Song: The Eden Project -Fumes

"It's a favela, Tyler."

"How the fuck do you know?"

Jonathan rolled his blue eyes and gripped the steering wheel, gesturing with his other hand out at the layered buildings around them. "Did you not play Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2? That one fucking level is called 'Takedown'. They were in Rio, where we are now, running on rooftops through markets. It's called a favela or you can fight me."

Tyler held up his hands, "Okay, I believe you, oh intelligent one. I won't doubt your nerd memory and your ability to recall the names of specific levels from a game that's almost ten years old."

"That's one of my favorite games, of course I know the names of the levels." Jonathan pulled into a tiny parking garage, paid a man at a guard post, then proceeded to search for a parking spot.

"You're still a fucking nerd." Tyler laughed and pointed out a spot when he saw it. "There!"

Jonathan whipped the rental into the tight spot and they sat there for a moment, gathering their wits before they intentionally threw themselves into a massive crowd. But it was what they were there for, so they got out and pulled their jerseys on over their heads and made their way out onto the road, joining the line of people headed towards the Maracanà stadium.

The streets were so full of life and color anywhere you looked. Clothes hanging from lines above your head, scooters flying by, kids kicking balls back and forth. The culture was rich and the locals were tanned with stories. Rio was the close-knit kind of place that Jonathan had always dreamed of living in. The kind of place where you could ride your bike down to the market on the shore and buy fresh fish. A place where you could leave your window open and smell the salty air night and day. This was the kind of place where he could be happy.

"Alright, Tyler. No shit-talking. This is the kind of 'football' that people kill over and I'd rather not end the day having to pick your teeth up off the ground." Jonathan gave him a serious look and his friend rolled his eyes.

"Dude, no one wants to fuck with a guy who's as tall as I am." He puffed out his chest and gestured at himself.

Jonathan shook his head as they grew nearer to the stadium that stood tall above them. "I don't care, Tyler. I'd like to leave this country alive if you don't mind."

"Fine, I'll keep my asshole-ish tendencies to a minimum." He glanced down at his shorter companion. "Just for you."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Jonathan grinned but was soon rolling his eyes again as they filed into the packed stadium. Tyler was craning his neck as far as it would go just to look at the women going by.

"Could you not gawk so obviously?"

"It's not a crime to look." Tyler shrugged.

"But it's obnoxious, dude. Especially when someone's looking as hard as you are. Life is not all food and titties."

"Ha! For me it is." Tyler stared out at the field once they found their seats. "For you, it's food and anything on two legs. You got lots of options. I have to pick through the crowd."

"Oh my god. This trip was the worst idea. I should've invited my brother instead." Jonathan laughed when Tyler shoved him, almost spilling his drink on his fresh jersey.

Tyler knew he didn't mean it because they had been close friends since grade school. The fact that he had invited him first came as no surprise. Jonathan knew he loved soccer and had laughed like a maniac when he presented the tickets to him as a birthday gift. The look on his face was one of shock and probably terror too, because that meant they had to fly. Jonathan was a mess when he flew, seeing as he was on the verge of having a phobia of planes.

Needless to say, Tyler's fingers were blue from lack of circulation because Jonathan was too scared to let them go or move the entire flight. But he didn't mind because he knew the trip was going to be worth it. The beach, the culture, the game. The women in his case, for Jonathan it was whoever or whatever caught his eye. Not that he ever acted on any attraction no matter how much Tyler pushed him to do so. The man just wasn't into the chase. He liked to wait. He was conservative that way.

Tyler wasn't, he liked to dive in and try his luck even though nine times out of ten it never worked. Either way he enjoyed it even though it kind of made the two men polar opposites, but no less best friends. They balanced each other out.

The crowd roared to life as the players filtered out onto the field and not long after the game began. It was eventful much to Jonathan's relief. He would've felt like a failure if he had flown his best friend across the world to see a game that was disappointing. But it didn't let them down and his voice was hoarse from cheering by the time it was over and done with.

"I'm starving, man. As much as I'd love to run out on the field, I think we should try to leave now and beat the crowd, go find some grub." Tyler pulled at his arm and Jonathan held onto his jersey as he led them out of the stadium and away from the crowd.

They dodged kids on the sidewalk and weaved in and out of alleyways and buildings that were echoing with music and laughter. Rio was so exotic and Jonathan didn't know if he'd get enough if it before they went home.

Tyler pulled him into a small alcove by his arm and into a literal hole in the wall restaurant that was more than cramped, but that could only mean that it was good eating. So they squeezed in with the locals who were celebrating a win and everyone held their drinks up in a toast when they made their way in, sporting the team's jersey.

They slid onto stools at the high-top bar and ordered whatever the lady recommended and sipped at their drinks.

"So." Tyler started, "What else would you like to do while we're here for the next few days?'

Jonathan perked up and grinned, "I'd really, really like to go down to the beach. Oh! And down through the markets. You know we have to take home souvenirs or they'll bitch at us."

Tyler chuckled and rubbed at his scruff, "Yeah, your sisters are fucking vultures. Daniel is pretty chill though. You should buy him something and let the others suffer."

Jonathan broke into a laugh and tried not to cough around the drink in his mouth. He held it in and swallowed, Tyler clapping him on the back.

"No, the last time I did that I got the fucking evil eye for a straight month." He grinned fondly just thinking about his two sisters. They were younger, in their mid and late teens, full of sass and the attitude their mother had passed down to them. Jonathan was just as full of it, but he didn't light a fire beneath everyone he met like they did. His brother was a different story. He was older than all of them and at one point, took responsibility over them when their father passed away. Jonathan always admired him for giving up certain aspects of his life so that his brother and sisters never went without. Their mother was a train wreck most days but she made do with what she had to give them and he couldn't ask for anything more than that. His family was enough and he wouldn't have it any other way now.

Tyler's family had become like Jonathan's second one as they grew up together in the same neighborhood. Jonathan was a few years older so they never went to the same school at the same time, but when they got home they were always together. Nothing could tear them apart.

"I'm sure they'll mellow out when they grow up." Tyler shrugged and poked at the cuisine that was brought out to them, steaming, and smelling like heaven.

"Alright, if we eat this and die just know that I love you, dude." Jonathan laughed when Tyler cut his eyes at him.

"You better love me." He said seriously but then broke into a cheesy smile that always suited him so well. "I love you, too."

"Dig in."

They took their first bite and shared the same look of disbelief at the taste. It was the best thing either of them had ever put in their mouths.

It wasn't long before they were sitting there with empty plates and full bellies. The crowd had died down just enough that they could squeeze out of the place with relative ease. The two merged into the crowd outside that moved at a calm and steady pace that had them strolling slowly along through the market. Vendors were lined up shop after shop, stock full of fruits, vegetables, knick knacks, fabrics, local herbs and spices. It was stunning and the longer they wandered around the further the sun sank in the sky. Lights were starting to illuminate the dimming streets and it gave the place even more vibrancy. So much, that Jonathan almost couldn't take it all in. He always felt like there was never enough time and that by the time he would make it back home, those short colorful memories would already be fading. He needed more time to soak it in. He wanted to stay.

"Uh oh." Tyler grumbled sarcastically.

Jonathan was pulled from his deep brooding and turned his attention to the man beside him. "What?"

Tyler grinned crookedly at him. "I know that look."

"What look?"

"That look like you've fallen in love with this place already." Tyler nudged his shoulder. "Now, if you could just do that with a person, me and your entire family would finally be happy."

Jonathan smirked and rolled his eyes as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I don't have to be with anyone, Tyler. I don't need someone. I'm very happy being alone and if someone comes along then so be it. You know me, I'm not going to spend my time searching desperately for someone to be beside me. It's not a priority."

Tyler threw an arm over his shoulder, "I know, I know. I can tell you're happy just the way you are; alone. But once you find someone to be with, travel with, lay in the bed and laugh at each others bad jokes with . . . I know you'll be much happier. Whether it be a woman or a man, I'm just waiting with my fingers crossed for you to find them."

He couldn't argue with that. Sure he'd be happier with someone that understood him from his head down to his toes and laughed at the perverted and morbid things he said sometimes. That would be heaven, but he wasn't going to sulk until he found that person like the rest of the world did. If he had a soulmate, then that soul would run into him eventually, either two minutes from now or fifty years. He had a long life ahead of him. There was no rush and he was content with the way his life was.

For Tyler, he always had to have someone. It was just how he was. Deep down he needed constant companionship, whether it be someone to share his bed with or a friend to send stupid pictures to. Because once he was alone he drifted into a state of mind that broke him down piece by piece and his fear of being alone swallowed him up like the dark depths of the ocean he always dreamed about on cold nights. Jonathan was always there in between Tyler's breaks from his significant others. He knew he wouldn't sleep otherwise and they'd done that for years. All it took was a call or a text and Jonathan was there, falling into the sheets beside him to put his mind at ease. They would sit up for hours talking about nothing in particular, like if the stars were real or not or if they were just projections on a screen and they were living in a snow globe. They talked about how Play-Doh tasted salty, how it was the best thing growing up or how they liked to get dirt under their fingernails every now and then just because it made them feel more at one with the earth and not just some thing on two legs that was slowly killing the planet. They got very deep and it made them practically attached at the hip and shoulder.

"Okay, so do you want to go get wasted in a sketchy bar? Or do you want to go dig through shops and find cool shit?" Tyler wondered and he already knew the answer before Jonathan grabbed his arm and pulled him into a small shop that had international flags hanging up high, out of reach even for someone as tall as Tyler. Little figurines were Jonathan's favorite, especially the ones that were carved out of dark shiny stone. He got fascinated with how intricate they were and he appreciated the time and effort and skill that was put into it. Those were someone's tiny works of art and he had a handful before he realized. He turned down the next aisle to find Tyler with a basket full of handkerchiefs. Most of the them were very tribal looking, one stood out in particular. Tyler had a knack for buying things in bulk, but each thing had their own different qualities and he gave them to friends and family accordingly. So Jonathan grinned when he saw that one in particular.

"Is that one for me?" He pressed.

Tyler just looked at him sideways, unblinking.

"Ha! It's mine!" Jonathan laughed and ran over, picking up the black handkerchief that had a skull on it so that when you covered the lower half of your face it looked badass. "I'll look like Ghost on Call of Duty."

"Nowhere near as badass, but yeah." Tyler teased and watched with an adoring smile as his best friend put the fabric over his face and looked in the tiny mirror that was available. He nearly squealed.

"This is so fucking cool, dude!"

Tyler watched the overgrown dork tied the mask around his head. He turned his way and held his hands out. "Well?"

"Yeah okay, pretty badass." He laughed but it was cut short when an ear splitting explosion rang out, echoing in their chests and shaking everything in the shop. His first instinct was to grab Jonathan's arms and hold him steady as the ground rumbled. But then it was gone just as fast.

Jonathan pulled the mask down around his neck and took a deep breath, locking eyes with Tyler's that were blown wide. "The fuck was that?"

"A sonic boom." The small shopkeeper squeezed into the aisle with them. She moved past them toward the front door and peered out. "Pay it no mind. The government has been sending jets across the sky for weeks now. That's just the sound of them breaking the sound barrier."

Tyler raised his brow, "Does anyone know why or are they just doing it for the hell of it?"

The look on her small aged face when she glanced back sent a shiver down Jonathan's spine. "We don't question the government around these parts. If you know what's good for you."

"What the hell does that mean?" Jonathan said under his breath and Tyler just shook his head.

"Probably means we should be getting back to the hotel soon. It's getting dark." He said and Jonathan gave him a small nod, but before they could even take their next step another explosion rang out. But this time it was different. It was followed by screams that shook them to their core.

"Tyler." Jonathan couldn't control the strain in his voice. He squeezed Tyler's arm a bit too tight but the man didn't notice.

"Let's just . . . stay calm. Alright? Until we know what's going on." Tyler tried to brush back his own fear but it was hard when they saw people starting to flood the streets, looking back in panic as they ran.

"Yeah . . . yeah." Jonathan let his arm go. "Yeah . . . no."

He curled his fingers into his palms and squeezed to calm himself and regain his posture. Jonathan walked to the door and moved around the woman to get a better look outside, Tyler right behind him. "What do you think, survivor man?"

Jonathan could feel the ground rumbling from all of the people running down hill past them. There were so many. He moved out as far as he could without being trampled and he glanced in the direction that the people were running away from. That was when he saw the cloud of smoke rising from what appeared to be Maracana, but it was missing one side. It was in pieces. "Oh shit."

"What is it?"

He swallowed and looked back at Tyler. "Someone bombed the stadium."

Tyler's eyes widened and Jonathan watched his face go pale. He walked over and pushed at his chest until he was back inside and leaning against the counter. "Tyler . . ."

The taller of the two shook his head and looked at his hands to find them shaking. "We were just in there. We need to get the fuck out of here, Jonathan."

"No, not yet. We have to let the crowds thin out before we can go anywhere. Too many people in a panic is just fucking impossible to navigate through. This isn't a hike in the woods without a compass. That, I can do. But screaming swarms of scared people . . . I need time to think." Jonathan put his hands over his head. "We probably won't be able to leave the country. The government will shut down flights in and out of the country, detain foreigners maybe. I don't know, we'll see."

"We'll see?!" Tyler stood to his full height. "We can't just fucking wait! We need to go! NOW!"

Jonathan placed a firm hand against his chest, "Where?! There are thousands of people running around mad out there and somehow we're supposed to just go?! There is nowhere we can run to, Tyler!"

Tyler was about to object but the small shopkeeper spoke up and placed a calm hand on Jonathan's arm. "You're right. There is nowhere you can go. The stadium is up hill, you cannot go that way. Every other direction there is water eventually. It is best to wait it out. Stay here if you need to."

She pulled a small bag over her shoulder and opened the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I must find my family. Good luck to the both of you." Without a second glance she disappeared into the crowd, leaving the two of them alone in a quiet empty shop in the middle of Rio with a mass panic under way outside.

"Fine." Tyler huffed and pushed his hand away. "We'll stay here until your spidey senses say otherwise."

"Listen, I'm just as freaked out as you are. Can we not fight right now? We need to stick together." Jonathan watched his friend pace back and forth out of the corner of his eye as he watched out the window. The crowd thinned out by a little when twenty minutes passed and he was waiting to hear sirens, the chopping blades of a helicopter, voices of authority over megaphones. But, none of those came and the longer they waited, the more anxious he became. He could feel that sharp instinct for survival running deep, climbing closer to the surface and he really just wanted to run.

Running was his strong suit. Always had been and his ability to find his way out of the woods with only the sunlight to guide him. His friends always joked about how he could have his own survival tv show or how he could be a parkour instructor. But he never wanted to be either of those things even though those were his best qualities. He preferred his quiet job of web design and occasionally fixing someone's computer. He liked to use his hands and if he wasn't doing that he was painting something random on his walls. His entire house looked like a brick wall of twenty year old graffiti, faded in some spots but brand new in others.

Jonathan twisted the lock on the door and stepped out after another thirty minutes had gone by and there were only stragglers left jogging down the street in the darkness. Lanterns that were pre-lit were the only things that shown in the tiny twisting streets. It got disturbingly quiet and he felt Tyler right behind him when he stepped out into the road. Footsteps echoed before they disappeared completely and he looked north to see the soft glow of the massive fire that was still burning at the stadium.

"Think it's safe to move now?" Tyler questioned quietly with a hand staying firmly on his shoulder.

Jonathan looked around uncertainly, "Safe as it's gonna get. Unless something new happens. Let's try to get to the hotel, or at least the garage."

Tyler moved close behind him when he started to walk down the road from the direction they came from. "It looks like the power is out all over, how do we know where we're going?"

Jonathan grinned and tapped his temple, "Because of this."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Lead the way, Obi Wan." Tyler snickered.

"Do you need to hold my hand?" Jonathan asked seriously but Tyler snorted.

"Shut the fuck up."

He didn't hold his hand, but he stayed close enough that Jonathan could feel his body heat. They stuck together, nearly shoulder to shoulder and eyed each other when they saw people jolt inside of buildings when they passed by. Heads peered out of curtains, candles were blown out, like they were afraid someone was coming to get them.

Jonathan saw the garage just ahead, it's rooftop sitting high in the sky when he heard the sound of a jet engine cutting through the sky. It's whirring grew louder until it passed over head at a blinding speed.

Tyler swallowed, "Let's hurry."

They picked up the pace just as they heard another jet closing in. It passed over head as soon as they entered the garage. Some cars were already pulling out and they dodged a few that were clearly in a panic. But when they got to the vehicle and put their old shirts back on, tossing their jerseys in the backseat, they heard a rumble in the distance. Tyler's eyes locked with his over the roof of the car and they both looked back to see a cloud of fire rising in the sky, miles to the east.

Jonathan barely opened his mouth to speak when an explosion rang in his ear and the ground came out from beneath his feet. He felt pain and fell into total darkness before he came to. It could have been minutes, hours maybe. He didn't know, but there was something wet on his face and his bicep was searing like he was being stabbed with a hot knife.

"Tyler?!" He called out and his voice didn't echo. The building was in shambles. "Tyler, answer me god damn it!"

"Calm your tits!" He called back, his voice was muffled and he sounded out of breath. Jonathan pushed at the concrete around him and managed to crawl out. He coughed around the dust that he stirred up as he felt around for his friend.

"Where are you?"

Tyler gave a short groan before he coughed. It sounded wet and he knew that wasn't a good sign. "I'm under a bunch of shit, that's where."

"You're fucking hilarious." Jonathan stood, stepping carefully over fallen blocks and he jumped when a car alarm went off near him. The headlights flashed, illuminating what was around him and he saw the rubble nice and clear. Cars were on their sides and it looked like the story above them had fallen through as well as the one they had been on. He looked up and saw the fourth floor ceiling.

"The bomb didn't hit us directly. Maybe two buildings over because this one is still halfway standing." Jonathan thought out loud. "But it probably won't be standing for too much longer now that these support beams are weakened."

"Hey! You're getting close to me." Tyler said and his voice was below him and in the strobe of the headlights, Jonathan saw his head, then his arms. His heart skipped when he realized what Tyler was stuck under; their car.

"Oh, fuck." He whispered and Tyler glanced over as he came around to his side.

"Yeah. I didn't want to freak you out. I'm pretty fucking stuck, dude." Tyler sighed and let his head fall back on the ground. "I know you said you wanted to get out of this country alive . . . . and you still can."

Jonathan clenched his jaw hard, feeling his teeth clack. "Don't you dare."

"Jay . . . you gotta leave me."

"No." He shook his head furiously. "I'm getting you out of here. We are both getting out of this country alive."

Tyler rubbed at his face, "Unless you're the god damn Hulk, Jonathan, I'm not getting out from under this car. It doesn't matter how buff you are. It's not budging."

Jonathan stood and paced, the repetitive alarm on the other vehicle was making his ears ring. His head was pounding and he didn't know where to go from here. He couldn't leave him, but Tyler wasn't wrong. There was no way to get him out from under the car and neither of them knew how long the building would hold up or if there were more bombs on the way. But he had to try.

"Sit tight."

"What are you going to do?" Tyler called after him.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be back!" Jonathan yelled over his shoulder and found his way out through a hole in the concrete and stumbled out onto the destroyed street. He had been right. Two buildings over was the bomb sight. The building and everything around it was diminished, the dust was slowly settling and it made the area seem like it was swallowed in a thick fog, clogging his lungs. Fire was littered in small patches in every direction. He rattled his brain and thought about what the area looked like before and what direction he needed to go to find the auto shop he had seen on their drive here. Right. Jonathan pulled the skull handkerchief back up and over his nose and mouth to filter out the ash in the air and he started to run.

Windows were shattering from weakened buildings as they continued to buckle while he jogged the streets slowly getting closer to where he was going. There were a few people, but not many, maybe four limping away down the road. There was nothing he could do for them, not until things settled and he figured out what exactly was going on. It could be anything from war to genocide. He didn't know.

At that moment a car came skidding around the corner ahead and he ran into the nearest alleyway out of sight and let it pass before he took off at a sprint and ended up in the garage of the auto shop. He managed to find a flashlight and started putting his survival skills to good use. He scrounged through everything he could find, found a black baseball hat and a clamp and rigged the flashlight on the bill of the cap so he didn't have to hold it. He adjusted it on his head to his liking and kept up his search for anything that could get Tyler out. That's when he glanced into the corner of the room and found a small car jack.

"That's it." He said to himself and stuffed it into the duffle bag he found and threw in some other tools like batteries, duct tape, basic screw drivers, matches. Basically anything even remotely useful. He didn't know how long they'd be here or what was going to happen from this point out. He pulled the strap over his shoulder and headed back out at a steady pace and it was all quiet, just the soft echo of his feet hitting the ground. The dust clouded up around his shoes like little puffs of smoke wherever he landed.

A rumbling filled his ears and he ran a little faster, his heart picking up it's pace to keep up. Then a shrill scream ran through the foggy air and he stopped dead in his tracks and listened as it echoed again. He tried to catch his breath and clenched his fist when he heard it again. It didn't sound human and the longer it went on, the closer it got, followed by real screams. Screams of terror. He stared down into the empty alley way to his right. It was dark, like a portal to hell and the sound seemed to be flowing from it sending a hard shiver down his spine. That when he saw them. Two glowing yellow eyes, then four . . . . six.

He ran and didn't look back, the screams still behind him, like hands reaching trying to claw at his back. His lungs were burning with ash but he didn't stop, not until he saw the parking garage and he was squeezing back in through the hole he'd got out of. He slid to his knees by Tyler's side and kept looking around frantically as he pulled the duffle over his head and got to work.

Tyler grabbed his arm. "Slow down. What the fuck happened?"

Jonathan shook him off and pushed the edge of the car with his feet until he could slip the jack underneath. He still couldn't breathe.

"Jonathan!" Tyler yelled and Jonathan's eyes went wide and he slapped a hand over his friend's mouth only to find that he fingers were shaking. He was nearly gasping for air and he glanced at the hole in the wall, praying those things didn't hear. He met Tyler's bright eyes, "Something's out there."

He watched the fear creep across Tyler's face and they both jumped when that piercing scream filled the air. Then the concrete beam closest to them groaned, dust sprinkled down on them lightly. Jonathan focused and pushed as hard as he could to get the jack underneath the car beside Tyler, then he started pumping the handle. The car shifted and so did the beam. "Come on!"

He went as fast as his arms would allow but it wasn't moving fast enough. Tyler shifted just a bit. "I can move a little. It's not enough, though. I think my legs are broke."

The screaming got louder outside. The beam was creaking above. The jack was moving slower than lava underwater and he refused to listen to Tyler. Because Tyler knew what was going to happen, but Jonathan wouldn't believe it.

"Jay -"

"Don't 'Jay' me!" Jonathan felt the tears swelling. "I'm not leaving you, Tyler!"

Tyler slipped his long fingers around his wrist and Jonathan let his hands come to a slow stop on the jack that had only moved half an inch. Tyler reached up to his mask and pulled it down. "Look at me, Jonathan."

Jonathan blinked back the thick tears and sucked in a breath, "Yeah . . ."

"There's something out there. It's coming and it doesn't sound nice. I don't know what is going on here, but I know you can figure it out. If one of us is going to survive, it's going to be you. We both know you can't get me out and this building is going to come down any second now." Tyler pulled him down close enough to where their foreheads were touching. "It's coming down and you better not be in it when it does. I want you to run, find your way out of this country alive. You're not gonna die here, you here me?"

Tyler placed something cold in his hand and closed his fist shut. Jonathan glanced down and opened his fingers and sitting in his palm was a tiny stone carving of a man with his head resting on his chin, thinking. Jonathan grabbed a fist full of Tyler's shirt in his hands and let a sob escape.

"Don't cry on me, that's gross." Tyler joked and let his own tears run down the sides of his face, making trails in the dust on his skin. "I love you, Jonathan. But you need to hurry and get outta here."

Jonathan sat back and brushed the hair off his best friend's head and grinned weakly. "I love you, Tyler. This hurts . . . . I can't . . . ."

"You can and you will." Tyler glanced up at the creaking beam and back at Jonathan's watery blue eyes. "Now go!"

Jonathan stumbled back on his feet and grabbed his duffle, wiping at his face as he looked at him helpless on the ground. That was half of his life lying there about to die. That was his other piece, his partner in crime, his brother, his peace maker, his cornerstone. Everything he'd ever shared with him came flooding back to the forefront of his mind as he stepped further away.

He saw himself holding his hand out to Tyler who had just got pushed down by a group of young boys. Tyler had called them assholes and that was the first time he'd ever heard a kid cuss.

"What? It's just a word. It makes everything better." He had grinned and Jonathan knew that he was going to be the best friend he ever had right then and there. "Come on, I got some fireworks. Wanna throw 'em in the boys bathroom?"

Jonathan remembered the day he told him that he was bisexual when he was nineteen and Tyler, who was stretched out on his bed, didn't even look up from his phone and said, "Does this mean you're in love with me?"

"No."

He threw his phone down and sat up, looking at him like he was offended. "What? Why not? I'm beautiful, you ungrateful bastard."

Jonathan broke into a smile and wrestled him down until he gave up and said, "Honestly, Jay. I don't care what you like, you're still my best friend."

Now he was walking away, about to let him die. His lip trembled again, his chin shook and he nearly choked. "I'll see you on the other side."

Tyler smiled and it was the last time he would see it. "Yeah. I'll see you."

Jonathan turned and crawled through the hole once more, his body still wanting to turn back and just lay beside him until the building crushed them both but that wouldn't solve anything, except maybe the ache in his chest. He convinced his legs to move until he was running with tears sliding down soaking into the mask over his face. He ran, never looking back even as he heard the building finally crumbling in on itself. He ran until he couldn't breathe. Until he heard the screams.

His feet slid to a stop at a small intersection and he saw headlights coming from the north. Probably another survivor fleeing from the hills. He waited, trying to stop the numbness that was trying to take hold of his body and his mind. He couldn't feel the dirt beneath his knees as he dropped to them in the night. The sudden realization that he was alone in a country that he didn't know, with an enemy he had yet to see, hit him harder than anything ever had. Jonathan wanted nothing more than to just lie there and die, give in and give up on what was left of this place. But he couldn't, not when Tyler had embraced his own death and told him to figure all of this out. He told him to live so that's what he was going to do.

Jonathan pushed himself to his feet as the car came down the hill and he looked straight ahead as another light flashed across his vision. Down the road was the sound of labored breathing and feet running as fast as they possibly could. He couldn't make out the shape but he knew it had to be another person and he was right because he heard a voice, "Somebody?! Fucking help!"

It was a guy, that much he learned as he watched the light getting closer and closer to the intersection. But then he saw what he was running from; two bright yellow eyes. He heard a gurgling noise, like a wet growling and he could only assume it was coming from the thing. He glanced back at the car that was close now. But so was the guy. His heart jumped.

They were going to collide.

He held his hands out in front of him, "STOP!"

It didn't stop him, he kept running but Jonathan understood because if he stopped . . . . that thing would get him. There wasn't anything he could do but watch as the car rolled through the intersection, the brakes squealing when the driver saw the guy run right in front of him. The front of the vehicle caught the man at the knees and his body slammed into the windshield, breaking it before he rolled over the top and hit the ground a second later immobile. But he wasn't the only thing that got hit. Jonathan stepped forward cautiously after the car took off again down the road and out of sight. The street was quiet once more and he shined his light on the two bodies lying still on the ground with dust settling around them. The man was still and the other thing much to Jonathan's surprise also looked like a man.

He squat down and rolled the body over to it's back to find that is was just that; a man. But his veins were black, blue, and purple running along his neck and face, all the way down his arms. There was blood escaping from his eyes and he pushed one of his eyelids open to find what he had seen in the dark. His irises were fluorescent yellow and glowed. He didn't know what that meant or what would cause such a thing but he remember he had seen more than just one of these in that alleyway. None of this had happened until the bombs fells, so the only conclusion he could come up with was that this was a virus, contracted and spread after the bomb hit the stadium and dispersed it into the air.

This was biological warfare.

A scream rang out from the body below him and he fell back, losing his balance as the creature jumped to life and threw itself at him. He held it back by the shoulders, keeping his arms outstretched and he watched it's teeth as it snapped relentlessly above him. It's mouth was bloody and it had flesh between it's teeth but he wouldn't let his join it. He held it by the throat with one hand and elbowed it in the face with the other, saliva and whatever else flinging into the air. Jonathan managed to bring his knee up and kept pulling into his foot was firm against it's chest and he pushed as hard as he could sending the creature back onto the ground. It scrambled just as fast as he did back to it's feet and it caught his eye again right before it lunged with a yell. It was strong. Almost stronger than a normal human being. It had more determination and Jonathan was struggling to keep it from taking him down again. He kicked at it's knee from the side and winced at the crack of bones and the scream it let out as it fell to the ground. He backed away and watched as it never let up, pulling itself along the dusty pavement by it's bloody fingernails.

"The head."

Jonathan glanced over at the other body he completely forgot about and saw the man trying to move. But he was in so much pain anytime he tried to push himself up he would collapse. He gave up and dug in his pocket and tossed a small heavy object his way. It slid to a stop by his feet and Jonathan bent down and unfolded the knife in his hand.

"Haven't you ever . . . watched . . . a zombie movie before?" The guy said between heavy breaths before he fell unconscious.

Jonathan blinked at him and then looked back down at the blade in his hand. His heart raced faster. He'd never killed anything in his entire life, not even the neighbor's dog that attacked him when he was thirteen. It was something he refused to do, something that he just didn't have in him. The dread ran through him, fast enough that his hair stood on the back of his neck and he was swallowing down the bile in his throat. It crawled closer and the only thing that convinced him were the screams that echoed through the streets around him from all directions. There were more getting closer by the sound of it and he didn't have any idea how many or how vicious or how fast. He shut his thoughts out and dropped to one knee beside the thing and rammed the blade straight through it's temple, hearing it break through skull and squish through brain. It fell still. Dead.

He breathed through his mouth for a moment to stop the gag that wanted to roll up his torso. He waited, until the screams grew louder and louder. Closer. He stood and wiped the blade on his pants and closed it, pocketed it and remembered who gave it to him. The man was still immobile when he jogged over. His forehead was bleeding steadily, blood caking up on his face with a mix of dust. He probably had broken ribs, more than likely broken legs from where the car hit him head-on. But if he could save him, he was going to try. He wasn't going to leave this guy out on the road to be killed by the things he was running from in the first place.

Behind them on the corner was a small store. He dragged the guy who was a lot heavier than he looked inside and found a few shelving units to barricade the doors with. He glanced around, sighing in relief when he realized it was a small goods store with pretty much everything he'd need in a survival situation. Jonathan found the aisle that held all of the first aid items and pulled the man along with him until he found what he needed. He propped him up against the shelves and wiped his face clean with bottled water, sterilized the gash on his head with alcohol and peroxide, then he ran around until he found sewing needles and thread. It wasn't his first time sewing up a wound. He'd had to patch up his own before in the middle of the woods during countless misadventures that Tyler would never let him live down.

He shook his head, trying to get that name out of his head. Now wasn't the time to think about him. He had to help this guy that was still alive. He got on his knees and in the light of his flashlight atop his hat he did the job. The man never woke up, luckily. He examined the rest of his body, finding tattoos in places like small stories. There was nothing he could do for his ribs other than wrap bandages around his torso. Nor could he help the breaks in his legs, but he made braces out of broken table legs and duct tape so he could keep them still and not damage them further. He did everything he could, to the best of his ability, then he fell back and turned his flashlight off when he heard the screams and groans just outside on the street. He watched the silhouettes as a large group of the infected moved by.

He kept quiet until they were gone and he found himself peering over at the man passed out beside him, beaten and bruised. He pulled his hat off and sat in on the floor, turning the flashlight on and inspecting his features. He had jet black hair, a strong face, muscles for days. He was Asian, that much Jonathan could tell. Good looking, wearing a black shirt with a white cat face in the middle. He felt himself grin but it faded when the guy coughed and sputtered, waking up and moaning in pain.

"Shhh." Jonathan moved close and put his hand over his mouth. The man's eyelids cracked slightly and he squinted in the light. Jonathan angled the flashlight away just a bit and crushed up pain relievers in his hand. "Open up."

He shied away at first but opened his mouth and Jonathan poured them in, followed by water and he watched the guy swallow them down and cough for a moment before getting still. He was hurting and that was all Jonathan had to offer at the moment. They sat in relative silence for a while with the occasional heavy sigh from the man until he fell sleep again in the dark. Jonathan fought it, but there was no use going outside again just yet. It was dark and he kept seeing fast shadows running by every now and then. So he stayed there on the floor with the stranger, only getting up to find something to eat.

Eventually sleep pulled him under and he had a dream that when he rolled that creature over on the ground, it's face looked remarkably similar to Tyler's. He dreamed he was running across rooftops until his lungs felt like fire, until he ran out of places to run and he fell off a cliff into a thick fog never knowing when he was going to hit the ground. Until he did and he jerked awake with something heavy on his shoulder. He turned his head to find the stranger leaning against him, pale and still passed out. The morning light was creeping in, but it was still early. He jumped again when there was a banging at the front doors of the store.

Jonathan laid the guy down as he got up and double checked to make sure he still had a pulse. He sighed when he felt one and gripped the knife in one hand while he pulled his mask up with the other. He slowly crept around the aisles while the banging continued, but then he paused when he heard someone speak.

"Hello? Is anyone alive in there?"

Jonathan peeked around a shelf and saw only one guy at the door, tall, male, alive. He could stay quiet but they'd get in either way so he stayed where he was and called out. "Yeah, we're alive!"

"Lui! Get over here! Someone's still alive!" The guy shouted and Jonathan watched another figure approach, slightly shorter and out of breath. "Hey, man! It's safe to come out now. Those things ran off with the sunlight."

"You sure about that?" Jonathan inquired as he made a move for the door.

"Yeah, for now at least. We've been out since the sun came up. They went into hiding I guess, so we're looking for survivors while we can." The shorter of the two said and Jonathan watched their silhouettes in case they pulled out weapons while he was pulling the shelves out of the way. But they never did and he sagged a little with relief. Hopefully they were people who could help him figure out this mess. He pulled the doors and propped them open, giving them a good once over.

The taller of the two pointed at himself, "I'm Marcel."

Marcel was lengthy with an average build, his skin was like mocha. He wore a purple jacket with the sleeves rolled up. Jonathan looked down at the shorter one and the guy grinned, dimples showing when he said, "I'm Lui."

Jonathan gave a small nod. "So where were you two when it went down?"

Lui rocked on his feet and pointed to the west, "We were near the hospital, eating a late dinner just a street or two down. Everyone took shelter in the hospital so we followed suit. No one wanted to come out this morning but someone had to check and see how things were. People could be dying out here, so we're looking for anyone still alive in need of a safe place."

Jonathan glanced back inside the store. "I've got someone here that needed a doctor yesterday."

"Where are they?" Marcel peered around him into the darkened building and followed Jonathan in when he turned.

"Here." He led them to the aisle where the stranger was still knocked out on the cold tile floor. "He's broke his legs, maybe some ribs. Could just be bruised but I think he has some internal bleeding too."

"Jesus, what the hell happened?" Marcel asked and Lui kneeled beside him.

Jonathan shook his head. "It happened just outside in the intersection last night. He was running from one of those . . . . things. A car came down the hill and they crossed paths at the same time. Hit him dead on. Hit that thing, too. I killed it then pulled him in here and did what I could."

"Damn." Lui muttered to himself and lifted the stranger's shirt. "Yeah, you're right. We need to get this guy back to the tower, like, right now or he could die."

Jonathan glanced over at Marcel who eyed him carefully. "What's your name?"

Jonathan simply stared at him before he reached down and pulled the man up off the floor by his arm. "It doesn't matter."

Lui and Marcel took turns helping haul the bulky Asian down the empty streets and up steps for at least three miles until they arrived on the front doorstep of the hospital that stood like a small tower in the sky. It could house plenty of survivors, what was left in the city anyway. It was thirty floors high with the first couple of floors reserved for wounded since the elevators were only running on generators. They couldn't risk anyone getting stuck in there when they were dying.

"Hey, David! We got another one!" Lui called out and a tall thin man in glasses and a lab coat came over with a gurney. He didn't say a word, just pulled the stethoscope over his ears and listened to the man's heartbeat once he was laid out on the bed.

"He's alive. Barely. I'll take him from here. Thanks, boys." The man said and Jonathan noted that he was Irish as he watched him wheel the stranger in the cat t-shirt away. It was probably the last time he'd see him in such a small cramped space full of hurt, sick people. He never liked hospitals.

"So does anyone know who did this?" Jonathan questioned and Marcel shook his head.

"No, we've been listening to the radio frequencies all night. There's nothing. Just static. So someone either took out the radio towers or they're jamming the signal. Either way, it was sabotage. It still doesn't explain why the bombs were dropped or who did it." He ran a hand through his short thick hair. "All I know is that it was a government job. The jets say that much."

Jonathan looked out the front doors at the pillars of smoke that could still be seen across the city. "They dropped a virus of some sort. That's the only explanation for why those people turned into what they did, when they did."

Lui wrinkled his brow. "What, like chemical warfare?"

"That." Jonathan shrugged his shoulders, "Or just an experiment. Whichever it is, they won't let us leave this country. They're probably already sealing it off, restricting airspace within a hundred miles of Rio. We're stuck here."

Marcel crossed his arms and sighed dejectedly, "Yeah. Unless we find a way out."

"Or a cure." Lui piped in. "If that's even possible. Just thinking out loud here."

Jonathan tightened the duffle over his shoulder and walked out once more into the daylight. He pulled his hat over his head and turned it backwards. This was as safe a place as they would find. They needed to defend it and supply it. That was something he could get to work on.

"Where are you going?"

He turned, walking backwards. "I'm going to find what I can to help these people survive. Food will run out eventually, water, clothes, medicine. If I give us a head start maybe we can make it through this long enough the figure out what's going on."

Lui cupped his hands as he started jogging away, "What should we do?"

"Stay here! Sort these people out! Get rations started! Find weapons, nothing loud!" Jonathan called over his shoulder. "I'll be back before dark!"

Hopefully, he thought. He jogged lightly until he found a tourist center and snagged a map that he laid out and made markers. He dotted pharmacies, convenient stores, utilities, bell towers, anything that could be of use he marked it and set out on his way.

Jonathan ran.

He ran more than he had in his entire life and the only thing that kept him going was that dark nagging thought in the back of his mind. He didn't want anyone else to die because of him. He didn't want anymore blood on his hands and if running, scavenging, saving these people kept his best friend's ghost away . . . . he'd run until his heart stopped beating.