Nobody saw the end of the world coming. It happened overnight, no warning, no escape… They came from the shadows, biting, paralysing, and killing little by little until they were the majority. They devoured, ripped through flesh – innocent or guilty, young or old no one was spared.

One day, everything was normal and then, suddenly, Padme Amidala Naberrie woke up in hell.

It was her youngest niece first. Unprepared, the small Naberrie family had no idea the creatures that'd stalked into their peaceful little suburban home until it was far, far too late. There'd been a snarl, a scream and all that was left of little Pooja was an arm resting in a pool of blood. After that, when there was still more people around, the monsters took her father and soon after her mother too. As for Sola, Darred and Ryoo, all Padme had found was a car without one window intact and enough blood to make her stomach heave.

Every single night for a year she woke up screaming from images of scaled monsters using their claws to rip open her family and long sharp fangs to tear their bodies to pieces.

New York was once the glittering city that never slept. Now it was a nightmare, an endless purgatory where the creatures ruled through terror and death. Now more than ever before no one in the city dared to sleep.

After the deaths of her family, Padme had expected to join them soon. She was a law student, a girl whose idea of camping was renting a cabin; she wasn't prepared for a life of running, of being hunted and hiding. Survival skills weren't something she'd prioritised before the world died. Life had been easier then.

But somehow, gradually, she began to find something inside of herself as those first awful months passed. Her fight. A willingness to survive against all the odds. It'd pulled her through the bleakest of moments and given her hope. Padme became smarter, faster, never staying in one place too long and only sleeping after setting up noise triggers to wake her should something come crawling nearby. She got herself a gun – two actually – and kept up her ammunition with daily checks.

Bullets felled the creatures just fine.

Still, despite what she'd learned, no one survived alone in this new world for very long. That was how she ran into a man by the name of Obi-wan Kenobi. He'd been a police officer in the old world; all the training had given him deadly aim and strong instincts. Somehow, the cruelty and violence of this new world hadn't hardened his heart or crushed his compassion. Within an hour of meeting, Ben took Padme in, giving her safety and protection in ways she hadn't felt since the world ended.

He wasn't alone, she found out after following him back to the small run-down building that had once been a hotel, there were a group of survivors who had banded together in the hope of safety in numbers. Most were friendly and welcoming but others were quiet and reserved. Padme didn't blame them, growing attached to people these days was dangerous. Everyone had lost too much.

It was a luxury to sleep in a room with an actual bed again, to feel warm and comfortable inside solid walls high off the unkempt ground. When she woke on her second day in the Coruscant Hotel, it was the most rested she'd felt in a long time. In the silence of night under the Coruscant's high, slightly crumbling, white ceiling Padme could almost pretend everything was back to how it used to be. No monsters, no death, no running and hiding… She was just another college student and her family were only a phone call away… She fell asleep every night warm inside the pretence.

One week after her arrival, Obi-wan offered to help sharpen her survival skills, to teach her how to handle the array of weapons the group have collected since they moved in. Over the course of the next month, Padme learned how to wield axes, guns of various types, knives – far better than the little ragtag bundle of kitchen knives she'd been carrying before – and even homemade bombs. Through her lessons, the group began to feel familiar to her. She met people like the quiet, haunted Bail Organa whose wife Breha and newborn adopted daughter Winter had been murdered by the monsters, Mon Mothma a grim and confident woman who'd lost her lover, a pair of twins by the names of Dorme and Sabe who'd been running from something far before than the end of the world and a former banker who shared very little of his story, Rush Clovis.

The entire group of survivors amounted to only fifteen but called themselves the Rebels, the people who refuse to die. It was a joke shared over whatever drinks people got their hands on after dinner, something they laughed mirthlessly about together and secretly clung to in their hearts. At the end of the world, it was nice to belong somewhere after all.

As it turned out, the Rebels weren't the only group in town.

The Imperials had set up their territory in the once fancy, five star Empire hotel and the name had stuck. They were another band of survivors who'd sought out protection in numbers and were led by a man named Anakin Skywalker. As soon as Obi-wan told her his name, a familiarity struck her…

Anakin Skywalker… Padme had known him once; they'd lived in the same neighbourhood growing up and had gone to high school together. Those days felt like so long ago, another life, another world… The more she thought about Anakin Skywalker, the more she remembered. He and his mother had lived alone and he'd been a troublemaker, talking back in classes – when he bothered to show up – smoking, partying with the other seniors. They'd been paired up on a lab project once and he'd been nothing but a distraction throughout. Looking back, Padme could see she'd been more than a little intimidated by him… In her mind, he'd been the bad boy.

Now she wanted to laugh at herself.

What would her naive past self think of Anakin Skywalker now? The head of a gang who didn't just attempt to survive, but to make life even more miserable for everyone else while doing so, they stole people's provisions, the weapons they depended upon for survival, murdered whoever got in their way… The younger Padme would have collapsed.

"It's funny," Obi-wan stroked his beard as they walked down the threadbare purple carpeted hallway, "I just can't imagine someone like Anakin Skywalker in high school, taking classes and dancing at prom…" The latter idea drew a small chuckle from the auburn-haired man.

"He didn't exactly take classes, just turned up now and again to cause trouble for the poor teachers." And he certainly didn't make it to prom; at least, Padme didn't think so. She hadn't seen him that night and there hadn't been any interruptions or pranks. Maybe his mother had kept him away for the sake of everyone else's night?

"Sounds about right." He muttered, "let's just hope he and the Imperials keep to their territory and leave us be, petty trouble in high school is long behind him now."

"Is he really that dangerous?" Padme asked, tugging at a loose thread at the end of the once white tank top she wore. Behind her, the long braid her hair now lived in swayed as they walked. "Or is it mob mentality driving them?" People had already suffered and lost so much in this world, Padme couldn't fathom why anyone would try to make things worse. It wasn't difficult to just stay out of people's way and leave them alone; the Rebels did it every day!

"Unfortunately, he is." Obi-wan stopped walking to meet her eye. The haunted look that crossed his features started a knot of dread in her stomach. "He tells the Imperials what to do and where to go. It's not an accident that they run into people, Padme." He stepped closer, "Have you ever heard how Mace lost his leg?"

Mace Windu, a stern-faced wheelchair-bound man who rarely spoke to anyone at all. Beneath the knee of his right leg was a stump she hadn't dared to look at for too long. Apparently, before the injury, he'd been one of the best monster killers the Rebels had.

"I just assumed it was a monster fight gone wrong." Padme shook her head, "we've hardly spoken, it seemed rude to ask."

"Well, it was a run-in with one of the creatures. But Anakin was behind it, I was there. This was before the two territories were so explicitly set out, you see. We were hunting for supplies near the Empire hotel and the Imperials appeared out of nowhere… They had…" He turned away from Padme suddenly, voice shaking and brought a hand to cover his mouth. "He had one of those… Those things with them."

The dread grew heavier in her stomach. She hardly dared to ask. "What things?"

Slowly, Obi-wan turned to face her again. "One of the creatures. They had it leashed! Anakin, he and the others actually captured one of them and took it in. I don't know what they do with it in their home but when they bring it out…" Abject horror crossed his face, "They – they set it on anyone they deem to be in their way. Mace is just one of many victims, I'm sure."

Padme's eyes widened. The dread in her stomach melted into revulsion as she struggled for words. It wasn't possible! It couldn't be possible! She'd seen the devastation those creatures left in their wake, how quickly they moved, how they hunted without mercy… How could Anakin Skywalker's gang have one in their control? "I…" She stuttered, "How?"

"I don't know and I don't think that I want to." Obi-wan grimaced. "But being under Anakin and the Imperial's control hasn't made it any less dangerous. Just like all the others it has a taste for human blood and they use that to their advantage." At the look on her face, he laid a hand on Padme's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm not going to say everyone staying in the Empire is evil, chances are, most of them are just sticking it out for the security of being in a group but we can't take any chances. That's why we keep to the north side of the city. No need to involve ourselves in unnecessary turf wars, we have everything we need here in the Coruscant."

That night, sleep was elusive for Padme. Every time she closed her eyes the image of the Anakin Skywalker she'd known came to mind. The reckless teenager she'd abhorred for not following the rules, for not taking anything seriously. Her best friend Corde had been head over heels with a crush on him but she could hardly tolerate his presence longer than their biology period. She hadn't thought about him once after graduating but now his image tormented her. Padme could hear his laugh as he made fun of one of the substitute teachers with his friend Kitster, see his smug grin after pulling off a humiliating prank on one of their classmates…

His meanness never made sense to her. Padme had met Anakin's mother, Shmi, a handful of times while out with her mother across the years. She'd always seemed so kind, so warm… How could someone like that have a son who did such terrible things?

Slowly, she drifted into a fitful sleep full of monsters and screams and blood.

The next morning, after breakfast Obi-wan sent her and Bail out on a supply run toward the upper east side. There were a couple of abandoned grocery stores that may not have been completely ransacked to explore. The options around the area were beginning to feel sparse and Padme dreaded what would happen once their usual spots were empty. Turf wars were dangerous – especially so if one side had a monster under their control.

Shaking it off, she focused on walking and listening for growls. She was glad Obi-wan had sent Bail with her, he was a good man and she suspected they might have been good friends in the old world. They had a lot in common. It didn't hurt that he'd become skilled with a gun since joining the Rebels. After reaching the upper east side of the city – avoiding what was once Central Park, the creatures had too many places to hide and hunt them – they headed inside a small convince store.

To Padme's surprise, it hadn't been emptied. Things had clearly been taken but everything was largely in order… Bail shot her a puzzled look before shrugging and pulling food off the shelves and stuffing it into the bags they'd brought along. Padme followed suit, searching for the least perishable items like cereals and canned foods before scooping up packets of chips and candy bars. The second bag was filled almost to the brim when she heard it.

Footsteps.

Pulling out her gun, Padme dropped the bag and turned to the front of the store; Bail did the same and came closer. Side by side, they braced themselves. The sound drew closer and she flicked the safety off the gun. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself.

At last, the source of the sound rounded the corner, only, it wasn't a scaly creature intent to kill, but a man, flanked by two others. From behind the cash registers more footsteps marched inside the store and between the aisles, surrounding Padme and Bail. It may not have been the monsters but these people were no less dangerous. Unfortunately, she recognised the man's face even after all these years. He'd barely changed, older yes, a ragged scar across his eye and long hair that fell in messy curls to his shoulders but Padme remembered that smirk.

Anakin Skywalker.

He wore a black coat, white shirt and dark jeans, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that would suggest this was the kind of man who adopted beasts and used them to destroy already ruined lives further. He looked like a normal man and it set Padme on edge. Each of the men who surrounded him was armed to the teeth. Guns, knives, one or two even had axes strapped to their backs. They were ready for a fight.

"Well, well… Small world!" Anakin cocked his head to the right, eyes flicking between Padme and Bail. "Padme Amidala Naberrie…" He drawled each syllable of her name, "long time no see. This isn't exactly the high school reunion I'd imagined."

Padme's heart pounded in her chest. He remembered her… He remembered her full name! They'd barely even known each other. She opened and shut her mouth twice but no words came. She was too shaken and frightened. Had he brought the creature too? After a moment, Anakin chuckled at the probably terrified look on her face before turning to nudge a woman who'd pushed her way to his side without Padme noticing. Short and slim, she wore a white shirt and dark pants, two belts crossed over her waist and a pair of goggles rested on her forehead above shoulder length raven hair. She was pretty but something about her deepened Padme's anxiety.

As Anakin nudged her with a laugh, the woman's whole face brightened. "Look, Aphra," he muttered lowly but loud enough for Padme and Bail to hear. "I think we've scared her."

The other woman sniggered and looked her up and down once. "If she's scared that means she's smart."

He didn't answer her, stepping forward but Bail did the same, moving in front of Padme protectively. Secretly, she was glad. Bail had been with the Rebel's longer than she had, he was used to these kinds of run-ins by now.

"Well," Anakin stopped suddenly, searing gaze moving between Bail and Padme, "as fun as these things are, this place is ours. You need to leave."

Bail scoffed, "yours? I didn't see your name out front – there weren't any territorial markings so it's fair game."

"Good point." Anakin drew dangerously closer, nostrils flaring, "maybe I'll add some with your blood. That way everyone will see it." His hand rose before Bail could respond and without thinking, Padme pushed herself forward, between the two men before someone got hurt. They weren't losing Bail in a ridiculous turf war over a store! She couldn't let him get hurt.

"Don't touch him!" She cried, it came out raspy and trembling but loud enough for everyone in the store to hear. It couldn't possibly be a good idea to make a scene and irritate the man who controlled one of the creatures but she'd rather face that thing than let Bail get hurt protecting her.

If the leader of the Imperial's felt surprised or angry by Padme's outburst he didn't show it. For one fleeting moment, his eyes widened before his lips rose in a cruel half-smirk. "You've changed, Naberrie!" He barked out a laugh. "You've got fire now… I like it. The girl I used to know would have minded her own business. Look at you now…" And he did. His eyes trailed over every inch of Padme's body before they met her eyes again. Anakin licked his lips slowly, "maybe you should come over to the dark side?" He sniggered, "I'll get rid of your friend here and you can – "

He was horrible. Every inch of him menacing and cruel as he delighted in the terror he inspired in people. Padme hadn't thought anything could be worse than the monsters but Anakin Skywalker was probably the worst being in this city! The idea of going with him? Unthinkable. She felt sick, terrified for Bail more than herself – what if they'd brought their monster pet along? It would tear him apart before she could do anything!

Panic overruled logic suddenly with the thought of one of those creatures on a leash outside just waiting for Anakin Skywalker's word to kill them. She didn't think, the instinct to survive thrummed loudly between her ears, guiding Padme's movements. Her gun was shaking in her hands but she pulled the trigger anyway.

She missed. Terribly. Padme wouldn't have minded where the bullet hit, his head, his chest… Anywhere so long as it killed Anakin and took the threat he posed away. But the trembling of her hands scrambled her aim and the bullet barely grazed his shoulder, making the Imperial leader grunt and stumble back a step. Blood seeped through his clothes and stained the dark cloth of his jacket, the wet spot became visible almost as quickly as the group surrounding Anakin pulled out their weapons.

Axes, guns and knives were suddenly in the hands of everyone in the store and Padme heard Bail's breath catch in his throat behind her. Every one of them looked ready to attack until Anakin threw out his uninjured arm to keep them back.

"It's alright… I'm fine." He brought his fingers to the wound, cupping it for a moment before withdrawing, eyeing the blood on his fingers curiously. Any sane person might have withdrawn or set their followers on Padme and Bail in retaliation but when Anakin's blazing gaze met hers again, he smiled. He wasn't angry, no, instead he almost seemed… Intrigued… As if he was enjoying this. Somehow, that felt worse. "That was brave." He said, "stupid, but brave."

"C'mon, let me cut that pretty face to pieces!" Aphra groaned. "She shot you. Tit for tat, right?"

Padme glanced at the other woman for a moment, sickened, before looking back at Anakin. "Just leave us alone or else I'll put the next one through your head!" She was more terrified than before shooting him but prayed no one noticed the tremor in her voice. She would give anything to just make it back to the Coruscant with both her and Bail in one piece.

Anakin laughed, low and husky, "given your aim, Naberrie, I don't think so." The smile fell from his lips, "both of you can go… Run back to Obi-wan and tell him to keep his little band of Rebel scum out of our territory." The Imperial group gave an agreeable cheer at those words and Padme tried to simply brush the insult off. Anakin turned away from them then, taking all of three steps back toward his cronies before he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. "And leave what you took."

Bail glanced at Padme and she grit her teeth. There wasn't much choice but to do as Anakin asked if they wanted to make it out of here. Reluctantly, they spilled out the contents of the bags they'd brought onto the floor. As soon as they were empty, Bail took her by the arm and began to guide her toward the exit, ignoring the jeers from Anakin's people as they moved through the aisle. She felt relieved to make it to the door without issue though her heart still hammered painfully inside her chest. This wasn't over until they made it back to the Coruscant.

Bail stepped out of the door and Padme made to follow until she felt a firm grip on her free arm, stopping her from taking the last step out of the door. Turning, she was face to face with Anakin again, mere inches apart. Her heart leapt into her throat. Had he changed his mind about letting them go? Was he going to throw them to his creature – or shoot them or –

"It's been nice catching up." He spoke lowly, leaning down slightly before grinning, "let's do this again, Naberrie."

He released her arm then and Padme didn't linger to give a reply. She only wanted two things then, to get back to the Coruscant and to never see Anakin Skywalker again.