Antonio Gianelli's Story

"Trust me Lucia, Not just 20 minutes ago, I thought the same thing. Then I saw Ace, and I hugged her as well."

Lucia smiled brightly at him as he spoke. She recognised the French accent almost as soon as he had opened his mouth. It was strong, like her Italian accent and somehow the knowledge that he wasn't from America warmed her a little. And when he spoke of her homeland and visiting it, she smiled again, nodding her head. The fact that there were two, possibly three, people alive sent floods of relief washing through her. After sitting around in the flat for days without human contact, just the sheer fact that she was talking to walking, breathing humans who were living through the same situation that she was. It was so surreal and she had to step back and make sure that it was really happening.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something more, Leo exclaimed a name is surprise. Her eyes flickered to the other girl stood with them. No her name was Ace. And she looked equally surprised by the fact that he'd called out. And then, just like that, he was gone. Turning, Lucia watched him sprinting towards another group of people. One of them was rushing to meet him and then they were a tangle of limbs. The girl had practically jumped into his arms and Lucia blinked in surprise as she embraced one another. She wondered if she should look away, as it felt like an intensely private moment for the pair, but everyone else was still staring so she kept her eyes trained on the pair.

A torrent of French and English passed between the pair as they caught up with one another. There were introductions and Lucia waved when her name was said, smiling at the other group. She felt somewhat less inclined to hug this bunch. Firstly, it appeared as though the guy and the blonde were a couple and that would have been awkward. And the one introduced as Colt looked a little intimidating. It became evidently clear that Minnie and Leo were brother and sister. What were the chances? When everyone else had died, these two were still alive? It was a miracle. Lucia didn't have anyone besides Ellie and the thought of her best friend filled her heart with sadness. So young and she'd always been so full of life, but now she was dead.

There was no-one else left in the world for her to hang onto.

At least, that's what she thought.

But the past was just around the corner and it would haunt her.



A pair of bright blue eyes watched the expanding group carefully. But really, his blurred focus was upon one of them. Lucia. A well of jealousy and hatred for the unknown man had swelled in his chest when she had wrapped her arms around him and smiled in a carefree manner at him. He hadn't witnessed that smile for years and to see it directed at another caused him to clench his fists in fury. It was a long time since he had seen anything but worry or fear in those eyes of hers.

Antonio had been following Lucia from the moment she had left her little flat. Hell, he'd been following her for days before that as well. He had kept his distance on his motorbike when she had left to travel into the centre of the city, but it hadn't been hard to pull up three blocks away and walk the final distance so that she didn't notice him. Even now, she was too consumed in the group to notice the man watching from the distance. The man who clutched a brandy bottle to his chest, his hands shaking furiously. If only she had turned around. If only any of them paid attention. But it seemed as though no-one noticed him lurking in the shadows.

Colt

He watched the helicopter drop sharply, and veer off, landing in what was left of a park a few blocks away. He would have to check out the pilots condition later, after everybody was done socializing. He seemed fine, as even from this distance looked like he was healthy and was shouting obscenities at his helo.

He kept himself mostly aloof, nodding when necessary and listening carefully. He heard a few Italian accents. It seemed we had a plethora of nationalities.

He felt paranoid all of the sudden, and a sick feeling in his gut. Before the Marines he would've dismissed it, but now, the feeling was as real of any of his five normal senses. He turned slightly, as if to be more engrossed in the conversation, but he turned his eyes to the shadows. It wasn't any of the those things, they would've attacked earlier. It was something -or even someone- else.

He said nothing of it. He kept his face passive throughout the conversation, not that anyone could tell what he felt anyway, body and face obscured by his Ghillie suit. He holstered his rifle on his back, and fully removed the hood part Ghille suit. He felt that he should maybe tell what was going on, but everyone seemed interested in everything else.

He finally spoke.

"We should check out that helo. It may be a rescue party, or a scout from other survivors."

Alexei

Alexei veered his helicopter into an opening, ripping branches off of a few trees as he landed. He swore once more, this time in Russian-accented English. He stumbled out, coughing.

"Sasha! You never do that again! You could been broken!" Ignoring any grammatical errors he may have made, or words left out, he inspected his helicopter. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

"You're okay! You're okay." He turned his eye toward the group of people now gathering together.

"Whoa. Lots of people. Wonder if we have enough supplies to throw party."

Jake chewed on the inside of his lip and glanced around. He suddenly had the feeling of being watched. He couldn't see anything, and none of the bodies on the ground were moving, so it wasn't any sort of... thing. He rubbed the top of his head, then down his face. He couldn't let paranoia sink in, because then it would never go away, and he would most likely die of exhaustion. He took a deep breath and Kylie squeezed his hand. He looked around one last time, and noticed Colt looking around too. So he wasn't the only one with the creepy feeling. Colt stopped looking around and began taking off his Ghille suit. Jake blinked a few times, once again fighting off the paranoia. Kylie coughed next to him and pulled him out of his thoughts. It was a violent painful cough that racked her body. She was bent over with one hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach. "You okay?" He asked her and she nodded, waving him away. He took a few steps forward and watched as she wiped her hand on her dark jeans, then wiped off her face. She had broken a sweat and he figured she was getting a cold after being out here for two days.

"Go ahead, I'm just going to sit down here," she said and sat down on the curb. she put her head in her hands once again and stopped moving.

"No, I'll stay, we don't know if those.." Jake stopped for lack of a word to call the things they had encountered.

"People? Living beings?" Kylie asked sarcastically looking up at him.

"Ky, they were going to.. I don't know what they were going to do, but there was something off with them. They weren't right," he said, crouching down in front of her. The others didn't bother to wait up for them, and went to check out the helicopter.

"Hell, none of us are Jake. We may very be the last people on earth. Those people, they might have been desperate. What if they were just sick and trying to get our attention, our help," Kylie shook her head and put it back in her lap. Jake pulled out his gun and set it next to her.

"Safety's on. Use it if you need to. I'll be right around the corner, call me if anything happens," Jake said, with no response from the shivering blonde girl. He took off his jacket and laid it over her shoulders before turning and following the group.


Minnie nodded at what Colt had said and walked towards the helicopter. A man was yelling at someone named Sasha about being broken. Minnie scrunched her eyebrows together and Leo old her that the helicopter's name was Sasha, and the man was the pilot. "Are you okay?" she asked and walked up to him. She didn't stop to think whether he might be dangerous or not. He said something about throwing a party and Minnie squinted at him, turning her head slightly. She couldn't tell whether he was was joking, or maybe he had damage to the head. Leo came up behind herald put his hands on her shoulders. He was being protective, and telling her that she shouldn't have done that. Normally, Minnie would have hated the gesture, but she appreciated him being there, so she ignored that fact that he was being so silently bossy. Jake walked and stood in front of the two girls. Leo was handling his sister, and like he had found out before, and knowing he was in the military, Jake knew Colt could his own.

Jake wasn't exactly sure what he was protecting, or why he was, but from the three things to the feeling of being watched, he wasn't feeling very trust worthy at the moment. He wasn't sure what to say. What do you want? Well, he figured the answer would be to survive. But did that mean killing them and taking their supplies, or joining them. Hell, Jake wasn't even sure when or if they had actually become a group. In the past hour he had met 5 new people that were all somehow worth trusting, and now all of a sudden one more comes along and he is ready to protect these strangers? He had no idea what was going on inside of him at the moment, but he wasn't about to try and figure it out either.


Kylie began coughing again. She leaned over and let a small amount of bile escape her mouth. Her eyes watered and she wiped them with the back of her hand. Once she could see clearly again she looked at the side walk. It was spattered with blood. She didn't remember that being there before, but now it was. She touched it, and the sticking solution stuff to her finger. She scrambled to her feet and looked in the dark window of a car. Her mouth was bright red and she had a streak of blood above her eye from where she had wiped her face. She quickly cleaned it off and wiped off her mouth and hands. They were pretty clean, and she knew that no one would notice it as something odd. She had a metallic taste in her mouth and couldn't wait to get back to Minnie's truck to get some water. She looked over towards the helicopter, and everyone seemed to be talking. She shrugged and began walking back the way hey had come.

After a few minutes, the truck was in sight again and she sighed. With a bit of a struggle, she pulled herself into the bed and began searching for some water. She grabbed a bottle, then began rummaging through the medical bag. She found some stomach soothers and more ibuprofen. She tilted her head back and swallowed the four pills. The water relived her burning throat, and surprisingly helped some of the stomach pains immediately. She stood up and heard a shuffle and a slide. She looked around, but couldn't see anything. She took another drink, and once more heard the noise. Two people like before were coming towards the truck. One grunted, and the other went around to the other side. Their walk seemed normal, but it was slightly animalistic. Not like a limp, but more like a loping. Kylie took a deep breath as they closed in. As they got closer, she saw their eyes. They were pale and empty. They were seeing, but they weren't really seeing. One, the woman had blonde hair like herself. But her skin was tight across her face. She might have been beautiful once, but now she looked like a corpse. Her fingers were bony and her nailed were long and sharp. Kylie couldn't speak. She stood perfectly still. Why weren't they saying anything to her? The same reason she wasn't saying anything to them? Before she knew it, one was making a loud noise, and two more of them came out of an ally, and came towards the truck.

Lucia wasn't offended when Jake pushed her out of the way to reach Kylie. Instead, she simply got up and stood back away from them both, though her eyes were guarded slightly as she nodded a thank you to the Russian. It must have been nice for them so have someone that they truly cared about. A pang of loneliness struck her heart. When she had first found these people, relief had swept through her, pushing away all the bad thoughts. But in reality, she was just as lonely as she was before. These people didn't truly know her and they'd simply been forced together for survival purposes. They were just so lucky to have each other that she couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the pair. Not that she had had anyone besides Ellie, not after her mother had passed away.

Exiting her own thoughts, her attention turned to Kylie who had begun to speak quietly. So, she was ill. Well that explained the coughing and the blood she had brought up earlier. Giving the girl a sympathetic smile, she patted her shoulder in a comforting manner. It had been brave for her to speak up and tell them about her illness and Lucia felt truly sad for her. But at the same time, so many healthy, fit people had died, like Ellie and yet Kylie had survived when she was so ill. It almost didn't seem fair. However, the moment that thought popped into her head, she chided herself mentally. No, she should be glad that Kylie had managed to get through what had killed so many others. It was not her place to say what was fair and what wasn't. A lot in the world currently was unfair.

"Lucia weren't you standing near a truck, was that yours?"

"My brother owned a place about twenty miles from here. He and a couple of friends. It's a big place...bachelor pad...but he was kind of...um paranoid I guess? Every man has a zombie plan kind of thing. I know it's a little far but...it's secluded and I guarantee there will be supplies. Guns...food...water...I mean...it's just an option...I can hotwire too...if we need another vehicle..."

Lucia chuckled slightly at the mention of a zombie plan. Well, it seemed like he had been right to prepare for such a situation. So the other girl had a brother that she had lost. She made a mental note of that, whilst looking around at the rest of the group, her eyes meeting Leo's and nodding. "It is my truck around the corner. We can use that to get there as well. I can fit myself and two more in the front and perhaps two in the truck bed, bearing in mind belongings and so on. As long as you can lead the way." Looking to Ace, she smiled brightly at her, sweeping her brown locks over her shoulder.

"Do you mind if I come?"

A voice echoed around the street. Almost instantly, Lucia's demeanor changed from relaxed to tight and tense. The colour drained from cheeks and her eyes widened, as her body completely froze. Panic tore across her chest and she sucked in a deep breath, almost choking on it. When she didn't turn to face the voice, he spoke up again. "Ora, non mi dire che hai dimenticato il suono della voce di mia Lucia." Now, do not tell me you've forgotten the sound of my voice Lucia The Italian words slipped easily from his lips, his voice like silk, soft and tempting. Lucia's body began to shake, from head to toe as she slowly turned around. Only six paces away from her stood the man she had left behind in Italy. The man who had made her life a living hell. The man she hated. Unaware of what she was doing, her fingers reached for the jagged scar on her face, tracing the skin there.

"A-Antonio..." She gasped.

Colt jammed a new magazine into his sniper, working the bolt and ejecting the spent shell out at the same time. Alexei just changed mags. Everyone seemed to be fine. The girl named Kylie didn't look too hot though. He listened to the explanation and nodded. He had seen diseases like this out in the Middle East, but not a lot in First World countries. The others started discussing their plans He stood up. He heard a voice.

"Do you mind if I come?"

Lucia seemed to visibly flinch, as the voice continued in what sounded like Italian. Smooth.

"A-Antonio..."

Not turning around, Colt spoke. "You could have asked us earlier 'Antonio' instead of trying to sneak around around in the shadows like that." He continued neutrally. "You should really make it a point not to step on broken glass when trying to be undetected." He spoke to the rest o the group.

"Me and Alexei can provide overwatch through the helicopter, protect the trucks, like a convoy." He directed his eyes toward Alexei. "If you can do that. How far are you from bingo fuel?"

"Da. I can do that. I don't have an exact estimate, but the fuel should last a few days."

Ace spoke up before Lucia answered. "My brother owned a place about twenty miles from here. He and a couple of friends. It's a big place...bachelor pad...but he was kind of...um paranoid I guess? Every man has a zombie plan kind of thing. I know it's a little far but...it's secluded and I guarantee there will be supplies. Guns...food...water...I mean...it's just an option...I can hotwire too...if we need another vehicle..." Leo weighed the options. Supplies was a good thing. The needed all they could get. They also needed some place to stay. But would they really be staying? There had to be other survivors. The government had to be doing something. There had to be something more to this. He would pulled form his thoughts when he heard Lucia speak.

"It is my truck around the corner. We can use that to get there as well. I can fit myself and two more in the front and perhaps two in the truck bed, bearing in mind belongings and so on. As long as you can lead the way." She said. Leo nodded, the needed the fourth vehicle. Minnie was glaring at Lucia. Why the hell was she smiling. There was no reason to be smiling right now. And she even laughed. Minnie was about ready to scream at her when Leo gave her a stern look. That only fed her anger more. Her eyes turned to slits as she gave him the rudest look she could manage at the time. Kylie was still focused on the ground. She slid down Jake's said and sat on the curb. She really wasn't feeling well. The ibuprofen and stomach soothers weren't working very well. She turned to her side and threw up some more. Jake side stepped out of the way and looked sympathetically down at his girlfriend, although this time he made no move to comfort her. She was tough, and he knew it. She'd pull through. Plus, she might get upset with being babied. He looked to Minnie who surprisingly seemed pissed. What did she have to be angry at? Well, other than the end of the freaking world. She seemed fine a minute ago. He shrugged the thought away as someone emerged from the shadows.

"Do you mind if I come?" The man asked. His voice was like honey. Venomous dripping honey. "Ora, non mi dire che hai dimenticato il suono della voce di mia Lucia." His voice came once more. He spoke Italian this time.

"A-Antonio..." Lucia said. Her hand was on her face, her fingers grazing a jagged scar. Jake and Leo both noticed she seemed frighten and uncomfortable with his presence.

"You could have asked us earlier 'Antonio' instead of trying to sneak around in the shadows like that. You should really make it a point not to step on broken glass when trying to be undetected. Colt said, not even looking at Antonio. This time when he spoke he addressed the group.” Me and Alexei can provide overwatch through the helicopter, protect the trucks, like a convoy." He said. Minnie thought it sounded like a pretty good idea. Colt flicked his glance over to the Russian. "If you can do that. How far are you from bingo fuel?"

"Da. I can do that. I don't have an exact estimate, but the fuel should last a few days." Alexei returned.

So they had a plan, but this Antonia guy seemed to be out of place. “We don’t have room for you,” Jake said harshly. He was sure they could make room but 9 people was pushing it. That was a lot of mouths to feed, and plus Lucia seemed more than put off by his presence.

“Yeah, you’re just going to have to try your luck on your own,” Leo said. He had thought it through. According to Colt, this guy had been lurking in the shadows. Everyone else here seemed fine. Jake and Kylie had found Minnie. They were trusted by her. Leo himself had found Ace and Lucia. They needed Ace because she was taking them to her brother’s house. Lucia immediately tried to care for Kylie. Colt showed that he was on their side by taking down the mutants, and Alexei as well. Clearly they were the only ones who knew about these things. The only person Antonio knew was Lucia, and clearly she didn’t welcome him. It was obvious he wouldn’t be coming with them.

Minnie was rolling her eyes. She had her arms crossed. She really could care less what they did. She wanted to know about these tings and what the hell was going on, not talk to this guy, or about this guy. A quiet and scratchy voice spoke up from behind her. “We can’t just leave him,” Kylie said, standing.

“Yeah we can, Ky,” Jake said. “He hid from us. If he was safe he would have come out from the start. I had a feeling something was off,” He shook his head.

“But what if he knows something about those sick people?” She asked, her eyes pleading.

“They aren’t sick. They are something different. Babe, they only stopped moving with something through it’s brain. He was still moving with his head off. And anyway, Colt seems like he knows something,”

“They..” Kylie began, her eyes weary. She stopped herself and looked down. There was no way they would believe her.

“Well?” Minnie finally called out. “What the hell are we waiting. Those things are out there just waiting for us. Let’s just go. Let’s take this Antonio guy and find out what he is really about,” Minnie said. She seemed angry. “And if he is some sort of bastard we just throw him out. The decision seems easy enough,” She said and threw her arms up. She let her hands slap her legs and she walked off to her truck. She turned it on and pulled it up to the rest. She cut the engine, not wanting to waste gas.

“Kylie and I will go get our car and meet the rest of you back here. My opinion still stands,” Jake said, giving Minnie a look. She returned it with a roll of her eyes. She looked to Leo then to Colt. What would they have to say about him?

Lucia nodded in response to Ace, though her eyes remained firmly on the ground. For a moment the group had refused to accept Antonio into their midst. However, both Kylie and Minnie had spoken up and said their piece, suggesting that they take him with them. In that second, Lucia's blood had ran cold. They couldn't take him. She wouldn't allow him to come with them. None of them understood what he was capable of. But instead of speaking up, she made the mistake of looking up at Antonio. The look on his face stopped dead all her thoughts and she nodded numbly, though her eyes found the ground once again. The cheerful attitude had all but vanished from the young woman as she spoke up.

"Y-You can come. But find someone else's car to travel in." It was muttered in an emotionless voice, as she refused to meet anyone's eye. Instead she parted from the group and headed towards her blue Chevy truck in order to retrieve it for the others. Antonio watched her retreating back, before taking a step after her. But he thought better of it, halting in his tracks and casting a glance at the rest of the group. He was glad that the women in the group had spoken up and defended him against the men. Immediately he felt hostile towards them, especially that Leo fellow. The fact that they were protecting Lucia, when it was his job, caused hatred to bubble inside of him. However, he kept his face calm and simply nodded.

"Does anyone mind taking me? It seems as though Lucia is determined to be...cold with me." He said in a velvety voice, with a small shrug of his shoulders.

Once out of sight, Lucia darted towards her truck, sprinting to its safe interior. The moment she was inside, she locked the doors and pressed her forehead to the steering wheel, tears making tracks down her cheeks. How had he found her? How had he survived? Out of everyone in the world, why on earth had he managed to survive? Why him? Lucia would have given anything for Ellie to be alive, but she wasn't. Instead her worst nightmare was and he was there in America with her.

Wiping away her tears, she jammed her key in and started the engine forcefully. Whacking it into gear, she sped towards the group and pulled up. Gesturing for Ace to join her, she cut the engine so not to waste gas. Who knew when they would be able to top up, especially with those things were walking around and were a direct threat to those who were living. They might not be able to risk it.

Alexei sighed. Europeans and Americans. Possibly the only people left in the world and this. Everyone needs a vodka right now. He thought. Too bad I don't drink. Colt spoke up.

"I don't care if 'Antonio' comes with us or not," the slight malice gone from his voice from his earlier comments. "we just need to double time it to our location. The noise we made is sure to attract more of the things you saw. I suggest hitting the nearest military base as soon as possible. There has to be some military personnel alive and shooting." He finished as the trucks pulled up.

"Ah. Well. Let's git while we can." Said Alexei in a poor imitation of a southern drawl as he started walking back toward Sasha. Colt holstered his rifle, pausing only to wipe some dust of his sheathed Tomahawk. Despite what all that had happened, he hadn't let any of the freaks get close enough for him to even throw it.

"You might need this." Colt said quietly, accurately tossing the pump-action Mossberg shotgun and some extra shells toward Jake as he walked by. "13 shells in total. Use them wisely. Also, ignore what your Drill Instructor told you. Go for headshots first. Kills these things faster."

When they reached the helicopter, Alexei bent down. "Broken skid. Great." He turned to Colt. "You've been in any helicopter crashes?" Colt's face remained impassive, not revealing whether he took it as a joke or not. "A few."

"Good." Said Alexei, hopping in and starting the rotor.

Jake was becoming impatient with this idle chat, but Colt spoke once again. Jake was beginning to actually like him, despite the fact they'd only known each other for maybe 30 minutes. Colt tossed a shot gun at him, "13 shells in total. Use them wisely. Also, ignore what your Drill Instructor told you. Go for headshots first. Kills these things faster," he said, and began making his way to the helicopter.

Jake smirked at the drill instructor comment. "You got it boss," Jake said. He wasn't mocking Colt, but there was some sarcasm in his voice. He hoped Colt didn't take it the wrong way. "Come on Ky," He said and he began walking towards their car. "We're parked in the center or town, near the fountain. Meet us there so we're all together. Then we'll follow Lucia. Minnie, you take up the rear," he said. He and Kylie were soon out of ear shot. Minnie just nodded.

"Antonio, come on you're with me and Leo," Minnie said, and hopped back in the cab. She waited for Leo and Antonio to get in before starting the engine. Leo sat in the middle. He always hated the middle, but he still didn't trust this guy and he didn't want him anywhere near his baby sister.

"Minnie, you know I love you right?" Leo said to his sister in a hushed tone. Antonio wasn't to the truck yet. Minnie nodded. "We're going to be okay, I promise. I won't let anything happen to you," He said. "Look at me," he demanded, this time his voice got dangerously serious. He grabbed her jaw and looked into her eyes. "Say you believe me,"

"I believe you," she lied. She wanted to believe him, but after what just happened, she couldn't. She killed someone, or something.. She wasn't sure at this point. Leo closed his eyes and kissed her forehead just as Antonio was getting in the truck. "I know right where Kylie and Jake are parked. I don't know if Lucia knows this part of town so I'll just wait for her," Minnie said, her voice low. She sounded moody, who wouldn't be? Once the other blue truck was in sight, Minnie shifted to first and began slowly weaving her way through the bodies. Some were two days old, and others were still in pools of fresh blood. The girl tried her best to avoid looking at them.

Soon enough they pulled up to the place where Minnie had met the couple. As expected, they were in the nice silver car Minnie had seen. She stifled a snort. Yeah, the thing had horse power, and it was fast, but could it handle some of those freaks they'd seen earlier? She made eye contact with Lucia, and Jake did the same, after rolling down his almost black tinted windows, signaling for her to let Ace tell her the way.

"See anything?" Asked Alexei.

"Clear, no sign of hostiles." Colt replied. He was leaning out door of the helicopter as it slowly circled around the trucks, sniper at the ready.

"Too bad. I wanted to see you marksmanship skills in the air, American." Colt's eyebrows raised slightly at "American". They continued in silence for awhile. Alexei spoke up.

"So... Where were you born?"

"Montana." Colt said quietly, voice barely audible through his headset.

"Montana. Almost as empty as Russia."

"You got it." Said Colt with a slight grin.

"Haha... Really?!?" Said Alexei as the leading truck made another turn. "Are we there yet?"

"Hey, I'm supposed to ask that, not you. You're the pilot."

Lucia took point to lead the rest of the group to Ace's brother's house, with Ace herself in the truck. Wordlessly she gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white against the tan skin. The thought that Antonio was mere feet behind her made her skin crawl. Well, at least he wasn't in her truck. Instead Minnie and Leo had taken him, which was probably for the best. Lucia didn't believe that Leo would easily fall for the Antonio-charm that he was likely to pull. That and he wouldn't let him near his sister by any means. Still, she couldn't stop the twisting sensation in her stomach. This was the last person in the whole world who she had wanted to see, let alone survive.

Turning the steering wheel so the truck smoothly turned to the right, Lucia cast a glance at Ace. The girl seemed as tense and worked up as she was and it struck her that she hadn't bothered to ask after Ace's brother. Clearing her throat, she focused her eyes on the road, following the woman's instructions carefully. It wouldn't do to get them lost. Wherever she could she avoided bodies and pools of thickening blood that lay all around the streets. Bile rose in her throat again, but she forced it downwards and asked quietly:

"Do you think he survived?" It was said in the merest whisper and she didn't look at Ace when she asked. Already she regretted what she had asked and feared the answer. What if it upset her? In hindsight the question hadn't been all that tactical.



Antonio nodded to Minnie and slowly followed the brother and sister towards the truck. This pair wouldn't have been his first choice, in fact undoubtedly his last. And then the moment that bloke took the middle seat, he almost flatly refused. But silently he climbed into the cab and settled down on the outside edge of the truck. Whilst the woman followed the others, he kept quiet, for a few moments at least.

"It is a shame to meet you in such...awful situation." His Italian accent was thick and he struggled to form the sentence. "But it is a pleasure all the same. Your accent is not...American? You are from France, is that correct? Us Europeans have to stick together I believe." He said it solemnly, without a hint of a smile on his features.

Kylie’s blood red fingers frantically searched the back seat for a plastic bag. Not having any luck she stuck her head out the window, spewing bile and blood into the wind and on the side of the car. Her hair was stiff with blood, and her entire body was trembling. She looked like a pale, deathly leaf in the wind. Once she was back inside the car, Jake looked at her solemnly. “Baby,” he started. She slowly reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing with what little strength she could muster. “Baby what’s going on?” he asked softly.

“I told you. I’m sick,” she said, not looking at him.

“No you’re not. Well, you are, but you weren’t. Is this..” Jake’s voice cracked and tears filled his eyes. He couldn’t say it. “No,” he said, clenching his jaw. His eyes were set on the road. His face was a mixture of determination and pure defeat all at the same time. Kylie stayed silent.

After a while, Jake followed the truck into a long drive way. They had finally made it. “Here, you can get some rest and food. You’re gonna be okay,” he said, as he shut off the car. He cupped her chin and kissed her bitter, metallic lips. She stayed still, not kissing him back, but not pulling away either. “I love you,” he said, putting his hands on either side of her head. His fingers tangled in her hair and he put his forehead to hers. His shoulders began shaking with tears. A minute or two passed before he abruptly pulled away from her. He wiped off his face with his sleeve. He got out of the car and slammed the door shut. He waved up to Colt and Alexei, then turned to the people getting out of the trucks.

Kylie was sitting in the passenger seat, completely still. She looked nauseous, and not completely because of her stomach. It took her a few seconds to register the fact that Jake was there, asking for her hand, to help her out of the car. She blinked, and each time it felt like it took hours to open her eyes again. Each time, the light hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt like she was seeing the sun for the first time in her life. Jake’s voice was deep and confusing. What was he saying?

“Come on, Ky, give me your hand,” Jake pleaded with her. He didn’t want to move her without her understanding, for fear that it would make her feel even worse. Finally, he leaned in and scooped her up. As he did so, she coughed blood onto his face and shirt. He hardly reacted. He didn’t look at anyone else, just started walking towards the front door. His mind was racing. He had to find a way to save her. Suddenly, Kylie started convulsing. She was gurgling and it sounded like she was drowning. In a panic, Jake set her on the ground and turned her head to the side. Blood poured out in incredible amounts. Her entire body was shaking, like she was having a seizure.

“Somebody help me!” Jake called out, hoping that anyone might come over. Blood filled Kylie’s unseeing eyes and began falling like tears. Jake held her close to him until she stopped shaking. He looked down at her chest, she wasn’t breathing. “Oh no, oh god please no,” he said and placed her carefully on the concrete. He lifted her neck and put his lips to hers. He held her nose and forced two powerful breaths into her blood filled lungs. He put his hands to her chest and pumping hard, trying to restart her heart. He repeated this cycle three times and she suddenly gulped in air. He kissed her and pulled her close to him. “I thought I’d lost you,” he said into her head.

“Jake,” she said. The coughing seemed to have stopped and even through the blood, her eyes looked alive. “I love you. Kiss me again. It makes the pain go away,” she whispered. Jake kissed her until she lay limp in his arms. He still kissed her. Tears and blood covered his face as he cried into her.




The ride was silent. Well at least, that’s how Minnie would have wanted it. Leo was deep in thought, she could tell by his face. She wasn’t sure what, but she wasn’t going to ask with Antonio there.

He began speaking with his strong Italian accent. "It is a shame to meet you in such...awful situation. But it is a pleasure all the same. Your accent is not...American? You are from France, is that correct? Us Europeans have to stick together I believe,” he said, sounding calm. He wasn’t smiling and it seemed like he meant what he said. Minnie almost hit the breaks.

Instead she shot him a look and opened her mouth to speak. “Us Europeans? If you’ve forgotten we are currently the only people on this earth that we know of. I don’t really think Nationality matters anymore. So put a sock in it or.. Well that’s really your only option, tesoro,” Minnie said. She knew only a little in Italian, but Tesoro was one of her favorites. However in this context, she meant it completely sarcastically, bordering vicious. She hit play on the radio, but it was all static. Of course. She thought and jammed a CD in the drive. It was a reaggaton mix tape, full of Spanish pop songs. She always loved that kind of music. French pop wasn’t her taste.

After a bit, they finally pulled into the drive. She killed the engine and hopped out of the car. She stretched out some and looked around. Everyone else was doing the same. Jake was leaning in the passenger side of his car, most likely to help Kylie out.

Leo shook his head slightly when they arrived. The entire ride there, he had been thinking about what happened. Not dwelling on the fact everyone was dead, but why they were, and he wasn’t. Minnie wasn’t either. It must be DNA, he thought. He pulled a small notebook out of his back pocket and began scribbling away in French. Suddenly, he looked up. Was Ace’s brother alive? If he wasn’t, then this would be shear luck.

He shook his head, that wasn’t possible. Antonio and Lucia. He and Minnie. Jake and Kylie. There was no luck in that. There had to be something… Maybe it was a gene, or a hormone. His eyes widened at the thought as he looked at Jake and Kylie. Jake was on the ground, holding Kylie. He was yelling. Leo looked at Minnie, she was frozen in place, the sight of the blood no doubt.

Leo hurriedly walked over to Jake and Kylie, he stood a few feet behind them as Jake gave her CPR. Just as Leo was going to tell him that it was no use, Kylie was revived. Leo once again wrote in his notebook.

A sweet voice whispered out, and it took him a second to realize it was Kylie. That was strange. From all the coughing and throwing up, her voice should have been raspy and hoarse. “I love you. Kiss me again. It makes the pain go away,” she said to him. Jake kissed her over and over again. After a few minutes of only the sounds of Jake’s sobs, Leo knelt down next to him.

“Jake,,” he began, placing his hand on the other man’s back. “Come on,” he said, and replaced his notebook in his pocket. He tried to pull Jake off the dead girl, but Jake wouldn’t let go. He started doing CPR again, screaming that he had to save her. Leo tried to pull him off, but Jake blindly swung a fist behind him and connected with Leo’s jaw. He heard a crack, and hoped it was just a pop. A gruff hand grabbed him and pulled him back, away from Jake and Kylie’s body.

“No, Jake! It’s over,” Colt said, pulling him off the girl. It was a struggle for a few seconds, but finally Jake let Colt pull him away. Jake whirled around and tried to push Colt off him, but instead it turned into an embrace between the two. Colt put his hand on Jake’s head, telling him it was going to be okay, but he doubted the man could hear it over his sobs. They looked like brothers, hugging that way. After a minute or two, Jake pulled himself free and reached into his car, he grabbed the tire he had before and began swinging it at his car. No one, not even Jake, could know why he was taking this out on his car, but hitting something made him feel better.

Jake let out a few screams like he was in agonizing pain, and continued to bust every window in his car. He finally dropped to his knees and sobbed. His fists were still clenched around the tire iron. Colt slowly walked towards him and crouched in front of the panicked man. “Jake give it to me,” he said quietly. His voice wasn’t harsh, but it was demanding. Jake didn’t respond. Colt grabbed the iron and received a terrible look from Jake. His light blue eyes were full of malice and pain. After a few tugs, Jake released the weapon and returned to staring at the ground.

Minnie stood stony faced the whole time. She wasn’t going to throw up again, nor was she going to cry in front of everyone once more. She couldn’t seem weak, not again. She slowly made her way to Colt. She wanted to say something to him, about what he did for Jake, but the words didn’t come. She blinked and seemed to find herself. “I uhm.. That’s mine. I can put it in the truck,” she said motioning to the tire iron.

Lucia opened her mouth in response, but words failed her for a moment. In the corner of her eye she could see Ace fiddling with some dog tags. She had never had a brother or a sister so she couldn't really understand the feelings that were probably coursing through Ace at that moment. But she had a shadow of a feeling about losing someone. Her mother had been the only person that she had ever needed and her loss had been the only significant one in Lucia's short lift. Finally, she managed to find some words to express herself.

"I am...terribly sorry to hear about your brother." She whispered, not quite looking at her, as they pulled into the long driveway. "It must be painful, but perhaps you are right...He missed all this tragedy. Now...you have us. We'll look out for you and miss you now." It was meant to be comforting words, but she didn't know if they would have that kind of effect. Even still, she was trying to comfort. As she drew to a halt and looked up at the impressive house, she smiled. "You're brother had taste." Sliding out of the truck, she waited as the others pulled in. First Kylie and Jake, then Minnie, Leo and Antonio. Kylie and Jake looked to be having a private conversation and so she averted her eyes to where Antonio was. He stared at her unabashedly from where he sat in the chair. Lucia fought the urge to be violently sick and turned away from them, just as Jake's startled cry filled her ears.

Spinning on her heels, she turned to see what was wrong. A gasp escaped her lips and a lump lodged itself in her throat. Kylie. Blood. Everywhere. Lucia took a step forwards to help, but even at this distance she knew there was nothing she could do. Kylie was dying, right in Jake's arms.

“I love you. Kiss me again. It makes the pain go away.”

Jake did so. The pain evident on his own face. And just like that, Kylie was gone. Biting her bottom lip, sadness and fear encased Lucia's heart. Whilst she hadn't known Kylie for very long, it was still heart-breaking, especially the look on Jake's face. And what if they were all slowly dying of this disease? What if it hadn't been a simple miracle that they had survived so long? Shaking her head sadly, she watched Leo approached and try to pry him of the Kylie's chest. "She's still Kylie." Lucia thought to herself. "Not just another dead person on the street." But Leo failed. Instead Jake clocked him one, right on the jaw.

Colt next stepped up and calmed Jake down, at least enough for a hug, which the pair shared. In the tragedy, Lucia hadn't even seen them land. Silently, she walked towards Leo, a look of concern on her face. "Are you okay?" She asked in a hushed whisper, as a loud crack sounded behind her. Turning her head, she watched Jake beat the crap out of the car with a tire iron. In theory, she should be comforting him, but he didn't look like he needed kind words at that moment. Sadly, she watched him for a few moments. There was nothing to be done. He needed to take his anger out on something and they should let him...




Antonio did not miss the vicious tone that Minnie used to address him. Despite his attempts to get on their good side, it seemed he had failed. Instead, he decided to keep his mouth shut and weedle his way around them like that. As they drove, silence enveloped the car, but he didn't mind. It gave him time to think of ways to separate Lucia from the group. It was evident that she would not do so willingly and if the others caught on, well he might up fending for himself.

When they pulled up the driveway, he waited for a moment longer in the car. Lucia had already climbed out of the car. For a second, their eyes met. The second took his breath away, though he could see the hardness in the dark chocolate brown depths. There was a glint that had never existed before, but otherwise she was the woman he remembered. Beautiful, alluring and breath-taking. She pulled her eyes away, turning her back on him.

Before he could haul himself out of the car, chaos erupted. Jake was shouting. There was blood everywhere. And that blonde chick was dying. Antonio made absolutely no move to help. He didn't see the point. The girl was as good as dead anyway. What good would it do? Instead, he watched with a cold indifference. The only feelings he felt in that moment were self-pity and relief. Self-pity because she'd stuck up for him and was half the reason he was there, but now she could no longer do so. And relief that Jake would be so distracted by the death of her that he would have little time to worry about what Antonio was up to. Otherwise, he couldn't give a toss about the bimbo that had just passed away in front of him. One less in way of Lucia. A bolt of happiness shot through him when Jake punched Leo in the jaw. "Good. He deserved that." He thought bitterly.

When the guy started beating up the car with a tire iron, he suppressed an eye roll and shook his head. Climbing out of the car, he lent on the door, still watching, though now he replaced the look with one of feigned sympathy. A look that would change to anger. The moment that Lucia walked over to Leo and asked if he was alright. Clenching his hands into fists, he glared forcefully at the pair, his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. That bastard was always in the damn way!

Alexei stretched and groaned as he walked back from helicopter. He yawned as he said "Well, the kinks out of the radar system have been worked out, now to-" he did a double take when he saw the scene in front of him; Kylie dead, car mangled up, and Jake obviously very irritated. He walked closer, right next to Antonio. You couldn't see his eyes through his Aviators, but you could tell he was bewildered.

"Alright... Looks like I missed something." Seeing the look on Antonio's face he said nothing, but a gave him a curious glance.

Colt looked up and answered to Alexei tiredly; "Yes, you did." He spun the beaten up tire iron in his hand and stopped it, handle toward Minnie. She took it. He glanced at Jake one more time.

"It's time I told all you more about the chemical attacks..." he started.

Alexei took off his Aviators in respect. He shook his head. Damn. He thought. It's Chernobyl all over again. His actions not mirroring his thoughts, he half-heartedly slapped Antonio on the shoulder. "Don't be too mad. Doesn't solve anything. I would know, I'm Russian." He looked like he was going to say more but realized he was interrupting Colt, he was staring at him. He gestured for him to continue. Colt spoke.

"The chemicals released... Nova-6.... it..." He paused. "...it didn't just contain chemical compound. That was the starter. Kill some people, make the U.N. believe they could stop it with chem suits and gas masks. The Nova-6 released also contained nanobots or nanites." Looking up, and seeing confusion, he elaborated. "Small robots, insanely small, about one ten-thousandth the width of a human hair. The chemical released was their source fuel, it broke down cells and converted it into protein-like goop usable by the nanites. That's the reason why you don't see as many bodies as you should around detonation areas, some just decomposed at an exponential rate, others disintegrated entirely." He paused once more, but wasn't finished yet.

He looked into every individual's eyes, lastly resting on Jake's. He held his gaze slightly longer the rest. "The nanites, once fully powered, started doing the real dirty work. They started modifying DNA and their respective proteins, causing death tolls in the 99th percentile in any organism bigger than a Fruit Fly." He stopped and laughed, the laugh when nothing is funny and it sounds more like you got punched in the gut. He shook his head. "Then the bastards..." he choked out, gritting his teeth, "They knew that even that wouldn't finish everything. When the Nanites started running out of fuel, they started modifying bacteria, viruses, host cells, to continue their work, Enhancing and reintroducing any existing or eradicated diseases. AIDS, Cancer, Small Pox, you name it." He took a breath. "And all of them with the chemical taint of the Nova-6 gas released. Killed the bacteria and viruses faster, but also the people." He gestured toward Kylie.

"That's what you see here. Her disease was accelerated. Killed her faster than any natural one would. I hoped since it's been awhile since the attacks, all nanites powered down completely, but as you can see, that was not the case. We may be still in danger." His eyes turned over to Leo and Alexei, who were standing quietly by the trucks. "If you have a single active nanite in your body, to put it bluntly, you will die. Whether it takes a day, weeks, or even years, your days are numbered. However," Colt continued, "There is a way to shut them down. The creators of the nanites preferred quantity over quality." He stopped awhile, letting the words reverberate through the group.

"Short of electrocuting yourself or dosing yourself on hard Gammas, you have to expose yourself to an Electromagnetic Pulse, or an EMP." He sat down on the car's hood. "But seeing as were short of any EMP generators or grenades, we'll have to find some." Then, seemingly having all the energy drained out of him, he stood. He drew and shouldered his rifle.

"I'll scout the area." He got up and started walking away. Wordlessly, Alexei joined him.

Alexei looked to Jake, it seemed like he was trying to come up with words of comfort, but all he said was;

"Don't forget about that shotgun." The pair slowly walked out of earshot.

Minnie replaced the tire iron in the car, and began to follow Ace inside. The girl shut the door though, not noticing Minnie. She just shrugged and listened to Colt as he explained. It was very confusing to her, but she figured Leo understood it pretty well, and maybe he could explain it to her later. Leo was nodding along with what Colt said, and was writing in his notebook. After he finished his speech, Minnie was about to ask a million questions, but she figured it would be better to stay silent right now, especially since Colt looked tired. Everyone did.

The girl started walking towards the house and saw Ace come running out. She fell to her knees and began puking her guts out. Minnie ran over towards her and held her hair back, rubbing her back and telling her it was okay. She wasn't sure if she was reacting to Kylie's death or something else. Minnie was internalizing Kylie's death. She wasn't going to let it bother her. She never knew the girl. It didn't matter anymore. As she sat there rubbing her back she looked in the house and saw a pool of blood on the floor. Someone must have been there. Possibly her brother. Minnie's heart tightened at the thought of Leo dying.

Jake finally stood up. He heard everything that Colt had said, but none of it made sense. He rubbed his face, smearing Kylie's blood ten more across his cheeks. He walked past Minnie and Ace. He saw the girl had gotten a shovel and a blanket. He grabbed those two and the towel and water with them. He knelt down next to Kylie, and clean off her face. He carefully brushed her now red hair back. Without saying a word, he put the sheet over her and wrapped up her limp body. He carried the body over to the grass and began digging, ignoring anyone else that might say anything to him. He didn't want them to say anything.

As Leo watched all this, his brain finally registered the fact that Lucia asked if he was alright. In the commotion, he had forgotten he was hit. He touched his throbbing jaw and smiled at her, although it turned into a wince. "I'll be fine, thank you," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. He looked her and then back to Antonio. He figured they had a past. Most likely a relationship gone bad, but he wasn't quite sure.

Lucia's face blanched as Colt launched into a speech about the explosion and the aftermath. So, they weren't as special as they'd first thought. Each one of them was going to die anyway. Just like Kylie. Panic snatched at her heart and she tried to ignore the feeling. Opening her mouth, she wanted to ask a few questions, but in that moment Ace burst out of the house and was violently sick. Minnie hurried to her aid and Lucia frowned in sympathy. Clearly there was someone dead in the house. One of her brother's friends no doubt.

"I'll be fine, thank you."

She turned her attention back to Leo as he spoke up. His jaw looked a little swollen and he had winced. Before she could express further concern, he placed a hand on her shoulder. Although warmth filled her at the touch, she glanced towards Antonio in fear. It was nice to have some human contact, but if she knew one thing then it was his temper. Sure enough, he was glaring daggers towards them and had completely ignored Alexei's attempt to be friendly. Instead he roughly shoved the guy's hand away and kept his eyes on the pair. Gulping, she dragged her eyes back to Leo's. Shifting her position, she blocked Antonio from view, so he couldn't see her mouth move.

"Don't let him near me." Her tone was almost begging as she whispered to him desperately. She looked at him with wide-eyes. "I don't expect you to understand...And I know we just met, but he is...poison. He can't be here." Tears glistened in her eyes for a second, before she regained her composure, though she did self-conscious touch the scar on her cheek. Everything was just too much. Ellie's death. Antonio's appearance. Kylie's death. The prospect of death for them all. But she couldn't let any of it show.

"Just keep him-"

"Tienilo da quello che, belle?" Keep him what, beautiful? Antonio had come up behind Leo and his voice was soft. Lucia gulped, her eyes flickering to him. "Hai paura di me Lucia?" Are you afraid of me Lucia? Shaking her head, she refused to meet his eye, instead looking at Leo with a pleading look.

"Non guardare al tuo ragazzo. Come hai potuto farmi questo? Non mi ami? E ora si sta guardando con quegli occhi grandi ... penso che dobbiamo parlare." Do not look at your boyfriend. How could you do this to me? Do not you love me? And now you're looking at him with those big eyes ... I think we need to talk. Antonio kept his voice soft and polite, as though he were talking to a small animal and did not want to scare it. Quickly, he took her elbow and began to direct her towards the house.

"Thank you," Ace said quietly to Minnie. The other girl just nodded and helped her stand. Jake was still digging furiously. Minnie closed her eyes and bit back a wave of tears.

"Ace," Minnie started. She was going to ask who was inside, but she thought it best to wait for Ace to just say it. Minnie waled inside and saw the man on the ground and the woman against the counter. She was sad, but she couldn't let her emotions control her right now. She knelt down in the blood and lifted Tyler's face. She scooped him under the shoulders and pulled him onto her back. He was a lot bigger than her, but she could handle carrying him. His feet were still dragging on the ground, and her face was strained with his weight, but she managed to carry him outside. She gently laid him on the grass. "Jake, leave the shovel out. We are going to need it," he voice was flat. He gave her a small nod.

In the short amount of time he had been digging, Jake was able to make a pretty decent grave. It wasn't deep enough, and it was pretty uneven. He didn't care though. It was good enough. Kylie deserved the best, and that's what she always got. It wasn't a jab at her at all. Rather, Jake figured she'd want it this way. Going out in a way she never imagined. In the past few days, the girl had changed slightly. This was the new world. Jake set her body in the grave. The white sheet was stained red and was sticking to her face. Jake almost smiled seeing her chin protrude out slightly more than it should have. She always hated her chin; see saw it as he one and only physical flaw. Suddenly, Jake's face went pale. He closed his eyes and went over to his beat up car. He rummaged around for a while until he found her bag. He searched through it and pulled out a bead necklace. Kylie had kept it ever since she was a kid. He dropped the necklace into the grave and began piling the dirt on top of her.

"Don't let him near me. I don't expect you to understand...And I know we just met, but he is...poison. He can't be here." Lucia said to Leo as Antonio approached them. "Just keep him-" she began, but was cut off.

Antonio began speaking in Italian and Leo could only recognize a few words. Not near enough to understand at all what was trying to be conveyed however. He squinted at the tone of voice and the look Lucia had on her face. The moment Antonio took her at the elbow, Leo grabbed his arm and yanked him back, pulling him straight into Leo's oncoming fist. He might not have known what was going on, but he could easily recognize a girl who was afraid for her life. "Stay away from her," Leo said, pushing Antonio on the ground.

"Leo!" Minnie yelled, jogging over. "My God Antonio, are you okay?" Minnie asked, kneeling next to him. She had completely forgotten to return to the house to get the girl. She had been fascinated with Jake. His coping style was... different. She touched his eye where Leo had hit him. She helped him stand up and gave Leo a shocked look. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She shook her head and stalked off in the direction that Colt and Alexei had gone.


Minnie searched around for a bit and finally caught sight of the Russian. "Alexei!" she said, mis pronouncing his name terribly. She knew she had, but she didn't care cause she figured he would correct her. She crossed her arms and looked form him to Colt. "They've all gone mad. I don't know if it's what Colt told us or.. Kylie.. Or the bodies in the house. But.." she trailed off. She wasn't exactly sure why she was telling them this.


Leo was about to argue with Minnie, but she was already walking away. If looks could kill, Antonio might have been dead. "Just stay away from her," he said and put his hand at the small of Lucia's back, guiding her away from him, and towards Ace.

Jake ignored everyone, just kept burying Kylie.

Antonio had little time to react. One moment he was tugging Lucia away and the next that stupid brute had punched him straight in the face. Lucia gasped loudly, a frightened noise escaping her lips. His grip on her elbow slipped and he felt her pull away, to stand behind Liam...Leon...His name was something stupid anyway. Grasping his face, he shot a dark look at the pair. Lucia was making a point of not looking at him. Her face had paled somewhat and she kept shooting fervent glances at...that guy. He was just about to hit back when the dude pushed him roughly to the floor. Antonio fell, unable to put his hands out to stop himself. Landing heavily, he almost growled.

"Stay away from her."

"Leo! My God Antonio, are you okay?"

Antonio had been about to bounce back up and pummel (or attempt to) Leo to a pulp. But the voice of the sister...Mildred?...caused him to halt. Her shocked tone caused a flicker of an idea to form in his mind. Clearly she was not impressed. In fact, she looked pretty damn pissed off. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. Clutching his aching face, he turned his soft eyes on her instead, shaking his head slightly as she knelt beside him.

"I have no idea what came over your brother..." He whispered in a deep, injured voice, that rumbled like thunder. Lucia raised her eyes long enough to narrow them. She had heard that voice before. But he didn't look her way. Instead he kept his eyes locked onto Minnie as she lightly touched his eye where he had been hit. Flinching at her touch, he closed his eyes for a second. Lucia felt profoundly sick just watching the interact between the too. Turning her head away, she inched closer to Leo until her arm was practically pressed against his back.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" This was demanded from Minnie, who looked furiously at her brother. Lucia blanched again. It hadn't been her intention to cause a rift between the siblings and it was the last thing that she wanted. Especially over Antonio.

Minnie got back to her feet and rushed off again, as Antonio got up too, never removing his eyes from Leo's. The two stared daggers and he could feel the hatred almost rolling off of Leo. Good, it would make this more fun. Stealing Lucia back would be just the start of things to come. In his dark mind Leo wasn't coming out of this alive.

"Just stay away from her,"

The threat was clear. But Antonio didn't back down. The moment Leo began to guide Lucia away, placing his hand on her back, he stepped after them furiously before coming up short. Casting a quick glance towards where Minnie had run, he lowered his voice to a dangerous level:

"This isn't over." Without another word he stalked back to the truck and tugged out his bag.

Lucia hurried over to Ace, on Leo's guidance. "Are you okay Ace?" She asked, crouching besides the girl. Her whole body was shaking, from head to toe. A lump had lodged itself painfully in her throat and she felt sick, her stomach full of angry butterflies. Wringing her hands, she looked to Leo. "I cannot thank you enough. But if I know him...He means what he says. He has no...laws...no wrong word...No morals. He is awful. Keep him away from Minnie at all costs. And Ace, stay away from him...please."

"This isn't over." Antonio said. Leo scowled and stepped in front of Ace and Lucia. Antonio was bad news and Leo knew it. He just didn't know how to explain this to Minnie. She was so stubborn sometimes and she was already mad at him to begin with.

“Um...would anyone mind...looking through the rest of the house with me? I just don't really want to do it alone...” Ace asked hesitantly.

Leo looked at her and took a deep breath. "Of course. Lucia?" He asked, hoping she would go with them. Jake was a bit unstable right now, and clearly the girl didn't want to be with Antonio.

"You guys go ahead," Jake said, stabbing the shovel into the ground next to the two bodies. His face was still covered in blood, but it was wet again, and running down his face. He was sweating form the exertion of energy. Really, digging a grave took a lot of time, especially when the ground was solid from the cold. He figured it was the adrenaline. He sighed as he saw the two bodies. Bury them together That's what Ace had requested, and he would honor that. "Could you get me another sheet?" He called after Leo and the girls as they entered the house.

"Certainly," Leo agreed, assuming there would be more in the house. Of course it was up to Ace to find it.

Minnie scratched behind her ear and followed Alexei awkwardly like a lost puppy. He hadn't said anything to her. She wasn't sure if he even understood. He was heading back to the house though, so that was good. She had just tattle-tailed to an adult, about other adults. She closed her eyes and sighed. This was ridiculous. "Leo hit Antonio," she said quietly, jogging to catch up to him. She had shorter legs than him, and had a tough time keeping up with his brisk pace without jogging. As they made it back to the house, Jake as digging again and the others were no where to be seen.

"Your brother is in the house with the girls," Jake said shortly. Minnie nodded, and smiled at him. It was half hearted, and didn't reach her eyes, but it was enough to get a small nod from him. SHe knew he wasn't over what had happened, he wouldn't be for a while, but she was glad the initial shock was gone. He had scared her a little. Of course she couldn't say that. She couldn't be scared anymore. She had to prove to Leo she didn't need him to protect her. And she most certainly didn't want these people thinking she was weak. Specifically Colt and Jake. They were all military and she wanted to she them respect in any way. She considered not being a coward to be one of those ways. Even though Alexei wasn't from their country, he was clearly military, and he deserved the same respect as well.

"Antonio," Minnie said, jogging over to him. He was rummaging through his things. "I'm sorry for the way my brother acted, but you probably pissed him off. I think everyone's on edge here," she explained. The girl wasn't about to trust him; she hardly knew the guy, but that was no reason to assume the worst. Sure he was kind of lurking in the shadows and Lucia didn't seem that fond of him, but was he a killer? Minnie rolled her eyes at the thought. "I'd just leave him alone if I were you. I'll try and talk to him," she said. She felt awkward just standing there, so she reached out and touched his shoulder. Minnie once again gave an unconvincing smile, but it was all she could offer. She bit her lip and walked back over to Alexei. "From what I could tell, Antonio didn't do anything but try to talk to Lucia. He doesn't seem all that bad," she said. She wasn't sure why she was defending him, or why she was even still talking about it. She sighed and shivered. She finally realized just how cold it was outside.

She looked over to Jake, just in time to see him peel off his bloody, sweat soaked shirt and slap it on the pavement. She watched as he broke apart the solid earth. A faint yell tore her eyes away from him and towards the yard "What the hell?" she asked, squinting and taking a few steps towards where she and Alexei had come from. "Where's Colt?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound too concerned, but also not heartless. She couldn't' be attached to these people, but she needed to seem human enough to be cared about in return.


"Lucia, I don't know what you've been through, but I assume Antonio has hurt you in... unimaginable ways," Leo said as they walked through the house. "I don't want my sister being near him if this is the case. Since she seems upset with me, maybe you could convince her," Leo said. He sighed and searched the kitchen for a towel and cleaner to clean up the floor and counter. "Ace," he said, scrubbing the floor. "Who were they?" He wanted to know, but he hoped to God it wasn't her brother.