When I finally returned to the safe house, it was empty.

There was no sign of Charles or Eli.

The only indication of how they left was when I saw that the red Volswagen, that used to be parked in front of the neighboring apartment, was missing.

I wasn't surprised to see that they were gone but it can't say that I wasn't disappointed that they'd left. I half hoped that they might come back yet at the same time, it was probably for the best that they'd gone away.

I decided I would still burn down Wither Gate though. After being given the flare from that strange woman, my determination to set the world on fire had rekindled. I just needed to make a genuine plan on how I was going to make a big enough batch of chemical weapons to get the job done right.

It would be alot easier to do with more people but considering the premise that Eli and Charles may not come back, I'd have to figure out how to do it all myself.

First of all, I needed a way to carry all the flammables into Wither Gate. I really couldn't just fling a bunch of balloons at them and expect that to work out.

Maybe I could make a bomb or something.

There would be a high chance of failure with making a homemade bomb but if I somehow succeeded, Wither Gate and the Triad would, without a doubt, be removed from the face of the planet.

Permanently

And possibly myself as well.

I pondered the thought quietly and braided my mangy hair with slow precision while sitting on the scratchy sofa. I sat in relative contentment until an eerie sound hit the air.

It was the faint but still very audible sound of a fire truck siren. It echoed off of the surrounding buildings. Slowly raising in pitch before gradually lowering.

It reminded me of the sirens that big cities used to warn people when the infection first started to spread. But in this instance, I wasn't sure what the siren meant.

Was it a warning?

An accident?

I swiftly rose from my seat and went to the window. A careful hand pushed the curtains so that I could peak through the small break in between the wooden planks. I wasn't expecting to see where the fire truck was but instead tried to gage which direction the sound was coming from.

Unsurprisingly, several infected were already attracted to the sound. Many of them were starting to leave their hiding places and walk about in the open. I soon realized that they all appeared to be heading north east.

That must have been where the siren had gone off. The sound lasted for a good while and was difficult to ignore.

However, roughly twenty minutes later, after the fire alarm finally stopped, a second sound caught my attention. It was the low growling sound of a mechanical engine.

It sounded like something big.

And it was getting closer.

I found myself back at the window and straining for a glimpse of whatever was coming. One of my hands was set on the hand gun at my waist. I surveyed the road below with a hawk like gaze as the siren continued and the sound of the engine grew louder until there was finally movement.

I should have been surprised to see Eli And Charles riding down the road in a massive yellow bulldozer like vehicle, the kind you typically see when driving by a construction site, but instead it brought a smile to my lips.

The machine would be great for invading a place like Wither Gate.

The pair looked to be enjoying themselves far too much as they grinned ear to ear like a pair of giddy six year olds. I watched them with an amused expression as they rolled up to the entryway with surprising speed. Eli pointed outwards to where my black truck was parked and spoke excitedly, hopefully relieved that I'd returned.

I suppose I was pleased to see them again as well.

I scanned the area to check if it was clear before opening the garage door.

The two men parked the giant vehicle near the entry.

I met them at the front of the garage door and in spite of the turmoil that rested between us, I smiled at their approach with my arms crossed over each other amicably.

"Do you think it's big enough?" I asked with mild sarcasm even though the construction vehicle easily dwarfed me and made my truck look like a plastic toy.

"It's the biggest one we could find," Eli replied with a broad grin while Charles stopped the engine.

"Were you guys the ones who started the fire truck siren?" I asked curiously as they found their way off the bulldozer.

"Yeah, we needed a distraction so that less infected would follow us here," Charles answered.

I nodded in understanding before noticing a few infected who were straggling behind, maybe only fifty yards away.

"Let's talk inside," I opted and they quickly entered.

Upon seeing the massive collection of firearms that I'd amassed on the kitchen counter and small dining table, the pair nearly fainted.

"Is that a Ruger AR?" Eli asked with wide hazel eyes, reaching out a hand towards the rifle in awe. I nodded in mild amusement at his star struck face. "I st- my friend I mean- used t-to have a BB gun like this." Eli added.

"I see you've been busy since you left," Charles said before brushing away a small, yellow owl origami craft to pick up a bolt action rifle.

I nodded again. "Yeah," I said. "I guess you guys have too, what's with that bulldozer?" I asked curiously, gesturing in the general direction of where the construction vehicle was parked outside.

"It's actually a front loader. I got to work with one several years ago at this construction gig when I'd gotten out of highschool. They're good for transporting dirt and rubble and enough chemical weapons to invade a small city," Charles explained and I quirked a brow in surprise, recalling the large almost shovel-like loading bucket that had been at the front of the vehicle.

It was actually a clever idea.

I certainly would have never thought of using the front loader. Yet, finding the final link in our plan to invade Wither Gate didn't do much to lift my mood.

There was still an elephant in the room that I had to address.

"I um, I actually really should apologize for earlier," I said with uncharacteristic sincerity to my words. The two men ceased their movements so that they could listen.

Elijah's expression became sympathetic.

"It's ok Sage, it was an accident you know? I mean I was the dumb o-one who had my back tu-turned," Eli argued kindly, gesturing tohimseldf but I shook my head.

"No, it's not ok," I said. "I froze up back there. When I saw that thing behind you all I could think of was my brother. I was too late then and too late now," I explained slowly, my dark eyes trained on the kitchen counter.

Charles had a strangely empathetic look in his eyes. He knew exactly what it was like to not be capable of saving people when they needed it.

"You shouldn't blame yourself," Charles said gently.

"Yeah, shit happens," Eli added with an empathetic smile.

"But you could've been bit Eli. And I couldn't do anything to stop it from happening," I claimed, looking at him seriously.

"But it wasn't-" Charles started but quickly paused as a troublesome sound hit the air. It sounded like a car, possibly multiple, were approaching. The distinct rumbling sound of an engine had become clear.

I crossed the room in an instant, delicately pulling back the thick drapes.

"Did anyone follow you?" I asked, my tone shifting from apologetic to stern.

"No - well the Triad couldn't have - we took the front loader from th eastern part of the city," Charles claimed, pointing in the opposite direction while coming up right behind me.

The room became quiet in anticipation.

As Charles approached, two vehicles came into view. One of them was a bright red truck and the other was a smaller beige jeep. There were at least two occupants in both vehicles and one of the people was holding a high powered flashlight that lit up the evening air as the sun began to set. I couldn't see their faces from this distance and they all looked to be half covered with a cloth or bandana of some kind. As they grew closer, I finally saw that there was a triangle with three smaller circles inside of it painted on the side of both cars.

A renewed sense of tension hit the air as both Eli and Charles caught sight of the symbol. Eli's naturally mellow features turned callous. Charles had a hand on the drapes and his fist was clenched tightly as his pale blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Is that Andre's t-truck?" Eli asked, almost inaudibly.

From what I knew, Andre was also a former Wither Gater. One of the original fourteen that started the community and also one of the last ones that might have still been alive.

"It is," Charles answered.

Eli's lip curled.

"Andre would've scalped them if he saw this," Eli said, suddenly looking less like an anxious youth and more like a cold killer.

Charles nodded once.

"Probably," He agreed, "Right after shooting them first."

"What the hell are they doing so far from Wither Gate?" Eli nearly hissed.

"Probably heard the sirens. Or they finally need supplies since they don't have us to do their errands any more," Chatles replied lowly. He adjusted his position to the left, leaving less than a few inches of space between us as we both strained to see through the thin gaps in the planks.

The small entourage sped up once they saw the burnt up remains of the white truck that still remained in the left lane. They quickly stopped to inspect the vehicle and I got a good look at the many weapons and guns each person was armed with. They all even wore thick long sleeves and some had kevlar vests.

Suddenly the one holding the flashlight turned to the apartment complex and the light flashed right onto our location.

Instantly, I moved away from the window, taking cover behind the opaque wall, and pulled Charles with me. He almost tripped in surprise and was basically smushing me against the wall. He quickly recovered and reached out with an arm to catch himself and helped me stand back up straight. My heart rate jumped and I couldn't tell if it was because of the close proximity or because a cult was less than a hundred feet away.

I glanced across the window to see that Eli had ducked similar to us but was already reaching out to peek back out the window. Charles pushed himself away from the wall to return back to the window and I followed right behind him.

From our vantage point, we could see roughly five to six Triad members inspecting the car. They spoke between each other but I could make out any of the words. But I could tell that they were anxious about something.

"Is that Lyra?"Eli asked, straining to peer down at the group of fiends.

"That's her," Charles replied tightly.

I scanned the group to find one female who happened to be the specimen holding the flashlight. She had a mess of tangled brown hair and ebony skin. Even though I couldn't see her face very clearly, her wide eyes shone with distinct cruelty.

She reminded me of one of my uncle's neighbors dogs.

And my uncle's neighbor got arrested for hosting illegal dog fights.

"Who's Lyra?" I asked.

"A goddamn lunatic," Eli replied a bit loudly.

"She's the one who killed Kailen; she stabbed him in the back with a steak knife," Charles explained shortly. "She's lucky she got away."

I nodded briefly in understanding.

The small group spoke in hushed, inaudible tones. We watched their every movement like a trio of hawks.

A moment or two later, the group began to realize that they were sitting ducks as a handful of infected began to approach. With the coming darkness, there would be dozens more in a couple moments. Infected were always more active at night. The group quickly re-entered their designated vehicles to make a hasty getaway.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Eli asked impatiently. "They're right there."

"We could ambush them," I offered.

Charle's shook his head. "No. Not yet. This isn't even half of them. They're going to burn with the rest of the Triad," Charles replied as the two vehicles made hasty u-turn before charging back down the road while simultaneously running right over an infected who'd been in the street.

No one left the window until the two cars had completely disappeared from sight.

I was the first to take a step back.

"So, now that we're back on track," I said, taking their attention away from the window. "When are we gonna invade Wither Gate?"

Charles turned with a sober expression. "That depends," He started. "Are you still on board? Because if we're going to do this, everyone has to be on the same page."

I nodded. I could put my fear of abandonment away for a few days. Long enough to see Wither Gate turn to ashes.

Then I could go back to how things were before.

But for some reason, that premise didn't sound even half as appealing as it did earlier in this story.

"I'm good," I replied confidently and Charles turned to Eli with the same look and question.

Eli agreed instantly.

"Alright then," Charles said, taking a seat at the small dining table where multiple handguns laid dormantly. "I say we attack either in the early morning or late at night so we can catch them off guard. When can we get started with your hydrazine and shit?"

"Not till' tomorrow. It's too late to be mixing combustible liquids together," I replied honestly.

"Yeah, t-that's probably a good idea," Eli agreed.

Charles nodded.

"We can start tomorrow then," He announced while rubbing a hand gently against the walled wound on his upper arm.

"Sounds like a plan," I replied, taking an extra quick glance out of the window. The street below was once again barren and empty aside from a burnt and shot up white truck.

"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Eli asked, glancing at the pantry.

I grinned before swiping a half full bottle of Eagle Rare Whisky Bourbon from the floor and placing it in the younger boy's hand.

"Drink heavily," I offered and Elijah's hazel eyes widened.

"Hey, no, don't give him that," Charles began once he saw the high proof bottle of alcohol, "I thought you weren't crazy anymore," Charles said and made a motion for Eli to hand over the bottle.

My brows furrowed as I raised a hand to stop him. "I'm not crazy, jus' imbalanced," I replied candidly.

Charles huffed but eventually conceded. "Yeah, ok, sure. But that doesn't mean we should all just get wasted," Charles argued.

Eli looked between us with a mild expression, like a child watching two parents argue over something fruitless.

I nodded contentedly. "Alright, so maybe you have a point," I admitted and Charles scoffed in surprise at my initial surrender. "But we're gonna be setting a bunch of people and buildings on fire and you can't jus' cause mass destruction if you're all tensed up. You gotta be loose." I continued, mimicking his taut shoulders and stiff posture.

Charles shook his head in disbelief. "Oh, and you have a whole bunch of experience in the department of pyrotechnics do you?" He asked but he already knew the answer at the sight of my expression.

"Think about who yer" talkin' to," I said.

He sighed, his arms crossed stiffly across his chest. He tapped his foot indignantly a few times before finally looking up from his seat. Charles looked to Eli for help but the brunette boy just shrugged indecisively.

I could sense his resolve.

"Fine, give me the bottle."