It was dusk once she thought about giving up.

It was humid and tepid, making her uncomfortable being outside much longer. She sat far from the opening, able to look over the corner and stay hidden.

"You didn't have to go on until it was nighttime, you know." It was Dr. Maheswaran's voice.

"I know, doctor, but I just felt that it could happen at any moment." Sapphire turns to her. Her bangs, cut periodically until just under her eyes, covered to hide how bloodshot and dark they were.

"You can rest. We'll catch them eventually. I need you to rest. I don't want you to lose your mind here."

"Thank you, doctor."

Sapphire left to the bonfire everyone had set up.

Even Ruby was outside, with the help of Amethyst. Sapphire takes her seat next to her, who looked back at her with a welcoming smile.

"Welcome," Ruby greeted in a whisper.

"I use to own a pizza shop." Kofi started. He seemed calmer now. "Fish Stew Pizza. I ran it with my daughters and my mother... I had to leave her behind."

His daughters sat on both sides of him, hugging him and rubbing his back.

"I was a few stores away from you. I miss doing work for that."

"We all miss doing the things we do." Dr. Maheswaran walked up to the circle. "But, who would've thought we would all meet like this."

"What did you do for a living?" Mr. Fryman nodded to the person next to him.

"Me?" Amethyst perked up. "I... I didn't do anything. Not yet, anyway. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do and what my love was. I feel like, if this never happened, I would be doing that for the rest of my life."

"Doing nothing?" Sapphire spoke up. She felt the heat of the fire against her skin. Everyone stayed quiet, with only the current speaker and the crackling fire was heard.

"I would just wonder. Wonder who I am or who I'm supposed to be." Amethyst tuck her hair behind her ear, "I miss it, but don't miss it."

Her and Sapphire looked at each other from across the fire.

"What about you?" Amethyst asked her, raising her voice just enough.

"I just wanted to go to school..." Sapphire hugged her knees to her chest. "I didn't live happily when all of this happened. So... I don't miss that at all."

She can feel Ruby's warm hand on her shoulder.

It was silent for a moment, before they heard a yell.

"SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR LIVES!"

It took half a second for gunshots to completely fill the air. They traveled from the roof, hitting the Pizzas and the Frymans first.

Everyone was stuck in shock, but Mr. Fryman yelling "Run!" caused everyone to finally react. Everyone ran in every random direction.

Ruby was depending on Amethyst to guide her out. The dirt popped up from the bullets hitting it, their only light source only showed until the market, and any closer, the bullets flew pass them more frequently. Sapphire got out of there quickly, running into the back of the market into the doctor's room. She waited until Ruby and Amethyst had limped inside.

"Now what?" Ruby asked between pants.

"I shouldn't have left my post..." Sapphire mumbled to herself.

"Don't blame yourself, Sapphy." Ruby said right away.

The three were stuck in there and the intruders were going to search around for anything, or anyone. They were going to have to bounce around and hope that they won't get caught or spotted.

Sapphire stuck her head out the door, opening ever so slightly. The market was dead silent and only the sound of the door squeaking filled it. She tiptoed out, waiting for Amethyst and Ruby behind her, and got to the front door. She can hear walking and not gunshots. She hears distant talking and, through the crack at the bottom of the door, the fire was still lit. She can make out some of their words:

"Did we get all of them?"

"Man, this is great, we have a home now!"

"I was only able to get a few items, but now we get everything they ever got!"

She sucks in a breath, hearing that they were the ones that took everything from them. She wasn't sure how everyone was or if they are even alive in that moment. She tiptoes deeper into the market, waiting for the duo once more, but heading to the back door, actually leading to the fence opening Amethyst found. On her walk, she found the key to the pickup truck Kofi used to drive for supplies; she grabs it and tightly holds it with the teeth readily angled for a strike.

If we time it just right, we can get to the car and just drive off...

She pushed her ear against the door, listening for anything or anyone nearby.

After a couple minutes, she guessed it was safe.

She opens the door slowly, the hinges creaking at first and peeks out. She couldn't see much, but all she needed was the hole in the fence. She strides out first, taking the least steps possible in order to make this plan successful. She crept her way out, pressing her foot gently to make the lowest noise she can make. She can hear Ruby grunting a bit, mostly due to the movement; she hasn't moved this much in the past couple of weeks after all.

"Rube," Amethyst whispered hastily, "I know you're in pain, but you can't be doing that."

"I'll try..."

There was another problem. Ruby wouldn't be able to get through the opening.

"Ruby," Sapphire turns and looks at Ruby, barely making out her in the dark, through a very low whisper, "How are you going to go through the fence?"

It was silent. The three didn't know what to do.

"We'll let her go first," Amethyst suggests, "Then you, Sapphire. If I don't make it, well, remember me."

"What, Amethyst-

Amethyst helped Ruby down first, and lifted the fence more to help her go. It was about five minutes before she goes fully through. She sits against the car once she's finally out.

"Sapphire," Amethyst grabs her by her shirt, "Go."

Sapphire protested silently by trying not to move, but Amethyst was a lot stronger than she thinks. Sapphire decided to just go. Opening the car, she helped Ruby into the backseat.

"Hey HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" They heard a voice.

"SAPPHY GO!"

Sapphire started the truck, turning the key hard, and made sure it was in drive. She sped off, seeing Amethyst fight back against the mysterious intruder in the mirror.

"Ruby, are you okay?"

Sapphire stopped the truck in yet another destroyed town. She got out the truck and checked her in the backseat. Ruby seemed fine, but she was stuck in this stunned and shocked state.

She blinks before looking at Sapphire in her eye.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm asking you that. You're the one that is still injured."

Ruby gulped, "You matter more."

Sapphire sighed, but chuckled after, "You're impossible."

Sapphire helped her sit up. "We need to find another place for you to heal. We cannot travel. Not now."

"What can we do right now?"

Sapphire looked at her, worry filled her eye and then she stared at the city. Every city was a copy and paste of each other and was absolute chaos. Ruby and Sapphire felt in that moment, simultaneously, that it feels familiar to when they first met.

A/N: Um, yeah, this is done. Obviously going to be a second story to this, because I'm unhappy with this story? It's not like my prison AU (which I'm rewriting), where I hated it. I love this story and I want to continue it, but I run into a lot of blocks and all. So, in the future, a second part will come out. Or, even just leave this as it is and then update it when I feel inspired again? I dunno, but until then, this story will be left on a cliffhanger.
Review and shit.