Never Trust Again

Candy took a deep breath as she walked into junior high after summer vacation. The hallways buzzed with the sounds of students reuniting, lockers slamming, and chatter about what had happened over the summer. She sighed, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement. She was just about to take another step forward when she collided with someone hard.

Her books and papers flew from her hands, scattering across the floor.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, trying to gather herself.

The boy she'd run into, Draik, smirked as he bent down, scooping up her things. He looked into her eyes, his expression unreadable as he handed the pile back to her. For a moment, Candy softened, a small smile tugging at her lips as she reached for her belongings.

But just as her fingers touched the stack, Draik let go, letting everything tumble back to the ground—this time into a nearby puddle of water. He laughed before walking away, leaving Candy frozen in place, staring at the mess. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back, refusing to let them fall.

The drop ship rattled, jerking her back to the present. Candy opened her eyes, looking around at her squad. Dare, Alexis, Felix, Elodie, Romeo, and Hero all clung tightly to the side of the ship as they prepared to land.

"Ok," Hero's voice cut through the tension, "we're gonna get in and out. We have undead all over the place. We pair up and search for survivors. Whether you find someone or not, meet back here in one hour. Elodie, Felix, you're with me. Dare, Alexis, you take that area. Candy and Romeo, head in the opposite direction. Everyone clear?"

"Yes, sir!" they responded in unison.

"Alright, let's move." Hero led the way as they all jumped out of the ship, splitting off in their designated directions.

Candy walked in silence beside Romeo, stealing glances at him from the corner of her eye. He had the same quiet determination he always did when it came to rescuing people. She knew he had a good heart, but it was hard to tell sometimes. Romeo had flip-flopped between villain and hero so much that she didn't know who he really was anymore. Lately, since Love had come into the picture, he'd leaned more toward the heroic side. But in the past, everything he did seemed to serve his own gain—whether to boost his reputation or win over the devoted, ditzy girls who had followed him around like puppies back in school.

Romeo caught her staring. "I guess you've found my good side."

Candy grimaced, her eyes narrowing. "Yeah right. I'm not one of those prissy little girls you had fawning over you in school." She turned her focus back to the war-torn city in front of them.

She thought back to the days before all of this—the simpler times. School had been a mix of American history and survival techniques, but she missed it sometimes. Of course, life had a way of ruining good things. Zombies, rogue villainous leaders, and raiders had attacked the premises so many times that they'd been forced to drop out by tenth grade. Since then, they'd been on the run, surviving in any way they could. Draik had played the hero often since then. He was a genius, always having a plan, always with a gadget. That's why he was chosen to be an elitist.

Suddenly, Romeo put a hand in front of her, halting her steps.

"You hear that?" he asked, his voice low.

Candy paused, listening intently. She heard faint, desperate breaths. She frowned and nodded.

"Spread out," Romeo ordered. "Ten feet apart, and keep walking straight. They should be somewhere in this debris in the center. Careful steps—I don't want us stepping on them."

They moved cautiously, staying parallel to each other, inching forward until Romeo stopped, pointing his gun toward the center of the debris. They both knelt and began digging frantically. After a few moments, they uncovered a body, lying face down.

Romeo carefully rolled the person over, and they both gasped in unison.

"Willow?!" they exclaimed.

Willow's eyes fluttered open, his face pale. "Candy... you're alive. I can't believe it."

Candy's heart raced. "What the heck happened, Will? Where's everyone else?"

"They're okay... they kept moving forward, but... I had to come back. I had to look for you and Love. I figured since Draik didn't come back, he must've... must've died or something."

Romeo, still inspecting Willow carefully, spoke in a low, even tone. "My name's Romeo now. And it's in your best interest not to tick me off right now. How's your chest?"

Willow winced, struggling to speak. "My left lung feels heavy... hurts. The right one's just... tired."

Candy looked at Romeo, waiting for his assessment. Romeo met her eyes and spoke softly. "We've got company. A helicopter. We need to get him back to the ship now. His lung collapsed, and he needs oxygen. But he has to walk. We can't carry him."

Candy's eyes widened. "Wait—someone's coming?"

The distant whirring of helicopter blades grew louder. She glanced at Romeo, who was already speaking into his radio.

"Aye, Hero, you copy?" Romeo called.

Hero's voice crackled back. "Yeah, what's up?"

"A copter. We need to get back to the ship, now."

"Roger that. Team, head back."

Dare's voice chimed in. "We have to go, now!"

"What's going on?" Alexis asked, concern lacing her words.

"Helicopter," Dare responded, urgency in her voice.

Candy and Romeo hurried, helping Willow walk as he wheezed and struggled to catch his breath.

"I'm not gonna make it," Willow muttered. "Is anyone else cold?"

"Willow, you're fine. Keep moving," Candy insisted, trying to keep him focused.

Romeo grunted. "Stop whining. You've made it this far. You can keep going." But the sound of the helicopter grew closer.

Willow glanced up, his voice weak. "Is that a helicopter?"

Romeo's face hardened. "Drop him."

Candy froze. "What?"

"Drop him and follow my lead," Romeo commanded, letting go of Willow, who collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

"Willow, no!" Candy cried, grabbing him, refusing to let go. But Romeo pulled her away, dragging her into a nearby tunnel and covering her mouth just as the helicopter passed overhead, scanning the area. They stayed still, barely breathing, until it flew away.

Romeo finally let go, and Candy spun around, slapping him hard across the face before rushing back to Willow.

"Willow! Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

Willow coughed weakly. "Yeah... but how come they couldn't detect me?"

Romeo's expression was grim. "They did. But you're dying. That's why your body temperature's reading cold."

Willow's eyes widened in horror. "I'm dying?!"

"Let's move," Romeo barked, pulling him up as they hurried toward the ship. Just as they reached the landing zone, gunshots rang out from the helicopter overhead.

"Dare! Alexis!" Candy shouted.

"They're gone," Romeo growled. "We have to move. Now."

They dragged Willow aboard the ship as Hero's voice came through the radio again, shaky and devastated. "Alexis, Dare, do you read?"

"They're dead, Hero," Romeo said flatly. "We need to leave now."

Hero's voice cracked with emotion. "Dead? How do you know?"

Romeo hesitated. "We... saw them. Just... let's go."

Hero's shoulders slumped as he turned away, his voice barely audible. "Starduster, warp speed."

The ship jolted forward, throwing them all to the floor as they escaped. Hours later, Willow lay in a hospital bed, hooked up to oxygen. Candy sat beside him while Romeo checked his vitals.

Hero hovered nearby. "You a doctor?" he asked, watching Romeo.

Romeo shrugged. "When I have to be."

Hero nodded slowly. "Thanks for the heads up back there. Could've been a lot worse if you hadn't warned us."

Romeo's face softened. "Sorry about your team, Captain."

Hero swallowed hard and walked away without another word.

Candy watched him leave before turning to Romeo, her voice soft. "Is he going to be okay?"

Romeo didn't look at her. "Depends on how my face feels Candy."

Candy winced. "I'm sorry. It was an impulse. I don't like being grabbed, and I never know what your intentions are. For all I knew, you were leaving him to die."

Romeo gave a small, humorless laugh. "Sometimes you just have to act on instinct." He paused at the door before glancing back. "Willow's gonna be fine. This simp's tougher than he looks."

As Romeo left, Candy's mind drifted back to Draik. 

Candy and Draik walk past each other in the school halls. They both looked at each other briefly before completely passing by each other as if the other didn't exist.

Willow: Wow, what was that?

Candy: A silent agreement to never trust each other again.