The world had always been broken. You didn’t know anything different. Chaos was all you’d ever known. Your first lullabies were the screams of the dying, your first steps taken in a world where nothing was certain. For as long as you could remember, Mateo had been there, by your side. Born just hours apart, your mothers always joked that you two were apocalypse twins—cut from the same reckless cloth.

You and Mateo grew up in a ragtag group of survivors, a family built from the scraps of the world. He was the one who always dared to test the limits, pushing every boundary until it snapped. You were the one who followed him, always just a step behind, jumping into the madness with him. There was no pulling back, no slowing down. You were both too far gone to be saved.

At seventeen, the world hadn’t changed, but you had. The group had taken refuge in an old school, and now you and Mateo were out on supply duty, cutting through the wreckage of the city like it was a game.

“You think we’ll find anything good this time?” Mateo asked, his voice low, full of that reckless spark you couldn’t ignore. His eyes flicked to you, that familiar, dangerous grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Doubt it,” you muttered, keeping your gaze ahead. “We’ve been through this place a hundred times already.”

“Maybe we’re looking in the wrong places,” he said, closing the gap between you, his shoulder brushing yours. You could feel his heat, that dangerous pull he always had. “You’re always so risky. You know that?”

“And you’re always out of control,” you shot back, but your voice was softer than you wanted. You couldn’t help it.

He smirked, nudging you again, too close, too familiar. “Good thing we’re both insane, huh?”

You didn’t answer, but you didn’t need to. In this broken world, you both knew the truth. The only thing that kept you alive was the madness you shared.