"Don't argue with me Vega." Jade said through her teeth.
"I'm not going to leave you behind." Tori whipped her head around to face Trina.
"Please! Let her go!" She screamed.
"Why?" Trina scoffed, "why do you care so much?"
"Because I love her!" Tori started crying.
"What?" Shock passed over Trina's face.
"I love her," she repeated, "and if you don't take these handcuffs off of her you can forget about me leaving with you." She threatened.
"Tori…" Trina sighed, "fine." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key.
After unlocking the cuffs Jade stood up and Tori stumbled forward to wrap her arms around her. Jade hugged her back but Tori grimaced in pain.
"What happened to you?" Jade looked over Tori.
"We don't have time for this." Trina reminded.
"Come on let's get out of here. We only have a few days to clear out California." Trina handed both girls a bag and they swung them onto their shoulders. Trina led the way from the school to the subway entrance and she didn't even look at Tracy's body as she walked around it. Jade ignored her as well, but Tori stared. She wondered idly what made her sister kill the girl but she pushed the question to the back of her mind. Right now she needed to focus on getting herself and Jade out of California.
When they reached the tunnels Tori was surprised to find them empty and the fires cold. However, she did not question it and instead pressed on down the East tunnel. It was hours later when Tori could no longer handle her injures; she cried out when her legs gave and she collapsed to the ground.
"Tori, we don't have time for this shit." Her sister grumbled. Jade knelt down beside Tori.
"Shut up Trina! She needs to rest. She is weak and is losing a lot of blood." She lifted up Tori's shirt and looked at the angry red wound on her stomach. It was bleeding profusely and Jade pressed her hand to it. Tori hissed in pain.
"Yeah, well, if we don't keep moving, we're going to be losing our lives." Trina snapped. Jade looked down at Tori's pale face.
"Wrap your arms around my neck." She told the injured girl. At first it appeared that Tori didn't hear her but she lifted her arms weakly and slipped them around Jade's neck. Jade adjusted her arms under Tori's legs and back before hefting her into the air. Tori groaned loudly.
"It's okay, we'll rest soon." Jade reassured in a strained voice. Tori barely had the strength to stay awake let alone the capability to keep her arms around Jade's neck. Several miles later Jade started to slow down.
"Trina." She called out urgently.
"What is it now? We're already moving at a snail's pace." Trina grunted.
"You try carrying a hundred pounds for an hour and a half." Jade spat at her.
"Fine. You get five minutes. We should almost be out of California." Trina leaned against a wall. Jade set Tori on a metal bench.
"Come on Tor, wake up." Jade slapped her cheeks lightly. Tori blinked her eyes open.
"I'm tired." She whined.
"You can't go to sleep." Jade reminded as she dug through the pack Trina had given her. She pulled a water bottle out of the bag and put it to Tori's lips. Tori drank greedily and then leaned her head back and closed her eyes again.
"Is she okay?" Trina asked.
"I don't know." Jade said sadly. She wiped the blood from Tori's face. Tori moaned in pain when Jade cleaned her neck wound.
"Thanks." Trina spoke suddenly.
"For what?" Jade tied a strip of fabric around Tori's knee to keep her leg from bleeding so much.
"Taking care of her." She answered quietly.
"I'm not going to let her die." Jade responded deeply. A heaviness was felt in the air and Jade remembered looking down at Cat as she coughed up blood. She shook her head and returned to treating Tori's wounds with the supplies they had.
Trina allowed for a few extra minutes before insisting that they start moving again. Jade lifted Tori into her arms and they continued moving.