

Tides of Shadow

Rob Gilchrist

Copyright 2012 by Rob Gilchrist

Published By Smashwords

Acknowledgments

Thank you to my family and friends that helped pull this book from the recesses of my brain. It's dark and confusing in there and without you it may never have seen the light.

Salle, for pushing me to get it done.

Adam Wenger for the first piece of fan art, and creating the cover.

Ryan and Eric Paulk (Paulkspub.com) for their magical internet knowledge.

### Chapter 1

-Now-

The old gods grow weary and time grows ever slower. The man moved north along the old highway 64, while the ocean mocked from nearby. On occasion the wind would pick up and his nose wrinkled from the smell of salt and fish. Eric walked slowly but determined along the broken highway, his boots filmed over with a thin layer of ancient concrete dust. Forgotten condos and hotels peppered the east side of the highway along the beach, many broken down, burned, or eaten by the sea. A graveyard of cars stretched out before him, they had once been bumper to bumper in the middle of the road but now lay scattered to the sides, pushed either by a large plow or some angry beast.

The man looked like a modern day gunfighter, with a worn down cowboy hat and two pistols slung low on his hips, but there were additions to the classic western image. A thin, lightweight, saber hung off his belt behind his left gun, the sheath a muted metal but the sun still caught light in the handle. Across his back was an old backpack, of the mail pouch variety, that contained necessities and memories of old.

Thunderheads were pushing in from the east but he ignored them; he only saw the sign informing him that he was 35 miles out of Richmond and he kept moving. His long wavy blond hair and thin beard would have reminded anyone a few hundred years old of the classic cowboys. Pushing the hair out of his face he stopped to listen. The voice had said to head north toward Richmond, and then fallen silent once again, but he had his doubts about this new direction. Apparently the voice had a fondness for cross country trips and cold weather.

The sea was sick, there was no question about that, the water was a dark grey, and swirls of black ran in its currents, like mixing two thick paint colors. The animals that survived the changes were angrier than ever, and most of the survivors had the good fortune to mutate into something bigger and fiercer than anything that had existed in the past. Eric took a deep drink from a Boca bag that could have been found in any surplus store. Always walking, he looked down at it, cradled in both hands. The large burn on the back side of the bag seemed to grow darker every time he drank from it.

"I'm sorry Rose," he muttered down to the bag before tucking it back in his satchel. A flash of lightning brought him back to the present and he started into a jog toward a car dealership that was still able to support the weight of the large awning. The first few large drops of rain hit the dusty asphalt and the result was a sizzling sound, like cooking bacon. "Damn it," forced its way out of clenched teeth and he fell into full sprint making it under the awning just as the sky opened. Looking back toward the road, the entire earth seemed to be covered with a coating of acid, it smoked and sizzled. Breathing out a sigh of relief Eric took a seat next to one of the supports and leaned against it watching the rain burn away the earth.

"That's some nasty shit right there," a man spoke from behind and Eric was up with his large gun out before the sentence was finished. Stepping to the side of the support, Eric studied the new arrival, a man in his twenties, dirty, and who spoke with a Boston accent. "Whoa, there buddy, hey, I didn't mean nothing by it," came out 'netting by ait'. He raised his hands to prove his point.

"Are you alone?" Eric asked lowering his gun slightly, still keeping the end of the barrel pointed at the legs of the man.

"I am now; my lady and brother got the sickness, so now it's just me," he lowered his hands to his sides now that there was a line of communication. The Man eyed him over and glanced behind him, taking in the lobby of the car dealership for the first time. The lobby looked the way he assumed it would, the cars that had been shipped in during early 2013 were still sitting there, sand, dirt and broken glass had covered the floor over the years. The storm had darkened the large room stretching shadows along the floor and walls. Many of the desks were still set up, untouched, with computers in place covered in dust. Water dripped through a crack in the large skylight that had been partially covered in dirt and sand, flown in through a hundred and fifty years of windy springs.

"Why are you here?" Eric asked lowering his gun all the way to his side, though he left his finger on the trigger.

"Same reason you are I figure, saw rain comin, didn't want to fry, so I decided to take a breather." He stepped back toward the lobby of the building and turned around, "My name's Johnny by the way, you wanna see if anything good's left?"

Johnny was being very friendly for a world with few people left in it, and Eric didn't trust anyone who came on that hospitable right away. "Sure, I'll join you," while he spoke, he thumbed back the hammer on the revolver, covering the sound of the click with words.

Johnny walked through the lobby leaning in a large SUV to get a look, and Eric walked the other way, keeping his distance but his eyes on his new friend at all times.

"Man I sure would love to find one of these that still work," Johnny said slapping the side of the SUV, "I would be the king of the state in this baby," he snapped his head back and cackled.

"Some still run, they need batteries; they've been sitting too long though, that might not even do it," passing a small car, he leaned in the window and breathed in deep, the new car smell was faint but it was still there.

Johnny lifted his head and stared at Eric blankly, "Whateva you say pal, but I betcha even ole Zeus couldn't drive this bad boy now adays huh?" he scoffed to himself.

"I think Zeus is a fool who can't do much of anything these days," he replied opening a mini fridge and pulling out a few bottles of water, then sticking them in his bag.

"I wouldn't say things like that if I were you," Johnny had lost his cheeriness and was staring solemly at Eric, "In fact, I don't want to be saying anything along those lines ever," Spoken as 'eva'.

"If he has a problem with my words, then we can chat it out," Eric returned, blowing off the fear and anger in Johnny's voice, though he made sure to mark his placement. Getting knifed by some half wit religious zealot in the name of Zeus would be a horrible way to start the day. Thunder crashed loud and hard enough to shake the remaining glass in the building and Johnny cried out.

"It sounds to me like he definitely has a problem with your words," Johnny stepped back separating himself from Eric.

"There's a big difference between an angry god and a thunderstorm," ignoring Johnny's fears, he leaned in and popped the hood of the truck closest to the window.

"You did this!" the fear in his voice was only matched by the fury. Johnny picked up an ancient keyboard and turned toward Eric raising it over his head. "I'll take care of him god, he's a heathen, protect me!"

Johnny didn't even get a step forward before the keyboard he was holding exploded into a shower of plastic. Smoke fluttered from the barrel of Eric's .45 and he lowered the gun to Johnny's chest, "Zeus isn't listening, in fact, he's more than likely dead," another crash of thunder followed his words making Johnny shutter.

"Dead my ass, he doesn't like how you're talking, and neitha do I," lightening flashed across the sky lighting up the dark room and Eric could see tears on Johnny's stubbly cheeks, "Fuck this, he's not gonna take me with you!" With that he ran out of the building and into the rain. Screams of pain loud enough to be heard through the thundering rain over head. Johnny's hair was the first to go, sizzling and rolling off of his head. The second the water touched his skin in turned dark red, then bruised purple. His clothes got thin and seemed to unravel themselves until he resembled a screaming trundling version of Quasimodo. He got all the way across the street before he fell. He never got up.

"What the hell was that? Some psycho?" A large man with a shaved head and burn marks over the left side of his body emerged from the back of the lobby and froze when he saw Eric.

"Yes it was actually," Eric raised his gun toward the burned man. The man only had enough time to grit his teeth and let out a small shout of anger before the bullet smashed through his left eye eliminating the back half of his head.

"Charlie!" came a cry from back the way the burned man had entered, followed immediately by a barrage of frightened cursing. Eric took a couple steps until he was behind a truck and could see down the hall through the windshield. A single door swung halfway shut as he got his gun up.

"Some ass hole killed Charlie and Johnny!" wretched out from somewhere even deeper in the back rooms. Eric decided not to wait around and see how many of them were going to pour out. Rushing around to the drivers side door of the truck he leaned in, twisted the keys marked "DEMO" and put the vehicle in neutral. Then he got back behind and pushed, he didn't get it far before he hit a desk and decided that was close enough. Thumbing back the trigger on the large gun he blasted a hole though the side of the truck into the gas tank. The familiar odor filled the room before he could even make it to the SUV. A thin smile hit his lips thinking of all the movies where the cars explode when the hero shoots the gas tank.

"I think there's a couple of them, and they've got shooting irons," came a voice close to the lobby. Twisting Eric could see shadows dancing around the inside of the door. With little time left he popped the rear door to the SUV and pulled out the 'emergency road side kit'. Dropping to the ground he thumbed out a flare and pushed the rest of the box into his backpack.

"There's one," a scratchy voice shouted. Eric hadn't realized how close they were; this one stood just on the other side of the truck, cut off from the rest of the show room. It was a short black man with a very large beard and he jumped over a desk and rushed toward Eric with an axe raised over his head. Without standing, Eric fired, striking the man in the chest, the axe head smacked onto the concrete floor making a ting noise and flipped onto its side. With that Eric rose and popped the cap off the flare.

"Wait!" it was the voice that had been so concerned over Charlie's recent demise. "Just take what you want, no need to do that friend." The man was dangerously skinny and missing a few teeth. "We don't mean you any harm, you just killed our friend is all."

Eric stared into his eyes, ice cold, "You live, and you get to feed on the next one who come through this way. That's not going to happen," Cracking the flare against the side of the SUV shot hot flame out the tip and Eric tossed it into the gasoline still dripping from the truck.

"Get back!" Skinny declared rushing through the back door as a large whoosh sent hot air and flames through the lobby. Eric ducked behind a desk, then once the fire was burning, jumped through a broken window back under the awning. The fire worked quickly and it only took a few seconds to find the battery. The front of the truck exploded, pushing fire and acid against everything. The decal from the hood struck the pillar Eric hid behind and stuck into it. Feeling it was safe; he moved around the pillar and looked back into the lobby that was now engulfed in flame.

Kneeling into his bag, the Man pulled out a plastic rain coat and put it on over his jacket, then removed his hat and stuck it in the nook of his arm, zipping up the jacket over his clothes and back pack he stepped out into the rain. The water was surprisingly cool on his face and he checked himself over to see what was burning. His boots smoked lightly but he knew they could take it. He raised his eyes to the sky letting the water run over his skin, it didn't burn him; it never did. His clothes would though, and it would do damage to his guns. Feeling content he walked around to the rear of the building. The fire was already licking out from the roof and sides of the front, and there were muffled screams coming from inside. Around at the back of the building he found what he was looking for, the rear entrance. One man already lay dead and smoldering about 20 feet from the exit, couldn't quite make it to a car in the lot. The rest of the men stood bunched together just inside the doorway.

After a moment Skinny appeared and glanced around seeing Eric, who stood a ways back. There was surprise in the man's eyes, just as there always was when seeing a man not get burned by acid dumped onto his body. There was a crash from inside the building and it spooked the rest of the men, they dashed past Skinny out into the parking lot. They didn't make it far.

"Are you one of them?" Skinny shouted, now that he was the last one standing.

"No,"

"Are you dead?"

Eric took a deep breath, "No such luck kiddo." Skinny ducked back into the burning building and emerged with a trashcan over his head. He then rushed out toward the car in the lot and after finding it locked smashed a window and slid in, his clothes withering and hand burning he looked out at Eric and smiled.

"Afraid I can't let that stand," Eric muttered, then fired a shot into the windshield of the car. The glass shattered and water splattered throughout the interior. The smile on Skinny's face was gone and he pushed himself toward the back of the car shouting when water hit him, like some one cooking in hot grease. Eric fired one last time, shooting out the back window. With that he turned and once again started walking North. He could hear the thin marauder screaming for some time before he found death.

-PAST-

'I'm runnin down a dream, never would come to me,' Eric leaned out of bed and slapped the alarm clock shutting off his waking tune. The television was still on from the night before, now running an add for a fan duster featuring an adorable elderly woman with a reaching extension. He pushed his hand against his temple feeling a growing pain there. The black sheets had been kicked off the bed and lay in a pile on the floor. Moving out of the bed he stood in front of the window, the sunlight seemed brighter than it had ever been even with the clouds blowing in. All the buildings across the street were newer and were clean for the most part, except for an old church across and down half a block; it was barely standing. From where he stood he could see a man digging through a dumpster across the street. Looking down on the street from the 19th floor he could also see a pair of women in short skirts dash across and into the apartment across the street. Another man was stopping to pick up his dog's dropping by stretching a bag over his hand. Suddenly he felt very sick.

He moved quickly to the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the tub. The urge to vomit was very strong and his hand kept going back to his left temple. What the hell, all this because of one beer? After another moment the sickness took him and he fell to the floor gagging in front of the bowl. He had painted the bathroom green the year earlier but it felt white, the entire room felt as bright as the sun. He gagged again, spittle flew from his lips dripping into the standing water, but there was no vomit. Taking a deep breath he could feel the blood pushing up into his face and his eyes swelling up as he squeezed them shut. A low wretch escaped his lips and then there was a pop inside his head; and the pain was gone.

Slowly opening his eyes, he stretched his neck and leveled himself. The entire world seemed to be pulsing and there was something else. It was almost unnoticeable, just a shadow of a sound but it was growing louder and somehow deeper, like it was coming from outside and inside his head at the same time. Getting to his feet he grabbed the side of the sink and pushed himself into the bedroom. The sound inside his head was growing louder and every few seconds there was another popping sound. Shuffling through the room the bed snuck up on him and he fell into it squeezing his head. The sound was growing to an unbearable volume when there was another pop, this one loud enough to make his teeth rattle. The lights in the room suddenly came on and shined bright enough to burn themselves out. At the same time the TV went white then blew. Then the noise stopped. But it wasn't gone, not completely. There was an empty white noise inside his head, like someone had their hand on an intercom button but wasn't talking.

"What the hell was that all about?" sitting up he picked up a pack of cigarettes from the bed side table, stuck one in his mouth and lit it. His hand absently rubbed at his temple, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to pop his ears. The intercom feeling was still there though it was starting to seem more natural, like being in the room with a strong stink, eventually you stop smelling it.

Moving to the closet he threw on a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. Tugging on his shoes the cell phone next to his bed began to ring and he snagged it up putting it against his ear; that's when the noise came back. This time the noise was all external and felt like hot air against his face. In that same instant the window shattered inward propelling glass throughout the room. Eric fell to the floor avoiding a shard to the throat, trading it for a piece that cut from his eyebrow down to the cheek bone, just missing his cornea by millimeters. The noise died quickly but his ears were ringing, it felt like being close to an explosion. Rushing to the window Eric looked out at a city that would never be the same. Looking down, a row of cars blocked the street and people were rushing out of buildings pointing in various directions franticly. An elderly couple stood looking down the street and the woman appeared to be weeping. Following their glance he saw she was mourning the church down the street. The entire roof had collapsed and the side wall had fallen with a chunk of stained glass pointing toward the sky. Dust was spreading from the rubble out into the street. Sound was returning to normal and the city had turned to a chaotic mess of alarms and screaming.

"That, what the fuck is that?" a man in a Disturbed t-shirt was screaming to a cab driver beside him pointing down an alley. Looking up Eric saw what the man was pointing at, and it was a wonder he hadn't seen it earlier. Sticking up over the skyline of the city was a giant trident. Not giant, colossal, the shaft of the spear was thicker than a bus and the three tips seemed to scrape the dark clouds that had rolled in. The trident was very dark, with streaks of blue and green running down it. A bloom of dust was still eradiating upward and out away from the enormous weapon.

Not knowing how long he had stood there Eric finally turned around and hit the power button for the TV. Then he remembered how it had popped. Rushing out of the apartment he ran to his neighbor and banged on the door.

"Ron, Emily!" he didn't stop banging until they answered, they were wide-eyed and pale. "Did you see it? My TV's busted; what are they saying on the news?" For a moment they stared at each other, the top of Ron's head was bleeding and Emily looked unharmed as far as Eric could tell.

Emily, a short red head, said nothing, but Ron, a thin black man with white glasses nodded in dismay. "I didn't even think about it, but man, you are cut up bad" he said kicking the door shut and turning around to the small large TV in the back corner of the room. "We've just been watching. People are going ape shit down there." He turned to his wife and smiled slightly, but she wasn't turned off by his slight of tongue, it didn't look like she knew where she was.

Eric's hand went up to his eye marking the sticky blood smeared there, then disregarded it. It was never hard to get off point in the Jerald household. For a reason unknown even to Ron, Emily had a love for Precious Moments collectibles, and they were everywhere. Even now, with a giant trident sticking out of the middle of Chicago it was hard for Eric not to marvel at the collection before him. Pulling his attention back to the television, Ron had turned it on but hadn't stepped back, he looked like a kid watching cartoons.

"It appears as though something has erupted in Kansas, the details are sketchy at the moment, but there appears to have been some sort of earthquake or explosion that has rocked Kansas. No, hold that, not an earthquake at all"

"Who gives a shit about earthquakes when there is a huge spear downtown?" he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose cutting his eyes toward his wife who had moved back to the broken window and was staring out into the chaos. Ron grabbed the remote off the coffee table avoiding a sculpture of a doe-eyed boy in a shepherd outfit. Clicking up a couple channels past The View and a Saved By The Bell rerun, Ron found what he was looking for, a multi race couple behind a news desk, one of them looking down at a piece of paper while the other one reported with wide eyes.

"We are getting an overload of calls here, but what we understand is that there is a very, very large...trident, in down town Chicago. The weapon that was designed for gladiators to repel swords, we're hearing estimated heights of around three thousand feet high, that is over twice the height of the Empire State Building. Hold on just a moment, we have Brian on the line now and he's going to tell us what he saw, Brian can you hear us?" The camera stayed on the two reporters but the voice of a young, very worried man came on.

"Yes, I can hear you,"

"Brian, can you tell us what you see?"

"Well I've gone inside now, but I was sitting at the coffee shop this morning and this thing, it just fell out of the sky."

"You're saying it fell out of the sky, and stuck in the ground?"

"That's right, the tip of it was pointed and when it hit it went deep into the ground creating some sort of shockwave that felt like an earthquake."

"Brian, was there a lot of damage done? We've heard reports of broken windows on buildings and cars, how much could you see?"

"There is a crater around the contact point, it knocked me and my friend out of our seat, cars that were closer were knocked back and I'm sure there was more damage done closer to the point of impact."

"Alright, thank you Brian, please stay on the line, we have a helicopter up at the site now and we're going to go to Ed. Ed do we have that video?"

The newscasters stopped talking and stared blankly off screen, after a moment of silence the screen switched from a newsroom to a view from the helicopter. The camera was zooming in on the trident and where it had gone into the street. Upon hitting the street it had pushed through the concrete deep into the earth, pulling broken asphalt and dirt down with it creating a crater. Cars had been knocked back, one of them up and into the second story of a nearby building. The camera zoomed back and they could see that when it fell the trident hit a building tearing it in half, the rebar stuck out from each broken floor like the building's skeleton and papers fluttered everywhere. They zoomed out a little further and that's when they saw the bodies, not many, but the ones that were there died bloody. The camera quickly shot back to the newsroom.

"Sorry about that, seems there have been some casualties down at the site. Our hearts go out to those that have lost family and friends at this event. We are asking for the time being that everyone stay inside their homes. Emergency crews are already on the scene and more are arriving all the time. I know curiosity is strong at this point, but we will keep live coverage going today. The city is asking that everyone avoid the sight and keep it clear so that they can evacuate the injured. Thank you Brian for your time, we will be getting more information together. Please call us if you have anything..."

-NOW-

"...new to report," Eric sat up quickly, hand going to the gun on his hip. It only took a moment to realize he was talking in his sleep. The dark threw him off before he could see the light sneaking in around the blinds. Moving to the window he pushed back the blinds squinting out into the sunlight. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and he pushed open the door to the RV and stepped out. The highway stretched before him with cars scattered throughout, but the RV was the most comfortable he could find to sleep in. Stretching for the sky he moved to the back of the vehicle and relieved himself. The wind was blowing and he had to twist to keep the piss off his boots. His hand seemed to find its way to the scar on his chest every time he was without a shirt, fidgeting with the soft indention. Looking down he pulled his hand back from the gnarled flesh and it quickly found the tattoo on his arm. When he was 19 he got the bull drawn into the skin on his right shoulder. On the day of that tattoo, the artist had introduced himself as Tut, and Eric had never bothered to learn his real name. Tut had been incredibly thin covered in tattoos and had insanely large gauged ear rings that would probably never be back in style. Being nineteen it had seemed like a reasonable enough question to ask if the tattoo would hurt. At this question Tut laughed out loud then pulled a needle out of the drawer of his desk. Holding the needle up he said 'imagine this going in and out of you a couple thousand times'. Surely a yes would have sufficed, but maybe that's what gave Tut his charm.

A murder of crows screamed at him from overhead, dissolving the thoughts of the thin tattoo artist. Looking to the sky Eric saw what would have been considered in other times the largest flock of crows imaginable. The black swarm moved lazily south, warning of the cold that followed. Ever since The Events, it seemed that animals were gathering together, protecting each other. A flock of birds like the one flying overhead could rain down like a squawking grenade and tear him apart, strength in numbers. This happened wile simultaneously the human race seemed to tear itself apart. How few there are that will step in for each other. Eric had thought about it many times, how after a huge portion of the population just disappeared, perhaps the race would step up and stand together. Without money and power standing in the way, it seemed natural that strangers would bond with each other and create a stronger community. Instead groups formed that stood alone. Some were scared, just trying to survive peacefully; others were like land mines, just waiting for the next person to cross their path.

Another shout from the departing birds broke the spell of his thoughts that he so often fell into. Shaking his head, he turned back to the RV. It had been brown at one point but the sun had worn down the paint over the years and it was almost white higher up, and surely the white looked bleached where it hadn't been covered in bird shit. Stepping back into the vehicle he dressed himself and quickly moved back out onto the road. Something about being in such a small place made the hair on his neck stand up, it always felt like someone was watching, or had the ability to watch by simply stepping up to a window; the feeling of being vulnerable was sickening.

Once again the road seemed to stretch out before him, each step bringing him closer to The Voice, and further from the life he left behind. Grass along the sides of the road was tall enough to bend and reach downward, and it was beginning to brown. Fire was likely to follow as it did in the summer, and during the fall when the grass dried out. This close to the coast, water seemed to find its way into and on everything. Looking east Eric could see the last of the previous days rain clouds moving out over the ocean, there was barely time to focus on this though. A car sat in the middle of the road, this stood out by itself as most of the vehicles had been pushed to the side of the road years ago, but this one had its hazards on. The blinking lights were meant to wordlessly spell 'help', instead these only said 'danger'.

As always, his first impulse was to pull the gun from its holster and check to make sure that every chamber had a live round in it; but he knew they did. Right behind that another impulse followed, this one was to pull the sword from its sheath and carry it beside him. Instead he rested his left hand on the handle of the blade, he figured if he didn't pull it out then his presence didn't scream, 'hey, I'm ready to kill you'. Without slowing his walk he glanced behind him taking note that he couldn't have walked much more than a mile before he saw the car, the car that was now only a quarter of a mile ahead of him, he could now see that it was an old luxury car. It only took a moment to look to his right and then the left checking the grass for shadows or even men running toward him, archaic weapons made of baseball bats and steel, there was none of this. When he turned back to the road he saw that the car's hazards had slowed, battery must have only had a little juice left.

In an instant, the hand resting on the sword's handle had pulled the pistol from its holster and moved down to his side. In the same quick movement he dashed out of the street and into the grass on the left side, if there were men ahead he was sure that they would use the cars for cover and it would make for an easy ambush. The grass brushing against his legs was oddly comforting. His mind shot backwards to his father's farm, the way the tall grass in the pasture slapped at his boots and shins as he rode the horses. May was the shortest horse so he didn't ride her often, but she was also the smartest and they seemed to understand each other. This thought was out of his head almost as soon as it had entered, a thin tendril of smoke was slowly rising on the other side of the car. Bending his knees to get a lower standing, he moved in around the car in a large arc, the godliness of his eyesight was not lost to him, but he had no time to marvel at his increased senses. Eric's eyes were constantly scanning the cars when he reached a spot in the grass where he could see ahead of the vehicle, and he could see the body propped up against the grid.

As soon as he saw the shoes he froze. The legs of the body were the only thing visible but the fact that they were dressed in black dress shoes and black slacks made Eric uneasy. Taking a few steps forward exposed the rest of his body and he could see that it was a man wearing a full suit, his hair was cut in the military high and tight fashion and he was smoking a cigarette. His right hand was up over his head playing with the hood ornament, and his left was rolling across the concrete, flicking at pebbles. The first image to pop into Eric's head was that of Malcolm McDowell. For some reason he noticed that whenever he saw a stranger he matched their face to that of someone he had already seen. Stepping forward, Eric expected the man to speak his name without even turning, like the bosses in the old mafia movies. He never expected what followed.

Moving to the edge of the street, he narrowed his gun at the man's head. Getting this close he realized that the man that looked like Malcolm McDowell was humming Sympathy For the Devil by The Rolling Stones. Eric, only a few feet away from the man, stepped into his line of sight and the man's eyes lit up.

"Holy jumping Christ tits!" The man leaped up and staggered backward around the other side of the car staring wide eyed at Eric. "Where the dick did you come from? you scared the piss out of me!"

"I," it was the first time in a long while that Eric didn't know how to respond. The man was aged, but in incredibly good shape, and the weirdest part about it was how clean his clothes were. "What are you doing here?"

_Go North_ , the man mouthed the words but instead of hearing them the words shot straight into his head. It was Eric's turn to stare wide eyed, after a seemingly unending travel he had found The Voice.

"You're the one who has been talking in my head?" He couldn't help but ask it like a question, but he knew the answer. The man was now looking him over carefully and after a few seconds of silence he stepped around the car and held his hand out. Slowly, Eric took it and shook, not matching the man's smile.

"Which one are you?" the man asked still smiling, he brought the cigarette to his lips and inhaled deeply.

"Which one of what?"

The man's smile faded, "You can hear me when I push, there are two others left I think," the smile came back, but his eyed seemed concerned, the hardened man holding the gun seemed to scare him.

"My name is Eric," pausing to understand the information presented to him he holstered the revolver, "Who are the others, and what is _pushing_?" he said the word as if he had never said it before.

The man let out a whoosh of air as if he was exasperated by the idea of explaining. Then he sat back down next to the front of the car and took a final drag of his smoke before tossing it out into the road. He motioned for Eric to do the same. "I have no idea of where they are, I didn't know you were even here until you walked up behind me in case you didn't notice me shitting myself when you snuck up on me," Eric stood looking down at the man, and he motioned again for him to sit; he continued standing. "Where are you from Eric?"

"Who are you? What the fuck is going on? How can you get in my head?" it was hard for him not to stand up, but he did lean over toward the strange man as he asked.

"I am Zygan, and I am kind of like you, I was given a gift and that is how I can communicate from a distance,"

"What gift are you talking about?"

Zygan eyed Eric suspiciously, "I am the son of Hermes, due to that I was given certain...abilities. I assumed you were kin, but now that I can see you I am having doubts,"

His hand fell to the butt of his gun. It was only by sheer will that it stayed in its holster. "I am no son of gods, the only thing I have to offer is a curse from Poseidon and your drama queen family,"

Zygan didn't seem to mind the outburst or the crack at his bloodline, instead he just looked at the road, "It's no curse; you have a purpose here just as I do, and like it or not, you'll see it through." At this he met Eric's gaze and held it, the joy in his voice was gone.

"What do you know of purpose? I have followed your instructions that have carried me around the country only to end here. I've killed more people than I care to remember and there is no end for me, I call that a curse."

"This isn't the end of your path, and I'm sure you know that better than I do. I have brought you here not as the end, but as the beginning. You're right, I don't know the pain you have had to endure in order to make it this far, and I am sorry for your anguish, but these things needed to be done," as he spoke, Zygan stood up. He stood a few inches shorter than Eric and still had to look slightly upward as he spoke. "If it were up to me, you and I would have met much earlier than today, but it is the will of the Gods. At first there was only one, but now there are at least three of you, a group of travelers that must come together and it seems that you are the first," producing a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, Zygan pulled out two and held one out to Eric.

Taking the cigarette and lighting it, "How can you possibly know these things? You say there are at least two others, but in my time I have never seen a person carrying one of these, you said that would be how I recognize the others, yet there are none," he inhaled deeply and twisted his face at the stale bit of the tobacco. He motioned to his sword as he said 'carrying one of these'.

Shrugging at this, "They are out there, and I can feel them when I push. When you hear me it's like pushing against a wall, and so far I can feel three distinct walls." Taking a deep breath he looked into Eric's eyes, seeming not to like what he saw there he looked back into the field to finish, "The only way I know what I know is that I can feel it. Time has slowed down with the emergence of the Gods, and with this something is brewing. A new order is coming and those of us with this connection can still do something about it, for good or ill."

Eric pondered this for a moment, and then nodded. What Zygan said brought fury flooding into his veins as did his hatred for the gods. But there was something else to it; he knew the man was telling the truth. He could feel it as he spoke, they had a bond and if the man had lied he thought he would have known it. He also knew he needed to find the others that Zygan had mentioned, the ones that were like him.

"Where are the others? The other walls you said you hit when you push?"

Zygan's eyes lit up at this, "Oddly I can't tell you because I don't know."

"How can you not know when you just told me that you can feel them?"

Sensing his anger Zygan took a moment, "I only know that they exist, the best I can do is gather you all in the same place and have you meet. You hear me when I speak, and I have been telling everyone the same thing, you must go north, to the dead city,"

"And I'll recognize them by the swords they carry, yea yea yea, I've heard all this, how do I know they are hearing it too?"

Blowing out smoke and tossing another cigarette into the street, Zygan shook his head, "You have to take it on faith. I know they can hear me just as I knew you could hear me. I will push the standard message as you head in that direction. They will wear the swords if they can find them; if not they will find something similar,"

They both seemed to consider this and finally Eric nodded, "Should we move on then?"

Zygan smiled oddly, "I won't be going with you, at least not yet. I have a few other things I have to do first,"

Eric could sense that there was something off in what he was saying, not a lie exactly, just that there was something hidden within that comment.

"You must go now, the others could be anywhere, and you don't want to lose them," Zygan, who looked like that actor of old, moved back to the car and sat on the hood still not matching Eric's gaze.

"You seem awfully eager to get rid of me, and I think I have another thousand questions or so. Do you have fancy dinner plans?" there was no humor in his voice, and he didn't even try to fake a smile.

Zygan looked back at him now, "I have unfinished business here, but I'm not exactly sure what that is. Originally I thought you were why I was here, but now I realize that's not the case. I have to...work late."

"What the hell are you talking about? What are the odds that another person is going to wander down this street anytime this decade?"

He didn't have a reply for this so he just shrugged.

"You're not going to kill yourself are you?"

At this Zygan laughed out loud, "No I definitely won't be doing that. If I die it will not be of my accord." _Not unless it is absolutely necessary_.

Eric turned away so that Zygan couldn't see the knowledge in his eyes. That last part wasn't a push but he heard it clearly, and that part scared him almost as much as what he heard. He had never been able to hear what someone was thinking before.

"Maybe I should stick around and make sure that whatever this 'business' is, it doesn't sneak up behind you and slit your throat."

Looking up Zygan pointed, "The storm is coming back, and you need to get to the gas station up the road before the rain starts falling."

"No that's horse shit, I've got questions. What happened to you back in Chicago? You get gagged for thirty years or so? I ought to kick the shit out of you just for making me jump through hoops."

"Believe me," Zygan started with hurt in his eyes, "If it was up to me, I would never have broken contact, but I'm just a messenger, and I have to do what The Family tasks me with. It wasn't personal."

Taking a deep breath, Eric decided not to show all his cards on the first date, "Careful out there Z, keep that throat of yours in one piece," with that he started walking again. This was not an easy task with the amount of questions left over, and the incredibly strong urge he felt to stay, something was coming and he knew that it was something that involved him. Besides that, he could see rain in the distance and like always, it got him stepping.

"Be careful, and watch for the others" Zygan called out behind him.

"You too," Eric called back without turning around, _and you push if that oncoming storm turns out to be a hurricane._ He couldn't tell if he could hear him or not, more though, he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

-NOW-

For some reason whenever there was a bathroom available, Eric used it. In this case the bathroom had an old mattress tucked in the corner and a shelf had been set up, though that had been emptied some time ago. He reached for the handle to flush and stopped himself. It had been years since he had seen running water and the only thing available would be some sort of crazy bacteria. Stepping back out into the main area of the gas station, Eric pulled the revolver out of its holster and set it on the check-out counter. Emptying the shells, he went to work disassembling and oiling the gun, then he reloaded and holstered it. The 9mm in his other holster came out next and he repeated the process.

While he cleaned his guns he let his breath slow to a beat to match the rain hammering on the tin roof. It was rare to be in a one-story building that didn't have at least one hole with water pouring in when it rained, and he took full notice of that fact. Eric had started running when the gas station was still a few hundred yards out and the rain began in small drips, they didn't do damage but they started a waterfall of fear. The rain could eat his guns, the same way it had tarnished the sheath of the saber, except the firing pins would go fast, and that would be unacceptable.

Rain, there was a time that he would have given up half his pack for water, now on the East coast it seemed like he would give the same thing for the rain to stop. The constant run to protect everything from the falling water was exasperating. The fear of everything falling apart just from the rain made it hard to sleep on occasion. Luckily, Eric hadn't slept through chemistry and the solution to the insanely strong acid rain proved to be simpler than he had imagined. Acid will not eat through plastic, at least not certain kinds of plastic. The first few attempts at a rain-proof jacket were horrible failures. The original was picked up at a Target, except it wasn't the correct grade of plastic and it only lasted a few minutes before dissolving. This was a horrible event since the loss of the poncho meant the loss of the clothes underneath. The stores this happened in front of still had a few clothes on the racks and he was able to cover up before heading back out on the road. Lewis and Clark happened to have a jacket where the threads were coated in recycled plastic. This happened to be a plastic that has a high acid resistance.

It was easy to let the mind wander in a world without people. The lack of companionship did odd things to the mind, and it was on every available occasion that he thought of the past. The one thing that tore at him was how long it had been since having a friend, since the final television broadcast, the world had been cut off. He had carried a small winding radio for a few years but the people that still had access to processing a broadcast signal had gone insane, and they were depressing to listen to. One man had spoken about how he had divine powers and the only way to release them from his body was to cut them out. This man believed that the power resided in his blood and he wanted to taste that power and unleash it on the world. The man narrated over the airwaves as he sliced off the fingers on his right hand and drank the blood from the open wounds. This broadcaster continued to describe how he felt no power from that blood and cut off his entire right hand, severing the radial artery and after that he seemed to lose track of the blood. Of course this resulted to the man bleeding out over the air and after that Eric lost his taste for radio.

A thud against the side of the building pulled him from his thoughts. The revolver was out and cocked before he even realized he was doing it. There was a whining noise coming from the side of the building, pulling off his hat he stepped up to the window and peeked out. He only barely got a look at a tail moving toward the front of the building. Spinning around and hopping over the counter, Eric could see the wolf step under the awning out by the gas pumps. All the animals Eric had seen had a natural immunity to the rain, he assumed it was something in the hair and feathers, some oil that helped keep the water from burning their skin. This animal was in obvious pain and as it circled the gas pump Eric could see that a bite had been taken out of its backside revealing a mangled bloody scar. This opening through the hair set a window for the rain to fall into and pity filled him.

Opening the door from the station out to the pumps, Eric whistled and motioned for the animal to come inside. The large canine leapt up suddenly and lowered itself down on its front legs baring its teeth. Apparently the dog hadn't expected company. Stretched out at attention, the wolf stared at the newcomer with defensive surprise, growling low and almost inaudible under the noise of the rain. Waving once more, though not very convincingly, Eric sat back and let the door shut. Leaning back against the counter he watched the large dog lose interest and lie down. Before letting sleep take him, Eric set out a piece of jerky.

-NOW-

" _Wake up damnit_."

Eric's eyes were open in an instant. It is difficult to keep your body still in a moment of startled panic, but he had many years to perfect being ambushed out of sleep. With much effort he shifted his eyes as far to the left as possible without moving his head, but there was nothing, he tried the right side straining so hard it felt like his eyes would rip out, but he saw what woke him. It was sitting next to the old coolers staring at him, apparently not confused by the ruse his body was trying so hard to play. Shifting slightly, Eric turned so that he was facing the dog head on and the gun was pointed in that direction. The large wolf didn't move, it just glared at its new point of interest with large blue eyes. Without breaking the staring contest, Eric moved again, a little quicker this time and opened his bag. Barely blinking, the dog only shifted his head away slightly, obviously not afraid of attack. Pulling another stick of jerky out of his pack, he leaned forward offering to the dog. For a moment Eric thought nothing would happen, then after another moment the dog stood up and took a couple steps forward. Glancing at the door and the only means of escape, the dog stepped passed it closing the gap to only a foot away from Eric's outstretched hand. But that was as far as he would go. He circled once, but wouldn't take the meat out of his hand. Twisting the gun and contemplating for the last time about making the dog dinner he tossed the jerky up in the air, and the animal caught it in its mouth.

Content, Eric lay back against the counter once again listening to the rain. The dog stepped back a few feet, though not quite as far as the cooler, and lied down.

" _Thanks Bub,"_ this time he stood up quickly, for a moment he thought he saw Zygan standing in the street, but there was no one there.

"Jesus, what is he doing out there?" he moved back and sat down again.

" _Who are you talking about?_ " this time he felt a small click in his head and the voice clarified, it wasn't Zygan. He was back on his feet in an instant, this time pointing the gun at the dog. _No way that it's you talking, tell me a dog can't understand me._ But the dog didn't respond, not at first. Lowering the gun, Eric stepped around to the back of the counter and leaned against it with a sigh.

" _I hope you're not trying to think at me because I can't read your mind."_

"Jesus Christ," the gun was pointed back at the wolf and this time Eric's mind was clogged with a cloud of fear and surprise. "You're in my head aren't you?"

" _Ha ha, I've never been confused with Jesus before, and I'm not technically in your head, just speaking with a different part than my vocal cords,"_ the two of them stared at each other before Eric stepped back around from behind the counter.

"So you're a talking dog? How did this happen?"

Lying its head back down on his forepaws it answered, " _You want to tell me that you haven't seen a whole bunch of very odd things in your life time?"_

"Of course I have, and I suppose you're right, there has been some...changes," he sat back down against the counter keeping an eye on the dog. "So I suppose it goes without saying that you mean me no harm." It wasn't quite a question, but he expected an answer anyway.

" _Why would I ever hurt someone who had such delicious snacks? Besides, I'm not much of a fighter if you hadn't noticed my backside,"_

This made Eric smile, though it felt wrong, "Ok, so you're a friendly bum, what are you doing out here?" The animal followed this with another laugh; this one not quite as cheerful.

" _This is not a good time, not for anyone,"_ the wolf glanced at the man then let its eyes settle. _"They must have sensed that I was different, at least on some level. Otherwise why else would they have attacked?"_ He paused as if to gather his thoughts, " _After the fight I moved on, and now here I am. That couldn't have been more than a few days ago."_

"So what now?"

" _I have no idea. What are you doing?"_

"I will keep moving, same thing I've always done."

" _Moving to where?"_

"Does it matter?"

" _I suppose not, maybe I could keep you company for a little while?"_

Nodding he said, _"_ I suppose, as long as you can do as I say. It probably won't end pleasantly." With that he closed his eyes and once again listened to the rain. It would take a long time but eventually Eric would recall what a strange conversation he had just had, aside from the obvious fact that he had spent an afternoon talking to a dog.

-PAST-

"New to report," the newscaster looked away from the camera nervously, and the TV quickly cut to commercial.

"We have to get the fuck out of here," Eric spurted out while a commercial discussed the importance of your shoe insert. Glancing at Emily, Eric muttered a _sorry about the fuck_ that she didn't seem to notice, then moved to the door. Ron stared at the television as if it had some magic answer that would spill out of its electrical guts.

"This is the end of days," at first he almost couldn't hear her because she was talking softly into the broken window, lucky for him she was interested in repeating herself, as most people driven to the brink of sanity are, "this is the end of days. They spoke of this, we shall hear the sound of the trumpets follow as the seals are broken, this must be the breaking of the first seal," she continued on but her voice dissipated down to not much more than a whisper.

One look into Ron's face told Eric all he needed to know, he would be leaving alone. Ron nodded to Eric, as he joined his wife at the window, he knew that he was probably never going to make it out of the city but he felt the draw that only a husband can feel to be at his wife's side until the end.

Anyone who has been in a survival situation knows how the mind is able to step outside of itself. The basic need for survival takes over every thought, no more worrying about that meeting for work, letting the dog out, even a need to go to the bathroom. Survival instinct trumps everything. In this case it quickly covered Eric's need to convince his neighbors to leave with him, and he left returning to his apartment; the image of the Jeralds standing at the window would haunt him for years.

Back in his place, he pulled out an ancient duffel bag and began shoving clothes into it. Many times, Eric had replayed these moments in his head and wondered how many things would be different if he had only stopped and thought things through. Instead his mind was screaming one thing only, RUN. A few clothes and toiletries went into the bag as if he was preparing for a weekend at a resort. Zipping up the back he became aware of noises in the hallway of his building. People were leaving their apartments and they were doing it loudly.

Tossing the bag over his shoulder, Eric opened his door and stepped out, the hallway was full of people. _What is it? Where did it come from? What are you going to do?_ The people were confused, and who could blame them? It's not everyday that an enormous weapon made for hand-to-hand combat falls from the sky and decimates a city. A group of young businessmen were standing around one of the guy's apartment door drinking beer; apparently work was done for the day.

"Hey, Eric, man," one of the guys in a suit called out, "you think about going out there and getting a good look at this thing?" He recognized him at once, Richard Licky, his buddies called him Licky Dickie, and he had a tendency to get short man syndrome when he was drinking.

"Not a chance. That sounds a little crazy to me," he forced a smile but knew it was a hard sale.

The group of men eyed him suspiciously, "Come on man, when are you ever going to get a chance to be a part of something like this again? I'm guessing never," another one of the men responded.

This time Eric did smile, "You know, you are very eager to get out there to that gigantic thing, but did you ever stop to think that wherever it came from there is probably some gigantic person that uses it?" This seemed to get through a bit, but the beer had already soaked in enough to dampen any sense of decency and the idea didn't stick.

"Don't be a Debbie Downer man, this shit is epic, and we are close enough to ride the wave. You need to hop on that wave too," this time it was a different man that spoke, and stepped up. There was anger in his voice and he met Eric's gaze.

Glancing at the bank of elevators to his left, Eric nodded, "You know what, you might be right, after all, it only happens once in a life time right?" He forced another smile out.

For a moment it was quiet, then Licky laughed, "Damn right man. Hey you wanna beer?" This seemed to relax everyone except for the man obsessed with riding the wave.

"Yea, one for the road wouldn't hurt," _maybe you assholes will drink yourselves into a coma._ Licky dipped into the apartment for a moment then reappeared with a can outstretched. "Thanks man," Eric added popping the tab and taking a sip. Walking away without even opening it would look odd. "When are you guys heading out there?"

The group regarded the question as if it was a Jeopardy Daily Double. They looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess we'll wait until we get through this case," Licky finally spoke up, "Besides, the elevator has been running non stop and it would take 20 minutes before you got to the ground floor right now," he said gesturing to the elevator bank. Sure enough a mismatched group stood, gathered around the call button that was lit up red from the last activation. They didn't look happy with their progress.

"Right on. In that case, I'll see you up there. I've got to go check on my lady friend," Eric shot Richard a wink that got him laughing again.

"You are a sly son of a bitch aren't you," Licky shot back. "We have this crazy shit going on all around us and the only thing you can think about is getting a piece of ass," the whole group laughed at that, even the angry, wave man.

Giving a small wave, Eric turned and rounded the elevator bay pushing into an oddly loud and busy stair well. He felt crowded but anything was better than getting into a fight with a bunch of shit faced frat boys that couldn't pull their heads out of their asses. Tossing the beer into a trash can, Eric worked himself into the crowd moving to the ground floor. Nineteen floors was a long way to walk even though it went pretty fluidly, until getting stuck behind a large elderly couple that cut him off coming out of the second floor. Opening the door to the outside he expected it to be much brighter than the stairwell, but the weather had changed since leaving the apartment and dark thunder heads had rolled in.

Eric had parked his car a couple blocks away and the regret of not parking in the garage was substantial. Cars sat almost on top of each other and it seemed that everyone was laying on the horn at five second intervals. Some of the cars were abandoned sitting in the street with their doors open. Making his way up the block past the fallen church, Eric had to dodge into an alley as a man on a motorcycle hopped the curb when deciding the sidewalk would be quicker. The alley, like the stairwell was unusually busy, and he would have fallen if he hadn't stumbled into a group ogling at the bit of spear sticking up over the top of the buildings. After a few surprised shouts and a few more at the man on the bike, Eric pushed back off into the mob that had taken over the streets.

Most of the people along the sidewalk looked like sightseers in any big city. Their heads craning up to the sky as if they were checking out the tallest buildings. Weaving between these groups, and keeping an eye out for anyone else considering using the sidewalk express, Eric finally made it to his car. Upon getting there he had a moment of clarity that would have saved him a lot of trouble. There was no mistake that his car wouldn't be going anywhere in the foreseeable future as a water truck had been parked in the street blocking it in. Looking in the cab of the truck, he could see that the keys were gone. The truck had just been parked and abandoned, Eric wondered if the driver would come back once everything went back to normal. This was still when he could imagine the world falling back into its normal cycle.

Terror has a way of sneaking up on people, and in this case it had crept up behind him with the largest meat cleaver in the butcher shop and had taken a quick swing. Eric's parents had moved back to their home town in Kentucky when they retired and the first thought to run across his brain was to return home. It hit so suddenly that his eyes watered. Why hadn't that thought come earlier? The usual fall back of family now flooded his brain as he grabbed the cell phone from his pocket.

Sixteen missed calls, almost all from his parents. He didn't waste time listening to the voicemails.

"Eric, Jesus, where are you?" it was his father that answered the phone. As per usual, his voice was a mixture of anger and get-down-to-business curtness.

"I'm still here, the city is pretty crazy right now, but I'm working on getting out."

"No, don't go outside, they're saying that, _that thing_ , landed only a few miles from your apartment. There are riots, you could get run over or mauled. Just take it easy until it clears." The anger in his voice had been replaced with concern.

"It's not as bad as all that, I'm outside right now and most people are just trying to get a good look at this thing; what are they saying on TV, have they figured out where it came from?"

There was a loud exhale on the Kentucky side of the line, "No they keep saying the same thing over and over. Your mother's trying to get in touch with people through the police department here to see what else they know, but so far it's very little."

A group of kids sprang out of a nearby building almost running him down where he stood looking at the sky and talking on the phone. "I'm going to come to you," Eric said finally, "I don't know how crazy it could get here after dark, so I'll get out of the city."

This was met with silence for several seconds, "I like the idea, but only if you think you can do it safely. I don't want some kid smashing into you because he's looking up instead of at the road," Eric rolled his eyes as his dad continued, "Go check it out and if it looks reasonably safe, try it, but if you have any doubts pull that car over."

Eric waited a moment to ensure that he was done talking, "Got it, and when I get out of here I'll give you a call."

"Sounds good, be careful. Love you Eric."

"Love you too," there was a click as the line went dead. Neither of them were waiting for a formal sign off.

Now the only thing to do was find a fresh ride and navigate a couple hundred miles to his parents' ranch. This served as a small problem being that the roadways were blocked. Taking one more look up to the spear, he turned down the next street and headed south.

-PAST-

Over the next few blocks he found himself ducking and dodging people, teenagers mostly, which were overly eager to get closer to the item Eric was trying to avoid. The majority of the people didn't even seem to notice him; staying as close to the buildings as possible, all eyes were up and that wouldn't change for a long time. Crossing a street that was still jammed with abandoned cars he twisted around and was able to see Willis Tower. This meant he was close to the highway. This could be useful if traffic ever began moving again. Due to his long backward glance he completely missed the hulk of a man that had stopped in his path to retie his shoe. He only twisted around in time to slam, uncomfortably, on many levels, into the man's very pressed out ass, with his pelvis.

"What the fuck man?" the giant asked angrily, standing up. At first Eric had no words, the man was easily 6'10 and somewhere around 400 pounds. He had short hair over a large red beard and to Eric, he looked like he had climbed Jack's beanstalk. The fact that he was wearing camo cargo shorts with yellow work boots didn't help relay the fear.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going,"

"I'm pretty fuckin hard to miss aren't I? Or maybe you have a little soft spot, for my soft spot eh?" it was hard to tell if the man was genuinely angry or if he was just taking advantage of the shocked look on Eric's face.

Squinting up at the man, he felt his lips pull together, "I'm sorry, it's just..." words were hard to find and as the beast of a man looked down at him his lips curled up slightly at the ends. "You're having a laugh now aren't you?"

At this the big man laughed out loud, "I was gonna show you to the curb but boy, you seem so scared and confused I'd almost feel bad," with that he let out another gale of laughter.

"Holy Christ man," Eric said taking in a deep breath and then letting it out slowly, "I'm pretty sure I need a new pair of pants, I thought I was going to get crushed." Big Red laughed again and this time Eric smiled with him. It seemed as though the laughter was contagious; if nothing else, it was a good change of pace for the day.

"If I have my trajectories right, you giving me a hump while I wasn't looking means that you're heading out of town. Not one for the sights?" he put the smile away, and it was obvious he was curious about the only person not heading north.

"I think I've seen enough for today. Had a pretty good view out of my apartment window, and to tell you the truth, it's not as fun to look at as they'd have you believe," Eric's gaze had moved across the street while he talked, but now he looked back up to see the big man nodding.

"I've got a few theories, Could be aliens," he pulled back a finger on his right hand with his left as he said it. "Although, that doesn't make the most sense, because I remember tridents from the old gladiator movies and what not. My other theory is that this is some crazy PR campaign cooked up by holy wood for a new movie or TV series that's coming out; they do this kind of shit all the time, though nothing to this extreme. When is the next Clash of the Titans picture due for release?" he scratched his head while he pondered that.

"Pretty sure this isn't a PR thing. People were dead, and a lot of damage was done when that thing came down. My building is going to need new windows, if nothing else at least on the East side. Also the news people were going ape shit, if this was done commercially, nobody knows about it."

"Well I hate to think about the whole alien thing but I suppose it could have come to that." He pursed his lips together in thought and ran a hand through his beard.

"I hate to interrupt your theorizing, but I'm working on getting out of Dodge," he said it without taking a step forward and the large man made no move to clear him a path.

"Where are you going to go? I haven't seen traffic like this since they let Nolan film here, and that was some shit," once again his hand went to his beard, searching for lost information.

"My parents live out of Kentucky, so first I'll find a way out of town then maybe hop on a plane." It wasn't until this moment that it struck him as odd that he was having this conversation with a stranger. Sharing close personal information was not a thing he was ever very good at and it is frowned upon in this day of civilization.

"Would you mind if I accompany you for a while? I think I've seen enough of this for the time being as well," he looked down at Eric, and the hope was palpable.

"I don't see why not, you seem level headed, definitely not hauling ass to the unknown with these psychos," Eric accepted jerking a thumb over his shoulder to make sure they all knew the psychos to which he was referring. _Doesn't hurt that you're also as big as a truck and if someone decides they want to go people looting, you could probably yank off one of their arms if you felt like it._

"And I've got a great ass right?" The big man held out his hand, "Danny, but everyone just calls me Red, like in Shawshank," Eric took his hand and was engulfed in the familiar greeting.

"Where are you off to then?" Eric asked as they both got moving again southbound.

"I haven't really thought about it yet, my brother lives in Jersey and I'm not all that eager to see him, so I suppose I'll just head out of town for now, see what happens then. I'm pretty easy going," Eric nodded as he spoke, enjoying the sound of it.

-NOW-

Two days had passed since the bonding experience in the gas station and since that time Eric had consistently decided not to shoot the dog for dinner; he liked the conversation. They had moved quickly even as a duo and were entering the D.C. area, and Eric was getting nervous. Many years ago he had heard a rumor of crucifixions on the east coast, and though he had gone from Florida to Virginia he hadn't seen any, the old US capital still made him uneasy. The road had been as long as any other, though some of the time it was monotonous as the abandoned cars had created a maze on much of the highway and Eric refused to traverse the high grass.

" _Check it out?"_ Lex asked, almost as a statement. Over the last few weeks, the two had become decently acquainted and the wolf had named himself as Lex. Following the large dog's gaze Eric gave the country club a once over.

"I seriously doubt that we will find anything of interest there," he hardly showed any interest in the country club off the highway. "There is something I have never seen, and I think we should stop off for a minute."

" _As long as it's not another abandoned gas station, I still don't understand why you make us stop there. The bathrooms are worthless to me, and almost as bad for you."_

Eric only shrugged, he didn't feel the urge to define a habit that was over a hundred years old to an animal.

"A lot of young men died in a war many years ago, and I would like to pay my respect," Eric responded somberly. Lex remained silent which only created a pull for the man to push on. "Those men and women were in a much different war than the one we...I am in now, but they, much like me, didn't volunteer." They walked in silence for a few moments before he felt the urge to speak again. "I wasn't drafted the same way they were, but I might as well been, the same principles apply, and I feel every bit of the pain that could have been pressed upon them." Lex remained silent.

The couple continued to walk onward, the man glancing to the left and right inside car windows as the dog kept his nose close to the decaying concrete. It is amazing how quickly the human brain can adapt to new surroundings. As Eric glanced into the car windows, the skeletons and decaying corpses didn't bother him in the slightest. There was a time when this wasn't true, though that period was a very short one. It is amazing how fast we can adapt.

" _There on the left, is that what you are referring to?"_ the wolf sounded bored and it didn't surprise Eric in the least, a cemetery would interest an animal as much as a scratching post would interest a man.

"That's it ahead, but we can get off here." It was the first time Eric had led Lex off of the road and the dog seemed grateful. He stopped almost immediately to take leave, but Eric barely noticed as the grass along the highway had grown tall and the man disappeared up to his naval, much less having any visibility on the animal. The rows of the Arlington cemetery remained intact even though it took Eric running into one of the soft white grave markers to acknowledge it. There was only one marker that Eric wanted to pay his respects to and though he didn't know it, he was heading in the right direction.

" _You humans have such a crazy sense of responsibility. What would you do if another man stepped in front of you with nothing? I would assume that you would shoot him, despite the heroic act of walking up to this dead man's tomb,"_ as usual, the wolf had a point.

"I don't know about all that," Eric said softly, not quite in a whisper. "I did take you along didn't I? And you're not even a human being," This felt shallow, even to Eric, though the dog seemed to accept it, and he continued walking along side into the Cemetery.

His eyes had become quite adept over the years, but it was still almost impossible to see the pale rows of rock through the overgrown grass. The duo moved up a rise and stopped at the top; both stared with their mouths agape, only the dog's wasn't in surprise.

" _What's your problem?"_ Lex asked absently. The wolf sat down at the man's feet and commenced cleaning his genitals, a job that never really seemed to be completely done.

Eric had seen things like this before. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier rose up a path ahead of them, but a large concrete barrier and what was once a fountain marked the way. A large stack of grave markers had been pushed into a pile up against the barrier, and scattered around the hill. There couldn't have been less than a thousand of them, stacked and broken. The entire top of the fountain had been broken off. Surprise overwhelmed him, and froze him in place. When passing through some of the other side towns it was easy to see that there had been a large flood that would pick everything up and deposit it somewhere else in the city, creating a type of high tide line. Seeing it this far in land, and to something he had seen many times in person and in pictures seemed incapable, even through the past years events.

After what seemed like forever, Eric took a step forward, then stopped himself. His previous objective of visiting a single grave marker seemed overwhelming when taking in the pile of tossed about stone. Not feeling his shoulders slump, he turned and headed back toward the highway, and that's when the dog barked.

Two figures stood on the other side of the highway, looking aimlessly toward the city. When Lex barked, the first one turned, not quite finding where the sound came from. Dropping down on his haunches Eric grabbed the dog around the chest and pulled him down to the ground. Lex let out an immediate low growl but stopped when Eric loosened his grip.

" _What the hell's your problem? Let's get them!"_ the thought felt hard and grainy, like eating rage.

"They're not people, and if two are on the road, I guarantee there's more close by," Eric whispered.

" _Well I'm hungry, if they're not people lets go get something to eat. We can even dry out their meat, like your snacks."_ The thought of jerky made Eric's stomach growl, but he didn't move.

"It's not that they aren't people; it's that they aren't people anymore. Something happened to them, now they're more dead than alive," Eric whispered back resting his forehead against Lex. "They're dangerous, even to me."

Lex looked up at this, " _Say it ain't so."_

"It's..." but that's where Eric had trouble, "It's somebody that gets sick and goes wrong, and they eat other people."

" _So how did they turn into zombies?_ " Eric shot off a few other statistics on Romero's fascinating creation before he was cut short. There was a thud and a hollow groan not far away. Unsheathing the sword as quietly as possible, Eric stood up.

Over the duration of their conversation, one of the two had moved close enough to bump into a grave marker. With luck, running into the tombstone had knocked it around and it didn't immediately see him as he stood, this gave Eric the advantage of getting up and pulling the rapier out over the grass.

The creature that used to be a man turned back toward Eric and sneered, showing its teeth. All of its hair was gone and its skin was burned deep showing mostly scar tissue. He had been wearing a heavy coat at one point, but now it had been eaten away by a hundred rain storms and was just cloth sticking to the skin. After acknowledging what it was seeing, the sneer peeled back into a screech and it rushed the man and his dog. Lex moved into the lead and set down pulling his teeth back. It was an odd bout of surprise but Eric managed to shout out and step over the animal to keep it from attacking, while doing this he took a swing that would make baseball players cringe.

The thin saber went into the neck and shook hard as it connected with the spinal column. Blood poured out around the blade and Eric pushed hard forcing the man onto the ground. Lex stepped forward again ready to attack, and Eric shoved him hard with his shin keeping him away from the man.

"NO!" Eric shouted back at the dog, "Don't get the blood in your mouth," this seemed to register to Lex, but only slightly, his blood was pumping. The man opened his mouth to scream again but it was clogged with blood, and what came out was a strained gargle. Bringing his foot down against the downed man's chin, there was an audible snap as his neck broke and the gargling noise stopped. It wasn't often that Eric beat himself for not taking care of his tools. The guns were in impeccable condition, but the sword, it should have gone all the way through, even with its light weight; that would linger in the back of his mind for nights to come.

" _FUCK_!" The word was so loud in his mind that he could barely hear Lex barking. Both of the man's hands were still gripping the handle of the sword when he glanced up and saw the other party from the street rushing toward him. She was whining in such a high pitch that it could have been the wind. Just like the rest she looked like a burn ward patient that had gone insane, and Eric quickly pulled for his saber, but it didn't come. Looking down in a panic he pulled again, the blade had been imbedded in the man's neck and with each tug it only pulled the man's body along the grass, though at this point the whining was almost on top of him. In a last ditch effort, he let go of the handle and turned back to the approaching woman with his hands up like a linebacker, it was just in time.

He turned with just enough time to see her smashing her teeth down with each breath, arms raised, then she was upon him. There was no way to prepare for the weight of someone like that hitting you full blast. She didn't pull back at all, and her full weight pushed him back into the grass. The two of them rolled over each other coming to rest against a grave marker. Eric had caught her under her arms and pushed back as hard as he could. She screeched at him, her breath rancid hot and retched, a junkyard dog would have turned its head. Freeing his right hand, he grabbed a handful of her hair and brought her head down hard on the tombstone, the woman didn't even seem to notice. Bringing her head down against the stone again he cringed away from the heavy thud her skull made and the way her left eye went soft and stopped moving. There was only a moment when he considered trying the rock again before he let go of her head and pulled the gun from its holster. Gunshots have a way of making noise, and it was noise that Eric was so desperately trying to avoid, even when he pulled the trigger.

Turning his head, Eric pushed the woman away from him as hard as he could, keeping the blood away from his face. Even in the moment of shoving the corpse he could hear the echo of the gunshot and it made his stomach twist. It didn't take but a moment for Eric to stand, perching his leg up on the nearest grave marker and taking in his surroundings. The grass was tall and that only increased his anxiety, he could imagine more of them out there, stretched out in the grass...waiting. There was a time long ago when there was a need for gunplay, and lots of it. His ears had grown accustomed at taking a shot. Even directly beside the ear, wasn't anything to fret about. Now after all these years, a single shot seemed to rattle his brain and he could still hear the echo of that shot ringing inside his head. Standing, perched against that stone he waited, but nothing happened, no ambushing hoard of burn victims crested the hill.

" _You are hard-core my friend,"_ Lex was circling the body of the first man with the saber still sticking out of his neck. It took the resistance of a foot to the chest to separate the saber from the bone. Waving the dog off to the side, Eric swung the sword through the grass multiple times, stripping it of blood. Pulling a dirty cloth from his bag he wiped off any remaining juices and sheathed the sword. For a moment he considered tucking the cloth back into his bag; then he gave it a second look and tossed it aside.

"Apparently not hard-core enough; that first swing should have decapitated the poor bastard."

" _Poor bastard, are you kidding me? They were going to rip your face off."_

Eric glanced back at the dog solemnly, "That's not their fault. In the other life they may have taken us in. In the other life, they could have been me," checking his gun, he moved back toward the highway.

" _In another life I could have been you, and you could have been a cricket in a portable shitter, home boy. That sounds like a pretty shitty solution to this very complicated situation."_ The dog didn't look up as it followed him out onto the street, though now Lex was panting openly. " _Where to now, sweet pea? You have more relics to which you would like to pay your respects?"_

"I was not aware that animals had the ability to be assholes, aside from shitting on the foyer rug of course," Eric didn't turn as he spoke.

" _Foyer? I didn't shit on any of your things, not that I remember. Besides I think your fingers taste like..."_ but that was all Lex could muster before he was disturbed.

"Jim, get that mother fucker!" this voice was new and it was coming from the other side of the highway as the ancient cemetery. Lex barked, but it was oddly in vain. Eric, the human, had sensed the men before they spoke.

Gun drawn, the man responded, "The two walkers are down. I am Eric, and it was my iron you heard echo through the hills."

There was only a moment before the man who spoke responded, "Jim, hold up." As it turned out, Jim was crouched in the tall grass beside a long abandoned Volkswagen Beatle. The man named Jim stood up slowly, he was wearing a long black coat and a gas mask, with a sledgehammer hung over his shoulder.

"Whouot aar uo ookin aaa?" Jim asked swinging the construction tool back around so that it rested across his chest.

" _I think he's re tart ed,"_ Lex chimed in.

"We," then with another second of thought, "I can't understand you."

The man named Jim glanced around him, and then after deciding it was safe, pulled back the mask. "I asked, what are you lookin at? But I suppose it's me ain't it?" there wasn't much fear in his voice and that made Eric nervous.

" _I sure as shit don't see anything worth looking at, do you?"_

Eric looked down at Lex who was in return looking up at him. "We're not sick. How many of you are there?" A confused look crossed Jim's face and he turned back toward the tall grass behind him.

"Jesus Christos, Jim, go ahead and put your mask back on, you've said enough." For the duration of the conversation Eric had been looking toward the broken down Beatle, now he turned his attention to the right. This voice sounded much wiser, and considerably older than Jim, and it solidified his prediction when Jim obeyed and put his mask back on.

Only a moment went by, but it was a tremendous effort for Eric to keep his mouth shut as the older voice found its way out of the tall grass. The man that emerged wasn't anything like what he had expected. The older voice belonged to a short round man with a large brown beard with thick grey sideburns. Standing his ground, Eric kept the gun pointed downward as the man approached, and kept silent, even though every impulse in his body told him to speak.

"Repeat after me: I took a ship to the sea shore and sailed," the older man commanded. Eric did as requested. "Fantastic. We can never be too careful." The man stepped out onto the asphalt and his shoes clicked against the street. "You burned the Lookers?"

"Lookers? Is that what you call them?" The corners of Eric's lips curled up at this, "I've always called them spies, of course that is a term from the old world."

"I take that as a yes?

Eric nodded at this and the old man nodded back. "If you have food, my companion and I could use a meal," he could feel his eyes drop at this and felt shame at doing so.

"I assume by companion you mean that mutt?" the man asked.

" _I assume by mutt you mean you're an ass-face?"_

Eric shushed the dog before looking up, "His name is Lex, and he's definitely not a mutt."

The man laughed at this, "Yes, we have food for a man with your skills. I would request that you come into our villa and enjoy a full welcome," the man looked directly into Eric's eyes as he spoke and that made him uncomfortable. Most people these days had trouble meeting a strangers eyes.

"What's your name?" Eric asked in am attempt to set the scales back toward the stranger.

"They call me Kennedy," the older man turned back toward Jim, who had since donned his gas mask.

"Named after a leader, I can respect that," Eric responded taking a step toward Kennedy. "A full meal sounds pretty fantastic, just point me in the right direction." It was at this moment that Eric finally holstered his gun and stepped up to Kennedy with his other hand outstretched. The man named after the president took it.

" _I assume you two are gonna go queer before a decent meal is introduced?"_

Eric ignored this completely, "I have to ask, where the hell did you guys come from? We were just over the ridge when the walkers came down on us."

Kennedy was nodding as he spoke, "Oddly enough we weren't more than half a mile to the east of here when you fired your gun," Kennedy turned back toward the field that Eric and Lex had come from, "Sometimes there are dangers within our pirimiters."

"Perimeters," Eric responded, but Kennedy looked at him confused. "Never mind, I understand."

"Glad to hear it," Kennedy turned back the way he had come, "follow me young fella and we'll get you fed, then we can talk about tomorrow."

_Young fella._ Though he had been referred to as young by many men, it still made him smile.

### Chapter 2

-H-

A fall from grace is never a pleasant experience, unless of course you are a pop star or one of the ridiculous strangers on MTV. He knew an agreement had been made, something that would put him in a place of extreme power, but it had been lost. Almost everything seemed to have been lost; all but a few stand out details: his name was Haden, and he was looking for a special kind of man. The sense of strength that had been strong only moments ago had vanished, and pain was taking its place.

Finding his feet, Haden looked himself over in an attempt to gain control and insight in how he had ended up wherever he was. His clothes were covered in dirt and there were several rips and tears. He was wearing a dress shirt, pants, and a vest; and they were all stained with dirt. Looking up it was easy to see how he had become as rattled as he was. Standing, he realized that he was at the foot of a large hill. Picking up his shoe that had popped off, he began walking away from the hill only to realize that it was a mountain. For about fifty feet up he could see the shadow of a trail that his body had made as he had rolled down. As he continued to walk he would turn back and look up to see how high the dark mound of dirt went. It seemed that it went all the way into the clouds, and it was more of a column of earth than a mountain, there was a high incline to the top, it seemed much too steep to climb. This wasn't something he was interested in testing, there was work to be done, and he had no desire to take his time.

Taking one last look at the mountain, the feelings of a connection had faded almost completely; he turned and began walking in the opposite direction. Breathing in deeply, he realized the air didn't smell as odd as it had only a few minutes before, his body had adjusted to its new environment and now he needed to find what he had come for. Remnants of a town stood shuddering in the wind around him. The soil was loose and it swirled constantly, slapping at his ankles. Walking through the fields toward the town, Haden would stop occasionally to peek inside a car or investigate a piece of wrecked building. Being as fixated as he was on the small buildings in the distance he didn't take the time to turn and survey the area around him. If he had he would have seen what looked like a town had been picked up by two gigantic hands, shaken and then tossed back down across the earth like a giant game of dice. The larger buildings sat in empty craters, while cars and telephone poles stuck up out of the ground, slabs of concrete were sitting at crooked angels in the dirt.

Haden saw none of this, nor did he see the group of Lookers that had taken camp in the back of a semi trailer, but they saw him. The first, once a large hulk of a man, burned down to muscle fiber popped out of the trailer at the sign of life, but quickly turned away and hid behind the semi. The second, a small female stuck her head out and whined softly before her bladder let go. She twisted quickly and found the back of the trailer, curled up in a ball and sat shaking until she found sleep. Haden saw none of this, but continued on toward the town still unsure of what it was he needed to accomplish.

-PAST-

Eric and his new companion sat down at an Applebee's bar, somewhat pleased with themselves. Getting out of the city took most of the day but they caught a bit of luck when they hit a side road outside of Gary, IL. A man who looked like his entire bottom lip had been injected with Copenhagen offered them a ride in the back of his truck. Without prior planning the trip was a little chilly, but it was more pleasant than fighting through gaping crowds without an automobile. It had taken a few cars flying by before Red finally stepped into the middle of the street to stop one, and as it turned out it was someone who wasn't completely terrified. Eric had imagined a gun coming out from the truck window at the sight of the human road block. They rode until the man decided to stop for the night, then they headed their separate ways.

The first stop was food, and the closest available that wasn't closed down for the day. For as long as possible the two avoided any talk of the day's events, focusing only on normal stranger interactions: sports, music, television, sex. It was only after numerous beers and half a pack of Red's smokes that they turned to discuss what needed to be done.

"Don't get me wrong, I mean, I like movies, especially anything with Deniro in it, but I just never got into the whole Hobbit thing," Eric was using his hands quite a bit as he spoke and the bartender was grinning as he leaned against the bar listening to their conversation.

"You know Viggo Mortensen was in that right?" Red asked taking another pull from his perspiring bottle.

"That's the guy from The Prophecy right? That was a pretty good movie."

"Jesus man, you need to see some more movies. It had Ian McKellan, John Noble, Sean Bean..." Red searched his memory but the beer seemed to be slowing things down.

"Oh yea and it had that kid from The Goonies right?" they both laughed and the bartender cleared their empty glasses and poured them another round. Eric's phone rang and he picked it up. There was a short conversation between him and his parents before he hung it up shaking his head.

"Was that the folks again?" Red asked turning somber.

"Yea, they said that it's getting worse. The north side is apparently on fire, and there's been some sort of riot," he turned up to the TV but it was just MTV.

"Jesus man, I knew Chicago had a lot of assholes living there but this is ridiculous," he looked up to the TV in the corner too but instead of looking away he watched whatever non-music related show was on since it had a lot of leg showing.

"Really everywhere has a lot of assholes in it, Chicago just has a high population," Red chuckled but didn't turn away from the TV until commercial.

"So we pretty much can't go back there," Red said without much expression, "I wouldn't mind getting a little further from the city in case there is spill over." Nodding in response, Eric took another pull from his beer. "I can probably rent a car tomorrow, how far are you going to go? You're more than welcome to come with." He couldn't quite make eye contact with Eric as he spoke.

"I'm definitely going to head toward Kentucky since my parents have a place out there," after another moment of consideration, "You know...they have a trailer on their land you could always stay in that if you want. I mean, I don't know what plans you have with your brother living in Jersey and all but you're definitely welcome to it," the words were spilling out of his mouth and they were both aware of the way booze made your jaw unhinge. That didn't stop Red from accepting his offer.

"My brother can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, so I graciously accept. Besides, your folks sound like they would be some fun people to hang with, a lot like my parents were." Through the many hours on the road Red had mentioned that his parents both worked in the world trade center. There was a moment of panic where Eric thought his new friend was having a stroke but he was having a panic attack reliving the events of 9/11 and he almost passed out beside the highway after the initial shock had passed.

"Oh yea, they can definitely be a good time, I told them I'd be there tomorrow night, so if you're up for it we can grab a hotel and then head out in the morning."

"Are they going to have any problem with me joining you?"

"No, not at all. They are very relaxed people, we'll all be sitting around enjoying a beer like this tomorrow night." At this Red excused himself and Eric made a call back to his parents to prepare them for their extra company. A few moments later the bartender called last call and the two men stumbled out of the restaurant and into a motel across the street.

The next day they went through two pages of the phone book before finding a rental that had a SUV available, Red wouldn't accept a car for fear that he wouldn't fit comfortable. Once the reservation was made it took another hour to get a cab and find the car rental. When they got there, a couple with a small boy, were yelling at the elderly woman behind the desk. She was smiling politely as the couple shouted at her about how they had tried to call about a reservation but the line was always busy and they demanded a car. The older woman listened to each outburst and would always tell them the same thing; that they were out of rentals. The shouting stopped pretty quickly at the appearance of Red.

With the new customers in the room the shouting mother moved aside and let the men get their ride. The woman behind the counter clicked at her computer for a moment, scanned a credit card, and handed over a key with a big blue keychain attached. As the men walked out of the building they could hear the boy start crying as his mother started in on the woman behind the counter. Jumping behind the wheel, Eric started down the road. It only took a moment for Red to go through the radio stations. Music seemed to have been temporarily suspended as everyone talked about the "Event in Chicago". He stopped for a moment on one as they discussed the current state of emergency in the city. A very high pitched woman explained how the military had moved in and created a six block perimeter around the "artifact". As they talked on about the quarantine zone they began listing casualties and wounded. There were almost one hundred dead and triple that wounded, and half the city had the power knocked out when the artifact struck down, which also left a lot of people without water. The entire city was in chaos and it was inflating, the more the government moved in to help, the more restrictions were placed on other city sanctioned groups that were trying to make repairs, making it all counterproductive.

After a few more minutes of discussion on death, the woman moved the conversation toward the experiments going on at the base of the artifact. She only got a few words out before a new voice jumped in of a man that seemed to have only been listening for this moment and told all the listeners that the broadcast would return after a few moments. Judging that the interruption marked the end of any real talk about what was happening Eric switched off the radio and they agreed to pick up some CD's next time they stop.

With that they moved south stopping only for a light meal around three o'clock in order to avoid any rush hour traffic. Everywhere they went people were talking about what was now being referred to as the artifact in Chicago. Remaining quiet, the duo listened to a family in a booth against the wall.

"Oh come on, we could go up there for a day trip, just see it and see what's going on," this was a young teenager wearing a Call of Duty t-shirt. His parents gave each other a nervous glance before his mom answered.

"I know it seems very exciting, but nobody knows if it's safe," she watched the boy drop his head and sigh, "but if it turns out that this thing isn't a threat to anyone we could go up there. We need to give it some time, see what happens." This perked the kid up a bit, but the father was rolling his eyes.

"I've got an odd feeling that kid's not going to make it up to see 'the artifact' any time soon," he waved his arms around as he said artifact.

"That's probably a good thing. You know how many people died when that thing hit down. It's not an attraction." With that cheery note they finished up their meal and moved on.

Heading down highway 65 was fairly smooth until they hit Louisville. The sun was setting as they turned east and in order not to stop again, Red began smoking in the car.

"Man, do you mind putting that thing out, it's making me lightheaded," Red let out one of his gigantic laughs, took a long drag, and tossed the cig out the window.

"Don't smoke often eh? You were doing pretty good last night. What happened?" checking his pack as he said it, Red turned back to Eric.

"I usually only smoke after a few drinks, every time I try when I'm sober I just get lightheaded or sick. That or in the morning, something about nicotine wakes me up." Eric stole a quick glance at Red to see if he was laughing at him, but he wasn't.

"I think that's a good thing really, nicotine is a big piece of rape that won't let you ice your asshole," the big man exploded in a gale of laughter. Then the conversation turned in a direction they had been avoiding for the past few hundred miles.

"Does this ever make you feel like one of those people that stockpiles bottled water and generators?" Red had another cigarette out and was twirling it through his fingers.

"I don't see us sitting in a bomb shelter making our own clothes. So we have a little bit of a lead on those people," Eric hadn't thought of it through that lens before, but now that it had been said, he couldn't get it out of his head.

With that, images flashed of every science fiction precedent he had ever read or seen. The one that took up most of the space in his head was a scene from 28 Days Later. A group of men from the military had taken control of an old castle, mind that this was set in Europe, and made it zombie proof. Barbwire parameters with landmines set in the fields and spot lights set up along the outer towers. The idea of him and Red sitting at a large table in an abandoned castle brought a smile to his face. He figured with that much footage he could at least get out of ear shot of the big man's sleep apnea.

"I didn't spook you did I?" his large counterpart asked softly. Red had stopped twirling his smoke and was looking at Eric with a face coated in worry.

Letting out a small laugh Eric turned to him, "No, no, you just set my mind into a whirlwind of every horror movie I've ever seen." taking a sideways glance at the cigarette, "now that you mention it, maybe those people had a little bit of a nest egg; even if they were a bit on the crazy side." He let out an unconvincing chuckle as they thought it over. For the next fifteen minutes they drove in silence passing the darkened fields and small farmhouses before turning onto a small side road. Red sat up and leaned his hands on his knees as the truck began slowing down. After another moment they were pulling over a cattle guard onto a long dirt drive and were then pulling into Eric's parent's drive greeted by a lively house.

-NOW-

It was a short trip from the cemetery to the subway tunnel. The group could hear Lookers scream in the distance as they approached the stairwell off the main street. Pieces of garbage and debris had been stacked blocking off any visibility of the stairs from the street, the new group moved a few integral pieces and the way was clear. The short stairway led to a large immobile escalator with four separated stairways. The three on the left side had been blocked off entirely with more debris leaving only the far right walkway. Eric smiled slightly at the idea of the makeshift bottleneck that would make things uncomfortable for anyone trying to get in.

"Grab ahold of that dog and stay directly behind me," Kennedy coughed out moving to the left when they got off the escalator. The warning was nice, but after a life of watching for traps and ambush Eric had already made a note of the bear traps he could see from about halfway down the stairway; the blood smear at the base of the opening was a giveaway. The group was now a straight line with Lex pushed left and right with a push of Eric's leg. After a few moments the groups twisted to the right and into a dark hallway, at that point the person behind Eric grabbed the large dog and picked it up like a baby, Lex didn't like it but the guy held on. Two turns later, and after shifting a piece of a phone booth Kennedy stopped.

They hadn't been moving that fast but once they stopped the only sound was heavy breathing. The room they stood in was almost completely dark, and there was a scuffling noise before a light came on making them all groan and squint. Forcing his eyes open Eric could see spotlights positioned along the walls. They were standing in a maintenance tunnel that was streamed with wires overhead and along the walls.

Kennedy caught Eric's gaze, "We set up solar panels along the outside walls."

Eric's eyes widened, "That's actually really smart. How long has that been working? I figure their life span would have run out," he had seen solar panels rigged up before. Some of the people that had survived the initial devastation started collecting them when they realized how useful they really were. The others in the tunnel seemed very pleased with themselves at his surprise.

"We did have some initial problems, such as them being damaged or getting dirty and not collecting as much energy as needed throughout the day but with a few pieces of wire fencing and a daily check for mud or grass, they operate fairly smoothly," the man behind Jim added. Eric eyed him for a minute realizing that he must have been at the end of the convoy and that's why he hadn't seen him before.

"What about these?" They were moving again now, slower than before and Eric pointed to low stacks of lockers off to the sides of the tunnel.

"Just cover, you never know when someone's going to come in uninvited." It was Jim's turn to talk, and he did so with a snarl while glaring at Lex.

"I assume they have never been necessary."

Kennedy turned at Eric's observation, "What makes you think that?"

"Well," that seemed like an odd question and he checked the men behind him before answering. No one was at alert, and it was a hard move keeping his hand off the revolver, "I don't see any blood, or bullet holes."

Kennedy nodded at that, and then continued walking. "You see more than most men. When it comes to cognitive reasoning most of the people around here just fall short."

"Cognitive reasoning? How do you even know that word?"

They had reached the door at the end of walkway and Kennedy scanned a keycard. With a buzz the door opened and he waved the rest of the group through the doorway. "I am older than any of the people living here in our little community, and when I was a boy my mother used to teach me. We had a school, but she taught even after school was over. She had been taught by her father and was afraid that his world would be completely forgotten. They knew about computers and vhee-hi-cules and she taught me to think outside the box," he smiled as he spoke of her. "Did you have a teacher? Is that how you got to be how you are?"

Eric frowned, "Yes I had a teacher, a long time ago."

Kennedy nodded at that, "Okay, what do you say we get that meal I promised?"

-NOW-

The solar panel lights were one thing and the key card controlled door was a step ahead of that but nothing could have prepared Eric for what waited inside the second maintenance tunnel. At first glance Eric figured there were around a dozen men and women scattered throughout the large room, most just talking or playing cards, but there were a few sitting at computer monitors. The monitor Eric could see showed the perspective of multiple cameras, some in the tunnels and a few more scattered throughout the street overhead. As the people realized they had a newcomer all eyes were on Eric and Lex.

"You brought a friend back with you, how fantastic," spouted out a skinny, and very pale man standing up from a game of checkers and stepping toward the group, "oh, and you brought dinner, good man," the man was smiling broadly, but Eric saw no joy in it.

" _You better not be talking about me chump,"_ Eric looked down at Lex, it was the first time he had spoken up since they had come across the batch of people.

Shooting a quick glance at Eric, Kennedy stepped up, "This is not food, this man and his animal took down two lookers outside the south entrance. I offered a meal for their trouble," Once again he turned back toward Eric and shook his head bringing his bottom lip up, it said, ignore him.

The scrawny man bowed deeply, "We are so gracious for your contribution to the world sir," then turning back to Kennedy, "however, did you forget what you went up to the surface for? Food is a very delightful thing to have. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Hey Flynn, don't be an asshole. Jim already said they found food, or were you just not listening?" Eric felt a charge shoot through his body and he looked passed Flynn for the source of the voice that just spoke. She was sitting at a computer at the far side of the room and was bent to the side to see around the monitor. She was beautiful, much darker than the rest of the people in the room and there was Asian blood somewhere in her family line.

"At least someone was paying attention," Jim grumbled. He was standing at the wall emptying his bag onto a table.

"Well excuuuuuuse me," Flynn spit out, I was deep into a game of chess when we saw."

"Checkers," the girl chimed in.

"Whatever, they're the same thing," he glanced around the room for a moment to see how much attention he was getting, all of it, "Like I said, before being interrupted, I was playing CHECKERS when we had a motion sensor alert in the east tunnel," the thin man stopped, undoubtedly for dramatic effect.

"Flynn, this is inconsequential, we have those alerts all the time. Sometimes rats, sometimes lookers, but none of them can get to us, so what's the problem?" Kennedy asked. Eric was amazed at how deep the man's patience went; he would have backhanded this fool minutes ago.

The fool smiled slyly, "That's right old man, but the twins decided that they needed some shooting practice and..."

Letting out a groan, Kennedy grabbed Flynn's shirt and pulled him close with surprising force, "Don't you tell me they went out there," the old man had grown pale.

"We tried to stop them, but they weren't having it. Slim went with them to make sure there weren't any complications. We even saw them on the monitors when they first went out and they were totally fine," the girl behind the monitor had become quite chatty.

"Jim, get the lightgun and lets go get them," Jim rolled his eyes at the man's request but got moving anyway.

" _Lightgun?"_ Lex chimed in. But he was too quick, Jim grabbed a shotgun from out of one of the doorways with a large flashlight attached to the underside of the barrel. Moving to the backside of the tunnel Kennedy flipped a bandolier over his shoulder and opened the door.

"Whoa, do you need help?" Eric asked taking a few steps toward the back of the room.

" _What? They don't need help. They've been hanging out underground for how many years now? Take that food and beat it, bub,"_ Lex had a way with words.

"No, this shouldn't take but a minute if they have any sense in their heads at all they didn't wander far," with that Kennedy and Jim were out the back door and all eyes were on the monitor.

"He kind of blew that out of proportion didn't he?" Flynn asked stepping behind the few standing at the monitor. The rest of the group ignored him. Moving closer to the monitor, Eric looked over the different views from the cameras. They could see the two men moving slowly down one of the tunnels with guns raised.

"Where does that lead?" Eric asked pointing to the top corner of the screen. The left six views were in color but the two on the right had a green tint, and the one below them was just black.

"Sorry, who are you?" asked a short squat man, he had been sitting at the checkers table with Flynn when they came in.

"My name's Eric, we were up on the..." but he was cut off.

"He's Kennedy's new boy toy, you know how he loves his young men," Flynn shot out. This got a few chuckles from the men sitting around the fringe of the room. One of the larger men made a sucking sound, which got some more chuckles from his group.

"Hey buddy, I don't know what you..." but Eric was cut off.

" _Don't mind captain BJ over there. If I were you I would concentrate a little more on what's going down with the King Queen that brought you down here in the first place,"_ it seemed like Lex had broken free of his silent treatment. Taking the dog's advice, he turned back to the monitor. Kennedy and his pal were no longer visible on any of the screens but no one else in the room seemed too interested.

"There," the good looking girl one was pointing down to one of the colored screens and they could see Jim's back as he walked down a hallway away from the camera. His gun was pointed down now, but he was walking at a much quicker pace than when he set out. As he turned, two children scurried into view followed immediately by the older man. One of the children had a hold of the back of Kennedy's shirt since the man was walking backwards. They continued on that way until they were out of sight. After a moment, two Lookers stumbled into view of the camera. The one following up the rear was missing a large part of its left arm and he was leaving a trail behind him. Two shots rang out and the female Looker in the lead fell forward twitching. Since the cameras didn't have microphones it took Eric a moment to realize that he could only hear the shots because they were right outside the door. Moving quickly to the door that the men used earlier Eric pulled his revolver and stood to the side waiting. After a moment there was a click and the door was kicked open as Jim rushed through.

"We've got Lookers!" Jim shouted twisting around to aim his gun at the open door. He was covered in sweat and wheezing heavily. The rest of the people in the room had moved from there sedentary positions and had either moved into a small attack formation or had hidden in one of the rooms along the walls. Eric was pleasantly surprised to see that the girl watching the monitors had pulled a small gun and was twisted around in her chair aiming at the open door.

It felt like an hour, but it only took a moment for the kids to clear the door followed immediately by Kennedy. Pulling back the hammer, Eric stepped into the doorway and put a bullet in the head of the armless Looker. Since he could see no further threat he stepped back and allowed Jim to slam the door behind him.

"Slim?" the girl asked, lowering her firearm. Jim stepped away, and Kennedy could only meet her eyes for a moment. They all stood in silence. The only sound was the children's choked cries as they huddled in the floor together.

"This is all on your head," Kennedy finally growled pointing at Flynn. The skinny man's backup group seemed to have abandoned him for the time being as they stared at their shoes. Flynn opened his mouth to speak but wasn't able to find the words, instead he joined the crew of people that appeared unable to meet anyone else's gaze.

"We need to prepare, Gabe, he's hurt," Jim sputtered out. Holding his gun at the door he didn't even move his head as he spoke. "Someone needs to take a look at it." The silence in the room was overwhelming, even the kids' cries had died down to a soft whimpering. A short stout woman stepped over to the kids timidly. Before she even leaned down to pull Gabe up the girl let out a shriek that made the entire room flinch.

"I'm fine, it was a scratch. I don't think there's any problems," Gabe sobbed in defiance.

"Honey, I need you to come with me," the woman said still holding his arm. "You don't have anything to be afraid of." With her soft tone the boy finally stood and helped his sister to her feet. "Alley can come too if that helps," the woman said. It was obvious that she had experience with children in the way her voice rose and everything. Even taking two children to a makeshift infirmary, seemed pleasant.

"She's not hurt, it's only me, but I want her to come, if that's okay," Gabe spoke so softly it was hard to hear.

"Of course that's okay," the woman replied. She led the siblings off to a side room across from the monitors the group had been observing so intently only moments ago. Giving the kids a large smile she pushed them gently into the room. Before following the kids in she gave Kennedy a hard look that aged her considerably. The old man matched her gaze but turned it quickly on Flynn who was still observing the concrete seams in the floor.

"Do you realize that we only have six children in our compound?" Kennedy hush shouted at Flynn. The old man's forehead had wrinkled with distaste. Looking around the room he could see that the rest of the kids had been tucked into the rooms off of the main concourse and he raised his voice. "What if they're both infected? What if they are both "dealt with" and we are only left with four kids? If they die, if we die, our future dies with them," Flynn had turned dark red with the flying accusations. "Slim is dead."

"As much as I want to agree with you, this wasn't Flynn's fault. Slim was the one who wanted to take those kids out. Slim is just as much to blame as anyone else here," the monitor girl jumped right into the middle of the fight and was almost instantly sorry she had.

"Kate, shut the hell up, Slim was an idiot, none of them should have gone out there, and I said that before he left with those kids," Flynn snapped. The Skinny man flipped on her almost out of instinct, it seemed much easier than talking that way to Kennedy.

"Enough," Kennedy shouted. "We have one dead, and an infected child. No one can do anything to bring Slim back, and no one can help Gabe if he was bitten. Flynn, you were in charge and this falls on your head...now," it took a lot of restraint, but that is probably why Kennedy was in charge, but he took a deep breathe, "what are we to do about the Lookers in OUR tunnels? This cannot happen again," the inflection in his voice made almost everyone look up, and Flynn seemed to respond much more to the questions than he did to the outright accusations.

"I say we take everything we have, go into those tunnels and clear them once and for all," Jim added. Though he had been relatively silent the entire time he spoke up now with an abnormal amount of anger in his voice.

"We've tried that, they are attracted to gunfire. Clearing them out somehow draws more of them to our tunnels," the girl spoke much softer this time, having had a moment to calm down between the bouts of screaming.

"Well then what the fuck would you suggest buttercup?" Flynn spit out. Eric had been surveying the room closely ever since his entry and now it seemed that he had identified the prominent figures. This power struggle wasn't epic but it was very illuminating as to the dispute between Flynn and Kennedy as the prominent figures. It was a basic fight of the old school version that Kennedy had created and Flynn's new reign as well as the supporting crew that he already had established.

"You have power in the tunnels right?" This was the first time Eric had spoken up since the group had returned and the entire room seemed to have forgotten that he was there. The entire room turned to look at this stranger in their midst.

"What?" Flynn asked with a distinct scowl on his face. He turned to his support crew and they all matched his frown looking at the new stranger.

"It's my understanding that you use solar power to run everything down here, and that extends to the hallway we walked to get in here. How many of these tunnels have power, and how much voltage can you get through them?" The room once again grew silent.

"Voltage?" Jim asked almost laughing. No one seemed to share the joke with him.

"Kate, how far does it go?" Kennedy asked the young woman at the monitor.

" _Kate. Buddy, make sure you put that in the spank bank,"_ Lex added on top of Kennedy's question. Eric glanced at the dog but it seemed to be too involved with licking his own paw to take a look upward.

"Well," Kate began, she turned back to her monitor instantly and the computer hummed with activity. "It looks like we can hit any power box in this terminal but, it stops as soon as it hits the next terminal," Kate didn't have any scruples about working with Kennedy's strange new friend.

"I assume you know what that means," Kennedy half asked toward Eric.

"I'm not completely up to date with DC's subway system but I think I know how to solve your Looker problem," Eric said, turning to Kate. "Can you turn push all of your power into the lights in the tunnel that Kennedy just came out of?" Kate was nodding in agreement even as he said it.

"What do you have in mind?" Kennedy asked, finally putting Flynn's insubordination on the back burner.

"I am going to help you solve your Looker problem," Eric said again finally holstering his gun.

-NOW-

An hour had passed since Eric had made his power alignment suggestion, and it only took a few minutes to explain it to Kate. She was much more aware of what was happening then her counterparts.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kennedy asked shyly. This group of underground dwellers were not used to outside help and it showed with their discomfort.

"It's fine, this will only take a few minutes," Eric said pumping a shell into the chamber of the shotgun.

"You know you won't be able to shoot them all, right? There must be over a hundred wandering around down there," it was Kate's turn to question his sanity. Eric gave her a small smile then swung the door open by a wave of his new keycard. Stepping through he gave a twirling gesture with his finger in the air and Jim moved forward slamming the door shut. Kennedy had a hold of the now whimpering Lex but the dog stayed put.

Somehow the hallway looked different live than it did through the camera. The body of the Looker he had taken down lay a few yards into the tunnel and it was still. As he moved down the tunnel he realized that he could hear the steady buzz of electricity overhead. Looking up there were large sections of the white tile missing, and he could see wires that had been pushed into the empty spaces. Following the same path that Kennedy had used he quickly made it into the main subway tunnel, and took note that the rails were not giving off electricity. To his surprise the tunnel was relatively clear, it had eroded some but it wasn't scattered with wreckage the way he had hoped it would be. The far wall was covered in vines that went along the length of the track and up onto the ceiling. Backtracking he found a security closet that had been locked up years ago. Kicking it open made quite a bit more noise than he had originally intended so he moved fast. Inside was a full set of janitorial supplies as well as a ladder and an emergency aid kit bolted to the wall. Opening the kit he took out a set of flares and closed it back up so that it would be safe when he came back for it.

Sticking the flares in his back pocket he grabbed the ladder and headed back out into the tunnels. Setting the ladder up against the wall of vines he froze. At first he thought it sounded like an animal but Eric knew better. This just meant that he needed to speed things up, and in order to do this he rushed back to the hallway with the camera in it. He raised both hands over his head and waved them twice, after a moment all the lights in the tunnel behind him came on. With that taken care of he moved back to the tunnel quickly, this time with the shotgun raised. That scraping noise had stopped and with his first step back into the now well-lit tunnel he could see two Lookers that had stopped tearing at a body, he assumed was Slim, and were looking up at the lights. Taking a quick glance down the other end of the tunnel he could see multiple shadows of Lookers standing in one of the safety hatches, they were staying put though, most likely still surprised by the now active lights. His twisting movement had attracted the two that were eating and now the one nearest let out a scream.

"Son of a bitch, where are the rest of you?" Eric asked the two that were rushing his way. Lifting the shotgun, he put a round into the first one, he thought it was male but he couldn't tell, they were both naked and burned down to nothing. Their damaged skin was shiny where it was trying to heal, but most of it was covered in dirt and grime. The first shot went low and hit the Looker in the throat. It doubled over and hit the floor making a gargling noise. The second one only slowed for a second before turning its eyes on Eric. He let this one get a little closer before firing, this time him aim was true and the side of its head exploded.

With those two down, he twisted around and the shadows had been replaced by four lookers jogging despite their multiple wounds and after the first one screamed, they all followed suit. Moving toward the ladder, Eric gunned down the closest one and the three behind got caught up in the body and they all went down. Another scream echoed through the tunnels back from behind him and it was greeted by another dozen like wolves howling. Taking a glance over his shoulder he could see a handful of them shuffling toward him. They were still quite a way down the tunnel so he rushed the group stacked up on the floor. The one on top had rolled off onto its back and the other two were pushing themselves up using its body. It was slow work since the burns had scarred over their skin and joints pulling it all in tight. The tall one looked like its arms had been replaced with those of a T-Rex. Moving in on them he fired down at point blank range and they stopped moving.

The gunshots were answered by a hoard of screams and he could see a steady line of Lookers moving down the same safety hatch the other had come from. Giving a look over his shoulder another group was ambling after him from the other side.

"Jesus, it's like a bee's nest down here, come on then you crispy critters!" Eric stepped back into the hall and pulled the fire alarm. The only problem was that nothing happened. Taking the butt of the gun he slammed it a couple times before giving up. Twisting around he could see that one of the lookers had moved ahead of the pack. This one was definitely a male, the top half of its body was burned but his penis was swinging back and forth with each step. Even with many years on the road being attacked and defending himself, this was not a sight he was completely prepared for. It took an extra moment to pull up the gun, but it was quick enough and the top half of the man's head disappeared.

"What the hell was that, the porn star of the freak community?" the well-equipped man's body fell at Eric's feet and he kicked him off moving back to the ladder. There were now a couple dozen Lookers moving down the tunnel converging on him. Taking a few pot shots in both directions the shotgun clicked announcing that its usefulness had ended. Tossing it aside he pulled the pistol from its holster and climbed the ladder. Two more Lookers were almost on him and he took them down before making a grab for one of the flares. Popping the cap off the flare and slammed the bottom against the wall lit it up. After gunning down another attacker he brought the flare to the sprinkler system and this time it activated. Water began pushing its way out of the old tubes but it was only spitting and coughing, it took a moment for the unused pipes to get back into action and water began flowing freely. The lookers stopped moving immediately and were screaming as the water ran over them. Some of them fell to the ground, and other just stood, hands raised to the ceiling as the sprinkler system pushed into full force.

It only took a moment but one of the attackers, this one a small thin woman stopped screaming and opened her eyes. She brought her hands down and turned them over looking at them.

"Well shit," Eric spat out. He figured there was a possibility that this underground colony had set up a makeshift purification system, but this was much more effective than he could have imagined. The acidity in the water seemed to have been taken out completely and they were grasping that fact as well. Almost all of them were figuring it out now and they remembered that they were attacking; all eyes were once again on Eric.

Water had begun pooling in the tunnel and that was making it harder for the lookers to move around. They began slipping and grabbing a hold of each other in order to keep moving forward. This gave Eric just enough time to grab the hanging light closest to him. Smashing out the bulb with his pistol he yanked at the cord popping the staples holding the wire into the ceiling. Dropping the cord, the light splashed into the water sending electricity into the mass of lookers that had been rushing for a free meal. With the voltage shooting through their bodies each body reacted differently, some went stiff and fell into the water while other began jerking and seizing before falling to the ground.

After a few seconds none of the bodies were standing, though most of them were still twitching as they lie in the shallow pool of water. There were dozens of them. He had couldn't help but stare at the carpet of burned flesh. Convinced that none of the screaming creatures were still alive he pulled the light up and tied the cord in a knot so that it would hang a few feet above the floor. Holstering the pistol, Eric hopped down and grabbed the shotgun out of the shallow water that had absorbed it. Stepping back up into the hallway he moved into the closet and pulled the first aid kit off the wall. Before moving back to the main room where everyone was waiting, he leaned into the hallway and listened. After a few moments he was convinced that the only sound he could hear was the water dying down to dripping and there were no more screams from any of the adjacent tunnels. Satisfied, he made his way back to the main room.

-NOW-

"My tummy hurts," Gabe muttered sitting on the end of long table in one of the side rooms. Alley was sitting across the room eying her brother with a gloomy disposition.

"I know honey, I'm sorry I've got something for you to take for the pain," shuffling through a cabinet she pulled out a clear plastic bag of white powder. Pulling an apple out of her apron she cut off a piece and shuffled a little bit of the powder onto the slice and handed it to the boy. "It's going to taste a little funny so try and eat this fast."

Gabe took the apple and took a long look at it before sticking it in his mouth and chewing slowly. His face turned bitter and he quickly swallowed the remainder forcing the medicine powder down without having to taste any more. Clicking his tongue in his mouth to get the taste out he looked at his sister. Alley was watching all this with great interest as a bead of sweat broke out on her forehead.

"Do you think she could have some too?" Gabe asked shyly. Alley quickly looked down to the floor upon hearing this request.

"Sure, here Alley," the woman nursing them cut off another slice of the apple and handed it down to Alley who took it without meeting her eyes. The small girl was wearing a gray dress over a pair of jeans and the way she was sitting pulled the back of the dress up and when she took the apple the nurse could see drying blood on her skin.

"Alley, sweetheart, did you get hurt out there?" the nurse's eyes had widened and she had frozen in place.

"No it was just me, she's fine," Gabe jumped in immediately. He grabbed at her sleeve trying to pull her attention back to him.

"I don't want to have to go away," Alley muttered still looking at the floor. The nurse let out a gasp and tried pulling it back, her eyes hadn't moved away from the blood. Her skin was deathly pale from living underground and the dark red contrasted deeply against it.

"Here Alley, hop up here and let me get a look at you," she resisted at first but the nurse helped her up onto the table beside her brother. Pulling the dress on her backside she got a good look at the girl's wound. A tear slid down her cheek as she cleaned it and rinsed out the cuts. Then she sliced another piece of apple and gave her the same medical treatment.

"How are we looking Linda?" Kennedy was standing in the doorway of the small room when she looked up. He could see the redness in her eyes and the streaks the tears had made running down her face and he let out a sigh. "Bite?" he asked. She opened her mouth to confirm it but couldn't get it out. She nodded instead.

"Don't make us go, we'll get better we promise," Gabe pleaded grabbing his sister's hand.

Tears had pooled in Kennedy's eyes but somehow refused to fall. Stepping into the room he put a hand on the kids' shoulders. He stood there for a few moments in silence before finally stepping back. "Let me see what we can do," he said softly. Giving the nurse a forced smile he stepped around the table and examined the wounds. Getting a good look at them he pulled the small bandage back over the scratches on Gabe's arm and let Alley's dress fall back down. That was when the lights went out.

There were no screams, no shouts of confusion or angry banter. These people had lived underground their entire lives and a blackout wasn't the event it would be for others. After a moment, two large backup lights came on in the main room casting crisscrossed shadows throughout the room.

A group of people had gathered around the monitors when Eric vanished into the tunnel. Even though the monitors were black due to the power outage they couldn't pull their eyes away.

"Calypso Christ, what are you doing woman, get that thing back on!" Flynn shrieked breaking the dark silence. Not bothering to respond, Kate flicked switches and unplugged pieces of the security system and then quickly reset them. It was only a few seconds before the monitors came back on, but it felt like a lifetime. "Well fantastic, what's all this mumbo jumbo bullshit mean?"

"It means the system has to reset, now shut up or back off so I can work," Kate didn't turn to look at him so she missed him sneer at the back of her head. "There," and as she said it the cameras were back up. At first she couldn't tell whom the body belonged to since the lights in the tunnel had dimmed considerably since the black out. As the lights came back up and her eyes adjusted she could see that the part of the body in the monitor was burned and naked, not Eric.

"What are you doing? Can't you make them move or something? I want to see what's going on in there," Flynn popped off, a few of the other men mumbled in agreement.

"That's not," but she didn't get a chance to tell them how old and shitty the whole place was, or to be thankful that they could see anything at all, because Eric stepped into view.

"Well hot shit storm, he made it," one of the men behind Kate muttered. The group that had gathered around Kate now eased back a little knowing that their gladiator had survived.

"I'd like to know what all of that was about," Flynn scoffed.

"Why don't you ask him when he gets in here, maybe he'll even show you how he took them out, first hand if you're lucky," she twisted around and stood up giving him a cold gaze before moving to the door. She reached the door about the same time Eric banged on it from the other side; she flipped a manual switch and the door swung open. Standing in the doorway with the emergency kit cradled in one arm and the shotgun hanging from the other he looked like a silhouette made of raw strength; but there was something under it all, exhaustion, and sorrow; decades of both.

"Thank The Right One, you're okay," Kate rushed to him and he handed her the white box. She took it being sure to make skin contact with him, assuring herself that he was still there and whole. Eric noticed, and sent her a smile, but hid away quickly as he listened to what no one else could hear.

" _I hate to be a bearer of bad news home slice but there's some bad shit going on here, and we probably need to get splitsville."_ The dog moved to his feet and smelled his jeans anxiously.

"Don't let any of that get on your tongue. It's bad blood," Lex looked up at him curiously but smelt his leg another time before Eric pushed him away and the dog sat.

Looking up from the dog he saw what he knew would be waiting for him. Assuming that there were around fifteen people in this little hole now seemed like an underestimation. Glancing around he counted thirteen men, six women, and four children, and all eyes were on him. In cases like this he usually waited for a question to be asked but when his eyes fell on Kennedy the old man nodded and he decided to just tell the people what had gone down.

"You all know that by living underground you are going to be roommates with some pretty nasty stuff. I saw at least forty of them in the tunnels, probably more, and the ones that I saw are dead. Assuming that the pack stuck together and hunted as a large unit, there may be a few left in their den, but I doubt it. The bodies are out on the tracks and will need to be moved in order to keep animals and anything else that may be down here away from your doors. I suggest getting a group together and moving them down the tunnels, then trailing the bodies so that they lead down a different track then your own," taking a breath he looked from face to face seeing how much of this was sinking in. Surprisingly this group seemed to grasp the instructions, though that may be due to many different speeches of the same type that had been dumbed down over the years.

"What if there are more out there? Can't you move them? If we go out there and a group comes back to all their people being dead they probably won't be too happy about it," Jim shouted out while trying to make himself as small as possible at the same time.

Sighing Eric responded, "They don't work like that, they survive by eating others, with some dead they only know that there are less that they need to share with and that something or someone nearby killed them. With any luck, if there are some left, they will think it was a minotaur or even a bumbug that crushed them and left them for dinner later," a few people nodded at this but the one he had been keeping an eye on hadn't even looked up from his shoes since Eric returned.

"How do we know you did anything at all?" Flynn asked looking up, and then over at Kate. Turning around he stepped between the group in the room and Eric, "how can any of us be sure that he did anything at all? This stranger comes in and claims to rid us of our problem and then what, you're going to ask for food of course, they all want food, then maybe one of our women, and perhaps some ammunition for your little irons there," It felt like Flynn didn't take a breath. This was a man that had years of experience showering people with fear and doubt, and he was now extremely good at coming up with doubt when there was none to be had. Except this time the person he was calling out had a fully functional brain.

"Come with me," Eric said turning back to the door and taking a step through the threshold. Flynn's eyes grew wide and he looked him over then back to the room. "If you want proof that I did what I said just come down this hall. You can see that if food is offered, I have worked for it and earned it. More than I can say for yourself today, all I've seen you do it gnaw at these people with your worthless words."

Flynn stepped back as if Eric had taken a swing at him. This was a man used to getting his way, and his face grew hot at the prospect of looking like a fool because of this one lone stranger. This stupid stranger who wanted what didn't belong to him. "Look friends," he had to swallow hard, his throat had grown dry and felt like it had been filled with sand and sharp pebbles. "This man knows that I know; no, WE KNOW, that he is a fraud, and now he pulls me out of the crowd. Why would he do this you ask? He will walk me down the hallway of course, but it will be so he can put his stabber in my back and dump me onto the tracks. Don't listen to his lies."

"Shut your mouth Flynn," Linda seemed to surprise herself by this outburst. The entire group turned to look at her and she swallowed knowing that she might as well say her piece since she started it. "Your accusations are pointless. We all know what he did, and we all know that he didn't have to do it," others nodded in agreement, "the main issue we have now is that these kids are hurt, tagged by screamers, and we have to deal with that now. So stop your childish pouting." Standing up straighter as she finished, it felt good to get that off the chest.

This new bit of news sent hushed whispers through the crowd and multiple people began sobbing. Two women broke out of the crowd and moved into the room Linda had come out of, to be with the children. Watching everyone's reactions, Eric felt hope. Not many communities like this existed anymore; people had stopped caring for each other long ago. Then his eyes fell upon Kate and his stomach rolled as he watched her, face turned down crying silently, unashamed, arms hanging in her lap.

"Sky, help me get some food on will you? Let's make them a good meal," Kennedy spoke just above a whisper as he passed through the crowd touching the arm of an older woman with streaks of white in her hair. Sky nodded and they moved into a side room and began noisily moving things around to prepare for a meal. This ordinary action seemed to kick everyone else back into gear and they moved sluggishly throughout the room, either making their way to the kids, or avoiding them. It was no surprise to see Flynn and Jim slink to a corner and pull out a deck of cards.

Kate moved back to the computer and typed a few buttons before moving across the room to one of the closed doors. Opening it she turned to Eric catching his eye and she made an unmistakable gesture before moving into the room. Turning back to the main room he could see Flynn twist his head back around to the cards at hand, but he had undoubtedly seen the invite. Likewise, Jim just stared at Eric, not having Flynn's speed. The rest of the group had dispersed for the most part, and things were back to normal as far as he could tell, besides a group at the door of the medical room. Giving Flynn's table a last look he moved to Kate's room.

Closing the door lightly behind him Kate turned on a small light next to a mattress on the floor. The walls were all metal making the room cool, and the top had a brown rust coating. A small makeshift table had been put up on the backside of the room and four mattresses lined the other walls, broken down and lumpy.

Pulling off her shirt Kate sat down on the far mattress and motioned for him to join her, he did.

"You know this is necessary don't you?" she asked sheepishly. It was hard to get over her beauty. Nodding Eric wiped a tear from her face, and she turned red. "I don't want to cry while we do this, it's just bad timing," she said wiping another tear from her face.

"There's no such thing as good timing anymore," he said putting his hand on her back. Her skin was warm and he finally let himself look down and his eyes drank in her breasts. His entire mind seemed to swim in the image of her body and his body reacted in kind.

"Are you?" she searched for the word for a moment before finding one that worked, "healthy?" She blushed harder as she said it and looked down.

"I'm about as healthy as they come," he said tilting her face back toward his.

"Without children, there is no point in any of this," she let out a soft whimper, but wouldn't let another tear fall.

He smiled softly, "I hoped for this," but she just turned away. "I mean, for you to be with me, for this," he put his hand on her thigh.

"Well you got it," she turned back to him, this time without a sigh, or blush. "But at what price?" relaxing herself she pushed against him and let him put his arm around her.

"As it turns out you got me on a two-for-Tuesday. It's discount central in this hidey hole," his smile grew wider, and it felt good to have a reason to smile genuinely. Her face curled in confusion and she pushed back from him slightly so she could see into the eyes of this possible crazy person. "What I mean is; the last thing I want to do is leave this place with you feeling hopeless."

She pondered this for a moment before he was able to pull her back to him. "So what is it you have to offer?"

Without answering he bent down and kissed her softly. She didn't pull back. Then she did, only for a moment, and took in a quick breath; then she pushed in and kissed him hard. His tongue found its way into her mouth and he cupped her breast before she pulled away. She eyed him suspiciously, then took a glance down at his stretched out pants before a small smile broke on her face. "Is that what you have to offer me before you're on your way?"

Taking a glance at his pitched tent he smirked, "Is it not enough?"

Reaching down and grasping it, "It should do just fine..."

His eyed had closed when she grasped him but he heard her trail off so he took note. "I do have something else, that will make you rest easy, but you won't understand it now," she let go of him and once again leaned back.

"So you're just going to tease?" she asked lying back across the mattress.

"Definitely not," he said pulling off his clothes, and then the rest of hers. Her breathing changed as his hand found its way down her thigh, "I never tease," and he didn't.

-NOW-

Sitting up quickly, his hand went for a gun that wasn't there. Someone was knocking on the door to Kate's room and it took a moment for Eric to gain his senses. Looking down his eyes once again searched her naked body; the blanket that they shared had fallen off the side of the mattress. His eyes kept focusing on a small scar on her left thigh right below her pelvis; then the knock came again. Moving off the mattress woke her and they dressed quickly in silence. Kate went to the door and there were whispers with whoever was on the other side as Eric checked his guns and put everything back into its assigned position.

"It's dinner," she stuck her shoes on, "we can eat in here if you prefer," she said it distantly while pulling her hair up with a small leather band.

"No, there is another thing I have to do first," running a hand through his hair he realized he wasn't wearing the hat. It had gotten tangled up in the blanket that now lay beside the bed.

"You look good without it," she said, leaning up to kiss him, then she opened the door and they were back out in the main room.

The smell of food was somehow faint, but his stomach roared regardless. Only a few tables were in the room with the food, and Kennedy sat at one with a few of the women and the two injured children. No one seemed to notice as Eric and Kate slid in line at the table set up with a large cut of deer. Filling his plate only as much as anyone else, Eric turned and watched how the small community had changed since his short nap. Sky stood just over the children with a forced smile, while others gave words of encouragement and enlightenment. Recognizing what they were saying Eric frowned, maybe this wasn't the heart healthy community he thought it was.

Taking a seat at a table across from Kennedy, with an acknowledging nod, he listened. A man he recognized from earlier came in with a box of matches and a knife. He didn't say anything, his face was solemn but he didn't look like he had been crying. Stepping up to the table, the group turned to him and he set the items down, bowed to Gabe and Alley, then turned and fled back into the main concourse.

Startled by a grab at his hand, Eric twisted back in his chair to see Lex looking up at him, and the hunk of meat in his other hand.

" _I've been smelling that bad boy ever since they brought it out of the deep freeze, but these greedy assholes won't even give me a nibble,"_ the dog stuck his tongue out and began panting as if to prove his point.

"Fine," Eric ripped off a chunk and Lex took it from his hand.

" _Thanks big man_ ," then he moved under the table to devour his meal.

"You had him long?" Kate asked glancing under the table.

"Just a week or so, I think," he said, trying to recollect time, "either way, he's kept me company." She nodded in response as if she knew they were communicating on a different level. Another man sat down at their table but ate quickly and moved on, his eyes darting to Eric's gun every couple bites.

Pushing his plate away from him, Eric put his forearms up on the table. "How long until they send those kids away?"

Kate's face went pale. He had said what everyone else was thinking, and someone whispered something from Kennedy's table. Looking across the room, he could see that once again, all eyes were on him.

"Don't talk about that man," turning to the door way, he saw a middle aged man he hadn't seen before.

"No, we're going to have to discuss it sooner or later," Kennedy said, standing up. Leaning down he kissed Gabe and Alley on the top of the head, then moved to Eric's table and sat down next to Kate with a sigh.

"There's not a whole lot of time, so I would just cut to the chase and ask," Eric said coldly. This isn't the first time he had been among a community with the sick. He was a lone stranger, a man that could take their loved ones and end their suffering, quickly, without memories to slow his gun hand.

Kate's eyes widened at the turn of conversation, "You know already that I want you to take them with you," Kennedy suddenly looked ancient, his white hair standing out against his dark and ashy skin. "There is nothing that we can do for them here," he couldn't meet Eric's gaze.

"I understand that, I already planned to leave tonight, and I was going to take them either way." This time it was Kennedy's turn to look up surprised. Searching this odd stranger's eyes, the old man nodded.

"Will you see that it is," he turned to Kate, and sighed in shame, "just make sure it's quick."

"No," Kate pushed away from the table and stood up. "You can't just take them out and kill them, they're children!" Most of the people gaped wide mouthed at this outburst, but no one joined her.

"You know what will happen," Kennedy said softly, "sit back down."

"Not a chance, I want no part of this," she turned and stormed off back to her room slamming the large iron door for good measure. Kennedy gave a shrug and it made Eric think of Bill Cosby, 'kids, whacha gonna do?'

"I suggest you tell your people to get anything else they need for the kids and we'll leave at," he almost said sunrise, but looking around he realized he couldn't tell the time of day, "we'll leave soon."

Kennedy nodded and moved back to the other table and attempted to vanquish any fears others had upon hearing Kate's outburst.

" _You've got to be fucking kidding me,"_ Glancing under the table Eric could see Lex lying down with his legs outward, staring at him.

"I can help, so I'm bound to it," he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm bound to everything."

" _I just want to make one thing very clear. They aren't going to get any of my jerky. I will bite that little shit's hand off before giving up my snacks,"_ with that he rolled over on to his side and closed his eyes.

"Well I'm glad you had your say," he sat for a moment more watching this group envelop the kids; then he moved to Kate's doorway. Knocking lightly he pushed the door open.

"Please leave," she was sitting on the end of her bed shoving items into a camouflage army duffel.

"I will, but listen, you can't come with us," she turned around hard enough to make her hair break free of the tie and spin loose.

"The hell I can't, what are you going to do about it? All you're good for is making sure they're dead, I can make them comfortable beforehand, they deserve that much," her face was bright red and tears were swarming in her eyes.

Taking a few steps toward her Eric knelt down beside where she sat on the bed, "I can do much more than that," he tried to take her hand but she pulled it away.

"What can you do then?" she asked holding back a sob.

He went for her hand again, and this time she let him take it, if only temporarily, "Remember that I said I had something that would ease you, but that you wouldn't understand it now?" She nodded, "well that's what this is, you have to trust me; I can make this better,"

She nodded again slowly thinking it over, then yanked her hand away, "Bullshit, you just said that because you wanted in my pants. You had me, so don't sell me the same story because you won't be having me again." With that she turned back to the duffel and tossed a bandana in.

Kneeling there silently, Eric just breathed and felt the blood running through his body. So many people had said the same things, and it always hurt no matter how much good he set out to do.

"I want you to know that I wish I could stay here with you, that none of this had happened, you have so much more inside you than the rest,"

She didn't acknowledge his words, instead she grunted while sticking a bottle of water into the bag.

"I'm sorry about this, and I really hope it doesn't ruin your good looks," she stopped just long enough to tilt her head from the bag in confusion before he hit her with the butt off his gun. Catching her before she hit the ground he moved her to the bed and stretched her out. Lifting the duffel he dumped the contents onto the floor and found the bandana. Pouring a little water on it he draped it over her head before picking up his hat and leaving the room. Opening the door he turned back a last time and looked over her, memorizing every inch of her, then he was back into the main room.

Kennedy was waiting for him by the computers, "You say your goodbyes?" Eric nodded. "She is one of the few women here that still has hope for children, you understand that's why she took to you don't you?" Arching his eyebrows Eric gave Kennedy a stern look, "That's not to say that that's the only reason of course," the old man even mustered up a dry laugh as they started moving to the doorway.

Standing at the door Gabe was helping his sister get her bag on and she was quietly whining about why they had to go for a walk. Kennedy stepped up to the kids first, "You guys remember our friend from earlier don't you?" Gabe nodded enthusiastically looking up at Eric like a super hero. "Well he's going to take you guys somewhere special okay?" With that both of them smiled. Kennedy opened his mouth to say something else but all that came out was a choked breath and he nodded to Eric.

"I want to thank you for your hospitality, I'm sorry things turned out this way," Eric put his hands on Kennedy's shoulders and gave him a brief squeeze before turning and heading out the door. With a wave from the old man that had led them their whole lives, the kids followed the stranger.

-NOW-

The sun hadn't been out in over one hundred years, but that didn't stop Eric from looking up into the wall of clouds in hope. Alley was whimpering as she followed from behind, but Gabe had taken up with Lex and rubbed his head as they walked. Though he had picked up a map at the Arlington Cemetery it was still hard to navigate. So much of the landscape had changed and been wiped out by the flooding and years of erosion. Even with the weather, the monuments were still visible from across the river. Moving much slower than usual with the kids in tow, they made it to the Lincoln Memorial just as it grew dark.

"Can we stay here? Won't the bad people come for us?" Alley was scared, and though she had stopped whimpering, she still crouched down against her brother for warmth and comfort.

" _I say we ditch the little ones. I'm not trying to be a bad guy here, but the longer they're with us, the slower we're going to move, and the more food they're going to eat,"_ Lex was lying in front of Gabe, who was rubbing his head, and he watched Eric through the procedure.

"I could say the same about you," Eric replied dryly. Lex acted as if he didn't hear.

"What does that mean?" Gabe asked looking up from rubbing the dog. Eric realized he had ignored the girl's question.

"I mean, no, we should be alright here, too much water for anything to venture close," laying back against his pack he watched as the kids pulled blankets out from their bags and lie them on the cold marble. Both the children opened cans of what he presumed were fruits and vegetables from some underground farm but seeing them made his mouth water.

"You want some?" Gabe asked holding his can out.

His immediate reaction was to take the can and swallow the entire contents. It had been quite some time since he had seen edible fruits, and he could smell the sweetness of them. "Why don't you go ahead and eat your fill, I may take a bite after that." Then he sat, pretending not to watch them, but all he could see was more of the food going into their mouths and secretly hating that it wasn't in his. Pulling a sliver of what looked like cantaloupe the boy tossed it to Lex who slurped it up eagerly and turned to Eric with his lips pulled back, either in a grin or sneer.

With that sight of amusement Eric closed his eyes and rested his head. The marble was hard and cold, but the poncho kept his head lifted. Sleep never came fully to him anymore, like many soldiers that have fought in the front lines will say, staying alert and alive is more important that staying asleep. Awaking only once to the sound of Alley coughing he saw that she had left her jar, still a quarter full, beside his bag. Smiling he closed his eyes and the next time he woke it was daybreak.

Always moving they found their way to the 295 and headed to Baltimore. It was a slow walk through DC as Eric marked every change to a building or structure he recognized. The domes on the capitol building had collapsed some time ago and some alien vegetation had taken over the city. The stalks on some of the vines growing up the buildings were as thick as telephone poles. Going in for a closer look they could see that the vines were covered in large thorns and things that looked like rough paddles that stuck out wide from the plant. Alley kept creeping closer until Eric finally grabbed the back of her pants and pulled her back shaking his head. Pointing up to a window that had been covered in the paddles, they could see feathers were stuck against one them. Moving backward, a bird passed overhead and a paddle expanded to three times its size and twisted making itself into a large straw. The bird went right in and the end of the straw closed with a popping sound and the animal was gone. Alley gasped and covered her eyes until she had time to turn away, but Eric could hear Lex laughing.

Marching onward, they made it to the 295/50 overpass before settling down. Alley slid down off Eric's back and he let out a sigh of relief. Fifty pounds isn't back breaking weight until you have to carry it ten miles. Finding a full size van that still had the windows on it, Eric pushed them all inside and they found sleep quickly, the kids had never been beyond Kennedy's borders. Both children squirmed in the seats they had lain across. Considering waking them he watched as they twitched and tightened their eyes; clenched their hands as the night engulfed them. Alley cried out and he knew she was reliving her experience in the tunnel that had gotten her expelled from her perfect world, the only one she had ever known. Rolling over, he let her fight the night; he had to do the same.

"She's getting worse isn't she?" Gabe asked covering half of his hand with his mouth to keep from waking his sister.

Slowly nodding, Eric reached out and held Gabe's shoulder, "I know a way to stop it."

Gabe's eyes widened and then he turned away from his new parental figure, "No you don't. It's easier to live today, if you don't know you're going to die tomorrow; Kennedy told me that," tears swelled in his eyes and he laid his head down on the worn cloth seat.

"You're not going to die tomorrow," but his voice cracked as he said it. Giving him one last look that dripped of both hope and desperation, Gabe closed his eyes.

Double checking with a map in the glove compartment of the van Eric decided to move East on the 50. This wouldn't put him any closer to his goal but he could see light red strings of infection moving up the kids' skin. Alley's was getting darker every time he looked at it. Eric had planned to be in Baltimore before it ever got this bad but it seemed he was wrong once again. Watching the children move he knew that one more night would more than likely incapacitate them and he would have to find a way to carry them the rest of the way. With the rest of the day he hurried them along the best he could until they just couldn't walk any more. They were easily still eight miles from the coast line, but Alley had all but collapsed. Her breathing was getting raspy and it was getting hard for her to open her eyes.

"They never told us how it happens," Gabe whispered sitting down next to his sister. He took her hand in his and rubbed it soothingly. Her throat had swollen and if she made it through the night, if she had to move again she would more than likely suffocate. Tears were seeping down the boy's cheeks as he tried to comfort her, and Eric could see thin pink lines forming down the side of his face, there was blood in his tears.

"I think you should leave," he said it so low that at first Eric wasn't sure that he had spoken at all.

"No," was all he could reply.

Turning back toward him Eric could see that Alley's nose had started to bleed as well, "You know what is happening to us, don't you?" Eric sat silent for a long time before nodding his head. "Then you know that once this is over, we're not going to be the people we were before," Eric nodded again, "Then you need to leave us while you still can." Searching for words, the boy's eyes widened as he came across new realizations, "What if it happens while you're asleep? We would come after you, because it wouldn't be us anymore, we would be one of them. You understand right?" His voice was hitching in his throat and it made Eric's heart hurt. Every inch of his skin had grown tight and a cold sweat had broken out on his back.

"I'm not going to let that happen," Eric said standing up, he went over to where Alley was lying, she was in a semi-conscious state but he could see her struggling, she wanted to fight it. Her skin looked almost transparent, and the skin around her eyes had begun to peel and every muscle on her quivered. Reaching down he meant to take her other hand, but Gabe snapped at him.

"Haven't you heard anything I've said," he shouted, "We're contigous, just touching us could get you sick."

" _Contagious."_

Shooting Lex a hard glance Eric moved to the exit ramp and began descending. At first the dog didn't know what to do; he eyed the kids lying against the bridge barrier, slowly dying, and then Eric moving away from them.

"Get going you dumb dog!" Gabe shrieked, his weeping had turned into full on crying, and he buried his face in his sister's hair. No one wants to wait for death.

With a whistle from Eric, the dog was on its way. It gave one last look over its head, then trundled after the man with the jerky.

### Chapter 3

-H-

There was nothing out of the ordinary to express that a body lie within the café but he could sense its presence, it felt like knowing that someone was in the other room. Haden had moved east from the dirt column and was on the outskirts of St. Louis. Bypassing the city was a smart choice, he could hear screaming and machinery running loudly behind the buildings, and the city glowed at night with artificial light. Haden had never seen a light bulb before.

Stepping across the street, he was drawn to the body like a magnet to steel, and stepping up on the sidewalk of a café called Maggie Q's he could see the silhouette of a man face down on the dusty floor. Haden's lips pulled back in a thin smile. No door barred the café from the elements and he stepped through rubbing his hand over his stubbly face. A bar lined one wall of the building and a single stool remained bolted to the floor, the picture of a small town was ghostly visible on the wall through years of fading. Booths lined the street side of the café and all the cushions were gone as well were a section of booths that had been broken out long ago, maybe someone needed firewood. Between the bar and booths lay the body, and it called to him. Static was rising in the air, but the smile on his face had faded.

"I found you," he whispered, "but what am I supposed to do with you?" Kneeling down beside the body he grabbed it by the shoulders and twisted it over so he could see its face. A popping noise startled him as he touched the man, but nothing happened. The corpse had served as a feast for rats, pieces of its face and hands were chewed away revealing darkened bone. "Do you have something for me?" Haden grabbed the man's hair to raise his head but white hot energy leapt from his hand into the man and the body exploded in convulsions.

Stepping away quickly, more out of reflex than fear, Haden watched as the corpse opened its eyelids and took a deep rattling breath. Letting out a dry moan the corpse turned to Haden and he could see it had no eyeballs; as it blinked, the eyelids cast shadows into the empty sockets. The corpse jerked clumsily and reached out for Haden like an extra in a zombie movie, but Haden stood firm.

"Stand dead man," he commanded, and the corpse pressed to lean upward but there was a loud cracking as the man's spine snapped and the bones in his arms gave way, he fell back to the ground and let out another dry groan of desperation. Shaking his head, Haden knelt back down beside the corpse. The dead man let out a breath and with it came a cloud of dry flakes of skin and dust then he tried to stand again.

"Forget it, stay where you are," this time a large smile broke out on his face, if the corpse could have seen it he would have been terrified. The dead man would have seen a man who looked about fifty, in dress clothes. He had rolled the white sleeves up to his elbows and dirt stained his deep blue vest. He was older but still rippled with muscle and his thick neck led up to his salt and pepper stubble and short hair. The man's eyes were deep blue, and they were very interested. Haden could feel power coursing through him, and trinkets of his past were flowing through his mind.

"Your demand?" the corpse forced the words out of its dry broken throat, and he was missing most of his tongue.

"You have no idea how pleased I am that you can speak," the blood in his veins felt like it was pure gasoline. Haden was getting a high off the combination of power and lost memories. One specific line ran though his head over and over, 'find the wanderer'.

"I am glad that," the corpse started, but Haden was on a run and he cut him off.

"I cannot help but notice you have a large stab wound in your chest, who did this to you?" his smile didn't waver, but his eyes held the darkness.

"It was," but the dead man stopped and starred at Haden with his empty sockets then let out a dry hacking cough, "you are not the god of death."

His smile only faltered for a moment before returning, but his eyes sharpened dramatically.

"That is correct dead man, he is the one who sent me," then he stuck his finger into the stab wound in the man's chest. The corpse screeched and flailed wildly with his hands, though his legs stay put since the breaking of his spine.

"It was a man!" he coughed out, and with that confession Haden removed his finger.

"This man, which way did he go?" The corpse closed his eyelids and his hand rubbed the once again open wound on his chest. Raising his head and opening his eyelids as wide as he could the corpse pointed at his empty sockets.

"I saw them leave, but in my current state I can't even tell where I am," he dropped his head against the floor and let out another puff of dust.

"Understood," rubbing his head Haden stood up and surveyed the area. A large blood stain ran from the doorway to where the corpse still lay so he assumed that he hadn't been moved by the attacker.

"You are in the same building you were stabbed in. Did he go left or right when he left the building?" leaning against the bar he watched what he assumed was the corpse sorting it out.

"They went to the right, I remember,"

"Stop, you said they, how many were there?"

"Mmmmm," the corpse sat in silence for a few moments, "what are you going to do with me once you've gotten what you came for?"

Stepping forward quickly Haden brought his foot down on the dead man's left arm smashing the brittle bones to dust. Haden shouted down over the screams of the corpse, "I come to you from the God of Death, and I can leave you this way for an eternity. You will live with this broken body, and I will see to it that nothing can free you of this world!" The dead man sucked in hard and let out a few soft whimpers before restraining himself. "Dead man, how many were with the man who took your life?"

"I saw four but there were others, they were talking outside when..." but he faded off and let his head hit the floor with a soft thud. Twisting his foot into the ribs of the corpse seemed to be the proper motivation, "I was running out of food!" he shouted as another bone inside broke.

"So you attacked their scout and that brought the entire group down upon you?" It wasn't really a question but the corpse nodded. "East then," Haden turned and took a few steps toward the exit before the dead man shouted at him.

"Give me life, you can't leave me like this!" He was twisting with his good arm and had only managed to turn his body slightly, but when Haden's footsteps returned he stopped struggling, "Thank you, I have truly missed this world, and the...simplicity that life can bring." The dead man let out a deep breath and raised his hand in preparation for his payment.

"I am sorry that you have mistaken. As I said before, I was sent by the God of Death, and he despises life." The corpse only had a moment to scream before Haden brought his foot down sending the dead man back home.

-PAST-

Sitting around the living room, Red, Eric, and his parents stared in silence at the television. A wide number of news casters had made their way through the different stages of development. Red had made his way through almost all of Eric's dad's beer and he sat in a recliner surrounded by empty bottles.

"Over the past twelve hours Kansas City has been almost completely evacuated. The death toll is now in the thousands, and we seem to be having trouble getting in touch with our reporter, Mike Dobbs, who has just made it within city limits. Mike are you there?" the man sitting behind the desk waited for a few seconds with nothing but static on the line before looking back into the camera, "It looks like we're still having some sort of interference with the lines in to the city, we'll check back with him a little later. We're going to take a short break and when we come back hopefully we'll have Mike on the line," with that the broadcast cut straight into the middle of a horribly upbeat Old Navy commercial.

"What are they saying about Chicago?" Eric asked turning to his mother. They sat next to each other on a faded green couch, separated by an faded afghan.

"It's just been more of the same. The last time they came on they were talking about people being sick, but they didn't know what was causing it, they think the appearance of that trident thing may have poisoned the water," she shook her head and patted Eric's hand. She was fifty-seven and had recently cut her hair short, but she looked much older in her black robe without any makeup.

"I don't understand how we didn't hear anything about this 'minute mountain' they keep talking about. We have been driving all day and no one on the radio has said a word," Red was slurring slightly, but when something this big hits your world, it's easier to keep it together for some.

"I think you guys are concentrating on the wrong parts of this story. Yes, I definitely want to know what the hell is going on, but until they figure it out, we can't just sit here waiting, we need to take some level of preparation," Eric's dad was a large man, in his early sixty's with a salt and pepper beard to make up for his shaved head. He didn't just stand in the doorway of the kitchen, he barricaded it. Jack had served in the military and had been able to keep himself in regular shape even as he grew the beer gut. It was hard to go totally soft if you have a farm.

"Jack, we don't need to get into all of this, I'm sure that the government will take care of things,"

"Oh that's crap Laura, the government is just wandering around with it head in its ass. What we need to do is prepare for looters, and these crazy religious freaks that they showed marching toward these events," he stopped to take a pull of his beer. "I'm going to take Eric up to the armory tomorrow and we're going to get fitted up in case any of this goes bad, you can come too Red man," it was hard for the younger men not to smile at Jack's zero bullshit way of thinking, especially when he called him Redman.

"Well," Laura began, but the look in Eric's eyes told her to let it go so she did, "I suppose if you're going to go out, then you need to head up to the grocer and fight off the nuts to get us some food for the week; we're not stocked for two more grown men," she smiled slightly, but no one bought it.

"I've got a feeling that even if you were stocked for two more it wouldn't have helped much," Eric let out, nodding at Red, who in return rubbed his nose with his middle finger.

Jack ignored this, "Write me a list and we'll take care of it after the," but he didn't have time to finish. The news feed from the video cameras in Tulsa came online and what appeared on screen made them all hold their breath.

When the camera came on it was at a slight angle showing a reporter from behind. The man was standing a few yards away from the camera and his microphone dangled from a cord in his right hand. In the distance, the column of dirt and rock towered over everything reaching for the clouds. Between the column and the camera man lie a wasteland that was once a city. The right half of the picture was covered in flying dirt and ash and smoke, and even through that the fires burned bright enough to stay visible. The reporter was a few miles out of the city on a rise and blue and red lights surrounded the roads into the city. From that distance the rubble of the buildings and streets resembled an oversized gravel pit that was on fire.

-PAST-

"We're not going to take long so just let me tell you what you'll need and we can get out of here so the milk won't spoil," Jack ordered rolling into The Armory.

Red only took a few steps into the building before he was overwhelmed. The far wall was lined with a case and behind that guns were lined up running the length of the building. Throughout the middle of the building were sets of cabinets housing holsters and ammunition. People were everywhere; apparently they all had the same apocalyptic fears. Jack walked straight to the back corner of the building and shook hands with one of the guys wearing an orange vest with The Armory stitched on it.

"Your dad's kind of a hard ass isn't he?" Red questioned, moving over to the holster cabinet Eric had stopped by, but it wasn't asked directly. Eric raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Sorry, I didn't mean any offence, he just seems like he could give a drill sergeant a run for his money."

This time Eric smiled, "Sometimes he's not the easiest man to understand," taking a deep breath he continued, "my younger brother died when I went away to college...he had a seizure in his sleep. Dad hasn't exactly been able to look at me the same since." Silence grew between the two men and it was noticeable enough for a man looking at a hunting rifle to give them a wide berth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"No it's ok, he wasn't exactly lovey dovey before then. He's from a different time, the man made himself out of nothing. He didn't have anything and now he operates his own farm," Eric picked up a large leather holster and pretended to examine it while Red gnawed over the information that was given.

"You know, my parents got divorced when I was in high school, and I didn't take it well. I drank too much, smoked too much and got in more trouble than I should have, but I always wonder how it would have gone if I had stuck around." He watched Eric put down the holster, and he finally turned back toward the giant of a man.

"I don't mean to bash the man. Without my parents I would never have become the man I am, granted I'm not much, but I am much more than I ever would have been on my own," he took a moment to find the words. "I've had plenty of time to think it over, and as hard as they are, they are much better than the soft parents that let their kids get away with anything, even if they do chew on me."

"I think I may be just a little jealous. Your family is pretty great. In case you haven't noticed I'm in Kentucky with some guy I barely know instead of being with mine."

Laughing, "If there's one thing you don't have to worry about, it's my folks, they love company."

Red turned back to the rack of guns on the wall, "You know they are thrilled that you're here right? At least your mom is, I wouldn't get more than a nod and a grunt before my brother asked me to run out to the butcher and grab them some steaks or something."

"Red come check this out, how big are your hands anyway?" Jack cut in from across the room. He was holding a .357 magnum and talking quietly to the man on the other side of the counter. Eric gave him a look across the counter and Red smiled back slyly.

"I guess the old man wants to fit me with a fire arm first, what's the old saying? Large and sexy before young and scrawny?" With that Red joined Jack at the far end of the gun case and looked over the large gun the older man had set out on top of the glass.

"This is a beautiful piece and it has a removable cylinder for much easier cleaning and faster reloading. The majority of revolvers of this size can only be reloaded by rotating the cylinder so this is definitely a plus." The gunsmith rattled on for a bit about the positive aspects of the hand gun sale that he thought was in the bag.

"I think it's perfect," Eric threw in. All three men looked at the newcomer in the conversation.

"You have to realize that even though I'm from Jersey, and I've lived in Chicago a large part of my life, I don't get to the ole shooting range much. This just seems like it would be a little more than I would ever need."

Jack nodded, "This one is definitely more of a scare tactic gun, it's essentially a cannon and anyone coming to take what's yours probably doesn't want to fight a cannon for it," taking the gun back, Jack traded the man in the orange vest for a .38 revolver, "try this one."

Turning it over in his large hands, Red looked down the sight on the gun. "This feels a little more manageable, but I don't even know what I would do with a gun, I don't need this," Red thumbed the hammer then handed the gun back to Jack.

"Better safe than sorry Redman, these two and the nine," he handed the gun over to the man behind the counter.

"Danny, don't worry about timing the sales, I'm not too worried about getting flagged these days," Jack told his Armory pal handing him his concealed carry license.

"Timing the sales?" Red asked following Jack.

"Yea, if you buy all the guns together the ATF flags you, but if you let a little time pass it doesn't send up any alerts," he said while the man behind the register called the guns in, "But I'm thinking after all that's been going on I don't give a damn if they flag me, everything's already sideways."

"You guys take Discover?" Red asked flipping open his wallet. There were three men behind the counter and they all turned to him with the same confused look. "Nope, ok, I've got others."

"Put that away, it's on me," Jack said pulling out his own credit card. The two men went back and forth for a moment before Jack finally won the bill.

"You need ammo?" Eric asked from his place with the stack of holsters.

"Yes, grab a few boxes of each," his dad responded without turning around. Finishing up the purchases the men left the Armory behind them.

On the drive back to the farm, Jack's phone rang. A series of "uh-hus and yeas", were the only thing breaking the silence before he had to step in and take over the conversation. "Whoa, slow down Laura, he's right here with me, so whatever's going on out there isn't anything to worry about, we're safe," listening a moment while she rambled off again, he finally said, "okay, we're on our way home now. Just have a seat and we'll see you in a minute; and turn off the damn television...okay hun, love you too." With that he hung up, tossing the phone in the cup holder.

"Mom okay?" Eric asked, already knowing that she was over reacting to whatever the news was spilling out. It was a miracle that she was so calm the night before; he chalked that up to peace of mind in him being home, and some sort of pill, probably a Prozac.

"You know how she can get worked up. I guess they're saying more stuff is happening in Chicago, and it's spreading," he glanced over at them and shook his head, "don't ask me anything else because I don't know. I cut your mom off before she started asking me questions about a news broadcast I haven't seen. We can check it out when we get home," then the car was quiet. Silence enveloped them on the rest of the ride home.

-NOW-

Moving quickly down the exit ramp Eric scanned the surrounding area for a building that would suit his needs. Some of the signs and building fronts were erased from time, while others withstood the constant assault and were still visible, such as the once golden arches. This is the building he focused on, the idea of some French fries made his mouth water, but he shook of the memory and made his way into the debris.

The entire front of the building had collapsed and it took a moment to clear the chunks of concrete and trash that had piled up in the small opening. Setting foot on a piece of rebar, a high hissing noise tore out of the back of the building.

Lex snarled, _"It's not good here, it smells wrong."_

"Fantastic," Eric replied hopping down into the dilapidated restaurant. His gun was out, but he couldn't remember pulling it, since it sounded like rats, the noise would be enough to make them think twice. The only problem was, what came around the corner wasn't a rat.

His first thought was of a werewolf; that was before it stepped into the moonlight. Fear struck over wonder as he realized that it might have once been a rat. The creature stood on thick hind legs, carrying a large round belly; its snout was long and the bottom jaw was covered in blood, possibly from the hyper extended teeth on its upper jaw. The animal turned and its dark eyes focused on the man that had invaded its home. Large ears pushed up from the side of its head, and as it turned full face, Eric could see that the 'it' was a he.

"Christ, I don't have time for this," he pulled of a shot that went to the left tapping the animal in the arm and sending out a shriek. The animal shook it off, the dark hair on its body barely moving, blood stuck in the hair. Letting out a snarl, the animal rushed forward, surprisingly quick for such a chunky creature. Eric got off another shot grazing its belly before it slammed into him, teeth gnashing.

Eric fell to his back kicking upward and pushing up letting out another few shots as he did it. His right foot connected pushing the rat up, blood splattered out as one of the bullets hit. The rat flew over the debris that he had just climbed over and hit on the other side with a wet smack.

Jumping quickly to his feet he turned to the sound of growling angry animals. Lex was on top of the creature, lips pulled back, a low growl echoed from deep within the animal. Whistling, Eric stepped back up on the rebar to get a clear shot, but when he could see the scene he lowered his gun. One of his falling shots had pierced the animal's throat, and it took its last breath as Eric watched on.

"Lex, back off, it's done," the dog stayed over the animal, but stopped growling and hid his teeth.

" _That's an ugly little thing isn't it?"_ Lex asked, pushing his nose into the dark hair of the rat. " _It doesn't even smell worth eating,"_ Lex said pushing the animal around with his snout.

"Stay here, I'll be back," the dog didn't even seem to hear him. Keeping the gun level, he moved to the back of the building kicking up boxes and shuffling through debris. The place stank of sweat and animal shit but he forced himself further in, moving past a small freezer and stepping into a back room. That's where he saw it.

A large trash bin rested against a back door, piled high with scraps of cardboard and some sort of nesting material. Shoving the bin to the side he kicked on the back door a few times before deciding it wasn't going to open. Twisting it around, he pulled it over to the door he entered through and forced it through the opening. Getting it into the small opening that used to be the kitchen he checked it out.

The wheels were still in decent shape; since they were plastic they hadn't degraded too much. That was all the confirmation he needed. The kitchen was too small to dump the contents of the bin out, so he huffed and puffed it through the debris, full of garbage. Getting to the small entrance wasn't nearly as much of a problem as getting through it. Crawling up on top of the stack of concrete he pulled the bin up and eased it down slowly before he lost his grip.

" _Son of a bitch, what's wrong with you?"_ Lex snapped, dodging out of the way as the bin crashed down beside him. The dog circled around the bin before crawling in now that it rested on its side. Backing out, Lex had a large bone in his teeth; it looked like he was smiling, if dogs can do that.

"Looks like you're a winner," Eric puffed out dumping out the remaining trash from the bin. Chunks of plastic, concrete, and bone tumbled out and he quickly righted the bin and began pushing.

" _Wait, you're going to leave all that behind?_ " Lex whined stepping through the bin's remains. Eric just shook his head and continued walking. Circling the remaining bones, Lex dropped his and took another before chasing after Eric.

Walking back to the highway took quite a while longer hauling the bin; and the left rear wheel was wobbling forcing him to tilt the bin forward making it heavier. Without city lights the nights were dramatically darker. Buildings seemed to form out of nowhere as did the bridge where he left the children. Seeing it, Eric quickened his pace and Lex began to whine as the bone in his mouth was making him lag behind. Turning to check on the dog Eric completely missed the rock in the road that took out the front left wheel. The wheel snapped in half and fell away from the cart causing it to stop completely and Eric crashed into the back of the cart crying out.

"Fuck!" Eric rounded the cart and screamed it again, then again. Punching the cart pushed it back up before it lurched forward at an angle against the empty wheel well. A scratching noise caused him to spin around with his hand on the butt of the gun. He stopped, Lex had lowered his head and was watching Eric take out his rage on the bin from a distance. The bone in his mouth was scraping against the concrete, and he took a jump back with Eric's sudden turn.

Lowering his head and closing his eyes, Eric leaned against the side of the cart, "It's ok, this is still better than nothing," he kicked the bin again then slipped his fingers into the lip on the left side lifting the weight up onto the good wheels.

Pulling the bin from the side was an even more daunting task then leaning it forward, and it slowed him down dramatically. Lex followed slowly raising his bone just enough so that it only scraped against the asphalt every ten feet or so. By the time they got to the exit ramp they came down, Eric had a layer of sweat clinging to his forehead. His right hand was going numb from the pressure the bin was putting on his hands but he continued up the ramp panting heavily.

Clearing the top and spilling back onto the highway he dropped the bin and rushed to where he left the children. "Guys, I need you to get in this for me, we're going to take a ride to the coast," but he stopped.

The kids weren't were he left them. Twisting around, he figured maybe he had mistaken and left them on the opposite side of the bridge, but they weren't there either. Rushing back to the original position, where he knew he left them, Eric pulled a lighter out of his pack and checked the area. Blood was splashed everywhere, along with a shoe, and some tattered pieces of cloth he recognized as Gabe's shirt.

"I was supposed to have more time," he muttered down to the mess of gore. Moving back to the ramp he kicked the trash bin onto its side, then grabbed it by the bottom and flipped it over the bridge's railing.

Leaping back, Lex dropped his bone, and waited a moment before slinking in to grab it again. With his treat in tow, the dog scurried to the far side of the bridge and took a seat, watching Eric with hurtful eyes.

Eric was bent halfway over the railing so he could watch the bin tumble. His hands were still partially asleep and he grinded his palms into the concrete railing of the bridge. "This is bullshit! Two days? That's what it takes now?" he kicked at the bridge again before sitting down on the railing.

" _What now?_ " Lex asked in just a little more than a whisper. Eric looked over at the animal, then back down at the road. Pulling the revolver out, he flipped it back and forth between his hands.

" _North right? That's the place you've been talking about this whole time. I know it's shitty, but...maybe it's time to keep moving,_ " Lex asked, seemingly forgetting his bone for the time being.

"Yes," he stood back up and stepped into the middle of the road, "but first we are going to wait for those kids to come back."

Firing a single shot in the air, he waited. It didn't take long, Gabe was moving slower than his sister who was hissing madly on her way down the highway. Waiting until they were close, he gave them each a single bullet.

Using the bin as a makeshift coffin, he took the kids down under the bridge and buried them. "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough," he moved back up to the bridge where he waited a long time for sleep, and when it came it was full on monsters.

-NOW-

"Jane, we've got someone following up our back side," Laney said riding up beside her. Jane had slowed her horse to a trot and was riding slightly behind the rest of the group. Her dirty brown clothes matched her horse, but were a hard contrast to her light skin.

"That's incredibly unfortunate considering what we just found up ahead," she said motioning to the city.

"Marz is back?" Laney asked raising an eyebrow. He was a large man with a thick beard and seeing him surprised never failed to amuse her.

"Oh yea, he got back a few hours ago, said we've got Shadows running the city up ahead. I had him ride back out and wait for us, let us know if any of them move."

"Shadows? Son of shit, we're going to be balls deep in weasel-dick before this thing is over. Let's just change course, I don't understand why we have to go to the dead city," he stood up in his saddle to adjust himself and show his unease.

Jane eyed him without any sense of a smile, Laney had been raised in one of the cities and something about being around all those people seemed to build up a vocabulary that would make a dead man blush. "We can't do that, I was told to go north, and that's what we're going to do. Who do you have in the background?" She twisted in her saddle but of course she couldn't see far enough to eye their followers.

"Jake is keeping an eye out in the background, but I will go back out there to keep an eye on Jake," he forced a smile, that he knew wouldn't pass.

"Jake? Are you kidding me? He's just now got the first hairs on his face, and you're going to leave him behind to get hit? He could already be broken," she had stopped her horse and was almost screaming at him. After glancing to the group, who had taken an interest in their conversation then back to the road behind them, she turned her horse around.

"No, I'll go back, this was my decision. He's gotten much better at keeping pace, and I've been helping him with the bow. I'm telling you, have more faith in him," this time he pushed out a wide smile, and she frowned back at him, but he sensed humor in it.

"Fine, get back there quick, and if you see anything chancy, take him out."

"Unless he's carrying a long iron," he confirmed looking down at the small saber hanging off her belt.

Shaking her head, "No, even if he carries the iron you should be weary, remember how easy it was for me to get my hand on this one?" He nodded in agreement then pulled his horse around to head back. "Laney? Be careful," he looked at her confused, steading his animal, "this one could be the one," she finally added. Laney gave her a wink and kicked his horse. In a moment he was just a piece of the background. She made a show out of telling the people that rode with her that the next man they came across could be the one that killed them. That's why they needed to be on their guard.

An older man sitting in the back of the wagon turned to Jane after she had caught up with the rest of the group, "Sounds like we may have a fight coming," the grey hair was taking over the brown in both his beard and his long curly hair. Jane looked at him for a long moment before turning away, Rohn was older, which was a rarity, and he was full of useful information and observations. On top of that he was smart, and just overall well liked.

"I don't think we have any choice in the matter. We're going to have to stop before we hit this city and now we have a wanderer on our tail," she considered this for a moment and Rohn watched her think it over.

"Everyone, from now on, when we stop, we will be burying anything we leave behind or we will carry it along for the time being," she gave the older man a look for confirmation and he nodded with a slight smile.

"Someone's following us again?" a middle aged man, Terry asked. His eyes were a beautiful bright blue, but for the moment they were wide with fear.

Grinding her teeth Jane addressed her group, "Laney and Jake are keeping an eye on whoever is behind us; but if they are picking up our scraps, maybe this will keep them off our tail." She let this bit of information flow over the group, hushed conversations full of fear and anger flourished quickly. Most of the group had been through this before and the memory of the last ambush still stank within their caravan.

"We're almost out of the peacekeepers, Jake and Marz took almost all of the rest of the arrows. What are we going to do if these people get past Jake?" Terry asked, being a little slow kept him full of questions.

"First of all, Jake has Laney to help him watch our backs, and the possibilities of a single follower getting past them seems very slim to me," but of course Terry fired back with more questions.

"Laney is with him too? What happens if these people go around them, or if they get ahead of us, then we're goners!" this fired up another outburst of fear from the group.

"Terry," but she restrained herself from telling him to shut the hell up. "There is only one person following and our two are more than enough to keep him from getting to us. The follower might not even be dangerous, don't forget how most of us came together," this sentence finally pushed some sense into their heads. A few of them put their heads down in shame, while the rest looked on in fear, remembering their last run in with strangers.

Eying the city, Jane let the rest of the group talk amongst themselves. Buildings stuck out like the ribs of an animal long dead along the side of the road. As the wind blew dust and dirt came off some of the taller buildings drifting down into the cluttered streets. She let her small caravan walk on a few minutes more before stopping them.

It only took a few moments to pull the carts off to the side of the road and stage them side by side. They had three working rifles but only a handful of ammunition. Terry, Rohn, and a woman, Dessi rested along the rim of the cart barrier they had created. The rest of the group tied off their animals and settled in between the two carts. It was a long night waiting for their follower to catch up, but the morning kicked off to a bright start when Laney showed up with a broken nose and no Jake.

-NOW-

The term litter was a thing of the past, now if you didn't drop your trash an animal or something worse would come after you. Trash was usually carried off by animals but in the last few miles Eric had been seeing wrappers and random scraps along the side of the road, some of them with bits of food still clinging to them. Lex was having a field day.

" _Aw yes, this one tastes like..yes it's sweet, it's delicious!"_ Walking slightly behind the large dog, Eric watched as he ran back and forth along the street sniffing at the crumbling curbs and snapping at anything with a scent of food.

"Lex, stop," Eric said stopping and crouching. Of course the animal didn't listen, so Eric said it again, more sternly. This time he turned around, seeing Eric in a defensive position must have pulled his mind from the dreams of a full pack of Twizzlers.

" _What? What's happening?"_ Lex asked sniffing, his ears pulled back and he looked like an animal copy of Eric. Motioning to a small trail of smoke coming out of the weeds he moved toward it slowly. Lex apparently didn't pick up his queue since he didn't follow immediately. Reaching into the grass Eric plucked out the tail end of a smoldering cigarette. It was clearly hand made, and to Eric, it smelt amazing. Puffing on it, he got the cherry burning again and he finished it off.

" _That thing smells like shit,"_ Lex chimed in, getting in close on the discarded butt. Smelling if for a moment, he gave it a good lick; that did the trick and he decided he was done with it. The wind blew hard like the sky letting out an exhausted breath and Eric had to hold his hat before it blew off his head.

With the strong gust, the grass was blown over at an extreme angle and he caught a glimpse of someone, crouched down in the field ahead of them, couldn't be any more than a quarter mile away. His hand twitched for the gun, but he forced it to stay where it was, holding his hat to his head. Pretending like he hadn't seen the figure in the field, Eric stomped out the tail of the cigarette and kept moving.

It only took a few minutes to reach the place where the figure had been crouching in the grass. Eric scanned the area slowly, being sure not to focus on any one spot for too long. The figure had moved out of the previous spot but Eric knew that he was being watched, so he stopped and mimicked that he was digging through his pack.

" _Lose something?"_ Lex asked without turning around. He had his nose halfway in a Corvette that was missing its passenger door.

"Not exactly. I'm afraid we may be walking into an ambush and I'm going to give it another mile or so before we take action." Glancing at him, the dog shoved his head back into the car sniffing at the floorboards.

" _What the hell's an ambush?"_ Once again he asked the question without turning toward the man. Looking at the animal Eric pondered its large vocabulary, and lack of certain terms.

"Never mind. There may be people up ahead." With that, he closed his bag and started moving again. Passing the car, Eric glanced into the floor seeing the nest that Lex was digging through. Some animals had used that car until recently, and some blood remained from either their attacker or the last of the animals that had been killed. "Stay close to me, when it's time to move, we're going to have to move fast." Instinctively he patted his hand against his thigh to call the dog, and turned to see if this particular animal had any problem with being called. Lex was following; it seemed the gestures of yesteryear still stood.

An hour passed until he saw the figure again in the field, this time he didn't bother pretending he hadn't seen them. It looked like a man, a young one by the way he was creeping quickly through the tall grass. A four door truck sat in the road ahead of him and he decided that it would work as his move point.

"Stay close, we're going to move when we get to that truck. Just move with me." Patting his leg again, Lex moved up next to him.

" _I say you kill them. They probably want what you have."_ Lex looked up once, but stayed beside him as they moved. Eric said nothing else on the matter.

Closing in on the truck, he moved to the side of it so that the truck was between him and the person in the field. Slowing his pace, he waited to a large gust of wind, and with the weather picking up he only had to wait a moment. When the wind hit, he put his hand up to his hat like he had before except this time he flipped it off his head letting the wind take it off and into the field on his left.

"Damnit, I like that hat!" he didn't quite shout it, but he was hoping it was loud enough for his field spotter to hear. Exaggerating as he reaching for the hat, he moved to the side of the road grabbing it, then jumping into the overgrown field off the side of the road. Landing hard, he froze, resting on his legs with his hands out in front of him, like a sprinter ready for take-off. Lex was right beside him and he let out a whine, nudging at Eric's arm to make sure he was ok.

"Quiet," Eric whispered. "Stay still, let's hope he gets curious." Without moving from his sprinter stance, Eric put a hand on Lex's back and lightly pulled him in next to him until he sat down.

" _I can't see anything from down here, this guy could be on top of us before we even know he's turned around."_

Eric smiled, "We'll know, in fact, you'll probably hear him before I do, so don't get so sappy on me." Lex had no response for this except to tuck his legs down under his body and lick his fore paws. They sat together this way until the sun started going down. The muscles in Eric's legs were burning and his toes were tingling of pins and needles. The need to shift was screaming from his entire body, and he decided he was going to count to one-hundred, and if he still didn't sense the figure, he would have to adjust his position. He got to twenty-four before the scratching of dry grass against denim crept into his ears.

Pricking his ears up, Lex turned his head toward the noise. With the wind still blowing, Eric couldn't determine where he was in relation to the new comer, so he watched Lex's head. The dog was looking back toward the road but each time one of those scratching noises floated over his head adjusted slightly. After what seemed like forever the dog finally focused on one spot. Putting his arm back around the animal, Eric shushed him softly and continued to follow his gaze. He figured the stranger had to be very close considering he could hear it, but he waited for Lex to adjust his head again, this would tell him that their guest had gotten close enough to start getting beside them. It happened in an instant and he was up and moving just as fast.

"Hands up, put your hand in the air!" There was an odd twinge of nostalgia as he realized he must look like a cop from back in a day when police were still around. Plucking his gun out of its holster he had it pinned on the stranger almost instantly. As it turned out it was a young man and he was so taken by surprise that he couldn't make out any noise beside a series of short exasperated gasps. Holding a hand-made bow the man was backing up awkwardly barely keeping himself from tripping over the grass. Reaching over his back, Eric could see a number of arrows sticking out of a makeshift quiver.

"Stay still damn it! I don't want to shoot you." As he said it he pulled back the hammer on his pistol. This seemed to get the point across, and the man stopped.

"Don't kill me," The man's voice was shaking and he spoke in an accent that Eric didn't recognize. Holding the bow out like a Christmas gift, tears were swelling in his eyes. The man was young, early-twenties with long dirty black hair and a spotty beard.

"I'm not going to kill you, but I don't want to die either." Eric said moving the gun away from him, but not holstering it.

"What do you want?" With the gun now pointed in a different direction he was able to find his voice, and he even straightened up a little.

"Me?" Lex growled, and Eric gave him a quick glance, but the dog wasn't in attack mode. "You've been watching me all day. I saw you this afternoon. Is there someone up there waiting for me?" He pointed north along the highway. This caused the man's eyes to widen considerably.

Looking down he responded, not quite as firmly as he had a moment ago. "I saw you two days ago when I was on top of a bridge. You were going in the same direction as me so I just decided to keep an eye on you. No one is with me." He looked away as he said the last part and Eric wasn't blind to this.

"Where are you going? How did you get out here like this?" He knew he needed to put a little more pressure on him to see if he would squirm

"What do you mean? Why are you out here following me?" This time he straightened himself and locked eyes with Eric trying to hide anything his body might tell that he didn't want it too.

Smiling Eric forced himself to loosen up, at least a little. "I think we got off on the wrong foot here. My name's Eric and this is Lex." He motioned to the animal whom had remained silent for their intros.

"Right. Well I'm Jake, and I'm heading to the Big City. That's why I'm out here." He moved the arm with the bow in it and Eric pulled his gun back up. "Whoa, I just want to put this away, is that okay?"

Putting his other hand up, Eric holstered his gun as well. "Sorry, just a natural reaction." Jake shrugged it off.

"It's getting dark, maybe I should get going." Jake didn't turn around but he cut his eyes as far as he could back to the road as he said it.

Considering this Eric turned back toward the road, not letting his new found friend out of his sight. "There are a few cards up ahead with the windows still in them if you need a place to sleep. It might rain tonight." He could see Jake crane his head up to the sky at the mention of rain.

"I don't know about that, I sure would like to get a little further up the road before making camp." The nervousness was back in his voice and that made Eric uneasy.

" _Something is wrong. Don't tell him where you're going to sleep. What's to keep him from slitting your throat while we're off in dream land?"_

"Come on Lex, let's get you some dinner." It was easy to forget not to talk to the telepathic dog in front of other people, but for the most part Eric held it together. They walked the few feet back to the road together and Jake immediately began separating himself from Eric and his canine friend.

" _Just kill him. If it rains we can clean him up and eat him."_

"Jesus." It shot out of him before he even realized he was speaking. He gave the dog a quick look of disgust before turning to Jake. Facing him, Jake gave Eric an uncertain look. "You can stay, I'm sure we're still a ways away from the city, we could always use a little company." Eric stepped up to the truck he had used earlier and stopped.

"I suppose I need to eat somewhere." Jake looked around nervously again, like he expected someone to appear out of the shadows. Stopping a few yards away from Eric, the young man turned back toward his strange new company. "If you're looking for food, I'm running a little low."

"Isn't everyone?" Eric smiled back at him. Lex was right; the way Jake kept fidgeting and looking around was making Eric nervous. Making a note to keep the truck at his back he opened the driver's side door and put his satchel inside. Lex hopped back nervously when he slammed the door shut, the window shuttered in its loosened frame. "How about you help me find something to burn, it feels like it's going to get cold tonight." Eric said moving back toward the field.

Giving another quick look around the area, Jake pulled the bow off his shoulder along with his make shift back pack and moved into the field on the opposite side of the street. Both of them collected any scraps they could find and a large patch of dry grass as starter before moving back into the street. On the way back Eric grabbed a spare tire that was flat and worn from sitting in the same position for so long. Tossing the tire down as a fire pit he threw his wood and grass down into the tire feeling confident that it would be enough to keep the materials from blowing away. Without missing a step Jake made his contribution to the new fireplace and sat down next to the tire.

Retrieving his pack from the truck, Eric pulled out a flint stick and a small piece of cotton. It only took a moment and the two of them were looking at a small compact cooking fire; the only problem was that they had nothing to cook.

" _I still say we eat him,_ " Lex said from his spot next to Eric. The dog wasn't interested in the fire and was focusing most of his attention on the outsider they had invited over for dinner. Ignoring this Eric pullout a small strip of meat out of his pack and ripped a piece off for the animal. Jake licked his lips as he watched the exchange. Offering a piece, Jake eyed it suspiciously, gave it a good sniff, and then devoured it.

"You must have come from a city." Jake didn't ask his suspicion directly. As he said it, the young man eyed the guns on Eric's hips.

"No, this one I shot myself. I'm not a big fan of the cities anymore." His thoughts drifted back to Chicago and he had to push them away as those thoughts had a tendency to entangle him and now wasn't the time to get stuck in the past. Meanwhile the kid just nodded along as if this was the answer he was expecting to hear.

"I heard that the Big City is gone." Jake said something else but Eric missed it. His brain had shut everything else off. _New York is gone? Why the hell am I being told to go there?_ All the pictures of the skylines and subways and central park flew through his head in a grotesque montage of concrete destruction. "But I'm not for sure," Jake finished. Eric finally realized that the other man had continued speaking even though he had gone off into never land.

"What?" Eric asked blinking his eyes hard to focus on what else Jake had to say about the once great city.

"I said nobody knows though. A few guys we passed couple weeks ago said that they came from there. They said there were people, a whole lot of people, still trying to live there." Watching him as he spoke, Eric hoped nothing on his face gave away that he had caught his young friend use the word 'we'.

"So are the people living in the rubble? I'm not understanding the city being gone, but people still live there scenario." Jake looked at him confused. "What I mean is, if the city is gone, how can people still be living in what they're calling a city." This time the question registered and Jake shook his head.

"I guess I never really thought about that before. Maybe they just live where the city used to be." Eric thought that over and then discarded it. New York couldn't just disappear, even Chicago survived the crazy strike of Poseidon, and it wasn't near the size of New York.

"Yea maybe," he finally said, realizing he had left the kid hanging. The two of them sat in silence for a while, letting the night creep in around them. An occasional crackling from the fire caused Lex's ears to perk up while the dog attempted to avoid sleep in hope that another piece of meat would appear out of the man's magical bag.

"You wouldn't happen to have a smoke would you?" Eric asked, finally breaking the silence.

"No, I don't smoke," Jake said, leaning back from the fire. The tire was beginning to melt and the smell was awful. "If you're not from a city, where did you come from?" Jake asked.

Eric smiled a painful smile, "I come from everywhere, I originally came from a city that isn't around anymore." Once again the thoughts of old Chicago two-stepped through his brain. It occurred to him that he wasn't originally from Chicago, but that's definitely where this entire mess started.

"I love the cities, especially the stories of the old ones." The mention of an old city had caused Jake to sit back up and focus on someone who might have some insight on his favorite hobby: learning about the past, the old people. This time Eric's smile turned his face soft, someone to actually talk to; talk about more than being afraid of catching fleas.

"What have you heard?" Eric asked finding it was both painful and invigorating talking about the past.

"Just bits and pieces. My favorites are the cars, trains, and subs." Eric watched the man who was just recently a boy light up with excitement. This was something the people of today had forgotten about, it was hard to enjoy yourself while fighting to survive.

"You mean subways." Jake nodded with a smile on his face.

"Did they have any working cars where you came from?" Jake asked.

"It's been a long time since I've seen a working car. Most of them are like this bad boy," he replied smacking the side of the truck. The truck was heavily rusted and all four tires were flat. From where they sat in the road they could see the muffler had fallen off completely and the engine block was hanging much lower than it should.

"I heard there are cars in the city by the other ocean." Eric marveled at how someone who was ready to shoot an arrow into him a few hours ago was now totally engaged in his knowledge of the world of yesterday.

"I've heard that too. It's not hard to believe. The last time I was there they were still running." L.A. was about the last thing on his mind. The City of Angels was far from that these days. His mind made a straight correlation to the John Carpenter movies and the irony of this and his current heading didn't evade him.

"So you've ridden in a car?" Jake's fascination was infectious. He had turned into a kid seeing Santa in the mall for the first time, except Santa was spilling the secrets of the North Pole.

"It's been a very long time since I've..." but he didn't get a chance to finish his story.

Something in the field on the left side of the road snapped and they were both on their feet in an instant. Jake had set his bow out of reach but a knife came out from somewhere behind his back and Eric barely had time to register that the kid had reached for it. He was fast; it made Eric feel much smarter for catching him off guard. It was at this time that he also noted that they were standing in the light of a fire while someone else was out there in the dark, invisible. Drawing his gun Eric moved quickly to the side and behind what used to be a small Honda enveloping himself in the darkness.

Glancing back to the fire, Eric was saddened to see Jake keeping his footing in the light. All motions to the kid were in vein, all of his attention was on the field. Moving quickly, Eric rounded the car staying low and watching for any movement, but this time he didn't have to wait at all.

"Where the hell did he go?" a large man with a beard stepped slowly out of the tall grass with a rifle at the ready. Unfortunately his eyes had adjusted to the dark and the light of the fire made him squint to a point of near blindness.

"Wait, he's not with the clans, and I think he may be the guy Jane was looking for." Jake spat out. None of this surprised or deterred the very anxious Laney.

"He's got the long iron?" Laney asked in a growl through his clenched teeth, but Jake didn't get to answer.

A hand came out of the darkness behind him grabbing the arm holding the forward grip of the rifle bringing it up into his face. Simultaneously he was kicked in the meat of his calf bringing him down to one knee and pain shot through his brain as the rifle connected with his nose, and was then ripped from his arms.

"Fuck!" was all the big man could get out before another kick to his back pushed him down onto his stomach. Twisting around to view his attacker he watched his rifle fly through the air and herd it bounce against the side of the car then clatter against the asphalt. Eric stood over him making sure the man saw the gun now pointed at his chest. "You piece of..." but once again Laney couldn't tell Eric how highly he thought of him. Lex who had been silent through the struggle was inches away from Laney's face, teeth bared.

"Wait!" Jake shouted, taking a few steps toward the two men making sure not to rush and make his new friend any more nervous than he already was. In a flash Eric's other hand was up and there was a gun in this hand too; he pointed it at Jake.

"So you were waiting for this one right?" Eric asked. His eyes jumped between the two men and the anger burned within each pupil.

"Yes, but it's not what you think." Jake spat out, the words stepping over each other. He tried taking another step toward the two but the hard click of Eric pulling the hammer back stopped him, Lex growled in agreement.

"What's a long iron?" Eric asked unwavering in his indecision.

"W-W-What?" Jake stuttered out. How could a man carrying a long iron not know what it is? Where did this guy come from?

"It's the sword you dick," but the words came out muffled since Laney's nasal passage had filled up with blood. Turning his head, Laney coughed hard and spit out a wad of blood infused snot. Pulling one hand from his broken face he motioned to the sword hanging from Eric's belt, "you've heard the word 'sword' before right?" I came out _surd bufur wight_.

"What do you know about it?" Eric asked them both, his eyes still darting between the two of them. This time Jake lowered his eyes and Laney just stared into the man who had just beaten him.

"This is your last chance before I start shooting," this time he brought both guns down and pointed them in Laney's face.

"We don't know. Jane's the one who told us about it."

"Shut the fuck up Jakey Boy!" Laney screamed. This bought him a hard kick to the ribs.

"Who is Jane?" Eric asked.

"Nope, Jake you keep your little boy mouth shut or I'm going to break your jaw." Laney threatened from his spot on the ground.

"You, shut your mouth, Jake, keep talking." This time Laney twisted his head back toward his young friend daring him to speak.

Jake looked between the two men and after a few moments of silence sheathed his blade and stepped to the edge of the road with his hands held palms out. "No more pain." At first it sounded like that was going to be his only demand, but he cleared his throat and continued. "I'll tell you what, if you let him up, and we take this down a notch, we can go back to talking...like before." Still holding his hands out to show he was unarmed, Jake took a step back and let them take the next move.

"Ok, I don't see any problem with that," Eric stepped back and holstered the gun in his left hand. "Come on back Lex. You want to talk or do you want to lie there and bleed a while longer?" Laney stared hard at the man who had beaten him in silence. Eric returned his gaze.

Rolling his eyes Laney pushed himself into a sitting position. After breaking eye contact, Laney wouldn't make direct eye contact with Eric. Moving slowly as to keep his ribs intact, he got all the way up and stepped slowly to the fire. The anger and intensity he had previously been burning for Eric seemed to have died down as he realized that he wouldn't be gunned down on his back in a field.

"Now what?" Laney asked spitting again. His nose had stopped bleeding but the dried remains on his face made him resemble road kill.

"Let's take a seat and go over a few things," Eric motioned to Jake as he said it, and Jake sat down. Laney watched this but the anger was fading quickly, and the more he could see of this new man his anger was replaced with curiosity.

"Where did you get that?" Laney asked. He finally sat down and was motioning at Eric's sword.

"I got this a long time ago, but it's not where I got it that's important. You two knew about this before you even got here, and on top of that you seem to think that it has some significance, why is that?" Eric joined them in a sitting position around the fire, resting the gun on his knee. Jake and Laney exchanged an uneasy glance. Turning in a few circles, Lex finally decided to take a seat next to his pal.

"We really don't know anything except that there is someone who would be carrying a long iron, and we're supposed to keep our eyes open in case they show."

"So this Jane person is the one who told you to look for someone with a sword huh?" Only a week or so ago he had seen a man who claimed he was the voice in his head, and now he may have a chance to meet his fellow listeners. Looking over the two men him he realized something else; they were not only terrified of who he may be but of what he could be capable of, and how they needed to keep all of this from going sideways.

" _This sounds like you're some sort of super freak to these people. I would think you could get some food off them if you play this the right way."_ The dog was consistent with its thinking; it always started with his belly.

"Yes, she," Jake stole a quick glance at his partner who nodded to continue. "Sometimes she hears things. As far as we can tell, she has some sort of communication with the gods. We figure, even if she's only hearing about some dude with a sword, that's still a hell of a lot more than we've ever heard." Watching the fire as he spoke, he finally looked up to Eric. The desperation in his eyes was completely engulfing. The only difference between these people and himself was that he knew of the world before, had lived it. He couldn't decide if that knowledge made life better or more pitiful.

"Sounds like Jane is running the show." Eric said to no one in particular. Stopping his train of thought, he had to push it in a different direction. Spilling some info like Zygan's name might let them know he is who they're looking for, and he wanted to go incognito if possible.

"This is all very interesting but I hate to let you boys down." He holstered the remaining gun as he said it. "I found this in a church down by Dallas." While he said it his hand found the grip of the handle giving it a flick with his thumb. Both of the men let out simultaneous groans as he said it. Laney shifted to stand but Eric raised a hand to stop him. "Where are you going?"

Shaking it off Laney stood anyway. "I'm going back to my people and Jake is coming with me." Looking up at him, Jake didn't seem so sure. Instead of grabbing his arm and hauling him up like a child Laney turned and retrieved his gun from where it was thrown.

"Why did you throw his gun? Why not use it?" Jake asked turning back to Eric.

"He didn't think it would be loaded." Laney shouted when Eric didn't answer. Jake thought about it for a minute then a small smile stretched across his face.

"Maybe you should come with us; Rohn would be pissed if we let someone like you go, even if you don't have the long iron she's looking for." Laney didn't put a lot of heart into his request, but he made sure to point the gun away from Eric when he ejected the magazine exposing the shells inside. "If you busted up my popper I'm going to have to trade for one of yours," he claimed shrugging toward the gun in Eric's holster.

Once again he said nothing. Watching the two men raised a curiosity in him that would have gone unnoticed had Laney not been such a hard ass. A team dynamic didn't seem to be too important with these people. Jake's reluctance to hop up and be on his merry way was also odd, since the man was extremely eager to be gone just a few short hours ago.

"Come on, let's hit it. Least we can do is tell them that he's not a looker, or a group of them for that matter." Tugging a super refurbished leather jacket out of his pack Laney pulled it on in preparation for take-off.

"I think I'm going to stick around for a bit," turning his attention to Eric, "if that's okay with you." There was a small amount of fear on the kid's face, but it was subdued by the palpable amount of curiosity that had come to circle him. Once again Eric remained silent, just a hint of a nod. He was still curious how Laney would react to this odd team change.

Surprise overcame Laney immediately, but was quickly replaced by a mixture of anger and smugness. "I'll let Jane know you've decided to stay back then. She is going into the city, and was just waiting on you and...whatever he turned out to be," he pointed at Eric as he stepped around the two of them in a wide arc. "You know as well as I do that once we get through the city, we're moving on to the big one. If you want to stay with your new friend here have at it, but I wouldn't suggest making the trip north in just a twosome." As Laney turned his back on the fire Jake let out a whimper that wasn't quite a 'wait', if they could have seen the man's face they would have seen him smile.

Laney turned back to Jake but didn't speak; he waited for him to break the silence. "Give me until dawn." It seemed to be all Jake could come up with, and it caused his comrade to raise an eyebrow. "I...we have a few things to discuss. Give me a couple hours and I'll catch up, then we can continue north." This time Laney didn't bother hiding his smile and he let out a face engulfing grin.

"You love birds can have the night to yourself. I'll let Jane know you're coming. But if you're not there by the time the camp's ready to move; then you're on your own." Taking one last look at the strange man that wasn't who they thought he was; he turned and faded into the darkness of the highway.

-PAST-

"Honey, I really don't think this is necessary, no one here has ever acted like those people on TV." Laura had turned while scrubbing a skillet as she spoke and now it dripped sudsy water across the kitchen. Jack was giving himself a once over in the mirror, no doubt thinking of one of his favorite movie cowboys. There were a lot to choose from, but the man had seen El Dorado over two hundred times.

"You are absolutely right, I don't think it will be necessary, but if something does happen, I would rather be prepared than naked and in need." Sitting at a table off to the side of the kitchen, Eric Red and a man named Ned were listening to the conversation and listening to Red finish eating breakfast.

"Maybe I should take mine as well, just in case." Eric said quietly from his place at the table.

"No. I have much more practice and the license to carry it. You can't just go out into the world packing heat, that's illegal and irresponsible. What would happen if you got nervous and hurt someone?" Jack continued to talk about how unequipped Eric was for the situation but he had heard it all before and turned his gaze back to Red who was shoving the last of the bacon into his mouth.

"But you're going to take the boys with you aren't you?" They can help you haul the heavy stuff anyway." Laura turned to her son, "Don't let him get ahold of those water jugs, he still thinks he's twenty five, but I'm the one heating up the back brace in the microwave." With her part said she went to the table and scooped up the remaining dishes giving Red a smile.

Eric gave her a nod and "yes mam" but made no attempt to rise from the table with Red and Ned, or the Ed's as he has come to calling them. Ned was a shorter man with the stature of a lightning rod. The man couldn't weigh more than one hundred-twenty pounds, and he smoked his weight in Marlboros every week.

"Don't worry boy, I've got my scattergun in the truck. Course anything looks hinky your pop'll get a scent of it long before we do. Best to just listen." Ned was a neighbor and Eric would be surprised if the man had made it past fifth grade.

"You got it Ned." Eric had learned a long time ago that if Ned made some grand stand, or even a common observation that a child knew was incorrect, to just power through it. Let the old farmer have his say no matter how weird or insane it was.

Giving Eric a gaping smile, Ned tossed a cigarette into his mouth and offered one to Red who took it and followed him out onto the porch for the smoker's conference.

"Er-Bear come over here." Laura was using a voice he hadn't heard in a very long time, and a nick name the he thought had died. He silently passed his father who was going outside, to join his mother in the kitchen. "You know you're a grown man; and while we definitely want you to listen to us; it is up to you to make your own decisions." Looking down at her, there was no question about the confusion on his face. "What I'm saying is do what you need to do. If you think you need a gun then take one, just don't let your father see it; and for God's sake don't tell him I told you to do it." She let out a little laugh and it made Eric's heart hurt. Nostalgia often had that effect, but the days of laughter seemed to be replaced with days of fear. The "Chicago Crisis" had spread and contagion was the new word of the year.

"Ok. But just because dad doesn't see as much as he thinks he does." He threw up a smile that was all teeth and she knew it was as real as monopoly money but she smiled back and hugged him before going back to the dishes.

"You'll be fine, I still say you boys won't need them. But if it makes you feel that much better." She shrugged turning the water off.

"I don't see us needing them either, but you saw what happened to those people in Ohio and..." he didn't need to finish. Breaking the barrier of what was possible and what had happened flipped a switch in the conversation. Instantly they replayed the broadcast of people viciously attacking each other and storming the quarantine zones at the state border. In the end, the government had no choice but to gun them down. That's what everyone had been telling themselves since then.

"Listen," the mother from his childhood was once again tucked away. "Maybe I was wrong. Take it just in case. Your father...he thinks any situation like this one is going to be the same as the war, but it's not. This is at home, and it's not war, it's something else."

Before her son could see her cry she hugged him. Eric felt the dry gasps she took trying to keep the tears back and he pretended they didn't happen. That embrace would be the last touch of society as any of them had known it before. Although he wasn't exactly sure of the depth of things he could still feel it and he knew like his folk singers before him, 'times they are a changin'.

Stuffed into the back of the SUV like kids on a play date Eric and Red watched through the windows as alert as hunters on the first morning of deer season. As far as either of them could tell nothing was out of the ordinary. Some smoke was billowing a mile or so outside of town but it was most likely someone taking the day with low wind to burn leaves, and he had to reaffirm this to Red multiple times. Everything actually seemed oddly calm, and reflected as much as they remembered from their drive in for guns and food just over a week ago.

"See I told you there wouldn't be any problems. Damn guverment just makin a lot of this junk up to scare everybody into payin' extra taxes. Stupid Obama bullshit." Somehow Ned was oblivious that the rest of the car was ignoring him almost completely; almost entirely because Red was making a jerk-off gesture in the seat behind Ned while smacking his lips together.

"Ok, ok. We're here." Jack proclaimed pulling into a spot at the side of the grocery store. Eric had his hand on the handle when his dad decided to separate responsibilities. "Listen up boys, you are going to take the bottom part of the list and make sure you get water, dog food, and a whole bunch of medical supplies. Your mom is going to kick my ass if we don't come back with ample amounts of hydrogen peroxide." With that he ripped the list in half and handed it over to Eric. "And for God's sake be careful." They were out of the car and moving into the store in pairs. Jack and Ned went in first followed by Red but something made Eric pause before entering the building.

"You waiting for an invite?" Red asked standing just inside the automatic doors pulling a cart out of the short train of them.

"I thought I heard a pop, could have been a gunshot." Taking a step back outside, Red joined him. The two men stood silently, without breathing for a few moments before Red finally let it out in a giant whoosh.

"I think you've been watching a little too much TV, and yes I know how clichéd that sounds." Throwing his arms up in defense as he said it made Eric laugh, and with one last look out toward the seas of green beyond the small town, they moved into the store.

Inside the store was anything a person would expect: an entrance with its very own DVD dispensary, produce to the right followed immediately by foods and baking goods. Across from these were home items and a small section of sporting goods. The store wasn't very big, and the aisles were narrow in order to cram as much consumables into the given space as possible. Even with the small stature of the store the two older men had managed to disappear. To Eric's surprise a small framed girl in a cashiers apron leaned against her register texting. She glanced up as the two men passed her and Eric made that extra effort to give her an award winning smile, and she smiled back blushing. Making a mental note to hit up her line when he got a brake from shopping, they moved to the water dispenser.

Hooking up the bottle they brought, the two men talked about what else they really needed, besides a beer of course; and that train of thought sent Red in search of anything he could find with hops in it.

With a small ding the machine alerted him that he had pumped five gallons into his jug. Removing his old, Eric set another up to fill and wandered around the corner grabbing a few of the close things on his list.

Picking up a newspaper that had been set on a magazine rack, Eric flipped back to the front page which of course showed a picture of the mound of dirt that had risen from the ground overnight. In the picture a group of scientist were drilling into the dirt and taking core samples while a picture on the next page showed a helicopter that was in pretty bad shape, and a man in a flight suit that was confused but overall okay. The caption read, 'pilot says he consistently loses control at 1500 feet.'

"Jackpot!" Red cried rolling around the aisle standing on the back of the shopping cart.

"You know those things have a weight limit right?" Eric prodded tossing the paper back on the magazine stand.

"Eat it," Red fired back flipping him the bird. "How can you make fat jokes after the bounty I have supplied?" It took no time at all to register the large amount of alcohol in Red's cart. Two layers of beer cartons lined the bottom and undercarriage while hard alcohol and wine was tucked any other place the man could find.

"Jesus man, are you throwing a kegger? Have you even looked for anything on the list yet?" Eric asked bewildered, examining a bottle of gin he had never heard of.

"Yup right here boss." Red responded cheerily plucking a bottle of cooking sherry from amid his collection.

"Of course that's what you got." Eric was smiling now. Twisting the cart and his friend around as he unloaded the second jug of water when he saw Ned wandering into the bread aisle. The two of them watched him with some amusement. The man wasn't quite stumbling but he was going at a very slow pace and seemed incredibly paranoid that something vicious was going to leap from the stock of yeast with a hunger for blood.

"Will you see if he needs any help? I'm going to get milk and eggs, and then we can find my dad." Eric said pulling his cart to the outside cooler wall.

Red nodded, still smiling, "You don't let this out of your sight. If anything happens to those rations it's on your ass." The big man tenderly pushed the booze cart up against Eric's and trotted off to deal with his smoking buddy.

As Red moved away, Eric hustled over and retrieved the paper from where he had tossed it. The article about the helicopter pilot was still open so he flipped to the next page which showed a map of Illinois, and more importantly Chicago. He skimmed the article quickly wanting to be back to the cart before Red could get a look at the paper. It read:

'With the help of the US government the CDC has quarantined the city of Chicago and much of the state of Illinois. Since the crisis has taken place there have been multiple outbreaks of vicious flu like symptoms and even more reports of cannibalism. Regional Director Randall Potts is currently in place and working closely with the people of Illinois to help evacuate anyone necessary, and to do it as safely as possible. We could not get time for an interview from Potts but he assures us that every precaution that can be taken is. He also says that if you are asked to be tested it is in your best interest to quickly and calmly follow the CDC workers to the nearest Orange Site.

If you or a family member feels in fear of contamination please contact your local police or fire departments as they have information on the closest Orange Sites in your area.'

"It's getting worse isn't it?" Eric flinched when he heard his friend's voice. How can a man so large be so sneaky.

"Oh it's just a bunch of the same bullshit man." Eric tossed the paper like he had earlier but this time Red grabbed it like an interception. Glancing over the text, the joy that was in his face earlier was quickly replaced by fear and heartache.

"It says that the Center for Disease Control is all over it man. I'm sure those pussies just got sick from some space flakes or something that came of that thing when it crashed."

Pushing out a smile and letting the paper fall Red looked up at him, "Yea you're probably right. Only thing is, they say it's spreading. How is that even possible?" They stood in silence for a moment before Eric thought of something more important than an unanswerable conundrum.

"What the hell happened to Ned?" Saying it made Red look over his shoulder back toward the bread aisle.

"Yea, something's wrong with him man, you should probably come check it out. He was just mumbling about needing a minute, he'd be fine. Personally I don't know what the hell is wrong with that guy, I just like him cause he supplies the smokes."

"Alright, let's round him up." They moved over to where Ned had been standing, but since Red's conversation with the man, he had made it halfway down the aisle and collapsed. Blood was everywhere.

"Jesus, what the hell happened to him?" Red gaped at the scene and didn't have an answer for his friend.

"He seemed weird when I got over here, but he definitely wasn't bleeding like this." Dropping down Red put his hand in front of the man's face and frowned, then took his pulse.

"Hey we need some help here!" Eric shouted when he could see that Red was getting consistently bad news on his check for vitals. Twisting around and rushing out into the main aisle Eric searched for help, but all he could see were rows of food and carts, it seemed people had disappeared. With no luck at the back of the store he moved quickly back up front finding two cashiers leaning against their registers chatting it up.

"Where is everybody? There's a hurt man back here, we need help." The two ladies at the checkout stared at him blankly for what seemed like a decade before the attractive one he had seen earlier sprang into action.

"Michelle, call 911. Who's hurt, where is he?" She asked. Eric spit out what little he knew as they moved back to the aisle where Red was waiting for them.

Red was sitting on the floor a few feet away from Ned with his hands in his lap, staring at the rows of bread across the aisle. Coming to a halt a few feet from Ned's body, the clerk brought her hands to her face and turned away from the pool of blood. Stopping only long enough to make sure the girl didn't faint, Eric moved into Red's field of vision. It took a moment for the large man to register his friend crouched in front of him.

"We've got an ambulance on the way, how's," Red still hadn't acknowledged him, "are you okay?" Glancing back at the clerk, she had turned white, but was still standing; he put a hand on Red's shoe.

"He's dead," the big man whispered finally looking at Eric. His eyes were pink but it didn't look like any tears had fallen, he looked tired.

Letting out a sigh Eric stood up, "Okay, well we need to.." he looked over Ned's body, but he couldn't even get another thought through his head other than _there's a bloody corpse on the floor_.

"Aww Jesus," Red muttered from his place in the floor. He was coming back into the moment and had noticed the blood drying on his hands and started wiping it on his pants.

"Who would do this?" asked the girl at the far end of the aisle who had regained some of her color. Somehow this question hadn't even crossed the men's collective minds. Wiping the blood off his palms to the best of his ability, Red stood up and looked around as if he had just entered the store.

"Where's your dad?" Red asked stepping out of the aisle and looking back in the direction Ned had come from.

"Can you go back up front and show the EMT's where his body is?" Eric asked giving the clerk a soft push on the back. She only took a few steps before turning back.

"Do you think you could come with me?" Since she had brought to light the fact that someone had done this thing to Ned, he had contemplated that the same person would still be running around inside the building.

"Sure," then turning back to Red, "Will you go around the back side and I'll walk her up front. You might want to find something to...defend yourself." It felt odd saying the last part, but he didn't want the thought to go to waste. Giving a nod Red disappeared back around the coolers.

"Do you have anything around here we could use in case whoever did this comes back?" Eric asked the clerk.

"Phillip keeps a Maglight up front. He used it to chase Walt Maggis out a couple weeks ago when he couldn't pay for his booze." Stealing a glance at him she turned red. "Sorry, I know you're not from around here, and none of that made any sense to you."

Turning on the best fake smile he could, which wasn't impressive, "It's ok, I know what a Maglight is, and that's a step in the right direction."

Michelle, who had called the ambulance earlier was nowhere to be found. Pulling the large flashlight out from under a register, the clerk handed it over to him immediately. Watching her uneasy glances around the large empty area he wanted to reach out and touch her, even on the shoulder, just to make some comforting contact; but he never had the chance.

A crash came from the back corner of the building accompanied by some muffled shouting. Without hesitating Eric got a grip on the flashlight and headed in the direction of the noise, leaving her behind. Rounding an end-cap of cheap DVD's he came within view of a door to into the receiving section of the store. Boxes had fallen around the door propping it open slightly, and a dark streak of blood ran the length of the door. The shouting had died down but he could hear voices as he pushed the door open and stepped into the storage area.

Racks for storage lined the walls stacked with boxes of food, toiletries, booze and other miscellaneous merchandise. Red and Jack stood off to the left by a small loading bay. A man in a suit and tie was standing with them and they were all hovering over another man who was lying on the floor motionless.

"Try it again," Jack demanded without looking away from the man on the floor. With his orders, the man in the suit turned away raising his cell to his ear.

"Jesus Christ!" the suit cried out noticing Eric for the first time. Red twisted around raising his arms resembling an Irish version of The Hulk. Rolling his eyes he let his hands fall to his sides.

"What's going on?" Eric asked taking a tentative step toward the man on the ground.

"Woah, stay back, I hit him pretty good but who knows how long he'll be out," Red half whispered stepping between Eric and the unconscious body on the floor. Stopping he turned back to the man in the suit who was holding his phone up to his ear and shaking his head with a frown on his face.

"That's Phil," Jack said, motioning at the man in the suit. "He's the manager. I was shopping when he ran over asking for help. This guy is one of his employees and he seems to have lost it. When I got here the guy was just mumbling, and knocking over boxes before Ned grabbed him and tried to restrain him. He bit Ned pretty good and he took off to find a first aid kit." Listening silently, Eric watched it all happen in his mind and none of it was coming together.

"Don't worry, it doesn't make much sense to us either," Red muttered rubbing his beard. Phil joined them and they all stared down at the unconscious employee.

"My phone's not working," huffed the young cashier pouncing through the swinging doors into the storage area. She froze as the scene came into focus, a group of men standing around what appeared to be a body.

"It's okay Elle," Phil said taking a step toward her with his hands out. "Something happened to Ricky and he's not thinking clearly, so we had to subdue him until the police get here."

Taking it in Elle lifted the cell phone in her hand, "Mine's not working," she pleaded.

"Maybe it's this room, I haven't been able to get a signal either," Red added. He tossed his phone to Eric, "you want to step out there and see if you can get anything on that?" Then turning to Phil, "You have a land line here somewhere?"

"In my office, up front, Elle will you show him?"

With their new assignment, Eric and Elle stepped back into the store while looking back at the still unconscious Ricky. Taking a route that avoided Ned's body, they made it to the front of the store into a small office off to the side of the check-out area. Taking quick glances at the phone verified that the store room wasn't keeping the signal out. The office was tagged with all sorts of safety regulation posters and motivational spreadsheets. Small stacks of papers lined the desk and Elle knocked one off grabbing the receiver of the phone.

"Holy shit, it works!" she beamed holding it out to him.

"Well go ahead, you know the number," Eric replied smiling back. Punching in 911 she paused then the smile faded from her face.

"What is it?" he asked feeling his face grow hot. Locking eyes with him for only a second she looked away silently, listening to whatever was being said on the other side of the line. After a few moments she handed him the phone as a tear fell from her eye.

" _Saint Michael's Church, and Washington Middle School. The Rose Landal Hospital is at capacity. If you are sick please call the hotline number 1-800-657-6543. A detox center will be set up today at an undetermined location, please call back after 1:00pm for the location. It is best to stay indoors and if anyone in your close proximity has been showing any of the symptoms listed, immediately remove yourself from their vicinity. Reported symptoms include but are not limited to thick vomit with bloody discharge, high fever, mental instability-mainly aggressive behavior..."_ Pulling the receiver away from his ear, Eric looked at it like he had never seen one before.

The world had disappeared as he listened to the recording and as it came back he focused on Elle. She was sitting in Phil's chair with her legs pulled up to her chest as tears rolled down her cheeks spreading dark streaks of mascara.

"What's happening?" She shivered hard as she said it. Stepping around the desk he put his hands on her shoulders.

"I don't know, but according to that call we need to go back there and get everyone away from that kid on the floor. If he's sick..." he didn't know how to finish so he let it hang. Elle didn't move, she just sat there taking in thick breaths as she tried to get her tears under control. Moving around in front of her, Eric leaned against the desk and took her hands. "We really need to get back there and let them know about that call." He gave her a moment then squeezed her hands and stood up. It didn't take her long to see that he was right. Wiping at the tears she stood up and they moved back out into the store. They only got a few steps before Eric could feel her not following him anymore.

"I need to go check on my mom." She didn't expand on it and the stern look on her face indicated that she wasn't going to.

"Okay, it may be dangerous out there, are you going to be all right?" He didn't want to see her go, but things had changed dramatically in the last five minutes.

"My car's right outside and she only lives a few miles away. I got this job when I still lived with her." The thought brought some form of nostalgia and she brightened temporarily.

"I understand." He took a step toward her then stopped himself. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, and be careful," She kissed him on the cheek. The heat from her crying and anxiety lingered with her smell and then was gone. He watched her go until she pulled out of the parking lot, then moved toward the back of the store.

Red was standing in the doorway to the storage area with a smirk on his face.

"That was sweet. I didn't know you liked them so young, or so female."

Smiling, Eric wiped his face, "I like my boys older and more Irish, you know that." It didn't feel right to go over the entirety of what he had just heard, but he didn't want any of them to be in danger either.

"Has that kid moved yet?"

Shaking his head, Red looked back in the room, "Not yet, I may have been a little too rough on him. There's a light in there that's starting to go out. It's giving me a headache so I came out here. Any word on the phone?"

"Well, the cells are crap, but the landline still works. I got a recording, it said people are sick. I don't understand how it can be local, we haven't heard anything."

Finding his beard again Red added, "You're mom was pretty heavy on the TV when we got here, but your old man pinched that off. We really haven't seen anything but a snippet here and there." One look at Eric and he knew this wasn't what he was wanting to hear, "Of course we've been out and about a few times, and it looked pretty much like business as usual when we drove here. Maybe it was a was a widespread announcement, and we're just inside the broadcast radius."

Most people can trick themselves into believing that things are going to be all right, even if their intestines are hanging out on the sidewalk. Eric tried, he looked into his mind's eye and saw empty schools, and hospitals operating the same as every day. But he knew it was a lie, the recording mentioned Washington Middle School, a large brick building just outside of town.

"Dad, come out here!" Eric shouted.

"What is it?" he cried back. Shaking his head Eric muttered to himself.

"Damn it, I need you to come out here, you too, um,"

"Phil," Red chimed in.

"Yea Phil, come on, it's not safe in there." They could hear the men conversing in the back room and taking their time before they finally emerged. Phil looked worried and more than a little confused. On the other hand Jack had the same stern look he always wore, and he walked like a man that has been dethroned.

"Who did you get a hold of?" Jack asked crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Looking down at his feet Eric couldn't meet his father's gaze.

"It sounds like the whole network is down, the land line just kicked through to a recording about people being sick. Kind of like the stuff that was happening in Chicago." Red spat out, the man hated uncomfortable silence. Jack took in a breath and let it out without saying a word, all the while staring through his son.

"So what do we do about Ricky?" Phil asked stripping off his coat and draping it over the ledge of a cooler next to the back door.

"If he's sick I think our best option is to leave him where he is, at the very least he won't be able to hurt anyone from back there." Red replied picking up a bag of beef jerky. Phil nodded at the bag and the large man ripped it open.

"We can't just leave him there, if he's got whatever those people had in Chicago he won't last overnight." Eric spit out. He could feel the blood and heat rushing to his face. The open conversation just made him more aware of the empty space surrounding them. No one had come into the grocery store since they got there, and the only employee left was Ricky who was still stuck in the back room.

"What do you suggest we do with him?" If we can't get a policeman out here, I don't know how we could transport him anywhere. The only one who can handle him if he goes crazy again is the big boy here." Jack asked leaning back into the storage room for a glance at Ricky.

"I could handle him," Eric grumbled under his breath.

"What's that?" Jack asked. He uncrossed his arms and stepped back in front of the group.

"Nothing, maybe we should just go, when he gets up and if he feels bad then he can go find a doctor I suppose." Eric huffed. He wasn't making eye contact with anyone anymore and physically withdrew from the group.

"I'm going to lock this place up, but I can't just leave him here alone. What if he goes nuts again?" Phil added.

"Can he open the doors from the inside if they're locked?" Jack asked. Phil nodded, "Ok, then I say you lock up and we take off. The worst that happens is he goes nuts and breaks a few things on his way out. At the least you know who did it. I don't want you to stay here, if he does lose it, you should be able to keep your distance." Jack circled the group and slowly stepped toward the front of the store while talking to them. "We're going to go take a look around town and see what there is to see. With any luck this is all garbage and your boy back there is an isolated incident." With that Jack turned and walked to the registers.

"Where are you wanting to go?" Eric asked trailing the pack.

"If people are sick then we should be able to see that by just driving by the hospital. I'm thinking we give it a shot and take it from there." Red nodded in agreement with Jack's decision, but stopped when he saw how uneasy Eric was. Following Jack, the group made it to the front door before turning to Phil.

"I hope that you find nothing," Phil said looking over each of them. "I'm going to stay here with Ricky, I don't feel right leaving him to wake up alone." They stared at him blankly.

"Do you have some sort of a weapon you could hold on to, just in case?" Jack asked.

"I left your flashlight on your desk," Eric choked out, feeling like it didn't matter what he said or did.

Jack gave the store manager a long look before holding his hand out. Phil took it and shook it hard, "Be careful Phil, if you need anything call my home phone if the cells still aren't working." The two men exchanged a hard look before Jack walked out of the building toward the car. Red and Eric gave Phil a final nod as they followed the old man out; they could hear him lock the door behind them as soon as their feet hit pavement.

-NOW-

A thick clear stream of urine splashed into the ashes of the fire popping up curls of thin smoke and splashing ash out onto the asphalt. Rubbing a hand through his thick white beard, Rohn looked up surveying the long road they had come down. Laney had arrived in the middle of the night and informed the portion of the group that was awake, of the man that Jake had found. This explanation was the only reason Rohn didn't make any sudden movements when he saw the two figures on the horizon heading in his direction.

"We've got incoming!" Terry shouted hopping into the back of the wagon and whipping out one of the old rifles. He pointed it down the road as sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Put that damn thing down before you accidentally shoot Jake, Jesus man, pull yourself together." Rohn growled at him zipping up his pants.

"Hey, we don't know if the guys ok, he could be nuts," Terry spat back still pointing the gun down the street. Stepping up to the wagon Rohn grabbed the barrel of the rifle and yanked it out of Terry's hands.

"Did you listen to anything Laney said last night? We are going to treat the man with equal parts respect and concern, which means we don't point peacemakers in his face as he walks into our camp." Rohn stared at Terry until he finally looked away in shame. He wasn't the smartest man in the group and even though it took him a while, he usually got the point that was being pushed.

"Alright I get it, Jane said to check him out regardless of what he said earlier. I'm all about helping, so yea, I get it." Standing up Terry motioned down the road. The two silhouettes had turned into actual figures and the shorter one had his left arm out, elbow bent with his hand in the air. Rohn returned the gesture and Jake dropped his arm.

"What do you think? How are we going to handle this then?" Terry asked as they stood watching the two men walk toward them.

"I suggest you putting that back in the wagon, or at least out of sight, we don't want to send the wrong message," both men turned in surprise, as neither of them had heard Jane approach.

Rohn slipped the gun behind him, back into the wagon without a word. Giving Jane a look he noticed that she was more focused on Terry than anything else. The look she was giving him said that she was more nervous about what he may do than what the man approaching their group would do.

The three of them stood there in silence as Jake and his new companion closed the gap. It took a few minutes for them to get within talking distance but it was not a new experience watching Jake slowly morph into a crisp clear figure; the bow over his shoulder was the last thing to take on a shadow. At about fifty yards out Eric stretched his hands out to his sides, palms forward. Jane smiled, even if he wasn't one of the people she was supposed to be looking for, Laney was right about him being intelligent, that was worth a lot in this new world.

Even though Jake walked right into the barrier that the group had created with the wagon, Eric stopped and surveyed his new found companions.

"How you doin young'n?" Rohn asked giving Jake a pat on the shoulder. Smiling Jake gave the old man a slap on the back before stopping in front of Jane.

"He said that he knows Laney told you about him, and he's willing to walk with our group for a while, but he says he's holding onto what's his." Jane raised an eyebrow to the boy. "Did he tell you that he's not the guy you're looking for?" Jane nodded at that but raised her eyebrow again. Letting a thin smile stretch across his face Jake shrugged saying _I'm not so sure._

"As you know, I've heard about you, and that you bested both of our scouts last night, I'm hoping we have nothing to fear from each other."

"You have nothing to fear from me. Both of your men showed bravery last night in a desire to protect your group, I respect that. From what I understand we are headed in the same direction for the time being, and I believe in safety in numbers, when a sense of trust can be established."

"You use a lot of big words. Laney said you were smart." Jane surveyed the man for a long moment, taking in his stance and giving the sword as much of an observation as she could from her place on the line.

"I'm only as smart as the ones who raised me," Eric said giving her the same once over. She wore a sword that as far as he could tell was identical to his. There wasn't going to be much more time to hide who he was if she could see his sword as clearly as he could see hers.

Looking back at Jane, Jake nodded, _He's okay._

"As much as we would love to have you here, you have to understand that we can't trust you just because you've made a good first impression." She could hear Jake let out an uncomfortable breath from behind her. Moving slowly, Rohn let his hand rest on the butt of rifle in the wagon, hoping it looked casual.

Surveying the group that had been gathering since Terry's first observance of their approach, Eric smiled. These people weren't marauders or thieves, as he had feared they may be. What he was looking at was a group of people brought together by equal parts fear and faith. It made sense that Jane could convince a few of them that the God's spoke to her, but the others would come along just for the strength in numbers.

" _I can smell food. They're so out of place here, it would take nothing to mow them down, and they have a horse. We could ride..."_

Ignoring Lex Eric moved a palm out toward Rohn. Standing his ground, "Don't get over excited with that; let me say my piece." The old man's eyes widened a bit but he didn't take his hand off the rifle.

Crossing his arms he looked down at Lex who stood surveying the new people impatiently. "I have been..." Lex cleared his throat...well telepathically speaking. "WE, my friend here," motioning to the still standing dog, "have been walking the coastline in hopes of finding one of the lost cities I keep hearing about." Terry rolled his eyes and moaned but Jane nodded to continue. "We have survived by being friendly with the right people and avoiding the wrong ones. From the conversation I've had with your buddy here, you folks are the kind of people that can work together with others."

"We're not animals," one of the women behind the wagon whispered smiling. It hadn't taken long to learn that flattery can be your best friend on the road.

"But we're not saps either," replied another giving the happy woman a stern look.

"I don't expect any sort of special treatment, but as I mentioned I talked with Jake and we seem to all be heading in the same direction. I am a firm believer of safety in numbers." He said again. This got a few heads nodding and the woman who was previously scorned skipped the smile for a full out grin.

"What's to keep you from stabbing me in the back while I sleep?" Terry seethed.

"Don't you think he would have just killed me and Laney last night if he wanted what we have?"

" _Laney and me, silly boy"_ the dog apparently didn't miss a single lesson Eric spoke, even when talking to himself.

"What could I possibly have to gain by attacking you?" Eric asked cutting Jake off, he already knew the boy was on his side but it was his job to convince the rest. "You outnumber me by a high extent, even if I was foolish enough to stab you in the back as you said, the rest of you would easily rip me apart." Terry mulled this thought over but said nothing. "Besides that, I know you have at least two guns, I'm guessing more; and I see three bows," The entire group looked over themselves silently.

"You're a very observant man," Rohn mussed pulling his hand slowly away from the rifle in the wagon. The trend of the conversation had soothed him enough not to open fire.

"Why are you heading North?" Jane asked studying Eric intently.

"I've just been following the roads, I'm not heading in any direction particular."

"So you know what North is?" The instant Jane said it he knew he had made a mistake. Any sense of direction had faded over the years, and he couldn't remember the last time he saw a map. The damn voice had said north and to walk in the wrong direction felt...off; she knew it too.

"I saw the word on a wall somewhere," she smirked and he could feel himself losing her; if he lost her, he lost everyone. "Fuck it, you know exactly how I know what North is. I'm heading to the Dead City just like you." There were a few gasps but Jane didn't break eye contact with this new man.

"You knew I was like you, why not come out with it in the first place?" she asked. Breaking away from her gaze, Eric surveyed the dog who seemed completely disinterested in the conversation and was now sitting a foot away watching a fly buzz over the ashes from the night before.

"I felt it would be better not to show all my cards at once," Jane looked confused by the phrase, "I mean, I think it's better to keep some things private."

The hard stare on her face softened dramatically, and she stepped around from the cover of her wagon and group. "Do you know what it wants?" Everyone in the group seemed to stop breathing as this question dangled in the air in front of them. Those previously hard stares and snarls of disgust had turned to open eyes with mouths agape in hope of an answer to a question that couldn't be answered.

"As much as I hate to let you down, I don't know what he wants."

"He?" Jane let her shoulders drop but hadn't lost all hope of acquiring new information. This time it was Eric who let his mouth drop open, he went over any consequences of divulging the rest of this information in his head.

" _Why stop now dipshit? They already know you've got super-duper magical powers, go ahead and make them think you're some kind of a guru, spill that shit, what could it possibly hurt?"_ Giving the animal a quick glance, Lex looked up and yawned at his human companion.

"I met him." This time Jane's face exploded in wonder. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally spitting out a barrage of questions. They went back and forth for a few minutes on the details, but he didn't have a whole lot to tell.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know the answer to that either," Eric explained exasperated after being asked dozens of questions including if the man was human and what pushing was. The excitement on Jane's face dissipated with each unanswered question, until she was nothing but a confused mess. They stood there quietly looking over each other while other members of the group whispered quietly amongst themselves.

Pushing the hat back on his head, Eric wiped the sweat from his brow. "Are we all feeling a little better now, or does that spotty information make you feel worse?" He asked the group. Rohn laughed out loud.

"I'm sorry," he said stifling his laughter with his hands, "I was just thinking how even though you had all those answers, you somehow managed to answer nothing at all." He let out another laugh and Eric smiled.

With Rohn's laughter the group opened up allowing Eric and Lex to join them. Feeling like a politician, he shook hands and even worked his way through an awkward hug. Most of the people were reaching out to see the newcomer and more importantly get a look at his guns and the sword that they had all been searching for. Jake gave Eric a quick shake with a knowing nod, this new strange man had fed him more knowledge than a library could have provided and he had promised to keep his mouth shut.

Finally making it around the group Eric came to Rohn, he had been wanting to peek in the wagon to see what he was relying on. He tried to hide the smile as he saw the small .22 resting on a blanket. It was a bit worn, but it closely resembled the one he had used to shoot armadillos and moles on his farm in a different time. Still standing at the foot of the wagon Rohn had a large smile on his face as Eric outstretched his hand.

"I have to tell you, if nothing else, it is exciting to know that I don't have to keep looking for that damn sword." He said enveloping Eric's hand in both of his.

Letting out a genuine laugh Eric replied, "I hate to tell you this but there's always something to look for, and always something to be found." Rohn's smile didn't falter as his hands fell back to his sides. Squinting up at the clouds Rohn's eyes moved to the city previously known as Philadelphia, "I don't know if you're aware, but there are shadows in that city. If that's where this voice is telling you to go then it's more than just cruel."

"I have a feeling that that city is just a landmark on the way to our destination." Eric said waving a hand at Philly.

"What makes you think that?" Neither of them had seen Jane approach, and she had quietly listened to the exchange. "That cluster of buildings there could be exactly where we are supposed to be headed."

Rubbing the stubble that was slowly turning into a beard Eric pondered how to respond to that, and finally decided to cut the chase, "In the north there is a city. This city is larger than any other in the country and I can only assume that whatever we are looking for waits there." Jane and Rohn gave each other a look that only people who have been together a long time can exchange.

"How could you possibly know all of that?" Jane asked with a twinge of anger in her voice.

Shrugging off the question Eric's eyes moved back to Rohn as he watched him pull out a small leather sack and pull a piece of paper out of it. Without dropping any tobacco Rohn rolled a cigarette and packed it on the wheel well of the wagon. Looking up he could see the way Eric was drooling over it and handed it over before rolling another for himself. A stick match was produced and the two men inhaled deeply.

"I have to say, I'm glad I met you folks."

-NOW-

Circumventing a city on foot isn't as easy as it is in a vehicle. Our world was changed first for the wagon, and it continued to evolve. Pavement took over for dirt, and asphalt stretched across our world. Three wagons made their way North along Highway 95 surrounded by a small band of people on foot and three on horses. Jane rode alongside Eric and Lex, who was finally accepting that the horses weren't demons or food. For the first couple miles she hadn't been able to take her eyes off the sword on Eric's waist. Other than basic wear, their weapons were identical.

"So they can teleport?" Eric asked. Jane shrugged not comprehending the word. "If they can move instantly we used to call that teleporting. I assume that's not exactly what they're doing, but the word works."

"I'm not sure that's accurate. They definitely kill, and they do it quick, but their speed is probably exaggerated." Rohn added from his place on the side of the wagon.

"Have you seen any of them before?" Eric asked either of them. They both shook their head and looked over the group. Marz was walking along the far side of the group and they waved him over.

"You said that you saw shadows, could you tell if any of the stories were true?" Rohn asked. Marz had short black hair and he nervously ran his hand through it as he thought it over.

"I was a long ways off, but it didn't look like they had feet. I'm pretty sure that's one of the things I heard about, that they could float, maybe that's how they go so fast." Eric felt his eyebrow elevate as he listened and he forced it back with a frown. What Marz was explaining was now sounding very familiar to Eric, though calling them Shadows must have just evolved from their dwellings. In Dallas there was a group that he could only describe as vampiric in nature. They stuck to the buildings because they couldn't stand the sunlight, but other than their uncanny speed, they weren't indestructible; but a group was tough to handle.

"I think I've got a better picture about what you mean," Eric said turning to observe the group. Only a few could fit in the wagons, and they were reserved for the oldest and weakest. Those that were walking were obviously going to be worn out after a full day's worth of travel and if even one of these Shadows came at them they needed to be at full attention. The closest wagon was made from the bed of a truck and Eric pounded on the rusted metal to get everyone's attention and stop them. Jane watched startled by the noise but went along with the interruption for the time being.

"What the hell are you stopping us for man? It's always better to stop under cover." Cried a middle aged man with stringy red hair who had been walking between the wagons.

"Folks, according to what I'm hearing you already know about Shadows. I suggest we take a minute to make a plan." Eric spoke louder as he heard Lex open up about convincing some of the older people to walk into the city as bait, "We cannot go through the city, and even going around it is dangerous." Stepping up onto the wagon he could see the city waiting for them at the end of the road. What used to be an old airport rested to their right and the city couldn't be more than three miles away. They were already surrounded by buildings, and that alone made him nervous. "I'm going to suggest that we take this road here and we either need to find something else to tie to these horses or lose some shit because we may need to move fast." He said pointing to a road on their left whose sign had abandoned it years ago.

"I thought we needed to get in that city." Shouted Terry, making sure that Jane could see that he was talking more to her than this man who had decided he was taking over the group.

Jane gave the horizon a long look before turning back to Eric who waited in hopes that she wouldn't lead her people to certain death. "Marz, where were you when you saw the Shadows?" Perking up at the mention of his name, Marz hopped onto the wagon beside Eric. There was no sun to cut into his eyes but the man cupped a hand over his face just the same, "There," he pointed, "I had just passed that bridge when I saw movement and I sat down and waited till after dark before I saw them come out. But they never came in my direction, they just moved around in them streets up there."

Frowning, Jane turned back to Eric and nodded, "I think he's right everyone. If we can avoid a fight we should. We need to get around this city in order to get to the next one." A couple people, including Terry scoffed at her direction; though no one actually contested it. Jane and Rohn decided to send Marz ahead to keep an eye out for Shadows and they would get the rest of the group moving as soon as the sun was high enough.

Moving everyone into what was left of the airport lobby Eric sat up along the wall of windows. Most of the lobby was bare as the chairs and wood had been ripped out and a large hole opened to the heavens where it had caved in years ago. The majority of the windows were still intact though the tops were either cracked or had settled with time. A single television hung crooked above a rusted escalator, and Eric felt his shoulders slump with nostalgia of everything that was. He considered going around back to see if any of the planes were lined up, but the thought depressed him and he pushed his mind back into the present.

"Smoke?" Rohn asked leaning against a brace that used to hold a telephone.

"No," he said shaking his head. As amazing as the nicotine made him feel, nothing took the thought out of his mind that he may be running these people to their deaths at sun rise. "Thank you though."

Rohn nodded and took a drag. Though the man was easily in his fifties he wasn't any more interested in the mysteries of the airport than a baby was about where the food came from. These locations from the past had always been around for him, and it was just a part of life. Together the two men watched the rest of the group slowly find places to sit and spread out; meanwhile, Jane stood outside watching them. Other than basic directions and being nudged along the way, she had never considered what would happen if she actually came in contact with the others The Voice had spoken of. Even though her life had been dedicated to following the advice of what she considered the Gods, it seemed like just the presence of this strange man had changed everything. She couldn't place the discomfort sitting in her stomach, like spoiled meat, but it insisted that things were changing.

" _Son of a bitch, give me some of that!"_ Eric was jerked out of sleep by Lex's growls. The animal stood snarling at an older woman who had once been eating a rabbit but was now frozen in fear with juices dripping down her wrist.

"Lex! Come here!" Lunging up out of his sleeping position Eric blinked hard keeping the light headedness at bay. He hadn't eaten much last night either. Lex turned toward his companion and his lips dropped over his teeth, but he didn't move from his place in front of the woman.

" _Tell this twat to give me some of that hoppy, I'm fucking starving._ " Moving out of a prone position Lex sat down and watched the woman's hand intently, though he stopped snarling which was a step in the right direction.

"I'd be happy to give him a piece if he won't bite me." Whimpered the woman who had been pinned up against the wall by the large wolf.

"No he won't bite, he just hasn't had much to eat lately and is a little anxious," Eric replied giving Lex a hard stare. Lex sneezed in response. The little woman slowly pulled off a piece of the skin and tossed it in Eric's direction. Leaping in the air the animal caught it before it had a chance to lead him away from her, turning back to the food the woman gave Eric an uncertain glance.

"Lex come here," Eric demanded removing a bottle of water from his bag and pouring some into a tin cup. Successfully distracted, Lex sulked over to the cup and lapped it up.

" _Dumb bitch just gave me the outer piece. Everyone knows the best parts are in the middle."_ He griped sitting down so Eric could pet him while he watched the woman finish her breakfast.

"We need to be up and moving in ten." Announced a very exhausted looking Jane. She stood in the entrance to the lobby and something about the look on her face got the people uneasy. People were packed in minutes and moving out to the wagons before Eric had a chance to stand up.

"Your animal can have these, I won't have time to grind them before they go bad." The woman said handing over a piece of metal with the rabbit bones on it. Her whimper from earlier was replaced by a driving force to get moving. Giving his thanks, Eric tossed Lex a foot and stashed the rest in a plastic lined portion of his bag to avoid any future snarling alarm clocks.

" _I don't know who you are calling a pet ya old bag. Hell, you're more of a pet than I am, look at you, all you can do is sleep, eat, and shit, you're like a child!"_ Eric gave the dog a smack on the side of the head but that only got him laughing. It's a weird feeling to have someone's angry laughter in your head.

Moving outside Eric gave a weary eye to the horizon; the clouds never went away so it was difficult to tell if they meant rain or not. A good thing about cities was that cover was plentiful, the bad thing was what called that cover home. Adjusting the button on his bag to assure accessibility Jane stepped in front of him.

"Do those things work?" She asked nodding at the guns on his hips. Pushing his hat back on his head he nodded but she didn't give him time to speak, "We have four peacemakers but only two of them fire, and the cases we have for them are pretty iffy, we never know if they're going to shoot or not." There was only one word to express the feeling engulfing Eric's body, 'shit'.

"I will have no problem doing my part to keep these people safe, but if something comes at us we are going to have to move fast and that's the only downside to these wagons." He wanted to mention the older people he was watching get in said wagons, but it seemed unfair to single them out. For all he knew they could be better fighters than Jake and Laney.

"Don't worry about them." She replied following his gaze, "They've made it this far, if they don't make it further, then at least they get peace." Her phrasing made him twitch; was there any peace after death in this world? He didn't know much about the mythology, or how much of it held any truth, but he remembered a river filled with the dead. That didn't sound very peaceful.

The two of them walked over to a far sidewalk that was a bridge over the road away from the airport. Eric stood surveying for long enough to make Jane uncomfortable, she wasn't seeing what he was so she looked back at him and asked, "What is it?"

No man on Earth had eyes quite like Eric's, and standing there, no one would want them. Looking toward the city he could make out movement between the buildings, and nothing about it appeared human. Blinking he watched as a shadow moved liquid fast from the third story of an office building into the adjacent building's second story.

"I can see the Shades moving, sorry Shadows, yea, they're there," he raised a hand and pointed Northeast into the heart of Philadelphia. Jane shuddered in response so he continued. "There are two options as I see it. One- we all head out that way," he pointed to a road that ran Northwest, "but that will take us through a different part of the city and we may run into something we're not expecting anyway." She followed his hand and waited, "Option two is a couple of your better fighters go with me that direction," he pointed toward the city and could see her tense up dramatically. "We will cut back and go around the west side of the city but make enough noise to keep whatever is out there away from the wagons while they go the long way around." Drawing a circle in the air she could see an outline of a highway that circled the downtown area but was still over crowded by buildings and rubble, which seemed to be all that lay ahead for them.

Taking over for Eric, she stood there surveying until Rohn came up behind them, she heard his footfalls and turned around. "Why would you go with them?" Her eyes were hard but he could see the fear in them, no one want's to send someone off to die.

"As corny as it sounds, I'm the best chance you've got. How many of your group could survive on their own for..." he stopped. How long had it been? He looked down at his hands, he knew it was over fifty years, but after that he had lost count. "The group that goes close has to be fighters, and like it or not, that's one thing I've gotten very good at."

She looked him over, and her eyes went down to the hilt of the sword sticking out of his belt; her hand rested on hers. "Where did you find that thing?"

He let a genuine smile cross his face, "Believe it or not it was in a church, seemed somewhat controversial to me." Her face displayed no emotion, she didn't get the irony.

"I found this in a display case in some old building." For the first time she pulled the sword out of its sheath. Eric followed it with his eyes with the hint of a smile on his lips. The sword was dull, not from use, it was a ceremonial sword, the only sharp part was the tip and even that would take a pretty good lunge to get through someone. "Is it a joke that they asked us to find worthless weapons? Are the gods that cruel?"

The smile ran from his lips and he twisted his back around so he could unzip his bag. "They are much more cruel than that." Withdrawing a whetstone and a manufactured knife sharpener he had found in a Sears outlet he handed them to her. Accepting them clumsily she turned them over in her hands with confusion on her face.

Producing his sword he gave her a quick demonstration. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the blade. A piece of decoration had been transformed into a killing machine; and other than the blood and razor sharp edge it matched hers exactly.

Coughing, he never meant to interrupt as he was fascinated with the display, Rohn looked down nervously. "Sorry, but I'm not sure how much brighter it's going to get," he gave the sky an anxious glance. Nodding, Jane held the tools back out to Eric who didn't take the whetstone.

"Keep it, you're going to need a hobby once we get around this little town." He smiled, but this time his eyes didn't match his lips and he turned back to Rohn.

"We need Marz, and Laney, we're going to split up and go around the city in two groups." Swallowing hard, Rohn gave his beard a scratch but didn't move back toward the group.

"Why would we do that?" was all he could ask, there was fear in his eyes, but the man was smarter than most, and sought reason.

"There is going to be a distraction group, and then everyone else," Eric replied fiddling with the straps on his bag. "There is no way in hell we can get those slow ass wagons through here without being attacked by every Shadow and tainted beast resting inside that city."

Nodding slowly, Rohn returned back to the wagons turning once to see that they were following him. Giving the rest of the group a quick overview of the plan as they loaded the rest of their cargo the first wagon began moving at a grim pace toward the city.

Judging by where Eric thought the sun was, he figured it had taken them nearly two hours to get to the exit he wanted and came to a stop. The top of a parking garage was just below them at the same level as the bridge they stopped on and he noted that he couldn't see any cars from his position. How many people had gotten stuck inside the city? Images of vehicles crammed together blocking streets and bridges made him second guess his original plan.

"How do we know these roads come out anywhere near each other?" Marz asked looking down the street that ran underneath the bridge. From where they stood they could see the street was relatively clear for about half a mile before it curved back north behind buildings.

Grimacing at the question, Eric looked back to the city, "You see that tall building there with the windows ripped out on the left side?" Squinting, Marz nodded, "Keep that in sight, so that when you get around to the other side of the city, those windows will be on the right side. Find a bridge or high position and we'll find each other." Nodding, Marz turned back to the wagon making sure everyone else understood the plan.

"You okay?" Rohn asked stepping up beside Jake.

"I don't know. I'm scared." The young one of the group was sweating and his face was flush. "There's no guarantee that they'll stay in the dark is there?"

"All you need to do is get through there as quick as you can, and keep your eyes open. Men who pause get broken." Pretending not to listen, Eric was leaning against the wagon rubbing Lex's head when Rohn stepped up beside him.

"You don't have to take him. Just because he wants to go, doesn't mean it's a necessity." They stood in silence until Eric couldn't take the man's silent stare any longer.

"Fear is just your mind telling your body that you're not sure if you're ready. The only thing you can do about that is prove your mind wrong. In fact, if we listened to fear, none of us would even be here. If the kid wants to go, he can go. Once this is done, that fear will diminish."

"For a man that's been living on his own with just the company of a dog you don't seem to fear much," scratching his beard he added, "and that kind of creeps me out."

"Why does confidence scare you?" Eric asked straightening himself.

"It's not the confidence part I worry about. It's what you had to do out there on your own that gave you that confidence. I'm not a fan of broken men."

Considering this Eric shook his head, "I'm not broken, I'm adapted."

"You guys about ready to head out?" Jake asked heading around the wagon toward them.

"I'd like to sit down and have a history lesson with you sometime soon," Rohn whispered. Then turning to Jake, "If we're going to do it, now's the time. Come on you old timers, we're going for a ride." A middle aged woman stuck her tongue out at Rohn as she climbed into the front of the wagon. "Be careful what you offer Alice, I'll take you up on that one of these days." Giving a stern nod to Jake he sat in the front seat and stretched his legs out on the foot bar. In only a moment they were off.

Surveying the crew that stayed behind Eric wondered why he had ever stuck his big nose in the middle of their business. Marz, Jake, Laney, Jane, and two other men Eric hadn't met, stood around Lex and him.

"I guess we're really doing this huh?" Laney asked watching the horses and wagons make their way down the street below.

"Yup, so no changing your mind, lets get moving," Jane said softly, but with a conviction that only a leader can use. Without waiting for a reply she started North weaving in and out between car wrecks casually. They men followed and it didn't take long for them to get curious about the newcomer.

"So he just started following you like he's one of your buddies huh?" Ford asked. Ford was a shorter man with arms rippled with muscle. Beads of sweat occasionally ran off his shaved head and stuck in his thick black mustache.

"Yea, something like that," Eric replied trying to keep the conversation to a minimum.

"I'm surprised you didn't eat him, a man can starve out here on his own," Laney chimed in. The other scrawny man next to him whispered something and Laney laughed. "I don't know, I wouldn't fuck it, the tail would get in the way," the two of them laughed again.

" _Can we kill that one? I'll fuck his dead face if my poor wittle tail wouldn't get in the way."_ Lex didn't move his head when Eric shook his head at him. He couldn't even tell if the animal remembered that Eric heard him speaking.

"Don't mind him, he's kind of," Ford rolled his index finger in a circle next to his head.

"Who is that?"

"Name's Jeffery, never Jeff, he gets all cankered up if you call him by a nickname." Noting that piece of information a thin smile crept across Eric's lips.

"This one?" Jane had stopped next to a burned out bus on a bridge so she could see the street below. From their viewpoint it was obvious a large part of the city had burned. The buildings were so close together that nothing had stopped the fire except being out of fuel.

"Let's go down one more, if we need to get inside quick, I don't want to be worrying about holes in the roof." Eric said with a quick glance to the sky. Nodding Jane continued, it was only a half mile to the next exit and they took it.

The street they came out on led East/West so Eric suggested walking under the highway as long as possible to get a little closer to the city. Being off the highway had put an uneasy damper on the group. Down on the ground level buildings blocked their line of sight from every angle. The highway had at least given them am overview of what they were walking into. The nervousness and tension grew thicker with every step.

"You think we're close enough yet, I mean we're just a buffer group, not bait?" Laney asked in a hushed voice. "Right?" Turning around, Jane gave Eric a look that echoed the question.

Taking a look over his shoulder to see how far they had come Eric nodded his head and motioned to take a left on the next street. Every eyes was on him and they all let out a collective breath of relief in knowing that this was as close as they'd have to come to the center of town.

Stopping, they moved into a store whose shelved had been completely ransacked and even chopped up, presumably from a fire long ago. Jeffery pulled a large thermos out of his bag and handed it around so that everyone got some water. Jeffery grimaced as Eric poured some water into his hand for Lex to drink.

"Relax Jeffy, the ole boy don't drink much," Eric proclaimed proudly handing the thermos back. The man actually snarled at him, but didn't have anything more to say on the subject.

"How do you think the others are doing?" Marz asked. They all looked at him but no one answered immediately.

"I'm sure they're fine, we haven't seen anything and we're much closer to the danger than they are." Ford said drawing a smiley face in the dust on the floor.

"Maybe we made the wrong decision, what if they are getting attacked and the majority of our forces are here unable to protect them?" Laney asked directing the question more toward Eric than anyone else.

"We would have heard gunfire." Eric suggested pulling off his hat and waving himself with it.

"Not if they weren't able to get a shot off," Jake suggested nervously.

"This is pointless," Jane interrupted. "We're here and they are out there somewhere. We have one goal in being here, and that is to keep anything occupied with us so that they can get to the meeting point safely. I think being in here is a mistake, let's get out there where we have a little more visibility." Once again without waiting for a rebuttal she was on her feet. Eric watched with amusement as Marz jumped up immediately, that man was never too far from her side.

"I never thought I'd say this but I miss the horses." Ford said. "I mean yea, they smell like shit, and they have to stop to eat all the time, and when they get hurt they make one hell of a racket; but I sure would love the option to hop up on one right now." This was echoed with grumbles of agreement.

Watching the buildings they passed, Eric would try and guess what they used to be. Some were easy, gas stations, delis, fast food; but the others varied in color and had been so beaten that they were unrecognizable. "You know I think I used to buy shoes here. Well not this one, it was a chain," he half whispered to Lex who yawned in response. "I'm going to assume that was a laundry mat, you know with the rows of driers and what not. That one was probably." He froze, they all did. A gunshot echoed out from the distance and Eric dashed for the laundry mat of old to get out of the line of fire. Jake hadn't been to far behind him and followed move for move. Marz grabbed Jane's arm and tugged her across to the other side of the street. Laney, Jeffery, and Ford stood frozen in the middle of the street staring ahead looking for the source of the fire.

"Get the fuck out of there you dumbasses, for Christ sake, move!" Eric shouted at the frozen group. That seemed to break their paralysis as they bumped into each other clumsily running for cover.

"Was that our people?" Jake asked, tears were swelling in his eyes. Putting one arm on Jakes shoulder he put a finger to his own lips, "shhh." It wasn't long before another shot rang out, and then a flurry of them. Jumping up Eric ran down the sidewalk on his side of the street avoiding overturned dumpsters and cars that had run into buildings. The others followed close behind.

It wasn't hard to follow the sound of a constant stream of gunfire. They moved up a block then left through an alley and out into another street where this time none of them remembered to take cover as they exploded out into the street. A block further up, a small group of men and women were huddled behind a stack of cars that had made a convenient blockade in front of what looked like a smashed in pawn shop.

A building had collapsed across the street and the openings and windows had been covered with pieces of steel and wood. Shadows were using it as a tunnel to go across the street in the day time. A man ran across the street shooting at something the others weren't seeing in an upstairs window. In the blink of an eye a creature smashed through a window from the building tunnel, wrapped around him and pushed him through the doorway of the building adjacent.

" _Fuck my asshole, I'll have no part of these shenanigans."_ Lex whimpered moving back behind Eric.

"This is what we're here for. Stay if you want, I'll take a closer look." The entire group gaped at Eric as he ran across the street on the same side as the pawn shop; his pistol was in his left hand, the other hand was on the hilt of the sword. He only caught a glimpse of the creature before it burst out of a second story window from across the street and glided into him.

"Mother fuckin fuck!" Eric screamed gracefully as the Shadow slammed into him knocking the gun from his hand with a sick crack. Its scream sounded like a sick woman screaming into a megaphone, and it smelt like death wrapped in shit. Rolling over into a parking meter Eric didn't miss a beat and gave the creature a hard punch to the side of the head. To his surprise the creature recoiled and drew back looking at him. The Shadow wasn't a specter like he had originally imagined, but he recognized it at once. Its cloak was actually tattered clothes sewn together and its flesh was bone white. Blood stained its chin, the area around its mouth, and when it screamed he could see four large fangs.

Instead of swinging another punch, he took advantage of the surprise and twisted the thing back out into the street ripping its hood off. It's skin began sizzling instantly and Eric found his gun and fired a bullet into the creatures neck dropping it in a fit of screams and seizures.

"They're god damn team Edward," Eric shouted back to the group that stayed on the edge of the fight. When no one responded he yanked the creature up by the cloak, "Get them naked and Fuck. Them. Up." he said tapping his gun against the side of the Shadow's head. They began moving into the street apprehensively but Eric didn't wait, his blood was up and he had no desire to stop before he had killed something else.

Some men change in battle, and Eric was one of those men. Once the attack began, it took total evisceration, or complete failure to stop him. When fighting becomes part of your life, you get adapted to it, and even to like it. When you live for centuries of battle it becomes something else entirely. The other group had already lost three, and Eric moved toward them shouting.

"Stop shooting, it's pointless unless the sun is on them." A large man with a handlebar mustache pointed to the sky with his middle finger and raised eyebrows.

"Where the hell did you come from?" another small squat man asked swinging his gun toward him. From his position Eric could see that the group was actually larger than he thought, more people were tucked in the back of the building reloading guns and tending to the wounded. Mr. Mustache pushed the barrel of the gun away from Eric and tapped the sword that hung on his belt. The fat guy gave the sword on Eric a double take before lowering his gun completely.

"What do you suggest exactly?" Mustache asked shouting over the scream of a Shadow as it took a bullet from the group behind the other car.

' _This is going to hurt'_ Eric thought holstering his gun and pulling out his sword. Stepping into the middle of the street he let his eyes lose focus on anything particular and took a stance with the blade across his shoulder in a semi baseball stance. It only took an instant before a Shadow flew through an open doorway and he dropped his shoulder swinging full force into the beast. The Shadow had just enough time to jump, but it still took off its left arm grounding it. With one quick slice, the cloak fell away revealing the pasty creature's thin upper body, ribs pressed against thin flesh.

"Light him up!" Eric shouted stepping away from the steaming screaming creature. Mustache stood up over the car and put two in the Shadow's face silencing him. A scream from behind made them turn.

Two Shadows had crawled out of the windows silently slashing Ford across the face and pinning Jane up against the wall of a bank. With a battle cry the first Shadow ripped the sword from her belt and hurdled it into the street while the second one bit down on her forearm. Marz was on them in an instant grabbing at the dark cloth until it was exposed and then stabbing over and over as he dragged the creature into the street.

Eric never saw Jake until the arrow was already in the other Shadow's face. Scrambling toward the building, the creature fell and got turned around in its agony. Clawing at the arrow they could see strips of flesh peeling off under its fingernails as it struggled to remove the arrow. It managed to gouge its own eye out before falling dead into the street.

With a hiss of fury the unknown number of shadows remaining fled, screaming into the darkness of their makeshift tunnel system. The only sound remaining was the hissing of the Shadows left in the sun and the cries of the wounded. Eric ran to where Marz was laying Jane down on the sidewalk.

"It hurts so bad, it feels like the damn thing burned me," Jane was whispering.

"I wish Rohn was here, he knows a whole lot about medicine. Eric do you know medicine?" Jake asked still grasping his bow in a white knuckled fist.

Grimacing Eric looked over her bite, "I don't know enough about this to do any good, but those guys over there may know more." He hadn't noticed before but Laney had moved his gun so that it was pointing at the other group of humans now, if you weren't watching you wouldn't even have known Mustache had approached.

"Woah friend, I think there has been enough of that for the time being," he said raising his hands, which was ironic being that he held a large caliber revolver in one hand.

"Where did you guys come from? What the hell are you doing in the city? Who are you?" Laney managed to get out in one breath. Mustache wasn't looking at Laney though he was looking at Eric, and he gave the sword in the street a glance as he held a hand out to Eric. Without hesitation Eric shook it. Not only had the guy shown that he was a sword holder, but he had moved fast and fought well, he could respect that.

"I'm Eric, I take it you're heading for the dead city?" kneeling he grabbed the Shadow's cloak and gave it a rip to inspect the cloth.

"Is that what you're calling it? We've got a guy in our group," he look over his shoulder with a look of hurt, "HAD a guy in our group that said it is actually called New York." He stepped up to check out the cloth too, "I'm Gus by the way."

"You know I had wondered how they had all found black tunics in all this shit, look," he held it out to him, "it's scraps of clothes that are so coated in blood that they've just turned pretty much black." Gus accepted the cloth then dropped it as Eric explained what it was he was holding.

" _Free lunch?"_ In the heat of it all he had forgotten about Lex.

"No damnit, you don't want any of that," Eric said pushing the dog away from a smoldering corpse.

" _No way man, check this out, a meal that's self-cooking, no fuss no muss, I want a couple of these for the road."_ Eric shooed him away from the corpse before turning back to Gus.

"We've got a hurt woman here, anything you guys can do to help her out would be a personal favor." Gus looked at Jane as he listened. Then he turned and grabbed the sword from out of the street.

"Vamp bites don't take too well to medicine, either she'll survive the poison or she won't. I hate to be the one to tell you, but we've already lost two to bites over the last week or so." He held the sword out to Jane who yanked it out of his hands.

"You're just full of wonderful news aren't you?" she grunted through clenched teeth standing up.

"Maybe we should check on your wounded?" Eric suggested, "I think we should be long gone by the time dark falls."

"That's the smartest thing you've said all day," Laney said hanging his rifle back over his shoulder. They followed Gus to what was being used as their barrier. A woman lay inside clinging to life with each breath as the group covered up two others with pieces of cardboard.

"What's the report Caddy?" Gus asked.

"It's bad, Townie, Fay, Lucy, Duck, and Tim are all dead." She looked down and the woman on the floor, "Shae's not doing so good either." Shae had a gash from the top of her left shoulder down along her ribs. Caddy had wrapped a bandage around her breast and over her shoulder but her stomach was exposed and every breath brought her ribs into view. Two other men and a woman were gathering up the rest of the supplies, sweat rolling off their heads.

"I don't mean to be the dick here but, she's going to slow us down quite a bit." The short man who had pulled the gun earlier added.

"That's not an option, you've been slowing us down for weeks and we've let you tag along haven't we Paul?" Gus spat out at the short man. Paul recoiled and stepped back out into the street to look up at the buildings and try to save face.

"We can make a stretcher, but we better do it fast, the dark will sneak up on us out here and we don't exactly know which way we need to be heading." Eric added glancing up into the clouds.

"We do," Caddy responded pulling a small folded map out of her pocket and handing it to Gus. Eric's mouth fell open. It was in perfect condition, a thing of beauty.

"Well in that case, let's move," It took all of fifteen minutes to make a stretcher out of two coats and some pieces of rebar. Eric made it through the Shadow's tunnel in a sprint, but when nothing came screaming out of the darkness he gave the thumbs up and the rest made their run. Gus stayed behind momentarily, five gunshots and his business was done, he didn't need to explain that he feared them coming back to Eric, but Jake was very curious. An hour passed before they noticed the building's shadows stretching across the street, and in another thirty minutes the buildings hid what little sun they had. They had taken turns carrying Shae and Gus was on lead with Laney on the back; Marz hadn't left Jane's side, but for the moment she seemed stable.

They had moved quickly and mostly in silence. Ford was staying close to the man they called Frank. The two of them had been discussing where a thing like a Shadow would come from, and Eric had hushed them multiple times before deciding it wasn't worth the trouble. Meeting on such straight terms the groups had merged almost without incident. Laney was still skeptical and making it obvious, but Marz was keeping himself between Jane and anyone, friend or newbie. The most surprising thing to Eric was how in shape these new people were. They all looked like they spent hours in the gym, and he figured it was the constant movement and fighting, not to mention not sitting in a wagon all day. The only one that didn't make sense was Paul, the one man who was puffing his way up the rear and almost falling over whenever the group took a short break.

"We need to get off the street, we're like a buffet out here at night," Eric puffed with Laney's pack on his back. His shoulder was bruised from where the Shadow had collided with him and it was hurting a little more with every step. "Do you guys know anything about these things, their habits, how they live?"

"We ran into a few of them back in Cincinnati, but there were people there, hunters they called themselves. They lived up high, so I'm going to say we get elevated. Not the most friendly people either, they let us stay for a night then forced us out of their section of town." Gus huffed, he craned his head back to look for something promising.

"Cincinnati?" Eric started.

"There," Shae said from her spot in the stretcher, they looked at her surprised, then to the apartment building she was motioning toward.

"Baby, you need to rest right now, we'll get this taken care of." Gus responded trying to turn back to get a look at her. The large man's voice softened when he talked to her, but the rest of him was still stone.

The building had a large stone front with an underground parking garage that had fallen in many years ago. Once upon a time, floor to ceiling windows had covered the entire front end, now there were only a few jagged pieces of glass remaining.

"That works for me, I need a break," Jane puffed with an arm around Marz. Gus looked at her uncertainly then gave Eric a nod. Stepping into the lobby they could tell that someone had stayed there long ago. Soot stained the floor and a large black ash marked the ceiling above where their fire had rested. Stepping a foot into the open elevator Eric called out that there were twelve floors. It was a long climb getting the stretcher up the narrow stairs, and the dark didn't help. Eric took over for Laney on the stretcher and Laney wrapped a piece of cardboard around a stick to use as a torch. It worked really well for about a minute. After that they just stood at doors they could open and used any light from the windows in the hallway to walk safely. By the time they reached the tenth floor they called it, Eric thought Paul would have a heart attack before getting past the sixth.

"Ok, Caddy, why don't you take up that window there, and we're going to get the room with the street view." Gus started motioning Caddy to the window at the end of the hall.

"I don't know if that's the room you want." Eric chimed in looking out of the window. "These things can jump a hell of a ways, and I don't think you want to be stuck in a room that they can hop in from a building across the street. I think we'd be safer on this side, where there are low buildings outside." They all stood looking at him in silence for a moment before Jane pushed her way into a room on the side Eric had suggested, and that decided it.

"Did you think of that before we came up here?" Jake asked stepping up beside him.

They stood looking out the window together, "You have to be prepared for the enemy around you, and from what I saw, these things use windows and doorways as means of attack. From then on every opening became a possible threat, just keep that in mind."

"So no windows are safe?" Jake pushed on letting the information sink in.

"No, no. Just out here. This city is overrun by these Shadows, and that's what they do. Just be cautious, but don't let that caution take you over. We still have a life to live." Even Eric had to smile at the irony in it.

" _I don't want to break up your love-fest here, but unless you're going to let me eat the sick one, I could go for some more of those bones."_ Lex interrupted.

"Come on then, let's find a room," Eric said to both of them.

The room they picked was covered in dust, and cluttered with used food items. Someone had stayed there until they absolutely had to leave. It opened into a small living area where blankets had been lain out on the floor, but they were worn worthless. With a little effort, they got the cushions out of the couch, the Styrofoam still held shape, and would make for a much more comfortable bed than the linoleum in the kitchen.

They ate together and before he knew it Eric was waking up. Jake had fallen asleep across the room with his bow in his hand, and Lex was curled up in a ball in the mess of sheets in the center of the room. Glancing around the room quickly, he couldn't even remember falling asleep, his body was just exhausted. Quietly pushing himself up he let out a small grunt when he used his bad shoulder. Sliding off his boots, he stepped out into the hall. It took his eyes a minute to adjust to the dark, and there was only the faintest light coming in the window from the moon behind the curtain of clouds. He could see Caddy's outline at the window and she nodded toward him, letting him know she saw him. It took a minute to find the door handle but when he did he knocked lightly and went into Jane's room.

"Back here," Marz whispered from the bedroom in the back. After a short time of feeling through the room, and a few obscenities, he found the room, it was lit slightly by a large window. Marz was sitting in a chair with his feet on top of an armoire that had been tipped over. Jane was in bed with a wet rag on her forehead sleeping restlessly.

"How's she doing?" Eric asked taking a step into the room.

"She's hot and in a lot of pain, we need to do something, I don't care what that other guy says. I think she's dying," Marz whispered. They couldn't see each other's faces but Eric wondered if there were tears on his.

"I have a plan, but we have to get out of the city tomorrow or it will probably be too late." Eric told him. He could see the other man stiffen even in the dark.

"What is it? I thought you didn't even know what these things were. What can you do for her?"

"I'll tell you more tomorrow. You need to sleep; we'll need all our strength if we're going to get to where we're going." Eric didn't give him a chance to reply, instead he made his way back out into the hall and froze when he heard a scream echo up from the streets below. As quick and quietly as possible, he moved up beside Caddy and looked down into the street.

"There," she said pointing back the way they had come. About four blocks back a Shadow stood in the street and let out another scream. From the window he could hear it echoed by others farther off. After a second it turned around and rushed back down the street. "They're looking for us aren't they?" she asked.

Looking at her, he forced a thin smile, "It's a good thing you knew we needed to be up high." Her face wrinkled in confusion, then he turned to Gus who had snuck out of his room behind them. Standing in the hallway in a white undershirt and army fatigue pants he clenched his fists.

"We should be killing them," he got out through clenched teeth.

"They're too strong, and too many. Surviving is what we need to focus on at the moment," Eric whispered.

"Surviving is what I'm focused on; Shae's survival. It's not looking very promising. So if she can't live, neither can they."

"I think she's got a good chance if we can make it out of the city tomorrow, we're close already; we've just got to make good time." Eric tried to sound hopeful.

Gus finally looked down at him and Caddy, "How the hell could you know that? Is there some magic cure outside the city that I'm unaware of?"

Dropping his eyes, he answered, "No, but we have people outside the city, and they have our supplies, we can help her and Jane." Gus nodded and turned back without another word going back to his room.

"I think we're pretty safe up here, you should get some sleep too if you can," he said to Caddy.

"I'll do my best. Every time I hear one of those things scream I'm back to full alert." He could see the exhaustion in her eyes. He gave her a pat on the shoulder and moved back to his room. Lex raised his head and registered him then laid back down. Joining them, sleep came but he woke often to those distant screams, some real, others from his dreams.

### Chapter 4

-H-

Fire made him remember his past. The heart of Cincinnati was in flames miles behind him, and the so called 'monster hunters' had been worthless. Haden had taken his time with them, and he had enjoyed it much more than anticipated. Memories of it sat in his head like a great movie. He didn't ask the first one any questions.

"What do you want from me?" the small man had asked from his place in the chair. Smiling, Haden stoked the fire until its embers were glowing with heat. He towered over the four of them as they cowered in the dark just outside the heat of the fire. They were on the roof of a building that stretched into the sky, reminding Haden where he had come from.

Fire crept up and licked the doorway Haden had built it in. The men were clueless of his arrival, sitting guard along the stretch of balcony overlooking the city. He had covered their only escape with flame before they knew what was happening. When they turned they didn't understand where the strange man in odd clothes had come from but they knew he wasn't friendly, his eyes spoke volumes. It only took one look for the first man to fire a few rounds into him.

The slugs stung at first, but only for a moment, like being pinched. He rushed the man firing and punched him in the elbow shattering it, then with a sweep of his legs the man was in the air and over the side of the building. He screamed for a long time before landing. After that the rest of the men stung him with their guns before running out of ammunition.

"Sit," he had commanded. A single chair sat back, used as a sniper's post. It was a long moment before the small man took his offer, the other stayed back frozen in fear.

"What are you?" the man asked too scared to rise from his seat. Haden only smiled as he pulled the log from the fire. That was when the man tried to rise, but it was too late. Grabbing his shoulder he forced him back down into the chair. Letting out a yelp of pain and surprise the small man had no choice, Haden looked old, but his strength was unmatched. He tossed the log in the man's lap, the smile never left his face, even as the man began screaming and writhing in agony. It was slow work, but the man finally stopped moving, and Haden turned his eyes to the others.

"A group came this way, one of them carried a sword with them, did you see these people?" he asked. Nervously the group shook their heads.

"We haven't seen anyone in a long time, just the Vamps, I swear it," an older man answered with wide eyes. He tried to sound sure of himself but his voice betrayed him.

Stepping up to the old man, Haden leaned in to get a look at him, he leaned in and the old man stood his ground defiant. Shaking his head, Haden let out a sigh and smashed his fist across the man's nose. With an audible pop, the man staggered back holding the bloody mess with both hands. Grabbing him by the hair Haden pulled his head back and stuck his thumb in his eye. With a grotesque popping sound, the eye exploded and the wet jelly ran down his face. Screaming, one of the others rushed forward grabbing Haden by the vest and jerked him backward. Elbowing him in the chest he heard his sternum snap like a twig. That got him smiling again.

"I will ask only once more, and if you tell me what I want I will go away," he said again to the last man standing. The other two were both on the floor clutching their broken bodies and moaning.

"I...they," he started, but his bladder let go and tears began streaming down his face.

"Hey, hey, none of that," Haden said grabbing the man by the shoulder and pulling him next to him like an old friend. They stood looking down into the city, "Let me know and I promise you, I will not hurt you." The smile never left his face.

Sniffling, the man spoke only to his shoes, "They were heading to the dead city, I heard them say they were going to the coast, something about the coast, that's all they said," he blubbered, snot and tears dripping from his face.

"See; that was not hard at all was it?" Haden asked stepping up to the edge of the building.

"No! You said you'd let me live!" The man shrieked fighting against the one armed bear hug that he was stuck in.

To his surprise Haden let him go, "You speak true, and so I will," the smile finally left his face as he turned back toward the door. "I thank you for your assistance." Reaching down he pulled a small knife from the man with one eye's scabbard. Studying it he decided to take the scabbard too, and pulled the belt off the whimpering man and wrapped it around his waist. "Those other weapons of yours are so noisy and temperamental would you agree?" He asked over his shoulder studying the way his new belt fit.

"The fire, we need to get it out before we're trapped up here," Was all the last man could get out.

"Yes, yes you do," he responded stepping through the growing flame back into the stairway. The last thing the man saw was Haden turn back and smiled through the flames before descending the long flight of stairs.

That had been some time ago. About a week after that he began feeling a pull, as if his feet knew more about where to go than what his brain was telling him; and it was due East. Stopping to rest he sat on the hood of a car and surveyed the area. Open fields surrounded him littered with small streets. He could tell that buildings had once been here by the way the streets were built, only so much space between them. A stretch of highway ran parallel to the street he rested on, and he felt that whatever he was moving toward was very close. Pulling off a shoe he rubbed the heel of his foot. Every day seemed to drain a little of the power from his body, and he hated this world for it. Slipping his shoe back on he trudged into the grassy field toward the next highway wanting to be done with this bit of business, wanting to go back home and be done with the mortal coil he wore.

-H-

"What are you doing here?" Zygan asked standing up somewhat perplexed, but not startled. "I knew I felt someone, but you?"

"To tell you the truth messenger, I am surprised to see you too. I did not realize The Family allowed their whores into this sad world." Haden replied with a sour look on his face. Letting out a short bark of a laugh, Zygan shrugged pulling out his pack of cigarettes. He offered the pack to Haden who shook his head, "What would be the point?"

Smiling Zygan stuck one in his mouth and lit it, "You know the humans were an incredible race once, actually, you don't know I suppose, but trust me. They knew how to enjoy themselves and kill themselves at the same time. What other entity can fear death and embrace him so completely in one breath?" Pulling the cigarette out he looked at the glowing cherry thoughtfully.

"I did not come here for your council on the vices of men, in fact, I do not know why I am here at all. I felt the pull and answered," he paced around the car that Zygan rested on, enjoying his smoke.

Ignoring the line completely Zygan continued, "You know, the longer you stay in this world the more human you become. I know, it's not possible to actually become a man, but it's something about the air here, it takes the power out of you; can you feel it? I remember when I could move faster than these people could even comprehend, now I'm slowing down, and these smokes taste better every day." He inhaled deeply with a sad smile.

Looking down at his clothes riddles with bullet holes he smiled, "I am still a god, these people have no power over me, or this world,"

"SON of a god," Zygan interrupted.

"You would do well not to interrupt me, messenger. I am still above you no matter how you look at my family tree. You are nothing but a sad bastard of a mail boy." Haden growled, stopping his pacing.

"Yes, I never actually met him, but I did hear that Hermes was a bit of a problem for your people toward the end." He said putting the cigarette out on the back of his hand. The skin turned red slightly but even that faded as he watched.

"I tire of this palaver, what is your purpose here?" Haden said stepping forward, "You should not be here."

"What business is it of yours? I carry a message, as usual, and I work for The Family, so be gone, Son of Hades, you have no purpose here." He smiled at the man, his short white hair picked up by the wind and Haden thought he saw a spark of fear in the man's eyes. Giving the messenger a once over he noted the suit wasn't much different from his, but could see that it wasn't tattered with any scars from battle, and the man showed no intention of moving from his place beside the beat down car in the forgotten highway.

"What is your message?" Haden asked stepping back around to the other side of the car and leaning against the trunk.

Turning, Zygan put one hand on the hood of the car where the hood ornament had stood, and the other hand in his pocket. "You know you shouldn't be getting involved in the affairs of others," he said as calmly as he could.

"I am Haden, son of Hades and Keeper of the Dark, you will tell me what I want to know," he boomed from his side of the car, and he saw what he was looking for, a bead of sweat ran down the side of Zygan's neck. "You are looking horribly human to be denying me anything," he let out with a sly smile.

Digging his foot into the dusting of dirt on the road, Zygan prepared for battle, "The message is for you actually," he said keeping eye contact with the god before him, "Do Not Seek The Wanderer, Return Home At Once"

His smile turned to an all-out grin, "And who would stand in my way with such a foolish demand?" he spat out, spittle sticking in his black and grey stubble.

He could feel static growing in the air, and it crackled around them, "Your father, he knows you're here." Taking one final breath, Zygan prepared to leave this world he had grown so fond of.

Haden clenched his teeth in a tight grimace and let out a shout as he grabbed the bumper of the car and flipped the car upside down toward Zygan. The messenger looked old but he could still move with blinding speed, he was around the flying car and in the air before Haden knew he had evaded. Coming down with a small blade Zygan sliced the god in an angle across the face from eyebrow to cheek bone, but Haden recoiled in enough time to save his eye.

"You foolish bastard, there will be no merry welcome for you in the afterlife!" Haden shouted, blood was dripping from his wound, and the sensation was so virgin to him that he stopped to examine it. Zygan struck again moving from the back of a car with unmatched speed, but this time Haden saw him and ducked. The messenger's legs hit Haden full force and he went flying down the road into a truck with a deafening crash. Twisting around, Zygan stood, his clothes were torn and bloody, and his face was covered with small bleeding wounds. He grabbed the smashed door of the truck and hurdled it at Haden who put up a hand stopping it dead, but the glass exploded out of the window shredding his left shoulder.

Lunging a piece of copper pipe like a spear Zygan rushed again. Haden shrugged away from the speeding metal and crouched, catching Zygan by the foot. The speed of the messenger pulled him ten feet down the road before he twisted him around raising him into the air, pulling him all the way over his head and smashing Zygan down into a flipped over car.

Zygan let out a loud "oof" as the car twisted in with the force of the blow. Haden stood over him and his fist ignited in flame, and he once again found his smile. There was no doubt that Zygan was beat, the man lay staring up at the god with hatred in his eye, the left side of his face was bloody and swollen and that eye wouldn't open. When he was smashed down the car had become a full body lock, the metal twisted around his shoulders and hips.

"Finish it, this body is done, let me return to your father and tell him of your insolence," Zygan sputtered out as blood dripped from his mouth.

Standing over him, Haden just continued to smile, though the pain in his face was excruciating. "I will send you home to the precious Family once you answer a question for me, how did you do this?" he motioned to the blood dripping from his face and the thick cuts on his shoulder. "I was promised immortality in this place; the powers of men have no effect on me."

This time Zygan let out a short laugh stunted by coughing and a hack of blood, "You are only safe from the will of men. Anyone who represents the will of the gods can end you," then puzzlement broke out on his face. "How could you not know these things? Why are you here? What has happened to your father?"

Raising his hand Haden looked at the flames as they trickled from orange, red, and blue around his fingertips, "My father is old and weak, and I will be taking up his mantle soon enough. I came for the God of Death."

"Thanatos?" Zygan shrieked, and then the hand of fire was upon him sending him away from this world.

-NOW-

All three of them dropped simultaneously, Jane actually went into convulsions almost breaking Marz's arm as she fell. Screaming, Eric and Gus grabbed their heads while Jane seized, Marz was pulling her into a bed of grass away from the road so she wouldn't hurt herself. Lex barked nervously at the shouting men; and then like a light switch the screaming stopped.

"What...the...fuck," Eric wheezed out between gasps of air. Pushing himself to a kneeling position he looked over at the others who had pulled their weapons and were pointing them in every direction. "We weren't attacked," Eric gasped. Lex was prodding him with his nose, his tail down in concern.

"Then why are you bleeding?" Ford asked helping him to his feet. Caddy was hunched over Gus.

"You're bleeding too, maybe we got hit with something and don't even know it," she said pulling Gus to his feet. The rest of the group surveyed the small buildings and fields around them.

"Something happened, but it wasn't here," Eric finally said. It reminded him of the first day in his apartment that intercom feeling was back and apparently he wasn't the only one who felt it. Jane sat up from her place in the grass, a trickle of blood running out of her nose. Gus stood wobbly, small streams of blood ran from his nose and ears as well. The three sword bearers looked over each other wide eyed.

" _Would you mind telling me what all that was about?"_ Lex asked. Eric almost couldn't recognize his voice. It was the first time the animal had seemed unsure of itself.

"It sounded like feedback from a walki-talkie inside my brain," Gus said shaking his head. He ran a hand under his nose smearing the blood across his mustache.

"It was a scream," Jane said, letting Marz help her back to her feet. She winced as her bad arm swung out too far, opening the wound.

"Ok, what the shit are you guys talking about? I didn't hear a thing, not even a Shadow," Jeffery asked in a crouched position. He had lowered his gun some, but was still at the ready.

"It must have been..." but Jane couldn't finish. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Was it him? The one who's been leading us?" Eric gaped at her in surprise; did she really think Zygan was some sort of a leader? He only saw the voice as a puppeteer with no real purpose. The man had another agenda that he was sure didn't include them.

"I think it was," Eric replied solemnly. Just because he didn't care for the man doesn't mean he didn't respect him. After all the guy did get them all together just like he said he would; even if it took a century.

"There was something else though, I can't explain it," Gus said leaning down to check on Shae who had woken up at the collective screams. His large arms were covered with sweat, but he touched her gingerly on the cheek and she lay back in the stretcher as he whispered something soothing.

"Pain," Eric said, looking down at Lex who seemed more interested in the doorway of a semi cab, "and something more, heat?" Marz shuffled back onto the street with Jane who was nodding her head and coughing.

"Fire I think, I'm burning up," she said after the coughing fit had faded. Marz watched her with worry stretched across his face. Exchanging a knowing look, Eric and Gus moved back to the head of the pack.

"Whatever it is, it's over. We need to keep moving. Judging by the map, we're still a number of miles from the coast." Eric said grimly giving Jane and Shae an uncertain look. "We lost a lot of time circumventing the city." They had made it around the city fairly quickly, and stayed away from the windows as an extra precaution. It took them almost no time to find 30 East, but the trip to the coast was a long one.

"I'm not certain but I think it's getting darker," Jeffery added from his spot at the back of the group. In reply everyone looked up except Eric, who searched the shadows. A car sat on the shoulder of the road and the shadow was full and dark.

"Maybe we should think about finding a place to rest for the night. There aren't any buildings as tall as last night, but we could set up a guard." Laney suggested.

"No," Eric demanded sternly, "We don't have time to rest." Slowing to let Marz and Jane catch up he looked to her arm. "How is this feeling?"

She let out a whimper as he moved the cloth from her arm. The wound was black and tendrils of black and red stretched under her skin toward her elbow and over her shoulder. His lips pulled back in a grimace at the sight of the growing infection. There wasn't enough time to set her down and give her a full check-up, but he assumed it become worse case if the infection reached her heart.

"What do you think doc?" Laney asked leaning in to get a look, more than likely at the exposed cleavage where Eric had pulled her shirt back.

"I think we need to go back," Eric said stopping and dropping his hands to his sides. Slowing to a halt, the group stared at him in surprise.

"You just said that we can't stop, going back isn't an option," Marz growled angrily, he tried to take a step forward but Jane stopped him.

"Why?" Gus asked worried, he was back standing next to Shae.

"There was a dealership back there, I figure there is a slim chance we can get one of the cars working, and then we would be able to be at the coast within an hour or two." He said searching them.

"Ha! Why don't you just fly them down to the ocean? You've got a better chance of that working wouldn't you say?" Laney choked out.

"Laney may be right," Jane said. "If nothing else, we could go back and get the wagons. That would be better than walking. Eric had considered that as well, but the trek back would be slow. Rohn and the others hadn't been outside the city on any bridges when they got to high ground, so they moved on.

"It's too late for that," Eric demanded. "How about you keep going, I'll move faster that way. If it works, great; if not, I'll be able to catch up and we won't lose any time."

"I'll go with you," Jake stepped up quickly, tossing his bow over his shoulder and sticking the arrows back into the small bag on his other shoulder.

"Wait, with you two gone that's less people we have to carry Shae, and look out," Caddy said pushing up beside Gus for support. He gave her a tired smile but turned back to Eric.

"I think you should go. If you think it's possible, then do it," Gus told him, to Caddy's distain.

"We're going to have to move fast and work quickly. Are you able?" Eric asked Jake, who was nodding before he even got the statement out. That was good enough, he started back the way they had come. "Go on, if it doesn't work we'll find you, just stay on this road until you hit water." They all watched him begin walking back suspiciously, but Gus got them going in the right direction.

"What does he possibly think to accomplish in that? He's just breaking our group down, and now we'll wear out faster," Laney sulked after Eric had gotten out of ear shot.

"I don't know," Jeffery puffed, now that he was carrying Shae again. "Did you see him back there when that Shadow attacked? He's definitely psycho, that was insane." He gave Laney a look that said, think it over.

"Killing a couple Shadows is one thing, but getting a car started is just stupid." Laney demanded, but as he said it he couldn't help but doubt the words. The man did have some uncomfortable calmness about him, and for no reason at all, it scared the hell out of him.

-PAST-

"They're saying it's in the blood and water," Jack said soaking a hand towel in cool water from the sink. He stood in the kitchen while Red and Eric stood in the living room watching the rain come down outside.

"How is she?" Eric asked. It took a lot out of him seeing his mother in her weakened state. It had started raining while she was in the garden the day the men had lost Ned, and her body started breaking down within hours. At first they thought she had been bitten by a venomous snake, but the doctor said that he was seeing the same thing all over the place. When they got to the hospital it was overrun with people with similar symptoms, Eric was pretty sure two guys in the back of the waiting room were dead, but he couldn't work up the nerve to go poke them, he just stared at their limp bodies, wrinkled by the rain.

"Doctor McConnell said we need to be here for her. She's going to make it, I'm sure of it, she was fine last time I saw her, and she'll be fine again," Jack said sternly, attempting to reassure himself. Eric's father had told him there was no need to go in the bedroom since his mother wasn't awake most of the time. The doctors gave her some medicine that made her sleep a lot. But sometimes he was sure he could hear her in there moaning in pain. Those thoughts were cut out as Eric let out a quiet moan putting his hand to his ear and closing his eyes.

"Headache?" Red asked turning back from the rain.

"Yea, well kinda," Eric replied opening his mouth to pop his ears. "It's like a ringing in my ears, hurts like hell but only for a second."

"Maybe you got yourself a fancy tumor," Red said slapping him on the back.

"You are just the embodiment of positivity aren't you?" Eric asked shaking his head to clear the feeling.

"Somebody has to stay on top of things around here, you farm boys live a fascinating life: no neighbors to peek on, no karaoke to sing to, not even a friendly sheep to fuck." Red said with a chuckle, but his eyes weren't laughing. He hadn't been the same after Ned died; something in him had died with the old man. They both looked up as Jack closed the door to the bedroom leaving them to their antics.

Red shrugged, "I'm going to turn the radio on if you want a listen," he stepped over to a small emergency radio that rested on the TV. Since the majority of the television stations were off the air they had stopped using it for news. They watched whatever VHS's were around, just old westerns and Indiana Jones, at night. Giving a complacent head nod, Eric joined him, sitting in a chair next to the couch.

"No mam, there have definitely not been any talks of a nuclear attack on the city that I'm aware of, where did you hear that?"

"Well, I've been on the computer, and it says that the US Army has no other choices but to contain the situation," the woman told the news reporter.

"I'll tell you what, stay off the internet and I'll stay off the donuts. That is the most unreliable information you could possibly get. Thanks for calling though.

OK people, we're discussing the only topic that seems worth discussing, are people turning into zombies, and is there a super virus that is taking over the world? We have Andy Lekman M.D. on the phone and we're hoping we can get a little info out of Doctor Lekman, Andy are you there?"

"I'm here Frank, thanks for the call."

"Thanks for your time Doctor Lekman. What'd I'd like to do if you don't mind is address some of the rumors we've been hearing. Some people are calling in saying that the sick people in Chicago are zombies, others are saying that they are infected with a virus or drug that makes them violent such as the bath salts incident, what are your thoughts on this wild speculation?"

"This is going to make a lot of people sad, but let me assure you, we are not looking at zombies here. These people are very much alive, but there has been some chemical change in their brain that is making them act out aggressively. I've been working directly with the CDC on this and previously we had concluded that this was all related to the trident incident in Chicago a couple weeks back, that somehow the water was infected. With that information we figured bottled water would clean this mess right up."

"Now let me jump in here real quick Doctor, are you saying that The Spear is poisoning the water?"

"No, I'm saying that we think this started with the Chicago incident. So far only a few men have been allowed close to the actual trident, and after that, they stopped human testing."

"The human trials, yes, I'm assuming that is where the zombie stories came from right? The scientists touch the trident, then they seize up and when they wake up they attack whoever's closest to them? That does sound a lot like zombies to me."

The doctor chuckled, "Yes, I know it sounds very Hollywood, but those brave men were not hungry for brains to my knowledge. I believe and many others in the scientific community are with me on this, that the trident is actually from an alien planet."

"I've heard of this yes, please go on,"

"Well, there are hundreds, if not thousands of stories twisting in the wind about where this thing came from, but I believe that it's possible it was some sort of a probe, or even a stunt from some alien type of PR campaign. It's simply too large to not have some other meaning we would have already figured out. They're also saying that there are no windows or doors, ruling out aircraft, and it seems to be tempered."

Eric and Red exchanged an uneasy look from their places on the old furniture.

"Let me ask you while I've got you here Andy, what do you make of the Kansas column?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure what to think about that one." Lekman said. The excitement had faded from his voice. "When I took my original position on an alien civilization, I just assumed that the two things were related. Though as I conferred with the scientific community it seems like the column came from within the earth; and its shape is too perfect to be anything accidental."

"So you're standing by your statement that this is possibly an alien technology being represented here on...hey what the hell are you doing, you can't been in here," There was a rustling as the microphone was slapped away from the reporter's grasp, and angry shouting could be heard before the plug was pulled and the station went to static.

Eric sat in the chair with his mouth open staring at the radio as if that would undo what had just happened.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's normal protocol to have a station break every hour on the hour. Or something like that," Red said standing up and clicking the radio off. He moved into the kitchen stretching and scratching at his thick red beard.

"That, that was messed up. I mean, the whole thing. I didn't hear about the human trials or whatever he called them, but getting yanked off the air for talking about it?" Blinking hard, Eric stood up and just barely caught the beer red threw at him before it flew into his face.

"Really? You're really surprised after what we've been through, after what we've seen?" Red asked stepping back into the living room, he popped the beer open and sucked the foam from the can. "We were there when the trident, or spear, or what the hell ever hit home, but the other day in the store? That's when I realized what's going on, and we're all going to die." He took a long pull from the beer and smiled up at Eric.

"What? You're not going nuts are you?" Eric asked setting the beer down on a side table and backing up a step.

Swallowing loudly Red rolled his eyes, "No I'm not nuts, assface, I just figure this is the end of the world, the whole apocalypse and what not. Isn't this when the Mayan calendar ends too? I thought it was all bullshit, but over the last few days, I've started coming to terms with it," with that he took another long swig.

"I don't think," Eric started, but in truth he didn't know what to say. How do you tell someone already scared into a conviction that you think it sounds about as likely as sprouting a dick from your forehead?

"Eric," Jack stood in the opening to the hallway, his face was torn with sorrow. Eric went pale at the sight of him, but he didn't need an explanation, he moved quickly and his dad led him into the bedroom.

His mother lay in bed with the sheets pulled up to her chin. She looked much thinner than she had just two days previously. Her skin was pale and wrinkled, and her hair was falling out.

"Jesus," Eric whispered stepping up to the foot of the bed. Breathing shallowly, the blankets barely moved as her chest rose and fell. One of her eyes opened as he approached. He walked around the bed to her side and reached out a hand.

"No!" she shrieked, pulling her head away from him. Jumping back, the outburst had surprised him so much he hit his head on the doorway into the closet in his retreat. "I'm sorry, but you can't touch me," she said, though it didn't sound like her. Her voice was hollow and raspy. She looked and sounded like she had aged decades since he saw her last.

"Mom," he whispered, a tear rolled down his cheek. Just looking at her was enough to know what the diagnosis really was. "Are you in pain?" Shaking her head, she closed her eyes for a long time before opening them again. It was clearly draining her strength talking.

"I had a dream about you last night," she croaked. "I wasn't sure if I was crazy, or if it was a fever dream, but that doesn't matter anymore does it?" She watched him as she spoke, only glancing at Jack once and he came up putting his hand on Eric's shoulder. "I need to tell you now in case this is more than just a dream," She said closing her eyes.

"What was it mom?" He asked. He felt like he was just humoring a dying woman, and it hurt every ounce of him.

"It was so real, you understand. I didn't want to say anything but when I told your father he suggested that I go ahead and tell you too, and why not?" She coughed dryly, "It was just so real."

"Tell it Laura," Jack said softly, but firmly.

"I was in the garden, except it was years ago, I was so young, and I was pregnant with you, just standing there letting the wind roll through my hair. Then a bat flew across the old cattle pond and rested on the gate to the garden. I know I don't have a gate, but in the dream there was this beautiful white gate, like it was made of ivory," she coughed harshly and took a sip from the water bottle beside her bed. "Anyway, it started raining, and this man came to the gate where the bat was sitting. He was a tall man in a grey suit, very dark, almost blending into the night around us. He stepped all the way up to the gate but wouldn't go through it, I thought that was odd. Then he told me that you aren't supposed to be here, pointing at my stomach. I told him no, that you were safe here with me and your father, that we should be together in a time like this." She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. In her weakened state just reciting a dream was a chore.

"Then the rain started getting cold, and the wind began to blow too strong. The man at the gate grimaced; his teeth were so white, like the gate. Then he said, 'He must go back, we need him more than you do,' isn't that the weirdest thing?"

The three of them stood there looking at her until they finally realized that she was done talking. Exchanging an uneasy look with his father, Eric switched his weight from foot to foot uneasily, "It was just a bad dream, there's a lot going on right now." It was a feeble excuse, but he couldn't think of anything better after listening to her story.

"Tell him the last bit Laura," Jack said firmly. Looking from his father to him mother, Eric braced himself, if his mother had lost it, either Jack was fully aware, or completely gone.

"Well the wind and rain started coming harder and faster, and I could feel you moving inside me not liking the thunder and lightning. But there was more to it than that, inside the sounds of thunder it was as if people were screaming and shouting far off." Her face went very still as she recalled it, like the memory of a horrible accident. "Then when the lightning would flash I could see things in the distance, buildings on fire, and people leaping from them. There were creatures the size of small buildings wading through the cattle pond, with long horns on their heads, and blood smeared across their mouths, and I could tell they were coming for us.

So I screamed at him, I said, 'Who are you? What do you want?' and he stared at me with his cool eyes and said, 'I am The Sandman, and I need your son,' that's when I looked down and I was old again, my stomach flat, and you were gone. When I looked back up he was walking away from that gate, his arm was over your shoulder. I couldn't see your face, but I knew it was you, and he was taking you into the darkness. That's when I woke up." A cold sweat had broken out on her face from recalling her nightmare.

"Mom, it's ok," Eric said soothingly sitting down on the edge of the bed. "It was just a dream."

"I don't think it was just a dream," Jack said. Standing at the end of the bed, he showed very little emotion, but when he looked down at them, there was no lack of empathy in his eyes. "You think a dream like that on top of everything else is just a coincidence?" He went to his large oak dresser and picked up a piece of paper. "I went on the computer last night and looked for some explanation for what's been going on with your mother and you know what I found?" He paused briefly, handing the paper to Eric, "It took me to some Greek mythology website. It says there that a man named Morpheus is the God of Dreams or some crap. In the old myths, when he told a true prophecy in a dream he used an ivory gate. Now tell me how your mother could have possibly come up with that by herself." He was breathing heavily watching his son look over the new information.

"So she saw Clash of the Titans. Am I the only person that thinks this is a little crazy?" Eric asked persistently.

"Where were you when the trident hit?" Red asked from his place across the room. Eric glared at him unwilling to accept any of what they were telling him.

"I know who Zeus is, and Poseidon, and I know there are other gods, but the connections are there. This has to mean something more," Laura said from her place in the bed, "Besides, I've never seen that Clash movie, you know I don't like that stuff," she added with a weak smile.

"That's true," Red blurted, "If I watch one more Lifetime movie with your mom I'm likely to start my period." He chuckled, but the tension in the room was palpable.

"So, let's say, hypothetically of course, that this was the God of Dreams, or the guy in The Matrix, however you want to look at it. This guy said I don't belong, here, that he needs me. So what do you suppose he means by that?" Eric asked handing his mother the cup for another sip of water.

Jack shifted uncomfortably, "We've discussed the implication in that as well, and we think it is in reference to coming here." Jack looked down at his feet as he said it. Fear pushed through Eric at the sight of his father, a man who was always sure footed, seemed afraid and ashamed and that inspired fear in his son.

"Here as in the farm?" Eric asked standing up from his place on the bed. "No, that's bullshit, in case you forgot a gigantic weapon fell out of the sky just a few miles from my apartment, and you think I did the wrong thing by leaving that city?" He hadn't retreated, but he did take step back.

"We didn't say that we agreed with the dream, we just said that we're trying to understand what it all means," Laura said trying to sit up.

"No offence, you guys have been great to me, but Eric is right. You've seen the news, Chicago is in chaos, and it was erupting even as we found our way out. I think he did the right thing, and if there is some insane other worldly being talking to you in your sleep, telling you to send your son back into that, then maybe he wants Eric dead." They all looked at Red, who hadn't said much one way or the other on the subject. His large frame took up the entire door, and he met their looks eye for eye.

"So you have no problem believing any of this? You don't think that maybe, this is being blown out of proportion just a little?" Eric asked the big man.

"You said it yourself, a weapon, that coincidentally looks a lot like the one Poseidon carries in the books, fell out of the sky a few miles from your apartment and THIS is something you're having trouble swallowing?" Red demanded turning to him. They stood there in the bedroom exchanging glances with each other while Laura rattled off raspy breaths.

"There is no doubt that we've discussed a lot of weird things here tonight. Maybe we should just get a little bit of sleep and pick it back up in the morning?" Laura suggested giving Jack a look that only wives can give their husbands.

Nodding, Jack turned to the boys, "That's a good idea. We don't need to overwhelm ourselves or get ahead of ourselves by any means. As far as I'm concerned it doesn't matter if it was real or not, you are my son, and if I can keep you safe here with me; I will." Jack gave him a pat on the shoulder then ushered them out of the room. He found Red at the kitchen table with two beers waiting.

Popping the cap off the beer, he slid it across the table to Eric as he sat down. Condensation was clinging to the side of the bottle and it made him think of the rain. It was still raining outside, just not as hard as it once was. Grabbing his nose Eric pushed out with his cheeks trying to get his ears to pop.

"You okay there boss?" Red asked taking a swig from the bottle while giving him an amused look.

"I've had this high pitched kind of sound in my ears every now and again, and it feels like I need to pop then, but they're being stubborn," Eric replied shaking his head.

"Sounds like you just need a beer. It's an auto cleaner," Red told him taking another sip.

"Auto cleaner huh? I thought it was a cure all," Eric replied finally taking a drink.

"You know, I used to think it was a cure all myself, but it's really just a cleaner. You drink a case or so and the next morning, I guarantee you, your body will shit out anything not worth keeping; like putting the oven on self-cleaning mode." They both laughed at that, but the quiet nervousness didn't take long to creep back into the room.

Something hit the side of the house that made them both jump, Red managed to splash himself with beer. Standing up Eric went to the window to get a look but with the dark and rain all he could see was his reflections. The dining room sat a foot and a half lower than the kitchen and large bay windows created the turn into the living room. Red flipped the lights on outside and they both gasped.

"Who the fuck is that?" Red asked as a shiver went down his body. A figure stood about twenty feet out, leaning against the side of the garage. Shuffling along the side of the house, the light seemed to attract it, and it picked up its pace. A few feet later, he moved into the range of a motion light, and was basked in an artificial glow; Red dropped his beer.

"Jesus, he's hurt, we need to," but Eric didn't finish, Red grabbed him by the shoulder with one of his large hands. He forced him still and together they watched the man shuffle all the way to the window and then run into the glass like he didn't even know it was there. His face was littered with lacerations, and his clothes were black with congealed blood. Slapping at the window they could see that he was only had his thumb and forefinger on his right hand.

"Fuck my ass," Red muttered staring at the half dead man.

"Ummm, Dad!" Eric finally shouted as the man continued to weakly slap against the glass, making no progress. After a moment Jack opened the door and stepped out. He started to speak but followed their gaze and almost fell down the steps from the kitchen.

"Gregg?" Jack started, recognizing the man through the brutality.

"Who? What do we?" Eric was having trouble getting a full sentence out. The man on the other side of the glass was a living train wreck, and Jack finally made a move for the back door when Red grabbed him too.

"Didn't George Romero teach you anything?" Red asked. Puzzled, Jack waited for an explanation that Red wasn't prepared to say out loud.

"That man is hurt, and we need to get him to the hospital," Jack said, pushing the other possibilities out of his mind.

"Dad, I don't think," Eric didn't know how to put his fear into words. "I don't think there's anything you can do for him," he said motioning to the man as he took a step closer to the window.

Stepping back into the house Jack followed his son's gaze and his eyes widened. Gregg was missing a large part of his torso. His shirt covered some of it, but his entrails swung under him like a wet pendulum. Whenever somebody got closer his attention switched to them. His legs were still moving even though they kept bringing him into the side of the house. Every time he took a step there was a soft thud as his lower half connected with the siding.

"No," Jack said defiantly, "We need to help him, even if it just means bringing him comfort before the end." Moving back to the door, the other two pleaded and shouted at him to stop but it was no good. When Jack decided on something, there was no stopping him. Knowing this, Eric grabbed the only thing between him and the door, an umbrella.

Jack had already made it around the side of the house and was standing there in the dark watching his old neighbor. Red had turned back to the window as Eric rushed out after his father, and Gregg was still focused on the burly Irishman. From a distance of no more than ten feet Jack had to accept what he was seeing; Eric thought he could hear the man grind his teeth.

"We knew this was going on, but we just sat back and waited. Now it's in our backyard." Jack wasn't a man easily brought to fear. Anger was raging inside of him, and Eric took a step back. "Gregg, why don't you sit down for a minute, I'm going to call an ambulance?" Jack forced out clenching his mouth shut as soon as the words were out. He made no move to assist the man, or to call an ambulance, but Gregg heard his words and turned in their direction. "Son of a bitch," was all Jack could get out. Gregg took a small step forward, but the weight of his guts pulling down on his chest made him awkward. They could see now that the only pieces dangling from his open chest were pieces that weren't chewed off. His large intestine looked like a slimy pink dog toy that had spent a few weeks in the kennel, and two of his lower ribs caught the light when he turned. Eric couldn't remember what organs should be in that hole, but the void was unmistakable.

What used to be Gregg moaned, or at least tried to. It came out as an exhausted gagging sound, shooting a thick clot of spit and blood down the front of his shirt. For a moment, Eric thought he saw a flicker of recognition in Gregg's eyes, then it was gone. The undead man took a step forward and gnashed his teeth. He was still too far away to be any real threat, but the action pissed Jack off even more.

"Did you see anything like this in Chicago?" he asked suddenly cutting his eyes at his son. Taking a step back, and keeping his eyes on their slow moving friend, Eric shook his head.

"They said on the news that people are getting messed up pretty bad, and that others are saying they looked like..." instead of calling the guy out, he nodded in Gregg's direction. Shaking his head at the world Jack turned back on Gregg and gave him a hard push.

"You didn't fight your way here just to have this shit follow you home." He said to Eric, as Gregg went sprawling in the grass with a stuttered whimper. The rain had died down to sprinkles cold on their faces.

"This didn't follow me, it's happening everywhere. You saw the news before, this isn't just about us," Eric almost whispered; he had trouble trying to tell such a hard man something he didn't want to hear.

"Do you really believe that? The trident fell in your neighborhood, the big dirt mountain popped up right by where you were born, and all of a sudden we have a guy freak out at the grocery, and then Gregg here turns into something out of a God-damn creature feature, not to mention your mom's dream" He took a step back as it all spilled out of him.

"Are you saying this is my fault?" Eric asked in shock. His stomach had tightened and someone must have thrown acid on his face because his skin felt tight and clammy. Without answering Jack just stared at Gregg, who had figured out he could use the house for support to get himself back up.

"Dad!" He had to shout or he didn't feel like the man would even remember he was there, "Do you really blame me for this? How could I have anything even remotely to do with what's going on, and why would I do it?" Turning away Eric could feel tears burning in his eyes. Somehow it was going to be his fault, there didn't need to be a legitimate reason, just as long as there was someone to take the blame.

"No, I know it's not your fault son," Jack said, softer than he had been talking earlier. His eyes were still fixated on Gregg as he spoke, "I could stand here and blame you for this, the same way I used to blame you for Denny, but he wasn't your fault either." The knots in Eric's stomach grew wings at the mention of his dead brother. Sweat broke out across his back and shoulders and for a moment he couldn't tell if he was sad or pissed.

"So you did put his death on me," it wasn't really a question. The already deep canyon between him and Jack had just turned into a large void whenever Denny died. Denny had stayed behind to work on the farm and Eric had gone on to Chicago to try and get away from his over controlling family. He hadn't been gone a year before he got the call.

"I used to tell myself he'd still be around if you hadn't of left. All it would have taken was you to pick up a little bit of his slack and he wouldn't have started having those damn seizures." For the first time that Eric could remember he saw shame on his father's face. "But I know it would have happened either way. He got a DWI a few weeks before, so I should have been watching him closer anyway."

Gregg lunged at them. They had been too deep in their battle of tug-o-balls that they had almost forgotten about the walking rotten man right beside them. It managed to get a hold of Eric's shirt and drag him down to the ground beside him, snapping wildly at the air between the two of them. Jack was faster though and had Gregg back off Eric in a heartbeat. He grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and pulled in a few feet before the shirt gave way. Jack looked dumbly at the chunk of shirt in his hand before letting out a wailing scream as Gregg dug his teeth into his shin.

"No! Fuck!" Eric shouted pushing himself back up and kicking at Gregg. Jack had managed to shake him off but the man was persistent and kept trying to drag himself forward as Jack retreated. Kicking at him Eric held onto his dad trying to prevent him from falling. Landing a good foot on the back of Gregg's head, it drove his face down into the dirt and the man let out a muffled growl. The face plant didn't seem to faze Gregg too much because he pulled his now bloody, dirt covered mouth out of the ground, turned toward the two of them and let out a guttural scream.

Eric cried out and jumped backward almost tumbling over Jack as a large piece of brass flew by his head. Somehow Red had come in from behind them and had a tall floor lamp in his hands. Finishing his swing it made contact with Gregg's neck and he let out a grunt. Then Red gripped the rod on the lamp like a plunger and brought in down on Gregg's face, then again, and again; until he stopped making noise and moving. When he pulled the lamp away, there was nothing but a red mess where his face had once been.

"That's for Ned, you fuck face," Red heaved out, taking large deep breathes. His chest rose like a bellows and he dropped the lamp to the ground with a metallic clang. Father and son had watched in fascinated horror as the killing took place before them, but in an instant their attention turned back to Jack.

"We have to get to a hospital, right now," Eric demanded as sweat beaded across his face. Jack didn't fight him, but he didn't make any rushing movements for the car. Looking into his father's eyes, Eric's first tears began to fall. "Come on damn it, we can still get you some help."

A wan smile stretched across the old man's face, "I think everything is going to be okay," he mused. Eric turned to Red who had a matching look of disbelief.

"Dad...no," was all Eric could muster. His voice caught even as he said the two words. The tears were taking on a life of their own now, he had been fighting them, but now they were winning.

Kissing his son on the forehead, Jack took a step forward. "Help me into the house would you boys?" They did.

"I think this is how it is supposed to happen," Jack suggested propping himself up on the couch. His leg was on fire and Red was searching for bandages while Eric washed the wound.

"That doesn't make any sense," Eric half sobbed. He hadn't full on blubbered, but the tears were still coming easily.

Putting his hand on his son's shoulder, Jack explained, "You know, I thought your mother was bat shit crazy when she told me about that dream of hers." He smiled, "but then I started adding it all up, and it started feeling less crazy, like something was happening right here in our house, the same way things were happening everywhere else." He paused to wash down some Aspirin with a swig of beer from Red. "And then I started thinking about that stupid dream again. But you know what I kept thinking? I thought, there's no way my boy's going back into that mess as long as I'm around." He took another swig of the beer. "I even told that to your mom, and she agreed with me; that doesn't happen much these days so take it as another sign." He pulled himself up to the end of the couch in a sitting position while Eric pushed a pillow under his bad leg.

"I fought it, I fought the hell out of it really. Because even after I knew, I mean a fucking trident fell out of the sky!" he waved his beer over his head then downed it and opened another. "I just didn't want you to go. I didn't care if these were dreams, or prophecies, or twelve drummer's drumming, you are where you're supposed to be. But apparently there's something bigger planned for you." He smiled sadly as he said it, and let out a small cry as Red attempted to pull the wound closed, but the tear was too wide.

"I'm sorry, maybe if I," the Irishman started.

"Don't worry about it. It really doesn't matter does it?" Jack asked grimacing as he shifted his weight.

"How? How can you just be all in now, and put complete faith in this entire thing?" Eric asked crouching in front of the couch.

"It's got nothing to do with faith," he explained, "I know what I know. How else were they going to get you to go back home?" He smiled at him over his beer can. "They tried to get you to go on your own but when you didn't, they sent for me."

"But that's horse shit, they can't do that."

"But they did do it. Not only did they convince me, but they told me something else." Eric and Red looked at him through a sea of confusion. "They told me that my son means something. They want you so bad that they're going to fight tooth and nail to get you to come back and do...well whatever it is you are meant to do." Tipping the can up he dropped it on the side table with a hollow clang. Red was at the fridge in five steps and returned with the whole case.

"I don't care what _they_ want, I want my family back, without you and mom," Eric began, fighting back sobs with anger.

"Without me and your mom nothing. We were parents when you needed us, and I think we did a pretty damn good job. But now someone needs you, and not just any someone, some sort of...god," he snorted into his fresh beer. "Jesus, maybe you're right, maybe I am crazy. This whole thing sounds nuts!" His voice went up an octave at the end and Eric knew that the beer was doing what Jack wanted it to do. It was most definitely taking the pain away.

"What do you want me to do?" Eric asked standing and looking down over his injured father.

Reaching over, Jack put the beer down, "You have to go back," he said gravely. Eric was shaking his head before the words were all the way out of his mouth.

"What about you and mom? Someone has to stay here and take care of you," A fat tear rolled down his face and clung to his lip before falling to the ground.

"You already know the answer to that," Jack said picking the beer back up but not drinking it. "Your mom, well you saw her. I think whatever it took for that Sandman guy to deliver his message made her worse."

"They say it's the rain," Red added solemnly.

Jack shrugged it off and continued, "I think you should leave first thing tomorrow morning." He said it but it seemed as if he was thinking it over as he decided.

"Not a chance. Mom still,"

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," Jack interrupted him. "You're a smart kid, and you know as well as I do what's going on here. You don't want to see the end of this story," This time a tear rolled down Jack's face. Eric sat down beside him and they embraced each other as father and son.

None of them had slept much, and Eric had heard his dad creeping around the house most of the night gathering things up. Apparently he had packed their car for them so there wouldn't be any long good byes.

"I think the cattle truck is your best bet, it can drive through or over almost anything." Jack said almost just to be saying something.

"And it looks meaner than shit," Red responded, "What are those things?" he asked pointing to two large metal spikes coming out of the back of the truck.

"I think they're actually called hay spears, but for as long as I can remember the boys called them light sabers for the truck." Jack remembered fondly.

"You keep saying that. I don't remember, I thought me and Denny were more into Ninja Turtles than Star Wars," Eric pondered.

"Either way, the truck will get you where you need to go." Jack finished, limping back into the kitchen and pouring a glass of water. He sat down hard at the table beside the kitchen. Glancing out the window Eric saw that a tarp had been laid over Gregg, then he joined his father.

"You know, I don't have to go. I can stay here and take care of you and mom," Eric half pleaded glancing at the sticky red bandage on Jack's leg.

The old man just shook his head, "We've been through this. You need to go, and I need to stay." He looked at his son with a small smile on his face. "You get back there and find out what this is all about, then you take care of it." Downing his water he grabbed the chair to stand, but Red grabbed him by the forearm to help him up.

"I don't even know what I'm looking for, much less what I'm supposed to do when I get there," Eric said softly, tears were creeping back in his eyes, but he was determined to fight them this time.

"I think you'll know, these assholes don't know much about subtlety so I doubt it will be a problem," Jack tried to smile, but he just looked weak. He had grown a few shades paler overnight, and his eyes looked heavy from the lack of sleep. With a small nod of helplessness Eric moved to the bedroom to see his mother.

"What the hell am I going to tell her?" he asked turning around suddenly.

"She knows," Jack told him, "She knew before I even went in to tell her. Go on," he gestured for him to enter the bedroom.

The door slid open silently, and he could see his mom sitting up in the bed. Sunlight cascaded through the windows, and Laura smiled at him as he entered. It was a sad joy, but the fact that she was sitting up helped him along.

"Come here baby boy," she cooed with open arms. He went and embraced her. It was a nostalgic feeling, coated with sorrow and knowledge that neither of them really wanted. Laura let out a small sniffle.

"Am I hurting you?" Eric asked pulling back quickly. He saw the tears on his mother's face, and that just made things worse.

"No honey, the pain is gone," she said as a tear dropped into her lap. Staring at her in disbelief, Eric cut a glance at his father who was watching from the doorway.

"She said when she woke up this morning the pain was gone," Jack informed him. "That's how she knew you had decided to go. Her pain was just another way to convince you about what you need to do."

Eric's pain and sorrow swelled inside of him and twisted into rage. How could they do this? Rip his family apart, torture his mother, attack his father. What was the rush? Some mother fucker is going to answer for this.

"We thought we could keep you here, but that wasn't meant to be," Laura told him. "There are bigger things planned for you." She smiled her sad smile again.

What if it's horseshit, what if it's a lie, what if my only big thing is dying, or bringing Red back? None of this makes sense and I'm tired of it. I'm not doing this because you think it's my purpose but because I want answers and I want the balls of the cock gobbler who did this to us, to all of us; Eric thought to himself, but he said, "I guess I'm going to find out for sure," he said, clenching his teeth. "What about you guys?"

"I think we're going to stay here on the farm and relax. Now that they have you heading back, what else would they want with us?" Jack answered, but there was no joy in his response.

Looking over his father, Eric examined his pale skin, and his thick limp frowning. "Maybe you should come with me," he suggested trying to perk up.

Jack just shook his head and sat down next to Laura, "They need you. We wouldn't even be able to make the trek more than likely, look at us old timers."

"Speak for yourself," Laura jabbed, smacking him on the shoulder.

"I love you both very much," Eric said. It felt like the weight of the world was in his stomach grinding against his entire body.

"Oh, we love you too baby boy," Laura said pulling him in for another hug. They sat there that way for a few minutes in a warm embrace, with the knowledge of what was left unsaid swirling around them.

Red had stepped out onto the front porch, and tucked a cigarette in his mouth. He had never lit it. Large round tears were rolling down his cheeks soaking his beard ruining his smoke. The big man had turned himself away from the house to keep his face hidden, but anyone could look at those slouched shoulders and shaky hands and know the situation.

Opening the door, Eric slid past Red and opened one of the back doors on the truck. Wiping his face quickly Red tossed the cigarette into the bushes and stepped in line behind Eric.

"What are you looking for?" asked the Irishman.

"This," Eric proclaimed, sliding down from the back seat and producing a box of 12 gauge buck shot. "Dad gave me all the shotgun ammo, but I want him to have something..." he didn't finish, and he didn't need to.

"He said he put the other guns in there too, but he got more than I would ever know what to do with. I'm guessing he's still got that whole safe back there full." Red told him picturing the gun safe that Jack had in his office closet.

Eric's eyes went to the man that he hadn't known long. A man that was a stranger a few weeks prior, but in war you make brothers quick. "I need you to promise me something." Eric demanded. He stepped so close to the big man the Red could smell Laura's lotion still on his skin. "If something happens to me, if this is all just...nothing. Then you need to come back here." He looked at the house as he said it. "I know you have your own family, and you don't have to stay here by any means, but just come back and bury my parents," For the last sentence he locked eyes with his new friend. Tears swelled up in Red's already puffy eyes, but he was nodding.

"You've got it." He said swallowing hard, "But you're going to be fine. I don't think we have anything to worry about. It sounds to me like you're pretty important." Red turned away, he was having a hard time keeping his composure up.

Eric regarded him blank faced before giving him a nod and a squeeze on the shoulder. Then he was back in the house leaving Red to finally light a fresh cigarette. One thought that hadn't occurred to him until now was that his parents could survive this. Everyone keeps saying this is the work of a god, they can heal people right? What does it take to convince a super being to spare your family? He had guns, but more importantly he had himself, that's what they really wanted. With that thought in his head he decided to keep a gun on him at all times. If they didn't meet his requests he could always shatter their dreams on him returning with one bullet.

Within fifteen minutes they were pulling out of the small car port and starting down the long drive. Jack and Laura had demanded that they could get to the front of the house to say their final good byes, and it was rough getting them there with their injuries and illnesses. With each hug and word of encouragement, one thought raced through Eric's mind, I'm going to find you, and I'm going to hurt you. It was still cycling through his brain as he waved to his parents for the last time. His tears had dried up, and they were replaced by hot vengeance.

-NOW-

"Here light that will ya, I can't see shit," Eric said dumping a small container of old oil on the floor. Kneeling, Jake produced a flint stick and stuck the oil aflame, they were breathing heavily from the run and Eric was leaning against a beam to steady himself, "Ok, there we go. Now we need to start pulling these off of here," Eric told him waving at the tires on the wall. The ones on the front row had been inflated long ago and now they were all saggy and chewed through by the rusted rims. Behind the old tires though, lay a wall of batteries, the kinds with the separate chemicals that need to be manually mixed in order to function.

Setting Jake to work on pulling the batteries out, Eric moved back into the showroom to a small car. He really wanted to try and take the jeep or even a four door truck, but he couldn't risk losing all the juice from the batteries on a truck that would over power it and probably die a mile down the road.

The car dealership was in relatively good condition, compared to how he left the last one. A few windows were broken or sagging, and some of the larger cars had been moved or stripped for parts years ago. The car he was currently looking at was small, and sitting on four flat tires, but it only needed four spark plugs. He figured that had to be four functioning plugs in the large building they were in.

Popping the hood and dropping down to let the oil out, he replaced it with a very shaken bottle from the sales floor. Then he set to siphoning off the gas from the other cars. It may be too old to burn anyway, but he figured if he did get the car rolling he only had one shot at it. After that he gathered up all the other spark plugs available and washed them off with the front of his shirt. Lex kept taking the ones he had cleaned and he finally had to put them in the car and close the door so the animal couldn't get to them. Lastly he got down in the engine and tugged at all the wires, tightening anything that looked loose and using some electrical tape from the mechanics shop to seal anything that looked damaged.

"I don't know what you're going to do with all of these. Don't cars just take one battery?" Jake asked pushing the last of the chemical batteries in front of the car.

"It has to work," Eric told him squatting down to wire the batteries together creating a circuit that went to the battery in the car. He noticed a small plastic bag that contained hydrochloric acid and considered taking some but the idea of the bag ripping open in his satchel was almost painful. "We're just going to recharge this one," Eric explained, attaching the last piece of cord to the jumper cables that were already connected to the car battery.

" _If this works we can always ditch those other pussies and head to the finish line on our own, in style,"_ Lex added while chewing at his ass.

"No, now get in," Eric told the animal, who cocked his head to look at him in confusion. "Come on, you get in here, so we can go. This is going to happen fast." He couldn't tell if Jake thought he was talking to him or not, but Eric and Lex both jumped when Jake pulled the passenger door closed with a bang. Taking a step back, Lex whimpered, eying the car uncomfortably.

After sitting in the back seat and getting Lex to come to him he grabbed him by the front legs and hauled him in with a nip to the wrist. " _Of all the horseshit things you've done. I just needed a little more time, I was almost ready. Dick."_ Eric ignored him sitting down at the front seat. He had already found the keys and put them in the ignition. His heart went into double time as the ignition light went on.

"This is quite possibly the best day of my life," Jake proclaimed, watching Eric with unrelenting curiosity. Turning the key, the dashboard lit up, the engine rolled over, there was a loud pop and the car died.

"Fuck!" cried Eric, jumping out of the driver's seat. He could tell the spark plug that had popped and he quickly changed it out and hopped back in the car. Turning the key again, this time the car actually ran for a minute before dying.

" _Yea I saw this coming. Those dumb broads are going to die. There's no way you can catch up to them now, you humans are so damn slow,"_ Lex goaded from the back seat. As if sensing his words, Jake took a look at the back seat then sat back up forward, it was no mystery that the kid was worried.

"It just needs a little gas," Eric told himself more than anyone. Cranking the key again, he let his foot ride the pedal soft, then heavy as the engine roared to life.

"Holy shit you did it!" Jake exclaimed chugging up and down in the passenger seat. Lex didn't seem to have anything to say so he let out a bark and glared at the dashboard anxiously. Revving the engine one more time to clear out the tubes, Eric put the car in reverse. As he backed up the cords that were still attached to the engine began pulling taught, then dumping the acid out toward them. They watched the acid burn into the top of tiles, and a rug sizzling, but being that he didn't have any real wheels on the car, he had no need to slow down and be careful. Once it was moving the ancient mechanics took over, but it wasn't a pretty sound, and it didn't feel like first class transportation. A high pitched squealing sound was mind numbing, but there was something wrong with the engine and it let out a loud pop every few seconds.

Not wasting any time, Eric punched the gas and moved through the open bay window out into the road. Turning took all of his strength and they still slid into the grass on the far side of the road, sparks flew from the rims as they scratched across the concrete. A large grin had broken out on Jake's face, even when drops of sweat ran down his face as they neared a collision. Lex whined in the back seat and kept thumping into the window before Eric made Jake put a hand back to keep the dog stable. " _This is the biggest piece of shit I have ever seen, I hope we crash and burn just so this is over...and for fuck sake go in a straight line."_

"Sorry, it's been a while," Eric panted twisting the wheel away from another skid as they clipped a truck, bouncing back into the center of the road. They all lurched to the left but were balanced on the end of their seats again in an instant.

The stretch of highway was littered with cars, and the one they were in wouldn't go much faster than 2 miles per hour. With no headlights and plenty of debris on the road, Eric was second guessing if he should have tried putting new tires on. Traction was a distant memory, and the grinding the rims made being forced over the concrete was much louder than any of them cared for. Especially if other things were being attracted to the sound and light show of what looked like a dual sided firework display with sparks shooting out in all directions.

"Shit!" was all Eric could think to shout as he pulled the car to the left as Laney came into view, and shouted something to the others as he moved out of the way. From the look of the group, they had heard and seen him coming, which was a relief, none of them were in the middle of the road and they were all standing in the grass, wide eyed. Sliding to a stop against a concrete barrier for an exit the car began chugging and choking threatening to die.

"Get them in!" Eric shouted through Jake's broken window. For a moment he thought they were just going to stand there and watch him with a dumb look on their faces but finally Marz lurched forward pulling Jane with him.

"Get in back kid," Laney muttered opening the door so they could get Jane in. Pushing her in, Marz squeezed in beside her grunting as the door closed tight against his arm and thigh.

"Here, put her across us, we'll hold her," Jake told Gus, moving into the back seat and pushing Lex over to the window. Shae wasn't looking very good, as Gus leaned down letting Jake take her by the shoulders and ease her into the back seat. She moaned sickly but didn't fight it. Eric revved the engine in hopes that it wouldn't die now that they were all inside the car, it started to move slowly, the rims grinding against the road.

"We're going to need a push!" Eric shouted at the rest of them. Ford and Jeffery slammed into the back of the car immediately, followed by Frank, while Caddie watched from the side, giving what was left of the tires an unsure look.

"Wait, what about us?" Laney asked running up beside Eric's window and looking in at the six of them and the animal.

"Go back, meet the others on the bridge outside the city like we had planned originally. We'll be back as soon as we can." Eric said. Laney was having to jog to keep up with them now and Ford was the only one still pushing, not sure what it would take to keep the car going.

"Bridge, with the burn of the building on the right, right?" Laney shouted running at full force.

"That's it. Sleep, travel at day, Rohn will be looking for you!" Eric shouted as they pulled away, they car was getting louder the harder it pushed itself. Laney stopped running and watched the car move out into the night. The sparks were picking up as they hit crusing speed, and he turned back to the rest of the group once the sounds of the car had died off.

"I guess, we don't get a ride huh?" Ford said still looking down the road as Laney walked back up to join them.

"Do any of you know, what he had planned exactly? What is out there that's going to help any of them?" Caddie asked motioning out toward the ocean that was miles away. No one seemed to have an answer for her.

"How long have you been with him?" Frank asked the three of them.

Laney, and Ford looked at their feet realizing what he was really asking them, but Jeffery spoke up. "He's been with us long enough to save our lives, and yours if I'm remembering right," he demanded looking at them, giving a hard look at the uncontributor Paul who had an undeserved look of self-assurance on his face. "Didn't he run in and save all of your lives? None of us knew what to do against those things back there in the city, but he figured it out, and he got right in the middle of the fight." He paused to give them all another look, even his group. "He hasn't been with us long, but he has the long iron just like Jane and Gus, and he hasn't stopped to ask us for shit, so I say we cut the guy a break," he concluded.

Paul looked ashamed of himself, and even Frank dropped his eyes, but Caddie just started at the man. She didn't say a word, but when Laney told them they needed to head back and find shelter for the night she moved with them in silence. It didn't take them long to get back to the car lot where Eric had retrieved their ride. Laney hoped in a truck, but couldn't get it to do anything more than creak as he moved around inside the cab. Sitting down next to what was once a couch before being stripped for fabric and cushions, Caddie looked out toward the way they had come and pondered their latest decisions.

"If it makes you feel better, we didn't have any other choice," Frank said sitting down across from her.

"It doesn't," Caddie said looking at him gravely.

"Shae, and that girl, Jane? They weren't going to make it either way. So maybe they find some help out there, or maybe they don't. In the end it really doesn't change anything." He said trying to help her cope with the separation of their friends.

"I know they are going to die, that's not what bothers me," she said after another minute of silence.

"What do you mean?" Frank asked, a chill ran down his neck and back.

"How did he do that?" she asked him, "He got a car working. When's the last time you even heard of a car working? On top of that he grabs some of our people and some of their people and heads of to _the ocean_?" She spit the last part out as if it made her angry instead of confused. "I think he's crazy, did you see him rush in at those Vamps? Brave, yea, it could be brave, but I'm leaning toward crazy, everyone knows that the sea has nothing but death for the like of us," she finished looking into his eyes to see if he understood what she was trying to say.

"So what do we do about it? More than that, what if he comes back and Shae is totally recovered? How do you mark that up in your book, is he still crazy then?"

She looked out the window again, back toward the ocean, "That's not what bothers me, I'm more afraid of what will happen if they come back and Shae and that other woman are dead. But my guess is that we never see them again." As she said it another chill ran down Frank's back, and he joined her gaze out into the night, waiting for morning.

-H-

Jim was crouched over the side of the bridge watching a small deer drink from the water that had gathered in an upside down car hood. The deer had a third eye on the top of its head and one of its antlers was growing out of its shoulder instead of the head, but other than that the animal looked healthy. He couldn't help but lick his lips, and turn his head slowly looking for Kennedy, the man had their bow, he didn't want to risk making too much noise with his gun.

"This is pointless, how likely is it that an animal is going to just run up in front of us like a," Flynn began, but he was cut off when Jim rolled around to crouch on the bridge out of the deer's vision. He made a quick quiet gesture by dragging his thumb across his throat quickly. Quickly crouching, Flynn kept moving down the bridge toward him, "What is it?" He whispered once he got up beside Jim.

"It's a deer, I think. Isn't that what Kennedy brought back with the things on its head?" He asked using his free hand to express antlers sprayed against his forehead. Flynn nodded but this face turned sour.

"You know that wasn't what Kennedy brought back don't you, Slim was the one good with the bow." Flynn seethed quietly. Shaking his head with disinterest, Jim leaned back around the corner and glanced at the deer. The animal was still there, though its head was up. Jim wondered if it was deaf. Turning back around Jim let out a choked snort of surprise, Flynn leaned all the way up behind him to get a look and they were almost touching nose to nose.

Giving him a light push back Jim asked, "Where did he go? We can still get this thing," looking back and forth along the road.

"Use the iron, shoot him and be done with it, you don't have to wait for him to do everything you know," Flynn persuaded, glancing around eagerly making sure that Kennedy wasn't sneaking up behind them.

"He said it makes too much noise. What if a looker hears it, or what if something else does? I can't outrun a dragon," Jim said trying to explain his position. He couldn't meet eyes with the other man, knowing that he was just going to make another proposal.

"First of all there's no such thing as dragons, dumb ass," he glanced down at the gun, "In fact have you ever seen any of these other things out there? The only thing we've seen is one of those gators." Jim shuddered at the memory. They had been in close to the city one day, and when a man named Thad went in to get some water to wash off their kill and an animal almost thirty feet long had lurched out of the water, covered in green and black scales with a mouth the size of a car hood filled with teeth. He remembered seeing Thad being engulfed in that mouth and he saw the man for the last time when the thing opened its mouth to chew, Thad was broken everywhere, and then he was gone. They had never run faster in their lives, but the gator seemed content on its meal and returned back into the dark water.

"A gator is bad enough," Jim said shaking off the memory. He glanced around the side of the bridge again quickly to make sure the deer was still there, then he looked eagerly for Kennedy.

"I'll tell you what, if he's not back in a few minutes, you give me the gun and I'll shoot it. It's better we do that and then move quickly, then let it get away. That's a lot of food." Flynn goaded.

"Where are we going to go once we kill it? We have to gut it first, otherwise they can follow us," Jim kept on, moving his body weight slightly so that the gun wasn't as close to his hunting companion.

"We carry it to the hotel, gut it, and go home," Flynn explained as if it were as easy as walking downhill.

"I don't know, the hotel is pretty close to home, maybe we should go to the visitor's center," the hotel they spoke of was a public bathroom beside the graveyard that they stayed in whenever they got caught out in the rain. "Besides, what if we have to stay there again before we get a chance to clean it, these animals crap everywhere when they die." Jim explained.

"Ok fine," Flynn said clearly annoyed, "We go to the visitor center and gut it. So how about we do it now before this thing runs away?" He eyed Jim greedily watching him think it over.

"Just a few more minutes, maybe Kennedy will be back and we won't have to use the iron." Jim said almost pleading.

"Or, we just do it now and get moving. It could be an hour before the old man comes back. If he stopped to take a shit, that's an hour right there," Flynn pushed on glancing down the street away from their subway home where Kennedy had gone.

Jim smirked, "Yea he does take forever to do anything doesn't he?" he pulled the gun from the holster and held it in both hands. "Let's wait just one more minute. I would hate to shoot it and then him come around the corner and kick our asses."

"We've waited long enough, you know he wants to do a lot more to your ass than kick it," Flynn said putting on his award winning smile. Jim's lips pulled back on one side in indecision, and finally he held the gun out to Flynn, who snatched it up instantly.

"I always say you're a smart man, and now you'll have something to show for it, a delicious dinner," he popped the cylinder on the large revolver and checked that all six shells were inside.

"Just be quick, and then we need to grab it and start moving before anything can come find us." Jim stopped and put a hand on Flynn's forearm, "What about Kennedy? What if we attract something and it gets him?" he asked with worry stretched across his face.

Flynn smiled slyly and opened his mouth to say something, but the look on Jim's face changed his mind. Instead he said, "I'm sure he's close, and when he hears the shot he'll come running, besides, he's old as hell, he's survived all sorts of crazy things." He didn't give Jim a chance to counter with a plea for more time. Standing, Flynn took aim at the animal that was sniffing the air in the wrong direction.

Once the gun was on the animal he held his breath and pulled the trigger. With a massive explosion that completely countered their whispered conversations, the gun rocked him backward and he opened his eyes and leaned forward to see his progress. The shot had grazed the animal's backside, but in its confusion, the deer had twisted and fallen over the car hood it was drinking from. Smiling Flynn took aim again and fired, this time making full contact. Letting out a loud bleat, the deer kicked spastically against the concrete and then lay still to die.

"There, see, easy as pie," Flynn said smiling, he let the gun hang down in his right hand as he moved around the edge of the bridge to get a look at their dinner.

"Here," Jim said firmly, holding his hand out for the gun. Now that the deed was over, he had a look of shame on his face for letting himself be talked into shooting the animal. He could already imagine Kennedy's distain.

"Don't doubt yourself now friend," Flynn said handing him the gun with a twinkle in his eye. "If you had let yourself be guided by the hand of the old man, you might not have eaten tonight." With that he hopped down into the grass slope that led to the road below them. Holstering the gun, Jim followed slowly.

Flynn surveyed the animal, and stepped around the puddle of urine and scat that had occurred upon death. Grabbing the antler from the head, Flynn pulled the animal into the grass away from its last defecation. He had just got it twisted around when they heard a scream. Jim was still on higher ground and he almost lost his footing as his head snapped up to watch for the source of the noise. Temporarily forgetting about their meal Flynn joined him and they stepped back up to the edge of the bridge looking toward the city.

From where they stood the bridge stretched out before them and then the road opened up at a light and buildings, a few stories high, lined both sides of the street. Along the bridge statues the size of a man stretched up every twenty feet, along the concrete barriers on either side. Some statues still stood, but the bases of the others made note of where they once were. The two men stood silently side by side watching for any movement and listening for danger. Then they heard a shrill shriek from behind them. Turning around, they watched one of the badly burned lookers stumble over the hill leading into the graveyard and make its way toward them at a shuffling stride. Flynn let out a groan and turned back toward the bridge and started running. In contrast, Jim picked up a loose piece of concrete about the size of a coconut and stood his ground. The looker was on him before he jumped to the side cracking it in the side of the head with the rock. Its eyes rolled back, arms stretching for support as it fell to the ground. Without hesitation Jim was leaned over it bringing the rock down again and again, until it stopped moving and his arms were coated in a thin film of blood.

"Haha, see that was pretty easy," Flynn said as he took a few steps back toward the grisly scene, "right?"

"You dumb ass, I told you we shouldn't use the iron, it's too loud," Jim said heaving for breaths. He stood up and hopped up and down lightly dropping the stone. His adrenaline was up.

"Well, all it brought was one lousy looker, and you handled that like a champ. Now all we have to do is," but he never got the chance to micromanage. Another scream echoed off the buildings in the other direction of where the looker had come and they both turned suddenly, Flynn rushing back closer to Jim. The scream was joined by another, and then followed up a massive deep roar.

"There's no such thing as dragons," Flynn said, more to himself than anyone else, but he stared down the street wide eyed.

"Yea," Jim said stepping backward slowly. His foot hit the dead looker and he had to grab Flynn for support or else fall over. Flynn barely got him to his feet before a quiet moan rolled out of his mouth, and Jim followed his eyes upward. At first it looked like a small bird, or even a rock, but as it came closer the men flinched back as an arrow went over their heads landing in the street behind them breaking against the concrete.

"Was that Kenne...?" Jim started to ask but another roar drowned him out. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. A crash followed the roar, and from their place at the end of the bridge, they could see a light cloud of dust and concrete plume up two buildings over from the street they stood on. The cloud of dust and rock blew into their field of view across the bridge like a breaking wave. Following it was an old black man running, glancing over his shoulder every two seconds.

"Wha?" Flynn started to ask, but his words caught in his throat as a looker came running out of a building across the street from Kennedy and rushed him. Dodging, surprisingly nimble for a man his age, Kennedy didn't lose pace. Twisting around, the looker made like it was going to change course and chase the old man, but before it could it was slapped by a giant hand that sent it spiraling into the building it had come out of with a sick red splat.

Grabbing the side of the building Kennedy had rounded, a creature about fifteen feet tall with thick animal hooves on a massive frame twisted after Kennedy. The minotaur had a thick piece of leather tied around its midsection and pulled up over one shoulder almost like a toga. Its upper chest was thick with muscle and ran about the size of a city bus. Massive shoulders ran down to humanoid arms and hands covered with a thin layer of brown hair. Its giant head was a bull with two massive horns protruding out of the top, leading down to a thick jaw and rounded nose. But its eyes were very aware and it bellowed as it saw that another looker was running toward it.

"Go go go," Kennedy was shouting as he reached the far end of the bridge. Jim turned and took a few steps back before stopping but Flynn just watched as the gigantic beast snatched the shrieking looker from the road and slam it into the building it was standing next to, sending stone and metal raining down around it. As it turned back toward the men, Flynn could see arrows sticking out of its chest, and one lodged in the side of its neck, with blood running down onto his shoulder.

"He shot it," Flynn whispered as if mesmerized by the creature. "You shot it?" He shouted as Kennedy closed the gap, but the old man wasn't looking at Flynn or Jim, he was looking beyond them and he stopped running with confusion breaking out on his face. Finally understanding that Kennedy wasn't looking at him, Flynn turned around and saw that Jim had stopped just a few feet away. An older man in a suit stood a little ways down from where they had come, he had his thumbs stuck in his pockets and was watching them with an amused smile.

Roaring again, the Minotaur started walking toward the bridge, its footfalls sounding like small earthquakes. It snorted and grunted as it watched them angrily. Looking at the man in the street and then back at the beast, Kennedy finally decided to avoid the creature and jogged the rest of the way across the bridge.

"We need to," Kennedy started, but Haden put up a hand to silence him. Looking over the three men, he took note of the gun and the empty quiver across the old man's back.

"You need to stay here," Haden said, with the thin smile never leaving his lips. A dark scar covered the left side of his face, and his shirt was tattered and bloody on the left shoulder from the fight with Zygan; there were also a slew of tattered holes in his chest where the bullets had torn into his shirts. Unsure of what move to make the men did as they were told, though Kennedy motioned for the gun from Jim and he handed it over.

Haden sauntered into the middle of the bridge and let his hands fall to his sides. With a hint of confusion, the Minotaur stepped up to the edge of the bridge and let out a breath that pushed dust and rock debris from his nose in a rush. Taking a step onto the bridge it seemed to grow more confident as it approached what appeared to be an old man in a suit.

"Good Gods he's completely out of his mind," Kennedy said taking a step after him. He raised the gun and was about to fire when Haden turned around and waved him off. Kennedy's eyebrows dropped and his mouth parted as he let the gun down and watched what was certainly going to be a man's death. "Be ready to run to the hotel," Kennedy said out of the side of his mouth as the giant beast stepped up only a few feet away from Haden.

"Your mother was a whore," Haden told it, but the creature didn't seem to take interest in his words, "And her husband was a fool, but most kings are," the bull took no notice and flicked its tail across its back as he watched the man. "Come on then, I'm well rested!" Haden shouted at the creature raising his arms. Leaning down, the Minotaur roared at him, spittle hanging from its bottom lip. After that it swiped at the man a balled fist.

Haden's hands were up in an instant. Catching the bull's fist was like catching a car, and it pushed him back several feet to the edge of the bridge digging shallow grooves in the concrete. Letting out a wail, the beast pulled his hand back, but Haden kept his grasp. He had one hand on the inner knuckle of the ring finger and his other on the outer knuckle of the index finger. This time the animal let out a growl of fear and protest and brought his other hand down in an attempt to crush the small man between its large hands.

Haden spread his arms and caught the hand palm to palm. Shrieking again, the small unmoving hand against its palm felt like getting jabbed with a chopstick. Something about the shriek must have been funny because Haden started laughing, and red hot fire bloomed from his hands. Pulling back its open hand the Minotaur tried to retreat but Haden wasn't ready to give him his fist. Grabbing the fist with both hands again he let the fire rush out of his body. It ran over the creatures knuckles like snakes made of flame, and they made their way around its wrist and up the arm before he finally let go.

Bleating and screaming, the giant bull fell backwards slapping at the fire that was climbing up his arm, and reached his shoulder. Flipping over, it slapped at his neck and finally got back on its feet. The flame wouldn't stop and the guttural groans went up a few pitches as it reached its face. Getting low, it started to run and smashed directly into the building it had previously splattered a looker on. When that didn't help it reared back and smashed into the one next to it, tumbling through the soft brick and into the collapsed building. Rolling around it finally fell back into the road and stopped moving. The fire never stopped stretching across its body, and as it died, the smell of burning hair finally reached their noses.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, what the fuck, oh my fuck," Flynn babbled as he finally let out the breath he had been holding in. Haden turned back to them and closed the distance looking down at his shirt.

"It just keeps getting worse," he told them stretching out a burned spot for a better look. Looking up at them he smiled and glanced at the gun that Kennedy held in his hand.

"Are you a dragon?" Jim asked awkwardly from behind Kennedy. Haden laughed at that, and Flynn snickered lightly, his wide eyes darting from person to person.

"There's no such thing as dragons, dumb ass," Flynn said, he was talking fast and his voice was a higher pitch as if he had been doing cocaine. "What ummmm, what was that all about? How did you do that? Who..." Flynn trailed off looking at the man eagerly.

"Oh of course," Haden bowed deeply toward them, "My name is Haden of The Red Rock." He watched them with pleased interest as they started at him.

"How did you do that?" Jim asked meekly leaning out from behind Kennedy's shadow.

"That is a good question to ask, but more importantly, you should be asking, why did I do that," Haden told him, he gave Flynn a large fake smile that the skinny man ate up and smiled back.

"You did that because you're a bad ass!" Flynn shouted. "Wow! I have seen a lot of shit, but that!" he enthusiastically pointed at the smoldering corpse across the bridge. Haden regarded him as someone would a small child enjoying a game.

"Okay, why did you do that?" Kennedy asked finally. The gun was still in his hand, and he put his thumb on the hammer to help ease his anxiety.

"Yes, you are a man with a purpose; I can see that in your eyes. That is what we are going to talk about," Haden told him switching fixing his eyes on the old man.

"Purpose!" Flynn made a farting noise with this tongue and lips, "Yea he's got a purpose, being old and whacking it!" Flynn was in shock and he couldn't help himself, his mouth and body were on autopilot, but Haden ignored him and kept his gaze on Kennedy.

"You see, I am looking for a man," he started. "This man carries a sword in his belt and I am pretty sure he came this way. The reason I did that is to let you all know what I am capable of in case you do not wish to help me find him." Kennedy and Jim exchanged nervous looks wile Flynn laughed at them.

"You're the first person we've seen in a long while," Kennedy told him. That killed the smile on his face. Haden looked back at Jim who was nodding confirmation.

"You mean that asshole with the dog right?" Flynn spit out still smiling. A thin smile crept across Haden's face that would have made a baby cry.

"A man with a dog you say? And he was carrying a sword with him?" Haden asked, regarding Flynn as a new friend.

"Yea, he was here for about a day and then left. I'll tell you though; he's not worth hunting down. He's a little bit of a tight ass, and to tell you the truth I think him and the ole blue hair over there hit it off if you know what I mean," he jammed his index fingers into each other a few times to express his meaning.

"I understand. Which way was he going?" Haden asked, his full attention was on him now, and he didn't see or didn't care that Kennedy pulled back the hammer of the revolver.

"Hmmm, well I think he said he was going,"

"Shut your stupid mouth, for once in your life," Kennedy told him stepping forward.

Haden gave him a cold look at then turned back to Flynn, "You see I really need to find him, it is a matter of life or death." He cooed.

"Not a problem, he's just a little sensitive," Flynn said jerking a thumb at Kennedy. "I'm pretty sure I know where they went, but I should probably check with my boy, he followed them a little ways after they were gone."

"You're not going to say another word, remember what he did for us," Kennedy said through clenched teeth. He used his free hand to wave Jim off who started taking small steps back down the street toward home.

"What he did for us!" Flynn scoffed. "The only thing he did for us was kill a couple kids and knock up the hottest chick in the place. Kate was mine!" he spat the last part out, glaring at Kennedy.

"Where are you going?" Haden asked Jim who had gotten a few feet away while he was distracted with Flynn.

"Nowhere, I just don't like confr...confrin..."

"Confrontation," Kennedy finished for him. "Go ahead, we'll finish up here and meet you at the hotel." He said turning back to the two men.

"Listen, gentlemen, I really do not care about you. The both of you can go back to this hotel right now if you would only give me the gift of information." Haden said. It was a chore keeping the smile on his face but he plastered it there for the time being.

"We aren't going to tell you because we don't know. I think I remember him saying something about going back inland. The sea is no good anyway," Kennedy told him.

"Now I know he didn't say that," Flynn threw in.

"Last chance, keep your mouth shut," Kennedy told him.

"No, you will tell me, your friend here is useless. Where did they go?" Haden asked fixing his eyes back on Flynn.

Sneering at Kennedy, Flynn said, "From what I remember he told Gabe that they had to go north to the," a deafening gunshot tore off half of the man's face, and the back of his head exploded in gore. Flynn blinked once out of his remaining eye and his body fell limp to the ground.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Haden turned back to Kennedy wiping a splatter of blood from his nose. "That was a very foolish thing to do," he told him, "albeit very brave."

Without hesitation Kennedy fired a second shot into Haden's chest. The bullet was absorbed and what looked like blood from a needle prick bloomed on his shirt. Firing again into his chest he watching in horror as Haden barely flinched as the bullet tore a hole in the shirt, then disappeared into his chest with nothing but a drop of blood to show for his efforts. With a small gasp Kennedy raised the gun to the man's head, but Haden caught him by the wrist and pushed the barrel of the gun toward the sky.

"Stop that, it is starting to hurt," Haden said. He was no longer smiling but his eyes burned with excitement. "Finish his story and I will make it quick," he demanded.

Kennedy cried out as Haden broke his wrist, and the gun clattered to the concrete. "What are you going to do, torture me?" It was finally Kennedy's turn to laugh. "How long do you think my heart will last? You're not going to get any help here," Haden let go of the old man's wrist and he fell to the ground with a hard grunt, grabbing at his ruined wrist.

It seemed easy for Haden to pull the smile back so quickly and he looked around for Jim. Apparently he had taken off at some point during their conversation, but he had been so enthralled with it that he hadn't even bothered to pay the man any attention. Knowing that the other man was gone, he looked back down at the old man, he could find the other if it became necessary.

"Here is what I am going to do," Haden said putting a finger to the dot of blood on his chest and wiping it away, the skin underneath was unharmed. "You are going to tell me the rest of your friend's story. If you decide not to tell me, I am going to start hitting you, with my good hand," he said holding out his right hand and letting the fire work its way out of his pores. Turning behind him he saw that Jim was gone and he sat up still holding his broken right wrist.

"I'll tell you what you want to know," he said sitting up.

"That is what I like to hear," Haden said stepping back and letting the flame die down on his skin. Flinching from the pain in his wrist, Kennedy adjusted himself so that he could look into Haden's eyes.

"First you have to tell me why you want to know," he demanded staring up at the man. A breeze suddenly picked up and for a moment it didn't smell like he was surrounded like death.

Searching his eyes Haden took another step back and examined the scene that he had created. The buildings and road across the bridge were a wreck, and a man with part of his head blown off lay at his feet.

"I will tell you. It does not matter whether you like the answer or not. You have no other option left, and the only reason I am telling you is because you acted quickly and without fear; like a warrior," Haden told him twirling back around to see Kennedy up on his knees with the revolver tucked into his chin.

"Without fear," Kennedy said. Haden made a mad dash for the man but wasn't quick enough. The old man gave him his last grin and then pulled the trigger leaving him there in despair.

-NOW-

"Can you try not hitting everything in the road please?" Jane grimaced as Eric slid against a steel barrier on a curve, he was suddenly very glad that someone had designed them.

"I'm trying to," but she waved him off.

"I know, just get there," she looked over her shoulder at Shae who was covered in a layer of sweat, and had begun moaning softly with every exhale. Gus tried to smile at Jane but it looked too pitiful to be considered anything close to joy.

"How far now?" Gus asked from the back seat. Jake was still tucked in beside him holding Shae's head up, but he was looking out the window watching for any sign of the ocean as Eric had instructed.

"We have to be getting close, I saw a sign back there with a beach umbrella on it, so we can't be that far out." They sat there for a while listening to Shae's heavy breathing before Lex chimed in.

" _Okay, I've been very patient, but if this one dies can I eat her? We can share, like that old bitch back at the airport,"_ the animal told him. Glancing in the rearview, Lex met Eric's view for a second before directing his attention back outside. He hadn't realized it before but Eric was sweating too. Getting the car going was a long shot, but somehow it had paid off, and he wondered if it was all his doing or someone, or something else had a hand to play it making the old hunk of shit run. More than anything though, he could feel the anxiety working its way through his body, and his stomach had tightened, knowing what he wanted to do and hoping that it would work.

"There!" Jake cried excitedly from the back seat. They had come up over a hill and had been forced to turn north, but now they could see black waves rolling between restaurants and buildings along the shore. The sun's dim light had lit the clouds out on the far western point of the world, and the darkness was receding. A row of fences and small condos stood between where they drove and the water, so Eric was forced onward.

"Okay, grab a hold of her," Eric told them in the back seat. He found a small opening between a set of condos and he slammed the car left lurching all of them up as they made contact with a fat concrete barrier and then slammed into a fence. The car had lost a lot of its momentum getting over the barrier, and the car peeled through the chain link fence like it was giving birth. The metal dragged across the sides of the car with a nails on the chalkboard kind of sound, and then a loud pop as it pulled the tail light covers off.

Once they were though the fence he hit the gas and drove them through a small parking lot and barely touched the sand before the car stuck. Without tires the car got no traction, and he quickly hopped out of the car opening the back door, where Lex eagerly jumped out and began marking everything in sight.

"Wonderful, we're here, now what?" Gus asked helping them pull Shae from the car. Following, Eric had her shoulders, Jake her torso, and Gus held on to her legs at the knee, letting her calves dangle under his thick arms.

"The water, this all relies on the water," Eric told him.

"I know that part. That's what you keep saying, but what are they supposed to do? Drink it?" he asked agitated. The man had been watching his woman die in his arms for the past couple hours, it was no wonder he was angry, especially since Eric wouldn't give them much description as to what he had planned.

"You got her?" Eric asked looking up at Marz, trying to put off the question for just a few more seconds.

"We're right behind you, just tell me where you want me," Jane told him, the arm that had been bitten was dangling worthless against her body. Lex began barking, and chasing crabs the size of hubcaps, up the beach.

"Don't get close to those, they have claws," Eric told the dog, trying to keep away from the crabs himself.

"What are they?" Jake asked as if Eric had been talking to him.

"They're in the way," Gus told him kicking one over as they reached the edge of the water.

"Holy shit it's cold," Jane said shuddering as they stepped into the black ocean.

"Woah, that's far enough, Jake get my belt off and take my stuff to the beach, keep it dry," Eric said looking down at his guns and sword worried. They had taken Jane's off on the way so she could fit in the car more comfortably. He moved Shae's body weight so that he could support the part Jake had been holding. Moving quickly, the young man tossed the heavy belt up into the dry sand. "Ok, set her down here, I've got her," he told Gus, moving around so that he was crouched in the water, letting Shae's legs dangle in the water while holding her by the waist. Jane didn't waste any time and struggled against the current to get closer.

"So, do we need to dunk her, it's something in the water right?" Gus asked not taking his eyes off the Shae. She looked dead already, but he could see her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. Whatever needed to happen, he didn't want to wait any longer.

"This is good. Get back a little bit." Eric told him grabbing Jane by the hand and pulling her closer to him. He looked like he was giving a baptism with Shae limp in his arms and Jane hovering over him, using his shoulder to keep herself upright. Gus took a few steps back and Eric waved him back with his free hand.

"Really? Get on with it," Gus said taking an additional step away. Jake and Marz did what they were told and backed up another dozen feet. Shrugging it off, Eric turned back to the women.

"Just hold on to me, and brace yourself. This is going to hurt, but it's better than the alternative." Eric told Jane taking a quick peek at her shoulder which had turned entirely black. She nodded in understanding and her grip on his shoulder tightened.

Kneeling in the shallow water, he held Shae up with one hand and cupped water onto her face with the other, and then he splashed more water on Jane. As he cupped water onto his head and drank a dim blue light broke out over the water, and Gus took a step back in surprise. A rumble of thunder caused the men on the beach to look up and above them the clouds were twisting as if they were going to start a tornado. At the heart of the spiral blue light began to glow as if the sky had spawned an extra sun.

Eric gestured for Jane to get down in the water and he continued pouring water over Shae's face. Thunder boomed overhead and Lex began barking and pacing. Making sure Jane could see him, Eric pulled in a deep breath over exaggerating to be sure she knew what he meant to do, and she caught on. Pulling her down she closed her eyes and went under, then he dunked Shae and finally followed, falling on his back and letting the water rush over him. The moment he went under a beam of light shot out of the vortex above and lit the water around them with an aqua electric glow, but none of them were visible through the foggy blue water.

Opening his eyes, Eric took a deep breath of the glowing water, filling his lungs and resisting the urge to push up and out into air. The glow suddenly changed and instead of looking up at the clouds he was looking through a window. He could see the edges of the building, they were white marble with flecks of blue and a painting of the ocean scrawled across them. Inside the building were dark marble floors with candles lit on high candelabras throughout. A fire burned in the stone fireplace, but it was dwindling. Across the room a man sat in a chair carved of marble. He looked ancient and his skin hung loosely off his skinny arms. Wisps of white hair hung off his wrinkled face and he regarded Eric with dark hollow eyes intense and blue, sunk deep into his cheek bones.

"He's coming," the dying man said softly, Eric tried to lean in to hear, but he realized he couldn't move at all.

Who? Eric tried to ask, but he didn't have a mouth, he was the wind at the window; a vision and nothing more. The man raised his liver spotted arm and waved Eric away as if he was a fly. At that moment he was looking back up in the sky and could see it brighten.

A thick more intense ring of light shot down from the clouds with a rattling thunder crash. When it hit the water it emitted a shock wave pushing the water and sand away for twenty feet around Eric. Gus was tossed like a piece of paper across the beach landing in the tall grass by where they had abandoned the car. He tried to cry out, but couldn't even breathe as the air was knocked out of him. Jake had sprawled out on the sand, but was far enough away not to take too much damage, and Marz had managed to keep his feet, though he didn't realize it until after that he had been screaming.

Scrambling back up for a look they watched Eric stand in the small crater that had been created. His chest was glowing with blue light and as he stood he opened his mouth and blue mist filtered out circling upward and then taken by the wind. Jane and Shae were coughing uncontrollably, and they both fell back into the water as the ocean rushed back into the hole that was made covering them temporarily. Rushing forward, Marz grabbed Jane around the shoulders and helped her to her feet, Eric had managed to get Shae up, but neither of them were moving very well.

"I've got her," Jake said letting Shae lean on him, Gus was making his way back from across the beach, but he was bobbing back and forth like a drunk person, his center of gravity eluding.

Pushing through the tide, Eric dumped himself into the dry sand a few feet up on the beach, the girls followed in pace. Jake let out a 'O' of surprise as black slime slipped off of Shae as he put her down. Her skin was soft and pink beneath where the black infection had been, like fresh sunburn. Both the girls were still coughing, but it was dying down. With every cough a wisp of steam escaped their lips.

Rolling over, Eric let out a soft moan, pushing on his chest. The light was still coming out of his chest, but the water on his shirt over the light was evaporating quickly. It only took a few seconds for the light to dry that area of the shirt and then began turning the cloth black, and it started smoking. Grabbing at his shirt, he stretched it away from his body kicking into the sand in pain.

"What do I need to do?" Jake asked Eric but when he slapped him away his eyes turned to the rest of the group. Shae was coming out of it slowly; Gus was on his knees, looking over her as the coughs died down. Jane was sitting up with Marz's help, letting out one final cough she turned to Eric worried. With Marz's help, Jane dragged herself over to where Eric lay and put a hand on his arm, but pulled it back quickly gasping.

"He's hot, like a fire," she said in astonishment, "Get some water." Jake rushed back into the ocean and pulled off a shoe to fill it up and returned giving it to Jane. She poured some on his head and then more on his chest where the light was starting to dwindle, and the water sizzled like hitting a hot skillet. Lex whimpered, trying to get in close to Eric, but Marz held him back. After the second dousing of water Eric sat up suddenly and began hacking, each time a plume of steam erupted from his throat.

Everyone sat around him in the sand silently listening to him wheeze as he sat with his hands in his lap and legs stretched out half covered in sand. He sat that way, with his head down, for a long enough time that Jane had to put her hand on his shoulder to get a nod that he was okay.

"What. The hell. Was that?" Gus finally asked after Eric seemed to regain his composure. Rolling over to his side and standing up slowly Eric regarded him with a weary gaze. Light was still coming from his chest but it was very dim now, and after another moment it was gone.

" _All that for a couple of pieces of pussy eh? I hope you get laid for that,"_ Lex told him in his usual cheery voice. Eric gave the animal a scratch behind the ears, then stepped down to the edge of the water to get his hat back. Plopping the wet hat on his head he turned back to the anxiously awaiting party, staring at him from their places on the sand.

"Was that him?" Jane asked, "The one who talks to us?" She watched him intently and her eyes kept going back to the small burn in his shirt and the scar that was only slightly visible underneath. Shaking his head, Eric trudged up the beach with Lex at his heels.

"No, that was someone else," he said with a final cough. Stooping down he pulled his belt on and took the guns out one at a time to shake any sand out of them.

"How did you do that?" Jake asked. Now that Eric was back up and moving, his worry had turned into childlike fascination.

"I didn't do it, it was someone else," Eric told him not bothering to turn around to look at them. He knew what he would see. A group of near strangers that didn't know what to make of what they had just seen. On top of that they would want to pry at him with questions about things he barely understood or didn't comprehend at all.

"Who?" Gus asked, but he was cut off as Shae let out a nasty wretch. She heaved again, and then black sea water rushed from her mouth in a thick spray. Heaving two more times, Gus held her shoulders and looked at Eric nervously. "What's happening to her?"

"She's living," Eric told him. He watched her finish vomiting and then he turned back toward the car and began walking. It was hard to pick his feet up, the experience had drained him. Gus called after him, but he ignored the man. Moving to the edge of the beach he came in sight of the car. It had stopped running as he had imagined it would, and thick black smoke was coming from under the hood.

" _Good thing you like to have those dancer's legs, cause it looks like we're walking bub,"_ Lex told him. Eric looked down at the wolf with a faint smile on his lips.

"Dancer's legs huh?" Eric said amused. Lex panted at him, watching to see what he would do next.

"Hey," Jane said stepping up behind him. She looked down at Lex uncomfortably; apparently she had caught him talking to the animal. Marz was a few feet behind her, and the other two were bringing in the rear.

"I don't know a whole lot more than you do," Eric began lying to her.

"No, it's not that," she said sheepishly. "I wanted to say thank you. We were both as good as dead, but that..." she looked back up to the sky as she recalled the earlier events. The clouds had moved back into their normal rotation, with only the faintest hint of a curl above where they had stood moments before. "You saved us." She smiled at him, and he tried to smile back but his body felt used up, like he had just run one hundred miles.

"I'm not going to stand by and let us die off if I can help it," he said glancing down at where her sword should be. She nodded and then turned to watch the rest of them catch up.

"I don't know what you did, but she's alive," Gus said grabbing Eric in a bear hug. Flinching out of surprise, Eric looked over his shoulder at Shae with wide eyes, he could tell she had been crying. Patting Gus on the back he pushed back to free himself.

"It was the gods wasn't it?" Shae asked. Eric hadn't heard her speak much and he had to look at her when the new voice joined the conversation.

"It was A god," Eric told her shrugging to express that he didn't know much more than that. Glancing up at the sky he gave them a looping gesture with his finger in the air, "We should get moving. It's going to take us at least a full day to get back to where we left the others." Eyebrows went up all around in surprise. No one had even thought about the people they had left at the road side. Too much had happened for them to consider anything more than what they had just been through.

"We're still going to New York then?" Shae asked glancing between Eric and Gus, who was nodding.

"We sure are sugar, and we're in good company," Gus told her. Shae looked over the rest of the people who she had never really met. She had listened to them talk some while they carried her, but she had not seen most of them, or met any. Gus leaned down and planted a big kiss on her forehead. She looked up at him smiling and she took his hand.

"Is there anything else we need to do here, I mean, with the water?" Jane asked turning to watch the waves roll in.

"No, we need to get moving," Eric told her, and then he added "Someone's coming." They all looked around abruptly and when they couldn't see someone they eyed him confused and worried. "Just trust me, a man is on his way, and I'm guessing he's not someone we ever want to meet."

"I don't understand," Jake said puzzled.

"We don't have to," Jane told him without taking her eyes off Eric, "If you say we need to get moving, then we get moving." Giving the rest of them a final look to seal the deal she started walking with Marz close behind.

"Whatever you say man," Gus said giving Eric a light slap on the shoulder. They looked at Jake who was standing to the side with his hand out, palms up still wrapped in confusion. "Don't sweat it kid. You saw that didn't you? I say we just get a move on."

With a shrug Jake let his arms fall to his sides and began trailing Jane and Marz who were already getting a head start.

"I could really go for some of Caddie's cooking right about now," Shae said as they fell into line. Eric watched the scars in the road from the rims of the car as they had come. The rest were talking, mostly joyfully, happy to be alive. The joy was temporary he knew, but he wondered how long the alive part would last.

-H-

Haden watched Kennedy's body smack onto the concrete with a blank stare of frustration and disbelief. Of all the things he would do to get what he wanted; the thought of killing himself had never crossed his mind. The fact that the man before him gave up everything to save some strangers life befuddled him. In a fit of anger he kicked the gun away from Kennedy's mostly headless corpse. Then he kicked his corpse. That felt good so he kicked it again, as hard as he could and it went sailing into the grass.

"It looks like you will get a second chance to impress me," he said down to the body in front of him. Crouching down on his haunches, he eyed Flynn's body and turned his head to check how much of skull was left. The bullet had gone in the left eye and had come out crooked through the left side of the back of his head.

"That should work," he told the dead man, and he leaned back and leveled off his breathing. It took a little longer than last time, but the air around him started to feel thick and full of electricity. Reaching out, a shower of sparks jumped out of his fingertips and he pulled his hand back quickly with a grunt of pain. Regarding his blackened fingertips he stood up while Flynn seized and coughed waking up.

"Holy shit," Flynn said with another cough trying to sit up. "I just had the most fucked up dream ever," he said looking up and finally seeing Haden standing over him. Haden had been regarding his fingers but now turned to the dead man.

"I am sure it was very pleasant," Haden told him reaching out a hand to help the man to his feet. His remaining eye widened at the site of the solid older man standing over him.

"You?"

"Me," Haden confirmed waving his hand at him, and this time Flynn took it. Once on his feet Flynn was touching his face, and his eye watered as he realized what had happened.

"That old faggot shot me!" he said twisting around looking for Kennedy. He saw the gore in the street where the old man had ended his life and he turned his attention back to Haden. "Did you?" he said pointing to the scattered bits of blood and bone and brain.

"Me?" Haden asked as if the accusation offended him. "Of course not. As odd as it may sound, he did that to himself." He told him. Flynn couldn't decide if he was mortified or if he was happy.

"Why?"

"Well, do you remember the last conversation we had?" Haden asked circling him. Closing his eye, Flynn pursed his lips in thought and then opened his eye smiling.

"You wanted to know about the cowboy," Flynn said, as if he had just won a carnival game. "You wanted to know where he went, and I told you, didn't I?" he asked uncertain of the last bit.

Haden smiled, "You did. You were very helpful, which is why you are standing here with me now." He turned back and pointed in the direction Jim had run. "What is over that way?"

"Oh that's just where we live, it's actually pretty nice. It would be even nicer now that the old timer's gone," he looked down at the smear in the road again. He hadn't wanted him to die, he just wanted to be in charge, and Kennedy had fought him the whole time. For a moment he felt a bit of pity for the man, but then he decided that he had brought it on himself. If he had told this man what he wanted to know he would still be standing here. The world sorted itself out and apparently Kennedy wasn't fit to keep breathing up air that could be used for able people like himself.

"How many people do you have there?" Haden asked taking a few steps in that direction.

"People? Oh, umm, around twenty five," then looked back down at the road, "probably twenty four though,"

Nodding Haden began walking in that direction, "Show me."

"I thought you wanted to follow your friend," Flynn said following after him.

"Oh, I do, but I do not like looking over my shoulder," he told him slowing down so Flynn could take the lead.

"You don't have to worry about that. Those people don't even know you're out here. I can show you the way toward your friend, and then no one would even know," Flynn said twisting to walk backward he could look at Haden as he talked.

"They already know," he told him, "One of your other friends ran back home, and I just want to peek in and tell them that everything is alright." His thin smile returned and he gestured for Flynn to show him the way.

"Okay, no problem, it's this way," Flynn said matching his smile. It was good to feel needed, and he was enjoying that this man seemed to respect him. Leading him a few blocks down, they made their way to the subway entrance. Haden watched the hole in the back of the man's head with grotesque interest. It only took a few minutes weaving through the dark before they could see light coming from the outer barricade. The lockers had been tossed, forcing anyone to serpentine if they wanted in. Flynn stepped in first and whistled. Jim popped his head up and his face went white.

"Oh god," Jim stuttered, then he raised a shotgun as Haden stepped into view. With shaky hands he pointed the gun in the man's direction. "Stop, just go back the way you came," he said, if he was trying to be brave it wasn't very convincing.

"It's okay, he's alright," Flynn said smiling, his hand kept moving up to the empty socket and rubbing at the dried blood.

"You, how are you even alive?" Jim asked. It was a difficult task prying his eyes away from the destruction on his face.

"I guess the old man just clipped me, he must not have been as good of a shot as you liked to say." He told him shrugging and looking at Haden for confirmation.

"Yes, the other one was not very friendly, so I wanted to come meet the rest of you," he said not taking his eyes off of Jim.

"That's not going to happen," Jim told them. "In fact, there's nothing here for either of you. Flynn you need to get that patched up, it looks horrible," he said making a sour face.

"What? Just give me a few minutes, I'll explain everything," Flynn took a few steps in before Jim brought the gun up. "Woah, what crawled into your panties?"

"I don't know what the hell is going on, but you're not getting in there," Jim said pulling the gun up to his shoulder.

"We do not need to blow this out of proportion," Haden told him stepping forward and pushing Flynn behind him. "Maybe just the three of us can talk right here. Then when you are ready to let us in, we can discuss it." He brushed the back of his hand across his stubbly face and looked hard at the man. Chambering a round Jim shook his head. "Then I guess we will have to do this the hard way."

Giving Flynn a sign to get down, the scrawny man ducked behind one of the large lockers. Realizing what was happening, Jim fired a shot at the man in the suit who jerked to the right and only a few pieces of lead found his shoulder and were absorbed quickly. After that Haden rushed the man. His knees hit the lockers knocking them to the sides or twisting them around completely and Jim pumped firing the second shot into Haden's chest. Blood sprayed out in a fine mist and Haden jerked back clenching his teeth before connecting with the locker in front of Jim and slamming it back, pinning him up against the wall.

"You people have to make a show out of everything," Haden said watching Jim squirm and moan. The locker cut into his gut and when Haden pressed on the metal he could feel Jim's bones grind. "All you had to do was step aside."

"Fuck you," Jim said yanking at the gun one last time before Haden slapped it out of his hand.

"No, I will not have that happen again," Haden grimaced, looking down at the front of his ruined shirt. The last shot had shredded a piece about the size of a paper plate, and the skin underneath was pink and irritated, like bugs had feasted on his chest. "You people are determined to ruin my clothes too." A scuffling from behind him made Haden twist around in concern, but it was only Flynn standing up from his place behind the locker.

"Great gravy, that was loud!" he shouted sticking a fingers in his ears to try and clear them. When he saw the two men at the end of the tunnel his face grew cold. "Jim, just let go, we're going to go look for the cowboy, you can come along, maybe Kate will want to come too,"

"I don't think Kate will be going anywhere with you," Jim said. It was enough to wash the smile from Flynn's face.

"Are they all in here?" Haden asked grabbing the door handle while keeping his lower body pressed against the locker, restraining Jim.

"Yup, that's the ole homestead," Flynn told him striding forward. "Let's get the guys and have us a cattle drive," He started trying to use a country accent since the man wanted to find a cowboy.

"Go inside and get your friends. I need to talk to this one," Haden told him turning his attention back to Jim.

"Not a problem. I'll see you boys inside," he said pointing a finger at them as he opened the door and moved into the inner chamber. As soon as the door clicked shut Haden smiled at the man he had trapped.

"Answer me a question, did the man go East or South like your friend here told me?" Haden asked him.

Jim forced himself to attention, and nodded his head, "Yes he went south, just like Flynn said." He pushed on the locker and locked fidgeted with his belt trying to ease the pain while he waited for Haden's response.

"That is just too bad. I could have let you come with us," he told him opening his left palm. A small flame flickered in his hand and didn't fully light, as if a strong wind was blowing on it making it die down. "Well that is inconvenient." He said watching the small flame, and watching it stay small. Shrugging he reached up and grabbed Jim by the temples with the flame hand and brought his thumb and fingers in on the man's skull with a loud crack. Moving away from the locker he let the man drop; then he went through the door.

The inner chamber was a maid's worst nightmare. Tables and chairs were scattered and overturned, and blankets and clothing were everywhere. The center of the room was empty and glancing in one of the side rooms he could see a stack of computers and monitors. In the room across from that Flynn sat on the edge of a bed with his head in his hands.

"They left us," he said. Haden couldn't tell if the man was going to cry or not. When he looked up at him his eye was red and swollen. "What the hell? How could they do this to me?" he asked this stranger in his half tattered suit.

"I think they were not good enough for you," Haden told him moving back into the main room and eyeing the door on the far wall.

"You know, I said the same thing plenty of times, but I didn't think they would do something like this." He whined.

"That is the way of things. You can come with me now. I will appreciate you for all that you are." Haden told him peeking into the other rooms throughout the area.

"Maybe if we stay just a little while, they will come back. I know a few of them will be wondering if we're okay," he pleaded.

"We have no time for that. Those people are worthless. You though, you are a king among men, and kings need someone to lead." Haden said completing the circle and arriving back at Kate's door.

"A king? Who could I ever lead?" he asked watching him with his single eye.

"Come with me and I will show you. There are people who need a strong man like you, and you will shine. These people never gave you the opportunity you deserved. Time to leave them behind." Haden spoke as though talking to a child.

"Yea, yea! Fuck them. All they ever did was bitch and moan about Kennedy anyway," as he coached himself he stood up and smiled at Haden.

"That is exactly what I was hoping to hear," he told him urging Flynn forward.

Walking to the door they had entered Flynn turned and gave the room one last look. He had spent a large part of his life in that room. The last few years had been fighting with Kennedy most of the time and trying every day to get Kate to open her legs to him. He hadn't won either of those battles. Hope bloomed on his face and he smiled at the room. It was a grotesque smile, since one side of his face was fairly stiff now and the lips pushed all the hard skin together making him look like he had a stroke.

"North yes?" Haden asked him again moving in and opening the door.

"Yea, let's go find you a cowboy. But first I need to get something to eat. I am dying here."

### Chapter 5

-NOW-

It took the group almost two full days to catch back up with Caddie and Laney who were staying in the lobby of a hotel keeping lookout. Shae was still weak and it took Eric most of the first day to recover completely. The others were down the road in a storage facility, staying in the office building and keeping an eye out for the wagons. But the wagons never came.

"This is where you wanted us to be right?" Laney asked after the initial excitement and confusion about them returning in good health faded. Nodding Eric looked up.

"Have you watched at all from the roof?" he asked them.

"We went up there the first day, but we couldn't see much. These other buildings block us from seeing many streets, and if your friends decided to go on without you, we could have missed them by a day or two with the detour we took." Caddie told them taking note of the burn mark in Eric's shirt that Gus had whispered to her about.

"Ok, well, we can move up the road and see if they stopped somewhere else?" Eric suggested. It was clear that he had no intention of staying where they were.

"I think we should just move on. My guess is that they will have heard the shooting. Rohn would have told them they need to keep moving to somewhere safer. They could be in the city by now," Jane said looking down the highway.

"It's not far from here to New York," Eric told them. He had checked the map the previous night before they slept.

"How far do you think?" Laney asked grabbing a bag from the floor and throwing it over his shoulder.

"We can be there tonight if we move fast," Eric told him. Laney sniffed in approval and then stepped out into the street, and began walking to meet up with the others.

The storage facility that Ford, Jeffery, Paul and Frank were in looked like it had been fortified at some point in time. Cars had been pushed around to make a wall of protection, and wood and metal beams were placed on the inside against the fencing to make it more durable. A single lawn chair sat on the roof of one of the buildings though most of the cloth was gone. The only thing hurting the strong appearance was the RV that had been driven through the fence and into the side of one of the buildings. Eric imagined it was a human struggle that had ended this community. In front of the large gate was a small building that served as the office. The men were coming out as the other group approached.

"Holy shit," Ford said stepping up and giving Jane a hug. Frank and Paul eyed Eric suspiciously and started to ask questions but Gus overran them.

"I know there is a lot of information to take in, but right now we need to move," Gus said informing them as to their suspicions for Rohn's party.

When the whole group was on the same page they made their way to the highway that led north and began their walk. Over the next few miles they walked out of the Philadelphia area and into a less crowded part of the state, but they never truly got suburban. Paul was being sure to stay away from Eric and he kept eyeing him and the dog with short worried glances. On the other hand Jake hadn't left Eric's side. He was a younger man, and he had taken to him pretty quickly and he wanted to know everything he knew about technology and the past. It was a slippery slope trying to only tell him things that he thought he would be able to know if he was an average thirty year old in this world. All those years of information had a tendency to cloud things sometimes.

"I know we said that we weren't going to talk about it," Ford started making everyone aware that he was already going to break that rule. "But that light we saw in the sky, that was you right?"

"It was something else," Jake told him stepping in for Eric who had had endless queries thrown at him over the walk back from the ocean. Most of the questions he either didn't have answers to, or lied and said he didn't. The entire thing made him uncomfortable, he felt vulnerable. People knew something about him that no one had known for a very long time, and he didn't trust these people enough to put his life in their hands.

The buildings never went away. Eric had become a fan of the open road where you can see for a mile or so and know what you're coming up on, or what's around you. Out here on the East coast the buildings shrank as they left Philly but started growing again and he could tell that they were getting close. Weaving in and out of the parked cars, the highway gained a new lane and after a few minutes they realized that they were actually walking at a slight incline as the highway closer to the city was elevated above the lower streets. Jersey was a parking lot and they had to get off the highway in many parts in order to circumvent the large pile ups. They turned following what the map said was the New Jersey turnpike that took them over a few large bridges. Looking down they could see huge fat fish in the canals snapping with large white mouths at the birds foolish enough to get close to the water.

"Nope fuck that and fuck you," Laney had said when Jake told them they needed to go through the tunnel to get to the heart of the city. The group stopped at the spot where the street slopes down under the waterway and Laney had started sweating.

"Come on, if it's been here this long, why would it fall now?" Ford told him trying to use common sense on the brute.

"I guarantee you there's another bridge nearby, you just can't read that thing," Laney told Jake leaning over his shoulder.

"The only one on the map is gone," Jake repeated pointing to the section that displayed the Holland tunnel. "We would have to walk another couple days to get around, that or swim, and I'm not taking my chances with whatever those things were." Jake explained pointing back the way they came.

"Here," Eric said leaning down to rub Lex's neck, "We'll race you, how's that sound?" Laney closed his eyes and pressed his hands against his temples.

"Fuck it, better we get through there fast and be done with it," he told himself.

"You ready then? Eric asked him. Laney jumped up and down a few times shaking his fingers out.

"Ok, but if I win, I get half your dinner," he told him.

"Sounds fair to me, and if I win," Eric put hand to his almost grown beard, "Then you can't say 'fuck' for two full days." The others let out a laugh at that.

"Okay, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," he puffed out jumping up and down, then when he caught Eric staring at him, "You know just in fuckin' case."

"Go!" Eric told him smiling over his shoulder at the rest of the group. Panting Lex dashed out in front of them barking into the dark.

"Fuck!" Laney shouted smashing his shin into a parked car once they got into the dark. After that he slowed his pace. Eric taught them Marco Polo real quick as they moved through shouting out which direction they were, in regards to the others, always moving forward. It smelt like salty death, and they could hear water running somewhere inside the massive tunnel. Someone was panting hard, and Eric just assumed it was Lex, but could have been wrong. A tiny light grew until they could make out cars lining up the exit on the far side and they got moving again. When they got out of the tunnel Laney rushed up into the street.

"I win, haha, see that was easy," he goaded. "Your food is going to be fucking delicious," he told him.

"Whatever you say," Eric told him looking to Jake for direction. He set them back up onto an elevated street and they moved deeper into the heart of the city.

"Damn those are some big buildings," Laney said as they made their way around a bus that had been teetering on the edge of the road threatening to fall into a small building below. They followed his gaze out over the smaller buildings that were surrounding them. The only one that didn't follow his gaze was Jake who was fixated on the street ahead.

"What is that?" he asked softly turning to Eric.

"It looks like shipping containers," he said squinting. As they got closer it turned out that was exactly what they were. Lex eased up and pissed on the lower one while Eric checked them out. In the middle of the street numerous shipping containers had been stacked so that anyone on the highway had to get off at the convenient exit running off to the right into the city. Taking a look over the side of the elevated highway Eric could see strips of fencing and more containers and cars blocking various paths.

"I guess we go down," Eric told them stepping onto the exit ramp and they made their way along the now one way street. It had been faint as they walked into the city but now he could hear a noise like someone rubbing their hands together except it was constant and much louder, but far off. Putting his hand on the butt of the pistol he looked up, making sure there were no signs of Shadows.

At the bottom of the exit ramp the pieces of cars and various handmade barricades had been set in place to keep anyone wondering in on a set path. Some of the buildings had caved in or lost a wall, but a surprising amount of them were in good shape. To their left a large garage still stood in place with a slew of abandoned taxis marked with the business logo still barely visible. Another set of red and blue containers were stacked against the side of the building forcing them to turn right. Ford went up to one of the windows and tried to look in.

"It's concrete," he said, looking in the next one. "Why would someone concrete up all their windows?"

"To keep us on their road," Gus said a little softer. They heard someone shout deeper in the city followed by a bang noise, but then it was quiet again. Stopping Gus pulled his sword. It was thin and sharp but deep grooves and notches spread across the entire blade, it had lived a hard life. Griping the handle in his left hand, the veins on Gus' arm oozed out.

"I am not getting bitten again," Jane said moving her hand to the pommel of her own sword. Scanning the buildings, Eric left his hand on the gun, but it remained in the holster for now.

"I think if it was Vamps we'd know by now. They weren't very shy last time," Frank said, but his hand was on a small blade he kept tucked in his back pocket.

"Keep ready, remember there could be other people around. Don't go stabbing someone who's just living here," Eric told them as they turned left through a parking lot with rubble stacked on either side like gigantic concrete ant hills. As much as he would like to heed his own words that friction sound was starting to bother him.

Most of the buildings were in pretty good shape, but the first floor had been completely sealed. They had all checked doors and windows after Ford made the discovery and every single one had been concreted or completely blocked with chunks of stone and brick. A fat rat ran out from underneath a fallen awning and Lex chased after it hungrily. Scurrying over the sidewalk, the rat slid into a gutter with Lex right behind it. Shoving his snout into the hole he growled and then started barking angrily, pawing at the split aluminum.

"Hey. No. Shut the hell up," Eric said angrily pushing the dog away from the hole and telling him to hush. Lex was too invested in the food and he let out a low howl. Flipping his back around, Eric pulled out the remaining bones and held them down easing the animal away from the gutter, but it was too late.

They all looked up as a church bell began to ring. It was off beat, clearly being rung by frantic hands, and it wasn't close enough for them to see. Tossing the bones into the street for the loud animal, Eric pulled his gun and twisted, keeping his eyes open and searching for movement. When he realized there was nothing to see he turned back to the others who were doing the same thing.

"Where is it?" Jake asked glancing at all of them and then back the way they came.

"There's really only one way to go," Jane told him as she started moving forward. She looked over her shoulder at Eric who gave her a curt nod and wiggled his gun at her so she knew backup was close. It took them two more turns and then they moved down a longer stretch of road where cars were parked and even stacked on the sides forcing them slowly into the center of the road. Eric knew a bottle neck when he saw one. Ahead of them ran a length of two more containers stacked two high in the middle and three high long ways on the end. Four men with rifles stood on the top of the center most containers and looking up Eric could see the top of a chapel with a bell tower another block off. The men didn't have their guns raised yet, but they were at the ready. Eric glanced at the women in the group out of the side of his eyes, all he could see ahead were men, and that could be a bad thing for the ladies if this went poorly. Holding his gun out to his side Eric stopped when the bottle neck got so thin they would have to start forming a line.

"What do you want?" Asked the man on the far left of the container, he was short but thick with muscle. Eric drew a blank. What the hell did they want? You can't exactly tell a stranger that a voice in your head told you to come to his city.

"We're looking for our friends," Jane said at last. She gave Eric a glance that said we don't have anything better to tell them. Turning to the other three men, the man who had spoken motioned to someone beyond their vision, and after another moment of conversing with his fellow guards he turned back to Jane.

"Who are your friends?" he said. It occurred to Eric that the man was keeping a lot of private council up on his high ground. The man shook his head at something one of the others said and looked across the street. Following his gaze, Eric could make out a shadow on top of another building to their left and assumed he would see the same thing on the other side. He decided it was time to holster the gun.

"We had a few people in wagons. We split up and got turned around and when we came back they were gone. Maybe they came this way?" she shouted at him taking a few steps forward. Eric blew through his teeth at her and shook his head moving his eyes up; she caught sight of the men that had moved to the apartment balconies.

"I haven't seen anything like that," the man watching Jane's mark of defeat. If they hadn't come here, where the hell were they? A new man in a brown cloth shirt and ragged jeans with bright white hair stepped into view on the container and moved over to the speaker. Saying something too soft for them to hear then pointed at the group in the street, some still holding their swords. Then he motioned behind him.

"Maybe we could come in for the night?" Eric asked. "We've been walking a long time and could use some rest somewhere we don't have to sleep with one eye open." He knew even as he said it that he would be sleeping with one eye open no matter where he was. The man in the brown shirt said something to him and the guard spoke out in protest and the other guards joined him. Turning away from the man in the ragged jeans one of the other guards, this one taller with a square jaw and a ragged black goatee turned to them.

"Which king do you bow to?" he asked. The other men on the container stopped their bickering and moved their attention to hear the answer. This time it was Gus's turn to look back at Eric with an almost comical look of surprise and confusion. The group exchanged hurried blank glances before Eric took the lead.

"We have been traveling for a long time, and we don't know the kings in this area," he said pursing his lips in hope that it would buy them some time. Conferring with the other men on the container the man in the brown shirt stepped up.

"We can grant you entry, but you'll have to bend the knee." He told them solemnly. They all turned to Eric.

"That can't be a big deal right?" he said trying to sound as optimistic as possible.

" _You dumbass, you can't bow to a man. Was it a man who sent that blue light shit down into your chest?"_ Lex told him standing at alert watching the men at their posts.

"I don't think we have a choice. This is where we have been told to go. If that's the only way to get in then I say we take it." Eric told them looking down at the animal.

" _I hope you don't piss anyone off upstairs,"_ the dog told him glancing in his direction.

"I agree. Whatever we came here for must be back there," Gus said pointing past the barricade. Everyone was nodding in agreement but Eric was having trouble focusing. The static like friction noise was gnawing at him.

"We can do that," Gus told them sheathing his sword. The rest of the group followed suite and let their weapons go back to their hiding places. Nodding the man in the blue shirt waved his arms at the guards and wandered off the side of the container and out of view. It only took a second before they heard a rumble close by and then the chug of an engine. Shuffling across the container, the guards craned their heads down as the front side of the bottom container started to slide with a high pitched squeal. Taking a few steps back the group in the road watched in wonder as the entire front of the bottom container slid open on some sort of pulley.

As the door slid to the side they could see that a large truck was chained to a pulley system rigged into the bottom half of the barricade and as it backed up the door opened. The white haired man was on the main level and he waved them through the opening searching them with his eyes and noting every gun or blade or bow. Once they were inside the first container the truck went into drive and the door to the barricade slid back down into place with a crashing thud. More guards were standing with their guns in hand beyond the barricade. Jake slowed to take a look at the truck. This vehicle wasn't rattling or popping and it had four good wheels on it, hooking a thumb over his shoulder, toward the vehicle, he gave Eric a crooked smile.

Passing under the large metal shipping containers, the group passed into an iron alley stacked with metal, where they could only walk two people side by side. Above them on either side were walkways where a few additional men were watching them, Eric thought they were the ones from the balconies earlier but couldn't be sure. After walking fifty feet they came to a large opening that had once been a four way stop. The buildings made their own type of towering barricade, but buses and more debris had been placed on the other three exits to keep anything out, or in they couldn't tell which.

"I'm going to need you to put your hands on your heads if you don't mind," the white haired man told them as they stepped into the middle of the intersection. With more than a hint of hesitation they did as they were told.

"Your Royal King Flemming," a voice said from somewhere above them and they all looked up searching for its owner. It was a chore telling his hands to stay away from his guns and making them obey.

In the building directly in front of them on a large balcony a beast of a man stepped out wearing a seemingly odd blue cape chained over his bare chest and shoulder. His pants were thick dark corduroy and his body was covered in scars. He walked with the heir of arrogance and power stepping up to the balcony before he turned his gaze upon them. He had thick black hair that was pulled back into a pony tail that hung over his shoulder all the way down to his nipples. His face was long with high cheek bones and thick dark lips and large brown eyes. The small cuts and faded white scratches on his face were nothing compared to the large deep gashes across his chest that had healed crooked in the shape of a jagged 'X'. His skin was an oiled brown except for the pink and white scar tissue scattered throughout his body. Eric wondered how he would look with war paint and a feather tucked in his hair. Stepping out a few paces behind him was a small entourage of small men and various women, one of which was very pregnant.

"I am King Jonah Flemming, Ruler of the East lands and the seas beyond, Protector of The Window and watcher of the gods." It was hard not to crack a smile at the man. Eric wondered how long it had taken him to come up with all of that. "What brings you to the Dead City?" he asked. His voice was strong; maybe all it took was muscles and a booming voice to be king here.

"We have been on the road for months and we are in need of shelter. Any help you can give use would be greatly appreciated."

"Your majesty," the white haired man told him.

"Your majesty," Eric repeated.

"What brings you here?" the large king asked. A skinny man in rags scurried up beside him and dropped his head in a bow before whispering something. Flemming nodded and the man was off, his shirt flapping with each step. Luckily they didn't have to make up an excuse to be there just yet. "I have some urgent business. Wade, see that these men are shown to the quarters in East Watch and that the women are tended to and take them to the North End." He said looking over them again, noting the dirt and blood that stained their clothes. "And wash them, I won't be able to eat if they smell as bad as they look," he told him turning back to the building.

"If you don't mind, we have been travelling together for a long time and would like to stay together...your majesty," Jane said stepping quickly as fear blossomed across her entire body. Rape was still not entirely out of the picture for these people. The king turned back to them and nodded at Wade.

"See to it. I'll want them at The Hall tonight, so that we might discuss their future here," he told him being sure to meet their eyes individually before he returned to what looked like a large restaurant tucked into the second story of the building. His entourage regarded them without fear, and a small man with auburn dreadlocks turned his nose up at them as he twirled around to follow his leader.

"A king? Are you shitting me?" Laney whispered after the last person had left the balcony. Following that up with a quick grunt he turned to Wade who was watching him suspiciously.

"Come," Wade said, stepping back around the group, making sure the give Lex plenty of space. "Owen, Basure, come with me." The small man said urging two men in what looked like homemade riot gear to follow them as he turned to the East. Eric could smell the sea faintly when the wind blew, but it didn't come close to the smell coming off of Owen. Standing just a little shorter than Jane with a wide round belly, he stank of sweat and blood. Basure was a large man as well but he had wide stretched shoulders that didn't make his flabby gut look quite as bad. He gritted his teeth at them and they could see a shine of silver or gold tucked away on one of his incisors.

Turning east they began moving toward one of the buildings that had a low pile of ash and stone stacked and swept up beneath it. As they moved closer to the tower, they could see that another path had been built into the pile of rubble. It was completely camouflaged until you looked at it from the right direction. Those smart enough marveled at its simple brilliance, even taking a step back to watch the path fade back into the pile, then stepping forward to reveal it again.

"This must have taken years to construct," Eric told anyone listening. As the moved down the new path it twisted to the right and then back east moving underneath a building. A thin man in a dark blue robe was sitting at the top of a small staircase watching them enter the dark building, and as Wade waved to him he flipped a switch and they heard a generator roar to life. Moving left they stepped onto a large platform and the man on the stairs pressed a button next to him that moved them up six stories before coming to a halt. Stepping out of the makeshift elevator they all awed and Basure nearly tripped over Ford when he didn't start moving.

The hallway before them was impeccable. Tile floors had been well maintained and the lights in along the walls were burning brightly. A few feet ahead two men had been sitting on a couch playing cards but had come to attention as the group stepped into the hallway. Stepping up to the first man Wade said something that none of the others were even paying attention to. The floor was a creamy gold color with a deep brown trim of smaller tile. All the windows were clean and could be looked out of easily. Basure poked Ford in the back with one chubby finger and they got moving again. Still marveling at the exquisite hallway, another collective gasp escaped them as they stepped through the next door after walking the long beautiful hall.

Double doors led out onto a thick staircase, and they were on the landing on the third story of it. More creamy gold tile decorated the staircase as it wound around the room to the ceiling of the building which was made of glass. Moving forward, the landing they had come out on stretched out and they could see all the hotel rooms throughout the whole building. An old elevator shaft had been filled in with wooden planks so that the stairway was never broken in its spiral. Along the wooden section of the stairs they had built in a multiple pulley system and a bucket of water was going up as they watched. Looking down, multiple fountains spotted the large courtyard on the floor level and a large set of tables and chairs had been set up on one side next to a grill built out of stone and brick that had an exhaust out into a cracked window. People were moving about along the great staircase, some shaking out clothes or playing with children, other lounging beside the grill, but most of them stopped what they were doing and stared as the new group of strangers stepped into their home.

"How many people?" Was all Eric could get out twisting his head upward to follow the spiral of the stairs once more.

"I can't say for sure. We had a census taker until a few months ago but he has grown ill and no one else has come forward to take his place yet." Wade told them turning left to make his way up the stairs. Jake let his hand run along the smooth wooden banister while taking quick glances over the side as they made their way up. Stopping abruptly Wade turned back to them.

"These three are for you," he said banging on the peach colored metal door. "New comers stay in these rooms, double locked for convenience," he said pulling out a set of keys and unlocking the top lock on the door. Eric guessed the word convenience was really a code for them not coming out and killing the whole lot of them while they slept. A shadow moved beyond the peephole and Wade waved. There was a shout and then the door swung open.

"Will he see us now?" The old man in the room asked before turning his head on the group behind Wade. A large smile stretched across his face.

"You made it!" Rohn shouted sweeping past Wade, which clearly disturbed him, and swept Jane up in a hug, then Jake, and the rest of their group before clapping Eric on the back. "I heard fire and thought the worst," he said grinning from ear to ear.

"But," Jane started, tears in her eyes, "they said they hadn't seen you. We asked them about you guys, they told us you weren't here." She dropped her eyes to let her emotions pass, and Rohn gave Wade a dark look.

"You told them we weren't here?" he asked bitterly.

"No, no," he said checking that Owen and Basure we close by. "They asked if some people had come in wagons, you most definitely did not have wagons." Raising an eyebrow defiantly Wade stood his ground before Rohn turned back to the group.

"Looks like you found some new friends I'm hoping." Gus put his left arm around Shae and extended his right one.

"Gus. Your friends dug us out of a nasty hole. Glad to see you're alright," he said sincerely.

"Please, you can get better acquainted inside. I have other business to attend to," Wade begged them extending his hand to the room hoping they would get the message. "Mr. Mortan, perhaps you can fill your friends in on the protocol here before I return?"

"Yea sure," Rohn told him checking on his new guards. Holding the door open he let them flow into the room and then leaned out to Owen. "Could we get a couple buckets of water in here, they're a little ripe." Staring at him, Owen's upper lip flinched as he turned and made his way to the pulley muttering something to Basure on his way past. Stepping into the room, Rohn rushed in placing a hand on Paul's shoulder as he started to sit down on the edge of one of the beds.

"Maybe we wait a minute until he returns with the water before we muss everything up," he told the chubby man. Frowning at him Paul stood and stretched out his back letting out a small fart while he tried to stare the older man down. The rooms had connecting doors and they had it set up so that three rooms were available like Wade had told them. Moving into the next one Jane's group was having their reunion, but it wasn't all happy.

"He was pretty old as it was," one of the old men was saying. He was wearing a pair of soft cloth pants with a worn cotton shirt, they were somewhat tattered but overall very clean, and smelt considerably better than any of the group that had just joined them.

"It was a brave thing they did," the woman that had given Eric the chicken bones for Lex, was telling them. "We would all be dead if it wasn't for Terry, George, and Peaches." Her lip quivered slightly at the thought of the fallen men, but it was another one who picked up the story.

Apparently they had lost eight people, to a group of lookers that had been waiting outside the city. The way the woman described it, they couldn't have been but a few miles from where they had set up camp in the old storage center. Terry was able to kill the first one before it even got a cry out, with an arrow to the face. As they rolled on a second one had screamed at them from a higher window in a building and gone tumbling out of the window to his splattered death. After that the rest had caught on.

The wagons weren't spaced well so once the first one got in it was easy to attack two wagons at once. A group of five lookers tumbled out of a burned out bookstore broadsiding the wagons and breaking a man named Alex's arm. After that it was easy to bite into the tender flesh around his wrist. Alex bled out before the second group was even on them. Terry had his bow, and his fingers were starting to bleed as Anna handed him arrow after arrow. The more he shot, the worse his aim got and by the end, the last three arrows just hit the pavement or landed in the oncoming lookers chests with ineffective thumps. By the time Terry jumped out of the first wagon with the .22, two of the other men were dead. Slapping the gun into the closest enemy's face he pulled the trigger. With a soft pop the side of his head leaked thick dark life blood, but the gun also jammed. His frantic attempt to clear the chamber was hopeless. People were dying around him and in the end he twisted the gun so he had could grasp the barrel and then drove the but home on a looker reaching for Peaches. Rearing down it fell under the wagon wheel getting rolled over with a sickening pop.

Terry hadn't noticed before but the head wagon was teetering off to the side. As much as the horses didn't care about what was happening behind them, they didn't take kindly to being bitten. Two burned lookers were grabbing at the animal. They were having a hard time getting ahold of him but eventually the horse galloped over the curb and the wooden wagon broke off the rear spilling the people and inventory across the stone sidewalk. Working his way over to the people now laying in the street he elbowed a burned man with a long piece of hair still dangling from his head and grabbed Anna around the waist hoisting her up and into the new lead wagon. Their first horse, that they had called Camel since he would stare at anyone close by while he chewed his grass, most of them never understood the reference, was long trotting out ahead of them dragging his broken yoke behind him.

Pushing another looker from the lead cart, Peaches stood up and started swinging the long wooden board they used for when the wagons got stuck. He made contact with the closest looker sending him reeling back screaming. The second hit connected with the side of his head and ended him, but another was there to replace him in a heartbeat. He never saw the one that got behind him and bit into the meat above his ankle, but he felt hot pain sear up and he leapt forward out of the cart. His leg snapped as he hit the ground, but Terry was with him in an instant pulling him to his feet.

"Hey, I'm over here you cocksuckers!" George was yelling. Another older man, thin with a dark patch of short black hair on his head and a thick white mustache. Even though the others were still screaming and shouting, the closest lookers took immediate interest in the old man as he crawled out of the wagon and began running back the way they had come. It only took a moment for Terry to toss Peaches into the first wagon. The old man's usually light red hair and face seemed brighter than normal and he hit with a heavy grunt. Two more lookers were reaching over the wagon at the people inside but they were met with kicking feet. Terry dived into them pushing them to the ground and clipping a third one, twisting it around in surprise. Swinging wildly Terry made it to his knees to see Patches slap the head horse on the ass before hopping back out of the wagon onto the two lookers who were trailing slowly.

Salty, the newly appointed lead horse took off never looking back, but those left in the wagon would never forget the carnage they left behind. Terry was still fighting the three he had pulled down and he could feel his knuckles give way as he hit one in the forehead. Another lunged into him pulling him down and they were biting and gnawing before he could regain his footing.

"Go, just go!" Peaches was shouting. The lookers he had tackled were getting to their feet and the old man lay back with a small smile on his face as they fell upon him. George had made it down a side street yelling curses at them to keep drawing them in. The wagon got further away and only Anna thought she heard the shouts die to screams, but liked to pretend otherwise. The room was silent as they finished their story.

"I was the scout, I should have seen them, they rolled right into them and I could have stopped it," Rohn whispered. He was sitting on the edge of the bed next to Anna with large tears sitting in his eyes.

"Hush hun. You did the best you could. If you didn't see them, then they didn't see you, so it was safe just like you thought. Bad timing is all." She told him putting an arm around him. Her words didn't seem to make much of an impression.

Reeves told the rest, and it was short. How the last wagon broke down before they got out of the city and they had to walk and take turns riding Salty. It wasn't long after their encounter that they heard distant gunshots and ducked inside a building and waited until the last one died off. They waited at a bridge like Eric told them for a while before they had to move one. The only one that could eat was Salty and he was having a good time since he wasn't dragging a cart any longer. They made it to the Dead City on the morning of the second day, and the people there took pity on them when they told them their tale.

"Flemming even sent us up some fresh food. They have a place somewhere in the city where they have their own farm kind of thing." Reeves told them as someone knocked on the door. Basure offered two buckets of water and Owen dropped a bag of clothes and towels at the door with a sigh.

"There are three bathrooms if you want to start washing yourself off. They have dinner here as the sun sets so I would suggest you go ahead and clean your clothes too." Rohn told him, regaining his composure.

"I think we'll take this one," Gus told them grabbing Shae's hand and moving to the back bathroom away from where their group had set up. Rohn looked at Jane as his eyebrows arched. Jane just shook her head as Gus closed the door behind him locking it.

"If you don't mind I'm going to give this guy a bath too." Eric told them leading Lex into the first bathroom. Without a word Caddie moved to the second bathroom and closed the door with a soft click.

"So, I know I'm not up to date but where did you folks come from?" Rohn asked Frank and Paul who had leaned against the far wall.

Exchanging uneasy glances, Frank spoke first, "I guess we're just along for the same trip you're taking," he told him glancing at Paul who shrugged.

"So that's all of you then?" Rohn asked turning back to Jane. She had been zoned out, focused on the bathroom door Eric had gone in.

"If anything I've heard is right, then yea, we're it, and we're in the place where we were told to go." She glanced back at the door before a knocking sound caught her attention.

"So they must have come together," Rohn said giving Laney a wink as he glanced at the back bathroom Gus and Shae occupied.

"Well, it doesn't sound like it yet," Laney told him.

-PAST-

Words didn't come easily for either of the men in the truck. Red kept trying to figure out something to say over the first hour but he kept coming up short, thinking that it would just sound foolish; though he didn't know if it would be more foolish than letting his friend suffer silently at leaving his entire life behind him. Red was still thinking it over when Eric clicked on the radio to several bandwidths of static and emergency broadcasts, before clicking on whatever tape was in the tape deck. Of course it was one of his dad's tapes, and listening to some of his favorite music didn't help matters any. After a few songs Red finally worked up the courage to speak.

"I don't want to put this all on your shoulders or anything, but what's your plan?" he asked leaning back in the seat and popping his neck.

"I can't say that I honestly have a plan," Eric told him slowing down to avoid a car that had been parked askew on the side of the road.

"We're supposed to go back, so I figure we go back and see what's what." Any joy and energy that had been in him before was gone, the man was blank.

"Like I said, I don't have any idea what's going on, and I'm kind of along for the ride, but have you considered that going back may be able to fix things?" He watched the trees and fields pass through the window as he talked only taking occasional curious glances at his riding partner.

Wrinkling his face in confusion Eric finally turned to him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if this whole thing was some cosmic fuck up because you ate the wrong cupcake on the wrong day and all you need to do is go back and shit the thing out, maybe everything will level itself out." The big man told him stretching uncomfortably. There were dozens, maybe even hundreds of possibilities running through his head, but none made sense quite like some galactic being shit the bed, and needs someone to clean it up.

"I have a bad feeling it's not going to be as easy as pulling up onto MLK Blvd and taking a shit," he told him grinding his teeth. His anger was constant but the thing that made it worse was he didn't know what he should be angry at, or who. He grabbed his nose and puffed out his cheeks.

"Still getting that ringing noise?" Red asked. Eric nodded but remained quiet. Telling his friend that he thought he was hearing voices in his head wouldn't change anything. It was just soft muttering at first, but as they drove he knew he heard someone say 'him closer'.

"Check that out," Eric said in wonder slowing down. The interstate they were on went over a small town and the place was half burned. They could see some bodies in the parking lot of the gas station close to the exit ramp and a large pile up that started with a FedEx van blocked the entire street going west.

"Jesus Christ. I told you man. There is some serious shit going on," Red said pressing his forehead against the window as they moved past the ghost of a town.

"I think that's painfully obvious at this point." Eric snapped. Red lowered his head and watched the yellow line in the road.

"I'm sorry, I'm just, you know, not feeling too great," Eric told him immediately regretting his flare of anger.

"You've got a lot to think about. I understand," Red told him still fixated on the road.

"Don't give me that, you had no reason to stay, but you're here with me. I know other people; I've even tried calling them. Those people I thought were friends either never even made the effort to check back with me or were too concerned with themselves to lift a finger. I've known you for a few weeks and we've shared more experiences than I've ever shared with anyone who wasn't blood." He stopped to catch his breath. Something in him had insisted he explain. "What I mean is, I'm thankful as hell that you've stuck with me here. You're a hell of a guy." He finished keeping his eyes ahead of him.

"You can't just leave someone in their time of need, stranger or not," Eric couldn't tell if Red was talking to him or telling himself that to justify his place in the truck. "You are here for me just as much as I'm here for you, so you can save your saint speech." Red told him. They sat in silence for another few miles before Red couldn't take it anymore.

"Now that we're finished blowing each other, you think we could pull over for a sec? I've got to shake hands with the governor." Red told him looking back at Eric feeling a little better.

"No problem, I could use a good piss myself." They were on a two lane highway heading North and Eric waiting until he found a stretch of street where they could see all around them before he pulled over.

"Make it quick in case any of those things are out there," he told the big man. They were out and back in the car without incident and moving again. Eric picked up the pace and they were leaving Kentucky behind soon after.

Figuring big cities were probably not a great idea, they used back roads and small two lane highways getting deeper into Illinois. In order to avoid Indianapolis Eric took cut west across the state and when they saw a group of people at a road side diner, the slowed down to check for any available food. Stepping out of the truck and stretching his back with a loud groan, the group of half a dozen people turned to watch the large man, his shirt lifting up as he stretched exposing skin that looked to be virgin to sunlight.

"How you folks doin?" A man wearing a light backpack and thick yellow hiking boots asked stepping toward the truck. He had a wide sun hat on his head and sunglasses dangled on a piece of cloth around his sunburned neck. He looked friendly but something about his was wrong. Running a hand over his thick beard he glanced in their truck as he moved closer.

"Feeling a little cramped to tell you the truth. They never make these things big enough," Red told the man with a smile. Trying to match Red's cheeriness, Eric smiled but it felt like he was wearing an obvious plastic mask. "We've been wondering if we were going to find something to eat out here. What are they serving inside?" the big man continued.

"Oh Big Jim just shut the grill down but I'm sure he'd be happy to light it back up for a guy your size," the man told them. His eyes cut to the back of the truck again, and Eric gave him a hard look making sure he knew that he had seen him, the man just smiled.

"Come on in, we had just stepped out for a smoke. The air's on inside." He flapped his collar as he said it and Eric looked up. It had stopped raining as soon as they got on the move, but he hadn't been outside of the truck since they left. The sun was beating down and standing in the open area of the parking lot he realized he felt like he was being baked. Passing the other smokers, they nodded and stepped into the cool restaurant and the smell of sweet cooked meat and BBQ sauce called to them.

"Now that is exactly what I need, and exactly what you don't want me to have if you're going to be locked up in the car with my fat ass," Red said nudging Eric and stepping up to grab a paper menu that was sitting on a table close to them.

The restaurant was set up with a cabin feel with the floors and walls all being wood. Large tables were set up around a TV, and fat wooden booths lined the walls. Against one wall was a dark bar with bottles of liquor resting on a wooden shelf by a large mirror. A few people were sitting against the back wall with plates in front of them, but they were all leaning back save one small boy who was still working on his corn on the cob. Standing behind a counter filling up a glass at a soda machine stood a man that looked like he could have been Red's father. The man was only slightly shorter than Red, but larger in the belly and he had large brown chops on his face that looked bigger than normal with his receding hair line. The man wore a red flannel shirt that made Eric think of Paul Bunyan, and he turned to them with large beads of sweat glistening on his thick brow.

"Well there's a big boy, I bet you could use a good meal or three," he said in a loud deep voice, and bellowed laughter at his own jab. Red smiled at him nodding his head.

"I feel like I haven't eaten in hours," he told the man, and that got him laughing again, Red turned back to the menu and began reading off the things he was going to order.

"Oh, yea, I'll be right back," Eric excused himself and walked back out into the sweltering heat. The group of smokers eyed him suspiciously as he started back to the truck and one shouted out to him.

"You forget something?" he asked. He didn't have a thick country accent like the first man, but he had hard leathery skin and wore tall cowboy boots over his jeans, so he definitely wasn't a city boy. Noting the trend of looking country, Eric glanced at himself in the truck's window. He was wearing a plain blue polo shirt and dark jeans with white tennis shoes. His watch twinkled in the sun and he realized how he must look to these people.

"Yup, cell phone," he told the man, giving him a glance over his shoulder trying to smile.

"They don't work out here anyhow," the man told him spitting into a potted plant beside the door.

"All the same," Eric told him rounding the truck and opening the back door. Pulling the Glock 9MM his dad had given him and tucking it under his shirt, Eric pulled his cell out of his pocket and closed the door locking it and checking it to make sure.

"Yea, you're right," Eric told the man holding the phone up making a big deal of checking for service. Giving a shrug that said, 'I told you so' the man turned back to his company and started talking about something not worth paying attention to. Stepping back into the building, he let the cool air wash over him and he stopped to let his eyes re-adjust finding Red at a table away from the TV. Slurping up the last of a soda, he leaned back and let out a loud _ahhhh_.

"I went ahead and ordered us some chili cheese fries, I'm starving," Red told him unnecessarily, the man looked like a human interpretation of Wiley Coyote licking his chops. Returning to the table the man that could only be Big Jim took Eric's drink order and set out to fetch it. As the man walked away Red glanced around the restaurant grimly and leaned in so he could talk in a low voice that only Eric would hear.

"Something doesn't feel right," he told him quickly. "These people are friendly as hell, but it feels wrong," leaning back quickly he smiled at his friend across the table as Big Jim returned. Wiping his brow with a cloth tucked in the back of his pants the man smiled broadly glancing at the front door before asking them if they knew what they wanted to eat. Red began picking off items as if nothing was wrong but Eric followed the big man's gaze and could see the man in the hat sitting at a table by the door watching them without staring directly at them.

"You got it, and for you?" Big Jim asked Eric pulling him out of the haze he had created from himself. Rattling off a few generic choices the big man told him how good the pork is today and took his menu replacing it with the drink he had ordered. Picking it up and drinking deeply, Red gasped and quickly grabbed the napkin that stuck to the bottom of the glass.

'Watch Them' was scrawled on the napkin in hasty letters. Red looked back toward the kitchen and Big Jim gave a slight nod toward the front door without looking at him. Leaning forward it became clearer what the odd feeling was.

"I think they're holding him hostage or something," the big man said to Eric. A child squealed and Eric twisted in his chair to see the kid being forced to hold still while his mother washed his face. Then Eric realized that the table with the child was the only other group inside the building besides the man sitting at the door. There were multiple cars outside, but not nearly enough people in the building to account for them. Taking another sip from his glass Eric thought it over.

"Okay, I'm going to try something out, I need you to move fast when it's time," Eric said leaning back trying to make their conversation look casual. Nodding, Red did the same. "I'm going to get the guy at the door to come over here and when his back is to you grab him, but do it quietly so the others outside don't hear, I think they're all together." He said it with an expression on his face as if they were discussing baseball stats. Thinking back to the man in the grocery store, Red nodded and let out a passable fake laugh. Reaching into his pocket Eric pulled out his cell phone and stood up walking in a circle around their table tapping at it.

"Hot damn, I got a signal!" Eric cried out pulling the phone to his ear and waiting with a smile on his face. The man by the door stood up, watching him intently. "Dad, hey it's me," he waited a minute and the man in the hat moved a few steps closer, lips pursed together tightly. "Yea, hold on, I'm losing you," he rounded the table and moved back to the corner of the restaurant behind Red, Sunhat followed.

"Oh yea, actually we turned off that road and made our way out to that BBQ place you and Uncle Chuck always talk about," a pause, putting his finger in his other ear, "Yea with the bar in it. No we just ordered, but my phone has been out of service since we entered the,"

A loud thud behind him made him turn around quickly and Red was standing beside the bar holding Sunhat's unconscious body, letting him down softly to the floor.

"What kind of plan was that?" Red said with a look of anguish on his face. "A fake phone call is supposed to get his attention?"

"It worked didn't it? Besides, if they've been doing this for a while, they don't want anyone knowing we've been here if we never leave. Someone may come looking," he told him in a half whisper. Big Jim whirled around the corner with a pot the size of basketball held up over his head by its thick handle. He skid to a stop and let out a loud breath lowing the pot and checking Sunhat with a light kick to verify his alertness.

"They've been here for a few days. I tried to warn another couple of guys but they never saw my note." Big Jim told them with pain clear in his eyes.

"What are they doing?" Eric asked moving his hand to the gun tucked in the back of his pants.

"At first they would only steal things from the customer's cars, and then chase them off when they accused them. Then they started hurting people, and they liked doing it so it got worse, until they took a guy and his wife out to a cabin behind here," he said pointing to the back of the restaurant.

"How many of them are there?" Eric said pulling out the gun and making sure he had a round chambered.

"There were ten earlier, but they got in a fight about something, maybe eight now." Panting eagerly, Big Jim glanced over his shoulder checking on the men in the front. Apparently none of them had heard the sounds inside, or they were setting up an ambush. "We need to go soon, they will come back in in a bit to start drinking again, and once those people over there walk out the door they're done." He told them. The big man was hurting, having seen so many people being hurt and being unable to protect any of them.

"Why didn't you do anything?" Red asked, glancing at the table with the small boy to make sure they weren't ready to go yet.

"You think I didn't?" Jim hissed angrily, "I wasn't going to let them rob those people at my place, and the phones were out so I went outside to make them leave. One of the younger ones, he came at me with a knife and I hit him, he may be dead I'm not sure but I haven't seen him since, that was two days ago. Then they beat me. No matter how big you are, one against ten is bad odds." He dropped his gaze reliving the fight. After he said it, Eric realized that he could see a small cut on his lip and a gash on his chin, hidden by his beard; the man had definitely been in a fight recently.

"Ok, so what do we need to do?" Eric asked trying to pull the man out of his deep thoughts and force him into the present.

"We need to kill them all," Jim said looking up; his eyes might as well have been on fire.

-PAST-

Everyone knew there was something wrong in the restaurant because when Jim went to the table of three and told them they needed to hide in the kitchen, they didn't ask many questions. Grabbing at his mother's hair the kid might as well have been on a field trip. The father had seen Eric standing by the bar with the gun in his hand and asked if there was anything he could do. Jim had told him to watch after his son, that was all he could do, and that if they didn't come back to run to their car and go as far away as possible. The first one was easy.

"John," a thin man asked stepping in from outside. He looked young, and was wearing aviator sunglasses under thickly gelled hair. Jim, Red, and Eric had agreed to play the part and take their time. Running out against multiple armed men wasn't a good play unless you were in a Die Hard movie. "Hey, where'd John go?" he asked Jim, giving the large room a quick sweep with his eyes.

"Oh I think he went back to hit the head," Jim said. His smile was back on and Eric marveled at how well the man could mask himself. Pulling a rack of glasses out of the dishwasher Jim placed them on the counter and began drying them, making sure he had a good view of the room.

"Hey John, you need to come check this out, this chick just pulled up, and damn if she doesn't look," but he never finished his story. Leaning over the counter Jim had the man in his hands and brought him crashing over with incredible ease. The young man let out a surprised yelp before Jim adjusted his grasp so that he had one hand around the man's neck and the other gripped the seat of his pants. Slamming him down headfirst into the floor there was a loud nasty pop as the man's neck broke and crashing as his foot drug a line of dried cups off the counter. Even knowing that Jim was going to attack the man, Eric and Red both stared wide eyed at the man, mouths agape.

"Holy shit!" Red said standing up with a thin smile on his lips, "You're like the fuckin Hulk," he said before Eric waved him back.

"Game face," he demanded standing up and looking at the door worried.

"What the hell was?" another man asked stepping inside. He wore a dirty tank top and baseball hat pulled down low almost covering his eyes. He pulled the hat up now.

"Hey help me with him, he just collapsed, does he have epilepsy or something?" Jim asked. He had pulled Sunhat's body over toward the bathroom and was kneeling over it as if he was ready to perform medical treatment.

"Oh shit, hey something's wrong with John!" The man shouted moving in to take a look. The man that had told Eric his phone wouldn't work followed him in and they could hear the other two men outside rushing up. Moving over to get a look the man with the tank top knelt by John and another man in a cowboy hat joined him.

"Hey Dan, did you know if John was sick or anything?" cowboy hat asked glancing back at the man who had told Eric about the cell phone.

"Nah, not that I know of," Dan said looking around the restaurant. "Hey Jim, where did those people go?" he asked after realizing that the couple with the child weren't sitting at their table.

"The kid was getting sick I think, they took him to the bathroom to clean him up," Jim told him standing over the two men who were checking on John, though they clearly had no idea what to do, they acted like they were doctors none the less. "Maybe you should come over here and have a look at your friend; I think maybe he needs a doctor." Jim told him motioning to the unconscious man on the floor.

"He's no friend of mine," Dan told him taking a few steps closer to Red and Eric's table. "What did you guys order?" he asked. If he was trying to mask the situation with kindness they couldn't tell.

"I think I just about ordered one of everything," Red told him smiling widely. "Of course that was just for an appetizer," he chuckled, but Dan didn't break a smile, instead he turned his gaze back to the group trying to revive John.

"Man, he must have hit his head pretty good," Cowboy hat gave his expert diagnosis. He ran his fingers over the side of John's face and could feel that it was swollen, and raw.

"How did it happen?" The other one asked.

"Like this," Jim said leaning down and grabbing them by the sides of their heads. The cowboy hat went crooked and fell to the floor as the big man brought their heads together with a sickening crack. Dan watched this with stern wonder on his face and then turned as Red stood up and began moving toward him like a freight train. Without a word Dan took a step back and brought a knife out of a sheath he had hidden in his boot. Red could apparently stop as fast as he could start and his hand came up in front of him as he made distance between himself and the man with the knife.

"Woah, we just want to go. You and your friends can stay here and this can all end well. But we have somewhere to be," Red said bumping into a table as he attempted to widen the gap between him and the knife.

"Are they dead?" Dan asked not taking his eyes off Red.

"No, just unconscious," Jim said moving in to join the other big man around the small man in cowboy boots.

"In that case I think we're all going to just take a seat until they come to. I could go ahead and gut you, but I have a feeling John will be pissed when he wakes up and he's a little better with a blade than me anyway." Dan told them leaning back against the front door. Two women approached the door, one in a short denim skirt with boots on that must have been the reason the first man came in to find John. Taking one look through the large glass window, they turned and ran screaming to their jeep, sending gravel flying as they shot out of the parking lot and down the road.

"Those were mine," Dan grimaced watching the girls go. "Ok, fat goatee fucker, you get over here and lie down on the ground. Now!" Red didn't move and it took a minute to realize that the other men had made an open space between them and Eric had moved in holding the gun up.

"I'll tell you what, put that down, and we can talk like civilized men." Eric told him, leveling the gun at Dan's chest. Dan stared down the barrel before pleading his case.

"Think about this for a minute. You're going to fire a gun, which will more than likely wake up my friends, and definitely bring the guys out back running. They have guns too." He tried explaining to Eric. "So shoot me, and you might as well be shooting yourself and your friends here. In fact, go ahead and do that, it would be much less painful than what is going to happen to you once they realize what's happened here." He finished bowing up at the three of them.

"What in the hell?" A voice came from behind them and they all twisted realizing that John was waking up. He rolled over on his side out from under the body of Cowboy Hat holding the swollen part of his head, it was already turning purple.

Letting out a war cry Dan rushed forward raising the knife over his head. Firing a shot, a bead of red appeared on the man's chest stopping him in his tracks. Looking down at the wound Dan choked up a thick spit of blood that inched its way down his chin onto his shirt. Red and Jim both spun around to Eric who had paled dramatically since the shot was fired. Placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him, Red watched the man before them drop to his knees.

"You mother fu," but man didn't have it in him to finish, he rolled forward and was still.

"Oh God, oh God," was being whimpered in the back and it took Eric a minute to remember the reason he had fired. John had pressed himself up against the back wall and was trying to crawl into the bathroom before he realized it was locked. "Jesus, no, we weren't going to. You have to, come on, you don't have to" he ranted as the three men fell upon him.

"We have to," Jim said grabbing a chair from the nearest table and bringing it down on the man's head. His body collapsed instantly, and slid down the wall to curl up on itself. Raising the chair, Jim hit him again, and again, and a fourth time before Red grabbed him around the shoulders and pulled him back telling him it was over. Thin tears were running down Jim's face mixing with the spittle in his beard. Red held him that way for a moment making sure he was done before letting go. The man smelt of fear and anxiety, his hair matted to his head, he looked like an animal retaking the pack.

"I know they raped those women," he half sobbed leaning against a table. Bowing under his weight, the table made a creak but didn't buckle. Big Jim's apron had a fine spray of blood across it, and it was also on his fingers and the back of his hands. "They must have killed everyone that came in here over the last few days. I should have found a way." Putting a hand on the big man's shoulder, Red let him cry it out, he had been through a lot.

"Oh no, the others," Jim said spinning around. His apron billowed and his hair all went to one side caught and stood up like a comb over gone wrong. It would have been comical in another situation. As if the thought caused the men to vaporize, someone shouted from the parking lot.

"John! Heard a gunshot, what's goin on in there?" A man's voice asked. The group inside clung to the wall, and Eric slid to the front window to get a look out. A man wearing an unbuttoned shirt stood a few feet from the steps that led up to the porch, he had thick black hair spiked with blond highlights. On his upper chest he had a tattoo of an eagle flying across a flag, and on his left forearm was a thick black swastika.

"Just one of them bitches wouldn't open her legs for me's all," Red shouted back pulling his words out in a country draw. Eric turned and stared at his friend in disbelief.

"Who the hell is that? Where's John?" The tattooed man shouted. Eric saw two others run around the side of the building holding guns. A fat kid that couldn't be out of his teens held a pistol in one hand and a pump shotgun in the other, a small whiskey bottle stuck out of his cargo shorts. The other man looked like he could have been John's twin, save the hat and beard. The skinny guy had a long mustache that he had waxed out, and a thin goatee to match, with sunglasses dangling around his neck. He had a small rifle in his hands. The fat kid held out the pistol to the man shouting, and he waved it away pulling the shotgun out of his arms, the kid looked hurt, but he pulled another pistol out of his pocket and looked around for someone to give it to.

"That was your plan? Impersonate the guy?" Eric said still looking at Red. The Irishman shrugged and held his hands up.

"What did you want me to do? Tell them to go fuck themselves?"

"I think that would have had the same effect."

"Go fuck yourselves!" Red shouted giving Eric the finger. Shaking his head, Eric turned back to the men outside. Swastika was talking with Highlights while pointing at the side of the building. When Highlights moved his head, Eric realized that his nose was broken, and the shadow on his eyes was actually a very large bruise, about the size of Jim's fist.

"You weren't fuckin around, you clocked him pretty good didn't you?" Eric said turning to Big Jim; who nodded with a smile, his tears had dissipated and adrenaline had overcome. Adrenaline was a hell of a thing, like a drug none other. "I think now would be a good time for a plan," Eric told them, watching the trio outside consider their next move.

"I think the last plan worked pretty well," Red told him scanning the restaurant quickly.

"I don't think pretending like nothing has happened is going to fool these guys," Jim said hesitantly.

"No, distraction," Eric bridged the gap. "Something like the cell phone, break them up, then take them out." He smiled. It was simple but it's been used since the beginning of time.

"Get that gun up then," Jim said standing up and grabbing the television off the stand on the side of the room like it was cotton candy. "Say when," he told him positioning himself in front of the window. Red slid back and crawled behind the bar on the other side of the room looking for something to use as a weapon.

Watching, Eric held a finger up, signaling Jim to stay put. Swastika had made a decision and was walking around the far side of the building with Highlights while the fat kid moved around the other side closer to Jim on shaky legs. Unable to tell what he was saying, Eric could see that the kid was muttering to himself, pulling the guns up in front of him like a wild-west show. Waiting until he thought the kid may be in front of the window, Eric pointed at Big Jim, who may as well have been tossing a volleyball.

Smashing through the window, the television landed a foot ahead of the kid and almost went over his head; the man threw it so hard. Jumping back with a shrill cry and a shouting a long line of saints, the kid turned and fired. Holding both guns out in front of him he screamed as he pulled the trigger over and over. With two guns he was embarrassingly inaccurate and the majority of the bullets went either into the hard wood on the outside of the building, or if they did find the window they went high making contact with the ceiling. Stopping to take a breath, Eric assumed that he was out of ammo so he stood up quickly, taking a minute to actually aim his shot. He fired two rounds, one missing completely, and the second finding the kid in the thigh dragging him down. The wounded kid answered in kind shooting the pistol in Eric's direction but his aim was as bad as before, and it only took three rounds before they heard a click and another long strand of obscenities.

"Hey, Joseph, you okay?" One of the other men shouted from the other side of the building. They could all hear Swastika chamber a round in the shotgun and Red pushed himself out from behind the bar and slid to the counter where the man with the broken neck lay.

"Does it sound like I'm okay? The fucking cocksucker, piece of niggershit, dick headed fuckface shot me!" he screamed from his place in the grass. He was edging backwards slowly but letting out a moaning whimper with every foot he gained, and muttering to himself, letting out an occasional "Fuck!" and reaching for his legs. It didn't take him long to drop the empty weapons and focus on his wounded leg that was leaving a thick trail of blood. A crash of thunder just made him whimper again and turn upward.

The shotgun blast was much louder than the small arms that Eric had exchanged with the other teen. Everyone in the building dropped, and Red looked like he was trying to get under the floor from his spot flat against the hard wood. The window by the bar smashed open with the shot sending glass flying and Jim had to cover his head to shield his face, though Eric could see blood dripping from the back of his hands and forearms. Thunder boomed again, and in an instant they heard rain smashing down on the roof of the building like a tsunami had opened up over them. One of the men outside screamed and fired from closer to the front of the building, only a few rounds from a pistol this time and the once again went high, but only into the wall over their heads.

Jim was still under the window he had tossed the TV out of and Eric motioned for him to move away. Doing the same Eric made it so that there were at least ten feet between any of them. Another shotgun blast rocked the building from the window over the bar shattering bottles as the glass rained down. Fortunately this time most of the glass was caught by the shelves holding the booze. Red was shouting and motioning to the back door, and Eric realized that the men were rounding the building so that they wouldn't be able to know for sure where they were without peeking out. Thunder cracked overhead again and the rain grew heavier then was joined by a soft clatter of hail.

From his place on the floor, Eric could see the rain falling outside. It was so thick that the road seemed to disappear and the SUV that had been parked on the other side of the road seemed to disappear into a curtain of grey and white. It took him a moment to realize that the hail was growing, like watching a flip book, the ice increased in size before his eyes, crashing on the roof and plopping into the mud, smashing against the parking lot.

"Fuck!" the wounded kid screamed again, "Get me up, get me up!" Eric glanced outside the window and watched in wonder as hail pounded the kid down almost flat against the ground. Highlights was trying to help him, but it was a failing effort. Even with two working legs he was having trouble standing, the hail was golf ball sized now. Giving one final tug Highlights let go of his wounded friend and made a run for it. He got about fifteen feet before a piece of hail the size of a pool ball hit him in the back of the head and he went down hard in a puddle. Eric watched as the kid lay there unconscious and drowned in a puddle no deeper than a bowl of soup. The storm outside was rocking the restaurant and there were cracks as the hail became too heavy for the wooden roof to bear. The rest of the front windows broke out and twirling, Eric saw Swastika standing at the front door, shotgun raised. Blood was running down his face. His entire body was soaked and his hands were shaking.

"You killed them," Swastika said looking over the bodies in the room, some of them clean, others gruesome. Eric started to raise his gun but Swastika pointed the barrel at him instantly, hissing. "Put it down." Looking over at Big Jim who was still huddled against the corner and Red who had poked his head up over the counter he shook his head.

"No, you're going to kill me anyway," he told him raising his gun. Swastika pulled the trigger first, grinning. But nothing happened. He yanked the trigger again and again, discharged a shell then another try, with the same result, a wet click.

"No, hold on," Swastika said dropping the gun at his feet and raising his hands.

"Your firing pin got wet I think," Red said standing up, reassured. "I don't know, that sounds right though doesn't it?" he said turning to Eric with a look of mocking concern.

"Listen," Swastika started, glancing behind him, the hail was still falling, rattling the room around them and they had to shout to be heard.

"I've heard enough," Jim said turning his eyes to Eric. They all had, and he pulled the trigger hitting the man in the stomach. Doubling over, Swastika glared at them before rushing out into the storm making his final run. The three of them watching him go in silence. He barely got into the parking lot before he began fading into the storm, but he saw him fall, and they never saw him get up.

Eric looked hard at the gun in his hand and placed it on the table beside him. Staring blankly at the broken glass on the floor around him he felt his stomach tighten. The storm outside was dying and it was easier for Jim and Red to hear the man gag. Jumping up quickly, Eric leaned out the window vomiting onto the wet wood of the porch. A hand was on his back steading him and the world swam before him.

'Go to it' a voice said and he whirled around, he would have fallen if Red hadn't been there to catch him.

"What did you say," Eric asked the Irishman. His speech was slurred as if he had been drinking all night and his head was suddenly throbbing.

"Get some water, something's wrong," Red said.

"Here, he's going into shock," Big Jim told him handing him a can of Coke. "Caffeine's better than water right now," but Eric didn't drink it. The world went white before him and his body betrayed him as he went limp and Red had to grab him around the waist and lower him to the floor.

"They made me," Eric tried to say, but it came out jumbled, "bay, baide me," he said trying to clarify, but it was no use. The world went dark around him and he was gone.

-NOW-

"You clean up pretty nice," Eric told Jane with a wan smile, he couldn't remember feeling tired like he did, but it had been a long haul to the water and then a longer one to the city.

"You don't look too bad yourself young man," Rohn jumped in as Jane blushed.

" _I told you man, getting laid will be a snap after all that other crap you had to pull,"_ Lex was curled up in a ball on one of the couches and Eric had just assumed he was asleep.

"To tell you the truth I feel ridiculous," Eric told them letting his hands drop to the soft cloth clothes he was wearing and the gun that he had tied to a piece of leather and draped over his shoulder. The other one was still in the belt under his baggy shirt, but he couldn't bear to leave them behind, and it felt wrong going into the meeting without some form of protection.

"You could always leave that thing here," Rohn told him, Anna chimed in agreement.

"I would feel naked without it, it's hard to explain," he told them thumbing the smooth handle. Rohn just nodded and rubbed his hands together, 'I wash myself of it.' Eric had grown fond of the man. He was smart and seemed to be the father figure of their group. He hated thinking about what would have happened if someone else had been out scouting.

"Well aren't we just a sight," Gus said sitting down on the couch next to Lex and pulling Shae down in his lap. His pants didn't fit, so his legs were exposed showing thick tan calves and small scars, most of the hair had been singed off at some point. Lex regarded him wearily then let his head fall back in his lap. It wasn't as easy for Eric to look away, or Paul or Laney or Marz for that matter. Shae's shirt was equally too short and her midriff was exposed showing her detailed abdomen and smooth skin; the shirt was also tight enough to show just how much of a chest she really had. The men in the room were practically drooling.

"Do you think he'll let us look freely?" Jane asked pulling half of the men out of their bone stare.

"The problem is we have no idea what we're looking for. This city is massive; it could take us years to find it. My guess is we're going to have to set up a grid and start within the walls. Maybe it's as easy as being something someone has on their possession, but I'm guessing it's going to be a little more difficult than that. Nothing has been easy yet."

The entire room nodded, they had all been through a lot trusting Jane or Gus. The life of a sword bearer was a hard one, and it led down dangerous paths.

"Maybe the other guy is coming for the same thing," Jake said thoughtfully. When he realized that he had spoken out loud he gasped and put his head down.

"What other guy?" Rohn asked turning to the young man. Jane and Eric exchanged an uneasy glance. They had all agreed to keep the part about what Eric had heard a secret. Their group had already been through enough, and they didn't even know who was coming or why.

"Oh, um, you know," Jake said making an effort to patch up his mistake. "The king, maybe he came here looking for whatever we're supposed to find." He glanced at Eric nervously.

"Jake, look at me," Rohn told him, but the kid wouldn't do it, so the old man turned to Jane. "What in the hell is he talking about?"

"I'm sorry, really, it just slipped out. I was just thinking about it and it happened," Jake said ashamed of himself.

"It's ok," Eric told him patting him on the shoulder. "I heard a voice," he half lied.

"Like the one I heard," Jane told him.

"Right, and it said that someone is coming, that's all," he told the man matching his thoughtful stare.

"Good, bad, man, beast, any details?" Rohn asked standing and running a hand through his hair.

"Unfortunately not," Gus finished for them. "But when I hear that someone is coming, especially from the guy upstairs, I move," he explained. Rhon just nodded and paced the room. Finally he threw his hands up and leaned against the wall watching them.

"I guess it doesn't really matter in the end does it? If he, or it or whatever is coming, they have to get in here, and who knows maybe it could be a good thing," he rubbed his hands together optimistically.

As if to seal the deal, there was a knock on the door. Laney answered it without hesitation and Basure gave him a hard look before Wade stepped into view.

"Have you folks had enough time to clean yourselves? The sire, he has a distaste for filth," he said looking them over, his eyes hovering on Eric's gun for a moment.

"We're as clean as we're going to get old man," Laney told him gruffly, "What exactly does this guy want with us?" The old man cocked his head upward to regard Laney.

"The king wishes to dine with you and to know your purpose. If you do well, you may be asked to plead fealty to him and he will let you stay and become a part of our kingdom, if not..." the old man trailed off rolling his hands. "Either way, what do you say we get moving, it is best to be in the hall before the king. He hates to be kept waiting." They exchanged worried glances before stepping out into the hall where Wade turned and raised his hands to stop them.

"I'm sorry, there are only a few places at the king's table, and you cannot all go," he said looking over the group that had expanded.

"You may not want to bring your lady either if you're attached," Owen told Gus leaning forward to get a better look at Shae's chest.

"Give us a minute," Eric told him ushering them all back into the room. "I think we three need to go for sure," told them gesturing to Jane and Gus.

"I'm going if Gussy goes," Shae said rubbing her partner's arm.

"As lovely as that sounds," Eric told her trying to keep his eyes firmly on her face, "I don't think it's a good idea." She pouted in response and looked up at Gus who was obviously putty in her hands.

"Maybe it would be good to have some eye candy there, you know make the king happy," Gus suggested.

"That's wonderful and all but I think you're going to want to have his attention on you, when you tell him you want to roam his city, not the girl that may be unattended," Rohn chimed in. Nodding slowly Rohn conceded getting a soft punch on the shoulder from Shae.

"I'll make it up to you," he told her with a slap on the ass as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Crossing her arms she tried to look tough, but they say a smile under it all. She was alive and that's more than she had planned for, it was too much to get mad about something uncontrollable.

"I want you to go too," Eric told Rohn. The old man didn't look surprised and Eric knew he would more than likely be able to pick up on things that the rest of them would miss completely. "We will try and do the talking, I want you to watch, everything, and when we get done, tell me what you saw beyond what our eyes told us. Does that make sense?" Rohn nodded and turned to the door as Wade let himself in.

"Remember what I told you about being there before his Grace?" he asked. The four of them filed out of the room while the rest watched feeling paralyzed. As Owen closed the door Lex raced out and nuzzled against Eric's leg. "He's trained then?" Wade asked looking down at the large animal.

"Yes, well behaved, mostly," he added.

"Fine, King Flemming enjoys animals, this may be to your advantage." Wade told them setting a quick pace down the stairs and through a different door than the one they entered.

Walking through a hall with dark brown carpet, they moved into a dark hallway that Eric realized was a tunnel connecting the building they were in to the adjacent one. Making a right, they stepped into another room with floor to ceiling teal tile, speckled with silver. The wall sconces glowed dim yellow and a group of four was scrubbing the walls and floors with water and cloths along one side stopping only to stare at the dog making sure he wasn't tracking dirt.

Wade waved at them and moved into another hallway that opened up to a large convention center. A balcony above was decorated with green and brown glass and a group of men had been stationed throughout. Their guns were leaned up against the balconies and they only turned a moment to regard Jane then went back to their conversation. Leading them behind a curtain Wade went through a doorway that had been fortified with strips of steel and two men stood just inside trying to look casual as the group moved past them into a dining area with a large bar across one side. The further they moved they could hear voices, an entire congregation of them murmuring with each other and it got louder as the moved in to the next doorway. At the end of the bar a man sat in a steel folding chair leaned back with his feet up eating out of a bowl, the smell was amazing. Lex started going off course when he caught a whiff of the man's food, but Eric pulled him back.

" _Look at that! Is this some kind of torture? This old fucker is just going to drag us through a loop of halls that smell of gross man chemicals and dangle food in front of us? You don't even need a gun for these two, come on let's have us a meal!"_ The animal urged with a whimper as Eric told him no, nudging him away from the man a second time.

Wade regarded the animal quickly before pushing open the swinging doors at the end of the bar. The previously soft murmurs washed over them in a hundred conversations. The room looked the same as it had a hundred years ago, save a few light bulbs burned in the high ceiling. It was a ballroom at least a hundred feet deep and half that wide, with large rectangular tables set up on both sides in rows of six. Three large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, light glistening through the dangling glass. A few people from the nearest table noticed them, but everyone else continued talking. The tables were set up with large plates of vegetables, dripping with butter, and steaming. Pitchers of water were scattered throughout the table and they could see various other containers holding tea, wine, and what looked like thick dark homemade beer. The thick smell of butter and seasonings in the air mixed with the scent of alcohol that made Eric's mouth water. Lex barked in approval.

"Come, his Grace has asked that that you dine with him tonight," Wade told them waving them down the center aisle. As they made their way toward the large table at the head of the room heads began turning, some with excitement, and others with scorn. Lex ran back and forth sniffing and slurping up a dropped piece of corn here or there and a little boy tossed him a piece of potato that he caught in his teeth causing some of the people to cry out with laughter. Jane smiled and waved patting the dog on the head, playing the part of a politician. Not looking quite as convincing, Eric smiled too, but fear and suspicion rested heavily on his shoulders.

"Smile. Remember, they need to see us as friendly newcomers eager to join them," Rohn whispered to Gus giving the boy who threw the potato a big grin. Shaking the surprise from his face, Gus drew his lips back awkwardly in what only a blind man would call convincing, the man was too overwhelmed for practical thought.

As they reached the large table at the head of the room the loud talking and basic chatter had died down to whispers and covered mouths. Every now and again someone would laugh, and a group of men at the second table got up to get a look at Jane as she bent to pat Lex on the head again. Eric stepped up to a chair at the large table but as the talking died down, the static sound in his head felt like it got louder. He knew it was there the whole time, but it felt better when it was just a shadow in the back of his mind. Wincing he glanced at his fellow sword bearers to see if they showed any sign of hearing it. Gus and Jane had turned and were surveying the crowd at the behest of Wade. Neither of them showed any sign that they could hear the sound. Glancing out a large window behind the table Eric could make out the harbor, and a bridge that led to what he guessed was Brooklyn, but it looked odd, like they had built a structure around the bridge and over it. Maybe something like what they had encountered when they hit the containers on the highway, but it looked different somehow.

A speaker clicked on, and Eric only knew it wasn't in his head because people started standing up. A gong rang over the speakers in the room shaking the glasses on the table and causing the rest to rise and turn toward a door to their left. A man with a chest the size of an oak tree stepped out of the door followed by the group that they had seen on the balcony earlier that day with the King.

"His Grace, Jonah Flemming!" The large man bellowed pulling his right arm across his chest and pounding his fist against his heart. Everyone in the room turned and made the same gesture of fealty. The women emerged from the room and the king's entourage stopped, creating two rows that the king walked through, towering over all of them. He was still wearing his homemade cloak, but he had dressed in a thin black shirt with jeans to go with his fat black boots. His hair had been combed out and it shined with oils, flowing long down his back and over his shoulders. Once he cleared his crew, they broke into formation and followed him to the table that Eric and the others were already standing at. Stepping up to the large chair in the center of the table looking out over the ballroom, Flemming brought his hand to his chest and pounded his fist there holding his hand in place over his heart like everyone else.

"The window never opens!" He shouted in the thick voice of a leader.

"We will hold it shut!" was the overwhelming reply echoing off the walls, causing Lex to flinch and crawl down by Eric's leg. With that said the king bowed slightly to his congregation and they bowed deeply back before he put his hands up and motioned for them to sit down. A sense of ease seemed to wash over the room, and it returned to its previous state of noisy conversation. A group of mostly women seemed to materialize out of nowhere and help them into their seats across from the king, filling the multiple cups around them with water, wine and tea. Eric watched the King seat each of the women around him before taking his own seat. The pregnant woman from earlier was at his left side and the thin man that had whispered in his ear was at his right. The rest of his group gathered around their side of the table, allowing Eric, Jane, Gus, and Rohn their own side.

"They tell me you came looking for your friend and you found him?" Flemming half asked.

"Yes," Jane told him smiling at Rohn, "We were somewhat fortunate." Flemming regarded her with a broad warm smile that caused the women on the other side of the table to give her stares that could start a fire.

"You know who I am, this is my manager Noah," Flemming told them gesturing to the small man beside him.

"A pleasure," Noah told them in a thin mouse voice. Eric smiled at him more than with him. It seems that these people had taken to a old school government plan with a king in place, but some of the positions must have been a little blurred along the lines. He wondered how many years it had taken for people to reclassify manager as a place of political power as opposed to a business classification. The people who had started this must not have had a 'king'.

"And this is my third wife Lana," he continued patting the pregnant woman's belly.

" _Third wife? This guy has got it made. Ten bucks says his stork is the size of your forearm,"_ Lex suggested chuckling. The king continued to introduce the rest of his group as his first through fifth wives and his various hands of state, including the Senator Garrison who was tussling with the white table cloth, First Officer Derrik Pry, a holy man in a thick blue cloak named Jean Lupe, and reintroducing them to the man who had led them around, Wade of the Black Waters. It took him more time than it should to realize that the man was done and he was waiting to learn more about them.

"I am Eric, these are my friends, Jane, Gus and Rohn," they each nodded in kind.

" _Don't forget the guy who can lick his own balls,"_ Lex suggested from under the table.

"Ah yes, and my friend down there is Lex," Eric told him pointing under the table. Flemming grinned and reached out a hand for Lex to sniff before giving it a lick.

"I do love these domesticated animals," he told them with a laugh as Lex popped his head up through the tablecloth into the man's lap for a better view of the food. Flemming just laughed and rubbed the animal on the neck making sure to be gentle on the small scared spot on his back. Women approached setting out plates in front of everyone and placing platters of meat and cheeses on the table. A variety of different sauces were included with peppers and onions. A large bowl of sweet cranberry sauce was placed in front of Gus and he looked like he may faint. Eric couldn't tell exactly what the meat was, but the cuts were large, and Flemming had no problem pulling one off the top and tossing it down for the animal. People behind them grew louder as they were served as well. Flemming was served by his third wife while the others all grabbed food and scooped portions onto their plates, and Eric and crew weren't shy to do the same.

"Tell me Eric, do you speak for these men, and this beautiful woman?" Flemming asked drinking in Jane with his eyes. Turning to the group they all gave him the go ahead nod.

"Yes, we have not been traveling together for too long, but I can speak for us," he regretted it as soon as he said it. Not because anything happened, but because he realized if anything went bad, it would be his head they came for.

"Good! Please eat our food and drink our drink. We will leave these other matters for after," The man smiled and waved one hand over his head. As if waiting for the cue a group on one side of the ballroom began singing. It was a happy song, upbeat joined by a small set of drums and a worn out guitar. As the room drank more, they began singing along to the third song about beer and a ten foot man chasing a woman through a desert.

"But I sit at the hand today, because I am fulfilling my duty as a wife," Lana finished telling Jane.

"Does the king have many children?" Jane asked listening with sick fascination. Lana shook her head, her long black hair swinging low against her white skin.

"He has three that live, he had two others but they have fallen," she said dipping the mystery meat into a red paste that smelled very hot and taking a bite. Taking tentative bites at first, Eric realized that everything did indeed taste like chicken, even his massive slab of meat that definitely wasn't fowl. Rohn hadn't needed any taste tests. A line of grease dripped from his mouth staining his white beard as he bit into another piece, and swallowed smiling. Leaning back and covering his mouth to mask his burp Gus looked pleased with himself and turned his attention to a group of women at the second table away that were making eyes at him.

"Eric, this may be the best meal I've had in a long time, maybe ever," Rohn said raising his glass toward their self-proclaimed leader. Pulling his eyes away from Flemming's sad looking first wife, Eric grabbed a glass and leaned forward so that he could see Rohn around Jane. Clinking their glasses together, Rohn motioned up with his eye brows, rolling his eyes toward a set of small balconies on the other side of the room from the singers. They drank and Eric leaned down to scratch Lex's head but made sure he checked the balconies as he did it.

Four small alcoves were set into the wall, more than likely for press to get a shot of any important happenings in the banquet hall back in the day. Now though each alcove had a man positioned in it lying flat with the barrel of a rifle positioned through the struts in the bannisters. It would have been hard to make them out if their guns weren't stuck out so far. Bringing his focus back to the table, Eric raised his glass to Rohn in a confirmation drink. The music changed and Eric almost fell out of his chair twisting back to the sounds of Fire and Rain by James Taylor. The words weren't quite right, and there was a little more simplicity to it, but it was definitely the same song. Everything else seemed to take a step back and he let the music flow through him. How long had it been since he'd even thought of that song? Fifty years? He used to sing it for Rose but that seemed like a million miles ago. The entire room burst into the chorus, some of them standing up and swaying to the music, while some men downed their drink in an aggressive gulp and moved over to a woman to ask her to dance. Even Eric couldn't help but mouth the words, and he sang the last verse to Jane as he realized her deep brown eyes were focused on him

"You sing?" she asked taking another sip of the wine in front of her.

"I say words to a rhythm, it's hardly singing," but he turned away none the less. He could feel his blood pumping and realized he drank too much. There was a pulling between his legs of a desire he was trying to keep at bay.

"Well it sounds nice," she said giving him a smile before turning away. Desire surged up inside him and he had to gulp down some water in order to concentrate on something else. Flemming was watching them with warm interest from across the table. The king opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind leaning back as a different crew came in clearing the empty plates from the table and replacing the drinks with warm wine and tea with small plastic containers of sugar and milk. The band finished up with a folky sounding tune and a man blew into a harmonica as people started working their way out of the ballroom. Others had broken off into smaller groups and were having loud discussions overflowing into each other. Watching his guests, the king stood when they looked finished and moved toward the door he had come through. Wade immediately began rounding them up and urging them to follow.

"It will be a little easier to discuss our business in here," Flemming told them over his shoulder taking long strides into a white hallway with black tile flooring. A set of guards lined the walls here and they were not eating or lounging, they were in full alert with guns drawn across their chests. They moved to a large elevator with an immaculate reflective brass finish and a man moved forward opening the doors for them. "After you," the king told them extending an open hand to the elevator. Without any other choice they moved inside followed by the king, Lana, Noah, Senator Garrison, and two of Flemming's sister wives. Wade and the others bowed slightly as the door closed and made their way further down the hall of that floor. Without pressing a button the elevator moved upward and Rohn pressed a hand against the wall to steady himself.

"Good god, we're moving," he muttered. Then he let out a gasp as the back wall gave way to glass and they could see out across the city. As they ascended, they could make out the hotel they had come from and see multiple covered walkways like tentacles coming out of the building; the ones around it creating a raised living structure; like a tree house for the super-rich. Past that the café where they had first met the king and the fortified entrance stretched out before them.

"It's amazing," Gus said pressing against the glass to look down.

"No, it's beautiful Jane corrected him. Past the café another structure like the one they were in rose up connecting to adjacent buildings. As they rose they could see that greenhouses had been set up on top of the shorter ones, with lights glowing dimly under the glass. A man the size of a mouse was running toward the greenhouse on their building as rain began to drizzle down lightly. A thick outline of the perimeter was obvious from their height, and the large community looked like a Tetris piece from hell, being shaped only by right angles to contour to the buildings and streets below. Eric pressed his head against the glass and tried to look out toward Manhattan but they were facing the wrong direction and they could only see the beginning of the swirling ocean on their far right. Flemming was watching them with a thin smile on his face. The man was enjoying seeing new people appreciate his kingdom. There was a scratching noise from behind them and Eric realized that Lex was terrified of the height and had pushed himself into the corner scratching at the door to be let out.

"Cool off you big baby, you can't fall," Eric told him, but as he got it out the elevator stopped and the animal rushed out the open doors into the penthouse. Eric stepped inside shouting after him.

"Don't worry about it. My old dog did the same thing the first few times," Flemming told him twisting his cloak so that Lana could pull it off his shoulders and hang it up on a hook. "Please come in, make yourself at home." He then pointed at the gun over Eric's shoulder, "Do you think we could leave that out here for the time being?" He gestured to a worn wooden table beside the entrance. Frowning Eric emptied the six rounds into his pocket and sat the gun down with a soft thud. "Please come in, you are my guests tonight," he told them walking through the large tile entrance into a living room with thick tan carpet. It was set up like any living room, a few steps down brought a large TV hanging on the wall, a set of comfortable looking couches set in a horseshoe around a fireplace and along the back was a round bar befitting of any young playboy with a ton of cash that could have afforded the place in the past. The wives moved into another room off of the main hall while Noah followed them in and the Senator stepped behind the bar to stack some glasses and few different bottles on a tray.

"How does this even exist?" Gus said frozen in place on in the main hallway looking out over the living room and across the city through large bay windows.

"I have to admit," Rohn added smacking his lips together and looking back at them with wide eyes. "I have never seen anything like this in my entire life." Following Flemming, the old man fell into a couch across from the king.

"It takes a lot to keep this place up and running, believe me, and it's only possible because of the people that live down there. We work so that we can all live with comforts that very few men still have." Flemming told them. "We grow stronger with every able body we have here. That's why we let you and your friends in. The...first group looked like they may hold some intelligence on things we may not know about, and you folk look strong, capable and willing. A community is only as strong as the people in it." He told them as Garrison sat down the tray of liquor and sat in a chair across from them with a glass of scotch in his hand.

"And you have booze, this is incredible," Gus said again eying the ancient bottles. Eric had to steady himself. He could remember a city like this. It had been bigger and they had welcomed him in the same manner, but that had ended as all things seem to, and it hadn't ended well.

"So you brought us here to do what? Sell us on your fancy town?" Gus asked. He didn't need to be asked for a drink as he filled a glass to the brim with brown liquor.

"We brought you here to see if you would be a good fit," Garrison said sitting up and taking a sip of scotch. Gus had brought the drink up but froze before he could get it to his lips. Looking over his shoulder he could see that Noah had moved to a barstool in the corner of the room watching them. Garrison could sense his hesitation, "I'm sorry I don't mean to be accusing. We have had some people come in before that weren't exactly team players," he finished checking with his colleagues.

"Basically we had a few bad ones get in, so it has been the custom for many years now to sit down with the newcomers, and make sure that you are the kind of people that we would want here, and if you are skilled at any particular task." Flemming stepped in finishing for his cohort.

"Let me ask. What if we have no desire to stay?" Eric asked giving the king a cool gaze to check his reaction. Flemming only shrugged.

"I think once you see the kind of work we are doing here you will want to stay," he said fetching himself a glass of something clear with a bitter smell and leaning back.

"I will say, this is a very impressive set up you have here, and no offence, but a few lights and a good meal isn't what I would consider life changing work." Rohn told them.

"Did you eat well on the road old timer?" Noah asked from his place at the bar. He was glaring across the room at Rohn. Were you able to sleep soundly every night, without fear of the burning sky or one of those man creatures attacking you; maybe something worse, there are much worse things out there you know." He sulked back to the bar as Flemming put up a hand to stop him.

"I understand your hesitation, truly, but there are other...facets to this city that you haven't seen yet. We live here to keep the window closed." Flemming told them. They had heard that expression earlier but they hadn't thought to ask about it with so much happening downstairs. Eric suddenly wanted to slap himself for overlooking such an obvious phrase that seemed to mean a lot for these people.

"What is this window you keep mentioning?" Eric asked leaning forward.

"Yea, you guys talked about that earlier, I remember," Gus repeated. It took him a second to lean forward and there was a good chance he wasn't going to be conscious for a whole lot longer. Garrison shook his head at Flemming before the king waved him off.

"We're going to skip the rest and get straight to it then." He said standing. They hadn't been this close to him before and he seemed even bigger up close. The small scars around his eye almost looked like a firework had erupted from his pupil. "What do you know about that gods that returned?" he asked them moving to the window and looking out over his realm. They didn't know how to respond regarding each other there under the eyes of these strangers.

"It looks like they know more than they want to tell," Garrison told him watching their uneasy glances.

"Like we've said, we've been travelling for a long time, and on the road, there are a lot of things to see, none of them good." Eric told him trying to bridge the gap, so they wouldn't dig any further. Garrison and Flemming scoffed in unison and Noah let out a shrill long noise that dripped with mockery.

"Do you know why they call this the Dead City?" Flemming asked turning back to them and resting against the windowsill.

"Well it's obviously not dead," Gus snorted at him taking another sip of his drink. Garrison smiled at the large slightly intoxicated man.

"Oh, it's about as close as you can get," he said standing.

"Please," Flemming told them gesturing to follow the Senator. They stood, and Rohn helped Gus to his feet taking his glass from him and returned it to the table. They stepped back up into the main hallway and turned right at the elevator into a bedroom that had a few scattered pieces of woodwork and a dual desk in the middle of the room with a set of binoculars on it. The back wall was all glass and Garrison led them to the window to look out.

Below them and a half mile out stood the Brooklyn Bridge, and to the left of that; the remains of the Manhattan Bridge, half eaten by the sea; about halfway up the bridge was a large black structure with what looked like some sort of black cloth wrapped around it. Large beams had been set in the water and a foggy net looking substance stretched from beam to beam covering that half of the bridge. The net then spread out concealing the entire east shore stretching as far as they could see. The coating rippled with the rain, but didn't seem effected at all by the wind.

"That is the Window," Flemming said when no one spoke up. Realizing his mouth was hanging open, Eric forced it shut and swallowed hard.

"What is it?" Rohn asked stepping up to the glass for a better look.

"Well, we're not entirely sure." Garrison started, "All we know for certain is that it's not made for man, and the things that come out of it are no friend to us."

"You want to simplify that a tad?" Gus asked leaning against the wall glaring at the dark monstrosity before them.

"We think it was built by the gods, and that it is used to make these creatures you have mentioned." Flemming said taking a step forward. "What we have been doing here, for generations is standing guard along that line and keeping whatever comes out at bay," he said pointing to the bridge.

Their focus had been on the dark object that swallowed the entire opposite shore line. Focusing their attention back to the bridge they could make out blockades and even small structures built along a stretch a safe distance from the opening to the dark beams and netting. Squads of at least twenty men were huddled under two large canopies spread out on the edges of the incoming lane waiting for the rain to end.

"If there are things coming out of there, why don't you just burn the bridge and block their entrance?" Eric asked turning away from the sight, it was giving him a headache.

"Believe me, I would love to do that," Flemming sighed, "But we can't. The man that started this kingdom told us that there would be a use for the window. We just keep it closed until it reveals itself.

" _I think I've seen enough. Let's hit the road, maybe grab another one of these tasty treats for the road?"_ Lex suggested from his place in the back of the room gnawing on a piece of bone that Flemming had saved for him.

"Well that is absolutely fascinating," Gus said sitting down on the edge of the desk, unable to take his eyes away from the dark blob that was once Long Island. "But I think I'm going to pass on guard duty, I've got bigger fish to fry." He stumbled past them back into the living room with a grunt and they could hear him refilling his glass.

"As sad as I am to say it, he's right," Jane said. "We have to search the city, we can't spend our time guarding one of these crazy experiments," she sat down where Gus had been a moment before to watch the rest of the room.

"What comes out of it exactly?" Rohn asked ignoring the protests of disinterest from his companions.

"We've had a few creatures almost the size of small buildings that looked like a mix between a man and a bull," Garrison told him. "Some of them we can stop, but we also have a run off point, where if the creature overwhelms us, the men lead it around our city instead of through it." He told them proudly. Eric's ears pricked up at the sound of a Minotaur, he hadn't heard people talking about them for a long while. "We've had large insects with razors for arms that are taller than men, and even a creature with long white wings and razor sharp claws, it had poison in its bite, but flew off before they could stop it; but that one was many years ago." Garrison named off a few other unbelievable creatures before Rohn stopped him.

"I'm starting to get the point," he said. Cold sweat had broken out on his forehead and he was rubbing his hands together to maintain a balance.

"But we haven't lost many men. The window tells us when something is coming through," Flemming explained, trying to take some of the danger out of the story. "It gives us an alarm."

"What kind of alarm?" Eric asked grabbing his nose to pop his ears.

"It's hard to explain," Flemming said searching for the words. "It's a high pitched almost humming noise that shoots straight into your brain" he said pointing at his ears as if that explained where your brain is. Closing his eyes, Eric nodded.

"This is it then," he said softly. Jane and Rohn looked at him worried. "It looks like we don't have to search at all. That's what we're looking for."

-H-

Men don't often get a second chance at life. Moving down the road, Flynn was humming happily to himself while Haden did his best to ignore the throbbing in his gut. They had been making fairly good time considering neither of them needed to eat, or therefor relieve themselves, but they needed rest more frequently than Haden cared to admit to. On top of that, the man he had brought back to help him track was starting to decompose, and the smell was sweet and horrible at the same time swimming around Haden's face.

"There, that's where I'd go," Flynn told his new leader and friend. Nothing mattered more, this man was his friend and he believed in him, willing to take him along, even if he was sick. They had tied a piece of cloth around the dead man's empty eyes socket in order to keep things from dripping out, and to keep animals out of it when the man rested.

"Could you tell me again soon? I may forget." Haden asked him running his hand through his salt and pepper hair that was starting to stick to his head. No one said that I would sweat. I should be done by now, this was supposed to be easy. These humans are disgusting, and I want free of this world.

"No problem, it's easy to get mixed up out here, but I'm a great tracker. Just another perk of having me along," Flynn explained with a smile. Two of his front teeth had fallen out since they left the subway and Haden had considered knocking the rest out until the dead man had discovered a fire pit inside of an old tire. It hadn't been used for many days, but it was still fresh enough to jolt a fresh spark of excitement through him. Flynn had gotten to repeating himself and Haden had learned quickly he would need to ignore his ignorance if he was going to be able to restrain from killing the man a second time.

"Wait," Flynn put his arm up suddenly and they could hear the drying bones grind together inside his skin. "There's something up there," he said pointing forward. They had followed the same highway as Eric, but instead of taking the exit, they had walked straight into the city and were leveling out on the surface streets where the highway collapsed and buildings rose up around them. The street they were on now was almost completely covered by makeshift canopies and tarps stretched across the tops of the buildings. Looking up, they could see dark figures in black cowls moving quickly behind the windows. A large white mass caught Haden's eye and he put a hand up stopping Flynn, though he made special care not to touch the corpse.

"Stay behind me," Haden told his traveling buddy, stepping in front of the man. Even though he felt no love for the man, he did have his uses, and he wasn't ready to throw that away yet. Perhaps driven by his voice, two cloaked figured dashed into the street, faster than Flynn cared to give them credit for, and took post in the shadows along the buildings. Once in position under the comfort provided by the billowing cloth and plastic sun screen they had created, the creatures watched them come. Feeling somewhat off his game since not being able to light up the brave but ever so stupid man in the hall at the subway, Haden had lost a little faith in his abilities and decided to approach this from a different direction.

"I seek direction!" he shouted stopping a few feet shy of the layers of shadow that enveloped the street ahead. The two creatures posted snarled at him as four more soared out of open windows from above landing softly on in the shaded street. One of them emerged before the others walking up to get a better look at the man with the balls to walk into their city. Stopping a few feet from the shadow line, the Vamp pulled his cloak back revealing a sickly white face with thin red veins stretched across it like rivers of blood on the face of the moon. The man's eyes were dark red around a slit black pupil like a cat. His skin was blackened on the right side of his neck and thin tendrils of black reached downward beneath the skin.

"We seek blood," it responded in a hollow rasp. Pulling back its upper lip Haden could see a long fang inside the darkness of its mouth. The creature sniffed the air uncomfortably and they realized that Flynn had pissed himself. That just got the creature smiling a cruel smile full of teeth and the others joined in shrill shrieks of joy beneath their blackened cowls.

"I can give you blood, by the bucket full, but first I need to know if you have seen a man come through here," he told them without a smile on his face. These creatures were only slightly more appealing than humans but they stank something fierce. The question did hit them directly, and the leader turned back hissing at his cohorts as they shrieked and mumbled to each themselves.

"We have seen many men, but they no longer live," the creature hissed at him. This was met with nods of approval from those behind.

"This one still does," he told them shifting his weight, making sure to stay at least one step ahead of Flynn. If the wanderer had died he would have felt it, and he could move on. "The man I want wears a sword on his belt, and they tell me he travels with an animal," he painted the picture for them. Harsh screams answered this and the one he was talking to flinched snarling his lips again.

"I know the man," he said before being drowned out by a roar from the building to Haden's right. Turning and squawking in response the one he spoke with gave him one final snarl before pulling his hood back up and backing away. Spreading out, the Vamps in the street made room as another roar shook the building and then a creature emerged.

It wasn't a bat, but that's the closest similarity. Spreading wide shite fleshy wings the creature flapped once sending dust and dirt flying across the street and Flynn put a hand up to his eyes, not to shield them but to close them so he didn't have to see the horror of it. Landing with a soft thud, the creature turned to Haden, its large claws scratching against the street, and it stood up full almost ten feet. Filling the place the other one had been it, the winged beast snarled down at him with the same blood red eyes, but his nose was concave and ears distinctly pointed giving length to its already long face and pointed jaw. A twisted length of cloth covered its midsection and upper legs but his chest was left exposed covered in those thin red veins. The creature sniffed them before folding its wings and hunching down to a height it could talk from.

"You travel with a dead man," the creature told him. Its voice was deep and raspy, but it was easy to understand.

"The dead man travels with me," Haden corrected him. Sniffing through his open nose the creature regarded him curiously.

"You are foolish to stay here, night is coming, but you are not afraid?" it asked rustling its wings; they scratched across its skin with a sound like rubbing cardboard together.

"It is day now, but you are not afraid," was Haden's response. The beast chuckled. It was a deep clicking sound and if Flynn could have cowered any more he would have.

"What brings you here with your pet? I'm hungry and this light hurts my eyes," the creature told him in its deep voice, looking over the man eagerly.

"I am following a man, I think you know the one," Haden told him. Twisting its head around the large bat creature made some shrill clicking noises followed by a low grunt. The others answered back from the darkness of their cloaks.

"Yes, I heard," it said growing irritated, "But why, what causes you to chase this man, this murderer?"

"He has been killing for a long time, and it is now his turn," Haden told it. The creature's long thin tongue slapped against its lips as he looked over Haden's ruined blood stained clothes.

"This man, he killed my children. I would like to see him drained and hung from a high beam for the crows," the creature told him. "Do you know where to find him?"

"Yes," Haden didn't want to give the satisfaction of fulfilling his objective to the science experiment that stood before him. Understanding that he wasn't going to tell him outright, the creature nodded.

"I am Vexure, and these are my children," the large bat creature told him. A cry of agreement rose up from the cloaked figures behind him. "I want what he took from me and more, new life from blood, but not for him. He will know pain like the sunlight against the face of my precious children."

Haden smiled. In this world of a people separated by their fears and desires for survival, the creatures of the night band together and become strong. Vexuer's children had become excited by the talk of blood and a few of them had moved a few steps forward.

"What do you suggest?" Haden asked him, glancing at Flynn over his shoulder. Once he realized they weren't going to tear them apart and eat them, he had regained a little of his composure. Though nothing could put the piss back in his pistol and he turned away slightly, stepping out of the small puddle at his feet. Vexure grinned displaying an incredibly long mouth full of teeth like daggers; only offset by two fangs the size of ice picks.

"You will take us to him if you truly know where he fled, and together we will get what we all desire." His smile widened, "And perhaps my family will grow." Turning his gaze to Flynn he asked, "I can make you a friend to the night if you want. You won't have strength but you will have life." Flynn shot Haden a worried look, but couldn't muster a response.

"He is fine in his current state," Haden said for him. As far as he could tell, Flynn had been lying to himself since he was brought back. Understandably, the man had not been able to grasp the fact that his body was only functioning on a basic level, and with each step, more of his organic machinery clogged. Haden had been able to watch the man's deterioration with some fascination, and he knew that Flynn saw the world differently, like human. That was useful.

"We will stay here until dusk, and then you can take us to this man if you truly know where he went. If not," he left the rest unsaid, perhaps to inspire fear. Haden just smiled up at the enormous beast.

"I do not think that he is as far away as you are giving him justice. We have been making great gains on the man," Haden told him proudly.

"That may be so, but he was here and gone four days ago. A lot of distance can be traveled in four days." His wings fluttered as he spoke.

"We will be on him soon enough, I guarantee it," Haden assured him taking a step forward, he was eager to be moving, but weary. Something was making him tired and it was aggravating as well as fear inducing. He hated the feeling of exhaustion. "I think tomorrow night, you can have your blood," Haden finished. Vexure sniffed the air again and leaned down so that his face was only a foot away from Haden's.

"What are you?" he asked combing the man with his eyes, taking in the tattered clothes and the blood stains, with the scar across his face.

"To you, I am friend."

-PAST-

Coming too after passing out isn't quite the same as waking up. At least when you go to sleep it's usually planned and you have a good idea of where you are and a plan to regain consciousness. Waking up from a blackout or fainting is like crawling out of a cave. It's dark and you have tears in your eyes trying to fight it. Eric was pushing himself against the wall before his vision cleared and he realized that the massive beast standing over him was Red.

"What?" Eric managed to get out before he had to close his eyes and put his hands to his forehead. It felt like his head was ready to split open.

"You passed out man. Are you okay?" Red asked crouched down in front of him with a hand out in case he saw his friend slipping away again.

"My head, Jesus," Eric stammered out looking up. The room looked like it had suffered the apocalypse. Broken glass and bullet holes were everywhere. The floor was soaked and chairs and tables had been flung to every corner of the room. Red followed his gaze.

"You know, it's a damn good thing you waited until the end to pass out, otherwise we'd all be dead." Red told him helping him to his feet. Eric swayed once but then gained control of himself.

"Where is, um," the world was still half a mystery to him and he searched for the man whose name eluded him.

"He's out front; he had wanted to move the bodies before that family left. I don't know if the kid could have handled that." Red told him. It was coming back, the gun fight with the little nazi's and the storm that ended the fight.

"That storm, what the hell; where did that come from?" Eric asked looking out the window to a once again clear blue sky.

"That's not even the weird part," Red told him handing him a soda. "Here drink this and follow me." The Irishman led him out through the front door that was split and hanging at an angle. Big Jim was standing in the far end of the parking lot looking at the roof of his building. "Check that out," Red told him.

At first Eric didn't know what he was looking for. All he could see was a wood cabin that was now a BBQ place that had been beat to shit. Turning away he realized that the trees beside the restaurant had been shredded. The thick hail had ripped them apart. That's when he realized what the weird part was. The trees another ten feet out were untouched, they didn't even look wet. It looked as if a tornado had touched down directly on the BBQ and created a perfect ring of destruction around it, and then disappeared. Walking out to the actual line in the dirt, the grass was beaten down and mud had been kicked up by large chucks of ice, some still lay glistening in the sun as they melted. But right next to that the grass was completely unharmed. Joining Big Jim at his elevated position the picture was immediately evident; a large circle of water and ice where the rest of the world around it was still dry and thirsty.

"Try and explain that one to me," Jim said looking Eric up and down. "You've got a little," he said putting a finger to his ear. Eric mocked him and his finger came away with a dab of blood on it.

"I must of hit my head when I passed out," Eric said wiping his pinky across his inner lobe and surveying the small drops of blood found there. Jim didn't remember it that way, but he kept his mouth shut. Eric stayed on the spot unable to take his eyes away from the circle of destruction while Jim moved back inside to check on Red.

"Your friend seems better," Jim said picking a righting a chair. The leg gave way having been struck by a stray bullet and the chair fell back over. Big Jim hardly noticed.

"Yea, I guess it was just too much." Red said popping a can of soda for himself. "It's not like people try to kill us every day," Red told him. Though there does seem to be a trend recently.

"That may be part of it, but I wanted to ask you. Has he seemed all right to you lately?" Red stared at him blankly. "I mean, it's not easy killing a man, I know I don't feel that great right now, but I know it had to happen and then I was done." He scratched the side of his face with his giant mitt of a hand. "Your friend changed when that gun came out, and I just want to make sure, he's okay, and really, that we're okay. I'm sure those kids weren't too bad until the world shit itself but," he trailed off.

"No, Eric's not like that. The guy passed out for fuck sake, I think the toll was a little more than he was ready for. We just wanted some BBQ and when we walk out of here eight people are dead, by our hands." Red sat down in the chair beside him and drained the can, crushed it and tossed it on the table in front of him. The caffeine made his eyes water.

"You're probably right. I'm just saying, keep an eye on him. People change after events like this, and he was the quarter back on this thing so if he's getting the worst of it." Jim said trying a softer approach. He had no intention of upsetting the Irishman, but it was something that needed to be said.

"We should probably get out of here," Eric said from the doorway. Spinning around, Jim's eyes widened wondering how long he had been standing there.

"Do you boys mind giving me a lift? Me truck was hit by a freak storm." Jim asked rubbing the back of his neck. He moved to a back door and locked it then tucked any money and receipts from the register in his pockets.

"Awww, shit, I didn't even think about that." Red said hopping up and moving to the window.

"The truck's fine. We were outside the radius," Eric told him, watching Big Jim open and close a small safe stuck underneath the register. "That's not your place out back?"

"No. I usually have it rented out to campers and hikers, they're a lot more likely to eat here being that close right?" he told them. It sounded like he had told the story before. "Okay, all set. You need anything else?" he asked shoving a few bags of chips in a bag and handing it to Red who had returned from his parking lot sight-seeing.

"No offence Jim, but I think we've had our fill of BBQ for the day. Next time we're gonna go with fast food. Mmmm Mexican food." Red told him with a small smile. He took the bag of chips and grabbed the bottles of water he had already placed out on the table and set out for the truck.

"Do you have one?" Eric asked motioning to his gun that was tucked in Jim's belt. The large man considered telling him no. He could keep it, and maybe if the young fighter didn't have a gun his friend would never have to see him turn into the animal he was when it was in his hand.

"Yea, I've got one at home," he said after a long pause. He handed the gun back. It felt like stone in his hand. As dangerous as he knew Eric could be, he knew that he had also protected them with the same gun he used to kill the others. Two sides of the same coin.

"I suggest you get it out, and hunker down. If those guys were any indication of how society it turning in the wake of this thing..." he trailed off letting Jim use his imagination to create his own view of the future. He tried to think of it like the world getting a cold, and in a few weeks it would be back to normal, but his brain could only conger up dark places. With a nod Jim gave his restaurant a final look and a sigh, then they were out and moving.

Big Jim's house was nothing like the cabin setting that the restaurant conveyed. It was a large red brick house with a three car garage on one side, built at the foot of a steep hill. The driveway alone was a quarter mile long, and they had to weave around a large bull standing in the middle of the gravel drive halfway in. Eric had offered the bigger men the front seats, and Red had parked in the drive and hopped out.

"Nice digs," the Irishman said. From where his house was built they couldn't even see the road they had come in on.

"Thanks, smells a little like shit though," Jim told him. Another one of those prepared lines, though he didn't chuckle this time.

"So this is where the BBQ comes from I'm guessing?" Red asked looking over the acres. A small herd of cattle had followed them in wailing, and he could see a large pin on the other side of the house with pigs nuzzled together in the mud.

"Yup, this is where it all started." He told them fondly. "You want to come in?" Jim asked moving toward the house. Red turned to Eric, he knew the answer.

"We really should be going." Eric said, watching Red tense up slightly.

"What's the rush? If it's bad out there like you said, maybe you should stay. I've got rooms enough, and plenty of food...I think," he told them rubbing his belly. He punched a code into a pad on the side of the garage and it started up on its squeaky rails.

"My parents," Eric said, more to convince himself he was doing the right thing, "they're not doing too great." He finished letting his eyes graze the open pasture before him.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know," Jim said standing under the shade of the garage. "Well give me a sec, let me grab something for you." Jim said not interested in pursuing a sad conversation of sick old people. With that he disappeared into the house bellowing loudly as a few dogs started barking at their returned master.

"Maybe we should stay. At least rest for a bit, I mean, it's been a hell of a day." Red said convincingly stepping into the garage and wiping a thin layer of sweat from his forehead.

"You can if you want. There's no need for you to go on. We could have died in there, and for what? Some stupid dream, and a crazy neighbor? But I plan on going back for my parents, and if there is something there that can help them, then I don't have any time to spare, no matter the cost." Eric told him. Red was looking down. He knew Eric wouldn't be interested. They were friends for a short time, but he knew the man well enough to know he could be hardheaded when it came to something he considered important. In this case he had to agree.

"Nothing has changed, I'm still with you," Red told him. They stood there in the shade listening to the sound of birds and the animals in the field until Jim returned. The big man held a brown bag in his hand and tossed it to Eric who almost dropped it.

"Sorry big man, I only have the one, and it belonged to my uncle who wasn't as good at eating as we are," Jim explained clapping Red on the shoulder. Opening the bag he pullout out a long strip of leather.

"I figure those Glocks are a little tricky just tucked into your pants like that, maybe a holster would be a little easier, but people will know you're packin. Which may be a good thing." He finished as Eric held the holster out in front of him. It was faded brown with a cartridge line sewn in. A holster hung off each side, and Eric pulled the gun out of the back of his pants to put it on. Tying the straps around his thigh he stood back up stretching, getting the feel for it.

"I don't know what to say, this is amazing," Eric gushed rubbing wiggling his gun into his left holster.

"My uncle was a showman, and he would compete every year in the shooting and riding competition down in Kentucky, so it's made for a cross draw," Jim explained, swinging his hands in an 'X' and pulling imaginary guns from his belt. Rubbing the smooth leather with his fingers Eric smiled.

"Are you sure? If this is a family thing I couldn't," Eric started to wiggle.

"I'm positive. If you hadn't come along I would have died in my own restaurant. Those kids weren't exactly going to leave me there." He tried to push the images of the last few days from his mind.

"Well I guess I'm going to need another gun, although I don't think I've ever even fired one with my left hand," he pulled the gun across his body getting a feel for it and forcing the other two men to take an uneasy step backward.

"You can learn. It's not like throwing a ball. It's hard to shoot a gun like a child, just point it in the right direction," Jim bestowed some of his knowledge on them. "Or maybe in the end it's just a pain in the ass and you just use the holsters. I just feel better with you having some way to carry that thing without shooting yourself in the ass." Saying many thanks and their goodbyes, and turning down one more invite, the traveling men loaded back up into the truck. Rolling down the window Eric pulled the vehicle around.

"If you come back this way you guys have free meals for life!" Jim shouted at them as they waved, heading out along the long driveway and turning onto the road.

"I'm going to go ahead and make a rule," Red told him cranking the seat back so that he was almost lying down flat. "When all this shit is over and we save the day or whatever the plan is. We are going back to get us some damn BBQ." That made them both laugh, and Red pulled a pair of old sunglasses out of a cup holder and tossed them on. After they hit a smooth road, the big man was asleep and snoring lightly. The adrenaline had worn off and he had crashed, the same didn't happen for Eric. His body was still at full blast, he only felt eager, and hungry. Realizing this he grabbed a bag of chips and munched noisily steering the wheel with his knee.

" _Go to it"_ The voice whispered in his head. Stopping mid crunch he listened as hard as possible. Red snoring beside him, the engine turning, the air conditioner blowing, the air coming in through the top of the window he hadn't rolled all the way up; he heard all of this, but nothing else from the voice.

"Hello?" he whispered. Red snorted, but there was no other response. "I'm going out of my fucking mind. Fantastic," Eric whispered to himself. Plugging his ipad in, he put the truck in cruise control and leaned back, stretching his legs.

Along the road there wasn't much to see most of the time, and a lot of the small towns looked to be in normal working order. At one point he saw a man walking in a field beside the road covered in what looked like oil, but Eric knew it was thick dried blood. In one small stretch of a city, there were people gathered in and around a church singing gospel songs and praying with their hands in the air. A few of them watching him drive by slowly. Their ties and summer dresses blowing in the wind. Within another instant they were behind him.

It didn't take long before they were turning north on a four lane highway. Surprisingly, there was almost no traffic. All the cars that were on the road were either parked, totaled or going in the opposite direction. An SUV filled with collage aged kids pulled up beside him and honked waving a whiskey bottle at him and grinning like idiots. The driver was swaying back and forth in his lane wearing a baseball hat turned around backwards. The kid in the passenger seat was wearing sunglasses with bright orange frames and a baby blue tank top. Honking again, the kid in the shade made a jerk off gesture at Eric pantomiming an explosive orgasm. Laughing the driver twisted in his seat to hit at someone in the back, Eric tried to see who but windows were too dark with tint. Eric waved them off and turned back to the road in time to move so a piece of road kill went between his tires. The kids honked again and Red sat up suddenly wiping drool from his chin.

"What the?" he asked turning toward the kids in the SUV. Taking one look at the bewildered giant, the kid in the shades stopped laughing immediately. Turning to his buddies he nodded about something, twisted around to flip the bird and then they were off ahead of them taking advantage that no one else was on the road.

"Making friends?" Red asked running his hand through his beard again making sure he didn't have anything stuck in it.

"I can't help my popularity," Eric quipped back.

"Well I guess I just needed a little snooze," Red told him stretching. The highway eased uphill causing everything in the back seat to slide around softly, but reminding them that they had bottles of water. "I hate it warm, but I'm so thirsty I would suck the load out of a billy goat right now," Red confessed. Eric exploded in genuine laughter.

"Jesus man, where does this shit come from?"

"The heart man, and my fat ass. They're in it together, like writing partners," he explained draining the bottle in two gulps.

"Well maybe they can write some...Holy Fuck," Eric exclaimed and the truck swerved across the highway rolling over the Bott's Dots noisily, causing him to turn back to the road quickly. Soundgarden was pumping through the stereo, but neither of them heard it. They both leaned forward drinking in the view.

Chicago loomed ahead of them, growing larger and taller with every second. The trident stood exactly as the day they had left. It's blue grey texture seemed to swallow the light around it. The sun was shining, but in the sky above the weapon the sky was dark, almost black in the middle, the clouds spun slowly in a wide circle, as if the trident had its own orbit.

"Yup, it's still there," Red said letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. It looked almost natural from as far out as they were, like someone had built it into the city, maybe someone from city planning, for the kids. "So we're going to just drive right back in there huh? Chicago was never the safest place on Earth, but right now..." he turned to his riding buddy. Eric's hand found the butt of the pistol and he let his thumb run across the leather of the holster.

"I figure this will be easy or we'll be dead," Eric told him putting his hand back on the wheel. He was right.

-NOW-

Jake was ecstatic, two car rides within a week. On top of that he had been moved into a room with Ford, and their neighbors were pretty easy on the eyes. What more could a guy ask for? Sitting in the back of the truck with Jake, Laney moved to the side, wind rushing into his face as he watched the bridge grow before them. The morning air was cool and it felt good against his face. That humming noise was getting louder and now they could all hear it.

"It looks like a giant shit!" Laney told Jake and Ford turning back so they could hear him.

"You should be a singer, you really have a way with words," Jake muttered. That didn't stop him from looking over the cab to get a better look at the large structure looming ahead of them. Men and women alike put their hands to their chests as the vehicles made their way to the bridge, having to occasionally slow when they hit one of the many protective bottle necks built into the city streets. It really was a kingdom, instead of moats it had hidden passages and bottlenecks, and instead of thick city walls it had buildings and millions of pounds of concrete, not to mention the water close on three sides filled with hungry creatures, some that have never been seen by man.

"It looks even bigger from down here," Rohn guessed from inside the cab of the third truck.

"You have to be able to see it from space," Eric mused as they pulled to a stop for a man at a crane to move a piece of concrete the size of a house from out of the road. As soon as they drove through they rock was returned, that was their last road block. The bridge towered before them, and beyond that rested The Window. The thick pillars dwarfed the support beam for the bridge and Eric could see that some sort of fabric had been wrapped around each one. It must have taken several hundred thousand yards of fabric to do each post.

Defensive barricades had been set up along the bridge and men that had been leaning or sitting were standing as the convoy moved through giving their salute. The first truck pulled up a few hundred feet from The Window but Eric told his driver to get closer.

"What is he doing now?" Gus asked from his place next to Shae. Jane sat in the front seat of their truck second in line. Flemming had insisted on driving them himself and he was at ease behind the wheel until he saw Eric's truck go around them.

"He's going to get himself killed," the king told them turning the truck back around and speeding the hundred yards to catch up to them as Eric hopped out of his own vehicle staring upward.

"Don't touch it!" a man called out startling Jake who had climbed out of the truck bed. The man was in one of the military uniforms that some of the other men had been wearing except his left sleeve was pinned at the elbow. He had a deep receding hair line, but his hair was still black.

"I wasn't going to," Jake said. He didn't know what else there was to say.

"Dusty, get out here, what the hell are you doing in there sleeping?" the man in uniform hollered. Against one of the support pillars, a large piece of thin metal slid to the side revealing a small room that had been cut into the steel. The man who emerged had a thick black beard, matted against one side of his head and his hair was pulled back in a tail down to his neck, there was no doubt that he was sleeping.

"Nope just uh," he started trying to explain when he realized that the king had stepped out of the other truck and he slammed himself in the chest hard enough to knock the wind out of himself.

"Nash, how is it?" Flemming asked. The shaved man in camo didn't salute, instead he held his hand out and Flemming shook it.

"It's shut for the time being," Nash told them scratching at his stump of an elbow.

"This is Nash, he is the Captain of the Glass, and he guards us day and night. No one knows this bridge better or can predict an opening than him."

"Jonah, are you yanking my dick?" Nash asked. Apparently the rank of king didn't affect him the same as it did everyone else in the city. They both smiled at that, but it was obvious that the rest of them were uneasy that close to the Window. From where they stood it towered over them moving slightly, as if it had a pulse. The texture wasn't netting like Eric thought, instead it looked like a thin layer of skin, or the membrane of an egg, dark blobs spotted it inside, but they could clearly see the bridge continuing into the darkness.

"It's like etched glass," Eric marveled taking a few steps closer. Its texture was dark grey with purple underneath, and the thick pillars surrounding it had the fabric tied to it with chains.

"What's with the support system?" Eric asked pointing at the pillars.

"There's a lot we don't know about this thing." Flemming told him flicking his hair over his shoulder. Those in the other trucks had made their way to them and the small group stood in awe of the unworldly creation before them.

"Horseshit," Nash said stepping up beside the king for a better look at the women. "In truth the only things we know are that occasionally it makes a noise like a generator turning on and some nasty piece of business pops out, and that you can't touch it. So two, we know two things, that's it."

"Why can't you touch it?" Jane asked, fixated on the tall wall. Picking up a rock Nash tossed it the wall and it burst into flame, with a low blast like a tuba, and dissipated into ash catching the wind and blew out to sea.

"Oh, that's why," Laney said cheerful as ever.

"Dusty, get the jar," Nash told the still half asleep man who scampered between them into the small room the captain had emerged from. He came out cradling a jar in his hands. "This, is what happens when you touch it," he told them as soon as Dusty got close. The jar was filled with ash.

"That's your fucking arm isn't it?" Laney asked staring at the man.

"The guys collected it after I passed out in case one of the smart types could make anything out of it. Turns out it's just burned skin, meat, and bone. That happened in an instant." He told them unbuttoning his sleeve. Pulling it back he revealed a completely smooth stump as if it had been cut off with a laser.

"It cauterized it too," Eric said turning back to the Window.

"Sure did, that's why I'm not dead, didn't even get a chance to bleed out. Listening, Eric took another step toward the pulsating wall. The dark blobs within seemed to have shifted and were in different positions than last time.

"Where did it come from?" Rohn asked keeping his distance.

"There's a lot of speculation about that," Flemming began, "Some say that it's where the gods live when they come to earth, or that it's like a cyst or tumor for the planet. I remember hearing about it coming out of the groung when I was young, as if it was poured _out_ of the earth." He moved his hands restlessly as he thought about it. Rohn Laney and Marz took a step back.

"I think there's something inside," Eric told them. He was watching one of the dark blobs carefully and it had grown slightly. "It's moving very slow though," he squinted but that wasn't helping.

"Yes we think it has something to do with the creatures the come out," Flemming explained.

"That one we may be able to explain a little better." Nash told them. "I was on watch last time it opened and I could see one of those shadows getting bigger and darker, then it opened and that's where the bug came through."

"So you're saying we are looking at things that are actually heading this way from the other side?" Gus spoke up.

"That's my guess. This thing acts like a big fat womb as far as I'm concerned; it never seems to have a lack of shit to throw at us."

"Why would we be here for something that spits out monsters and we can't even touch?" Gus asked. Jane shot him an angry look but none of the others seemed to catch his slip.

"There has to be something we can do," Eric said taking another stop forward.

"I'd give it a little room," Nash urged. But another low tuba bleat emanated from the Window causing Eric to jump back startled.

"I didn't do anything," Eric said looking up at the wall. He figured maybe a bird had flown into it. Nash, Flemming and Dusty were moving quickly though, searching the seam where the membrane connected with the bridge.

"It must be underneath," Flemming said running to the edge of bridge and looking over.

"Shit it's a speedy!" Dusty shouted kicking at a bug that looked like a centipede except the size of small dog. It was violet with black spots across its back, and it gleamed of slime. It crawled over the railing and spit at Dusty, causing his pants to sizzle and steam. It was forcing Dusty back, and two additional legs sprouted out under its head as it began growing.

"Fire line!" Nash was shouting, then he blew a whistle. Men were already running in from the other parts of the bridge chambering their guns. "Dusty, get back!" Nash shouted sweeping the king behind him with his arm. The others were fleeing behind the trucks for cover as two claws popped out in front of the fresh legs. The speedy was almost the size of a pony by the time it grabbed Dusty by the ankle with its snapping claw. Forcing itself up with its back twenty legs, used its front twenty and the claws to pull Dusty toward a gaping mouth in the center of its body dripping with a thick white liquid.

Eric fired first, clipping the claw that held the man captive. It was still growing and was about the size of a jeep at this point and it dropped dusty hard on the ground. Flipping the top of its body back they could see a small piece of flesh that must have been its face, and two black eyes stared back at them. Letting out a warning shriek it turned back to Dusty snapping again and letting its body slap against the bridge with a loud smacking thud that shook the ground beneath their feet. It was as big as the trucks they had ridden in, but seemed to have stopped growing.

"Aim at the rear!" Nash shouted angrily over the growls and ticks of the massive creature. That's what they had been waiting for. Gunfire rocked the thing to the side as eight men fired at the creature. Eric aimed, but decided he knew overkill when he saw it.

"Gods help, shoot it in the face!" Dusty screamed as some of the men stopped to reload. The speedy was determined to keep its meal and the claw was digging deep into his body, blood ran thick down his ankle. Finally finding a reason, Eric aimed and fired watching the left eye explode in a spew of black goo. The creature let out a final whelp as it died and rolled backward toward the Window. Unfortunately it still had a hold of Dusty who was flung like a ragdoll into the pavement with a soft smack. His teeth shattered and his ribs exploded inward as the bridge connected with sickening force. He let out a gargled moan, but his pain didn't last. As the creature rolled over in its death throes it drug Dusty against the wall of the Window. The low sound rang out and when it was finally done Dusty was ash from the nipples up, his lower body remained broken and bruised.

"It's been happening more and more," Nash said sadly. "Somebody get over here and let's get this bug off our bridge." He ordered as if remembering that the people were there.

"What the hell was that?" Laney shouted spinning around to get a look at everyone. No one seemed too torn up about the man that was just ripped apart, or surprised that a bug had just swelled in size in front of them. No dead bug was deflating, and two men were able to pick it up and carry it to the rail, being sure not to let the saliva touch them.

"I told you, things come out of the Window," Nash said. The man then turned to the king and they began talking in hushed voices while pointing to the side of the bridge.

"I'm going to wait in there," Rohn said moving back toward the truck looking like he may be sick.

"Hey, help me with him," Eric said to anyone who would listen. Jake stepped forward and together they leaned down to drag Dusty's body away from the Window. Grabbing the dead man's leg, Eric bent down almost touching the window and could feel the air grow thick with static.

"Woah," Gus said from behind him, watching. Looking over his shoulder he saw that Gus was staring at him, and the others gathered were stepping up to get a good look. He hadn't realized it but the humming in his head had gotten more intense and was now almost a buzz. Taking a look at the membrane only a few inches from his face he realized it had changed. Stumbling back he tripped over the stalk of the corpse and sprawled out on his back looking up as the Window went back to normal.

"What the hell did you do?" Nash demanded harshly marching up behind Eric to get a good look at the place that had changed. There was nothing to see though, it had only lasted a second that then returned to its normal texture sending a small ripple across the surface of the membrane.

"Just a sec," Eric said pulling himself to his feet. He had only seen a glimpse of the change, but it looked like someone was watching him through the surface. He stepped up to the edge of the body but there was no change. With a worried look backward Jake grabbed the back of his shirt to be ready to pull him out if he needed too. Taking another tentative step forward, Eric stopped as the front of the structure rippled and he could see a man staring back at him.

He hardly recognized the reflection of himself. Waving his hand in front of his face verified it for him though. The first thought to go through his head was that he needed to shave, but thoughts of hygienic care were crushed as soon as they were conceived.

"How are you doing that?" Flemming asked stepping up behind him to get a good look at the section of membrane that had changed. The section before him was roughly an oval that was just slightly larger than his body, and he could see everyone behind him in the mirror.

"I'm not doing anything," Eric told him stepping back and letting the membrane fill itself back in, sending ripples across the surface up beyond their field of vision. Then stepping back and the reflective surface reappeared. Giving them all a look in the reflection, Eric put out his left hand and pushed it up to the surface of the reflection.

"NO!" Nash screamed at him, but his warning fell on deaf ears. Right before his hand and reflection met, the surface of the membrane made a bubbling noise and retracted inward, just enough for his hand to go in without touching the sides.

"Shit man, I think it's scared of you," Laney said in a state of stupor.

"I think you should hold off a minute and let's think this over," Rohn told him.

Eric had listened to a man for more years than he cared to remember, and it had led him here. He was done holding off. He nodded to Jake who let go of his back. Taking a deep breath he stepped forward and the low tuba sound blared as the surface retracted creating a tunnel for him to move through and then closing behind him with a slick pop.

"Ummmm," Gus started but he couldn't find any words.

"Who the hell is that guy?" Nash asked turning his anger on Flemming. "How? What the fuck is going on?" He looked like a human cartoon, it would only be a minute before steam came out of his ears and he jumped up and down on a hat. The king didn't have any answers so he moved over in order to block the view of the group that had come in with Eric.

"Why are you really here?" he asked. No one had a good answer so they remained silent. "You," he pointed at Gus, "Last night you said that this is what you came for," swinging an arm at the massive Window behind him. Jane stared daggers at Gus, apparently the king had just been playing it cool last night in an effort to collect information.

"That man is," what? Jane had no idea what he was. Eric had been keeping information from them, she knew that. That was fine, but right now she had an angry man in front of her who had command of the men behind them with the automatic weapons and she really wished he had pushed Eric a little harder for information.

"He's special," Jake finished for her. Nodding she turned to Shae and Gus who seemed to shrink away from the men with the large guns.

"Special, well that's a little opinionated. How do I know he or you aren't here with some twisted motive? I know the gods make deals, what did they give you for this? Are they going to call an assault?" the questions were over their heads, and Jane sighed in frustration.

"As far as I know, no deals were made. That man found us and he said that he needed to get to the Dead City. Foolishly we didn't ask him why," she lied.

"So he was alone?" Flemming asked. Jane turned to Rohn who nodded. We can't fight him, the look said.

"Yes, him and the dog." They had left Lex in the room, since they didn't know what to expect, and now Jane was glad they had.

"So this man stumbles upon your group saying that he has to get to our city. You don't ask why and you don't try and get any sort of information out of him? How are you still alive if you're that stupid?" Nash demanded, spittle flying from his lips.

"Hey!" Marz took a step forward, "He was fine when he was with us, and even helpful. Don't take this out on us just because you don't know what's happening," he demanded brushing against Jane to get between the two of them. Nash seethed grinding his teeth, but Flemming put up a hand to calm him.

"Do you know what this is?" Flemming asked with a dramatically cooler tone. The entire group shook their heads.

"You saw that he was as surprised as you were when the wall changed. He didn't know that was going to happen," Rohn added at Eric's defense. Turning back to the Window Flemming stepped up to where Eric had gone through, a black blob moved slowly on the other side about the size of a man. Putting his hand up, the king sighed. Nothing happened. Turning back to the men with the guns, Flemming ushered them forward with a wave and they stood in a row against the concrete barrier Dusty had come out of earlier.

"Toss that" the king said, two men acted immediately and the body was rushing toward the water in the blink of an eye.

"What are you thinking?" Nash asked. The anger had faded from his face some, but he looked hot and clammy.

"Turn these trucks around, we're going to head back to Barrier One and have a sit down." Flemming said, "then you people are going to tell me everything that you know about that man, and believe me, if you lie I'll know. You don't want to lie to me right now." With another wave the men with the guns began marching them back to the trucks, their faint shadows stretched out before them, as they were escorted to decide their fate for a man they barely knew.

### Chapter 6

-NOW-

For a moment he was surrounded by the thick wall of membrane as his way back closed and with another step he was through. The air was cooler on the other side of the Window and the membrane closed behind him with a soft wet pop. Stretched out before him was the rest of the bridge and buildings and city beyond. Littered across the bridge people stood silently watching him, as their mouths grew into wide rings of surprise. Everything was bathed in a bruised purple light from the dome of the Window that surrounded them. They all stood the same, slightly slouched with their arms hanging limp at their sides, shuffling forward ever so slowly.

"Are you here to save us?" one of the men asked. He was missing an eye and had a gaping red hole in his stomach. The people were sickly thin and the skin hung off them like pale curtains. Most of them had blood on them and cuts or mortal wounds. The people were shuffling forward slowly, and there were various distances between them, but none of them stood side by side.

"Save you from what?"

"That," the man told him pointing to the Window he had just entered from.

"I don't understand," Eric told him taking a few steps forward and turning to get a look at the inner wall of the Window, but it looked the same as the other side.

"He forces us to walk. With death, he is always fed, so he kills us again and again," the man said.

"He uses us, to kill the living!" shrieked a woman a few feet behind the man that was talking. A chorus of cries of horror went up as she said it, but they died down just as fast.

"Who?" Eric asked confused watching the masses shuffle forward slowly.

"Him, the God of Death," the man said trying to turn his head, but was only able to cut his eyes toward the large building at the end of the bridge.

"Why make you walk then?" Eric asked, nothing was making sense and these people were making his head hurt.

"Fool! No one can cross the River, living or dead. The living turn to ash and the dead," he let it hang.

"The dead turn to creatures of his design," another man finished for him curling his lip in anger. It was suddenly clear. The creatures that came out on the other side, like the speedy, they weren't creatures at all. They were the dead used as tools by this God of Death. Twisting back to the River as they called it, on this side of the membrane Eric looked backward through to the world he knew. He could see the dark blobs that he knew were the people he had been traveling with. They were running, fast. Then in an instant they were gone, something must be happening.

"I'll be back, can you slow down?" Eric asked.

"We have no control," the man in front answered. Fine Eric said stepping forward and pushing on the man. Screaming in pain the man didn't even slow, stopping him would be like stopping a landslide, there was so much force behind him. Instead he spread his arms out and grabbed the man around the shoulders picking him up into the air. That seemed to work, but the screams got louder and the man was shouting in his ear about how he would kill him if he got the chance, that his touch felt like fire. It didn't matter, he needed time, he grabbed another man and picked him up the same way. He placed them an extra twenty feet back so there was a wide cushion between them and the River, that way he could get back and warn the others before another one of them came through.

Running for the River he didn't slow as they cursed him, and blessed him and cried for help. Slowing only enough to make sure that the reflection started, Eric pushed through the membrane with dual pop as it closed behind him and he could hear the low note blaring as he landed in darkness.

"Stop! Do not move or so help me," Nash was out of his hidey hole and in front of him in an instant. Eric's eyes were having trouble adjusting. Everything on the other side had been a haze of purple, but back here it had gone from morning to night. He could see some of the lights from the city and the multiple safety zones along the bridge.

"It was morning a second ago, what the hell happened?" Eric asked gazing into the sky. Nash shook his head.

"A second ago? You've been gone for twelve hours. You have a long chat with your friends from the Window?" Nash asked. Eric leaned over resting his hands on his knees. Twelve hours? He knew he couldn't have been over there for more than fifteen minutes, tops. "Time is different there," Eric marveled turning back to the Window. For the time being he seemed oblivious that a gun was being pointed at his chest.

"The king was waiting for you. He decided to ask your friends some questions seeing how you just left them all here," Eric ran the scenario through his head. A strange man comes into your city and upsets the natural order of things. Yea, you need information, who better than the poor saps he was traveling with?

"Where? There are some things he needs to know." Eric told him scanning the bridge realizing that the trucks weren't there anymore.

"Things like what?" Nash asked curiously. He was still filled with rage, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"Things like, that bug you just killed; there are about to be a lot more where that came from," Eric said pointing at the Window. "They are lined up heading this way as we speak. I need to talk to my friends, and your king is going to need to be ready." That was enough to at least get the man to lower the gun. He eyed Eric suspiciously, but he didn't have a choice, if what he was saying was true, they needed to be ready, if it wasn't, Flemming would decide what to do with the freak. Retrieving a hand held radio from his belt he raised it to his mouth to speak but at the same time a truck pulled up and screeched to a stop. Flemming hopped out of the driver's seat followed by three armed men.

"That's incredible, you came back," Flemming said looking the man over. He wasn't fueled by the same anger that was pumping through Nash's veins. "What did you see? What's over there?" Eric gave him a quick rundown to the best poker face the world has ever seen. The king just nodded as he finished.

"Jonah, if he's lying," Nash started.

"He's not, his friends were oddly forthcoming, and there is more to this man than just walking through walls," he said through a thin smile. Nash scoffed quietly but changed direction without missing a beat.

"Then we need every man we can get over here, we need to hold it shut." Nash told him.

"I'll see to it." Flemming told him. "Fall back to Barrier One, I want some space between the Window and the men. If multiples come through we need time to fend them off." With confirmation, Flemming led Eric to the truck and sat him in the back seat between two armed men that must have been wearing sweat cologne. They didn't stop at barrier one, instead they went straight back to Flemming's loft, the king remained quiet until they were in the elevator heading up alone.

"The gods have touched you haven't they?" the king asked.

"Something like that," Eric told him watching out the window of the elevator, thinking about everything that Jane and the group had seen. How much had they told? Everything it seemed.

"A man with the ability to heal is a great commodity. Maybe we could work something out. I think you'd like it here," Flemming coaxed him in a soothing voice. This sounded familiar and once again he thought of a woman long ago, Rose.

"There is something I have to do, and after that, who knows," he told the man, just to keep him from continuing with his recruitment speech, he had heard it before.

"What is it that you have to do? Your friends, they don't seem to know either." Flemming asked twisting at the end of his braid. Before Eric could make up a new lie the elevator stopped and he could see people standing throughout the king's penthouse. Everyone from the bridge was there, and Lex let out a joyful whine and jumped up smacking Eric in the chest with his large paws.

" _You dumb mother fucker. You can't go back. These people talk too much for my taste, and if you die, who's going to feed me and help me from ripping their throats out?"_ Lex pleaded.

"Okay okay," Eric said rubbing the dog behind the ear and pushing him down.

Jane and Gus were on their feet and closing in as the rest of the group watched eagerly from their places in the room. Rohn was a foot behind them with his easy smile.

"He's alive," Jane told him and Gus was nodding in agreement.

"Who?" Eric asked, somehow they had just as surprising news as he did and it caught him off guard.

"The Voice, the man you said you met. We heard him," Gus explained, but Jane frowned.

"Something is wrong with him though, his voice sounds all crooked and broken like he's sick," Jane added.

"Well?" Eric asked. They looked at him dumbly. "What did he say?" he finished throwing his hands up in frustration. And why didn't I hear it, he thought.

"It said, 'Don't seek the Window'. Didn't you hear it?" Jane asked him confused. He shook his head and tried putting the pieces together, but they didn't fit.

"Why the hell would he bring us all the way out here and then tell us not to go into it?" he asked, but they had no answers.

"Maybe there is something here like you said, maybe we need to look for it, and the Window was just a coincidence," Gus suggested, but Eric was shaking his head before he even finished. He sounded sick, Jane had said.

"No, the Window is our purpose here, it wasn't him," the thought had barely been conceived before it was out of his mouth.

"But, who else would be talking to us?" Gus asked.

" _Fuck that, they say don't go, I agree._ " Lex chimed in. Eric explained to them what he had seen, and how time has slowed down when he was on the other side, and they listened intently.

"So I have to go back either way, I told those people I would help them if I could, and I think there's a really easy test to see if we are supposed to go back."

"Us?" Jane spat the word out like sour fruit.

"No thanks, I saw the Captain back there and I like having two arms. I'll stay here," Gus told him crossing his two big arms in front of his chest defiantly.

"You said you have a test, what are you thinking?" Rohn asked pushing Gus aside so he could get in on the conversation. He knew he had a reason to like the old guy.

"You saw how it reacted when I got close to it." He told them all, "Both of you have heard the same things I have, so maybe there is some sort of connection between us and the gods that makes us immune to the power of the Window." He watched them sort it out.

"But if you're wrong, I lose an arm," Gus said stubbornly.

"I'm just asking you to get close to it, if it changes then I'm right, if it doesn't then I'll go alone." He told them.

"That's still pretty risky, what if another one of those bug things come crawling out while you're standing there?" Marz asked, stepping up beside Jane.

"I think we should move," they had been so focused on their internal dialog that they hadn't realized Flemming had left and returned in more casual clothing with a large plastic breast plate on the front of his vest. "If those people are still moving toward the Window, we can't waste any time, if you can all get through great. If not, it's up to you." He put a large hand on Eric's shoulder. "We will stand and take care of anything you miss, that's our purpose." Looking up at the giant of a king Eric felt oddly soothed by his words. The man was clearly battle hardened and he wasn't sure they had elections in the dead city, so becoming king probably took more than a few PR campaigns.

"Wait, what about us?" Jake squawked from his place by the bar, standing at attention. The other men in the room were watching implacably and Eric noticed that Gus was leaned slightly to the right as Shae crippled his hand with the force of a woman watching her husband go off to war.

"We need brave men to keep the Window shut. That's the number one purpose of my kingdom, to protect the world from that." He pointed a thumb behind him as he finished. Most of the men muttered to each other. They were wanders looking for a cause that it seemed didn't include them. Jake and Marz stepped up immediately.

"I'm not going to sit around and wait for you to come back, I will fight," Jake said giving them each a brave look of pride. Eric squeezed his shoulder.

"Me too, I'll do what I can," Marz told him glancing at Jane.

"I can't shoot worth a damn, but tell me what you need and I'll see to it." Rohn joined in. The elevator beeped and Wade entered the room with a shallow bow. He was wearing similar cotton clothes as the last time they saw him.

In the end all the men in the room were pledging service, except for Frank. Gus had pulled him aside and told him to keep an eye on Shae and Caddie, he grumbled that Caddie would end up watching them both, but didn't argue. Shae began crying silent tears tucking her head into Gus's thick chest.

"You don't have to," Eric started but Gus waved him off.

"I've heard the instructions, same as you. This is what I'm supposed to do whether it's to fight here, or go through, but I'm keeping my arms," as he put one around Shae kissing her lightly on the top of the head.

"Then we know our parts to play," Flemming said. Wade led them all into the elevator and it was a very quiet trip down aside from Shae's light sobs.

" _This is a mistake. These people need real protection, not some random hero rushing into the unknown. Stay here and you can rule these domesticated people. You know more about this than any man alive,"_ Lex's words rippled through his brain and he looked down at the animal who was watching Shae with his head cocked.

Men stood outside the elevator as the doors slid open and Flemming began issuing orders. The men aside from the sword bearers and Rohn were escorted by Senator Garrison to the armory to be suited up and issued a fully functional weapon. Rohn was taken by Jean Lupe to what he was describing as the brain of the city. Turning back Rohn gave Jane a long hug.

"You take care of these soft men, you hear me?" he asked her. His eyes were dry, but his voice was sad. "It's been a pleasure. Do your business and bring yourselves back here," he said taking Eric's hand in both of his. Letting it drop he nodded to Flemming and Gus and followed Jean Lupe down the hall turning out of sight.

"You're going to give them guns?" Noah asked as the men cleared out. He stepped up to the king talking into his shoulder. "What if they're not as friendly as they seem?"

"Come with us," Gus urged. Shae had refused to leave his side and he regarded the small man with eyes of a man ready to die. "You should see it." With that he turned and began walking down the hall to where the trucks brought them back, intertwining his fingers in Shae's. Flemming didn't waste any breath to convince Noah, and he followed Gus' lead.

"Hold up, we're going to see you off," they had gotten to the double doors that led outside when Jake and Marz chased after them. Jane gave them a tired smile as they stepped into the night together. Marz was carrying a thick armor vest, and Jake had already strapped his on. It was big making him slightly resemble a turtle. They both had older rifles slung over their shoulders, apparently they weren't ready for the fully automatics.

Loading into the trucks Eric hopped into the back to keep Jake company so that Gus and Shae, and Jane and Marz could have backseats to themselves for the short ride to the Window. The night was humid and the lights from the city made Eric nostalgic for a much simpler time. As the trucks started moving the air felt good, cooling his skin. Lex hung out the side of the truck bed sniffing the air.

"Are you scared?" Jake asked watching him as the truck turned sharply down an alley. The low dim street lights gave his face a foreboding look

"What's there to be scared of? The giant dome that looks like it's made of human skin and can turn you to ash, or the creatures that come out and want to eat you?" He forced a smile for the young man but he turned back to watch the road turn out behind them.

"I'm scared as hell," The kid told him pulling the gun closer to his chest.

"It's okay to be scared. That's what makes you brave, is doing what you're scared of," Eric told him. Suddenly he was sad for the kid. If nothing else the kid had lived a life of constant torment and twisted survival. No wonder he was scared, he must have been born scared. The supports of the bridge appeared overhead and before they knew it they were bumping up onto the bridge and pulling past the multiple barricades. There were considerably more men this time stationed at each barricade and the trucks had to slow down in order for them to move large roadblocks and then replace them as they rolled through. Pulling up to Barrier One the truck came to a stop and Lex hopped out with a bark.

"So you're going back in there?" Apparently news travels fast. Nash didn't look nearly as angry but he was anxious, grabbing at his radio even though he wasn't using it. Letting everyone out the trucks turned and parked back between the first and second barrier.

"How much time do you think we have?" Flemming asked.

"I have no idea, it's different over there, it could be five minutes, could be five days. He tried to reason about how much time had passed since he crossed back over.

"Then let's get this over with," Gus said flexing his hand. Fear had been replaced by duty and he was ready to be done. Shae held his other hand as they began walking toward the Window. The eight of them and the animal came to a stop looking up at the massive structure.

"Okay, lets test this out," Jane said taking a tentative step forward and reaching her hand out. Instantly the texture changed and she step back letting out a whoosh of relief.

"Well that seals the deal baby, I'll be back." Gus said performing the same test with the same results. Jake stepped up and tried it just to be sure, but the surface stayed smooth and dark and he pulled his hand away as the static started to build up around his fingertips. Putting his hand on the kid's shoulder he said it was alright, someone needed to stay behind for Lex.

" _Don't leave me with the boy, he's going to get all sentimental on me, I can feel it already,"_

"You guys ready?" Eric asked stepping up to surface. It never got old seeing the transformation. Gus bent down and kissed Shae long on the mouth before pulling out of her grasp and joining Eric. Marz had his head down and was whispering something to Jane. She nodded and kissed him on the cheek giving his arm a gentle squeeze. Standing close together, the surface had turned into one large reflective circle big enough for them all to pass through. Spotlights reflected blindingly of the membrane surface and they could see the large group of people behind them watching as history was created before their eyes. With a collective foot forward the surface rippled inward and they could hear Shae crying. With a bark from behind Eric turned to see Lex bounding after him.

"Lex no!" Eric shouted, but it was too late. The large dog jumped connecting with him square in the chest. Spinning to the side he rocked into Jane and Gus pushing them all through the Window with a low long blare or sound. The gap opened and closed in an instant and they were gone.

-PAST-

Forcing the truck into the oncoming lane, Eric avoided driving into a pack of dogs that had found a dead man hanging halfway out of his car. Turning away Red made a gagging noise and Eric tossed him the bag that had the chips in it. Recovering he made sure the door was locked as they slowed down. The road ahead of them was a vehicle graveyard. Cars, taxi and busses were all either abandoned in the middle of the street or they had crashed into each other or buildings on either side of the street. Red had to reach up for the 'shit handle' as they began weaving through traffic. A man wearing only a pair of ragged jeans saw them coming and took off between the vehicles, disappearing into a dark building.

"Christ man this looks like the set of Escape from New York, keep your eyes out for Kurt Russell," Red joked trying to make them feel better. The next block in the buildings had been burned and they lost track of where they were.

"Maybe we should follow them?" Eric suggested stopping as a group of around thirty marched down one of the roads adjacent to them. The group was going in the opposite direction, but a lady in the back caught a glimpse of the two men in the truck watching and shouted at the others. Turning back, the group rushed the truck. They all had red paint on their faces under their eyes resembling bloody tears.

"Go go go!" Red shouted as Eric hit the gas. He couldn't get up very good speed as he had to keep weaving between the wreckage as some of the painted mob were gaining on them. A rock connected with the back window with a loud crack and Eric twisted the truck around and drove at the one who threw it.

"Woah, let's just get the hell out of here," Red gasped tugging on his seatbelt.

"The fucker hit my dad's truck," Eric responded grittily. The rock thrower ducked behind a car and out of the trucks path before Eric even got close. "Cocksucker!" Eric dubbed him twisting the truck back around as another rock bounced off the windshield. His gun was out of its holster and in his lap as he made another pass.

"There's too many of them," Red tried reasoning with him. Let's just get past them or they're going to tear this truck apart, but he wasn't done trying. The rock thrower was joined by another standing between two cars laughing. The red paint on their face made them look more insane than happy. Flipping a switch inside the cab they could hear the forks on the back of the truck lower and Eric swerved to the left as soon as he got close to the car they were hiding behind.

Neither of the men had time to prepare. The hay spears smashed through the window of the cab that was protecting them and screeched across the hood before connecting with the first rock thrower. His body twisted and split through the middle showering his companion with a thick spray of gore as Eric straightened the truck and watched through the rear mirror. The sprayed man was frozen, but when a piece of intestine dropped from his neck and rolled stickily down his chest he started screaming and ran stumbling up the sidewalk. The others didn't need to be told, they dropped the rocks in their hands and chased after him.

"You okay?" Eric asked. It's a good thing they didn't get any BBQ after all because Red was puking everything in his stomach up. He would think he was done and the image of the blood splatter would replay through his mind causing another violent eruption.

"This is going to sound weird, but I need something to eat," Red finally said tossing the bag out the window. It landed with a loud plop on the trunk of a forgotten car.

"Well as soon as we're done we can go back and check on Jim, how about that?" Eric said trying to sooth him. His mouth hurt, it seemed like he couldn't drive sporadically without clenching his jaw.

"Yea," Red replied with a sigh, he spit one final time out the window before rolling it up. "That was completely unnecessary by the way." The big man said looking at Eric glumly.

"He hit my dad's truck," Eric repeated. "Besides, what do you think they were going to do with us if we had stopped, or if the next person stops?" he said in his defense. Thinking it over Red just shrugged and tried to shake the image of the death from his mind.

"You're going to the impact sight aren't you?" Red asked turning his eyes upward. The buildings blocked most of his view but every now and again he would get a glimpse of the blue grey trident rising up over the city.

"There's nothing else I can think of," Eric lied. The voice had told him to go to it, and that's the only 'it' that made any sense. Besides, there was nothing at home for him. "Do you need to stop by your place maybe?" Eric asked, realizing that this trip didn't have to be entirely about him, he felt like a greedy bastard for not mentioning it earlier.

"Let's just see what's happening down town, then we can worry about the rest, "Red told him stretching against the dashboard. A woman and child were standing on the side of the road and Eric slowed down slightly, but they only waved as if everything was completely normal. The further in they realized that some of the bridges had collapsed and water was everywhere as if the city was sinking. Turning onto a wide street they could see the trident directly ahead of them at a slight angle a few blocks up. People were out on this street, walking around and talking with each other even waving at the two men in the truck.

"They look horrible," Red observed. Water and sewage had gone out a couple days after touchdown and they didn't want to consider what the people here had to do with their waste. A young man that looked like he was in his early thirties, wearing a black tank top stepping in their path and waved them down. Slowing, Eric held his gun to the side of his leg ready at the first sign of trouble. He rolled the window down an inch as the man stepped around the car.

"Hey friends, are you here to be blessed?" the man asked. He was dark tan with straight white teeth and looked like he could be a model.

"Blessed?" Eric asked. They must be worshiping the thing. With great effort he didn't roll his eyes.

"Yes sir, we're all friends here. I'm Malcolm and we welcome you. Bruce is straight up ahead, he can bless you if you want man." Malcolm finished. He stood there smiling at them for an awkward minute before Eric thanked him and rolled up the window. People parted the way for them with smiles and waves as they trolled up to the barricades that the military had originally placed around the base of the trident. A crowd was gathered around and inside the barrier and they could see a tall old man with a short white beard talking to the drunken kids that had passed them on the highway.

"Oh yes, you can touch it, but only the pure of heart will feel its love," the old man was saying. He was wearing a black pair of slacks and a crisp deep red dress shirt with the top three buttons undone. Eric placed him in his seventies but his forearms were corded with muscle and his shoulders still held his frame. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbow exposing a tattoo of an eagle on his forearm. The man laughed as the kid said something, his white hair was pulled back high on his head and it shook as he moved.

"Oh that makes sense, Jesus Christ is hanging out in downtown Chicago blessing people. We came back to find that old time religion. Delightful." Red chuckled. "Why does Jesus need a gun?" he asked. The man stood and they could see he had a large pistol tucked in a shoulder holster under his left arm.

"Let's go ask him," Eric suggested tucking his gun back into its holster. Killing the ignition they moved out of the vehicle being sure to lock the doors. The sound of the crowd rushed around them without the cab of the truck to silence the people. Those behind in the street were joyfully talking about anything and everything, even discussing how they were going to go here or there and spread the knowledge that they had learned at this holy site.

"Come on in, did you come to ask for his blessing?" A woman asked them urging them through the barrier and closer to the spectacle. She apparently didn't want to know their answer as she was off again to talk to the others gathering outside the barricade. A few of the people regarded them warmly only giving Eric's gun a passing glance.

"I can give you absolution," they heard the old man say. His voice was warm and strong. "But you must take your faith in your hands and place them against the transmitter of God. This will ensure that he knows your heart." The people bubbled in agreement urging the teenagers on. The kids looked like they were in a bar for the first time and didn't know how to proceed. Finally the one that had been driving reached out and put his hand against the massive structure. There was a crackle and lightning struck from the sky between the forks of the trident. It glowed a dim blue for a moment exposing that it was a membrane structure and it looked like it was filled with dark water and stone all at once. Raising his eyes, Eric could see that the membrane was torn at certain points more than likely where it connected with the buildings on its fall. Iridescent blue water was running slowly out of the cuts like blood and sweat, the entire structure looked sticky.

"Ow shit!" cried the kid yanking his hand backward. He looked at it and held it up to his friend showing that it was blackened.

"A sign of God! The boy wears the mark and can go forth in his name and glory." The old man, Bruce told the crowd proudly. Grabbing the kid around the wrist he raised his hand so that everyone could see the blackened palm. Letting him go he urged his friends on.

"It only hurts for a second man, don't be a pussy," the burned kid told his friend. They seemed to have zero disregard for maintaining manners, and luckily no one else seemed to care. The second kid must have been in the back seat, because Eric didn't recognize him. He went through the ritual with the same result.

"Another man of God, praise him!" the old man shouted and they did. The other two kids took their turns resulting in their own set of cheers as they were burned on their palm. Smiling and nudging each other the one in the tank top noticed Eric and Red and waved at them with his blackened hand laughing.

"Hey, that's the dude from the road," the driver laughed joining in with tank top.

"Eric Stowe," the old man said, pulling Eric's eyes away from the foolish kids. His eyes widened as he saw that the old man was looking at him.

"How do you know my name?" Eric asked feeling oddly vulnerable in the small sea of people.

"I am a beacon, God uses me to teach his ways. People please make some room. Mr. Stowe and Daniel Rockway are here." He said Red's name as if he wanted to be sure that they knew he wasn't using some trick. Red's eyes widened as he heard his full name said out loud by the complete stranger. People stepped aside as the man commanded and more out of curiosity than anything else, the duo approached the man.

"What are you doing here exactly?" Red asked hoping he wouldn't get the same religion mumbo jumbo the man had been spilling since they pulled up. Bruce smiled at them.

"To tell you the truth, I've been waiting for you and more importantly your friend there," Bruce told him turning his eyes to Eric. "I kind of expected you to be here sooner, but I suppose the better things are worth waiting for." He said.

"Waiting for me?" Eric said touching his chest. "Why's that?"

"Because you have better hearing than most." When Eric didn't react he added, "Have you been hearing anything out of the ordinary recently?" The voice that Eric had heard in the truck and at the BBQ place seemed almost not real, but now that this man was telling him, it was, it was a relief. If nothing else, he wasn't crazy.

"Why did it want me to come here?" Eric asked glancing around him quickly to make sure that the people hadn't change their stance on being peaceful. They stood in awe of the conversation.

"He, he wanted you to come here for this," Bruce told him raising his arms up to the trident. "You have greatness in you and all you have to do to unlock that power is lay your hands upon the beacon, and it shall be revealed to you."

Eric regarded the structure watching the moisture collect on its sides and drip down. Then he turned his eyes back to Bruce realizing that the kids that had previously walked away with black hands were being shuffled back to their jeep.

"Where are they going?" Red asked, following Eric's gaze. Bruce turned and Eric thought he saw a flash of agitation on his face, but it was gone in an instant.

"They are going forward to spread the good word as it were. Once someone is blessed by the gift the beacon bestows, they go back and tell others about its great promise." Bruce smiled, but not with his eyes, and the entire situation started feeling wrong.

"I think we're going to find Malcolm. Maybe get a bite to eat. We've traveled a long way. We can do the blessing tomorrow, no big deal." Eric took a step back as he said it and Bruce took a step forward. Red moved between the two men.

"I think some rest would be a great idea." Red suggested.

"You can't protect him. He's weak. He wasn't meant for this world," Bruce said staring into Eric's eyes. Hate lingered there.

"Listen man, he's not weak, we've just been through a lot. Let's talk about this tomorrow," Red said throwing his hands up defensively.

"Who's talking to you?" Bruce asked. In an instant the gun was in his hand and he fired through Red's right eye. The crowd erupted In screams and tears, spreading in panic. Red fell to the ground and Eric knelt beside his friend's massive body trying to hold him, but he was too strong.

"Do you have any idea, how much of my time you're wasting?" Bruce asked. Thunder cracked overhead. "Oh shut up!" he screamed at the sky. Eric couldn't see through the stinging tears, but he managed to stand up and fire a round into Bruce's chest while he cursed the sky.

"Son of a bitch," Bruce said twisting back down to see the man that shot him. Large drops of rain began falling mixing with Eric's tears. He fired a shot into Eric's chest in retaliation. "See, it hurts!" Eric watched as the man before him unbuttoned his shirt revealing a small dot of blood on his chest as if he had been pricked with a pin. He wiped the blood away revealing unscathed skin.

"It would have been so much sweeter if you had just touched the damn beacon. I can see you now wandering around biting at people without a thought in your head, it would have been so amazing turning the tables on his righteous ass." He let his gaze go upward as he thought it over. Eric's hand moved to the wound in his chest and pressed there. The pain was hot and sticky. Looking down at the large hole he threw up blood and vomit stumbling forward. "I guess dead's better than nothing," Bruce finished leaning forward to check on Red. "You picked a big one didn't you?" he asked laughing at the corpse.

The gun had fallen beside the trident and he shuffled over to pick it up. Bruce was still marveling over Red's size when Eric fired another shot into the old man's back.

"You son of a bitch," Bruce stammered rushing Eric and shoving him by the shoulders. Flying backwards, Eric slapped against the side of the trident with a loud pop and stuck there. "No!, hold on shit" Bruce hollered dropping his gun and grabbing at Eric's wrist. He pulled but his hands were wet with water and he slid backward tumbling onto the sick concrete. Eric began sinking into the trident as if it was made of soft mud. The aqua shell shuttered and rippled as it took him in and the entire thing started to glow with a deep blue light. The sky overhead twisted and crackled.

"No, you can't protect him!" He shouted at Eric. Bruce fumbled for the gun and finally got a grip, holding it up to the pillar, but Eric was gone. The trident had swallowed him.

-NOW-

Shae let out a gasp as Lex forced the three of them through the Window faster than she had expected. Flemming cringed, but it seemed like everything was as normal as it could be. No ash floated out of the surface which he assumed meant no one was dead. Obviously there was no way he could tell. Nash stepped up to the membrane and listened, but all he could hear was his own breath and Shae's heavy breathing.

"Let's get back, we need to be ready" Nash commanded waving his hand at the few that had stayed to see them off.

"It's probably going to take a long time," Jake said trying to calculate the time difference in his head. The kid had never had a legitimate teacher and he threw his hands down in anger. "You know, because of what he said about the time difference." He explained since the numbers eluded him.

"Yes, great, wonderful, we can wait back behind the first barricade, for as long as it takes." Nash said leading the way. They had barely headed back in the right direction when the dim lights of the city were suddenly bright enough for them to see every building in range. Flemming cursed and started running. They followed after and by the time they got to the first barricade they realized they could hear the bell ringing.

"Wake up the boys from the North end day shift and get them to the front gate," Flemming shouted as he cleared the first barrier with a smooth jump. "You get her back to the Civ on East Watch, you two come with me." He said setting a man to take Shae back, and picking out Jake and man in full armor to accompany him. "Nash set him up," he said crawling into one of the trucks. Nash was switching out Marz old rifle for a remodeled Ak-47 and showing him to his place on the bridge as Shae was led to the second truck and headed back the way they came.

"What's going on?" Jake asked as Flemming hit the gas and took a turn off the bridge taking them in a different direction than their dorms.

"Those bells means someone's here," the man who Flemming picked told him. He had a thick beard, but large arms and chest and he smiled back at Jake kindly.

"New people coming? Now?" Jake asked exasperated. Flemming met his eyes in the rear view.

"That's what I was thinking. The timing is impeccable. Art, check on the door, then meet us in the basement," Flemming said watching the young man. Pulling up to the town square, where they had seen the king for the first time, he pulled to a stop.

Art hopped out of the car and jogged for the front entrance, down the long narrow alley that had made in case of intruders. Flemming led Jake through a side door behind a car into the building that housed the restaurant. It was dark inside, but the lights from the surrounding buildings flowed through the windows giving enough illumination for them to move. Moving quickly to an escalator, there was a crash as a window on the second floor exploded inward. Letting out a cry, Jake covered his head, but the window was somewhere deeper in the building, and there was no thump, as whatever shattered the glass didn't land in the room.

Flemming had a hand on the stalled downscalator but the crash overhead changed his mind. Reaching under his shirt, Jake could see two leather holsters that held long curved blades. Switching over to the escalator that went up he stepped upward.

"Be ready with that thing," He told Jake stepping off onto the second floor. Doing as he was told, the kid brought it to shoulder level ready to fire. Tables had been stacked on one side of the restaurant with chairs on the other side making it a wide area with two long half walls to divide it. Flemming saw it first and dropped down low on his toes, Jake followed suit immediately. There was a cracking sound on the far side, and peering around the half wall they had come to, Jake could see a Vamp hunched over a corpse. A large sign over the eating creature read 'complementary coffee bar' in large brown letters against a beige background. Inching forward, they watched the creature slurp at the corpse. The only part exposed of the body was the legs; the creature was hunched over the rest eating noisily.

"The West End is gone!" Art shouted from downstairs. The vamp twisted and screamed, rushing forward at the sound of a living breathing man. It rushed past them and the king shouted at it. The new noise caused the vamp to twist around in surprise almost falling backward, before the man was on it slashing with his gleaming blades. Even something as strong as a Vamp didn't stand a chance against Jonah Flemming, the man was a machine. When he finally stopped slicing, the creature lie in four pieces and even Jake had to look away.

"What the hell was that?" Flemming asked staring down at his work. His chest was sprayed with thick black blood.

"They called it a vamp," Jake said listening to the large man catch his breath. The veins on his arms looked like they were ready to explode, and Jake was waiting for the handles of the knives to snap under the death grip he had on them.

"Art!" Flemming shouted on the move again. He was going to ask him what was happening when a roar blared out over the city. All three of them stepped out into the square looking up. A giant pale creature soared overhead letting out another scream. They could see small dark creatures leaping from its back and gliding to the ground or in through windows of the nearby buildings. "Time to go," Flemming told them running to the truck. He got the vehicle turned around to see a man in tattered clothing climbing over the wall of debris between them and the bridge to the Window, but they were much more focused on the sky. Turning back to the dorms a vamp landed in the street in front of them screeching as the headlights fell on it. Without hesitation Flemming put his foot down and they were all jolted as the truck made contact.

"Hit it again," Jake commanded. One look in the man's eyes and the king slammed the truck in reverse for another go around.

Driving back and parking the truck glass twinkled down from a window exploding outward. A man fell screaming to his death in the bushes out of their view.

"Lana," Flemming gasped running full force through the double doors knocking Owen off his feet with a loud oomph. The short guard picked himself up and continued running for the door only giving them the briefest of glance. Jake could see the thick bite mark on his arm and the black blood of a vamp, and knew, without Eric, he was a dead man.

"You two, get to Civ, and gather everyone up. We need to go to the basement." Flemming told them slamming the button for the elevator. Both men hesitated leaving the king but he turned and made them go before he hopped into the small box and was going vertical. He could see through the wide window that the flying creature had circled and was moving toward the bridge. Gunfire was ringing out through the entire city, puffs of white hot light popped from the streets and other buildings as guns fired. With a ding the elevator opened and he heard a scream. Gunfire filled the room and he rushed in shouting.

First Officer Derrik Pry was shooting one of the creatures at point blank range. It had come in through the large windows in the living room and he had pushed it all the way back firing in its chest. The vamp let out one final scream as Pry kicked it hard sending it flying in a spiral out the window. With sweat pouring down his face he twisted and half raised the gun at his king before he recognized him.

"Lana?" Flemming asked moving to the bedroom.

"She's safe sire, we got her to the basement first thing," Pry told him taking a step toward the middle of the room. Letting out a sigh of relief Flemming moved pulled a .45 out of one of the bedroom dressers and returned. As long as his son was safe, that's all that mattered. There needed to be Flemming blood in the city.

"We need to get down stairs, those creatures are everywhere," the king started but Pry wasn't having it.

"You need to be in the basement with your wife, we need to keep you safe," the loyal officer pleaded. Flemming knew he was right, he had men for fighting, that's what kings do. They moved to the elevator and hit the button. Sliding open the doors exposed a gigantic open mouth floating toward them.

Vexure had caught eye of the moving elevator and decided to attack what he did not understand. As he made his dive, it was just coincidence that the two men started to file in. Slamming into the box, Flemming and Pry went flying backward and Vexure tore into the metal with his clawed feet twisted the frame, pulling it back so he could get in. Pry got two shots off going wide into the ceiling before the giant bat was on him.

"Murderer," it growled in its deep booming voice. With a scream, it grabbed his shoulders with its feet. It pulled Pry out into the night sky through the open living room windows. Flemming watched helplessly as the giant bat creature circled once flinging his First Officer into the night with a distant scream, and returning. Landing with a hard thud the creature clicked and hissed at Flemming who was finding his feet.

"You killed my children!" the Vexure accused.

"Stop attacking us then!" Flemming fired back, not once having any second thoughts about having a shouting match with a giant winged creature.

"Give him to us," there was very little question as to who the 'him' was. Only one man could incite this much fury and confusion in a creature, and he had just walked through a gate that no living thing could enter.

"I don't have him, he's already moved on,"

"Liar!" Vexure screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. His hollow nose filled with air and he bowed up. "We will tear your city apart to find him. Your only choice is to give him up and spare yourselves." The king considered what he would do if Eric had still been sitting in a room downstairs, but he shook the meaningless thought away glaring up at the winged beast.

"Stop your people and we can work out an arrangement." Clicking, Vexure eyed Flemming suspiciously. They stared at each other for a long time while gunfire and distant screams echoed through the city. Jonah Flemming found his left hand crawling back to his hidden blades again.

"You told me you didn't have him," the beast said taking a thundering step forward.

"Maybe I was lying. If you're interested in a truce, one man's life isn't worth this city." Trying to sound convincing he could feel his hand shaking and knew that this thing would be on to him in a heartbeat if it so desired.

"You fool of a man, you don't deserve the blood that flows inside you," Vexure leapt forward with surprising speed as large as he was. The small talon that once existed as a hand sat on the middle of his wing and it slashed across Flemming's chest hotly adding another tally to the scars there. "I'll make you something worthwhile, and you can tell me everything. Vexure doesn't make truce!" Leaping again he slashed, but Flemming ducked pulling out his blades and swinging both hands over his head. Vexure was quick enough to leap up and grab his left forearm digging his talons into the wrist. Twisting in the air the animal snapped the kings wrist resulting in a hard grunt and the dagger flew from his hand. Using his right hand he brought the other blade into the beast' lower backside resulting in an ear shattering shriek of pain.

Snapping at Flemming's head, Vexure twisted and leapt through the open bay windows. Pain seared through the king's left arm as all of his weight was drub by his broken wrist. In a last ditch effort to hold on he dug the fingers of his broken hand into Vexure's soft white flesh and took a death grip. Soaring over the city that Flemming had helped keep safe his entire life, he watched in dismay as gunfire was breaking out on the bridge, and he hoped the line would hold the Window. Any thoughts of his city were ripped from his mind as Vexure twisted in the sky and opened his talon, like he had with Pry, for once, the king had expected that.

Holding on with his weakened hand, he twisted his body weight using the momentum of Vexure's twist and slammed into the creature's back. Crying out in fury and surprise the beast snapped at him again, but Flemming was behind him now and he couldn't get at him with Talon's or teeth. With a war cry that caused those in the dark to raise their eyes, King Flemming brought his blade down into the creature's back and the bones of his wrist ground into his forearm sending a bolt of red hot pain all the way to his shoulder, but he didn't care. The pain was almost over, and he pulled the dripping blade out with satisfaction as Vexure twisted in the air shaking and screaming at the unwelcome passanger. Holding on with his legs the king reached up as far as he could and slid the dagger smoothly into the top joint of the right wing. It was like cutting paper, and in one swipe he drug the blade all the way down turning the wing into worthless flap of dangling skin. With only one wing the glide turned into a deadfall spinning to the ground. Screaming, the creature and man fell the hundreds of feet knowing that their end had come. Vexure was stubbornly beating his tattered appendage and snapping backward to no gain. Flemming's mind raced to thoughts of his wives, and of the kingdom his father had raise him to rule. Finally though and more so than the rest, the man who had come to his city to use the Window. His entire life had been to keep the Window closed until a time that it needed to be used. Closing his eyes he knew he had succeeded. Deaf to the cries of the creature wrapped around him and the cries from his shattered body, he died with a smile on his face.

-JAKE-

The Civ Center was madness. Jake and Art were standing at the overlook at the entrance frozen. Screams were echoing off every wall and staircase in the building. Stepping back and heading down the stairs to where the people seemed to be congregating, they had to jump out of the way as a man fell from a few stories up bouncing awkwardly off the stairs beside them and spraying across the concrete floor below.

"How did they get in? They're killing everyone, you have to do something!" an old woman was screaming at them as they passed by, moving quicker. A vamp flew through a doorway to their right and Jake smashed it in the face with the butt of his rifle without hesitation. The creature snarled back in pain and confusion and Jake ran at it placing his foot into its chest and forcing it onto the floor. The kid brought the butt of the gun down on the creature's head over and over until it was just hitting floor. Someone in the distance was screaming, and he realized it was him as Art pried him off the ruined corpse.

"These things shoot too," the bearded man told him with wide eyes.

"Yea," was all Jake could get out. His chest rose and fell, sucking in deep breaths as he looked for his next target. That had felt good. Watching Eric do it seemed like watching something from the stories of heros. But Eric had admitted to him in the dark that he was just a man, and that men can do anything they put their minds to. Just then, Jake's mind was on killing.

"There!" Art had to shout as gunfire erupted a floor up enticing more screams out of the gnashing creatures in black. They stood on the staircase only one floor from the bottom level, and people had created a makeshift barrier by one of the fountains using a wide cart and long broken broom handles and anything else they could find to keep their attackers at bay. They were fighting a losing battle as more of the vamps caught an eye of the group buffet.

Without waiting for Art, Jake was running again. His heart was racing and if he stood still, he thought it might explode. Skidding to a stop at the bottom of the stairs he could see that there were now as many vamps as people, and he couldn't take on double digits with just Art as backup. Searching, his eyes fell upon the grill, glowing hot with embers begging for fuel. Grabbing a mop Jake gave it to them. It was fully ablaze in seconds and the kid was rushing at the snarling group spreading out to surround the people huddled together in the corner. He knew the flame wouldn't last, so he tucked the gun around his back and with a quick glance to make sure that Art was still with him he drove the head of the fire into the thickest, closest group of vamps.

The resulting noise was deafening. The previous screams of hunger turned to squeals of pain. The first two caught instantly, their tattered dry clothing was made to burn, and they were fully engulfed in seconds. One tumbled into the water sizzling and smoking as he tried to put himself out. The other tumbled backward spreading the bright killing flame further by igniting the one closest to him. Remembering there was water available, the now burning third mimicked the first and leapt for the fountain. A large man with a fat pot of a belly hit it hard in the chest and the creature tumbled backward rolling across the floor in a cascade of flame.

"Burn mother fucker!" the fat man shouted as he jumped up and brought his body weight down on the smoking creature trying to stand up from its place in the fountain. Even over the screams above they could hear the man's feet snap the creature's spine. Gunfire rang out behind Jake and he realized that Art was spraying into the other vamps now that all attention was on the two of them. Screaming Jake followed suit, and when he was out of ammunition, he was on top of them swinging, crushing, screaming, killing.

"We have to get upstairs, the others," Art was trying to explain through ragged breaths. They were both a gory sight to behold but the fat man with the crushing feet grabbed Jake by the arm to thank him and promise he wouldn't forget it. With a nod and a curt wave, Jake and Art were on the move again, followed by a kid about Jake's age armed with a broken broom handle. They didn't have to wait long to see if he could use it. Driving it into the first vamp they encountered the kid found himself much closer than he intended to get as the wood slid smoothly through the soft skin. Sadly the creature brought his hand across the kid's face and throat slicing through the soft skin there and sending him spiraling and bleeding to the floor. Taking his place Jake grabbed the handle with one hand and snapped it, using both hands he brought the handle down into the creatures throat forcing out a spew of gurgling sounds as it fell backward. If he had taken time to look around him he would have seen the shocked expression on Art's face watching him.

The screaming old woman from before grabbed the kid with the slashed face, content, they moved on. A loud thud rocked from somewhere outside and glass shattered higher up. The creatures screamed in unison, a shrill sound worse than any fire alarm in the world. Jake had to stop to cover his ears, and close his eyes hoping it would block the horrible noise invading his brain. It died down as quickly as it had started and straightening back up he realized that the screams had stopped. It was oddly quiet in the Civ and moving to the banister the duo looked up. Glass shattered again, and Jake realized that the creatures were fleeing. A clicking caused them to turn around and two of the creatures had snuck up behind them slaughtering the old woman and destroying the boy with the torn throat. The first one rushed Art and the bearded man was able to land a blow directly in the creature's face.

The vamp buckled but had already gained enough momentum to fly into Art flipping sending both of them tumbling over the bannister. They landed in a heap two stories down with a thump and crack. Jake watched it, and heard them touch down, but he couldn't take his eyes off the remaining creature before him. Another window was smashed out above him, and if the one in front of Jake cared, his body didn't show it. The hood masked his eyes, but the creatures jaw was thick with gore and its teeth gnashed together in frustration. Pulling the empty rifle around, the vamp sidestepped and swiped. Jake was too slow and the claws connected with the top of his head peeling the skin down to his jaw on the left side. Blood gushed from the head wound instantly and the kid reared back out of instinct. The creature moved forward gashing its teeth, he wasn't going to let this human get off easily.

"He's just a man," Jake growled to himself. The words echoed through his head and he embraced them rushing forward. He could only see out of one eye, but the flinch in the creatures step was undeniable. Letting out a laugh that startled him almost as much as the vamp before him Jake dove into the creature taking them both crashing into the wall against the stairs with Jake forcing himself up on top. Growling in protest the creature pushed, but Jake pulled back the creature's hood and twisted it around his wrist getting a good grip. The vamps pale skin glistened in the dim light of the building and dying flames behind them. Its eyes were blood red and they were full off uncertainty. Pulling back he twisted it again pulling the dry cloth tight around the vamps neck. In a cry of understanding the creature struggled to get up, but Jake forced his knee down into his chest. The kid leaned back pulling at the twisted rags with all his strength, while pushing off of the vamp with his legs. Long cords of thin muscle bulged along the backs of his arms and a vein pushed itself out of his neck. With a low groan, a series of popping noises were followed by a tearing crack and the cloth ripped.

Falling hard on his back and almost rolling over Jake twisted to make sure the creature wasn't about to attack. The pale body lay where he left it, the neck twisted and mangled, and the upper half of its body exposed since he had ripped off the top of its cloak. It looked like a giant had grabbed the creature around the neck and squeezed.

"Hey kid, you okay?" The voice startled him, but he realized that people were talking and shouting throughout the Civ. The screams were over. Rushing to the railing, he could see Art lying on his back below being helped to a sitting position by the fat man from earlier.

"I think so. What the hell happened" he tried opening his left eyes, but the result was a shot of hot pain, but he got what he needed, the eye worked, it was fuzzy, but the eye wasn't ruined. With a sigh of relief he got moving. A tear in Art's jeans exposed a small piece of bone where his shin had snapped. Spitting repeatedly they realized that in the fall he had bitten off a small piece of his tongue and his beard was thick and red with blood.

"Shit, your face," Art cooed looking up at him grimacing. The big man had brought a chair over before rushing off for medical help.

"Does it look as bad as it feels?" Jake asked probing it lightly with his hand. Each touch brought new pain shooting across his face but he pushed it back, _I'm just a man_. Eric's words had become a mantra in his head. If he can do the crazy shit he does, then Jake inspired to be just as strong or better.

"Well does it feel like horse shit?" Art asked. Jake couldn't help but smile. Besides his torn face and his bruised hands he felt good. He couldn't remember ever feeling as good. Closing his eyes he raised his head and let out a choked laugh feeling a thick tear crawl down his face.

"I think we did it." Jake said as joy blossomed across his face and his tears mixed with the blood. It hurt to smile but he didn't care he had earned it.

"Hell, you're the one who did it. You saved these people," The smile on his face spread. Suddenly he didn't want to leave. He knew the others would be back from the Window soon and he could make a life there while he waited. People were gathering around to thank him and shake his hand. It seemed like it took forever before someone hauled him and Art over to the fountains and began washing their cuts and mending their wounds. The people talked with them and asked them what they should be doing next. It seemed as if they were the only ones left who had jumped into action. An old man with immaculate teeth leaned in with a needle and told him he was going to give him something for the pain. With the pinch of the needle he started to fade. He let the darkness take him, he had earned it.

-FLYNN-

He truly couldn't be considered a man any more at this point. Sinking away from the cries overhead he had slid in as the chaos ensued. His skin was making a scratching noise every time he moved and it sounded deafening down in the dark as he watched and waited. One of his fingers had fallen off on the trip in with the winged creature and his family, but he hadn't even noticed until long after. It was then that he realized there may be something seriously wrong with his health.

Standing in the dark beside the escalator, Flynn watched intently. He only had one mission and he didn't plan on failing the man who had been so kind to him. Kill whoever is in charge. It was simple really. He had killed plenty of people before. Thoughts of a woman named Maggy crept into his head. She always turned away from him, no matter how many good tiding he brought her, or sweet words he offered. She had stared up in surprise when his hands went around her neck. She had moaned slightly as the life left her and he had entered her while she was still warm after. No one would deny him here, or they would feel the same wrath. Wrapping a shard of glass in cloth he moved slowly down the stairs and toward the door with light emitting through the cracks and keyhole. As his breathing intensified, he realized then again as he had before that it was the killing that aroused him much more than the women. It reminded him that he was strong, and he wanted to show Haden how strong he was. One man wasn't enough, he planned to kill them all.

Light bathed the room as the door swung open and a man stepped out. Ducking into the shadows beneath the stairs, Flynn waited. The man was short and frail, he moved into another room and cursed as he flipped a light switch on and off again. After a moment Flynn could hear him pissing. Moving as quickly and quietly as possible he was in the dark behind the man squinting.

"Hey, someone's in here," were the man's final words.

"I know," Flynn told him in a voice that sounded cracked and dead. Covering the man's mouth with a hard thick hand he muffled a scream as the glass slid effortlessly into his right lung and beyond. The man's skin was soft and Flynn was reminded once again at how far his body had really gone. His skin was tough and almost hard to the touch, he hated it, but he knew it couldn't be helped, not yet anyway.

Getting more excited with every step, he moved out of the bathroom and up to the lit door. Voices were muffled from inside, but there were definitely a lot of them and they were discussing what was happening, and what needed to be done about the current attack. Edging it open he could see men leaning over tables and watching large monitors along a far wall. These men looked in charge and that made him grin, he had lost a few teeth along the way and it was a horrible thing to behold.

The first thing he saw was an old man with a pencil thin mustache talking into a radio, behind him sat two other men, one with a white beard and the other shaved and fat. None of them were looking in his direction so he let himself ease in. Moving slowly at first he knew one of them would look up. The light hurt his eyes and he had to squint as he lunged at the man on the radio. Unfortunately the man cried out alerting the other. The glass had cut true, and the man's neck gushed with warm red blood.

"Holy fuck sack!" a younger man screamed from across the room. At first he thought they were just surprised to see him, but as he met their eyes he realized that they were disgusted by him. They could see that the half of his face was rotting away, and maggots had infested themselves in and around his open socket. A light green fungus had started to grow along his neck and up to the killing wound. His skin was pulled tight and his tendons and muscles were stretched by rigor mortis.

"Who's in charge?" he rasped, holding the glass out in front of him. The man he had stabbed writhed on the floor drowning in his own blood. Pencil mustache got up and held his hands out to show peace.

"No one here is in charge, the king hadn't arrived," Jean Lupe told him trying to move so that there would be a net of people around him, too many to take on at once.

"What was that noise, is Jonah?" Lana never got to finish. Flynn was twisted around and slashing before she even realized he wasn't one of them. Cries of anguish rose up from the men at the table and Rohn tossed a heavy paper weight at the dead man rushing around and grabbing a chair.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" he screamed slamming the chair into Flynn's shoulder resulting in loud popping and crackling noises with each strike. "She's with child!" he smacked him again before Flynn got ahold of the chair and stabbed forward driving the glass into Rohn's stomach. His anger switched immediately to wide eyed surprise and he grabbed at the grinning man's wrist as the pain tore through his abdomen.

"Rohn, No!" Marz was shouting. He had come in from behind Flynn at the sound of the noise and grabbed the man by the side of the head smashing him into the monitors hanging on the wall there. Releasing the glass, Flynn tumbled over as his vision went completely black and blood ran down his face into his mouth and onto his chest. Being flung and blinded Flynn groped in the dark or anything available. His hands finally came down on a table, and Marz brought the broken monitor down on his head sending him back to where he belonged.

With the immediate threat dispatched Jean Lupe was barking orders at the younger men to set up a perimeter around the building. No more surprises. Marz found himself on his knees next to his wounded friend.

"The girl," Rohn chocked out. He was having trouble holding still and Jean Lupe leaned down to steady him telling him that any movement could do more damage. With one look at Lana, Marz shook his head dropping his gaze. Moaning sickly Rohn turned his head to his dead attacker while pushing on the hole in his stomach.

"Was he one of yours?" he asked Jean, looking away from the ruined face of Flynn.

"I've never seen him before, I'm sure of it." Lupe told him tearing the old man's shirt open so he could get a look at the wound.

"Listen," Rohn let out a wet cough. "Then he's with the vamps, he's with them," he tried telling them.

"I don't understand," Marz was saying, but Jean grasped the idea well enough.

"Why would a man be working with those...things?" Jean Lupe said the words as if spitting them. Rohn was nodding now and his face had turned almost the same color as his beard.

"Stay with me buddy, this is nothing, just a little scratch," Marz was trying to reassure the old man but Rohn just smiled. He knew he had lived two lifetimes compared to most people on the planet, and he had seen and taken part in amazing things.

"If I die, watch the kid," Rohn whispered as his eyes rolled back.

"You're not going to die Rohn, Jake'll be here in a few and everything's just," but he cut himself off. "Did he?" he reared back as if he had been slapped in the face.

"No, no, he just passed out, probably from the pain." Jean was saying. The man had his hands pressed over the wound and they could hear shouting from down the hall as someone got a doctor.

"What the hell did he want?" Marz asked stepping back as two men slid in and began cleaning the wound.

"He said he wanted whoever was in charge, our leader." Jean repeated the dead man's words trying to tie it together in his head.

"It looks like he got one of them," Marz told him, watching the men scramble to keep Rohn alive.

-NOW-

Popping behind them, the membrane resealed itself as the group fell scattered onto the bridge. Lex was up and barking and howling at the wilted corpses slowly making their way toward the River. Gus was staring at the staggered men and women with his mouth half open, while Jane just stared, her hand on the pommel of her sword. Even though the people Eric had moved were still very close to where he had placed them, something was different.

" _I fucking told you, you're not leaving me behind!"_ the dog sounded more than pleased with himself, and just a little surprised about what it had done.

"Why are there more of you?" Eric said brushing Lex back and addressing the dead man he had talked with earlier with the missing eye. Even with one eye the look of surprise on his face was hard to miss.

"You were quick, but it doesn't seem to matter. There's a whole lot of killing going on out there," the dead man told him.

"And the God of Death is claiming every single one, keeping some for pets and stashing the rest I reckon." An old woman called out from further out. As they stood there they could see a fresh body ooze out of a thick black tar substance toward the end of the bridge. The man's neck was broken and his body was badly misshapen, but he trudged forward like the rest of them.

"We need to go back," Jane said at once turning to the membrane. They could see distant shapes moving and then dull flashes as guns fired.

"No, that doesn't matter, whatever we're supposed to do, it's in here," Eric demanded.

"Doesn't matter?" Jane asked shocked. "Those people matter more to me than anything, I'm not going to let them die because this is supposed to be 'our purpose'," she fired out stepping up to the membrane as it flickered into its reflective surface.

"You can save them on this side," the one eyed corpse told her. Turning back she rushed to his side.

"What do you know about it?" she almost shouted. The corpse smiled slightly.

"One man commands death, stop him and your friends will live. It's as simple as that," the man said. Agreement echoed through the bridge. Eric and Gus were watching her hopefully, Lex sniffed a corpse and pissed on his foot.

" _Let's get the hell out of here we can all see that nothing good is going to come of it. Plus it smells like shit, can you smell that?"_ The animal insisted.

"Then let's find this guy I guess," Jane said finally. Even though she seemed unsure of herself she got moving immediately.

"Wait!" Eric shouted. "We need to do something about them, when they hit the wall they,"

"Right, monster crazy thing, you told us," Gus answered grabbing at a decent looking woman with a rope burn around her neck. She screamed as soon as he touched her and he flinched back.

"It hurts them, but we have no choice we need to run them back," Eric started telling them. In his head he just saw a giant game of Space Invaders and eventually these people were going to shuffle themselves into the River.

"Turn them around," Jane said quietly, then louder, "Yea, turn them around and they'll walk back the other way, then we don't have to worry about them, you know." She waved her hand at the membrane wall. Eric's face lit up. Of course, why hadn't he thought of that more permanent solution. They started grabbing the corpses closing their eyes and turning away with every scream, but eventually they were working their way down the bridge flipping bodies as they went. It took some doing, but with another set of screams they found themselves twisting the last two, and watching as the mass of corpses shuffled toward their end of the bridge, leaving the River behind.

"Okay, that was fun, now what?" Gus asked turning to the building that towered over them at the edge of the bridge. Leading the way Eric picked up Lex as he stepped through the tar substance. Testing it with a toe first he realized that it was just on the surface of the concrete and even though it was slimy and smoldering, it was safe to walk over. As soon as he put the animal down, Lex rushed to the black goo and pawed at it curiously. When it stuck to his paw he rushed back flaying it in front of him whining. Eric wiped it off with a pant leg and they surveyed the area around them.

It seemed as if anything beyond the small stretch of road they stood on had fallen into the sea. They stood on a square that was once a three way intersection. Directly ahead was a large building that seemed to be encased in marble with massive pillars running along its walls and statues of various blades etched about its doors, scythes, swords, daggers, bayonets, anything with a sharp end it seemed. On either side of them the streets just died off, the concrete was cracked and broken and when Eric moved close enough to look down, the could see large pieces of concrete and stone sticking out of the water below. With a shrill bark, Lex brought them back to the present. Drawing a gun, Eric moved forward and the others followed.

One opening marked the entrance to the building and there was one door to bar them. Stepping inside the found themselves in a massive round room with a brass colored floor. In the center a large compass rows was painted on the floor. A man sat behind a reception desk on the far side of the room and they approached him slowly. It was much darker in the room and they could see shadows around the man as he rose with outstretched arms. The entire group froze raising their weapons and Lex howled at the man.

"Come out slow," Gus told him, there was no disguising the fear in his voice. Eric pulled back the hammer of his revolver with a click, you can't hear fear in that. The man stood where he was for a second before raising his arm and waving; the shadows danced around him as he moved.

"Fuck this, Eric said firing a shot into the man's chest. He shuddered and grabbed at his stomach awkwardly but after another moment he raised his arm and began waving again, then hopping from leg to leg like a child. Eric looked back at Gus and Jane slowly with eyebrows up shaking his head. Nodding in the man's direction they all moved, weapons raised until they got close enough to see him. The bullet hole in his chest was a fat dimple of red, but no blood was dripping from it, and they could see what the dancing shadows were.

"That's fucked up," Gus said swallowing hard, making sure he wasn't going to throw up. Before them a corpse of a man had been tucked into a tuxedo and long wire had been sewn through his body and face in a life size parody of a marionette. As they stared at him the wires hooked into the man's mouth pulled tight and he smiled. Turning toward Jane he raised his hands and formed a circle with one and stuck the finger of the other in it.

"That's enough of that," Jane said bringing her sword up and slicing through the netting of wires and strings. The body came crashing down on the wooden desk and tumbling into the darkness behind it.

"So you come in here and break all my cool shit?" a man asked from a balcony above the door they had entered. They hadn't even seen the stairway that led down from the balcony as they had been too focused on the man at the desk.

Twisting around they all had to look up at him as he began walking the steps down to the main level. Lex began growling and yipping while backing up.

" _Nope,_ _this is bad, something's wrong. We shouldn't be here, fuck this guy, fuck him in his stupid face. I don't like it,"_ Lex's barrage went on inside Eric's head and he had to harness every bit of will power he had to keep focused on the man approaching them. The man was at least seven feet tall and built like a bodybuilder. He wore a tailored grey suit over a black vest with a purple shirt. His shoes were a dull gold that matched the etching on the staff he was carrying. The man's skin was an odd grey color with slight purple in it, but his thin goatee and mustache were jet black, oiled perfectly to match his short hair pulled back across his broad head. In his hand he carried a staff that was almost as tall as he was, at one end the wood had been carved back and a blade had been placed inside the notch.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Gus asked. The fear had kicked his adrenaline up and made him ballsy.

"Me? I should be asking you the same thing, but there's really only one answer to that question isn't there?" the man asked turning his grey eyes on Eric, "Now that skydiving's out of the question, you pretty much have to use the bridge don't you?" he raised a hand as he said skydive and they could see a large bracelet around his wrist carved in gold, below that a loose band that was held together by what seemed to be thousands of pieces of thread thin enough to be made of spider web. His fingernails were filed down perfectly manicured into sharp points, the enamel coat glistened.

"Sky what?" Gus asked turning back to Eric, but he just shook his head. A scream made them all turn to the door they had come from and the large man smiled showing rows of sharp white teeth, but they could see a second row behind them, like a shark.

"He's a persistent one isn't he?" the man asked waving his raised hand and a block of marble fell in front of the door sealing them in.

"Are you the God of Death?" Eric asked trying to look casual as he put his hand in his belt, a step closer to the other gun.

"Oh of course," the big man said as he reached the ground floor, "how rude. I am Thanatos, God of Death, or my personal favorite, The Grim Reaper. I love the idea of reaping the grim, it's just so," he shuttered in delight at the thought of it.

"What do you want with us?" Jane asked stepping forward and lowering her weapon. Thanatos smiled at her, but it faltered, and he looked over the rest of them suspiciously.

"Me? I don't give half a shit about you. You came here for me didn't you?" his smile had completely faded.

"You weren't one of the ones telling us to head here?" Jane asked. Eric put a hand on her shoulder silencing her. Thanatos' gaze turned to Eric.

"She doesn't know about you then?" the others followed the god's look. "Oh, that's sweet, you folks have been traveling with this old timer the whole time and he didn't tell you that he was given a mission from one of the moon brothers?" Eric shook his head.

"I wasn't given a mission, you must think I'm someone else," Eric puzzled glancing at his partners who had taken a step away from them. Another scream rang from outside but they were too focused to pay it much attention.

"You are Eric Stowe, one hundred and thirty two years old. Born in a little city outside Lexington Kentucky, and your wife died in your arms without ever giving you the child you had prayed for." The large god found his smile, and Eric's face narrowed with anger and pain long gone.

"I was never given a mission, only a request." Eric seethed, grinding his teeth and tightening his grip on the pistol in his right hand.

"Yes, the moon brothers were always bad about giving direct instructions. They like to have deniability." He told them taking another step forward and spinning the large staff in his hand. The banded gold sparkled dimly as it spun.

"Eric, what is he talking about?" Jane asked taking a step back from the large approaching god. Shaking his head Eric stepped forward and raised his gun.

"Tell me why we are here. I've played enough of your games. What does Poseidon want from this place?" Eric asked trailing Thanatos' head with the gun as he moved, juggling the staff back and forth between his hand flipping it and spinning.

"Ole Don? I'm sure he wants me, if we're going to be honest with each other." The god's smile grew. "He's dying you know," saying it as if commenting on the weather.

"God's can't die..." Eric ended the statement unconvinced.

"Can't they?" Thanatos asked flipping the staff back into this right hand. "Tell me, when's the last time you heard the big Z man?" Eric knew it was true as soon as it passed his lips. They had all felt the searing pain in their heads. It made perfect sense that Zygan would be dead.

"How? Who could kill a god?" But Eric knew the answer to that too.

"Yes, that's right. You're getting it." The god told him watching the understanding in Eric's eyes. "We aren't as fragile as humans, physically, but believe me, we're just as stupid and petty, and we can kill each other just as easily as you can." He told them licking his lips. "Do you know what the death of a god tastes like?" He thrust his pelvis with a grunt. "It's tastes like sex would, if you could buy it in candy form."

" _OK, I was really sold when he showed up with grey skin and turned out to be ten fuckin' feet tall, but he eats gods. I think that should be a big fat warning light to you. Let's get the fuck out of here,"_ Lex said still growling from behind him.

"Not yet," Eric told him watching Thanatos twirl his staff and smile. He trained the gun on the gods head and fired, but right before he did so Thanatos tossed the staff into the air. The bullet connected above the left eye and the large god dissipated in a cloud of grey and purple smoke. Reappearing at the foot of the stairs in an identical cloud he caught his staff and twirled it at them smiling.

"I thought you said gods could die," Eric spat the words at him lowering the gun.

"I told you we can yes, but you're missing the main part of this. I am the God of Death. Only my touch can kill a man or god. Upstairs there are dozens, probably hundreds at the rate you people off yourselves, waiting to die. Without my touch they will lie and suffer or go into a coma. Sure some die without my help, but those are the more immediate cases. I get a little taste of everything else." He licked his finger as he said it and stepped forward. "But that's not to say that your little pop gun there doesn't hurt like Hades. I'm sure you know that." Thanatos made a reach for the gun but Eric fired into his chest three times and the god was smoke once again, reappearing by the desk behind them. His staff clattered to the floor where he had been standing. "That is very old, don't you let it get scuffed or I'll have you outside with the marching band," the god told them pointing to the staff.

"What this?" Gus tucked his sword and grabbed the staff pantomiming his spin and leveling it at the large god. "Kind of looks like an overgrown baton doesn't it?" Thanatos just smiled at him. Holstering his gun, Eric put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Let me ask you something Gus old boy. When your girl was dying, do you think I should have let her linger in the world for so long?" he asked fanning the burning flames inside the man. "She was in so much pain, ah, it just got me going!" he shouted. Gus couldn't take anymore and he swung the staff at the god who ducked and caught the backswing twisting it out of Gus' hands, spinning it and smashing the bladed end into the man's knee. Crying out in pain and surprise Gus was lifted off the floor as the blade cut all the way to the bone slicing his calf in half and the wood around the blade crushed the knee shattering it.

"Shit!" Eric cried out jumping backward. Thanatos stood over Gus and raised the staff over his head. In a fluid motion Eric produced the pistol and fired. In a whiff of smoke the god was gone and the staff clattered to the ground a half a foot from Gus's head. With a whoosh Thanatos appeared back by the stair way. The smile had left his lips and his eyes darkened.

"This is why we have them," Eric whispered to Jane pulling out his sword with his free hand. She caught on quick and hers was raised and ready.

"What's your plan? Kill me," he belted a laugh at them. "I make death, not you!" he rushed at them as he shouted it and Eric dashed forward. Thanatos had produced a small blade from somewhere on his person but Eric evaded it easily since he had already prepared to slide. Dropping to his knees he let go of the revolver and used both hands to bring the sword into the god's leg above the knee. Screaming in agony, Thanatos teetered and fell to the ground in the center of the room. Jane was on him in a heartbeat with her sword glimmering over her head.

"No, wait!" Eric cried pushing her to the side. Pushing her way back, she had blood in her mouth where she had bitten her lip and was ready to filet the downed god. "He's right, we can't kill him," Eric told her standing over Thanatos. He was leaning forward as much as possible grabbing at his almost completely severed leg.

"Then what the hell do you suggest?" She asked heaving.

"Get Gus, we're leaving," Eric told her. The big man was panting and moaning across the room by the desk as she went to him unwillingly.

"I know Hades wants you, but when your day comes, I'll be the one to keep you. We'll have some fun you and I," the God of Death told him.

"I've made it this far," Eric said kicking the god in the nuts as hard as possible. "You made my wife suffer on purpose?" he kicked again as he asked it and Thanatos howled in pain. With another kick the god put his hand up to stop him and with one swing he lopped the hand off sending it flying across the room.

"No, fuck, you can't do this!" the god cried holding his stump with his god hand rocking back and forth in pain. The stench of blood was beginning to fill the room and Eric took a step back.

" _Okay, great, you taught that big fucker a lesson. Let's hit the road bub."_ Lex was always adamant. Moving to help retrieve his gun and Jane with Gus they ignored the threats and cries of the dismembered Grim Reaper lying bleeding in the center of the building of his creation. Gus passed out as they tied his leg off and they were carrying him to the door when they realized that a giant slab of marble blocked their way.

Turning back Eric searched the room for something to maybe pry the door when he saw something glisten on the floor. Moving over to where the god's hand lie he could hear a hum coming from the wristbands the man was wearing. Picking up the hand, he pulled the gold band first followed by the band with the multitude of threads. As soon as they were in his hand the humming stopped. Slipping the bands on he tucked the severed hand into his bag and moved back toward the door. His right arm was tingling and he realized that the golden bracelet was pushing at his skin causing it to float around his wrist as he moved. The threads were spinning too, but they were intertwined and spun around each other and around his wrist in a mesmerizing orbit. As the movement died down and the tingling in this arm stopped Eric could tell that these weren't just jewelry. Raising his right hand the threads twisted around his wrist and from the desk the wires shot out wrapping around Thanatos and pulling him up against the wall with his arms out and digging into his shredded leg.

"You can't do this!" The god cried, fear washing over him for the first time. "The family won't let this stand!" he shouted followed by more swears and empty threats. With that done, Eric twisted his arm toward the door and the granite dissolved into sand at the wave of his arm. At some point Jane had dropped Gus and was staring dumbfounded while Eric worked. A jolt of pain shot up Eric's arm and he realized that these new found toys were limited use items. With one last look back at the screaming god, they picked up Gus and made their way back into the street. Lex followed behind, not knowing what to think, but he let out a shrill series of barks as a man set fire to one of the corpses on the bridge.

Haden had already burned through the first half of the shuffling men and was having so much fun doing it that he had started dancing back and forth occasionally slapping one of them with his flaming hand, shooting the corpse into a shower of dust.

"You have to try this!" he shouted at the group as they emerged from Casa de Thanatos. It took them both tremendous effort not to drop Gus right there on the marble steps.

"Who the hell is this? Another one of your friends you forgot to tell us about?" Jane asked glaring. Eric started moving again. He knew she was going to be pissed but he didn't want to be in this purple dome of Death any longer than he needed to be.

"Stop doing that!" Eric shouted at the older man in the tattered suit. He bobbed up and spun punching a man with bloody wrists across the face sending him into a whirlwind of ash.

"What did he say cowboy? Are we done?" Eric had no idea what the man was talking about. Haden could see the confusion on his face. That paired with the injured man they were carrying he decided that they were in fact, not done.

"I guess it is just you and me then, or do you want your girlfriend to help?" Haden asked as he stopped dancing. Straightening out, he made a line for the two of them and Eric sat Gus down raising his arm. The greyed man approaching them had a hand of flame and Eric had already been through a lot and wasn't interested in being burned. With another pinch the band of thread spun and the marching corpses slumped forward.

"What is this?" one of them asked. They turned their heads and realized that they were able to move on their own again.

"I can give you freedom, but you have to take care of him!" Eric shouted to the dozens of dead still lining the bridge. Haden had stopped taking them out when he decided to attack Eric and he found himself completely surrounded by corpses hungry to be done with the bridge.

"I can give you freedom too," Haden said swinging into the first one to approach him. Swinging again and again, they were puffing into clouds of dust but soon he was overwhelmed and they were on him biting and tearing and scratching. Using the diversion Eric picked Gus back up and they started moving back down the bridge giving the mass of corpses a wide berth.

"No! I will not be chained to this world any longer!" Haden screamed. They turned back to the sight of a pillar of flame shooting into the sky and the dead were gone in a whirlwind of ash. Standing in the center of the flame as it died down Haden glared at the three of the them and the dog before making his way toward them. Both of his hands were on fire and his eyes seemed to glow.

"Again?" Eric cried out in dismay. He put Gus down for the last time and stepped forward to match the oncoming man.

"I'm glad we could meet in the nether, everything is so much more potent here!" Haden cried drunk on his own strength. He put his hands forward as he closed in still running and flames began pouring out of them, even the scar on his head seemed to glow.

Raising his hand up as if asking the man to stop, the pain was instant and just in time. Haden's flames gulfed around the group and a protective orb of purple air cut them off from the heat. Gritting his teeth Haden flexed all the muscles in his hands and arms pushing the flames twenty feet high. The gold band was spinning so fast now that it was starting to cut into Eric's wrist. Using his left hand to keep his right stable he fell to his knees in agony as the pressure on his arm pushed him down. The power in the band was overwhelming. Throwing down his hands in frustration Haden glared across the blackened crackling concrete at him.

"Next time, we won't be in the nether, and I'm going to take that stupid hat home with me," Haden threatened pointing at Eric's head. Breathing heavily Eric forced himself up.

"There won't be a next time," he flicked his wrist and felt it snap as Haden was picked up and slammed backward in midair. A boom rang out that broke the sound barrier followed by a shattering crash as he flew into the building that had become Thanatos' prison a few hundred feet away. Buckling under the force, the left side of the building sagged and crumpled before falling still.

"Are you done?" Gus asked from his place on the hot asphalt. Holding his broken wrist Eric smiled at him nodding.

"Let's go check on everyone else that we scared half to death."

"Oh yea, none of them got through. They've probably been shitting their pants waiting for us to get back." Gus tried to laugh but it just turned to coughs that shook his whole body.

"As hilarious as that is, let's get you back." Jane said as she picked up his shoulders. Eric tucked his legs under his left arm while trying to keep his broken wrist away from anything hard. Moving slowly though the membrane Eric let out a grunt as he pulled Lex through with them, and the dog snapped at his hand lightly.

The low tone rang out and the seal closed behind them but they stopped staring at what should have been a bunch of scared men waiting for them to return. Instead the tower that Flemming had lived in was half burned and the barricades along the bridge were broken and deserted as if a wrecking crew had attacked them.

"Is it really you?" a voice asked them from the hole Nash had come out of the day before.

"Holy shit!" another voice echoed the surprise from the first coming out of the other door. The men that had been waiting met them in the middle and they stared at each other for what seemed like forever.

"Jake?" Jane asked. The man before them resembled Jake but he was too old. He was taller and thicker with a wide scar across half of his face. Grey streaks ran through the side of his hair, but when he grinned at them there was no mistaking who it was.

"Holy shit!" the other one said again. They didn't recognize him, he was younger with a thin black mustache.

"Get a truck, tell them that they're back," Jake ordered. The other one brought his hand to his chest.

"Yes Captain," the man said and then took off running down the bridge. Jake rushed in and hugged them all, giving Lex a loving rub.

"Captain?" Eric asked. "What happened? How long have we been gone?" He couldn't even begin to conceive how much time they had spent on the other side, but time was different and now he was seeing again what too much time in the vale did to a man's perception.

"The night you left, we fought the Night War. Vamps came in and killed a lot of people." Jake told them taking Gus from Eric so he could support his wrist.

"That's," but he didn't have a word for what that was. Too much information was being presented and his head was spinning. "How long ago?"

"Fifteen," Jake told them, glad to have his friends back, "You've been gone fifteen years."

To Be Continued...

Epilogue

Sunlight shone brightly against the dark stone, stretching into the sky. Looking up the bearded man sighed, letting the glow warm his skin. Things always seemed to progress faster than planned. The nether had a lot to do with that he knew, but he hated breathing the air on Earth and he only visited the despicable rock when absolutely necessary.

Turning his attention back to the expansive castle he moved inward. It wasn't a castle so much as large interconnected throne rooms, with twisted hallways connecting them in a massive octagon. The outside had been starch white marble at one point. Time had faded and beaten the stone dark grey and eroded one of the points on the far side that no one had been in for centuries.

Stepping through the threshold, the inside didn't resemble a castle at all. As much as Bruce hated the human world he was fascinated with their progression of technology. They were still light years behind his race, but what they could do in a thousand years was still amazing. Large computer screens hung on the walls and televisions that weren't plugged in to anything but ran all the same. Different places throughout the world were depicted on the screens. One 80" screen was focused on a large statue of Zeus in Greece and he always smiled when he saw it. In the center of the room a sphere of twisting clouds spiraled like a black hole. It spun and whirled blowing gently as if wind really had any part in its movement. Stepping up to the sphere he grimaced.

The clouds parted creating a ring. In the center he could clearly see three humans in combat. Since the glassport would only show what he wanted to see he had to think twice about what he was looking at. He recognized Eric clearly enough, and Haden he had known since his birth, but the others with him were new.

"I've been recruiting." A man said from the corner of the room. Zeus twisted, surprised to hear his brother's voice. They were almost the same age, but Poseidon looked on the verge of death. Realizing that he had been watching, Zeus let the glassport cloud up, obscuring view to what he had been so intent on watching.

"You know it's in vain don't you?" the king of the gods told him. He moved away from the sphere toward a large wooden desk along the far wall. The hallway that his brother had entered from was beside the monitors, and his eyes flicked to the hallway on the opposite side to make sure he wasn't getting flanked by kin.

"You've had your fun with them. I think it's time we let them explore their potential and develop," Poseidon told him. He was leaning on a hard cane of water. The water was swirling constantly keeping its shape. The old god's beard was almost to his stomach and his hair was thin, but his blue eyes were as hard as ever.

"I feel like I'm talking to a child. We're up here, and they're down there. We rule and they obey, that's how we established this, and that's how it will continue. Don't you want your own children to inherit all of this?" he spun his arms around to insinuate the rooms spread around them. His fingers were glowing golden with electricity and he grounded his anger, closing his fists. No violence was allowed within the keep. Taking another step into the room Poseidon pushed a few papers around on his brother's desk and snorted.

"We ruled much differently a few centuries ago, when WE ruled." 'We' came out as a hiss. Zeus knew this would come up and he was prepared for it.

"Take your block away from Earth then. Reclaim your sigil and your rightful place. I never meant for any of my brothers to be outcast. It rots down there on earth for what? Some protest that isn't necessary, I will give you back everything if you just open that world to me again," as he said 'that world' Zeus pointed at the glassport as it twisted turning into a satellite view of Earth. It didn't look normal though, the seas were dark black and the normal green of the lands had faded to a dull brown. "You're killing it brother, take it back, and we can go back to the days of old glory." Staring intently at his brother he hoped that maybe this time his plea would be heard, but it was in vein.

"You tricked us, so that you could pose as what, "One True God"? What a farce! We agreed that you wouldn't go down there, but you couldn't help yourself. Jesus? That's the name you chose for yourself wasn't it?" He spit in the floor moving slowly toward his older brother. "You tricked us into leaving, and then you tricked them into believing that you were the only god that mattered so don't tell me you wanted to keep the table set for your brothers. You betrayed us," Waving his hand at the glassport it turned back to Eric and his companions walking away from Thanatos' temple. "They are going to be my vengeance on you, and our kin will regain what you stole from us." Saying it he turned and shuffled out of the room. Zeus watched him go. His hate grew. It didn't matter that his younger brother didn't understand, done was done and if he wouldn't listen, he would find a way to keep him from interfering.

Turning back to the sphere he watched with wide eyes as Haden was lifted into the air and shot back with the force of a hurricane and smashed into what was now Thanatos' prison cell. Grinding his teeth he watched motionless as the humans fled the nether and the membrane closed behind them. With a glance over his shoulder to be sure that his brothers hadn't snuck up on him, Zeus stepped into the sphere and the clouds surrounded him. When they dissipated, he was standing outside the ruined temple Haden had just been thrown into.

"Wake up," the words were far away and at first he thought he was dreaming. "I said wake up!" that time they shot through his head like a spear and his eyes exploded open. Looking up Haden realized that he was half stuck in chunk of marble and he couldn't seem to pull himself out of it. _Where's my strength?_

"You look pathetic up there," He knew the voice.

"Uncle?" Turning down he saw his father's brother looking up at him from a floor that sat a few stories below, behind him he could see the God of Death struggling against a wire prison cell. "Uncle, the human, he," but he wasn't sure what the human had done. The man had to be more than human, no one had been able to withstand him before, and that final hit. His head felt like it was going to split open.

"He has my gauntlets!" Thanatos hissed.

"Quiet Reaper, you let him take them, he apparently deserves them more than you do," Zeus snapped without turning to the pinned god. Maybe he's right, maybe human's do deserve more room to expand if this is the best we can do. He pushed the words of his brother out of his head. Waving his hand, Haden was suddenly free and falling toward him.

"I left his town in ruins, and his friends are dead and dying, he has no one to go back to," Haden said from one knee in front of his king.

"I gave you one task, if you cannot complete it, tell me now." Haden shook his head at his uncle's words.

"He will die by my hands." He said without looking up. The hate in his voice reassured the old god.

"You look pathetic." Zeus told him, then turning to Death, "Show him to your garb, he can't go on like this, he'll be naked soon." With another wave of his hand, Thanatos fell free of his wired prison and lurched forward, his leg was in agony. "Fix yourself, wait..." his eyes fell on his severed wrist for the first time. "You let him take your hand?" for the first time since he set things in motion real fear cut through his body.

"I told you, he's strong willed, and he has my gauntlets, but he doesn't know how to use them outside the Nether, I will have no trouble retrieving them."

"No, you will stay here and wait. If my nephew is not a true failure, the man will return to you against his will and you shall lay your hands...hand upon him, ending this." The other two noticed the change in their king's voice. Turning back to Haden, "Rise." He put his hands on his nephew's shoulders and looked him in the eyes, "Finish this."

Haden grinned, thankful for the opportunity.

About the Author

**Rob Gilchrist** was born in Waco, TX and since then moved throughout the US and Argentina. Now living in northwest Arkansas with his wife he is currently working on the sequel to Tides of Shadow along with various other projects. Stay updated at _Robgilchristbooks.com_.

Thank you for reading. Please check out my webpage or leave a review at your favorite online realtor. Keep an eye out for Tides of Shadow Volume 2 coming in 2014.

Thank You-Rob Gilchrist-

Robgilchristbooks.com
