Sean stayed on his knees hugging himself in silence. For a time, he rocked himself. Lost in the depths of his own thoughts. What had they turned him into? Was there a way to go back? Was he stuck like this forever? How would Mark react to seeing him? Sean stopped rocking, glancing toward a figure that stood in the shadows. The figure had not been there a few seconds ago. It seemed to mold out of the shadows. Sean turned to look at the figure with wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he was looking at. It was impossible. Shaking his head, Sean mumbled out to himself in a timid voice. "You're not real... You don't exist." The shadows giggled, causing Sean to fall backward and scoot away toward the wall. The naked woman raised her head, asking him casually. "Are you ok?" Sean turned his wide eyes on her briefly, pointing to the shadowy corner with the figure and stammering out. "C-can you see him?!" The woman's eyes drifted to the corner. For a long moment she stared at it, then finally looked back at him with concern. Sean lowered his hand slowly. She couldn't see him.

The familiar figure in the corner, crossed his arms and giggled out. "Of course, she can't see me. I'm not real. You made me up." Sean rose up the wall, snapping out at the shadows. "SHUT UP! The fans made you up!" The figure moved slowly among the shadows of the wall toward him, cooing out softly. "Oh please... You made me. They named me. Before that I was just feelings you locked away. Forbidden desires and wants." Sean covered his ears, closing his eyes as he muttered to himself. "Oh my god... I'm cracking..." Over his ear, the sweet voice purred out with a giggle. "No. You're becoming a monster." Sean dropped his hands, yelling over his shoulder angerly. "I'M NOT A MONSTER!" Sean blinked. The figure was gone. Sliding back down the wall, he heard Famine tell someone. "Interesting... A side effect?" A voice that sounded like Conquest, answered lightly. "I'd log it. I'll put up some surveillance cameras. The disease might not actually be attacking the muscular system like we thought. Maybe it's neurological?" Sean glanced at the cell door with fragile eyes. He was surprised that they were still here.

Famine leaned his shoulder on the bars, softly uttering out. "Then how do you explain the skeletons we saw a few weeks ago? There wasn't anything left of their neural system to animate them?" Conquest shrugged, pacing a little as he said coolly. "Stages maybe? Prolonged contact with an infected? Bones are just another form of tissue. Maybe it takes time to absorb it into the structure?" Famine sighed, shaking his head as he said mostly to himself. "Even if that's true... How can a thing that can't think and can't feel or even see function enough to attack us? Without muscle nothing would hold those bones together... Without flesh why does it have a need to start hunting? It wouldn't need the nourishment." Conquest slowed to a stop, saying almost timidly. "You don't want me to answer that..." Sean sat up a little to look at their expressions better. They were hiding something. Or scared of something. Famine narrowed his eyes on Conquest, discreetly uttering out. "But you're thinking about it. The same as I." Conquest stormed closer, snapping out discreetly into Famine's face. "We agreed that it was dangerous. WE VOTED!"

Famine touched Conquest's cheek with the back of his hand, replying almost lovingly. "You let your love for him blind you. When have Death and War ever kept their word?" Conquest swatted Famine's hand away gently, turning away from him to say distressed. "You think they did it behind our backs...?" Famine brushed his brown hair behind his ear, his gold earrings glinting in the soft lantern light as he answered gently. "Look what this cure is doing to the boy? Is that the virus we all worked on? Do you recall the lab rats having reactions like this?" Conquest twirled his long golden hair between his fingers, mumbling out reluctantly. "Viruses adapt outside the lab... You said so yourself. This could just be-" Famine locked hard eyes with Conquest to stop him, before tenderly informing him. "Conquest... This is NOT our virus." Conquest faced Famine with worried eyes, asking a little scared. "Have you asked them about this?" Famine glanced back at Sean. Sean lowered his eyes hoping not to distract them. He wanted to hear more. If Famine noticed he was listening, he paid it no mind by answering coolly. "I have asked Death... He remains as silent as a grave. But... We might be able to loosen War's tongue."

Conquest huffed, tossing up his hands as he grimly asked. "How? War is unpredictable. And unless you have a rape fetish, he's not going to open up to tell us anything." Sean risked looking up and found himself locking eyes with Famine. Famine smirked at him, telling Conquest confidently. "Leave War to me. For now, I want you to keep an eye on Mark." Conquest groaned sourly, retorting coldly. "Oh sure... You just love dangling him in front of me don't you! How about I deal with War and you watch that guy's failures." Famine grabbed Conquest by the throat and slammed him up against the bars. The naked woman yelped and scrambled to a corner, while Sean rose to his feet. Famine stared into Conquest's eyes, commanding him sternly. "Keep an eye on the kid. I have a feeling something is wrong. His failure might actually be a blessing in disguise." Conquest stayed still, uttering out. "I don't understand... What are saying exactly?" Famine released Conquest's neck, discreetly whispering up close to his ear. "Are you sure those were the same EpiPens you made? Can you look me in the eyes and tell me they weren't switched with something else?"

Conquest opened his mouth briefly but soon closed it with a shocked expression. Famine pressed his forehead to Conquest's, adding in still discreetly. "Go make sure. And get him out of your head. He's clouding you from seeing something. I don't need Conquest the dolled-up Cupid... I need the strategist. Help me get the proof I need. And I promise you... I'll give you War." Famine leaned back, cupping Conquest's face in his tender hands. Tilting his head back, Famine kissed Conquest with such a passionate kiss that Sean had to look away. When Famine finally pulled away, Conquest nodded to him and quickly left. Sean rested his head back against the wall, grumbling out sourly. "Are you manipulating him as easily as you did me?" Famine grabbed the bars with a soft sigh, informing him seriously. "This matter is over your head... And honestly... If I were you. I'd be more worried about how long my sanity was going to last." Sean watched Famine take his leave, before turning his eyes to the figure beside him, who said with a chuckle. "He's right you know. If you're seeing me... You must be going crazy."

Sean inhaled deeply, trying not to panic at the sight of the dark figure. Those piercing solid neon green eyes saw right through him. Sean shivered staring into them, feeling vulnerable. Why did his sickness have to take the form of HIM? The figure moved away from his side and into the light, answering his thoughts bluntly. "Because I'm everything you think of when you think of yourself as being sick or a monster." Sean closed his eyes, growling out. "Well, if you're in my head... I'll just block you out." The figure laughed heartily, then smacked the wall on either side of him. The sound sounded so real and he felt like he had felt the wind pass over him. Jumping in fright, he opened his eyes to stare into the clear face of his alter ego. Those green eyes never blinked, and Anti's wicked grin gave Sean goosebumps. Sean couldn't breath or move. He could only stare and listen as Anti purred out to him in a dark tone of voice. "Try to block me out. I know every secret and thought in that head of yours. You can feel the sickness spreading. I'm not going anywhere."

Sean felt a tear run down his cheek as he asked breathlessly. "What do I have to do to make this stop?" Anti dragged his hands down the wall, leaving no marks or trace that he actually was touching it. In a soothing voice, Anti honestly admitted to him as he sat back in a couching position. "I don't know... because you don't know. But... You know what might help?" Sean shrugged innocently, feeling dizzy. Anti reached out to grab his jaw in a gentle grip, his hand feeling like ice against his skin but there was no trace of malice in it. Turning his head to the side, Anti leaned in to whisper against his ear sweetly. "You should eat something." Sean stared at the woman in the corner and at the sound of Anti's words, he found himself hesitantly licking his dry lips. He could almost imagine his teeth sinking into her soft flesh. He almost convinced himself to do it, until he jerked his head up and snapped out to Anti. "NO! Stop it!" Sean's stomach growled, causing tears to roll down his cheeks as he bowed his head.

Anti cupped his face, coaxing him lovingly to look up at him. Sean welcomed the gentleness of it. The feeling of affection so strong and familiar to him. Staring down into his eyes, Anti whispered over his lips warmly. "You can't go more than three days without water, and you can only go three weeks without food. Why put yourself through that?" Sean answered almost inaudibly with his grim wispy voice. "Because she's a human being... and I'm not a monster." Anti grinned over his lips, purring out in a smug wispy voice of his own. "They won't feed you anything else. You'd rather be too weak to fight her when desperation sets in? You'll need your strength." Sean shook his head, until Anti leaned in close to his ear again to say in a voice as sharp and as cold as ice shards. "Why hold onto your humanity? He's with her now... And even if he comes back... What do you think he's going to do when he sees you like this? He'll call you a-" Sean jerked away, huddling up into a ball against the wall as he cut Anti off to say weakly. "Stop! Please... I don't wanna hear this..."

Anti snorted, shuffling around to kneel in front of him as he snapped out sternly. "You NEED to hear it! You know I'm right! Stop being a pussy and KILL HER!" Sean covered his ears again, shaking his head. This time he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder and he flinched. The woman shushed him, crossing her legs in front of him as she told him sweetly. "You're hungry. It's ok. I volunteered for this." Sean blinked with a look of pure concern on his face. Scanning for Anti, who appeared to of vanished, he asked her wearily. "Why did you volunteer to be killed? What could be so wrong with living?" The woman giggled to herself, excitedly informing him. "Oh, I'm not going to die. I'm going to be reborn as part of the new world. Didn't they tell you how special you are? You have to survive and with my flesh that will happen. It's an honor." Sean shifted to face her, cupping her face as he told her seriously in a gentle voice. "No... I'm not special. My life isn't anymore important than yours. I know you want something to believe in. To think that this horror has a reason... but you shouldn't throw your life away so easily. The point is to LIVE and SURVIVE."

The woman's smile faded slowly as his words sank in. Moving his hands to her shoulders, he continued out as nicely as he could. "I know you're scared. I'm scared. I don't have answers... but don't abandon you reasoning. You're following a group of men calling themselves the Four Horsemen... They aren't supernatural. They are killing people." The woman shook her head, saying shakily. "No... They control the infected. They are showing us that we don't have to be afraid. God has shown them the way." Sean shook his own head, staring into her eyes, telling her flatly. "God didn't do this... WE did. Look at me. You don't want this. I'm sick..." From the corner of the room, Anti appeared again with his arms crossed. Sean tried not to look at him but couldn't stop himself from hearing Anti flatly state out. "And stupid... Fucking hell, you're worse than a picky eater... You make your food have an existential crisis." Sean hung his head to drown out Anti's voice, then told her sweetly with a smile. "Listen to me... Your life is precious. It may feel like it's not, but you just don't know what you'll do in the future. You could inspire someone to do something great. You could save a life and change that person's life forever. Your life means something... even if you never see the result of what you do. Trust me."

The woman slowly started to wrap her arms over his exposed chest, huddling herself up with a shaky look. Sean turned to look away, then quickly removed his sweater. Handing her the sweater without looking, he told her softly. "Here. It's not much... But-" She accepted the sweater, leaning in to kiss his cheek, causing him to stop talking. The woman slipped on the sweater, moving away to go back to her corner. Huddling up in the corner, she wrapped her arms around her bare legs. Sean leaned against the wall, keeping his distance but asking her casually. "What's your name? My name is Sean." Behind him, Anti groaned and whined in out in his head. "UGH! Don't ask dinner what its name is! Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" The woman rested her chin on her knees, answering in a sudden timid voice. "It's Misa." Sean smirked, watching her brush her long dark hair over her ear shyly. Staying still, he told her nicely. "That's a pretty name. Do you have family, Misa?" Misa shook her head, mumbling out into her knees. "Not anymore..."

Sean winced, apologizing as he looked up at the chain nailed into the wall over him. Climbing to his feet, he grabbed the shackle collar around his neck. Moving to the very end of his chain, he started drawing a line in the dirt with his foot. Misa watched him for a minute, then asked him curiously. "Why are you doing that?" Sean finished the large circle around him, honestly informing her. "Call it a safety precaution. I don't know how much control over myself I'll have in an hour or so... So, this is for you. Stay outside the line. Just in case..." Misa hugged herself tighter but nodded. Moving to the center, Sean stared at how the chain was bolted into the wall. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he didn't want to give up just yet. Taking a deep breath, he tried to get his racing heart under control. From the corner, Anti snorted out bitterly. "I hope you like eating dirt... and drinking your own piss. Bitch." Sean shot a scowl in Anti's direction, until a low whistle got his attention. Whirling around, he saw Zero.

Zero lifted up a tried up bandana, asking him in a discreet whisper. "Hungry?" Misa ran to get the bandana, then walked up to the line Sean had drawn. Taking an orange, she set the rest inside his circle. The smell of chicken made him ravenous! Rushing to the bandana, Sean dropped to his knees to grab one of the chicken legs. Without thinking, he tore into the crispy flesh and ate like he hadn't eaten in days. Misa holed herself up in the corner, her eyes wide. While Zero held the bars and told him as nicely as he could. "How are you holding up, Sean?" Sean forced himself to chew slower. He felt like an animal that was afraid that someone was going to take his food away. Swallowing, he informed Zero a bit unsettled. "I don't know. I feel like me... and I don't..."

Back in the Colony, a man in a hazmat suit slammed Mark against the wall. Mark was still shaken from seeing the ashen figure in the container in the other room. The hazmat man narrowed his eyes on Mark's before shoving him down the hall and snapping out. "Get the fuck out of here! Don't let me catch you snooping around again!" Mark fixed his shirt, carefully walking out of the hospital. For a colony that enforced such strict quarantine laws... Why did they have THAT inside the walls? Mark started to make his way back toward the church, until he saw Amy. She was chatting with a woman that he didn't recognize at the table now. Hefting a sigh, he quickly turned to walk down an alley before she saw him. Following the road on the other side of the alley, he let himself wonder a bit to get the layout of the place. Part of him hated himself for avoiding Amy like this. He had been so close to her once and now... He just felt guilty every time he looked at her. Stopping at an old bus bench, he sat himself down to think.

Putting his backpack between his shins, he ran his hands through his hair with a low groan of frustration. How could he even begin to tell Amy about Sean? Did he even have the time? This mission was supposed to be short... and yet here he was dragging his feet. Rubbing his eyes, he stiffened as something sharp pressed against the back of his neck. Over his shoulder a man discreetly whispered to him. "Don't move, Warlord." Mark obeyed, feeling him draw closer to whisper into his ear. "Where's the stuff?" Mark carefully tried to peek over his shoulder, asking a little confused. "What are you talking about?" The man pressed the blade harder into his neck, growling out. "Don't play stupid with me. The insulin you brought in. Where is it?!" Mark stayed still, asking completely lost. "What do you mean? They took it." The person grabbed Mark's forearm in an iron grip, sneering out through his teeth. "I don't have time for this! Tell me or I'll-" The man was cut off by a familiar female voice, who called out to him with worry. "Mark? Are you ok?"

The man released Mark, quickly dashing off between the nearby buildings. Mark whirled around to get a look at him, but all he saw was the back of a typical grey hooded man with black jean pants and black sneakers. Mari approached him, asking him nervously. "Mark? Did you know that guy?" Mark reached up to touch the back of his neck, answering a little shaken up. "No... Did you know him?" Mari shook her head, taking a seat beside him, saying with concern. "I didn't get a good look at him. You guys just looked... intense. What did he want?" Mark swallowed nervously. He couldn't tell her. Quickly glancing back toward where the guy had gone off to, Mark tried to hide how nervous he looked as he lied calmly. "I'm not sure... but I think he knew me." Mark's hand drifted from the back of his neck to the bandage. How did the guy know he was a Warlord? His bandage had kept his wound covered all this time. The only way he would have seen was during-. Mark was yanked from his thoughts by Mari chuckling out. "I can't say I'm really surprised. You were a famous Youtuber. Odds are that someone here would know who you are. Especially, since Amy can't stop talking about you to everyone here."

Mark sat back on the bench uneasily. This was the first time he was hearing about that. Mari saw his perplexed look and added innocently. "Oh? You didn't know? My brother Lewis told me about it. Said that she's been so excited to have you back, that she talks off the ear of anyone that will listen. He's kind of concerned about her actually... He thinks because there are more girls than guys here that... Well, he thinks she's marking her territory, so to speak." Mark scoffed lightly, mumbling out. "Amy? No. She's not like that." Mari shrugged, nicely slipping out. "I don't know, Mark. I think you should be careful. The apocalypse did crazy things to people... Amy might not be the same as-" Mark shot her a warning look and Mari stopped. Shifting to face him better though, she asked him boldly. "Look. I hate to pry... but aren't you with Sean now? Don't you think you should tell her?" Mark shot off the bench, defensively retorting. "It's complicated. I thought... I don't know what to think anymore."

Mari crossed her arms, sarcastically muttering out. "My family is complicated, Mark. You either love Sean or you don't." Mark pointed a stern finger at her, stating out firmly. "Don't. This is none of your business." Mari slowly climbed to her feet, casually stating back bluntly. "You're right. It's not... but Sean is my friend. And when I go back to get him and Zero. If he asks me about what you've been doing... I'm not going to lie to him. Because I'm a good friend." Mark grabbed Mari's arm as she turned to leave, telling her in a low tone. "Mari... You tell him that... And you'll hurt him. Do you want that?" Mari pulled her arm from Mark's light hold, looking him in the eyes as she told him. "I was raised in a family full of bad secrets. It's not my place to tell him. But I won't be the person who keeps secrets from him. It will hurt him... but at least it would be a cleaner break. I'd hate to see him suffer." Mari started to walk down the road a bit, only to stop and look back.

Hugging her chest, she told him with a sad look. "I know coming out is a struggle. I'm not going to pretend it isn't. And it's not my place to tell you who to be with... but chose carefully, Mark. Sean could have left you at anytime, but he stayed because he loves you. Can you say that about Amy?" Mark glared at her back, snapping out. "You don't know her, Mari." Without looking back, Mari casually snapped back. "You don't know her anymore either. Or you wouldn't be trying so hard to avoid her." To Be Continued...