AARON I sat beside the man, close enough that our shoulders almost touched. Nothing in me knew what to say or how to act. Every rule I had learned about space or strangers felt useless now. The pressure in my chest was heavy, and all I wanted was for it to ease, even a little. My arm lifted on its own and settled across his shoulders. He was still a stranger, yet I pulled him closer anyway. Ronan Ashcroft broke. His head dropped forward, and the tears came fast and hard. He did not try to stop them. My mouth opened, but words failed me. Only one slipped out before my throat closed. “Why?” The sound was thin and weak. I swallowed hard and forced myself to continue.“Why did this happen?” He did not answer. Ronan stayed folded into himself, lost in the weight of what he felt. My mind betrayed me. The memory of Lucas’s hair running through my fingers hit without warning. Elena’s warmth pressed against me in my thoughts, solid and alive. Heat built behind my eyes, and tears spilled before I could stop them. Both hands came up, wiping my face in rough, hurried motions. We sat there side by side, shoulders touching, wrapped in silence. Fear finally found its way out. “I’m scared,” I said. My voice shook. “Every damn second. I’m scared I’ll lose my wife and my son. I’m scared I won’t be able to protect them from any of this.” My hand lifted and waved toward the empty horizon, toward everything waiting out there. “That’s why it happened,” Ronan muttered.His sobs had slowed, but the weight in his voice remained. I turned toward him, confusion tightening my brow. “That doesn’t make sense.” He lifted his head. His eyes were red, but clear. “Whoever planned this knows who we are,” he said. “They used that. No matter how much we change, we stay the same. We still split into groups. We still make choices based on fear.” His eyes stayed on me. “You almost walked your family into a factory of death because you were afraid people were targeting Mormons. Did you ever stop to check if what you were hearing was true?” I stayed silent. The question did not need an answer. We both already knew it. Ronan kept talking, as if saying it out loud helped him understand it too. “My family heard the same things. Fear makes people run toward what feels familiar. It makes us shut out new facts. We stop questioning what comforts us, even when everything is falling apart.” His jaw tightened. “That’s why they took over how we communicate. Control what people see and hear, and you control how they feel. Control feelings long enough, and you control thoughts. Humanity can’t be destroyed unless it allows it.” Cold spread through me. “You think they’re trying to wipe us out?” I asked. Fear rose again, sharp and fast. A bitter flicker of humor followed when I realized I was doing exactly what he warned about. “Everyone is being used,” Ronan said. “Everyone is being killed. This isn’t one nation or one group. This is a war against all of us.” I shook my head slowly. “What about the insurrectionists? You’re saying they’re victims too? They attacked D.C. They started this.” He let out a short laugh. “They’re being used the most.”His gaze shifted west, toward the bridge. “An army unit will cross soon to secure the other side. Drones fly over us all the time. We already know where many of the insurgents are.” His voice lowered. “You’ve seen our firepower. How long do you think those people will last against it?” Understanding settled in, heavy and unwanted. My nod was slow. “They’ll hurt some of our people,” he continued. “They might surprise us once or twice. In the end, they’ll be fertilizer on the ground within hours of us crossing the river.” His expression hardened. “Or they’ll be strapped to chairs while someone like me pulls information out of them. After that, bigger weapons finish the job.” My stomach twisted. “Then why are they there?” I asked. “Why throw their lives away? They aren’t trying to die.” Ronan studied me, choosing his words carefully. “You think only your family and mine were lied to? Those people searched certain things. They visited certain places online. Whoever is behind this knew who they were long before it began, or knew who would join.” His eyes sharpened. “When I go through what’s left of them and check their devices, I’ll find messages telling them this army was weak. Or lies that made them think they could win. They believed it because it’s what they wanted to hear.” The question burned in my chest. “What’s the point of throwing them at the army?” “They slow us down,” he said. “They keep us busy. While we fight them, those machines keep killing families. Or they hit other critical targets.” He tilted his head slightly.“You worked in D.C., right?” “Yes,” I said. My voice dropped. “I worked for Senator Fernandez.” The pain had dulled since her death, and that scared me. Guilt followed close behind. Moving on felt wrong. “I was stationed at Fort Meade,” Ronan said. “While the insurgents tore D.C. apart, the drones came for us.” His eyes stayed on the bridge. “When we cross it, someone else will be hit. We’re being aimed at each other on purpose.” Anger flared. “Then stop it,” I said. “Tell whoever’s in charge. Find the real enemy. Shut this down.” He shook his head. “This bridge is one of the last crossings for miles. Lose it, and this region loses everything. Units with river equipment are gone, dark without explanation.”His voice was steady, final. “We’re trapped. Holding the bridge is the only option.” Darkness settled between us. The silence pressed in. One truth pushed its way out. “So they want people like us to live scared,” I said. “They want fear to rule us so they can control us.” My eyes stayed on Ronan, searching for any sign that I was wrong.