Sean had fallen asleep to the way Mark stroked his back and kissed his shoulder. He had never felt so safe and loved in his life. Then before the sun came up the next morning, Sean awoke to the bed moving. Behind him, Mark brushed his bangs away from his closed eyes and kissed his cheek. Sean moaned sleepily. He wasn't a morning person. He didn't want to get up. Mark didn't try to get him up though. With one more kiss to his bare shoulder, Mark slipped from the bed. Sean was a bit disappointed that Mark wasn't staying, but he understood why. Mark usually took over early morning watch and there was still so much that needed to be done. Opening the bedroom door, Chica rushed in having escaped from Mari's room. Mark tried to coax her out, but she hopped up onto the bed to lay with Sean. Giving up on her, Mark made his way down the stairs. With Mark gone, Sean smirked and sleepily pet Chica's head. He didn't mind her snuggling with him. She was still getting used to the house.

Sean managed to drift back off for a little bit, until the sound of Mark yelling woke him. Chica whined, her paws pushing down on his leg as she sat up. The added pain, jarred Sean from his sleepily state. Shifting his leg out from under Chica, Sean lifted his head from his pillow to listen better. What was going on? He hazily heard Mark tell someone to stay and began to slip from the bed. Picking up his torn up black jeans, he pulled them on and moved to the window. He couldn't see what was going on from his view of just the windmill. Sliding open the window a bit, he listened as closely as he could to the sounds outside. The sounds of distressed horses made his body tense up. Something was happening. Starting to rush to the bed, he froze as something smashed downstairs. Chica let out a low whine, rising to all fours. Sean reached out to touch her shoulder, before carefully moving to Mark's side of the bed to remove Mark's hunting knife that Mari had found in her cleaning of the house with Nate. He was thankful that they had stashed weapons throughout the house now.

From downstairs, a female voice began to purr out menacingly. "Oooh, Sean? Where are you hiding?" Sean grabbed Chica's collar, pulling her off the bed and ushering her into the walk-in closet. Closing her in, he rushed back down to the bed and couched down as low as he could to see under the bed. Chica whined, pawing at the door impatiently. Sean held his breath as Lilith's dirty legs came into view. Her long skirt was torn to reveal her legs all the way up to her thighs. She wasn't wearing shoes and she was dragging a firemen's axe beside her. She swatted pictures off the walls, causing them to smash across the ground and stepped on the glass like it was nothing. Stopping in the doorway, she purred out smugly. "Poor little, Sean... Left behind again. Cowering like a child." She hefted a deep sigh, grumbling out. "Death wants me to keep you alive... But oh, how I HATE you! I think I'll just..." She drifted off, walking toward the closest and raising the axe off the ground. Sean started to rise as she turned her back to him to look at the closest.

Creeping up on her, he adjusted the knife to stab her in the throat. He raised the knife, then yelped as a snake struck his wrist. Using the snake's momentum, he brought his wrist in and caused the snake's tail to smack Lilith. Lilith stumbled into the closest door with a startled scream. The Boa tried to wrap itself around Sean's neck, refusing to release his wrist. Dropping to his knees, Sean laid his wrist out to press his knee to the snake's neck. Taking the knife from his other hand, he began stabbing the snake in the head repeatedly. Lilith jumped to her feet, raising the axe to bring down on him. Sean acted quickly, pulling the dead snake off his arm and tossed it at her neck. She must have thought it was still alive because she yelped and jumped back from him. Sean rose to his feet, trying to take the axe from her with his free hand. She backed up into the closest door, kicking Sean in the balls. Grunting in pain, he bent over a little. He refused to release the axe that he had pinned over her head though. She took advantage of that. Jumping, she kicked him in the hips to force him back.

Sean fell back across the ground as Lilith landed and swung the axe where his chest had been seconds before. Falling flat onto his back, he kicked out with his own legs to knock her feet out from under her. It had worked a little too well. Snapping her knee, causing her to scream in agony as she fell to her side across the floor. Rolling over, Sean jumped over her to pin her down. He got ahold of her wrists, then yelped as she twisted to bite his arm. She squirmed and thrashed like a wild animal. Her teeth trying to tear skin from bone. Releasing one of her wrists, he adjusted the knife to try stabbing her, but she grabbed his wrist and switched which hand she wanted to bite. Sean pulled his hand out of range of her bite, headbutting her as hard as he could. He heard the crack but wasn't sure if he had killed her or just knocked her out. All he cared about was that she had stopped, and it gave him a second to breathe. Taking the axe from her, he staggered to his feet barely noticing the blood running down from his nose. His nose wasn't broken, but he had done something to make it bleed.

He brushed his nose across his bare arm, glancing to the closest to apologize to Chica for using her as bait. Chica whined more, clawing at the closest door more desperately. Sean was about to let her out, until another familiar voice told him so sweetly. "Hello, Sean." Sean rolled his eyes, slowly turning to face Death. Death was almost invisible in the dark hallway. Pushing his hood back, he told Sean in a warm voice. "You are most impressive. Unique." Sean gripped the knife and axe handles tighter, growling out. "Why can't you just leave me alone!" Death's skull mask showed no emotion as he told him calmly. "Because you don't understand what we are trying to do. So, let me clarify." Death opened his black robes, removing a white mask that Sean had seen before. It was Conquest's mask. Death tossed it onto the bed. Sean glanced at it briefly, letting Death tell him bluntly. "I've been working to have you replace Conquest. He was a weak link. But with your unique gift... You'll conquer this world with the cure. Purifying the worthy and bringing down the wicked."

Sean pointed to Lilith, grumbling out. "That's why you sent her?!" Death didn't even look at Lilith as he replied promptly in a disinterested voice. "She was a test. A way to show that you are just and will smite the wicked." Sean scoffed doubtfully, backing up as Death took a step inside, stating out casually. "Come with us. You will never belong here. Not as you are. You'll be a monster to them. They'll kill you. With us, you'll be a god among men." Guns began to go off in the distance, drawing Sean's attention to the open window. He hadn't realized the haze he'd been in until he looked away. Death was trying to subtly control him. Glaring back at Death, he snapped out. "That's not going to work on me this time!" Sean hoped to buff Death into not using his weird gift to subdue zombies. Instead, Death rose to the challenge. Raising his hand out toward him, the sound waves began to pulse. Sean flinched, trying to fight the urge to drop to all fours. Over the noise, Death's voice bellowed out commandingly. "You will obey me!"

Sean whimpered as blood began leaking from his ears and eyes the more he fought to resist. Gritting his teeth, he hefted the axe enough to throw it at him! The axe was flung so hard that it hit Death in the shoulder. Death's collarbone made a sickening snap as the axe sunk into his flesh... but he didn't stop. Sean couldn't take it anymore and dropped to his knees, dropping the knife to cover his ears. Death pulled the axe from his chest with his free hand, tossing it across the room. Sean couldn't believe he was so unfazed. Any normal human would have been in so much pain. Death flexed his shoulder, the bones popping back into place. Still over the noise, Death snapped out to him in a dark voice. "You can't kill me. I am DEATH! I can not be killed! The virus in my veins is stronger than you will ever be!" Sean stopped covering his ears as an idea crept in. Lowering his hands to the floor, he sank into a low bow. Death lowered his hand, cutting off the sound as he told him in a loving purr. "That is better."

Death kicked the knife away from Sean, taking a knee in front of him. Sliding his hands over his bare shoulders, Death cooed to him sweetly. "I forgive you. It's not easy to admit when you are defeated. You understand now? Your friends have to die for killing Conquest... but unlike him... you are the missing piece. The true horseman of Conquest. And unlike that man that leaves you behind... I will cherish you. You will be mine. You will be ours." Sean didn't move and showed no signs of disgust. He just let Death stroke his back and arms with loving caresses. Sean turned his head slightly, brushing his lips across the smeared blood on his arm from his bloody nose. Coating his lips in it. Lifting his head up slowly, he leaned in closer to Death's mask and whispered to him as seductively as he could in a voice that was darker than his normal. "Prove it. Kiss me." Death slid his hands down Sean's arms to hold his wrists loosely. Sean guessed it was his way of trying to see if he was hiding a weapon.

Sean sat up more in response, slowly bringing his hands up to cup Death's face as he purred out to him confidently. "You're not scared of me... are you? After all... I can't kill you." Death's hands moved to Sean's chest, feeling out his pecks. Sean closed his eyes, tilting his head back as he pretended to enjoy it. Upon bringing his attention back, he pushed off Death's mask and tossed it aside. Death barely caught his breath, when Sean bit his tongue and leaned in quickly to kiss him forcefully. Sean took full control over the kiss, smearing his lips over his and making sure his bleeding tongue entered his mouth to coat his tongue. Death jerked, but Sean's grip on him tightened. Death started pushing him away. However, Sean stayed in the kiss until he was satisfied. Finally pulling away, Sean sat back on his heels as Death spit and growled out. "What the fuck?!" Sean grinned, his bloodstained lips and teeth sending a wave of fear in Death that Sean could smell. Death fell back clutching his throat and snapping out. "What have you done?!"

Sean rose to his feet, growling out hungrily. "I'm purifying the wicked. Isn't that what you wanted?" Death flipped his robe back to remove his scythe from his belt, rolling up to his feet as he yelled out. "You're a fool! You think they'll accept you?!" Sean started walking toward him, saying numbly. "I don't need the world to accept me... I just have to keep men like you out of it." Death rushed forward to slash at Sean, but Sean dodged every swing easily. During one swing toward his neck, Sean grabbed his wrist and bit him. Death dropped the scythe, kicking Sean in the side to knock him back. Sean staggered away from him a bit, feeling black veins spring out along his skin as a fire rushed through him. Death raised his hand to stop him, but the sound was weaker now. Sean let out a deep menacing growl, then lunged at Death with enough strength that Death was smashed through the solid wooden dresser. Sean's primal need to attack and kill kicked in. Going for Death's throat, Sean bit into his soft neck. Death let out a scream that began to muffle and gurgle as Sean's mouth filled with fresh warm blood.

Sean's body acted on its own. Drinking all the fluid that it could from Death's gushing throat. When the blood stopped running so fiercely, Sean tore flesh from bone and began to chew. As his adrenaline faded, Sean staggered back from the mess. Lifting his hand, he watched the black veins turn into a normal shade of blue and vanish. He thought he was cured, but this felt different. Covering his mouth, he was starting to think about throwing up. Then sounds of growls that weren't his own, forced him to whirl around. Taking in the look of Lilith. She had changed and was creeping toward the closet on all fours... like a Hunter... and her target was Chica! Jumping to his feet, he yelled out. "STOP!" He wanted her to attack him. To his surprise, she stopped and looked at him with a sudden docile expression. Cautiously, he picked up the scythe and moved closer to her. Lilith's eyes were completely lifeless, but something about him had her retreating from him. The closer he got, the more she huddled herself up like a scared animal. Sean moved in front of the closet door, watching Lilith closely.

After a minute, he reached out to her. She crept closer to him hesitantly but didn't growl or show signs of aggression. It made him really uneasy. He kept waiting for her to suddenly attack him. As she got closer to the closet, she growled only at Chica that she could hear on the other side of the door. Grabbing Lilith's neck, he pulled her away from the door and swiftly cut her head off with the scythe. Her body stopped all functions. Tossing her body out of the open window, he moved to Death's body. He certainly didn't want him coming back... if he even could. Decapitating his head, he only managed to get the body out of the window. For trotting around to the window, a skeleton horse began to click its neck bones in a strange Morse code that he could understand. Rushing back, he snatched up Death's head and ran outside. The skeleton horse wanted to show him something. The second he got outside, the skeletal horse pawed the ground. Sean started to investigate what the horse was showing him, until War's horse began to whiny by the gate.

Deciding that his friends came first, he rushed to the gate. The skeletal horse and even War's started following him, they almost seemed impressed by the fact that he had killed Death. Warning him that War would not like this. He ignored them the second he saw War cornering Mark. Smelling Mark's blood made the black veins return along Sean's skin as he tossed Death's head into the barn. If War wanted a fight, he'd give him one. To Be Continued...