There was a collective gasp of dread and concern, as I stumbled, bloody and panting, into our makeshift living room.

"I'm fine." I assured them, "It's not my blood."

Everyone stared at me, waiting for me to say the words that none of them wanted to hear.

"Is it.. is it her blood?" a voice whimpered from the crowd.

I willed myself not to cry. I had to be strong for my family. This family that Eliza had created. The family that she had died for.

"Yes." I told them.

Then all hell broke loose.

Everyone was sobbing. Screaming. Screaming at me for not protecting her. For not convincing her to stay.

A voice called out louder than the rest.

It was Liam's.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? HOW COULD YOU LET THEM KILL MY SISTER?"

Some of the others rushed to hold him back as he flailed and screamed, trying attack me.

I did nothing to stop him, I only stood there, trying to find some way to tell him that I tried.

I had no way to tell him how hard I'd pleaded for her to stay. I had no words to tell him how deeply I was mourning her loss. Nobody knew how much Eliza meant to me. I didn't even know. Not until now.

I collapsed to the floor, curled in the corner of our shed that we'd fortified to protect us.

We knew it was a weak attempt. That it wouldn't really protect us when the time came. But we were survivors. Each and every one of us had had to watch loved ones die to win against the darkness. We kept fighting. No matter what horrors we faced.

We'd never had any room for despair.

Not until now anyway.

And the worst part was, we all knew Eliza's sacrifice wouldn't help us. She'd given everything she had, up until her very last breath, to keep us living to another day.

But we all knew that this was going to be our last.

Everything we'd fought for, all the lives we'd lost, they were for nothing. And they were never coming back.

I looked around the room, into the faces of these ragged, dismantled kids, whom I'd come to love so deeply.

We were thrown together at random, and, against all odds, we'd made it this far.

If we were going to die anyways, I was proud to die by my family's side.

I heard the shadows getting closer. Whispering in their filthy language. They sounded like snakes. I could practically hear the thrill in their voices as they drew nearer and nearer, encircling the shed.

I strode lightly across the room, careful not to make a sound, to where Liam had tucked himself away in a corner.

He was crying. Unfiltered, ugly crying.

I'd never seen him so broken.

I crouched down and placed a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't seen me coming and was startled, angrily smacking my hand away.

He looked up, seething, but his face immediately softened, seeing I had tears in my eyes too.

We shared a look, and he nodded. No words were spoken, but we knew what we had to do.

I grabbed his hand.

We stood there, in the center of our family, and slowly, one by one, everyone stood and linked hands with one another.

We heard the darkness. Right at our door. It had started seeping through the unpatched holes in the walls, but somehow I didn't feel helpless. Even though this was the end, I knew we'd given it everything we had. And I didn't regret a single moment I'd spent with my newfound family.

There we stood. Completely unified. Our hearts beating as one.

Then Liam yelled out to the shadows, and we all joined him.

"FOR ELIZA" we screamed.

Then we were encircled in darkness.