Luke and Macy walked out of the room together. Macy followed Luke into his room, where he began to put things in a backpack. She sat on his bed.

"How'd the talk go?" he asked.

"It went okay. He's having pretty bad withdrawals. I told him I'd pick up some sports drinks for him when Jacob and I go on that supply run later."

Luke grabbed a shirt from his drawer and took off the shirt he was wearing. "I think I should be going with you into town instead of Jacob," he said, slipping into the clean shirt. "How did the emotional side of the talk go?"

Macy laid back onto the bed with her legs over the side. "I think it went well. He opened up a little. He told me I was in good company and I didn't need to be afraid of showing my sadness. He seems kind-hearted. And, Jacob can protect me in town, we'll be okay."

"It's not about your safety," Luke said with a smirk. "My read of Darien in the beginning was wrong. He was hiding the truth, yes, but not with the intentions of harming us. I hope we're able to find something of substance at the house. It'll be a waste of gas money if we don't."

Macy propped herself up with her elbows. "Not about my safety, eh?" she asked.

Luke zipped up his backpack. "Maybe I enjoy your company, Turner," he said, looking her in the eye.

Macy sat up, looking at him walking toward her. "Is that so, Buchanan?"

He smirked. "So can I come with you or not?"

"You could, but I haven't had much one on one time with my brother lately," she said.

"Next time then," Luke said with a smile, running his hands through his hair. He grabbed his backpack and started for the living room, Macy following behind him.

"Luke, wait," Macy said quickly.

He turned, seeing her stopped in the hallway, studying his figure with her eyes. Her face was overwhelmed with melancholy, her lips twisted into a frown. "What is it?" he asked softly.

Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug, burying her face in his chest, and clenching the back of his shirt. He hugged her back.

"Is everything okay?" he whispered, stroking her hair.

Macy pulled away a bit and looked up to him, tears filling her eyes. "I miss my parents, Luke. I've been doing okay, but talking to Darien today, it just brought up everything."

Luke grabbed her tighter, burying his face in her hair, breathing in the smell of her shampoo. "You didn't have to talk to him, he would've been okay."

"I've been where he is, and I wanted someone who understood me. I couldn't let him drown in his fear, Luke. I don't have it within me to deny someone the empathy that younger me needed."

Luke smiled. "You're an amazing person, Macy," he told her as he wiped the tears from her face.

Macy took a deep breath and pulled out of the hug. "I'm okay now. Let's go talk to the others."

Luke walked beside her out to the living room, where Bailey was still tending to Liam, and Jacob was sitting reading a book. Macy walked over to Liam and sat by Bailey.

"How's he doing?" she asked.

"The fever hasn't broken yet, and he's burning up," Bailey replied. "I changed the dressing on his foot, and tried to clean it up more, so hopefully that will be enough to hold him till you get back from your supply run with medicine."

"Bailey, there's been a slight change of plans," Luke said. "We're going to Portland to Darien and Jackson's old house to see if there's something that could help our case. We're gonna leave you here to take care of Liam."

"That's fine, but are you still making the supply run today? I don't know how long he'll last without medicine."

Macy nodded. "Jacob and I are still going. We're leaving in a little bit, is that alright Jacob?"

Jacob looked up from his book. "What'd you say? I wasn't paying attention."

Macy laughed. "We're leaving for the supply run in a few minutes."

"Oh, okay. I'll go put shoes on," he said as he bookmarked the page he was on.

Macy walked over to the kitchen table and grabbed her coat from the back of one of the chairs. She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured herself a glass of water. Sipping on her water, she stared off into space.

"Are you sure you're okay to go out today? I can go with Jacob on the run," Luke said, snapping her back to reality.

"I'm just feeling a little spacey. I'll be okay, don't worry," she responded, giving a smile. "Jacob, you ready?"

Jacob walked over to the ladder. "Yep! Let's go."

Macy grabbed the empty backpack by the door and started up the ladder, Jacob following closely behind. They exited the shelter, and began walking to the town. They walked in silence until they reached the edge of the forest.

"Is there something going on with you and Luke?" Jacob asked.

"No," Macy said quickly. "Why do you ask?"

Jacob furrows his brows. "You two have seemed to be very friendly with each other recently. I'm not the only one who thinks that either. Bailey agrees with me."

Macy rolled her eyes. "He's just my best friend, Jake."

"Mhm, sure. I've heard that about a thousand times from you, and I'm always right," Jacob laughed.

Macy felt her cheeks grow flushed, so she pulled her hood up to hide.

"Dude, you're even blushing. I'm so right and you know it. Why are you even trying to hide it? I like him, he's a good guy. Go for it," Jacob encouraged.

"Ugh, fine. I think he's cute but he's my best friend. I can't lose him. I would rather admire him from afar than lose my best friend in a breakup."

"What if you don't break up?"

"Well that would mean we would end up married."

"So?"

"We're not exactly in a place to get married, Jacob. We're basically fugitives."

"I know that, dude. I mean once we get away from here. We're not gonna be here forever. That's why we're going to Portland. We're gonna put an end to this."

"I really hope so. I'm just worried we won't all get out of this. I mean, Liam's already on his deathbed. What's gonna happen once we get deeper into this nightmare?"

Jacob sighed. "If we're all gonna die, why don't you at least spend the last of your days with someone you care for?"

Macy didn't know how to respond. He was right. There was no reason she couldn't just make a move, but she was still uncertain.

"What if he doesn't feel the same way, Jake? That'd make the situation so awkward."

"Dude, you're so blind. He definitely feels the same way. He would've ripped Darien's head off last night if you hadn't told him to stop. He cares about what you think. Dudes don't usually do that, unless they like a girl. Trust me."

Macy stopped walking right outside of the store and turned to her brother. "But Jacob, what if things go bad? What if he turns into a monster, like Cal-"

"You don't need to say his name, Macy. He won't. Luke is a good guy. He's patient, and kind. He has his own issues, who doesn't, but he doesn't let them influence his actions as drastically as him." Jacob spit at the thought of that scumbag.

"I guess you're right."

"Macy, I know I'm right."

"Okay, fine. I'll talk to him. Soon," she promised, opening the door to the store.

The pair walked in and headed toward the medical supplies. They grabbed several bottles of antiseptic solution, a bottle of acetaminophen, and a couple packages of sterile gauze bandages. They walked to the clothing aisle and grabbed some shirts and a couple pairs of pants for Darien and Jackson.

"I hope these fit. Darien's like 6'4". These might be like capris on him," Macy laughed.

"They'll probably be a little short, but isn't that the style now?" Jacob joked.

"Oh speaking of Darien, let's go to the drinks. I promised I'd bring him some sports drinks to help with his withdrawals. We should also get several jugs of water. We'll need that for our trip to Portland."

"Where does Luke think we'll get a car?"

"I think we're gonna steal one, in all honesty. I don't approve but we don't have any other choice," Macy sighed, carrying all the supplies up to the register. The two paid for their goods then headed back to the shelter.