The Epidemic (Ryūkō)

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Izabelle shut off her car in front of a gas station. She looked at the building, contemplation what she may encounter. She pulled out her keys. Couldn't risk her only transportation because some survivor jacked her vehicle. She grabbed her knife, quietly opening her car door. She looked around again as she stepped out. No sign of life. That wasn't always a good thing. Keeping her door open, she walked over to the fuel pump and shoved it into her gas tank. Luckily, there was still fuel. The sound of aluminum clanked and she whipped her head around to the inside of the building. Cautiously, she snapped her blade out and waited. Nothing came. She sighed from relief and took the pump from her car, tossing it on the ground. She sat in her car and slammed the door, pulling out her keys again. She started the car, flipping up on radio and seaching for a broadcast, any broadcast. She finally came across the one about Alaska. She's heard it over and over. It was on an secluded island. The only way to get there was by boat or plane. She would have to obtain these things somehow. She wanted to find out if they've had any success with their research.

Zane shot the man in the head, putting him down for the count as he shoved the door shut and locked it. He took a split second to evaluate his situation. The building wasn't that high. He could always jump. The stairwell door leading to the roof was holding, but for how long, he wasn't sure. He heard a yell from the building to the right and looked up at see his daughter calling out to him. They had split up in the street. He was glad she had found a fire escape and made it out alive. He looked around again, tuning out the banging on the door behind him. He looked at his daughter and pointed to the outskirts, indication he would meet her there. She nodded and saw her disappear into the building. He adjusted his hat as he stepped back a few steps, then took a running start and jumped onto the other building, nearly missing. He turned to see the creatures burst through the door. "That was close." He took a moment to reload his gun as he thought of his next plan.

Mary ran through the alleyways, hoping she would find a way out of this endless maze. She was covered in blood, which was expected from close range attacks. She looked up and could see a fire escape ladder ahead. Taking her chance, she hopped off the ground and grabbed onto it, climbing as quick as she could. She looked down, kicking one away about to grab her foot before reaching the top. She slashed at the ladder, watching it fall and a few zombies with it. She looked up and could see her father on a roof not far from her. "Hey! Dad! Over here!" She called, waving her arms to get his attention. She waited for a moment, then saw him point and looked in the direction. She turned to him and nodded, then ascended the stairs and went in through a broken window. It was quiet. Very quiet. She slowly walked through the building, her feet echoing with each step. She wanted to call out. Ask if anyone was there, but she didn't want to draw unwanted attention.

Kyle walked through the halls of the church. They've locked up the place. No one in. No one out. This isn't how things should be. He wanted to go out there and help someone. There had to be survivors out there. And he wasn't sure, but maybe, his family was alive. He stopped in front of the door leading out to the courtyard. He had a strange feeling. Like someone needed him. But, he couldn't figure out who. He looked over his shoulder, saying a short goodbye in the back of his mind, then opened the door and walked out into the sunset. He closed the door behind him, looking up at the red and yellow sky. He could see storm clouds in the distance. He would have to hurry if he was going to find shelter before dark, much less before the rain flew in. He sighed and began walking. One foot in front of the other. He had no idea where he was going. It was like he was being led by someone, to someone. Maybe, someone out there, was calling to him for help.

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Ellen was nearby the building, walking slowly so that she wouldn't made any sound. The town was surprisingly quiet. No cars, no people, not even animals. But if you payed enough attention, you could hear an uneven creepy sound, the voices of the undead, lusting for humans. It sure gave Ellen the chills. 'Is this the apocalypse people warned us about?' she thought jokingly as she glanced around her. She soon though noticed a figure climbing fast the stairs. She loaded her gun and followed the figure until she reached the stairs. 'Must be a survivor since it's so fast." she thought and proceeded to climb the stairs, until she reached the window and jumped in. Following Mary's trails, she couldn't see anything as it was pitch black inside, and so she turned on her gun's flashlight. Making slow steps, you could hear the wooden floor echoing in every step. She then stopped at a window and glanced outside, seeing a part of the city being burned down and cars sirens being heard over the background. 'I hope I'm not the only one alive... This really seems like a bad dream.' she thought and then moved on. She couldn't find the figure and didn't want to shout either, risking that there might be undead in that building hiding. She just held her gun and kept searching.

Jimmy in the meantime was locked with his family in his house, and they had turned on only the radio and tv, and as well a floorlamp. His mother was sitting at the couch, sobbing that she had lost her husband and her sister. On the other hand, Ellen's dad was trying to find a working station at the radio to find out anything about this tragedy, while his wife was switching chanels on the tv. "They are all static. Nothing shows! Any luck with you honey?" she asked her husband as he shook his head. "No... Nothing is being broadcasted at the moment." Jim glanced at those 3 and then sighed. He made a small hole on the shut window to keep an eye on what's happening outside and then his jaw dropped as he saw many of the undead crawling around the neighborhood. "What... What is it Jimmy?" his mother asked with a trembling voice as she glanced at him worringly. Jimmy sighed once again and closed the curtains. "I saw a student of mine... he is also dead now." he said and then started crying as he slam his hand on the table. "Damn! Why is this happening to us?!" His mother also started crying, murmuring that they are gonna die sooner or later. Ellen's mother then glared at those two and tossed the controler at them "Shut up both of you, unless you want us to be die right now. You know these monsters crawl near everything that makes a sound! Do you want to kill everyone?" the loud sound of the static being heard from the radio made her stopped, as it started to now make some weird noises. "What is it?" she asked her husband and he signaled her to be quiet. Soon a female voice was heard from the radio. "Attention, a large camp is formed in Alaska with medical personel trying to find a cure for this disease. All survivors must go to that camp right now. It is the only chance for us, humans, to survive. You will find everything you need in there. I repea..." the broadcasting stopped again as the signal got lost. Jimmy raised his head and then stood up. "That's it! We gotta go there. It is our only chance!... Mom, where did dad hide his weapons?" he said and then glanced at his uncle "Uncle, you know how to use a gun right?"

Ada had found a small camp inside the forest, made by the military, but it was deserted. Did they get eaten maybe? she thought as she changed clothes and took any weapon she could find, including medication and stuffed them in a backpack. 'I guess this is where I will be staying tonight' she thought and climbed up a tree, tying herself onto it so that she wouldn't fall and kept in her hands a gun and a knife. She could hear footsteps, but couldn't see anyone... or anything.

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Mary stopped. The atmosphere in this place was creepy to say the least. It only seemed to get darker as she went further into the building while searching for the exit. As she waited, she thought she could hear noises from behind her. She turned around, seeing a light from around the corner moving around. Someone else was here? Should she call out to them, or hide? Were they following her? She didn't have much time to think. Her father had told her not to encounter any survivors when he wasn't around. She held the hilt of her sword firmly as she ran into the room nearby, accidently slamming the door shut. The quietness of the building made it seem louder than it should've been. She reached into her bag, pulling out a radio that her father had given her. The frequency was on channel two, which was the emergency frequency her dad told her to keep it on to call for help. "Dad?" She whispered, waiting for a response. She hadn't realized Ellen was a cop and that she may have her own radio as well.

Zane walked out of the building he was on the roof of just a few minutes before when he heard his daughter's voice. He pulled out his radio with a sigh. "What is it Mary?" "I think there is someone following me," she responded. He looked up at the building she was in. She had gone in from the third floor. "What's your location." He had already mapped out his entries. He just needed to know where she was to find her the quickest. "I'm on the second floor near the main stairs in a room." She kept her voice low, her voice a bit shakey. "I'll be there in two minutes. Don't move and don't do anything stupid please." He put his radio away, pulling out his flashlight and walked up to the door. It was locked. He kicked it open with no problem. One of the basics in the academy was to kick open a door the first time. He lifted his gun and flashlight as he entered the building. Doing a quick survey, he soon found the stairs leading to the second floor and slowly headed up them.

The night had settled in. Izabelle hated having her lights on, attracted too much attention. So she drove in the night. She would have to pass through the city. Her nephew was living here if she remembered right. Her brother lived just outside of town, but she knew better than to check for him. If he was alive, he and Mary were long gone by now. She wondered if her nephew was even still here, or alive. She didn't pay much attention to her surroundings. As she got further into town, every light was off and there was no one to be found. Well, not living. She slowed her car and stopped. About a block ahead, there were walkers everywhere. Even in the darkness she could see them moving. "Great." This was a one way street. She would have to backtrack. Something caught her attention though. A dim light from the house near the zombies. "So, that's why they're swarming." She debated for a moment on what to do. There must've been survivors. If she was going to help, she would have to draw them off. The question was, how many more would come out once she did. Unfortunately, she was too kind of a person to just leave someone helpless. "You guys better appriciate this," she said as she slammed down on the horn. She could see them turning towards the noise. She honked again, trying to get them to follow the noise as she continued honking.

Kyle sighed, walking through the quiet night. It was like something out of a horror movie. Everything was literally going to hell. He stopped, hearing something in the distance that he couldn't make out. Was that a car horn? But where was it coming from was the question. He decided to just randomly pick a direction and hope he was going the right way. Hopefully it was a survivor, not one of those things screwing around inside a car somewhere.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

As Ellen was making small and steady steps, she lowered her gun and kept walking through the rummages. She suddenly heard a loud bang, as a door was shut, and quickly aimed her gun in front of her. Ellen's legs where shaking from fear, as she could'nt see almost anything in the darkness. Only what could be seen by the dim light of the gun's flashlight. She finally reached in front of the door that Mary had shut before, and placed her hand on the knob, ready to slowly open it as she leaned at the door. Just when she was about to open it, her radio made a weird sound. She haven't heard her radio catching frequences for months, and it surprised her. She let go of the door, and picked up her radio, trying to listen. Because the signal was bad, she couldn't understand anything, only a few whispers and then she sighed. 'That's definitely no zombie. There is someone alive out there.' she thought and quickly pressed the speak button. "Attention, all survivors must go to the Police Department. All survivors will be send from there to safety. Please do not try do anything on your own, just go to the Police Department. Over." she said and placed her radio back to her belt, opening the door slowly. "Hello?" she uttered with a whisper just before hearing a loud bang once again from afar that made her startle and back off. She closed the door and aimed her gun behind her, lighting up the room. "Is anyone in here?! Answer me!" she shouted.

Jimmy's mother stood up while clearing up her tears, and walked to the fireplace, pushing in a small statue curved on the fireplace, that opened a hidden case. "Whoah I didn't know we had such stuff hidden in our house" Jimmy laughed as he had no idea what to expect next. His mother took out two shotguns used for hunting and hanged one to Jimmy and the other one to his uncle, as she started sobbing again "Please don't die" Jimmy glanced at her and smiled, hugging her tight "It's okay, we will be back alive that's for sure!" his uncle also hugged the two and said "Don't worry Bertha, I'm going to protect my nephew." and then let go of them as he loaded his weapon and nodded at Jimmy. "Come on, we are moving out"

Ellen's mother slowly without making any sound unlocked the front door, and opened it slightly, just enough, for them to pass through "Hurry... and be safe" she whispered as the two walked out of the house, and then she closed the door, holding her hands together and closing her eyes, praying for them "I hope they will be okay."

As soon as Jimmy and his uncle stepped out the front door, they saw a dim light a few streets down, and soon heard honkings "Are they crazy?! All zombies will surround and kill them soon, they attract a lot attention!" Jimmy said to his uncle as he saw the undead slowly crawling towards the gun and not even paying attention to them. Jimmy's uncle (John from now on) sighed and started walking towards the car "Where are you going uncle?" Jimmy said as he followed him. "Come on, we gotta help them." Soon they reached the car, zombies were hanging from it, some were trying to get it, others where just standing there. Jimmy aimed his gun but couldn't shoot. He was shaking. "What are you waiting for?" John yelled at him as he shot a couple of zombies in front of the car. Jimmy snapped out of it and finally shot a zombie as he was shaking "I'm sorry..." Hopefully there weren't too many zombies in this neighborhood and the car didn't attract much attention. When they finished all 10 zombies, John went to the driver's window and gently tapped it.

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Mary looked down at her radio, hearing static and what sounded to be a woman's voice. Though she couldn't make out the words, she could kind of hear it behind the door as well. How did she get ahold of a police radio? Was she also an officer? Or did she snag it from somewhere? She wasn't sure. She instantly froze when she heard the door begin to open. Her tension eased slightly. For some reason, something about her voice took all her fear away. Before she could answer, the door shut again. Her father must be here.

Zane could see the light shine as he heard someone yelling to answer. He continued to the top of the stairs, lowering his gun and light. He couldn't see the woman through the bright light being shown at him, but could tell she was armed. "I'm just here to get my daughter. I don't want any trouble," he explained calmly. Seconds later, he raised his gun again and fired. The bullet went past the figure's head and into another standing behind her about to attack. The body fell and he lowered his gun again. "Sorry." He gave a slight smirk to her reaction, a bit glad she didn't end up shooting him. He looked over at the door as it opened.

Mary jumped when she heard a gun shot. Quickly getting up from her hiding spot, she ran over to the door and opened it. Her eyes instantly shut at the sudden light breaking through the darkness and covered it. "Jesus Christ dad!" She looked at her father who shrugged as she sheathed her sword. "I thought you shot the poor girl." She turned to the woman, able to see her a little better being up close. "Hey dad, she's a police officer like u used to be," she pointed out. Her father was a bit higher ranking than just an officer though. SWAT was a hard thing to get accepted into. You had to be either really good or be in the force for so long before even considering applying for it. Zane put his gun away with a sigh as Mary held out her hand to Ellen. "Hello, I'm Mary. That's my dad over there, Zane. Don't worry, he wont bite. He's like a big teddy bear," she said as she closed her eyes and smiled. Zane didn't seem to move, just waited there paitiently for his daughter to come over to him. He did feel a little annoyed on how she had described him however.

Izabelle watched as the figures began to come towards her vehicle. She glanced at the door, seeing them come out safetly. "That solves one problem. Now to get out of here," she said aloud a tried to start her car. It stalled. "Shit..." She tried again. "Shit!" She tried a thrid time, then hit the steering wheel. "Fucking piece of junk!" She jumped as a zombie slammed against the driver's side window. "Come on, don't do this now," she said, trying to start it for a fourth time. The next bang came with a crack, causing her to let out a startling scream. She quickly jumped out of her seat into the passenger's, only to be startled by another bang from that window. The next sound she heard was a gunshot. She froze in fear for a moment. They were helping her? She looked out the window and managed to see two figures taking down the walkers one by one. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. She squeaked from the knock on her window. Her windows were tinted to nearly black, so you couldn't see inside the car. Moving back to the driver's seat, she opened the door and stepped out of her car. She took a moment to look over the two men. One was a bit older, while the other was around her brother's age. She thought she reconized himk from somewhere, but couldn't place it. "Well, that sure was fun." She smiled as she leaned on her car door. "I'm passing through looking for someone and here I find you guys instead. At least there are other people alive out there, so I have some hope."

Kyle stopped. He couldn't hear the commotion anymore once the gun shots had stopped. He was closer now though and hoped he had time to find the source. Gun shots meant someone was alive. He couldn't feel more relieved. He continued walking, keeping an eye out for anything that could go wrong. The town was quiet. Granite it was small, but it did have a large population. Had they all moved on? He hadn't seen any sign of life or death since he left. Or, were they just hunting for food? He wasn't sure, but he had seen people eating eachother just a few days before. He wasn't sure what to do or think about the situation. He sighed. What would he find when he finally reached his destination? Friend or foe? That was a good question. He hoped they wouldn't attack him on sight. It was dark and he could easily be mistaken for one of those creatures. He would have to be careful.

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Ellen imidiatelly pointed her gun at Zane, upon hearing footsteps, but soon lowered her gun as she heard his reasons. "Listen you have to go to--" she got interrupted by the sound of a gun being fired. Seeing the bullet travelling almost towards her face, she got shocked and gasped, but then heard the sound of a flesh being pierced behing her. She quickly glanced behind her and saw a zombie dropping down dead. "What.The.Hell" she uttered before turning back to Zane and noticing he is also in Police, after having a better observation of him. "Sorry?! You are just sorry?! You almost shot me, do they teach you such techniques without warning anyone, over at the SWAT boys?" she yelled at him in anger right before the door opened and Mary popped out. Speachless, she watched their reunion and sighed. When Mary mentioned that her dad is higher rank than her she glared at him and almost let out a growl. Her attention now was towards Mary once again, who introduced themselves and reached out her hand, waiting for Ellen's response. Ellen giggled about Mary's comment and then turned off the flashlight, placing her weapon back to her back and then slightly sat down, to reach Mary's height. "You can call me Ellen." she said and gently started caressing Mary's cheek as she glanced at Zane and then got up. "Listen, you have to go to the Police Department, from there we have people who will send you off to safety, to Alaska. Please don't play to be brave."

John couldn't see anything through the black window, so he kept tapping it, waiting for an answer. He heard the sound of a car being unlocked and then stepped back to let the driver get out of the car. As soon as Izabelle got out, Jimmy moved towards her and John and then asked "Are you alright?" a bit confused as he thought he had seen her before. They both listened to her and then Jimmy responded "Can you help us? Please I have my aunt and mother back at home, they need help. Let us get on your car, and we will protect you in return." he asked her, hopping she would agree with him. John stepped in front of Jimmy and then gently grabbed Izabelle's shoulder. "Please, my wife is already shocked by all these."

As it was getting late, the weather also got colder and Ada had almost frozen to death. She sighed as she couldn't sleep and untied herself from the tree, jumping down. "Alright, I have to lit up a fire" she said to herself and then with steady and small steps walked inside a tent, searching for a lighter. As soon as she entered the tent, she heard unsteady footsteps behind her and quickly pulled out her knife, stabbing the zombie right at it's forehead. After it dropped dead, she made a sound of relief and backed away a few steps as she held her stern, trying to breathe normal "Oh my God, that was close. I have to hurry." she said again to herself and grabbed the lighter, getting out of the tent. She then grabbed a few nearby branches and set them to fire as she started climbing the tree once again. "That should do it." Ada was just right outside the town, near the street.

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Zane shrugged to Ellen's comment, more ignoring it than anything. He did just save her life, but he didn't seem phased by her ungratefulness. Mary smiled wide at Ellen. It soon faded when she said to go to the police station and looked at her father. Zane shook his head. "We just came from there. It's blood bath central. I doubt there is anyone alive." He wasn't sure how she would take the news, but he didn't really care either. He motioned for Mary to come over to him as he turned. "Wait, we can't just leave her behind dad," Mary protested, crossing her arms. Zane stopped just before the stairs and looked at Mary, then at Ellen. "I think that's up to her. She can follow us if she wants. Now let's go." Mary smiled and looked back at Ellen. "Will you go with us? We're heading towards the airport to see if we can find a plane. If that doesn't work then it's off to the coast for a boat!" She didn't like the thought of leaving the young officer behind. More so, she grew up without a mother. Having a woman around that she could talk to was a nice thought. "Please Ellen?" She asked again, waiting for a response.

Izabelle nodded to Jimmy and smiled. "I'm fine," she reassured and listened to his reponse. She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, but I'm not leaving til I get the chance to search for my nephew. If he's anything like his father then he's still alive. After that I need to get to the reasearch facility in Alaska to finish my work. I was in the middle of trying to find a cure for this 'disease' when my lab got overrun." She smiled at the two of them. "Why don't you go get the ladies ready to go. I'm not going anywhere." She sat back down in her car and went to start it, this time without a problem. Of course. This thing always gave out on her when she needed it most. She sighed, looking over at Jimmy. "You wanna join me in here while we wait for the others?"

Kyle rubbed his head. He had ended up on some off street, completely losing where he was going. He hadn't found the source of the noises and wasn't even sure he was going the right direction anymore. He just continued walking, getting closer towards the edge of town. His aunt and the others were much further down the road. He looked around, searching for any sign of life. Something caught his eye. Near the road a ways ahead, there was a light flickering. Like fire. He stopped for a moment. A survior? His instinct told him to go check it out, but he knew he had to be cautious. He started running, getting there in a matter of minutes. He walked through the brush and looked around til he spotted the campfire and a tent. Was someone inside the tent? He hadn't seen Ada who was up in the tree. He didn't really think to look up high for someone. He slowly walked out of the brush and over towards the tent, opening it to see if anyone was inside. Nothing. Just a dead body. He looked around, then at the fire. It was still pretty high. Someone had to have started it recently. Had he missed them? "Hello?" He finally called out after a moment. He hoped this wasn't some kind of trap that would get him ambushed. He walked over and leaned against the tree below where Ada was, sliding his hands into his pockets. Maybe he should just wait to see if they would come back.

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Ellen fell at her knees when she heard what Zane has just said. She couldn't believe it. "It can't be... I just..."She stopped halfway her sentence, covering her head with both hands. She let out a sob as sudden realization hit her. She had been finding survivors in the town, telling them to go to the Police Dept to find shelter. Did she really send them to their grave an hour earlier? Were they all eaten because of her? But she had orders from the higher ups, they told her to do so, and she obeyed the rules. She had no idea. She quickly started listening whispers and sounds, telling her she was the one to blame, that she was responsible for them. Products of her imagination, she was shocked. "I... killed them." she uttered, hitting her head so that the whispers would stop. Suddenly everything was gone when Mary approached her, telling her to go with them. Ellen stood there for a minute speechless, then glanced at Zane as she wipped her tears, stnding up and gently held Mary's hand. "Alright, if you insist." and started following them, her head filled with the thoughts of those she had 'saved' and how they were angry at her. Did she really go crazy? But then again, it was like the apocalypse, she was used to deaths, the new order of things. Why the world had to be so dark, was she just a pawn? Used? Or even the higher ups had no idea about what was going on at the Police Dept? Well, after the incident they never contacted her anyways, it seems like they were long gone, probably to their safe shelters, comfortable sleeping and eating like everything is fine.


Jimmy glanced at his father and then back at Izabelle, quickly nodding as he got in a bit awkwardly. "Yes, yes of course Ma'am." he was surprised by the woman's words, maybe she just felt scared and lonely and needed some company. Maybe he really did misunderstand her. Jimmy held his hands together and lowered his glanced, too shy to glance at the woman. "So... You have a nephew? How old is he?"

John nodded at the two and proceeded running towards their house, to get the women out. Once he reached the door, he knocked it as then his wife opened him, asking him what was going on. He quickly stepped in, telling them to pack their most important things and get at the car they saw near their house. As the ladies were preparing their stuff, John hurried to the room they had earlier found the guns, and he started filling a bag full of ammo and other weapons. Jimmy's mother, Anne, packed some food supplies while the aunt wouldn't let go of the family portrait and her jewelry. Anne noticed Eleonora was trying to take the whole damned house with her and so she pulled her away, yelling at her "Let it go, that's too much already!" But... Eleonora mumbled as she didn't want to let go of anything. Anne sighed "Just take a photo and a few jewelry... Unless you wanna kill us all." Eleonora nodded with a sad look as she only took a family photo and a box full of jewelry, holding them tight. John also came out from the room and then proceeded to go back to the car.



Ada was about to sleep when she heard steps walking towards her. She growled as she slowly opened her eyes, glancing at the direction she earlier heard the footsteps. She noticed the young boy, who was probably about her age and sighed, untie-ing herself off the tree as the boy wandered around. From afar he really looked like a zombie, but when he came closer to the fire, she could clearly see his face, something familiar. It was a survivor. Ada smiled and climbed down the tree, landing right next to the boy as he dusted her clothes off, glancing at him "Shh...Climb up" she whispered at him as he handed him a rope.

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Zane glanced back over his shoulder, his facial expression softening a bit. He could tell what she was about to say. He let out a sigh and waited for the two of them. Mary shook her head at Ellen. "It wasn't your fault you know..." She gave the young woman a gentle smile. "There is no way you could have known. You were just following orders. My dad told a few civilians to go there as well...I'm sure he can sympathize." She looked at her father who avoided her gaze. Mary looked back at Ellen as she agreed to go with them and smiled. There was no where for her to go anymore. And her father knew how she was. She wasn't about to leave someone alone, especially in this world.

Zane glanced around as he reached the bottom of the stairs. It was dark now outside. They would have to be extra careful, but it was much easier to hide during the night. Their little side tracked mission took the last of their daylight, but he would make due. He looked back at the girls who weren't far behind. Ellen being a cop made him feel a little better as far as his daughter's safety. "I live outside of town. We can easily secure it for the night and get some rest. It isn't too much farther, if you're up to it?" He asked Ellen, wondering if she was in the state of mind to protect herself much less others after what she heard.

Izabelle smiled at the man, containing her laughter at his politeness. When he asked about her nephew, it faded as she thought about it. "Let's see...Kyle is eighteen now if I remember right. His sister is still in high school but she was supposed to graduate this year. She is more than likely with her father I'm sure." She rested her arms against the steering wheel. "I'm worried about him though. He can be a bit reckless and stubborn. I used to have to pick him up from school whenever he got into fights, which was usually about once a week. He and his father didn't exactly get along. When he graduated he moved out. I wish he would've taken me up on my offer to stay at my place." She sighed, thinking about the days when things were still 'normal'. "I'm sure he's alright though." She giggled as she closed her eyes. "That boy could always get out of any situation no matter what it was."

Kyle jumped when he heard a voice and turned to look. He blinked at Ada, then looked up the tree. He swallowed. He was afraid of heights, but he was never the type to show it. Especially in front of a stranger. He took the rope from her and climbed up the tree quickly. He looked down at Ada, then smiled and reached his hand out to help her up. Seeing her in the fire's light, she was a beautiful girl. Seemed around his age. Maybe his sister's. He wasn't sure.

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