A two and a half minute trailer has been making waves on social media, occupying the top spot of every trending list.

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Maggie’s nerves were strung out as she remained agitated, looking at her pallid mother. “Baby’s gotta listen to Zian, alright? We’ll see each other again soon.”

Maggie overheard her neighbors’ shouts and hurried footsteps; armored trucks have entered and exited the compound since dawn. 

The once peaceful neighborhood slowly turned rigid and tense. 

Five hours after the armored trucks arrived, her mom barged into her room and packed her belongings.

Initially, she stood there dumbfounded, but then, as her closet got emptied, her pulse steadily started to jog until its pace made her feel weak to the bones. 

A bad omen attached itself to Maggie’s racing heart. 

Done with packing her daughter’s clothing and essentials, Adele wiped her clammy hands on her pants to conceal its shaking.

“Mo…ommy,” Maggie choked out. “Where are we going?”

Adele sat on the bed right beside her daughter. “We’re going on vacation together with Zian.” 

“Really?” Maggie wanted to believe her. But the more she listened to her mother, the more her heartbeat spread out of her body; she caught its rhythm ringing in her ears.

Her mother continued to speak. “But you and Zian will depart first. Mommy and daddy have something to take care of.” 

To suppress this foreboding, Maggie whispered her words. “Why? Can’t we all go together? I can wait.”

Adele saw  her daughter’s hunched back. She lowered head in agony. If only she could, she wouldn’t want this vacation either. She could live her whole life without excessive wealth and power, as long as her family’s intact… that’s all that she desired. 

But it was too late now. What’s done is done. All she needed to ensure was her daughter’s safety. I pray my daughter will out live this bloodshed. 

Adele endured her eyes turning sour. She took her daughter in her arms and hugged her as tightly as she could while burying her head in Maggie’s shoulders.

Maggie’s anxiety increased further as her mother embraced her tighter. She responded to her mother’s hug with an even firmer one. 

Outside of the gated community, Maggie looked at her home, where she created many fond memories. 

BOOM!!!

Maggie experienced the most haunting tinnitus in her life.

The ground rattled, shrouding her soul in waves of tremors. 

Maggie’s lips were painted white. Mommy! Daddy!

Her feet refused to budge as she picked up the muffled cries coming from her compound. 

A stream of clear liquid ran down from both of her eyes, spotting the ground; they were red in anguish.

“Mommy!!! Daddy!!!” She made a run for it the moment she was able to lift her feet toward the compound. 

Zian saw through her intent and grabbed her left arm. 

Maggie went feral. She scratched the hand that grabbed her while also thrashing her arm to get rid of it.

She wanted to bite that hand off, but before she could act on her thoughts, another arm was wrapped around her waist. 

Zian lifted Maggie up, disregarding the stinging claw marks in his arms. 

He took her away from there and rushed to Hannah’s house. I hope you’re safe. 

*Knock* *Knock*

Zian, together with Maggie, stood at the doorway of Hannah’s house. 

After what happened to the compound, Zian was sure that the entire nation was in a frenzy. 

They opted to come to Hannah’s house since the rebels have been confirmed to only target those in power. It was safer here. 

They stood there for 10 minutes and no one answered. Did something happen?

They tried to call her, but no one was answering. 

It has already been a month since Hannah went on a vacation with Aunt Mary. Surely they would already be home by now. 

Both Maggie and Zian weren’t able to visit Hannah this past month, since their family forbade them from leaving the compound. The two tried to call Hannah, but they no one picked up the phone. The place Hannah traveled to had poor service.

Maggie attempted to fix her disordered bearing, but traces from earlier could still be seen. She kept fidgeting as she waited for Irene. Hannah must be home by now. If she’s not answering, something must have happened to her and Aunt Mary. 

Maggie was on the verge of collapsing. Nothing must happen to Hannah. Nothing. “We should open the door.”

Zian frowned at the suggestion, yet he couldn’t refute it. Maybe the rebels turned to the common people and harmed them, too. This was not impossible. 

As Zian was contemplating over it, Maggie’s patience ran out and twisted the doorknob. 

It was unlocked.

They felt their stomach drop. 

Zian cautiously opened the door. 

When the door was opened at a 45 degree angle, they heard an object hitting flesh. 

Maggie turned in the direction of the noise when she saw Zian’s blood gush out of his shoulder. 

“Ahhh!!” Maggie’s mind was a mess. This day has been a nightmare. She put her hand where the hole was to stop the bleeding. 

Her hands were dyed crimson red. 

Zian registered the pain only after Maggie placed her hand on his shoulder. He weakly took a step back. 

He blankly stared at the blood gushing out of him before slowly raising his head. 

Zian met a man in a shooting stance, pointing his gun at them. 

Without thinking twice, he pulled Maggie behind him, protecting her from harm. He familiarly reached for the gun he hid from behind and raised it.

Zian glared at the man parallel to him; his pose was defensive. He gritted his teeth. “Where’s Hannah? Where are the residents of this house?”

The man didn’t break his eye contact and remained stoic. He ignored Zian’s words. 

The atmosphere strained. One wrong action and bullets would be decorating the walls of the house.

“Stop it, Mike. Let them in.” Hannah’s voice broke the suspense. 

Maggie whipped her head toward the source of the sound and cried out. “Hannah!” She slipped past Zian’s tall frame and dashed beside Hannah.

Zian’s stance relaxed when he saw Hannah. He avoided the growl on Mike’s face and entered the house, following Maggie’s footsteps. 

As he walked, he noticed a third person in the room. The guy had a military cut and a buffed muscle mass. Zian concluded they were in the same age bracket as this man. He frowned. What are these two men doing in Irene’s house?

Zian paused in his steps. Where’s aunt Mary?

Leaving aside his ecstatic emotion from meeting Hannah, Zian could smell the scent of an antiseptic lingering in the room. Besides that, he also realized how bare the house was.

The wheels in his head turned. Guns, a bare house, and… his mind flashed back to the red band he spotted on Mike’s right arm. A red band… Rebels!

Zian’s gaze locked on Hannah’s right arm. There, he noted an exact replica of the red band on the rebels. 

Maggie was elated to finally be with Hannah after a month of separation. What happened earlier was a direct punch in the gut. Now, seeing Hannah safe lightened her mood a bit. 

Maggie’s overflowing emotions concealed the truth from her eyes. 

She had all her defenses down and plunged straight to Hannah for an embrace. 

“Ugh.” Hannah groaned.

Before Maggie could savor the moment, I threw her on her back. She laid on the floor wide-eyed as Hannah used her body as a shield.

BANG! 

A gun was fired. Zian aimed his bullet at Stephen, who was beside Hannah.

With quick reflexes, Stephen’s right arm was only grazed.

But it was a close call.

So close that Hannah had to move from her position to protect herself and Maggie, resulting in agitating her injuries.

Zian ran to Hannah and Maggie’s side while still pointing his gun at Stephen. 

Mike, who watched it all unfold, wasn’t to be outdone. He positioned his gun facing Zian’s temple. One mistake and it would be all over.

Zian bared his teeth. “Rebels!” These rebels must have taken Aunt Mary hostage, forcing Hannah to join their cause. Despicable! No matter what, he had to get Hannah and Maggie out here. 

Both Mike and Stephen glowered at this privileged guy in front of them. If it weren’t for the atrocious acts committed, his compatriots would have the present result in this. 

Mike and Stephen held their anger at bay. But it was already on the brink of exploding. Their muscles tensed with adrenaline, ready to pounce once the signal was given. Two versus one; a piece of cake.

Hannah groaned in pain as she tried to stand up. Zian and Maggie were independent from their parents. It wasn’t her two friends that carried out unlawful and unjustified actions; it was their parents. They had nothing to do with this. 

Hannah could feel the blood from her stomach start to leak their way through her dusty clothes. 

Maggie had frozen up on the floor. For her, it was one stimulant after another. But she had no time to lament as she sensed the hot viscous fluid running down her diaphragm from above. She just now noticed the dire situation her best friend was in. 

Maggie parted her lips to call Hannah. However, a callused small hand covered her mouth before words could come out. 

Maybe due to exhaustion, shock, grief, or hopelessness, Maggie stayed under Hannah as an ocean of tears came rushing in. It was like an elephant stampede had occurred in her heart. Every step of an elephant was her heart crying in desolation. Her lungs heaved like a galloping horse. 

Maggie’s closed eyes quivered in desperation while her outcry was held captive by her best friend. 

It didn’t take long before the ins and outs were explained to Maggie and Zian; the reasons why Hannah joined and the plan to overthrow the government. 

While Hannah was explaining, all Maggie could do was hug herself, rocking back and forth mumbling the words, “that’s not true”, over and over again.

Zian’s brow wrinkled. His arms lay limply on his sides. Gone was its previous courage. He walked toward Hannah’s old bedroom, leaving the people in the living room by themselves. He needed to get his head cleared.

The sun outside was getting sleepy while the moon was readying for his shift.

It was a couple of hours after the confrontation, Maggie was crouched asleep beside Hannah. Every once in a while, a crystal tear would manage to escape from Maggie’s closed eyelids. 

Hannah wiped the tears away and gently caressed Maggie’s head. Hannah’s weary brown eyes were shrouded with contrite for her best friend.

While Stephen was talking with Margaret over the radio, Mike handed a piece of bread to Hannah. “Pad your stomach. You haven’t eaten since morning, plus you’re injured.”

Hannah lightly smiled at him and said her thanks. She stared vacantly at the bread in her hand before slowly standing up. 

Mike saw her struggling and helped her. “What are you doing? Don’t move. The wound is still raw.”

“I want to go to Zian.” Her gasping voice whispered. 

Mike worriedly retorted. “No. You need to take care of yourself. If you worry that he’ll starve, I’ll bring food to him. Go back and rest.” 

“Mike.” Hannah met his distressed gaze and matched it with a comforting smile while also gripping his arm firmly. “I’m fine. I’ll just have a talk with him.”

Zian stared at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. Both of his hands acting as a pillow lying on Hannah’s old bed. “I liked you. I liked your bright eyes, your mischievous grin, how you pinch your legs whenever you’re nervous… I find you endearing. I don't care if you think it's a bad time to confess. I want to emancipate myself from this plaguing feeling.”

The moonlight glow made its way inside the bedroom, providing a delicate gleam in the otherwise pitch black space.

Hannah’s head was bowed. Her hands clutched the unadorned bed as she stayed seated on it. The tip of her fingers went white. She grimaced. In her mocking but quavering tone, she said, “Do you hate me now?”

Hannah’s chin was grabbed while Zian had already sat up. He tilted her head, making sure she could see his face. He stressed the following syllables that came out from his mouth. “What. Do. You. Think?”

Hannah took in the bloodshot eyes covered in mist, penetrating her soul.