"I-I think I'm done." Jessie said in between pants.

He rested his hand against a tree as he caught his breath. He looked up to see Akita smiling down at him, smiling back Jessie dropped his stick and sat down resting his back against the tree.

"You did a lot better than I thought you would, take pride in that." Akita said as he sat across from Jessie. He grabbed the binoculars he had left on the snow bed and peered out towards the cabin.

"You're just saying that, I never touched you. While I am very much covered in bruises." Jessie said looking down at his arms. He watched as a small amount of smoke billowed away into the night as the chill returned.

"No I truly mean that, I would say that with enough practice you could be a terrifying opponent." Akita said .

"Thank you, hopefully after all of this is over you can keep teaching me." Jessie said feeling his face flush.

"That would be nice, my father always wanted me to take a student." Akita said as he smiled wide.

"You've mentioned your dad a few times, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of man was he." Jessie asked curious. He had questions about his own father so the subject intrigued him to no end.

Akita's face tightened and Jessie could see he had asked the wrong question.

"He...was a complicated man. He believed heavily in our traditions and keeping them alive." Akita said sternly.

An awkward silence fell over the two of them as Jessie struggled under its weight.

Oh god what did I do.

Right as Jessie was about to make it worse Akita held up his finger as he looked down at his watch.

"It looks like it's time for me to switch shifts." Akita said as Jessie deflated.

Akita supported himself up with the help of his wooden blade discarding it once he was standing. Latching his sword and mask to his belt he turned to Jessie.

"I hope there is a future where I can teach you, you've...left quite an impression on me." Akita said as he quickly turned and walked towards the camp.

"I think you've left one on me as well." Jessie said quietly.

Left alone Jessie grabbed the binoculars left behind and peered through them to see an empty cabin. The forest around him was calm and he enjoyed the silence finding solace in its emptiness. Staring out at the cabin he noticed how run down it really looked, there were shattered windows and what looked like graffiti on the door.

He took a look at the shed beside the cabin getting the same impression. It was just as tall as the cabin but not quite as long. It was in total contrast to the cabin, the sleek metal walls were bare of any graffiti, looking almost new. The only indication it had stood there for quite some time was the weather damage to the roof.

"That place doesn't look anything special, so why choose here?"

"This is a secluded area in a forest people rarely go to, if it was me choosing a place to hide out it'd be here." Said a very tired voice from behind Jessie.

He turned to see Lily rubbing her eye and yawning. Her short hair stuck out in odd places and Jessie stared as she sat down beside him.

"What?" Lily asked as she fixed her hair.

"Nothing. I just wasn't expecting you to be the one to show up." Jessie said quickly turning away from her.

"Is it a bad thing that it was me that showed up?" Lily asked.

"No that's not what I'm saying, I was just surprised is all." Jessie said waving his hands frantically.

Lily glared at him before turning to face the cabin. Jessie sighed and shook his head, feeling more foolish.

Good job Cruz, there goes your chance to make a good impression the first time you got to hang out alone. Now she thinks I hate her.

Have you ever spoken to a women before.

Jessie frowned.

Oh great now you're here.

I'm always here Jessie.

"Hey I'm sorry if I upset you, I was just teasing." Lily said placing her hand on Jessie's shoulder shocking him.

Jessie jumped and Lily pulled her hand back. He knocked into a tree and a small amount of snow landed on him, wiping away the snow from his hair; he turned to see Lily stifling laughter. Trying to regain his composure Jessie fixed his clothes wiping away the snow that fell on him.

"Sorry about that." Jessie said picking leaves out of his hair.

"Here let me help." Lily said as she leaned in.

Jessie could feel his heartbeat quicken as she picked the debris from his hair, being so close to her left him with a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed as she pulled away holding a twig.

"There you go, now we're even." Lily said as she spun the twig in between her thumb and index finger.

For the first time in his life Jessie felt speechless as he stared at this girl.

What are you doing?

I don't know, I have no clue what to do.

Say something idiot.

"You're being really quiet. I didn't have you pegged for the quiet type." Lily said staring at the twig in her hand.

"I'm sorry that damn bird keeps talking to me." Jessie pressing his thumb into his chest.

You know that does nothing to me right?

It was worth a shot.

"What's it like, having another person in there." Lily asking tapping her temple.

"It's strange but for some odd reason I don't feel uneasy about it. The only time I feel anything negative about him is when he asks me to say his name." Jessie said feeling uneasy thinking about it.

"Why does he want you to say his name?" Lily asked surprised.

"No clue, all I know is he's going to great lengths to make sure I do. When I was asleep earlier I had the craziest experience with him." Jessie said as he began to explain his dream to Lily.

The more he spoke the more curious she became,
She slowly began to lean closer leaving Jessie feeling that uneasiness in his stomach again.

"That's so bizarre. Maybe it's a good idea you wait to say his name then." Lily said said placing her finger on her chin. "I just wish there was a way for me to find out his name without you actually having to say it."

Is there?

Who knows? Just saying it would be the easiest way for her to find out.

I'm not doing that.

You're no fun.

"Well we need to call him something, I can't keep calling him the bird or Mr.Bird as Travis has been calling him." Lily said shaking her head. "I'll go insane I swear."

Jessie thought of names he could suggest but every name he came up with felt wrong. He couldn't put his finger on why but his shook his head in frustration.

"Hey what was the name of the guy who helped you yesterday. In the forest, with your mom." Lily said cautiously.

Jessie could tell she was apprehensive to talk about yesterday, he appreciated her concern but felt annoyed.

You can just say it, I know what happened. I was there.

"His name is was James, he told me his friends called him Jimmy." Jessie said. "That's about all the information I could get from him before she killed him."

Feeling tense Jessie could see Lily shift her weight.

"Maybe let's not call him James. I mean Jessie and James? That's asking for a lawsuit." Lily said nervously.

"I appreciate what you're doing Lily but every name I come up with leaves me feeling nauseous." Jessie said giving a fake smile.

"Nauseous, how? It's just his name." Lily asked confused.

"It's like when you ride a roller coaster after going crazy at the concession stand." Jessie said leaving Lily just as confused as before.

"Hey maybe you can just give me the first letter and we can work from there." Lily said suddenly excited.

Is that safe?

Sadly yes.

I'm gonna trust you on this, if I find out you're lying I'll never feed you chorizo again.

Threatening me with that is too much Jessie.

"Well what did he say?" Lily asked.

"He said it's fine, and I don't have any reason to not believe him."Jessie said.

"I get the feeling he's been pretty honest about everything, well except telling us why he needs you to say his name in the first place."

"The first letter of his name...is L." Jessie said tensing up. As a few seconds past by Jessie couldn't help but feel disappointed that nothing happened.

That was a little underwhelming.

I don't know what you were expecting, I wasn't lying to you.

I'll get you some food later as a reward then.

"Why not just call him that then. I feel like saying L is better sounding than Mr. Bird." Lily said content with her answer.

Any protests?

Yes, many.

"He likes it." Jessie said giving a thumbs up. He could see her face brighten and felt compelled to return her smile. Bringing the binoculars up to his eyes he stared at the cabin feeling more in control having a name for the voice in his head.

A moment of silence passed between the two leaving Jessie feeling awkward. He wiped away the sweat from his hands, feeling uncomfortable and unable to think of what to say to break it.

"So we never really got a chance to talk just the two of us huh?" Lily said lifting the weight from Jessie's shoulder.

"Yeah, strange we've been spending so much time together these past few days I thought that we would have at least gotten one chance to talk." Jessie said.

"I'm surprised we've never spoken before, I mean we go to the same school and I feel like I've never seen you before."

"Yeah I pretty much keep to myself, it's usually just me and my brother. You'd like him, he's awkward like you." Lily said chuckling.

Oh great she thinks I'm awkward.

I just met you and I already think that.

That's it no more chorizo for you!

"Jessie?" Lily said bringing Jessie back.

"Huh oh yeah I suppose I am pretty awkward. I haven't heard much about your brother besides what Rose told us. I wanted to mention how cool you are by the way." Jessie said trying to change the subject.

"I am pretty cool but you've got to be more specific, why do you think I'm cool." Lily said pointing towards Jessie.

"The way you take care of your brother, I think it's really admirable of you. To pick up that responsibility with a smile, to take care of someone you love." Jessie said dropping the binoculars from his eyes resting them on his snow beside him.

"You remind me of my brother. Pre deadly smoke infecting people." Jessie said rubbing the back of his head.

Lily stayed silent leaving jessie feeling uneasy.

Hey psst, did I say something wrong?

No, I actually thought what you said was very nice. You don't have to whisper by the way, I'm the only one in here with you.

"Thank you Jessie. I think you're the first person to see what I do as a good thing. My brother doesn't really see it like that, he says I'm too overprotective." Lily said placing the twig in her hand in the snow standing up.

"I know it doesn't mean much coming from me, but I'm really sorry about what happened to your family. I know its not easy being alone." She said as she pushed the twig into the snow.

Feeling his old chilly friend creeping back Jessie put on a fake smile.

"Im not alone Lily, I have my friends. I have L now, hell I've even got a world class band in my corner. So I'm not totally...alone." Jessie said trying to convince himself.

"That's good Jessie, and hey bright side is now you have me too. I'm pretty sure at this point we're trauma bonded so looks like your stuck with me." Lily said slapping Jessie's arm playfully.

Jessie's smile didn't feel as fake as he watched Lily chuckle at her own joke.

I am here for you too Jessie, even though you won't feed me.

I guess there's some truth to what I'm saying, even if it still feels hollow to me. I'm glad Lily is here with me, she's really been a big help. You too L.

Finally some recognition.

Jessie chuckled to himself, he had a feeling the rest of the night was going to be over before he knew it.

———————————•

"What are we looking at here?" Lucas asked Venom as he peered through the binoculars in his hands.

"We spotted movement about five minutes ago. As soon as the sun rose the doors swung open and what looked like a praga V3s came barreling out towards the trail there." Lily said pointing towards a clearing beside the cabin.

Everyone stared at her in shock leaving her nervous from all the eyes on her.

"What?"

"What's a praga?" Sarah asked confused.

"It looks like a covered military truck, it was produced in Czechoslovakia between 1953 and 1990." Lily said confused.

"Why do you know that." Travis asked stunned.

"Metal gear solid."

"Where is that truck going Venom?" Lucas asked ignoring the kids.

"Like I said yesterday, it's headed out for supplies. Food, water, entertainment, Anything that bird brain wants." Venom said shaking in the cold.

"When is it coming back?"

"It usually takes around four hours to get supplies and come back. Plague owns half the town right now so you guys might have less time to prepare."

"That's more than enough time. Okay guys I came up with a plan last night that might get us in without anyone noticing." Lucas said handing the binoculars to Sarah.

"We are going to intercept that truck on its way back to the shed and hijack it. Some of us are going to put on the soldiers uniforms while the rest of us are going to hide in the back with the supplies." Lucas said turning his attention to Venom.

"Do you know the route the truck takes to get to town?"

"It's the elephant rock trail." Venom replied.

"That's been closed for years." Rose said confused.

"Now you know why."

"Wait how long have these guys been in town?" Travis asked suddenly alarmed.

"Around seventeen years, give or take a year or two." Venom said gesturing with his hand.

"That long?!" Travis exclaimed.

Everyone fell silent feeling the weight of his sinking in.

They've been here all my life.

I would guess more.

How so?

Just a hunch.

"That doesn't matter right now. As surprising as that is it's not gonna matter once we take back Mia and destroy that machine." Lucas said as he trudged toward the van.

"We are going to need bait."

Without hesitating everyone turned to Travis.

"Of course it's me." Travis said as he sighed.

"You're already pretty distracting with that eyepatch." Rose said chuckling.

"What eyepatch?" Travis said as the others joined rose in her laughter. Panicking he ran to the side view mirror his face furious once he saw his reflection.

"You are so dead Cruz!"

—————————————•

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Sarah whispered as she poked her head from behind the tree she was hiding behind. Jessie turned to her to see the others nervously fidgeting as they hid behind their respective trees. He could see how nervous Rose was and tried to calm himself down.

"It'll work as long as he sticks to the plan and we can make sure to react fast enough to make sure they can't get a shot off then. We'll be fine." Lucas said confidently.

Seeing how confident he was helped steady Jessie's own nerves. He stared out past his tree to see Travis in position, his body sprawled out onto the ground. He could see him staring at him, shooting daggers through the eyepatch.

Jessie smiled at him and waved.

"Where did you even get a marker to do that to him." Lucas asked.

"My therapist recommended I keep a journal to write down my emotions. To help me better process them, so I always keep a pen and a marker on me." Jessie said turning to face Lucas.

"You see a therapist?"

"I did, before all of this I was in the hospital for quite some time. I was grieving my brothers death, I guess now I'm grieving for my whole family." Jessie said as he nervously smiled.

Lucas stared at him leaving Jessie feeling very exposed.

"Do you know what you're doing after all of this is over?" Lucas asked concerned.

"My guess is going to jail, the police already have me pinned for their main suspect for the fire. Now with my mom dead it just implicates me more. Although I am guilty on that charge." Jessie said feeling the chill return.

"None of that is your fault though, they can't seriously be considering you as a suspect in that case."

"Awhile ago I broke this kids arm, and ever since then it's been nothing but trouble for me."

"What does that have to do with this?" Lucas asked confused.

"The kid who's arm he broke was the police chief's kid, since then he's had a vendetta against him. The kid deserved it, he didn't understand the concept of the word no." Rose interjected. She shivered as she remembered the night.

"This kid make a pass at you?" Sarah asked Rose.

"Jessie stepped in when he got too handsy and now he deals with the police because of it." Rose replied not meeting Jessie's eyes.

"We're not big fans of school dances anymore. Especially Travis over there, that black eye he's got is from the same guy." Jessie said pointing towards Travis as he lay on the ground.

"I don't like bullies." Venom said shocking everyone.

"When did you get here!" Sarah whispered as she recovered from the shock.

"I just came to see you off, once you hijack that truck I'm out of here. Plague will be too busy dealing with you to care about me, it's the perfect time for me to leave this shit town." Venom said irritated.

Lucas sent a look his way and sighed.

He is right but damn he sucks.

He is afraid, there is nothing wrong with wanting to preserve one's life.

"Getting back to my original question, Jessie what are you going to do after this?" Lucas asked desperately trying to change the subject.

"Like I said, jail. I have no future after this, I committed a crime and I have to serve my time." Jessie said feeling his heartbeat quicken.

"What you did was self defense, and arguably the normal laws don't apply to women with spears for tongues. You're not going to jail, not if I have anything to say about it." Lucas said trying his best to give Jessie an encouraging look.

Feeling hopeful is dangerous, at the end of the day what can Lucas do to help me out? Just smile and wave, it'll be easier for him later if you pretend now.

I don't recommend doing that Jessie, it leaves you feeling worse.

What do you know, you're just a bird.

Jessie smiled but before he could respond they heard the sound of an engine in the distance sending everyone into panic.

"Everyone calm down! We need to get serious here, stick to the plan and everything will work out." Lucas said pulling everyone back.

Jessie swallowed and stared out at the trail ahead, he watched as a truck appeared from behind the tree line.

You got this Cruz.