Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

The zombie-man hadn't really expected much of a response, so he was surprised when Quint suddenly sent a slew of thoughts and images.

He had gotten Quint's message loud and clear. One might ask why he trusted Quint, seeing as the man could have simply been tricking them or trying to lead them to his cell so he could break free, but he felt a deep sincerity in Quint's words and actions. He could feel how the man mourned their- no, her ability to escape. It only made him more appreciative of his willingness to help them get out before they were found out.

The mental description of their escape route was particularly helpful, Robert taking note of every detail he could remember from the images he was sent. When he thought he had it all, he sent a message back to Quint of, "God bless you for helping, I will tell him when he wakes up." He poured all his feelings of gratitude into that message, knowing that Quint hadn't even had to get involved.

"Tommy, we're on our way up. Meet us at the back?... Tommy? You there?"

Looking at Zac nervously, Genevieve's face turned into an expression of worry, her heart starting to race. It seemed like the plan was falling through a bit, and Tommy was quite possibly in danger. She swallowed hard as Zac lifted his rifle in preparation, the woman clicking the safety off of her pistol and holding it up as well.

Though they probably hadn't noticed, Robert had seemed to freeze for a moment or two, his eyes looking as though he was spacing out a bit before he suddenly spoke urgently, "stop the elevator! We need to go down. Quint says that there's another way out and that we won't be able to get out the way we came in. They're coming and they'll have all the exits covered. Trust me." Not waiting for Zac to respond, he reached out and pushed the stop button on the elevator, instead pushing the button for them to go down to the button that said "lab."

The elevator started moving downward, and his wife looked at him with surprise. "Are you sure? How did you-"

Robert shook his head, "Quint, the one Sabastian mentioned. He's also a zombie and he knows the layout of this place. He told me of a side-passage we can use to escape, but we have to be very quick."

He thought for a minute, running the images through his head. The impression he got was that the army would be hot on their heels, so it was going to be close. Still... he thought he had seen cages in the image sent. Perhaps there were animals in the lab he could release to create a distraction.

Closing his eyes, he reached back out to Quint, sending him what would almost seem like a movie clip. It showed the doors of the cages all opening and animals jumping out to cause chaos. "Is there a button that releases all the cages?"

 

[Drobabes]

Quint saw the images run through his head, and he waited for the question before he tried to answer back. Closing his eyes again, he concentrated on a memory of Jonathon walking up to the cages, and opening a padlock with a key. They were old fashion, the cages, but at least with the locks they were simple, small locks, like one might find on a bike, instead of something huge and heavy.

"You'll have to break them, maybe use all of your appendages and hands to get it done faster?"

He concentrated again, sending Robert the memory of walking through the lab, so that he could see what animals were in each row. The man would have to pick and choose which ones he wanted to release, as he was sure he wouldn't have time to let them all out. Of course...there was no doubt that some of those animals would be killed in the process, but, considering that more than a few times Quint had felt the animals wishing for release of death, he honestly thought this might be a better fate. At least this way, they would have a chance.
________

Zac had looked back at Robert with shock and confusion, not understanding what the hell the guy was going on about.

"What the fuck man?! We can't just-"

He was interrupted along with Genevieve, however, and once they were on their way down, there was really nothing more that could be done. They had wasted enough time already.

"Fuck, I hope you know what you're doing..."
________

Tommy was laying on the ground, his vision being of the carpet below Kuznet's desk, and those black boots as the officer walked around it, almost taking his time.

"Jonathon, I think it's time we rounded up the cattle. A few have broken through the fence."

He heard the radio click, but he was much too focused on himself to pay attention to the reply. He needed to get up, fuck, he needed to get the hell up and get ready.

After Kuznet had caught him, having seen through the camera's screen what Tommy had really been up to behind his desk, the young soldier had tried to raise his gun and shoot. However, that giant mountain of flesh moved so fast that Tommy hadn't even been able to get off a single shot before the camera hit him scare in the face. It hit him so hard that he had heard the distinct crunch and crack of his nose breaking before he felt the pain of it, and his head had been whipped backwards to hit the frame of the door, making his vision go white for a few seconds. Now he was laying in a puddle of his own blood, dizzy and disorientated, and if he didn't get his gun...

"Have you not learned your lesson yet?"

Kuznet's boot came down hard on his hand, a fresh crack and crunch being heard as the young soldier screamed out in agony. His scream didn't last long before that same boot pulled back, then came sailing through the air to land right in the middle of his side.

The air left his body in a whoosh!, and he his back hit the door hard before he slumped back down to the ground. He tried to pull a breath back in, but the pain of that single, life-giving action was so intense, that he almost passed out right there on the spot. He wished he had.

With a cold hand laying itself around his neck, Tommy found his whole body being jerked up so that he could meet the General's gaze, and for the first time, he knew true terror.

"I liked you, Tommy. You were going to be my little soldier. My new blood. Oh well... If I ever see that little girlfriend of yours again, I will be sure to show her just how much you cared."

No...Jesse...

Lord in Heaven, I know I don't pray enough, but please keep her sa-

...

The General walked out of his office smiling, carrying a large black bag over his shoulders. It hadn't taken him long at all to clean up the mess, and now he just had to take out the trash. Niles was already on his way to the elevators, and once he was done, Kuznet was very much looking forward to seeing who else was going to join his young, naive little soldier in the pit.

So confident in himself was he, that he didn't even think to look in the shadows of the cesspit. He simply dumped what remained of the body once known as Tommy Grater, and then he was on his way once more.

What was lurking in that stinking, filthy hole, however, did not move. He did not even dare to breath until he could no longer hear the crunch of bootsteps across the gravel. And even then, he hesitated. Waited...just a moment longer...

Kyle pushed the body off of himself and gasped in a lungful of air. It was rich and thick with the rank decay of the corpses, but for the moment, he was much too overcome with his fear to let it flip his stomach. Climbing over the pile quickly, he reached the bag and unzipped it, finding a bloody, pulpy mess that he barely recognized as his friend.

"You fucking idiot!" he hissed quietly, before he reached down to check for a pulse. It was there, but by god, just barely.

"You stupid fucking wanker..." he grunted, grabbing the body bag and beginning to drag him out from where he himself had come in. His shirt collar was beginning to become wet, not with sweat but with tears.

"I told, damnit I told you! How are you supposed to protect everyone if you're fucking dead you stupid bastard?!"

 

[Poprockz]

Satisfied with the answer he had received, he prepared himself to do what needed to be done.

"I do." Robert answered Zac simply. His voice wasn't arrogant or cocky, merely a determined tone that reflected how strong his faith was that Quint's help would guide them out of trouble. By his calculations, if someone was coming down to get them via elevator (which they likely were at this point, they had just as long as it would take the elevator to go up and then come back down.

When they reached the lab, Robert pointed to the hallway immediately to their right. "We need to go that way until we reach another elevator, but I'm going to release some of the animals to give us more time."

Thinking quickly on her feet, Genevieve put her foot out to keep the doors from closing and pushed every single button on the elevator panel. With no one inside to push the "stop" button, it would buy them a bit more time before reinforcements boarded. With that, she exited the elevator and started to sprint down the hall. She knew her own limitations, and she knew she was slow. Getting a head start would be beneficial for them all and she could call the elevator to them if she happened to get there first.

Robert sprinted over to the cages, Sabastian still slung over his shoulder. He was only going to get one quick shot at this, so he wanted to make it count. Using all four of his appendages and his free hand, he lined them up with the locks and ran, knocking off as many locks as he could. They popped off easily with his strength, the animals cowering back in their cages. Sliding to a stop, he ran back, knocking of more that he had missed on the first pass. It was all he could do for now, but it would have to be enough.

With that done, he wasted no time sprinting down the hallway to catch up with Genevieve. Behind him, some of the cage doors had bounced open, while others were slightly ajar. Some of the animals burst out of their cages while others were a bit more cautious. Still, he had let out a fair few and soon the lab was filled with different sized animals running around.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Sayori had been sleeping soundly until she heard a beep from the direction of the door. Groggily, she looked over but didn't see anything changed in the very dim light of the room. While Quint's room was pitch black, the "sun lamp" changed at night to emit a very slight glow. She was just about to go back to sleep when she heard a slamming sound along with what sounded like a rain of metal objects a bit further away but louder. Had something happened?

Pulling back the covers, she picked up a blanket and wrapped it around herself, the room having gotten a bit cooler as it did during the night. With that, she carefully got up as her hips and insides were still sore from her "play date" with Kuznet. Limping slightly, she made her way to the door and hesitantly reached out before she heard something scratching at the metal. She didn't know what it was, but it was likely one of the animals out there (though she didn't know why it was roaming around freely). Sayori reached out slowly, grabbing the handle to the door and turning it. Unfortunately, it was still locked.

Although come to think of it, she had no confidence that even if it had been open and she tried to run that she would make it very far, and she didn't even know if there was a way out other than the elevator (which would get her caught again quickly). Pressing her ear to the door, she could hear a lot of animals out there, and again she wondered what in the world was going on. It was bewildering, and she hoped that there wasn't an emergency or something. Not that she would mourn any of the officers except for Francisco, but she definitely worried about Quint and Sabastian.

 

[Drobabes]

Seeing as Robert seemed capable of handling himself, Zac merely stuck with Genevieve as she initiated her own plan, smiling wickedly as she hit all the buttons. Once she started running, he took off with her, though he hung back behind her to watch her back.

Once at the elevators, Zac noticed just how many animals Robert had managed to set free. Many of them were now freely running through the lab, seemingly scared and not knowing which way to go. Two of them however, a couple of dogs that looked to be Labrador mixes, ran up to the both of them and pushed themselves between their legs, shivering and shaking and seeking comfort in the only things they clearly understood-human warmth.

A gunshot in the distance, echoing throughout the halls of the lab, combined with the distinct cries and screams of an injured animal had Zac jumping and turning back to the elevator, his hand slamming down on the button over and over.

"Come on, come on!"

Finally it opened, and along with Genevieve, Robert, Sabastian and the two dogs, they all piled in together and headed up.
________

Sayori would be able to hear that gunshot right outside her door, and in the next moment, the lock would turn and the huge metal frame would sing inward to reveal Jonathon, holding a bright LED torch. He stepped inside quickly, shutting the door behind him. Holstering his weapon first, he sat the torch down on the ground and then stepped up to her quickly, ignoring her as he pulled out a syringe and proceeded to inject something straight into the muscle of her arm. Something that burned fiercely before turning to a dull ache deep in the tissue.

"Come on" he said, anger in his tone as he began to drag her out of the room.
________

"Ray" Niles radioed in, a scowl set on his face as he stood before the elevator.

"They're down below, but I don't know how far. One of the little bastards must have hit all the buttons to make the elevator keep moving. I'm going to use the manual override and head down."

Niles pulled out a keycard from his pocket, putting it up to the display before Kuznet's answer made him pause.

"That won't be necessary, Niles. Jonathon has them on the run. Go out to the perimeter and cover the gate, Francisco will join you shortly to cover more ground."

"Yes sir."

 

[Poprockz]

In the elevator, Genevieve and Robert panted, Robert feeling guilty about the gunshot he had heard. Obviously, one of the animals had been killed. He hadn't thought that they would kill the animals, thinking that they would merely have to chase them around to get them contained again. The guilt of being responsible for their deaths weighed heavily on his soul, but he had to put that to the side for now.

Genevieve bent over and pet each of the dogs in turn, trying to comfort them by speaking softly, "it's okay, it's okay... You're okay..."

The half-zombie wanted to link with them to calm them, but he didn't want them to be too relaxed. This wasn't part of the plan, taking dogs with them, but if they were going to come with or at least come with as long as it took to set them loose on their own, they needed to be somewhat excitable and prepared to flee with them. These poor animals... what had they done to them in that lab? Just thinking about him made him feel slightly sick to his stomach.

When they reached the top, the party flew out the doors as soon as they were open, Robert leading the way and following Quint's memory in that service tunnel. Finally, they came upon a door, running outside. This was where Quint's memory ended, having not gone outside himself. He looked around to take stock and see where they might go to get away, glancing at Zac and saying, "this is where Quint's help ends. I don't know where to go from here..."

------------------------------------------------------------

"Eep!" Sayori squeaked, unable to keep herself from making a noise of surprise as she heard the gunshot and the scream of an animal so close to her door. Dropping the blanket to the floor, she started to back away slowly, though she didn't get far before it opened to reveal officer Jonathan standing there.

His torch and the sudden light from the lab pouring in was very bright, making the woman have to squint her eyes before she could adjust. When she did, she noticed that he looked uncharacteristically angry. She had only ever seen him neutral, grinning, or spacing out, so his hostile demeanor was a bit intimidating. Sayori flinched as he grabbed her arm and gave her a shot of some sort. The woman waited to pass out, but only felt that dull ache in her arm. It seemed odd that he wouldn't sedate her, and she didn't think he was giving her a shot for her pain either. Whatever the case was, that fluid was inside her now so there was nothing to do but wait.

She limped after him, trying to keep pace as she cringed and winced from her discomfort. Sayori hadn't realized just how sore she had become from having been immobile for several hours. Where was he taking her and why? Her room was secure, so there shouldn't have been any reason to relocate her.

 

[Drobabes]

As soon as they were all outside, two things happened. The first was that Zac took a quick look around to get his bearings before herding them all along to the side of the base gates, and then crouching down in the shadows as he pulled up his radio. The second was that the dogs took off, running off into some nearby bushes and then huddling down to hide as well. Though the animals didn't seem to understand exactly what the danger was, or where it was, they seemed to have enough sense to copy the humans and hide.

"Kyle, you read me? We made it out, but were on the opposite end of the compound."

He waited, but he received no answer back. Right as he was about to try it again, he heard a click and then felt the cold metal of a gun being pressed to the back of his head.

"I don't know what the fuck you are trying to pull here," Francisco said, grabbing him by the back of his collar and forcing him to stand up.

"But whatever it was, it didn't work. And don't you fucking move Robert, I know what you are and if you aren't careful, I will light you up like the Fourth of July motherfucker."

"Officer Francisco, I can explain..."

Zac's voice shook as he dropped his gun to the ground and put his hands up. Unlike Tommy, Zac had no idea that Francis had been the real secret ally that had been sneaking them all their extra weapons and supplies, nor did he have any idea that he was Kuznet's right hand man. On the contrary, he thought that that duty belonged to Officer Niles, and that right now, the Officer was just confused.

"Save it. You can explain to the General when we go ba-"

A loud thump was heard before Francisco suddenly dropped to the ground, his gun falling off into the gravel. Behind him, Kyle was standing there with a baton gripped tightly in both his hands. He was covered in blood and breathing hard.
________

Kuznet waited until he saw Niles leave the hall, and then he stepped out from the shadows and made his way over to the elevator. He had no doubts that his Officer could have handled the situation just fine. However, he didn't need his second having the knowledge of where he kept his most important prisoners, nor where they held a majority of their experiments. He was simply too much of a loose cannon, and The General was not willing to lose such important resources if something were to 'go wrong'.

Swiping his key card, he waited until the elevator doors opened, and then he stepped inside.
________

Immediately Sayori would be greeted with the sight of many animals, some wild, some tame, running around the halls and base of the lab. As Jonathon tugged her along, he kept the torch hanging from his mouth and the gun in his free hand. Soon enough, it became apparent why.

They didn't make it more than ten feet before a large cat, perhaps a bobcat, spotted them. It hissed loudly, it's fur standing on end and it's white fangs showing in the darkness of the dim lights. Not a second after it let out such an intimidating display, did it try to lunge forward, a claw swiping out towards Jonathon's feet. Immediately he brought his gun up, and, with one single bullet, shot it right between the eyes. The animal slumped down, and as they came up near it, he simply pushed it aside with his boot.

Leading them down the hall a ways, he stopped before Quint's door and unlocked it, and then he pulled Sayori inside and shut the door as Quint threw his hand up to shield his eyes.

"Quinton," he said, shoving Sayori forward a bit until she was standing in front of him.

"I know you can hear what's going on out there, so let me give you the run down on what's going to happen. I have injected Sayori with a toxin. It's slow acting, but it will kill her given enough time. Now, I know how to stop it..."

Quint reached out and took her hand, pulling her towards him gently.

"But only if I do as you say, right?"

"Good boy. Now, if anyone comes breaking in here, what are you going to do?"

Quint squeezed her hand gently, both wanting to reassure her, but also needing his own dose of comfort. He wasn't crying anymore, but his eyes were still a bit purple and puffy as he looked down at her.

"Keep them from harming you, or taking us away."

"Excellent. Now go sit down."

 

[Poprockz]

"Kyle, you read me? We made it out, but were on the opposite end of the compound."

Genevieve and Robert waited, crouching in the bushes with him as they waited for a reply as well. His wife was keeping an eye on the bush with the dogs in it, hoping they would be able to take them along. When they ran, she had been afraid they were just going to bolt, but was relieved that they had the good sense to hunker down.

A familiar scent came to Robert and just as he opened his mouth he heard the click, looking up to see Officer Francisco. It was the troubled man he had sat with on the bench. Of all the people to meet out here at this time, this was the worst scenario. He really didn't want to hurt the man, being quite fond of him even though their meeting had been brief.

"I don't know what the fuck you are trying to pull here, but whatever it was, it didn't work. And don't you fucking move Robert, I know what you are and if you aren't careful, I will light you up like the Fourth of July motherfucker."

He had been about to stand up as well, but thought better of it after that threat. It made his eyes widen, wondering how in the hell Francisco had known what he was. Had he known from the start, or did he assume since Robert was now without glasses? Whatever the case was, for all of their sakes he remained as still as possible to avoid provoking the older man. Genevieve also remained frozen, a look of panic on her face as she realize that they had been busted.

"Officer Francisco, I can explain..."

"Save it. You can explain to the General when we go ba-"

Holy hell, a pungent smell came to Robert that almost made him gag. It smelled like blood and rotting meat. He cringed just before he heard the thunk, looking in surprise as Francisco fell over to reveal Kyle standing there. He hadn't met Kyle, but he had to assume that he was an ally based on what had just transpired. Robert looked down at Francisco and made a bit of a sad face. He hoped the man would be fine; he had almost taken them in, but he still thought that maybe the man was good at heart.

Looking up, he asked hesitantly, "are you Kyle? Where is Tommy? We need to get out of here now."

---------------------------------------------------------

She was a bit afraid as she was dragged along, so many animals running around and some that seemed more hostile than others. When the Bobcat hissed at them, she cowered behind Jonathan and hoped he could protect them. If not, then she would try to run back to her room if it took him down. It seemed she didn't have to worry though, as he shot it between the eyes. Once again she jumped from the sound of the gun, then followed Jonathan onward.

Never having been actually led to Quint's room, she had no idea where they were going until they were inside and his name was said, her eyes fixing upon her friend. He was a welcome sight amidst all of this chaos and confusion.

"...I have injected Sayori with a toxin. It's slow acting, but it will kill her given enough time...."

"Toxin..?" Sayori felt a flutter of fear in her heart, knowing that whatever was flowing through her veins was slowly killing her. She was trembling by the time Quint took her hand, the woman afraid that even if she was given the antidote that at some point it might be too late and kill her anyway. Her throat felt a bit dry, the woman swallowing to dry to get a bit of moisture going. The squeeze to her hand was nice, but it wasn't enough to completely ease her fear, still being slightly in shock, bewildered about what was happening so late at night and why.

Making one last glance at Jonathan, she followed Quint over to the bed and sat down on the edge. So she was being used as leverage to keep Quint compliant? She hated that, being used to exploit Quint's kindness. It wasn't too bad of a command though, so she simply hoped he wouldn't have to do anything.

Looking over at Quint she noticed his puffy eyes, temporarily forgetting her own predicament as she became concerned for him. Her hand came up to his cheek to gently caress him as she tried to decide what to say. She didn't think Quint would be able to have any kind of heart-to-heart with Jonathan there, so she decided to try to cheer him up. Lowering her hand and taking a stabalizing breath, she leaned in and whispered, "what is Niles's least favorite country to vacation in?" Sayori paused just long enough for the silence to drag just a bit before she finished with a little smile, "Germ-any."

 

[Drobabes]

Kyle's eyes had looked down at Francis for a moment, the baton being raised just a tad higher, as if he was waiting to see if the Officer was actually out. Upon hearing Robert's question, though, he looked up.

"Where is Tommy?"

His face twisted in pain for a brief few seconds, the baton lowering down slightly as he took in a shuddering breath. Next to Robert, Zac let out a quiet "oh no".

"He's in the truck" Kyle said, finding the strength to pull himself together and lead them away. Taking the lead, he lead them around just a bit further, his truck having only been moved and parked a few yards away behind a tree. Not completely hidden, but not easy to spot by the casual observer either. Once they got near, he reached up and pulled the tailgate down, letting them load up next to Tommy, who he had strapped down as best he could in the back.

They weren't out of the woods just yet, however, as as soon as Kyle shut the tailgate, they heard a soft pop! pop!, each sound being followed by a bullet ricocheting off the ground. When Kyle looked over his shoulder, he saw Kuznet's Second, Officer Niles, jogging towards them with his pistol raised. It was a silenced pistol, the smart bastard, otherwise he might have drew the attention of the whole compound.

"Shit!"

Kyle ran to the front, hopping in the driver's seat and then starting it up.

"Everyone hang on!"

Just as Kyle started to back the truck up, he heard the front of his windshield break as a bullet came flying through.

"FUCK OFF!" he yelled, swerving the truck side-sways to try and get it on the road.

From the bushes, the two dogs who had hunkered down out of fear suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of protectiveness. Robert's love of his wife, and his need to keep her safe, was coming through strong over the link they all shared.

With sudden speed, one of the dogs darts out of the bush, growling and snarling as it launches itself towards the dark Officer. Niles let's out a startled, angry, yell as it's teeth sink into the tender flesh of his arm. Just before he can bring his gun up to shoot it, however, the other dog launches itself from the bushes as well, latching onto the man's wrist. Together, the three of them go tumbling to the ground, giving Kyle just enough time to get on the road.

Before they got out of eyesight, the team in the back will be able to see the dogs suddenly give up on their attack and flee out into the wild.
________

Quint's own heart was beating hard in his chest, simply for the fact that so many things could go wrong. Although, he would be fucking damned if he simply let her die. If worse came to worse, he would tear that whole fucking laboratory apart until he found the antidote, or at least a testing kit to figure out just what the hell she had been poisoned with.

That gentle hand on his cheek drew his attention down, and his eyes met her own, watching as she leaned in. He was expecting some kind words, maybe a scared plea for reassurance, but what he got instead was the beginning of a joke.

"what is Niles's least favorite country to vacation in?"

He waited, his expression softening slightly.

"Germ-any."

His lips twisted up into a sad grin, and then a few seconds later, he chuckled.

"That was a good one" he said quietly, and then, he reached down to the back of her head and gently pulled her towards him so that he could lay a soft kiss atop her hair. Closing his eyes, he then pulled her to his chest and wrapped both of his arms around her before letting out a sigh.

"Don't worry" he said in a hushed tone.

"I'm going to keep us safe, and then Jonathon will give you that shot, and everything will be okay."

Even as he spoke those words, however, he couldn't stop his body from shaking with a barely held back sob. The guilt flowing through his body felt like gravity pulling him down. She had been so close, so close to being free of this disgusting place. If only he had known sooner, maybe he could have helped them plan it better...
________

The elevator opened slowly, and the small amused grin that The General had had on his lips melted away into a hard lined scowl. The lights were dimmed, the animals were free and running around chaotically, and there were no prisoners in sight.

Very slowly, he rose up to his full height and walked out of the elevator. His eyes scanned the area slowly, taking in every detail of the long hall the the chaotic lab.

Something flew past his legs, causing a feather light tickle through the fabric in his pants. Wafting over from the right side of the hall, he could smell the distinct odor of ammonia, and underneath his boot...there was just a bit of blood.

"GO BACK TO YOUR CAGES!"

His voice boomed throughout the lab, the mostly empty space causing a reverberating echo that only seemed to enhance his authoritative command. Immediately, every single animal within sight ran and scattered straight back into the dark lab, doing as they were told. They may not have had the intelligence of a human, but Kuznet had made himself abundantly clear.

With his fists clenched and his eyes seething, Kuznet walked down the hall and headed straight for Quinton's room.

 

[Poprockz]

The reaction he got when asking about Tommy did not make him feel confident about his well-being. Saying that he was "in the truck" could mean several different things, including simply saying that his body was in there. Robert didn't want to think about that possibility, but he couldn't help but feel extremely apprehensive now that Tommy's health was thrown into question.

He and Genevieve moved to the truck with them and loaded up quickly. Looking over, he saw Tommy's bloody, bruised, broken body strapped down and his eye widened in horror, as did Genevieve's. The man Set Sabastian down and then sat next to Tommy and looked him over, tears coming to his eyes as he said softly, "Tommy... Tommy, I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen to you."

Genevieve strapped Sabastian in then sat on the opposite side with Zac, Robert now sitting in-between the two unconscious passengers. As they started to hear the bullets whizzing by, Robert's appendages came out, two for each of the men so that he could hold them steady during the car ride. He was worried; if the bullets hit the tires and stranded them, then they would likely kill them all, including Sabastian and Genevieve. Looking at her with a fearful expression, he whispered, "I love you."

She smiled with brimming eyes, her hands shaking as she replied, "love you too, love. We'll be fine. It's going to be fine."

They all braced themselves, but aside from the yelling from upfront and the speeding truck, there were no other sounds coming at this point- the bullets had stopped. Looking out the back, he could see the two dogs and Niles tumble to the ground, his heart welling up with gratitude at those brave animals. They had been through so much and yet they had done such a big service. He hoped their freedom would be well-spent.

---------------------------------------------------------

Sayori smiled just a little more as he complimented her joke. She wasn't sure it was the pinnacle of comedy, but at the very least it was a little something to lighten his mood at least a little bit. Her eyes closed as he pulled her close to him, the woman taking great comfort from his lips upon her hair. Quint could have done anything really, and it would have made her feel a bit better. When he moved her against his chest, her own arms went around him as he held her and told her it was going to be okay.

She knew he would do his best to make sure she was okay, but she knew that in this place all bets were off. The best one could do was their best in any given moment, knowing that soon it could be their last. Or rather, the best one could do was try to hold onto to their sanity in addition to their life. To think he was responsible for her sounded like a heavy burden to bear, one that he should never have had to assume. Sayori didn't want him to feel guilty if something happened to her outside of his control.

The sob that wracked his chest for a moment was felt by her, what with her being right up against him. She imagined that maybe he was afraid for her, or just afraid in general. After a quiet moment of contemplation, she spoke. "Quint..." she said softly against his chest, "I'll always be okay as long as I know you're thinking of me." It was a vague response, but she didn't want to worry him too much. If she were to die from the toxin, or if she ever reached a point where she truly couldn't take this place anymore, she wanted him to know that she would end up in a place where no one could hurt her anymore.

 

[Drobabes]

Zac had been too focused on what was going on around them, and getting ready to fight if he had too, to really take stock of the situation. However, as soon as they were safely on the road and heading out away from the compound, he un-clipped his seat belt and then all but fell to the ground.

"Ah fuck, Tommy!"

His hands shook as they went to the sides of his head, holding him gently as he tried to inspect his injuries.

"Kyle, what the fuck happened man?!"

"Kuznet caught him. He beat the shit out of him and then dumped him with the other bodies."

"No...no!"

"Zac...Zac, check his pulse. Don't panic right now, man, you need to keep your shit together. Is he breathing?"

The soldier did as he was told, first checking his wrist-cringing as he saw the bloody mess that was left of his hand, and then, when he couldn't find a pulse there, he checked his neck. With panic rising up in his chest, he bent down and put his ear to his mouth.

"Kyle! He's not breathing man! And I can't find his pulse!"

Suddenly the truck picked up speed, it's engine roaring as they were all kicked back a bit.

"Start doing chest compressions!"

"He's not breathing..."

"ZAC FOR FUCKS SAKE! Start chest compressions!"

Not knowing what else he could do, Zac did as he was told, folding his hands over his chest and starting to rhythmically pump, artificially providing blood flow through his body. With every push down, however, he could feel the way his ribs cracked and squished, and he couldn't help but fear the damage he might be doing.

"Keep going Zac! If you don't keep his oxygen flowing, then he's as good as dead anyway."

And so it continued. Kyle driving as quickly and safely as he could, and Zac stopping the compressions every so often to breath into Tommy's lungs. After what seemed like an eternity, Kyle reached over and grabbed his radio.

"Jameson, this is Gears, over."

"I read. What's going on, you sound scared? Over."

"Tommy...he did something really stupid..."

...

A short while later, they met Jameson at the gas station, and together, loaded Tommy up into his truck. Jameson stabilized him as best he could, but even he didn't know if he would make it to their impromptu base. However, by some miracle perhaps, he did, and once they managed to get him hooked up to a hospital bed, Jameson and his own second we're able to get him stabilized.

About an hour after working with him, he came out into the room where everyone was waiting. Immediately Kyle and Zac jumped up, both of them looking at him with fear.

"He's alive, but he's out cold. I don't know if he's going to be waking up anytime soon...or at all. We'll just have to see how he does."
________

"I'll always be okay as long as I know you're thinking of me."

You'll be okay Sugar Bee. If I go tonight, you just remember that I'll always be thinking of you, and I will always love you.

His arms around her tightened a bit and he buried his face against her shoulder, fresh tears beginning to spill down his cheeks. This time, he couldn't hold it back, and his chest shook in that way that only a hard, sobbing breath could.

"Don't!...don't you fucking...say things like that..."

GET BACK IN YOUR CAGES

He jumped hard, as if someone had just shocked him. Quint hadn't been paying much attention to the animals, but Kuznet's voice echoed through their combined minds so clearly that, even though he couldn't hear the words themselves, like when Robert had done it, he still strong felt the anger and intention behind that shouted command.

Sitting back and looking around, panic settled in his gut, and it only became stronger as he waited for something, anything to happen. So it was, when Kuznet finally came to the door and slammed it open, that it was almost like a relief. It was short lived, however.

"Get...over here Quinton."

He stood up immediately, not even giving a backwards glance as he strode over to him quickly. As soon as he got near him, Kuznet grabbed him by the front of his shirt and all but lifted him up off the ground as he drug him out. Once they were out, Jonathon shut the door behind them and then went back to waiting.

"Search."

"For wha-"

"Do not play games with me, boy!"

The half zombie jumped, and then immediately slunk his head down like a beaten dog as he walked quickly through the lab, going down each isle carefully with Kuznet right on his heels.

"Did you plan this?" the General growled.

"No."

"Did you know it was going to happen?"

"No."

Kuznet reached down and slammed a cage shut, causing both Quint and the animal inside to jump away from him out of fear.

"Who did they take?"

"I don't know!"

"You're lying."

"S-Sabastian!"

"And where did they go?!"

"I-I don't know! Outside!"

Quint felt a hand on the back of his neck, cold and brutal as it lifted him up off the ground and then threw him like a ragdoll onto the cold steel of a nearby table. The table didn't flip over, but the wheels on it did take his body sliding across the room until it hit the wall. Immediately Quint started to panic, scrambling to get off, but just as soon as his feet hit the ground, Kuznet was on him once more. That hand wrapped around his throat and then slammed him back down.

The zombie laid there, shaking and breathing hard as Kuznet bent down over him and glared hard into those iridescent eyes.

"If I find out you were a part of this, little Quinton..."

"I wasn't! Ray, I swear to god, I didn't know..."

His hand came up, shaking hard as he put it against the big man's chest. It only made Kuznet's grip on his neck tighten.

"Swear? Pray. Pray, Quinton."

...

Sometime later, perhaps fifteen minutes or so, they would return to the room. Kuznet shoved Quint inside, leaving him to stand there, staring at the ground and shaking, as he looked over at Jonathon.

"Come with me. We have work to do, and when you are finished, you can bring the antidote down."

Jonathon nodded, beginning to walk over to Sayori, but stopping when Kuznet put a hand up.

"Leave her here. Quinton needs to remember what is at stake."

"Very well."

With that, the two men left, leaving only the torch light behind.

 

[Poprockz]

The entire car ride over was tense as hell, Robert and Genevieve practically shaking as they watched poor Tommy barely clinging to life. Robert prayed, clasping his hands together and silently begging God to spare him. He hadn't wanted Tommy to be injured, nor did he want him to die. He had been the one to drag Tommy into his rescue mission, so he felt responsible for the man's state.

When they got to the gas station and Tommy was partially stabilized, he continued to pray as Tommy was still not out of the woods. His lips silently moved in the back seat of that truck as his clasped hands shook and tears came down his cheeks. He and his wife also lingered with Kyle and Zac outside Tommy's room when they finally arrived at the base. It had felt like it took months to arrive there, and years until they got word that Tommy was truly stabilized, though still unconscious. Robert at last stopped praying, Genevieve holding him close to her to comfort them both.

Just as Jameson was about to turn around and head back into the room, a door flung open and in rushed Jesse. Her eyes were red and puffy, murderous and full of pain at the same time. Trailing behind her was Randy, a look of concern on his face, the man deeply worried from what he had heard. Word had spread quickly that Tommy was at the camp and that he wasn't in good shape, that he was in critical condition.

"I need to see him now." Jesse commanded in a dangerous voice. She didn't even wait for a reply, stomping toward Jameson and trying to get past him so she could get into that room. For as long as she had been there, she had worried about his safety, and now rumor said that he was on the brink of death. What the hell had happened, and why had he put himself in danger like that. God, she was so fucking angry, but more than that she was so terrified. Terrified that she would lose him, that sweet soldier who had risked his life to save herself and her father.

--------------------------------------------------------

"Don't!...don't you fucking...say things like that..."

Sayori felt the way he had hugged her tighter, crying into her shoulder. She had tried to fight off the fear and the tears, but Quint seemed to have caused her eyes to spring a leak. Her arms gripped him a bit tighter too and she started to cry against him. Honestly, she didn't want the toxin to kill her, she didn't want to be in this dark, hopeless place, she didn't want to be used and fucked like she wasn't even a person. She wanted to be free with Quint up in the world where they could smell the fresh air and tell jokes all night until they passed out. Sayori missed it, and she missed her family. Everything seemed to be hitting her at once, though she didn't say a word.

When he jumped, she hiccupped and wondered what had happened. Though she tried to cling to him, he pulled back and she soon looked over to find the door swinging open to reveal Kuznet. She watched as the General whisked Quint away with a deep burning anger in his eyes, though she didn't know what was going on or why they were so angry. It had to have something to do with the animals, but she didn't know what.

Not wanting to talk to Jonathan, she merely sat on the bed anxiously and twiddled her fingers until Quint came back, occasionally hiccupping or sniffling. Shoved inside, he looked afraid and slightly defeated. She felt a pinch in her heart and wanted to get up to comfort him, but she didn't know if Kuznet would allow it what with how angry he was at the moment.

She was grateful that Kuznet had decided to leave him there though, the door closing and leaving the two of them alone once more. The fact that she was at stake bothered her immensely still, not even knowing what she was being used for at this point. What if the investigation went on too long or they forgot to get the antidote to her in time? The only good thing about it would be that it would likely poison the eggs as well.

The arm he had injected was starting to feel just a bit numb, though she wasn't going to say anything to Quint about it yet. "What's going on, Quint? Why is this happening?" She was so confused, hugging herself on the bed while she waited for a reply.

 

[Drobabes]

Jameson was damn near a seasoned war vet, and yet, when he turned around and heard that little girl growl, he all but jumped. He recovered quickly though, his face becoming sympathetic, and instead of trying to stop her, he simply moved aside and ushered her to go in. Honestly, if he could have, he would have let them all in. Short of knocking over the life support system or something, they really couldn't do anything to hurt him. However, the room was small and likely wouldn't fit everyone.

After she walked through, followed very quickly by Kyle, Jameson let out a sigh and turned around. While the rest of the camp might have heard the rumor, they did not know that they now had two half turned humans amongst them. Jameson planned on keeping it that way, though not for his camps safety, but for Sabastian's and Roberts.

"Are any of you injured?" he asked quietly.
________

Inside the room, Tommy looked like absolute shit. He was covered from head to toe in bandages and casts, and what could be seen of his face was bloody and bruised. Tubes were coming out of him from various spots, and only their back up generator was keeping him alive and on life support.

The group now standing in the room would not be able to simply asses it from sight alone, but Tommy was suffering from multiple broken ribs, a collapsed lung, blunt force trauma to his head, quite an array of damage on his organs, and his left hand, the hand he used to fire his gun, was so badly broken that Jameson questioned if it shouldn't be amputated. As it was, it was merely wrapped up in gauze at the moment.

Kyle wrapped his arms around himself, taking a few hesitant steps forward before stopping. His face twisted up in pain again, and then he started shaking, tears pouring down his cheeks once more.

"You fucking idiot..."
________

"What's going on, Quint? Why is this happening?"

He stood there for a long moment, almost as if he hadn't heard her. When he did at last speak, it was barely above a whispering volume.

"Someone tried to break us out."

He was quiet again, almost spacing out. Finally, maybe out of necessity, or simply not knowing what else to do, he came over to his bed and laid down. Turning towards the wall, he stared at it blankly and pulled his blanket up against his cheek.

 

[Poprockz]

Robert and Genevieve shook their heads. "No, we're both fine," Genevieve replied. The half-zombie had gotten a cut from the glass of the cell, but it wasn't too bad, and it was currently healing inside his body right now.
...

Where... where the fuck was he? Sabastian stirred on the seat he had been placed in, slowly coming back to consciousness. It was difficult to open his eyes, his lids feeling a bit heavy, but he was finally able to do so, sitting up and trying to rub the sleep out of them. That's right, they were in the elevator talking about going to get Sayori and Quint and then... he had passed out? Robert had been looking at him funny. Had he fucked with his mind? Now that he thought more about it, he remembered feeling like someone was pushing him further into his mind, so it had to be Robert.

"You fucking piece of shit!" He said through gritted teeth, springing to his feet and looking around for Robert. When his mis-matched eyes found him he pointed his finger at him and said, "you did some kind of goddamn mind-shit on me didn't you?! How fucking dare you! It was my choice to see if I could save them, not yours! Where are we now, and what the fuck happened?!"

Robert almost flinched from Sabastian's tone of voice, looking guilty as he was basically told off. He could feel the heat of Sabastian's anger, the man knowing that he also likely felt taken advantage of in a way. "If there was any other choice, I would have taken it. We had no time, Sabastian. If I let you go to them, you would have been captured, and the rescue mission would have all been for nothing." His voice was sympathetic but calm.

"They're fucking still in there, then?! Fuck!" Sabastian glared at Robert. "Do you know what that psycho is capable of? Goddammit! Fuck!" At this point he was just venting, his hands clenched as he turned away from Robert and put his face in his hands running them back through his hair in a stressed gesture. Kuznet was probably pissed, meaning that Sayori and/or Quint would get the brunt of his anger.

---------------------------------------------------------

When Jesse saw the state Tommy was in, she sucked in a breath in shock and froze on the spot. It felt like her heart had stopped as her eyes roamed his mangled form. He was almost unrecognizable from how badly his body had been punished. She didn't know how anyone could ever recover from something like this, the man looking like he had literally been run over by a truck several times.

"Tommy..." She choked out, putting a shaky hand up to her mouth.

"You fucking idiot..."

Looking over at Kyle, tears started rolling down her cheeks. She wanted to be mad at him too, to rage and punch him square in the face. However, she could see how much he was hurting too, and he had done all he could for the man. Tommy was the one who had chosen to try to be a hero, and Kyle had simply been there trying to protect him. Her lip wobbled and she stepped up next to him beside the bed.

"He is a fucking idiot... What did he think was going to happen? That he could just get away with some plan that was just thrown together on the fly. Why didn't he wait? Why didn't he just... I don't fucking know." Jesse glared at one of the chairs, her eyes brimming with tears.

"He was supposed to stay safe. He was supposed to return my bracelet to me and let me take him on a date." She was sobbing now, unable to continue for a moment. Jesse turned to Kyle and put her arms around him, hugging and sobbing against the man. "I'm so fucking angry. I'm so fucking scared. What the fuck, Kyle? Why the fuck is this happening?!"

-----------------------------------------------------------

Sayori was surprised by his answer, taking a step back almost as though she couldn't believe his words. Someone had tried to break them out, but who and why? It wasn't as though anyone knew that she or Quint were being kept prisoner down here. She watched as Quint drifted to the bed like a ghost and laid down, turned away from her as though he couldn't bear to be present in his own mind for even a moment longer.

She wanted to reach out to him and comfort him, maybe even cheer him up. However, in that moment she recognized that Quint needed a break from reality for now. Come to think of it, she did too. Her arm felt just a bit more numb and it scared her, the woman trying to keep a hold on her anxiety as she tried to ignore it. All she could do right now for the both of them was simply to be with Quint.

Climbing up onto the bed herself, she laid down on her back, her shoulder and side in contact with his body. She was so tired, it still being the middle of the night to them regardless of whether it truly was on the topside. With that, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. That would slow her breathing and metabolism and hopefully the toxin as well. She couldn't help but cry just a little bit more though. Even though Quint was beside her, she felt helpless, not knowing what the future held and whether Quint was going to be okay.

 

[Drobabes]

"Do you know what that psycho is capable of? Goddammit! Fuck!"

Jameson had watched from where he stood, simply crossing his arms and letting the man get it out. Upon hearing that, though, he wanted to speak up. He knew. Oh, he definitely knew.

Instead of speaking, however, he instead walks over to a cabinet and pulls out some shot glasses. Lining them up on the counter, he then pulls out a bottle of brandy and starts to pour some dark amber for them all. Sitting the bottle down, he picks up two of them and walks over to Sabastian, offering him one and then downing the other.

For a moment after that, he was simply silent, staring at Sabastian and waiting until he has calmed down enough for him to feel like it was safe to speak.

"We're building a team" he says slowly, letting it sink in for a minute.

"Someone got me out of there as well, after I found out what Kuznet was up to, and I'm repaying that kindness by building a team to take that fucker down. We're still a ways off from being ready, but Tommy and his friends have helped immensely."

He turned away then, walking back over to the counter to grab another shot before looking at Sabastian again.

"I'm always looking for more help, but that's a huge responsibility and it's very dangerous, as you well know" he said, lifting a hand and gesturing at his back. He had seen the awful way in which Kuznet had tore the man up, as when they had deposited him down, Jameson had not, at first, known that he had been knocked out on purpose. He had done a quick once over on him, cursing when he saw the canvas of his back.
_________

Kyle couldn't bring himself to say anything to her questions because he was thinking the same thing. Yes, he had wanted to get those people out of there. Yes, he had wanted to keep the people they already had gotten out safe, like Jesse and her dad, and the other people that were here. However, Jesse was completely right in wondering why he couldn't have simply waited. What was he so scared of? Why was he in such a hurry? He had told Kyle a lot, more than anyone else, but there were some things that the young soldier would simply clam up on and shake his head in stubborn silence whenever Kyle tried to ask.

Suddenly there was a pair of arms around him and Kyle found himself breaking down. His somewhat subdued crying turned to full on sobbing as he hugged her back, his eyes still clinging to the man in that bed. That stubborn, fool hearted, young idiot with a heart so full of gold that it weighed him down until he had almost drowned because of it.

His best friend.

"I couldn't keep him safe...I'm so sorry Jesse, I'm so sorry..."
_________

Quint stayed awake, though he barely moved. Despite being exhausted, he wasn't going to be able to sleep until Jonathon came back with that damn antidote.

He didn't know how long it was, but finally, the door opened. He turned around quickly, seeing that it was Jonathon, and with a sigh of relief he sat up. Quint then reached down and gently sat Sayori up with him, trying to gently wake her up as Jonathon walked over with a new syringe.

"Sayori. Sayori, he's going to give you a shot, wake up sweety."

 

[Poprockz]

Jameson's movements had caught his eye, so he momentarily frowned in his direction, albeit curiously. When the liquor bottle was brought out, his eyes fixed upon it and he watched as Jameson poured out several shots. He really wanted one, hungrily looking at the booze and breathing in its sweet scent. When the man walked over and handed him the shot, he accepted it and tossed it back, grateful for that little glass.

He looked down at the empty glass and fumed for few moments more before he sighed, deflating just slightly. Honestly, he understood why Robert did it, but it didn't ease the pain and anger inside when he thought about the other two still being down there. He knew Kuznet was fucking Sayori, and was afraid that the man's dark desires would escalate with her until she was a broken mess that couldn't be glued back together. Quint had held on for a long time so he wasn't as concerned about him per se, but no matter how strong he was, he knew that every day in there chipped away at him. Kuznet liked keeping Quint on a tight leash, and he knew that with time, it would eventually choke him.

"We're building a team"

Sabastian's gaze came up to meet Jameson's, an intrigued look on his face. The rest of what Jameson said was listened to with rapt attention, the blonde feeling a bit surprised that this man had gotten out from Kuznet's grasp as well. He admired him for turning around and putting himself right back into the fight to help others under Kuznet's boot, appreciating Jameson's bravery.

"I'm always looking for more help, but that's a huge responsibility and it's very dangerous, as you well know."

His eyes narrowed slightly as the man gestured at his back. So he knew. His shirt was still on and covering up his back, so he assumed he had been checking him out before he came across it. It wasn't like Sabastian was ashamed of it or anything, but he didn't want people looking at him with pity, walking on eggshells around him. That being said, he mulled over what Jameson had said.

Kuznet was still trying to get his oversized mitts on Cora as well as Damien and Vin if only to punish them for breathing the same air as her. If he was able to take him down with this rebel group before he got the opportunity, then he could save them a whole lot of heartbreak and pain, indirectly supporting them and making up for the shittyness of having to leave them. Sabastian had the opportunity to walk away and never look back, to truly try to live on his own and make sure he stayed away from people. But... he couldn't do that yet. He needed to make sure that Kuznet was taken down first or he would never be able to live with himself knowing that he would hurt them. He had decided when he was with Quint and Franicicso that he was willing to go as far as it took to stop that evil, and he was going to damn well make good on that promise.

"That sick fuck needs to be taken down. I don't give a shit if it's dangerous- there are just things that are worth dying for. I don't want to die and I'll fight to stay alive until my last breath, but I just can't walk away now." Sabastian responded, walking over to Jameson and setting his shot-glass down. Picking up another, he downed it and set it down as well.

"That being said, I... fully turned at one point. I don't remember it, but I basically went rabid. I had been fine up until that point, but I just... I don't know why it happened. That's part of the reason I left the group I was with and got captured that same morning. If I'm going to help you guys, I want to stay in a different building while I stay with you. That is... if you still want me around. If not, I'll see if I can help you on my own." He moved away from Jameson, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable with him being so close after being given that information.

Robert and Genevieve looked a bit concerned and confused. Robert himself hadn't experienced anything like that yet, and didn't know what would have triggered that in Sabastian. Was that something that happened to all half-zombies, or was there something specific about the little blonde?

------------------------------------------------------------

Jesse's arms tightened around Kyle and her shoulders wracked with sobs before she could respond. "I know Kyle... It's not your fault. He's like a hero who doesn't know he's not bulletproof. I swear to god, if he wakes up I'm going to smack some sense into him! I'll fucking tie him down if I have to to keep him from doing it again."

After a minute or two of crying into Kyle's shirt, she let go of him slowly and moved up to Tommy's side, reaching out and hovering her fingers over his face. She didn't dare touch him for fear of hurting him, but her trembling fingers wanted nothing more than to rest upon his cheek. Her eyes traveled the length of his body once more but paused at his hips. The woman's hand moved to his pocket and pulled out what had been poking out at the very edge. It was her bracelet. He had kept it with him, even while doing a mission.

A sound of anguish came from her lips and she sunk down to her knees, holding the bracelet in her hands. "I didn't want it back like this. Not like this..."

-------------------------------------------------------------

She stirred, her skin clammy and warm. Sayori was sweating slightly and looked a bit pale as her brown eyes opened tiredly and looked at Quint and then Jonathan. It had taken her a second to register what Quint had said, the woman still a bit sleepy. Hopefully the antidote would make her feel better and they would never have to do something like that to her again.

A little tired smile came to her face and she pulled up her sleeve for the officer. On one hand, she loved it when Quint would call her little pet names like "sweety." It made her feel closer to him and like he wanted to treat her with care. On the other hand, a small part of her disliked it, the part of her who wondered whether Quint just saw her as someone he had to take care of.

She wanted to believe that they were friends on equal footing seeing as they were roughly the same age, but sometimes she wondered if he simply saw her in much the same way Kuznet did- her dainty features, soft voice, and sweet disposition making her seem as though she was helpless to take care of herself. True, she had been struggling down there, but wouldn't anyone if they were in a situation such as this? Was she just another person to protect for Quint? For some reason, the thought of that made her heart twist slightly.

 

[Drobabes]

He saw that look, wondering why Sabastian had narrowed his eyes like that for a moment. He really hoped Sabastian didn't think he was a creep or something, but unless he got questioned, he wasn't going to try and explain himself. Unless Tommy made a full recovery, which he sincerely hoped and prayed he did, Jameson was the closest thing they had to a medic here.

Sipping on his drink slowly, he simply watched and waited for Sabastian to mull his offer over. He stuck his prosthetic hand down into his pocket out of habit, being just slightly embarrassed by the injury, as he took the opportunity to scope out Sabastian's eye a bit. He wondered why they were all so different; if it was like normal peoples eyes, where everyone was just a bit different, or if it was an indicator of anything. Robert's eyes were interesting as well, and though he didn't like to linger on memories of the old lab and that poor, tortured women, her eyes hadn't been like either of theirs. What had hers been like? He thought he remembered them being like a ring, followed by her regular brown coloration...

"That sick fuck needs to be taken down. I don't give a shit if it's dangerous- there are just things that are worth dying for."

He nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly, and was very pleased that Sabastian seemed willing to join in. As he watched the little man come over and grab another shot for himself, he went ahead and finished his own off and sat his glass down.

"That being said, I... fully turned at one point. I don't remember it, but I basically went rabid."

Jamison's eyes went a bit wide for a second, and then he recovered and listened. When Sabastian was done, he simply gave a little 'hmm' as he brought his hand out to cross his arms again, thinking hard. After a minute or so of staring at the brandy bottle, he seemed to make up his mind, giving a little nod.

"No, I definitely want you to stick with us. Not only for our help, but maybe for you as well. If you're afraid of that happening again, we might be able to mitigate the damage for you if it does."

Of course, Jameson hadn't been there to see the destruction, nor had he seen what Sabastian was capable of, so he was simply going off of his limited knowledge of what they knew of the fully violet eyed humans.

"I think having you stay in another building would be safest. I have a fire trap set up around the perimeter, encase we get a horde heading our way and don't have time to evacuate properly. It's just a small line, not anything strong enough to cause serious harm or burn the place down if it were to be lit by accident, but it will light fast and it will burn for at least a good few minutes, so maybe we can set you up outside of that line. Now how we would know if you...turn, I'm not sure."

He looked back down at Sabastian, and then over to Robert, hoping that maybe the men might have some input or some way to sense it, perhaps in the way they could sense other zombies and the partly turned animals. That women in the lab had certainly been able to sense them, as that was part of her plea for release. She had said that she felt as if she were drowning in their pain...
________

After he was let go, Kyle took a few shaky, deep breaths, trying to pull himself together. But damnit, he was tired of pulling himself together. He was tired of being the support, the one who always kept his head on his shoulders when shit hit the fan. And what good had it done him this time? He should have gone with him. He should have just parked the truck out of sight and then gone back into the compound.

Taking his hat off, he ran a shaky hand over his short stubble of hair. Just being reminded of why he had to shave it off almost made him break down sobbing again, but he chokes it down and instead walks over to a chair, intent on sitting down. What stops him, though, is the sound that Jesse makes.

Looking over, his eyes follow her own, to the little bracelet in her hand. His heart wrenches hard for her, and he thinks better of sitting down himself. Instead, he brings the chair over to the side of the bed, and then he reaches down to help her up off the ground.

"Here, take a seat Jesse" his strained voice whispered.

"When he wakes up, he'll be happy to see you."

That's right. When. Because he refused to believe 'if'.
________

Quint had felt her becoming a bit warmer as she had laid next to him, but he hadn't seen her face until now, and the fact she was so clammy had his heart beating a little harder. He wanted to return that sweet little smile, but found that he just couldn't; not with how he could see the way her body was being affected.

Looking over at Jonathon, he couldn't help but scowl slightly, watching as the man came forward and took her arm, lining the needle up with her skin.

"You couldn't have finished up a little faster? Look at her skin, man, she's already getting sick from it."

The needle broke through then, the Officer catching the small drip of blood with some clean gauze. He largely ignored Quint's angry quip, his face remaining completely neutral and calm until he had given her the whole shot, and then pressed the gauze down over the little pin-prick as he pulled the needle free.

"Put pressure on it" he told Sayori, letting her take over holding the gauze as he looked over at Quint.

"I know what I am doing Quinton, but need I remind you, you are the reason she was given the toxin in the first place?"

It almost looked as if Quint wanted to lunge at the man, possibly beating him until he couldn't move, but he kept his mouth shut and remained on the bed, choosing to pick his battle. With a satisfied nod, Jonathon turned back to the little women and took her hand, guiding her to stand. Once she was up, he turned and picked up the lantern, and then he turned back to her.

"Let's go, you can return to your room now."

"Don't forget my nose is better than a bloodhounds now, Selfie boy. I can smell everything that comes through these vents, so don't get any of your creepy ideas. I'll know what you did."

Jonathon smirked slightly, but he did not answer, nor turn around.

 

[Poprockz]

He waited for Jameson to give him a reply, Sabastian hoping that he would let him stay. Honestly, he would be willing to leave if need be, but he knew he would miss being around people. Sabastian wasn't the type of guy who was good at lone-wolfing it, being one to get lonely if there weren't people he could talk to to make the days seem warmer. The silence after that "hmm" of Jameson's seemed to stretch on for a long time, the little man becoming more and more antsy.

"No, I definitely want you to stick with us. Not only for our help, but maybe for you as well. If you're afraid of that happening again, we might be able to mitigate the damage for you if it does."

His eyes widened slightly, an expression of surprise on his face before it melted into relief. It felt good that they were willing to take a chance on him and that they were willing to let him be useful to them as well. He had to admit that he was intrigued by the idea that they might be able to help him with his problem as well. There was no guarantee that it would happen again, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn't. If it did, he wanted the best chance of keeping everyone out of harm's way.

"I think having you stay in another building would be safest. I have a fire trap set up around the perimeter... Now how we would know if you...turn, I'm not sure."

Robert stood up and walked toward them, going to the cabinet and taking a shot for himself. The lord frowned on imbibing heavily, but a shot would be fine. "I think I can help. I haven't ever fully turned, and frankly I think it's highly suspect that you happened to turn right before they captured you. Maybe they knew what the trigger was and were waiting for you to go off. That being said..." his kind, half-full eyes looked at Jameson and he smiled. "Sabastian and I can feel each other's presence and state of mind, unless one of us chooses to ask for privacy. I have no doubt that I would be able to feel it if he suddenly lost control of his mind. I also think that it would be safest for me to stay in the other building just in case. If worst comes to worst, I can give him a good toss so that he's outside of the fire perimeter."

The blonde paused for a moment with furrowed brows. Maybe Kuznet's men had known what had done it, or maybe it was an eventuality that they were patiently waiting for- there was simply no way to tell and no way to get those answers. He wished he knew though. Feeling like one could lose control at any moment for no reason was not a good feeling. He also didn't like the idea of being tossed out of a building, but he liked the idea of harming anyone even less. "Yeah, I suppose that's fine. Thanks... for letting me stay."

He fiddled with his shot-glass for a moment before he suddenly looked up at Jameson with a curious expression. "Actually, though. I'm kinda curious about why you're so cool with all of this. Isn't it weird having two zombies around in your camp? Aren't people going to be afraid of us?"

The taller zombie's grip on his glass tightened slightly, his lips pursing as he looked down. The last time he had been in a large group of people who knew what he was, he had been tortured and sentenced to death, his poor wife laid down by that disgusting excuse for a man of God. His wife noticed his demeanor change, walking over to him and looping her arm around his and leaning against him. That simple gesture made him relax once more, looking down at her with a fond smile, the raven-haired woman meeting it with a tender smile of her own.


-----------------------------------------------------------

Jesse heard the chair being moved, but she hadn't looked up until Kyle spoke. Her teary eyes met his as he helped her up and offered her the chair.

"Here, take a seat Jesse... When he wakes up, he'll be happy to see you."

She appraised him for a moment. Despite the fact that the man was obviously hurting and broken down, there was a bit of strength and hope in the way that he said that. It comforted Jesse and made her feel a bit more hopeful herself. He was right, they shouldn't be saying "if" at all. Tommy was going to wake up, and when he did she was going to smother him with so much love and righteous anger that he was going to be simultaneously overjoyed and terrified.

A resolute expression came to her face and she furrowed her brow, reaching out and putting her hand on Kyle's shoulder. "No. When he wakes up, he better beg for forgiveness because I'm going to give him such a scolding that his ears will be pink for years." She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "If you want to stay with me while you wait, I would appreciate it. It'll be good to have someone there to hold me back so I don't send him back into a coma."

------------------------------------------------------------

When Quint was bitter about how long they took, Sayori shook her head slightly and murmured, "it's fine since it worked out in the end." She didn't flinch when he injected her, the woman being largely fine with needles, especially when she was tired. The gauze was pressed just like he asked, her eyes going to Jonathan as he blamed Quint for her predicament. She didn't see how it was his fault, and based on his reaction, he probably thought that was a bullshit claim as well.

She sighed when he took her hand, still holding the gauze with the other as she slowly got up, making sure to be gentle on her tender hips.

"Let's go, you can return to your room now."

It would be nice to go back to bed, but she hoped that she would be able to come back and see Quint again soon when they weren't both sleep-deprived and on-edge.

"Don't forget my nose is better than a bloodhounds now, Selfie boy. I can smell everything that comes through these vents, so don't get any of your creepy ideas. I'll know what you did."

Sayori quickly looked away from Quint, not wanting him to see the expression she was making as her cheeks went slightly pink. It was a mix of shame and slight worry. If his nose was that good, did that mean he could smell what had happened when he came in her room earlier? Had Sabastian been able to smell her when Kuznet gave her his birthday present? It made her feel a bit exposed, knowing that Quint would always know when something happened to her.

Her shoulders went slightly inward and her thighs were pressed together. She really didn't like the idea of him being able to smell it. If he really could, then she hated the idea of Kuznet on top of her, using her as he liked while Quint smelled them through the vent, knowing that she was at the large man's mercy but being unable to do anything to help her. She didn't want him to feel helpless, she would rather him remain blissfully unaware.

The fact of the matter was that she was Kuznet's pet and there was nothing either of them could do about it. She doubted that Jonathan would really try anything seeing as she had been claimed, but even if he did, Quint's threat was all bark and no bite and they all knew it. Sayori appreciated the gesture and didn't think his sense of smell was creepy, but she wished she could have kept her shame more secret from that sweet man.

Turning her head slightly to the side as they walked, she said, "don't worry, Quint. I'll be okay. I'll think of a good joke to tell you next time, even better than the last one." With that, they were out the door and headed to her own room. She would be glad to be able to go back to sleep. Her body seemed to be reacting well to the antidote, her symptoms already starting to be eased, though her hips were still as sore as ever. If only they would give her some ibuprofen; perhaps she would ask Francisco next time she saw him.

 

[Drobabes]

"I haven't ever fully turned, and frankly I think it's highly suspect that you happened to turn right before they captured you. Maybe they knew what the trigger was and were waiting for you to go off."

"Mm" he nodded, looking between the two men.

"It is suspicious. Makes me think they were planning it for a while..." he said quietly, more talking to than himself at that point than the two of them. Although, when Robert went on to say that he would stay in the building with Sabastian, and that they could indeed sense each other, he perked up a bit and focused again. It was a relief to hear it, and already his brain was working on how to make it work. The fire trap they had set up didn't cover the whole area they were in, only the perimeter of the few small buildings they were staying in. Perhaps he could set Sabastian and Robert up just outside of it in a building that was on the outskirts of town, where they were still near them, but, should anything go wrong, they could herd the little blond away from the buildings and out into open ground and just forest. There would be less chance of damage that way, and less chance of his civilian rescues discovering that damage and becoming suspicious.

"Thanks... for letting me stay."

He nodded before saying, "of course".

"Actually, though. I'm kinda curious about why you're so cool with all of this. Isn't it weird having two zombies around in your camp? Aren't people going to be afraid of us?"

He stared down at him for a moment, his expression a bit blank, and then he shifted on his feet as he looked between the two of them and Genevieve as she came over.

"Well, you're not zombies. I mean, not like what you are implying. You are both sane, as far as I can tell, just afflicted with...whatever this is. I mean, what do you expect me to do, just throw you out on the street because of something you can't control?"

Before Jameson had joined back up with the military, he had spent about five years of his life working in a mental hospital, right after he had lost his son. He had went there seeking to heal the wound in his soul, but when he was done, he had walked away with more knowledge, and respect, then he had bargained for, and ever since that time in his life, he simply couldn't look at anyone the same as he used to. Even the people who were so far gone that they could barely communicate, still seemed to have a little piece of themselves locked up somewhere deep inside.

"That being said, I know how people are. I haven't told my camp yet that you two are here, and,"

His eyes roamed over to Zac, catching the young mans attention and temporarily stopping his nervous, rhythmic tapping of his foot on the ground.

"I plan to keep it that way. At least for the time being. I'm hoping that once we learn more about this, and we have some solid information to present to people, then I can start to ease everyone into understanding it. Ignorance is bliss, but ignorance breeds hatred and fear."

He paused for a moment, uncrossing his arms and bringing his good hand up to scratch his beard stubble.

"I think I can keep you two hidden if I set you up in a building that is holding some of our supplies. That way, if anyone goes wondering near or questions why I have a couple of my boys guarding it, I can tell them that someone has been stealing supplies, and I'm trying to investigate who it is while also ensuring we don't run out of food and ammo."
________

He sniffed, then brought his arm up to wipe his face a bit before looking down at her when he felt that hand on his shoulder. The look he saw on her face was a little hard to read. Well, at least until she spoke up.

"No. When he wakes up, he better beg for forgiveness because I'm going to give him such a scolding that his ears will be pink for years...If you want to stay with me while you wait, I would appreciate it. It'll be good to have someone there to hold me back so I don't send him back into a coma."

He cracked a smile and let out a choked little laugh, and then he nodded, wiping his face off once more.

"We'll have to hold each other back then, because trust me, as soon as he can walk, I'm shoving my boot so far up his ass that he's going to be shitting strips of leather for a month."

It was all bark, really. Kyle knew that as soon as Tommy was up and actually walking, then the first thing he was going to do was hug the bastard, and he didn't give a shit if it made him look like less of a man.

Letting out a stressed sigh, he turned around and found another chair, and then he drug it over to sit by the bedside.
________

Quint didn't like that Jonathon hadn't answered him, or even looked at him. It made him feel as if he might try to do something, maybe after she went to sleep, although he would be a fool if he did. He hadn't been lying when he said he would know, and although Quint wouldn't be able to stop him, he would be able to rat him out to Francis, or just Kuznet himself.

When Sayori stood up, he didn't catch the embarrassed look on her face, but the way she had hunched her shoulders and closed her legs made his scowl turn to a worried frown. She was probably still in a lot of pain from what had been done to her, and he could only pray that she would be given a break and time to heal. He was scared of Kuznet's anger over the coming days, but in a way, he was a bit glad for it. Maybe it would keep the bastards eyes off of Sayori for a few days and have him focused on trying to track down Sabastian.

"don't worry, Quint. I'll be okay. I'll think of a good joke to tell you next time, even better than the last one."

"I'll be looking forward to hearing it" he said softly, watching her until the door shut, and then letting out a little sigh.

...

It looked as if the hallway had been cleaned up of the animals and any mess while she had slept, and although Jonathon had been angry and stern before, he seemed much calmer now and willing to let her take her time as she walked. Once they were back in her own room, he walked behind her until she reached the bed.

"Here we are. Breakfast is still some hours away, but are you still having any cravings? I can bring something down along with your more substantial meal."

His eyes roamed down to her swollen abdomen as he spoke before coming back up to meet her own. Although he stood rather casually and his face was somewhat neutral, he still had to swallow after he spoke. He was not as stupid as Niles-trying to dance along the line in the sand at every chance he got, but that was because it had never been a problem for him. Jonathon had always been calm. Patient. Opportunities presented themselves to those who were willing to wait and catch them, and then cradle them gently within their palms.

 

[Poprockz]

"It is suspicious. Makes me think they were planning it for a while..."

The blonde nodded thoughtfully, thinking to himself that he wouldn't put it past Kuznet to be lying in wait to grab him first before moving in on Cora.

"Well, you're not zombies. ... I mean, what do you expect me to do, just throw you out on the street because of something you can't control?"

Sabastian shrugged noncommittally, but he knew the answer to that. He felt like if Jameson had seen the sort of destruction he was capable of, he would have reconsidered his position. Nowadays, survival was the number one priority and something so unpredictable and potentially dangerous as himself wasn't something a lot of people would take a chance on.

"That being said, I know how people are. I haven't told my camp yet that you two are here, and...I plan to keep it that way. At least for the time being....Ignorance is bliss, but ignorance breeds hatred and fear."

Smiling softly, the redheaded zombie nodded, agreeing with the man's stance. People were certainly afraid of what they couldn't understand, and sometimes that fear was used by those who needed an outlet for their anger- a demon to string up. It made them feel like they had some semblance of control over what was happening. It was a way to take revenge against the hopelessness of the world right now.

"I think I can keep you two hidden if I set you up in a building that is holding some of our supplies. That way, if anyone goes wondering near or questions why I have a couple of my boys guarding it, I can tell them that someone has been stealing supplies, and I'm trying to investigate who it is while also ensuring we don't run out of food and ammo."

"Okay, that sounds like a really good cover story. I also think it would be best if I wore my sunglasses and Sabastian got an eyepatch for himself." Robert paused for a moment before looking at the blonde zombie and smiling. He knew it was natural to feel a bit like a freak at first, but he didn't want Sabastian to continue to hold that belief and think that he was measured completely by what he had become.

"Besides. Tommy knew you were a zombie and still helped me by leading a rescue mission for you. If he had faith in you and your character, it stands to reason that people that trust him would also trust his judgement," Robert pointed out, his wife nodding in agreement.

Sabastian's head whipped in Robert's direction with a shocked look. "What?! Tommy spearheaded this? How the fuck..? Why?!" He was utterly flabbergasted. Tommy seemed to have taken his bullshit act hook, line, and sinker back at the compound, the young man having even been taken under Kuznet's wing. Even if he did believe that Sabastian was a good zombie and was infiltrating Kuznet's ranks, why would he risk all of that for him? He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to wrap his head around it.

"Where is he?"

Robert's face fell slightly and he looked down at the floor before meeting Sabastian's gaze. "He's in the other room. He's... in critical condition."

Taking a step back, Sabastian looked between all of their faces as though he hoped to God it wasn't true. "What the fuck, Tommy..." He scowled, though while his face looked angry, one could see his eyes misting as he soaked in that news. "Goddammit. Why?!" the man growled loudly, walking over to a chair and putting his hands on the back, leaning against it. He couldn't understand why they had risked themselves for him. If Tommy had just waited, he could have infiltrated further and done more damage from the inside. Why did he have to go and get himself hurt for him?

---------------------------------------------------------

"We'll have to hold each other back then, because trust me, as soon as he can walk, I'm shoving my boot so far up his ass that he's going to be shitting strips of leather for a month."

Jesse smiled slightly at his little laugh, suddenly feeling very tired. Though his comment prompted a little chuckle of her own. "I think I would actually like to see that, so no promises." The woman watched as he moved over to the bed with the other chair, and when he was situated, she scooted her chair so that they were right next to each other, touching sides of the seat. With that, she leaned over and put her arm around Kyle's shoulders, gently pulling him so that his head rested on her own shoulder.

"You've had a busy day. If you want to sleep, I'll wake you up if I see any movement. You deserve to rest a little bit after what you did for us." Her voice was soft, the woman grateful that Tommy had a friend like Kyle there. Otherwise, Tommy might have been a bloody mess somewhere, slowly bleeding out until that kind heart stopped beating.

----------------------------------------------------------

Sayori was grateful that Jonathan was feeling a bit more benevolent at this point. The adrenaline of everything happening so chaotically had helped her move more quickly for him earlier, but now that things had calmed down more her body was simply sore again. She followed him to her room at an easy pace, walking in at his behest and heading for the bed. The woman hadn't expected for him to follow her to her bed, but frankly she was too tired to worry about him right now unless he actually tried something. Once there, she turned to him as he started talking.

"Here we are. Breakfast is still some hours away, but are you still having any cravings? I can bring something down along with your more substantial meal."

While she noticed him looking at her belly, she figured his eyes had simply been drawn to it as their conversation concerned the eggs. What she didn't notice was the way he swallowed when he looked back up to her. Sayori wasn't sharp enough to pick up on little things like that right now, and his neutral face made it seem to her as though he was simply looking forward to getting out and leaving her to her slumber. In that regard they were on the same page; she didn't hate him as much as Niles or Kuznet, but there was something about him that unsettled her.

At the mention of cravings though, her mouth suddenly watered and the first thing that came to mind was maple syrup. "The thing I'm craving most is ibuprofen, but as far as food goes... something sweet with maple in it would be good. I really want maple syrup for some reason." With that, she nodded and pulled the covers back and slid carefully into the bed. A sigh left her lips and she pulled the blankets over herself, leaving just her face poking out. As soon as he left her room, she relaxed a bit, closing her eyes and quickly falling asleep.

 

[Drobabes]

Jameson nodded to the suggestion of covering their eyes. They definitely didn't want word getting out about what they were, until they were ready, and any extra precautions would be good.

"I'm sure I could get you some sunglasses, although an eyepatch might be a little harder to come by. Maybe we could just make you one though."

As the conversation went on, and Sabastian realized what had happened, Jameson just leaned against the counter. He didn't have a whole lot to say on the matter and he wasn't all that good at comforting people. He shared the same somber look with the rest of them, but he didn't know what could be said at this point that would make anything better.

Looking around the room slowly, his eyes lingered on Zac for a moment, recognizing that the young man didn't want to see his friend so bandaged up, and quite honestly, Jameson himself had seen enough as well. It had been a long few hours.

Bringing his gaze back around to Sabastian, he walked over and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

"He's in the other room, if you wanted to see him. I think we could all use some rest though."

He took his hand back and walked over to a type of broom closet. Opening it, one could see that it was stuffed full of folded blankets and pillows, which he started pulling out.

"You can all stay in here tonight if you like. Tomorrow we'll work on setting you up in that other building. I'll be sleeping in Tommy's room tonight, to keep an eye on him."
________

Kyle had looked over when she scooted closer, curious of what she was doing. He felt a little bit awkward as she pulled his head down, but very quickly it was replaced with that same tiredness. That type of tiredness that made one simply ache from head to toe. His muscles soon relaxed and he merely nodded, and soon enough, he was fast asleep.

 

[Poprockz]

"He's in the other room, if you wanted to see him. I think we could all use some rest though."

Sabastian looked up at him when he patted him on the shoulder, though he didn't say anything in response yet. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see how fucked up Tommy was right now, and yet he knew he had a responsibility to visit the man who had sought to free him. Because of Tommy and the people that trusted the young soldier, he had been wrenched from the hands of the devil himself. Quint being willing to obey Kuznet in regards to Sayori and the eggs meant that Sabastian had become obsolete. He imagined that the best he could have hoped for in there would have been his experimentation and eventual death. That is, if Kuznet didn't blackmail him into doing unsavory things in order to keep Vin and Sayori unharmed.

"You can all stay in here tonight if you like. Tomorrow we'll work on setting you up in that other building. I'll be sleeping in Tommy's room tonight, to keep an eye on him."

Sighing, Sabastian turned back to Jameson and crossed his arms, watching him start to get some bedding from the broom closet. "Yeah... I could use some sleep. Hopefully soon the drugs they used on me will wear off and I won't be so tired. Really, I wish we could have been able to grab Quint. He would have been able to help Tommy with his injuries."

Robert looked sympathetic, "was he a doctor or something?" He walked over to Jameson, helping to hold some of the bedding as he took it out.

That question prompted a little smile on Sabastian's face. The idea of that temperamental goof being a doctor was a funny one, though he couldn't deny the man's determination and moral integrity. "No, not really. You know that gluish-stuff we can make? He produces different shit that's actually like... some kind of healing balm, but like on steroids." The smile that was on his face slipped off as he continued, "they tested it on Sayori. They cut off part of her finger, burned her, and made a really deep cut somewhere else. From what I heard from her, it basically regrew her finger and healed the cut and burn. She said they had to keep ripping it off and reapplying it to get it to actually regrow stuff instead of just tending to the wound though..." He donned a somber expression, knowing that it must have been a really painful process for her.

The other zombie froze and looked back at Sabastian, a slightly horrified expression on his face. They were mutilating her too? Was there no limit to their depravity? Genevieve seemed to share that sentiment, the woman swallowing hard.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Damien stirred in the bed, finding that there was something warm and comforting up against him. Eyes still closed, he smiled to himself as he came out of his sleep enough to remember that it was Cora. He had a headache, but wasn't extremely hung over like one might expect. Though... he probably would have been if he had drank much more. The memories of last night flooded into his mind and he had to say that he felt a bit foolish for acting so silly. He couldn't quite remember the lyrics of the song he had sang Cora, but he distinctly remembered her putting her hands over his mouth to stop him from saying something he shouldn't.

Still... the way she had blushed at his little serenade was priceless, and he thought to himself that maybe being foolish was a small price to pay to have more fun times with them again. He might have been be wrong, but he felt like himself and Vin had become a bit closer too, and that their friendship had been strengthened. The steely-eyed man still thought that Cora was all he needed in this world, but he was starting to really enjoy having someone else to goof around with as well. He only hoped that Vin wasn't simply humoring him.

Opening his eyes, he looked at Cora's sleeping face and thought to himself with amusement that since her face was relaxed, it was very similar to that deadpan face she made sometimes. It was still early, likely around 7 in the morning judging from the sunlight peeking through the edges of the curtains, so he didn't really want to wake her up just yet.

 

[Drobabes]

Jameson had finished grabbing what he needed from the closet, with Robert's help, and was just casually listening in on the conversation.

"No, not really. You know that gluish-stuff we can make? He produces different shit that's actually like... some kind of healing balm, but like on steroids."

He looked over then, closing the closet door slowly as Sabastian went on to describe the way in which they had mutilated one of their prisoners, all in the name to gathering information. His brows furrowed, and for a moment, he simply stood there, staring off at something in the room.

Jameson didn't know that they could produce liquids, or, whatever it was that they were talking about. He had seen the extra appendages from the zombies, but he had yet to see any nests. However, he did know that that women who he had encountered had been in brutal shape, both physically and mentally. But, she had also had her hands tied down and a metal brace placed around her torso.

If she had been like this man, Quint, could they have been 'testing' her? The idea of it made him shudder. If Sabastian was right, and whatever they produced could heal wounds to the extent that he was saying, then he wondered how many times they had wounded that women, just to turn around and have her use her own excretions on herself to heal it? What had they been looking for? Limits, most likely. Possibly how much their bodies could take before it was too much, or how much they could produce.

He cleared his throat and shook his head a little, a shiver going down his spine as he took his own bedding and walked past them, entering the room where Tommy was still struggling just to breath. His eyes went down to his two friends, and with a soft smile, he laid his blanket over their shoulders before going over to the other side of the bed and sitting down.
________

Cora was in such a deep state of sleep that she barely even moved, only her soft breathing and some light twitching being any indication that she was dreaming.

Seeing as the rooms were old and not that well insulated, the sound of laughter could be heard coming from downstairs. More specifically, it was Vin's hearty and loud laugh. It seemed Damien's drinking buddy was up as well, though why he was up so damn early, heaven only knew.
_________

Down stairs, Vin was sitting at the bar, almost the same spot that he had been last night. Though they had all drank relatively late in the afternoon, and thus, passed out pretty late as well, the man had found himself not being able to sleep once the morning light had shined through his window. When he had gotten out of bed, he had promptly threw up, the room still spinning in much the same way as it had been when he went to sleep.

He didn't feel like spending the rest of his day having a hangover, however, and he definitely did not want to spend it laying in bed and possibly miss Sabastian if he came through, so he had forced himself up and then taken a shower. Now he sat against the counter, and although the wear and tear in his body was still quite evident, at least he was sporting some clean clothes and had gotten the opportunity to shave and make himself presentable.

Vin had spent the better part of the last hour listening to some old drunkard and his ridiculous 'war' stories while nursing a small bit of the hair of the dog, his stomach barely being able to tolerate the small amount of crackers that he had on a plate in front of him, let alone the booze.

 

[Poprockz]

Jesse hadn't even noticed, but her head had slowly come to rest atop Kyle's. It was still very early in the morning, and she found herself extremely tired as well. That being said, she couldn't bring herself to sleep for fear that Tommy would slip away from her while she rested her eyes. While looking at him all bruised and broken hurt her heart, it hurt even more to think that she might not be there with him when he woke up or... passed on.

When she felt that warm blanket come around them, she made sure to reach over to Kyle's side and pull it a bit more forward so it didn't slip off his shoulder. The woman offered a tired smile to Jameson, her little hair puffs almost seeming to droop slightly. "Thanks," she said softly, trying not to wake up the exhausted soldier next to her.

..............

Sabastian, Robert, and Genevieve talked for a while longer, arranging their bedding on the floor and chatting about what Robert and his wife had been doing since they last saw the little blonde. They had been on the road most of the time, traveling by car. He had been practicing his mind-abilities during that time, thinking to himself that he had to have it for a reason. In his practices, he had discovered that he could link with a zombie and actually encourage it to do things by imagining what he wanted it to do in a way.

It didn't take long for them to fall asleep, all of them tired from the night of the jailbreak.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

That loud laugh hurt his head a bit, Damien frowning slightly before sighing softly and closing his eyes once more. He didn't want to get up, he wanted to lay there and bask in Cora's body heat. His cock was hard from the morning and he couldn't help but like the way it felt nestled against her thigh. Every now and then he would move slightly, enjoying the bit of pleasure it gave him. He was tempted to get up and work one out, but he didn't want to leave the bed.

 

[Drobabes]

"You're welcome" he said just as softly, before looking down at Tommy and frowning. He was going to have to have a serious talk with that boy. But for now,

"You should try to sleep Jesse. I'll keep an eye on him and wake you up if anything changes."
________

The soft movements of his warm body next to her drew her out of her deep sleep a bit. With a little stretch, she soon rolls herself over and reaches up to gently grip the front of his shirt, her eyes still closed as she snuggles up near his warm chest. Even though she was still deeply in the state of blissful unconsciousness, Cora's body still reacted to his hot length, now nestled so comfortable against her belly and groin. Her hips push up against him gently, unconsciously seeking to feel him just a bit closer...
________

Down stairs, Delvin was finishing up his meager meal, and the conversation. The company was nice, and while a bit amusing, he found it to be drawing out a little too long.

Perhaps the man sensed Vin's eagerness to be on his way, as just as soon as Delvin finished up his drink, the old man's eyes looked over and lingered on his tattooed sleeve.

"You do your own work?" he asked, his head swaying slightly, as if he were on a boat.

There was a brief pause, Vin wondering if he could get away with lying about it just so that he wouldn't be roped back into another hour long discussion on the way that old trucks used to not have seatbelts. In the end however, he thought better of it and simply responded with the truth.

"Yea I do. It's how I made myself a living before all this shit went down."

The man looked at him, finishing off his own drink as his eyes lingered over his glass, and when he sat it down, he belched.

"I have a pen. I've been looking for someone to pass it down to, seeing as I don't have any family."

 

[Poprockz]

"You should try to sleep Jesse. I'll keep an eye on him and wake you up if anything changes."

"Fuck that." Her answer was hushed, but definitely matter-of-fact, a little frown on her face. "I'm staying up until for as long as I can." There was no way he could convince her otherwise, the stubborn young woman turning her gaze back to Tommy. Though as the seconds stretched to minutes and the minutes stretched longer, she couldn't fight the way her eyelids drooped. Soon enough, she had unwillingly fallen asleep, her breathing slow as she dreamed of him.

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He froze as she turned over, momentarily afraid that she might have woken up to tell him off for being such a pervert. That didn't seem like it was in her character to do so, but his worries had a mind of their own. The way she clung to his shirt made him swallow hard, his cock twitching in his boxers. How could she be so simultaneously precious and alluring?

Damien silently sucked in a breath when her hips pushed against him, wondering whether he was being tested by some higher power. He was afraid that if he touched her too lewdly in her sleep that she wouldn't feel safe sleeping with him anymore. That being said... he shuddered as his hips moved forward a bit to grind against hers ever-so-softly. That heat in-between her legs was calling to him, but he knew that siren call was trying to make him do naughty things she probably wouldn't approve of.

God, he knew he should probably stop, but maybe it would be okay just for a little bit more as long as it didn't go too far.