Shun

The two days that I was bedridden felt like they would never end. The only good thing was that I wasn't holed up in the clinic upstairs and by myself. I had been allowed to stay down in Jack's living space with the others, but I was still stuck on a couch and basically being forced to stayed there.

In the meantime, the others tried to keep themselves occupied. Feliciana was teaching Dan some of her hunting and fighting techniques, Alice and Runo were straightening things up in the house, and Julie babbled to Murucho about anything and everything.

I glanced at Alice as she fixed a crooked book on a shelf. A couple of days ago she had snuck out of the house late at night and informed us about what was going on in the outside world. Isis, the Official who tried to take Nero's place after his death, had accomplished the next best thing; she had control over the Officials who were still disillusioned and thought that what they were doing was in the name of all that was right and good.

She also told us that the Officials who were fighting against them, weren't holding up so well. I thought that if they lost, and Isis reformed the divided Officials, we would have another Nero on our hands. I shuddered when I remembered Nero telling me that just cause he was dead, didn't make a difference.

The Officials would still come after us, and more of us would still die. That was before I made him pull the trigger and blow his brains out with his own gun. But those words still hung at the edge of my mind. I wanted to get rid of them, but a part of me kept holding onto them. I wasn't sure why.

But we didn't know anything else about what was happening outside. None of us even thought about venturing out there until it was truly time to go. Alice's experience had scared the others enough to put them in that situation. But now it was time to go.

I could travel, and Jack was putting together us some supplies in case we ran into trouble. He handed the last supply bag to Murucho and said, "I'll lead you guys through the alleys and back to the gate." We nodded as he opened the door to the outside world.

It was daytime and the sun was blindingly bright. Quietly, our group retraced our path through the buildings that made up the alleys. I was keeping good pace with them, despite my leg still being wrapped up and slightly sore. Jack had also made sure to give me plenty of pain medications for my leg as it continued to heal.

He stopped us and whispered sternly, "Get down!" We did as he said, and just in time. Officials ran past the entrance to the alley, and if we hadn't hidden when we did, they would have certainly seen us. The gunfire had moved from the Courtyard area to somewhere further off in the City.

All that was left were bodies of Officials and the ones who were standing guard outside of an old house next to us. Alice whispered softly, "That's where Isis was having her meeting." Next to her, Dan said, "That must be their new headquarters then." The stench of dead bodies was enough to flip my stomach around, but I refused to get sick.

Not right then and there, at least. Jack motioned with his hand for us to follow him. He said, "I know a way around the building so they won't see us. It should spit us out right in front of the gate."

He took us through the detour and sure enough, we were staring right at the gate. It was still wide open, a wonderful invitation of freedom that we had longed for since day one. Jack told us, "Alright, you all need to run as fast as you can. Don't stop for anything until you reach the mountain. We don't want to take any chances of the Officials seeing you and coming after you."

Alice blinked and asked him, "What about you? Aren't you coming with us, Jack?" He gave her a sad smile and shook his head. Murucho asked, "Why not?" Jack looked around at the two buildings we were hiding between, as if reminiscing about an old memory. He told us, "Whether I wanted to do or didn't want to do what I did, I've done things I'm not proud of. I've hurt too many people for an unjust cause, and I don't want to face the eyes of people whose families I helped harm. It would be too much for me to handle. Besides, I have some other things to take care of."

He smiled sadly at us again. "I'm sure the survivors will forgive you, Jack," Julie whined. He only shook his head again. "No. I've made my choice on what I'm going to do, and if staying behind while this City falls apart, then so be it. I'll go down with the people I helped do evil things."

At that moment, I could see the faces of every person he was forced to hurt in his eyes. And with each one, he showed pure remorse and regret. A safer life and freedom on the other side of the mountain, could never ease and bring peace to his soul. And like he said, he would have to stare down the faces of people's friends and families that he harmed.

They might not have known it, but he would. Dan held his hand out to Jack and the doctor returned the favor by shaking it. "Thank you for all of your help," said Dan. Runo added in, "Yeah! I'm not sure what we would have done if you hadn't found us."

The others began to give him their thanks. Alice told him, "Stay safe for us, Jack." He nodded and smiled. I turned to him and said, "See it that the right side wins this fight." Jack laughed and said, "I will." With our goodbyes said, we ran across the street and through the gate. Not stopping, just like Jack told us.

Shun

We reached the rusted chain link fence in no time. Dan spotted a hole that had been cut in the metal. Beside me, Alice said to herself, "Must be where the Officials got through that night." And by that night, she meant when she, Runo, Julie, and Murucho were captured by the Officials.

Jack had been there and was forced to drug them so they would offer no resistance. One by one, we ducked under the fence and crossed over to the other side. Alice and I remained on the other side. Runo asked us, "Are you two going to go through sometime this week?"

We turned and looked at each other. She smiled and said, "Just like old times, huh?" I smiled back at her, remembering all the times she and I slipped through the fence that encased the City. Well, she did most of the going through. I only went through once.

But the memories were still there, and we both had come a long way from the people who we used to be. She was no longer the girl that feared for her safety each time she snuck out of the City to see me or the other Outcasts, or the same girl who chased after me through the Wastelands after I stole food.

And I was no longer the same guy who thought I only had one life to live, or thought that all people from the City were the same. I said, "How about you go first?" She smiled and ducked under the fence; a symbol to how far we had come.

It would be the last time, and it would bring a better future than any of us could have had back down in the City. I then ducked under and stepped through the other side. I then knew why people said the grass was greener on the other side. I looked up at the luscious trees and birds that sat in the branches and sang their songs.

A whole world that was untouched by the world we had grown up knowing. Leaves littered the ground of grass underneath our feet. A breeze blew past us, carrying the smells of the forest. It was a much better scent than what was penetrating the City below. We all looked around at the forest, marveling at the beauty that the world still had left in it.

Runo said, "We sat up here for all those days waiting for you guys, and even then the forest didn't look like this while we were here." Dan, Feliciana, and I never got the chance to see the forest when we first arrived at the fence. Mainly because we, along with the others that went with us, left to fight in the City in the midst of rain and darkness.

I then thought about the friends and families of those who went and didn't return. How would they react knowing that they died? Sure, they would grieve with their death, but how else would they react? Would they blame us for not keeping them safe? There wasn't much we could do to help them. Feliciana took in a deep breath of the air and said, "We need to get going. It's a long walk up."

No One

The doctor ran through the hall of the prison, freeing those who had been held captive by the Officials. The imprisoned people ran from their cells, cheering with pure joy. He then turned and dug around in a bag that he had told the others were supplies for himself in case he was in a bind and couldn't return to his home, and pulled out rifles and other guns that he had taken from fallen Officials one night.

He saw all their faces in his mind from when they thanked him and said their goodbyes. A part of the doctor wanted to go with them, to see and get a taste of the freedom that had driven those young adults to live and beat the odds. But he had other plans in store. He handed guns to the prisoners, people who had once been enjoying their life in the City.

Their eyes were different. Changed with the truth that had hidden from them for so long. They took the guns without any hesitation. The doctor could see that they wanted their revenge. Not only for themselves, but for those they watched die before their very eyes.

The monsters who had caged them, were about to be caged themselves. The doctor only hoped that they were enough to go up against Isis and her pack of Officials. Ammo was being distributed to the prisoners. The doctor hoped that they had enough manpower to go up against their enemy.

He had gone by the traitor Officials' headquarters and told him of his intentions. They believed him and supplied him with the ammo. The doctor then explained to the leader, Erich, of his plan. They would gather at the Courtyard and do a full on attack on Isis's headquarters.

The two agreed to the plan and set the time for high noon, which was creeping up on them. "Move out! We have to hurry to the Courtyard!" he shouted. The mob of people ran from the prison, shouting and cheering as they began to get their sweet revenge. They charged and rounded the corner, entering the Courtyard. On the other side was Erich and his band of Officials.

The guards who were guarding Isis's headquarters looked back and forth as the two armies swooped down on them. They didn't know what to do, and somebody from Erich's side shot them down. With the sounds of the gunfire, the doctor saw out in the distance that her Officials were running to their leader's help.

But as Erich's Officials ran rampant through the headquarters, he knew that no amount of help could save their sadistic leader. The two sides clashed in the streets, firing at each other and even turning to hand-to-hand combat. "Stop!" shouted a voice. Everyone turned to watch Erich dragging Isis out of the headquarters.

Blood was coming from somewhere on her head, and a bullet wound was in her shoulder. It had been Isis who shouted the order for the fighting to stop. She was shivering when she yelled, "Stop the fighting! We've lost my Officials…..We've lost." Cheers erupted from the crowd on Erich's side.

They then turned and began to take the guns from the stunned Officials of Isis's side. None of them could believe that they lost, when just two nights ago they were so certain they had won. The prisoners and traitor Officials began to tie up Isis's Officials and drag them away to the prison that had housed innocent people not two hours ago.

They would face the punishment of their crimes; execution. But the first to go would be Isis. The leader always goes first. The doctor smiled up at the mountain and said to himself, "Things are fine down here, but I'm sure they're better up there." He turned around and joined the cheering, and he thought about the Outcast who had told him to see to it that the right side won. And it did.

chapter title based off the song Revolution by Trading Yesterday. there's probably one more chapter. maybe two at the most. most likely one. sorry if the ending is difficult to understand. o.o it worked better in my mind. i'm sure you get the premise though. well, read, review, and other things! ~Copperpelt~