Lazaretto (Camren)

T W E N T Y - F O U R

*trigger warning for violence*

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." – Margaret Thatcher

CAMILA

I didn't know what I was feeling in that exact moment. I was hurt and sad...but ultimately I felt betrayed. I was upset at Austin for thinking this was a good idea, though I should've known he would've volunteered to do something like this. And as much as I tried to deter myself from Lauren, I still cared about her. I couldn't help but think that they were both making a very big mistake.

Once I looked at Lauren and saw her looking back at me, I quickly turned around. The rest of the group walked over to the other side of the room and waited while the five participants placed the contacts into their eyes. I was boiling on the inside, but I tried to remain calm. I didn't want Austin or Lauren to think that it affected me...but oh boy, it did. I wanted to slap both of them and ask what they were thinking. Of course, Lauren would've told me it was none of my concern, and I would've had to agree. Austin would've told me that he did it for the group, sacrificing himself, but I never asked him to be a martyr.

Derek walked around the warehouse and removed any items that could have been used to kill (he also removed the Christmas tree as a precaution). Once the room was cleared, he walked over to the table and picked up the small device. I stood anxiously with my hands at my sides, clenched into fists. I didn't know what to expect. Were they going to become some kind of rabid animal and not stop until they ripped our throats out? Were they going to beat us all to a pulp? Every scenario was running through my head as I heard Derek begin to count down from ten. I noticed that everyone in my group started getting into defensive stances, so I did the same. 10, 9, 8...I looked up and saw Austin looking squarely at me with an apologetic look on his face. 7, 6, 5...I then looked over at Lauren who was still standing with equanimity, her hands behind her back with her eyes fixated on the ground. She looked oddly calm. I held my breath as the last remaining seconds ticked away. This could be it...4, 3, 2, 1.

Derek flipped the switch, and my heart stopped beating. I looked at the participants once again to see them spread their legs shoulder width while placing their hands behind their back, hanging their heads in perfect synchrony. They looked like soldiers. I glanced over at Derek who looked shocked, but pleased. It seemed to have worked.

"Participants!" Derek shouted. It was then that the five people raised their heads, their electric gaze boring into mine. Their eyes were glowing, a ring of neon yellow circling their irises. I had to admit I was a little thrown off by it, and I was terrified.

"Holy shit..." I heard Troy mumble. It was safe to say that none of us were expecting it to work, and now that it clearly had, none of us knew what to expect next.

"Attack!" Derek commanded. That was all they needed to hear. In a split second they were out of their stances and running over to us. We immediately dispersed to spread them out. Sure it was five of them against the rest of us, but we didn't know what they were capable of. I saw Corbin sprinting at me, and I ducked under his outstretched arms. He was gritting his teeth and looked angry. The neon in his eyes glowed with power and strength. He puffed his chest and came at me again, and I wasn't quick enough to dodge it. He picked me up by the collar of my shirt, my feet being lifted off of the ground. I tried swinging at him, but he kept me at arms distance. I then tried kicking, but it was no use. As a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face, he brought me closer to him briefly before throwing me back across the room. I landed hard on my back, and I found it difficult to breathe. Okay, so they were ungodly strong. I was sure to note that.

Once I managed to sit up, that's when I saw it all. Everyone in my group was getting thrown around and punched relentlessly. I saw Corbin coming at me again and just as he was about to grab me, Troy came out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground. He was able to get a couple of punches in before Corbin easily pushed him off and got in a few punches of his own. I quickly got up and ran over to Zendaya who was being attacked by Dinah. As much as I didn't want to hurt her, I knew I had to. When I reached them, Dinah had Zendaya in a headlock trying to choke her out. I came up behind her and kicked her swiftly in the side. She immediately dropped Zendaya, and she fell to the ground trying to catch her breath. She turned to face me, and she had the same look as Corbin did. She looked animalistic almost, like a dog snarling. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her blonde locks sweaty with determination.