Natalie Williams's Story

Lilith merely raised an eyebrow as Darcy inspected her, she'd had a friend once who did that, except she then proceeded to force Lilith to try on ridiculous clothes that she'd never wear in reality. Yeah, that friend had been more like an annoying but totally awesome older sister, she lived in another town so she was probably ok, they didn't talk much anyway. Shrugging as Darcy walked off Lilith headed in the direction she'd been pointed in, she didn't see why it was important to dress nice in the apocalypse but she was fairly certain the clothes her going to get ruined either way so, not her problem.
Jake found her, having been wandering the house or something, and began padding along beside her. Finding the room she dumped her duffle bag on the floor and placed her sword on top of the dresser, then she stared into the cupboard. This was insane, why did one person need so many clothes? Fortunately she quickly found an open draw of more casual clothes. She'd just started shifting through them when Jake gave a very quiet bark. Turning Lilith found the girl from the gas station sleeping on the large bed. She shrugged.
"It's ok," she assured Jake, "She's a friend. Got to make sure not to wake her up."
She continued searching through the clothes until she found a figure gripping blue tank top and a pair of jeans that she could still easily move in. She kept her boot though, because she blatantly refused to touch anything with that much heel, even on a normal day. She started shoving her own clothes back into her bag, shifting around some of the spare swords. This done and no longer needing to do anything she simply began to shift through Darcy's jackets. She might keep a few of these, if Darcy was ok with it.

Natalie rolled onto her back and stretched her arms above her head, curling her toes, before settling back into the soft bed contently. The blankets were twisted funny and she remembered drawing on the balcony. She sat up and looked around the room, her notebook sat on the end of the bed.
Untangling herself from the bedding she crawled across to it. The sketch it was opened to was not her own, instead it was of her. It was very good, practiced lines, strong shadows and soft highlights; her face was relaxed with sleep and her hair was a mess of curls across the pillows.
She thought of the small list of people around who had the strength and the inclination to bother carrying her to bed. It was quite small list. She thought of Jin’s original weapon of choice, the artist knife, and looked at the sketch again and smiled.
Natalie had slept a while and couldn’t back to sleep now. So she slipped from bed, pulled on her jeans and coiled her hair loosely against the back of her neck, pinning in place with a pencil, before heading down stairs.
There were sounds of people moving about but other than that the house was pretty quiet. She found herself in the kitchen and realised that breakfast sounded good, no matter what hour it was. Natalie always started her day with breakfast.

Natalie had flour on her face, and a little on the kitchen bench but most of it had made it into the pancake batter. She hummed and bounced as she turned a pancake out of the pan and onto a plate, then poured more batter into the pan. The infected ran wild in the street and she was making pancakes.

Leon lay in bed for a few hours, he was always so talkative but he had his moments when he was so quiet and wanted to be left alone. He had his necklace in hand and was staring at it, the sunlight in his abnormally lime green eyes making him blink. He sat up and groaned he walked downstairs, everyone seeming to be pairing up made him laugh on the inside. He wasn't always the one to be pairing up but he did feel lonely at times. He just shrugged it off, he had many girlfriends before a zombie appocolypse surely wouldn't lower his chances.. right? He hummed fixing his tie and spiking his hair up a little with water. He had slept with a tie on, swell must've been the thing that was choking him in his sleep. Dreams made everything seems so real and when the zombie came up to him and starting choking him he didn't know what to think.

He dawdled downstairs feeling heavy with every step, he jumped over the railing and landed on his feet dusting off dirt with his hands, his sleeves rolled up. Leon always had to make an entrance it was just his way, not that anyone would've paid attention to him. Well he didn't think they did. What the Hell. That smell. Leon followed his senses to the kitchen where he saw Natalie, making pancakes. Pancakes? While the infected ran upon us outside she was making motherfucking pancakes? Oh well, at least she was enjoying her time while it lasted. He leaned against the kitchen wall, he felt as if he had a hangover yet he didn't even drink last night. He slicked his hair back.

"Umm, Hi" He said with an awkward smile.

"Umm, Hi"
Natalie abruptly stopped singing under her breath and turned. "Oh hey," she smiled at the guy leaning against the kitchen wall. "Bike guy!"
She lowered the heat on the stove and brandished the spatula. "Pancakes," she put three on a plate and placed them on the counter closest to him. "Syrup," she raised the bottle, which had some of the golden liquid dripping down the side. She put it on the counter next to the plate while she licked the fingers of one hand and pointed at the fridge with the other. "Anything else you might want you’ll probably find in there.” She turned her back to attend to the pancake currently cooking.
“I don’t know what everyone plans to do. I don’t know how long we’re going to stay here. I also don’t know if this is the last time we’ll be safe for a while, the last time we’ll have access to these sorts of luxuries. Beds, food, hot water. We should all enjoy it while it lasts.”
Her happy mood felt somewhat deflated as she fulfilled the urge to explain her flippancy. She sighed and started humming again.

"Bike Guy!" Natalie had called him making Leon chuckle.
"Its Leon." He said smiling as she placed pancakes on the counter closest to him and slid syrup next to it.
"Thanks." He smiled simply poured the syrup on the pancakes making it ooze to the side of the plate. Natalie went back to cooking the pancakes and started talking about how he should value the time we get to spend here. He kind of did, it made him feel like he was at his old place except it didn't nearly have as much cool things as his house did. I mean no Harry Potter books? Wizard Chess? Nothing.
"Muggles." He mutter under his breath as he thought of all the Harry Potter things he had at home.

"So, Jin eh? He's some cool dude." He said trying to sound as American as possible when he said 'dude.'
A wide smirk growing on his face, he always knew who liked who. There was no secrets between him and these guys seemed like a cute couple unlike Darcy and Marcus I mean they were so old. Yuck, It was like watching his dad date an older sister while these two were just like his best friends who were a coupld in England.

His name was Leon. "I'm Natalie," she said as he thanked her for the pancakes. She heard the mention of 'muggles' and smiled, a fellow fan. When he spoke next she was glad she still had her back turned.
"So, Jin eh? He's some cool dude."
Natalie eyes widened slightly and she bit her lip with a grin. "Yeah, he's pretty cool," she replied casually. “I mean, I only just met him but he seems nice.” Yeah just nice, that’s why she was blushing right now.
Regaining control of her face she turned off the stove and joined him at the counter. She’d used up the batter and there was a large pile of pancakes for whoever wanted them. She took some for herself. “So ah… England? You’re a long way from home,” she commented offhandedly before putting some syrup-covered food in her mouth. His play American accent was almost as funny as hers which always seemed to end up sounding exaggeratedly southern when she tried, although she suppose her own accent probably wasn’t a strong as it had been some years ago. Still, her change of subject was rather transparent and she wasn’t sure it would work.

Natalie turned around and grabbed some pancakes sitting down and putting some syrup on hers.
"So ah... England? You're a long way from home," she said changing the subject.
"Yes, yes very far... So where do you think Jin's from eh, which asian country." Leon said changing the subject back determind to be the 'love doctor' of the house.
"Wait just a second." Leon ran upstairs and came back down fast as lightning with Natalie still in the kitchen thankfully he had a guitar in hand and started playing romantic music, he nodded as if saying continue. He almost died holding his laughter, he was so thankful that Darcy's brother was in a rockstar phase so that he could have the oppurtunity just to do this to people. He was smirking so bad and he felt as if Natalie wouldn't even look up from her plate of pancakes

Leon pretty much ignored the question and continued with his previous line of inquiry. Before she could answer he'd disappeared only to return with his guitar and her own personal romance soundtrack. She was sure her face reddened.
"Mr Leon! I am sure I have no idea what your implying but I suspect it's scandalous and unfounded," she teased defensively in return, putting on a posh English accent and posing a hand at her heart in mock surprise.

Leon laughed at her pretty well English accent and mock surprise.
"Oh Miss Natalie, do extend your vocabulary because us brits always use such large words when speaking." He said poking his tongue out.
"So again, I don't think you answered my question, Come on I know you guys.. I saw yous last night while I was.." He hestitated about bringing up his necklace and looked down at it. "In my room." He continued once he had the little moment and he shoved down some pancakes.

Natalie swallowed another mouthful of pancakes before answering. "Well, I don't know what you saw because I was asleep, not spying. Yes, he's fun to hang out with and seems great, but honestly, there's nothing going on." I think. Yet. I don't know! she stabbed at the last of her pancakes viciously. It was chaos outside and here she was getting flustered about some guy.
"Anyway, I thought only girls who were supposed to twist your arm into talking about your feelings and hot guys." She rose from the counter and took her plate to the sink. When she looked back her defensive blushes had been replaced by a wicked smirk, "And don't tell me you wouldn't be eyeing Darcy if you weren't afraid of Marcus."

Natalie had gotten a little vicious he was almost getting a little freaked out as she stabbed the last of her pancakes, it did make him laugh a little though. To be honest he thought Darcy was good looking but she was like what? 30 something, way too old for him. Plus he thought all the women in the house at the moment were all way too attractive to compare them to each other, it just wasn't fair.
"No no, She's way to L.A for me plus she knows nothing of Harry Potter so I just can't handle that." He joked, smiling.

Way to L.A? Was that even a word? He didn't care though, her smirk was so wicked when she had teased him, it was kind of cute though. Marcus was scary but he had promised Marcus he would look after her for him and that was one of the reasons she was still alive, why he would risk his life for her. Because if he didn't die saving her it would be from the hand of Marcus. The woman with the dog was interesting and the other girl but he knew nothing about them.
"The only reason you'd bring up other woman is because its probably true and don't flush red either." Leon laughed poking his tongue out.

Lilith watched as the girl wandered from the room, completely oblivious to herself and Jake. Shrugging Lilith picked out a cropped leather jacket, she tucked some gloves into her pocket as well. She had a fondness for leather, she assumed it had something to do with her love for motorbikes and such. She pulled her duffle bag onto her shoulder and leant her sword on her other shoulder, heading towards the smell of food.
She came in to see the cool guy who'd had the swords and the bike, and at one point had been going to come with them but then didn't-she really needed to learn their names-and the girl who'd been in the bedroom. They were talking happily and the guy had a guitar. She didn't particularly want to interrupt, but she was kind of hungry. Slipping quietly into the kitchen she dumped her duffle bag and put her sword on the bench opposite the island.
This done she pulled open the fridge and found a pudding. It was an apocalypse, as Darcy had so benignly put it, she could eat whatever she wanted. She quickly found a spoon and opened the pudding, jumping onto the bench so that she could see both the others but wasn't in the way. Jake merely padded around the kitchen, sniffing at anything and everything.

Natalie poked her tongue back at him and laughed. He was cheeky and perceptive. She could be cheeky too. She leant forward across the counter with sultry eyes, "I will like who I like, and flirt with whomever I want.” She smirked at his reaction.
Lilith walked in with her dog in tow and Natalie pushed off the counter. Wouldn’t want to start any more rumours now. Speaking of which…
“Hey Lilz, do you like Harry Potter? You and Leon here should have a nice long conversation about it if you do. Oh, and look! A sword. You two have so much in common. I just give you two some space.” She swaggered past a baffled looking Lilith who held a spoonful of pudding frozen in mid-motion to her mouth; Natalie turned behind the other girls back to curtsy at Leon and stick out her tongue before skipping out of the kitchen.
Natalie contained her giggles until she was out of earshot. Poor Lilith, being put on the spot like that. She seemed pretty cool so Natalie expected the girl would at least know of Harry Potter if she hadn’t read and reread the book like herself. At least it would keep Leon distracted for a little while. He seemed like a nice guy.
She hummed as she sauntered through the wooden panelled halls.

"Uhgn..." Matthew woke up and felt the surface he was on. A couch? He looked around and saw he was in the mansion. He sniffed the air and smelled... pancakes? He jumped up off the couch and looked at his shoulder. A huge bandage was all over it, stained with blood. Matthew walked to where the smell was coming from. People stood around a table, just talking and eating pancakes. "Uh, hi. Can I have some pancakes? Haven't had food in days. The smell is killing me."

Lilith just blinked as she was suddenly spoken to, and asked about Harry Potter of all things. Actually, suddenly think about it made her sad. All her books, gone. That wasn't fair! She shoved her spoon in her mouth grumpily at the thought. Stupid zombie people. Then she closed her eyes and smacked her head against the wall behind her, thinking of Jake. That wasn't fair, it was a disease, a disease that'd forced her to kill her best friend, but still just a disease. Sighing she opened her eyes and poked at her pudding.
Another guy walked in and asked for pancakes. Lilith hadn't even thought about it, though the smell was amazing. Still, she was mildly annoyed as the other girl, particularly calling her ‘Lilz’. That was a stupid name, plus the only person who'd ever actually called her by a nickname was Jake, but then it had always been Lil, though he did call her Lily once her twice when he was messing with her.
"Yeah, help yourself," she offered the new guy, she didn't recognise him. Oh well. He was alive so who's, how's and why's probably didn't matter so much. She helped herself to some pancakes, now partly determined to make them disappear before the other girl came back. Yeah, it was a weak revenge but she was hungry.

The sound was almost inaudible to ears that had never heard it before. But Darcy had. The back door had been unlocked, opened and then closed.

Slipping out of her parents bedroom Darcy tiptoed down the stairs making sure to avoid all the floorboards that she knew squeaked. God! She hoped it wasn't another survivor, her house was filled to full capacity as it was.

A voice resonated from the dinning room . . . a familiar voice . . . It couldn't be! Darcy almost burst into the room with utter relief. She could cry . . .Again. But something made her stop.

Peaking around the corner of the half opened door Darcy first saw something strange on the dinning table nearest her. What was that? It looked like some sort of test tube vials containing some dark red liquid with stoppers on top, in three racks each rack having six vials and there. . . there he was. Joshua. Something stopped her from entering the room outright. Josh stood by the ostentatious fire place with his back to her. He looked different, bigger and taller and bulkier . . . and he was talking on the phone.

Darcy listen quietly, half hidden behind the door.

“Yes, the $300 million is in my account . . . Yes, I've received the paralyzing injection vials too. They better work!” Darcy heard her brother say.

"$300 million . . . Paralyzing injections?" Darcy whispered to herself, looking at the liquid vials on the table as her stomach churned and heart thrummed with the cold realisation.

Oh God! She had been right.

Could those vials possible stop the zombie-fication? She thought of Liliths bandaged arm and her pallid complexion and that scrawny blonde boy bleeding all over the sofa. Could they be saved? Neither of them deserved the fate of those infected out there . . . The zombies didn't deserve to be what they were, it wasn't a choice. Someone else had made that decision. Moving silently closer to the vials, Darcy silently picked up three and quietly and safely hid them on a dinning table chair and listened heartbroken.

"If anything should happen to me, like I turn into one of those things out there," Darcy heard her brother spit down the strange phone. "Or the money disappears from my account suddenly before I reach the evacuation point then I have means set up to make those files go global and the truth exposed." Joshua threatened down the line.

"Yes, I have the files and the hard drives in a safe place . . . for now." He continued as he turned around and threw down a brown file on the dark oak dinning table . . . And then stopped suddenly.

Darcy stood next to the vials, she looked up to her surprised brother.

"I'll call you back." He said quickly into the phone and then cut the line. "Darc-" Joshua said almost happily as he took a step forward and then stopped as Darcy took a reactionary step back.

Who was this man? Thought Darcy in distress. This wasn't the brother she had grown up with.

"Darcy!" He shouted angrily. "I thought I told you not to leave the house?"

"How could you?" Darcy hissed angrily back. "How could you do it Joshua?"

"How could I do what?" He replied calmly all of a sudden.

"It was you." Darcy accused in disbelieve even as she had heard the evidence with her own ears. "For money?!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face. "For money you damned all these people! . . . Daddy, too?"

"He was as much a part of it as was I." Joshua shrugged unconcerned. "Collateral damage. He wasn't suppose to get infected but he did and the Paralyzing injection hadn't arrived yet. I couldn't do anything about that Darc." He said calmly as he stepped forward a step.

"Don't!" Darcy said firmly. "Don't come any closer . . . You, you didn't have enough finances to last a lifetime that you had to do this?"

"Oh don't get all high and mighty with me Dracinda. You spend money like its water and talk about having enough money. Between you and mother it's a damn surprise we have anything left."

"You're blaming me?!" Darcy spat bitterly. "You have money everywhere, the stocks, the mines . . ."

"Well, as far as business and the mines in the state go, it's all going to be blown up. Kaboom! There'll be nothing left."

Darcy looked at him in horror. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" Joshua questioned back, pointing to himself with two hands with a cruel smile lining his lips. "Who are you Dracinda? Come, you're standing up for these people?" He said pointing at their audience, Darcy had been to furious to notice.

She looked their way quickly and back, tears staining her red cheeks.

"Let's not pretend you wouldn't sell these people down the river for less then what I received for it."

"They-" She tried "The people of this town didn't deserve this!"

No, no one deserved this.

"Old people, family . . . Friends. Children, Joshua!" Darcy pleaded as she moved closer to the vials.

She nudged the corner of the rack with her fingers.

"Now, Darcy." Joshua said, a sudden quiver to his voice. "Don't do anything dramatic as you're used to doing when you don't get your way."

Darcy looked up, fixing her smokey grey eyes on her brothers cold grey ones as she picked up the the racks of vials, with three missing. Joshua hadn't noticed that.

She held the racks in her numb shaking hands. She felt cold and numb all over. She'd prayed harder then she ever had for this not to be true . . . but it was . . . What should she do? Darcy was torn. Her world collapsing around her.

"Give me those vials Dracinda." Joshua said with a calm urgency. "Would you let your own brother die . . . For these people? Do you want me to become one of those creatures out there Darcy?"

Darcy stood there stark still, shivering . . . "No . . ." She said finally her voice shaking as she took a step towards him.

There was no going back now . . . The protest of the others deaf to her ears.

Darcy stopped in front of her brother. He smiled twistedly at her. "You saved me Darc."

Darcy looked at him through red rimmed eyes as she shook her head. "Not even God can save you Joshua." She spat back at him and then with out a second thought threw the rack of vials into the large, dark fire place.

Every single vial smashed and the liquid was no more then a stain in the black char.

"Noooo! . . . You stupid bitch! Do you know what you've done?" Joshua screamed as he back handed her across the face.

Darcy went flying across the room, hitting a large cupboard.

Stunned, disorientated, feeling like she had just been smacked by a brick wall, she touched the corner of her mouth, it was bleeding and all Darcy could think was that that was not normal . . . He was changing . . . Into one of them.

“Hey Lilz, do you like Harry Potter? You and Leon here should have a nice long conversation about it if you do. Oh, and look! A sword. You two have so much in common. I just give you two some space.” Natalie had spoken.
She then walked out with a smug look and did a little curtsy to Leon. Leon bit his lip and shook his head as if saying 'I'm going to kill you!'. He looked at Lilith who clearly had no idea what she was doing or what the hell just happened, spoon in hand, pudding in mouth. She was basically frozen.
"So uuhh, do yo-" Leon had begun saying when a big crash came from upstairs, he looked up at the ceiling curiously and when he looked down Lilith was gone. Out of there faster than you could say the word 'Muggle'. So much for talking and getting to know each other. He was still shaking his head from when Natalie was in the room. He just sat there and continued eating the pancakes. He thought it was best not to get invovled and also that everyone else would've probably go up to check on them.

Richard busted into the dinning room.

"Well, well, Joshua Morgan. The agency thought you'd be out of the state by now." Richard said as he raised his rifle to Joshua who had a crazed look in his eye.

"Freelancer? What the hell are you doing here?" Joshua questioned "Shouldn't you be busy being the Agencies lap dog?"

Freelancer? Agency? Darcy looked on confused. Did Richard know her brother?

"I was, but there were...complications." Richard said as he shifted his eyes to Darcy for a split second "You're a wanted man Joshua, you can't threaten people like the Director. Are you okay Darcy?"

And who was this Director?

Darcy looked Richard's way about to answer his question when her brother intervened.

"Darcy is it, Freelancer?" Joshua said eyeing Marcus with a raised brow, before Darcy could reply.

He grabbed a hanker of Darcy's hair in his fist and pulled.

"Argh!" Darcy tried not to scream out loud as she tried to make him let go.

"She's not as innocent as she looks Freelancer. Be forewarned." Joshua laughed insanely. "Are you Dracinda . . . hmm?"

"Did you think just because you are my spoilt little bitch of a sister that I'd let you just throw away my chance at survival and that I'd let you go?" He spat seething, pulling her hair tighter.

Darcy refused to cry out at the pain. Instead she smiled back bitterly "Argh! Why Josh? Are you afraid of joining those whose lives you've stolen?"

"Shut up! You fucking brat!" He spat back angrily, his face turning red, body shaking with fury.

Darcy was frightened, she'd never dealt with her brother like this. He was loosing his mind.

Everything had happened so fast. One minute she had been dragged around by her hair while shots were fired in every which direction and the next she was on the floor and Richard was telling her not to leave the room while he chased after her brother.

Not listening or caring she followed them out to the back door. Joshua had got away. Oh, thank God! Sighed Darcy and then instantaneously felt ashamed. How could she possibly still care about her brother after everything he had done? But she did . . . and she couldn’t help that.

Darcy found Richard cursing to himself. When he turned around and saw her he said something about her brother but she no longer cared as she stared at him in utter shock. It felt like she had been the one to get shot as her stomach churned and her body was racked with shudders.

Oh God, No!

“What’s wrong?” Richard asked and all Darcy could manage was to point at his wound.

His eyes followed the direction of her hands to his wounded abdomen. He looked back at her grinning and said “Huh . . . Doesn’t that suck?” and then collapsed face first into the ground.

“No!” Darcy screamed as she fell to her knees at his side and flipped him over. He was bleeding uncontrollably.

What was she going to do? Darcy thought in blind panic and then quickly tampered it down. Okay, calm down and think. You can do this. Yes, she could. Turning off all her feelings of emotion she went into rational mode.

Darcy examined the wounds. Two. Two bullets and thank God they weren't embedded that deep. She looked around and noticed the others for the first time and ordered them to carry Richard in as carefully as possible and upstairs into a bedroom.

Lilith still stood by the door as Darcy got to her feet.

“Lilith,” Darcy said in a more firmer voice then she felt capable of producing at that time “I need you to listen carefully, okay?”

Lilith nodded in agreement.

“I need you to get these things as quickly as possible and bring them up stairs to me: bandages, lots of towels, a knife and the bottle of Whiskey from the counter.”

While Lilith went to retrieve the items listed, Darcy hurried back into the dining room and collected the file and the vials. They were of utter importance and headed up stairs. Yes, she could do this Darcy told herself more firmly. She’d seen ‘accidental’ wounds like these treated whilst loathed out hunting with her father and brother. Where civilization was too far away or cell phone range was out of reach.

Lilith arrived just as Darcy had reached the room with all that she had asked for.

“Good Girl. Okay Lilith,” Darcy said calmly “Now I need you to go back and get two more knives but this time I want you to heat them on the stove getting them as hot as you can and bring them back up to me quickly.”

The girl was off like lighting.

Now came the hard part. Not allowing herself to think Darcy just acted, wiping the wounds clean first with a towel and a hell of a lot of Whiskey and then went onto remove the bullets with the knife. They weren’t so deep so it wasn’t too difficult. Wiping the wound clean again with the alcohol.

How could this have happened? Her world was falling apart around her and she couldn’t do anything! Darcy thought in despair as she stroked the side of Richards face with the back of her hand and looked up, tears threatening to spill from the barriers of her eyes as Lilith arrived with the scorching hot knives.

It was a good thing he was unconscious, contemplated Darcy because otherwise the next part would hurt like a mother.
Without any preambles Darcy effectively seared both wounds closed with the heated knives.

It was done. All that was left to do was to wrap his abdomen up with the bandage. Lilith helped as they both did it in silence. Then left and it was just her and Richard.

She had been running on adrenaline until now, and now collapsed on a chair next to Richards bed side. She wanted to cry but was too tired and shook up to do anything but sit there and watch. Numb to the core.

His forehead was covered in sweat. Darcy pushed his slicking hair back from his forehead with a gentle hand. Panic bubbled through her again at the realization that he was burning up and feverish. Quickly she covered him in as many blankets as possible and then got a bowl full of ice water and a cotton comfort and continuously applied it to his head for hours. . . till she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

Natalie's first thought at the sound of raised voices was that Darcy and Marcus were having another lover's spat; she ignored it and continued her exploration of the mansion. As the voices got louder, however, she realised that the male’s voice was unfamiliar. Growing suspicious she turned in the hallway and made her way back to the living room where she’d left her crowbar. There was a crash and Natalie picked up the pace; Lilith raced passed in the opposite direction heading towards the noise. Where was everybody else? Jin, Leon, Red?
When the gunfire started Natalie had her crowbar in hand and was sprinting too, not that she had any idea what she was going to do with a crowbar in a gunfight… then the phone rang. It was such a foreign sound in the chaos of this environment that she pulled up short and stared at the receiver on the wall. It rung again jolting her from her stupor, she ignored it and continued to the dining room. Glass and other debris littered the floor. Darcy and some of the others were moving Marcus's motionless body. Natalie joined the others in their efforts to help.

Some time later, in an upstairs bedroom, Natalie took the bowl of now lukewarm water and cotton comfort from the hands of an exhausted and unconscious Darcy. She found a spare blanket for the girl sleeping in the bedside chair. Marcus’s fever had broken and his breathing was more evenly, hopefully any danger had passed. She wasn’t a doctor though, and there was always a chance of infection if misfortune continued to play company to the soldier.
“What happened?’ Natalie finally asked to anyone that remained.

There was some noise elsewhere in the house but Natalie put it down to the others getting up to trouble of their own though hopefully less life-threatening. She sat down on the floor and leant agains back against a cabinet with her crowbar rested on her knee, she watched over the unconscious couple. Pancakes seemed a long way away.