The Rain: The End by Marietta Standlee (good summer reads TXT) 📕

more people to feel like that?" Colin asks reasonably.

I want to shout out a clear, resounding, Yes, but if I'm completely honest with myself, I know I can't. Fact is, I do remember what our friend endured, and even back then, there was a moment where I asked myself if it wouldn't have been better for him if we had let him die.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Who are we, to dare play God here and decide who lives and who dies? How can we heal some and kill the others?

"Viv, remember who and what we're fighting for." Colin's voice is imploring.

And I do. Unfortunately, we live in a new harsh world. Survival of the fittest is the law of the land. Even if we healed the maniacs, they would require too many resources to recover, resources we just don't have right now, maybe later. Maybe in times to come, we'll be able to save some. But Colin is right, not now. Not today.

In order to protect the living, we'll have to kill humans, who to no fault of their own, have become maniac and want nothing more than to kill us. In a way, it's almost self-defense, I argue with myself, but knowing better.

Colin looks at me worriedly. "Are you okay? Nobody will fault you if you sit this one out."

"I'll be fine," I mutter. "I have your back."

"That's my girl." He acknowledges but still looks worried.

Thankfully we're interrupted by Hugo as he approaches us. "How did it go?"

He looks tired. Blood stains his forehead and uniform. Of all the people from our original Bandon gang, he still looks the most youthful. Everybody else seems to have aged more than their years warrant, not Hugo, though. He still looks like a sixteen-year-old who can't figure out how to fit in just yet.

"Got everything checked." Colin answers.

"It looks really good. It's a good place for us." I elaborate, feeling sorry for the kid.

A hand smacks into my back, pushing the air out of me and making me cough while also propelling me into Hugo, who catches me with a grin.

"Hey!" I protest, turning around, ready to deck whoever did this to me.

"Hey, short stack." Derek laughs.

"Oh no, you don't." I huff. "I thought I made this clear, the only one who gets to call me stupid nicknames is him." I point at Colin, who grins broadly.

"Why does he get to call you nicknames? Because he sleeps with you?" Derek demands, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "I'll volunteer for that; it would be a sacrifice, but…."

I kick him in the shin, keeping him busy yelping for a couple of minutes so he doesn't have time to finish his sentence.

"You deserved it." Colin claps him on the back.

"Whatever," Derek mutters good-naturedly, taking the hand I offer him with a smirk.

"Did you guys see the nerds and the spaceship?" Kat joins us, wiping blood off her face with a wet napkin.

"Way to leave the hard work for us. Slackers," Sean, who appears next, complains, but his mouth twists up in a wide smile.

We catch up for a few minutes before a vibration on my secret tablet makes me turn away from our group. I read the text from Claire and scan the attached pictures. With an expression of disgust on my face, I turn back towards my friends.

"Got a message from a friend," I say vaguely, still not wanting to expose Claire, even though I trust everybody present with my life. I show the pictures around after I extend the tablet.

"What is that?" Kat asks.

"Those are maniacs in cages, being displayed by the elite Gorongiaths as decorations." I sneer, disgusted. "Their newest fashion in home decoration."

"Christ!" Hugo exclaims.

"What else did she say?" Colin asks.

I scroll to another picture, one that is hauntingly familiar to me. Rows of cages in which women are held captive. "Healed maniacs, ready to breed the next generation of Gorongiaths." I read the text accompanying the picture.

"Good Lord." Kat closes her eyes and turns away in disgust.

"Ka?" Derek spits.

"Yeah," I affirm. "Whatever else he is, he's an industrial motherfucker. He's going to make a fortune. My friend says all the male maniacs cost a pretty penny to display, and the breeding women are almost unaffordable."

"What are we going to do about this?" Kat looks ready for action.

I shrug regretfully. "Nothing yet. We'll need to let this play out for now. Hopefully, Ka is shoveling his own grave with all this."

"Somehow, I doubt it," Colin predicts darkly.

"Oh, here." I read another message that came through just now and almost throw my tablet against the dumb truck in anger. "It just doesn't stop. The Council member Ka was shadowing? He suddenly resigned, making Ka a full-blown Council member!"

"He's cunning." Colin nods.

"Yeah, I guess he is." I admit.

"Cheer up, Karma will get him." Kat tries to brighten my mood before she breaks out into laughter. "Get it? Karma will get Ka?"

I'm not sure what is so funny about it, but her laughter is contagious, nevertheless.

"Heads up!" Somebody yells.

A hissing sound announces incoming maniacs. As one, we all draw our guns and shoot at the two lone maniacs. The problem is, everybody decides to shoot at the one to the right, while the one to the left goes scot-free and throws herself at Sean before anybody can react.

Sean yelps in pain as she latches onto his arm and tries to scratch at his face. He manages to keep her hands at bay as Colin jumps forward and slices her throat with one hand while pushing her off Sean with the other. Followed by a well measured kick.

"Well, that got my adrenaline going for the day." I laugh.

Colin helps Sean up, checking on his arm. "I don't think she broke your skin. You're lucky you had a long sleeve shirt on."

"Yeah, lucky me." Sean pouts, rubbing his smarting arm.

I stretch and yawn dramatically. "I think I had all the excitement I can take for today. Where do we sleep?"

Kat gives me an