Sitting down with a huff, I ripped open a small bag of peanuts in frustration. Four days of searching and I had only come into contact with two teams. Thankfully they were both on board with the plan once I told them about the graveyard massacre, but I was hoping to have accomplished a lot more by now. Hopefully, Xander and Demi were having better luck, or the teams I had met were informing everyone they ran across, like I told them to. The more people we have looking for help, the more likely we'll have a contending army.

Not spying any activity on the streets below, I moved to the other side of the dentist's office on whose roof I was perched. I surveyed the surrounding area, thinking of how much ground I had already covered to still come up rather empty-handed. Both of the teams I found had been through a lot already. The first had lost half of its members and looked half-starved. Kain was with them, but the shadow walker was just as distressed as the rest of his team. They seemed relieved to have a focus when I told them about the fire user and the plan, eager to get on the move. The other team I had found seemed to have been avoiding any confrontation at all. They had Todd with them. The first-timer that Malcolm had introduced me to in the graveyard. When I asked the kid where Malcom was, he told me that the old man ran when the fire user attacked the cemetery. When he tried to get away, the surrounding teammates of Fire King had killed the old man. My blood boiled at the thought of that day and I was glad that Todd hadn't run away like Malcom. I was also glad that he didn't try to fight and I told him so.

Well, I'm not going to find anyone just sitting here. Break's over.

Two days without finding anyone had gotten me frustrated. Maybe it was the restless nights. I had to sleep in a way that I'd be hidden from view, usually in a tree or finding an odd and small area to take cover in, like an abrupt ditch or small closet inside a house. The chills might wake me up if someone were to come by, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. Then again, there were a lot of things irritating me and the rough sleeping was probably only adding to my frustration. The army that we faced was large and I was beginning to wonder how many people were left. How much time had I wasted staring at the enemy on top of that hill? I had been so obsessed with killing off the fire user myself, that I didn't even consider that he wouldn't show his face. The only thing I had been concerned with was when to strike. All the while, everyone else has been playing the game and killing each other. At this rate, there won't be enough people left to make a dent in Fire's army.

I scanned my surroundings, not for the first time. I was in the middle of the road, surrounded by small shops on either side. A few of them were restaurants, I had recently eaten at one called Boat House Special and found some bread and meats to make a sandwich, but most of the buildings were souvenir shops. More shops stretched in front of me and the street behind eventually led to the beach. One of the buildings had a jagged cut in the brick, just by the door. Actually, it looked like several of the buildings had the same slash. There must have been a battle here, but when?

"Hey there, hot stuff," Rayne's voice rang in my head as she appeared to my right.

"This is getting a bit weird," I said, happy to see her but also starkly aware that she shouldn't be here.

Rayne just smiled, "You know, there's a T-shirt place just over there." She pointed to my left and I turned to find an obnoxiously obvious clothing store nestled between the other souvenir shops on the strip. The sign above the door screamed in big, colored lettering, Fancy Florida. "Come on. Can't have everyone ogling you." I hadn't had a shirt on since I had found Xander and my skin was pink from the sun as a result; I wasn't even sure how long ago that was anymore.

I followed her into the store where shirts, sweaters and hats were crammed on racks and displayed across every spare inch of wall space. Most of them had the store's logo on it and said the word "Fancy" somewhere on the clothing with an outline of the state below or next to the word. The shop was small, so the shirts were littered everywhere except for the floor. I took a blue tee-shirt and put it on. Rayne inspected me.

"Hmm. Not really sure if blue is your color," She said.

"It'll be fine. I'm not looking to impress anyone."

"If you say so." She went behind a row of clothing and picked something up. "What do you think?" She put on a bright, pink hat.

"It's... different."

She frowned, "You're supposed to say that I look amazing no matter what."

I smiled, "You do. But that pink is a bit much."

"Oh well," she took the hat off and put it back where she found it. "I know why you wanted to go off on your own, you know." She picked up a shirt from behind a tall shelving unit and examined it before putting it away.

"What do you mean?"

"You wanted to see me. When you're with Xander, I don't show up. It's because you feel safer. You don't need me because you think he'll protect you when you need it."

I waved my hand, "I only met him a little while ago."

"And yet, you trust him," she added, inspecting another hat but leaving it on the rack. "It's okay to find a friend, even here."

I looked at her. Maybe she was right. The thought made me look at her again. Wasn't she a figment of my imagination? If so, why does she seem so real? "I'm not going crazy, am I?"

She breathed a laugh, "Who knows. But at least we'll have each other."

"But usually, you only show up if I'm in danger or dying," I pressed.

"So?"

"So...what gives?"

She giggled and told me what I already knew, "You know that I'm just in your head, right? If you don't know the answer, neither will I. Maybe it's something in your subconscious and I'm a sign, telling you that you noticed something but didn't register it. Maybe you are going crazy, enjoying my company a bit too much and are summoning me just for the fun of it. Maybe, eventually, I'll be as permanent as your shadow. Or maybe you're looking into it too much. Does it matter? No matter which is right, I'm still here."

"I guess."

"Besides, you like seeing me. I know you do," she smiled, tapping her temple with a finger and I reflexively smiled back.

We exited the building and I saw a flicker of movement to my left. Carefully and quietly, I moved closer to the cross street where I had seen the movement from. I got chills just before I arrived at the next street. When I looked around the corner, I saw more of the slash marks on the walls of the buildings; a lot more. Then I heard a loud grinding noise and realized that someone was making those marks.

"You know who it is, don't you?" Rayne asked.

"Yeah. And now I need to talk with him." I braced myself for a confrontation, summoning my sword, as I followed the grinding sounds, "Ready?"

I knew Rayne couldn't help me if things became difficult, but her presence was comforting, even if she really wasn't physically there. We were pursuing a man named Ruffus. He was strong. I would have to be on my toes if we got into a fight.

I wasn't sure what the right move would be. On one hand, sneaking up on him might prove to enrage him into a fight, but I might be able to get close enough to subdue him before he notices me. He would have his guard up since he would also have the chills too, but the way he prepares for a fight is different from others. He'll be setting traps for me. On the other hand, I could shout out to him to try and speak with him. The problem there is that I give away my position, and he's definitely an act first talk later kind of person. In any case, I would want to stay away from those gouges on the walls.

The slash marks were all around me and I wanted to get past them before I tried initiating conversation. Ruffus would be a valuable ally in the fight to come, but I didn't want to rush in and get myself killed trying to convince him to help. Quickly passing the cut walls, I looked around for my quarry but he was gone. I still had goosebumps but now I was out in the open and away from the slash marks.

"Ruffus!" I shouted. "I'm not here to fight you. Can you come out and chat?"

I heard swift footsteps approaching and I quickly turned to face my opponent, who was closing in at full speed. Ruffus was a tall, muscular man carrying a large claymore sword. As he rushed me, he let the sword drag on the ground, cutting the street slightly. Just as he reached me, he pulled up his blade in an attempt to attack me. I put up my free hand and blocked, pushing at his wrist moments before the blade connected.

"I said I didn't want to fight!" I said angrily. "I'm here to talk."

"Then talk as I kill you," he said in a deep voice, pulling his sword back and swinging again.

I couldn't block the blade, he would just use his ability, so I dodged. But as I did, I realized that I had stepped too close to a slash mark on the ground that he had made. I leaped away just as Ruffus activated his ability. The ground where the cut had been exploded. Luckily, I was out of range before I got hit but Ruffus was ready for me and sliced downward, trying to either cut my legs, the ground or both. I hopped backwards, being careful not to move too close to the slashed wall of the building behind me.

"The graveyard was attacked!" I managed, just before Ruffus came up to make another attack. He continued his swing but it was noncommittal. "He's got an army and I need help to take him down."

Ruffus relaxed a bit, but kept his sword out, "Who is he?"

"A fire user. But none like I've ever seen."

I waited for him to say or do something. It took him a long time before he finally spoke, "Where?"

"I'm planning an attack against him seven days from now, in the morning. I'll be luring him to the beach, near the cliffs on the north side."

His sword vanished and he turned from me and walked away, "I'll be there."

"If you see anyone else, please relay this information. We'll need everyone we can get!" I shouted, hoping he was still listening.

I turned, ready to go but wary about my route. This had been Ruffus' hideout and he had taken the time to make traps all around. I'd have to trust Ruffus to not take advantage of the situation. I took a deep breath, braving the shortest route I could find and hoping I wouldn't be blown up. The explosions probably wouldn't kill me, they weren't that strong. But they could seriously injure me, especially with how many there were, and the buildings might cave in as I try to get past them. Quickly, I made my way through the thin cross street and made it to the other side without incident.

"Well," I said to no one. "That was...special."

I expected Rayne to respond, but she was gone. Not for the first time, I wondered whether she was more like my guardian angel, trying to warn and protect me from harm, or my grim reaper waiting to comfort me into the arms of death.

I took another deep breath to steady myself and clear my head. I was happy to have found Ruffus but I was still far short of my worst recruiting goal. There was a lot to do and only a few days left to do it. I should make my way out of this area and start looking somewhere else. Hopefully, Xander and Demi were having better luck than I was. I was anxious to face this fire user and show him what consequences are involved after attacking a graveyard. I didn't just want to kill him, I wanted him to never try such a thing again.

There was no use in worrying about it. We would make our attack whether it was just the three of us or if there was a full army behind us. The latter was preferable, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. The goal, for the moment, was only to find help and I needed to focus on that. I continued my search, heading south as the sun set and turned the sky a mixture of bright colors.