Jack knew that things would look bad, but he never thought they would look so bad. The rooms on the left were in the best conditions, but the rest of the Tent was nothing more than a big mountain of bricks, dust, blood and fire.

In the clearest part of the ground laid the bodies of Josh, Taylor Jardine, Alan Ashby and Taylor Momesn along with maybe 20 fallen Directioners. Jack thought it was unfair that Jen Ledger’s body had been left back in the woods. He promised to himself that, if they won, he was going back for her, to bury the body as she deserved.

Some others were cleaning the front yard, trying to clear the way and –Jack thought– searching for bodies that could be under the bricks.

The entire place was the most horrible and sad image Jack had witnessed in his life, but it had to be like that so as it could be better later.

A few yards from him, Hayley cried on Taylor –York– arms. Both were sat in the ground. He was staring at the woods, with a severe look on his face. Jack approached, followed by Vic, Mark and Pete. Taylor turned to them and opened his eyes widely, as if he was in front of a ghost. Hayley rose up her face.

“W—what?” she asked, standing on her feet.

“You are not—dead?” asked Taylor. Jack smiled, and Hayley jumped over him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“How?” asked Hayley. “Justin said he had won and—”

“Calm down,” interrupted Jack and letting her go. “The battle is not over yet. We recovered the Crystal Bass and the Sapphire Drumsticks, but Justin has the Golden Guitar and Alex, and they’ll come here for more, probably at dawn.”

Hayley nodded. She looked really nervous.

“Go, tell Dave that information,” Jack went on, “tell him that we all need to rest but we have to be ready in case they come earlier. And, Hayley, one last thing, where are Rian and Zack?”

Hayley looked up. There was pain on her eyes, and Jack felt his skin cold; a chill that run through his back. He hadn’t seen Zack and Rian among the fallen ones…and yet, Hayley’s eyes told him the most terrible things.

“They are on the backside,” said Hayley, her voice trembling.

Jack didn’t wait for Pete, Mark, Vic or anyone else. He ran, but he felt as if he was flying; there was no gravity for him, nothing. Tears ran through his cheeks. Suddenly, everything in the world wasn’t important, not even Justin’s last plan of attack.

He turned in the corner of what was left of that side of The Tent, and reached the back yard. There were people on the floor there. And blood. A lot of blood.

“No,” he cried, but his voice didn’t make a sound. Everything was lost. Fuck the world. Fuck the war. Fuck the Music Instruments. Death seemed warmer for him.

But then, something calmed him down. The people there wasn’t in the same conditions that Josh or Alan were. Some moved their legs and arms, and moaned, and cried out their pains…

They weren’t dead; they were injured.

And Zack was there, lying on the floor while Rian was kneeling next to him. Jack approached to them without understanding what was going on.

Then, he saw Zack’s leg.

“Jack?” asked Zack. Rian looked up, and Jack realized he had been crying.

“We thought you were…” started Rian, but his voice broke.

“What happened, Zack?” asked Jack, kneeling next to his friend. Zack’s left leg had a big and ugly cut, which looked like a pool of blood and bones. Jack wasn’t an expert, but he was sure that there wasn’t anything to do for it; Zack was losing his left leg. Jack’s efforts to stop crying were useless.

“It’s ok,” said Zack, “I can’t feel anything with it. It suddenly stopped working and…well…a few things fell over it while I was on the floor.”

“Zack…you need—”

“A doctor? Yes, I know.”

“Patrick Stump is looking for a car to take the most injured to the Hospital,” said Rian. “Everything is going to be ok.”

Jack stood up. His face was emotionless.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured as he walked backwards, getting away from Zack and Rian. They were alive, but Jack couldn’t see that image for much longer. Zack loved sports, and now he was losing the possibility of doing that along with his leg.

Jack wondered if it was worth fighting for a future. So much death, pain, suffering…scars left on them, scars that Jack didn’t know if time would heal.

Somewhere in the woods, Justin was ready to attack again. Anything could happen then; anyone could die. Even Alex.

Finally, the sun rose up in the sky.

Who would say that the warm lights of the morning could mean death? Dave had been staring at the woods since 5. Jack wondered if he had slept at least a few minutes.

In any moment, Justin’s army would appear there as the night before, but this time, Justin himself would be in front of his people. Mark knew that, no matter what happened, he couldn’t let the bass go. The Sapphire Drumsticks had been given to Travis Barker after they agreed he was the best drummer there.

The plan was simple; Mark would protect the drum set with the bass and some help while everybody else fought. Obviously, the battle would be useful as a distraction so as they could recover the Golden Guitar, which would be played by Jack. And then, The Instruments Alignment would be done.

Jack prayed for that to be the cure for Alex.

And that was all. If that didn’t work, everything was over for them.