Trigger warning: Mention/talk of suicide in this chapter. View discretion is advised.

"So, yeah, we've got seven V-type zoms trapped inside the mall with Tom," Sam says, his voice laced with worry and shaking slightly. "He's cornered in the newsagent's. Uh, there's a metal grill protecting him, but the zoms are pulling at it. Some of them-some of them have pulled fingers off, but that doesn't seem to be stopping them. Five, Eight, Maxine, you're safe outside the mall. You're clear of zoms at the moment, right?"

"There are few shamblers around, but we've got Milo dealing with them. Nothing too threatening," Maxine answers.

"Tom, how are you holdin' up?" Jody asks softly.

"I'm-situation under control, Commander," Tom answers, his voice clipped and cold. Professional, like Janine's. "Apologies for the temporary loss of... of..."

"It's fine, babe. You're doin' well. We're goin' to get you out of there."

"The V-types can be killed," Maxine says. "It just requires total dismemberment or disintegration."

"Disintegration would be preferred," I pipe up. "In the caves, I beat a zombie to a pulp and the organs still moved towards us. I think a bomb would do, but..."

"It would kill me too," Tom finishes, his voice too calm. "Sometimes blue-on-blue kills are unavoidable."

"We're not killin' anyone!" Jody shouts.

"Plus, we don't actually have a bomb, so you know," Sam says, and I bite my lip, trying to think up a plan.

"Maxine and I could open the doors, lure the V-types away," I suggest. It's not an ideal plan, but I've never been one to come up with the most calculated plans. That's more Janine's thing. "If we lead them off and pulled a McShell maneuver or something, then maybe we could lead them off a cliff or something, you know?"

"Too risky. These zoms are faster than your normal shambler," Jody replies, and I grit my teeth. She wasn't even in those caves. I was! I know exactly how fast these zombies can be. "And if any of them get away from us, it'll endanger innocent civilians. Come on, guys! We need options."

"Well, I don't see you coming up with anything," I snap. "There's not much can do when it comes to virtually indestructible zoms, Four!"

I know she's scared. I know she's even more scared than normal because it's her boyfriend and he's had some serious issues with being trapped. As someone who has thought their loved one was dead at one point, I know how terrifying this can be, but we're trying to save him. There's not much we can do when it comes to this.

"There's got to be something useful nearby," Maxine says, forcing a smile in an attempt to diffuse the rising tension. "Me, Five and Milo can all take a look around. You've got rid of most of those shamblers, right, Runner Eight?"

"Yeah," Milo replies. "All the ones that were headed near the mall are taken care of. There's a few in the distance, but I don't think we'll need to worry about them."

"Good," Jody says. "Be systematic. Five, you run sweeps of the east side. Maxine and Milo, you two take the west."

"Their eyes, Jody," Tom mutters, his voice on the edge of insanity. "Their eyes have all rotted away. Do they see when they look at me through those eyes?"

"Go, guys!" Sam yells. "And hurry!"

We take off, Maxine heading west to pair up with Milo while I head east. I've barely even begun, but I already know there's nothing that will be of use. These cars wouldn't start even if I tried to hotwire them, and even if I could get them to start, running over these zombies wouldn't do anything. I look back and see Maxine and Milo heading for the service station, maybe to see if there's any gasoline that could be use to burn the zoms up. The gas would be expired, but I don't think that would make it any less flammable.

But I find nothing as I scour roads and parking lots and the patches of grass that surrounds it. No weapons, no tools. I can see a barn in the distance, but it's falling apart. The roof of it looks like it could cave in at any given moment. I don't even think I could get the door open before it collapsed on top of me.

Still I look around for something, anything that might help us. I can't hear Tom anymore, so Jody might have switched him over to a different channel. He's slipping back into the terrible state of mind he was in before he got help. Really though, how long has he been 'okay'? A year maybe? That isn't that long compared to the amount of time he spent in that prison, or the amount of time he spent walking from Algeria to England, planning to kill Janine and taking months to try to execute said plan. Of course this-this situation especially-sent him into a frenzy.

I feel a sudden stab of guilt. He's in danger because he came on this mission to get tech for me. He did this to help me.

If he dies, his blood will be on my hands.

I straighten my posture and steel my reserve. I'm not going to let that happen. Not today.

So I keep searching. I search the empty cars for any emergency items and still come up empty. Anything that might have been in them is gone, probably taken years ago when the apocalypse first started.

I really hope Maxine and Milo are having better luck than I am. Because at this rate, we're not going to find anything to help get Tom out before he has a mental breakdown and gets himself killed in there.

"Okay, guys," Jody says a few minutes later. "I've cut Tom out of the comms link for now. Sam's keepin' an ear on him, but I don't think it'll help him to hear."

"Yeah. He's going to be fine, Jody," Maxine says assuringly.

"No, he isn't!" She snaps. "He's stuck in a cage surrounded by zoms, and everyone he trusts has abandoned him. That's-that's trigger central for Tom! He might seem better these days, but he was rottin' alone in a cell in Algeria for years! He was tortured daily! That's-that's not somethin' you get over! We've got five, ten minutes tops before he completely falls apart. So tell me what you've found, guys."

"I've found nothing," I say, biting the inside of my cheek. "I've checked about every car on the roads and they've been stripped bare, and there's nothing other than that to the east."

"Maxine?"

"We're sorry, Jody," Milo apologizes. "There's nothing."

"There must be something!"

"There isn't." Maxine pauses for a moment, as if she has to force herself to deliver the bad news. "The gas station's out of gas, so we won't be incinerating them, and the stores are all stripped bare."

"No, wait. I can see you on cams. You're right by that digger you passed earlier. We could use that!"

"I thought that too, but the keys are missing. There's no way to start it."

"There has to be something!" She sounds desperate as she repeats this, almost like she's trying to convince herself of it more so than us. "Five, you know how to hotwire machinery right?"

"I can hot wire a car," I say uneasily. "I don't know if it's the same set up with heavy duty machinery though."

"We'll keep looking," Maxine says. She doesn't sound very confident.

"Hey, Jody," Sam says, "look at camera number five. You see that zom in the olive green overalls? The one with the logo of a tree on the back?"

"That's the same logo they've got on the digger."

"You think he could be the driver?" I ask.

"Yeah. Yeah, definitely," He replies. "Well, I mean, maybe. Oh, it's got to be worth a shot. Five, you're nearest. That zom's to the left of you, in that copse of trees behind the black barn. Run!"

I head off towards the barn. It looks even worse up close, every single wooden board rotting and wet from the melting snow and slight rain this area has received. I steer clear of it, since I don't want to walk by it too quickly and cause the whole thing to come down.

I head into the copse of trees, bending and twisting around branches and roots in attempt to make as little noise as possible. It's uncomfortable and irritating, but I don't have a clear shot of the zom from here. I can barely even see him through the branches, so I head on a bit further, seeing the zombie just standing, its back turned to me as it growls pitifully.

And then it starts to walk.

"No, no, no," I whisper as it walks through the trees, turning right and heading for the barn. I let out a string of quiet curses as I start after it, pissed off that I don't have a clear shot even now. I weave through the trees, a few branches brushing against my skin, some nicking me and causing a sting for just a second before the burning takes over and seals the wound closed, not even a drop of blood being spilt.

But the zombie is gaining more ground. It doesn't care bout the noise it makes or if the branches nick its skin. By the time I get out of that copse of trees, the zom has gotten around to the other side of the barn.

I clench my jaw at the time I've wasted, but at least now I know I'll have a clear shot. I grab my pistol and start running, keeping my steps light so the old barn won't collapse from the sound.

"You're nearly there, Five," Sam says encouragingly. "Run around the back of the barn, and you'll have a clean shot of the zom. Once it's down, you can dig out the keys from its overalls."

"There are no keys," Tom whispers, and I wonder when he was patched back into our coms. "When a cell locks, it doesn't open. I'm still locked up, aren't I? I had such a lovely dream that I escaped. And now I've woken up, and I'm still here."

I feel a stab of pity go through me.

"No, baby," Jody says. "That's a dream you used to have when you were in Algeria. You told me about it one night and I... You're not in Algeria, Tom. You're free! And we're goin' to get you out. You just need to hold on a bit longer."

"I can't! I can't!" Tom gasps, as if on the verge of tears. "I can't!"

"Snap out of it, soldier!"

There's a long moment of silence.

"Jody?"

"You're goin' to be okay," She says assuringly. "Five, Maxine and Milo aren't goin' to let anything happen to you. And I'm goin' to take care of you. I promise."

I creep along the barn, the zombie's moans growing louder and louder the closer I get.

"People make promises," Tom says in a broken voice. "They promise they'll come back for you, but they never do. They leave you behind to rot!"

"Not this time, babe. You're never gettin' left behind again. Now breathe. In and out, just like we practiced."

"Yes. Yes. Breathe. Yes."

"Concentrate on your breaths." Her voice is calm, much calmer than she probably feels. "Don't think about anything else. In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four."

I've made it to the side of the barn. I can see the zombie, and I aim right at its head. "I've got a clear shot."

"Take it!" Sam demands.

The zombie turns towards me right as I pull the trigger. The bullet goes right between its eyes, gray blood splatting against the barn walls, causing a few boards to fall out of place. They clatter to the ground loudly, too loudly.

The zombie takes a step back, then a step towards me.

"It's not goin' down!" Jody shouts. "Oh God, it must be one of the V-Types!"

"No, that was just its momentum," Sam says as it crumples to the ground, and I let out the breath I'd been holding. "See, it's down. And it's staying down. Quickly, Five, find those keys. And don't, you know, get any of that zombie goo on you while you're looking."

I head over to the zombie and turn it on its back. I ignore the bloody hole in its head and dig around in its overalls. I feel cool metal in one of the pockets and then pull out the jingling keys a moment later.

"Thank God!" Jody exclaims, but my joy is cut short when some of the barn wall crumbles and falls right beside me. I jump back, and once I'm sure no more of the barn will try to come crashing down on top of me, I hear the faint moans and growls of zombies in the distance.

I curse.

"Yeah," Sam says, making a small noise, "looks like all that noise has attracted some zoms. Get to that digger, Five. Run!"

•

"Mum, throw me those keys!" Milo shouts, and I toss them to him. He catches them effortlessly and climbs into the digger.

"Tom, how are you holding up?" Jody asks.

"I'm fine, darling. I've figured it out." His voice is too calm.

"We're nearly there, Tom," Sam says with a shaky voice, trying his absolute best to sound reassuring. "As soon as that digger gets moving, we're going to pull the back wall off that newsagent's and get you out of there." He pauses. "Uh, Milo, why isn't the digger moving?"

"I can't get it started!" He grits out, turning the key in the ignition only for nothing to happen. "There's gas in there. I can see it on the meter, but-" He shouts in frustration, slapping the steering wheel. "Start, damn you!"

"Don't worry, Control. That won't be necessary." Tom's voice still has that eerie calmness to it. It worries me. "I've got the situation in hand."

Jody gasps hopefully. "In hand? Have you found a way out?"

"Affirmative. I have a grenade ready."

My stomach drops. "A grenade's not going to fit through the holes in that grill."

I send Milo a worried look, and he grits his teeth and desperately tries to get that digger started. I won't have Tom die on a mission that was supposed to help me. I won't have anyone else die because of me! I won't!

"He knows that," Jody says. "Tom, you don't have to do that. We're comin' for you. You're not alone."

"I'm always alone," He replies softly. He sounds as if he's crying. "It's alright, Jane. I understand now. You had to leave me. It was always going to happen. I always end up back here, always. I escape, and then I come back here, time after time after time. I have to stop the clock. Just pull the pin, and it will all be over."

"No, Tom, please!" Her voice breaks, and Milo curses and hits the steering wheel again.

"It's for the best. For everyone."

"No, it isn't! It's not the best for me!"

"Jane... No. Jody?"

"You can't kill yourself! It's not fair! It's-it's selfish! What about me, Tom?" She sobs loudly, angrily. "What about leavin' me alone? Please don't abandon me!"

"Oh. Oh, no. I can't abandon you. That's mission protocol-we never leave anyone behind."

Milo laughs joyfully when a rumbling sound comes from the digger. "It started!"

"Oh, bloody hell," Sam breathes out. "My heart can't take this. Okay, Milo, can you drive it over to the mall?"

"Hell yeah, I can!"

"Okay. Five, Maxie, take the chains in the back and attach them to the outside wall of the newsagent's. It's a metal prefab, so it should all come out in one piece. Fix the other end to the digger, and Milo can pull it off. The zoms will still be trapped behind the grill."

"They're going to be here soon," Tom says. "In the event of zombie ingress, permission to detonate the grenade, Commander?"

"That's not goin' to happen, Tom!" Jody yells. "Five, Maxine, please run!"

We don't waste another second, running as fast as we possibly can. Milo's handling the digger surprisingly well, but then I remember how well Veronica handled heavy duty machinery when we went to the Museum of Natural History. I also remember the incident with the chainsaw that occurred on that very same mission. I still am a firm believer that I am bad luck. How can I not considering that every time someone has tried to help me with a problem, it goes horribly wrong and spirals out of control, resulting in our efforts crashing and burning?

The sounds of the digger are loud, and I know those sounds will attract every zom around soon enough. With Tom's fragile mental state and the zombies that are inevitably being drawn closer to us, we only have one shot at this. If we fail, then there's a fairly large chance Tom won't be the only fatality.

Through my headset, I can hear the zombies clawing and pulling at the grill. Tom's softly muttering to himself, but the words are inaudible. I don't think it would matter if we could hear what he was saying or not. He's convinced he's not getting out of this alive. The only thing that's kept him from pulling the pin on that grenade is Jody, but I doubt even she will be able to stop him once he truly loses it.

We reach the back of the newsagent's, and I run along to the road to grab some of the chains that were used for the roadwork. I huff as I pull them back towards the others, the weight putting extra strain on my already tiring muscles. Milo has pulled the digger up, eyes wide and glassy as he awaits our signal.

Maxine grabs one end of the chain, letting out a grunt of surprise at its weight, but still she drags it to the back of the digger while I head to the newsagent's wall. I connect the chain to the wall as fast as I can, my heart racing at Tom's muttering and murmuring. I step back and watch as Maxine connects her end to the digger, and gives Milo a thumbs up as she steps back.

Milo pulls the digger forward, and there are loud cracks and groans of metal, and suddenly the wall comes off in one swift go, just like Sam said. Tom stands, blue eyes frantic while he gets into a defensive stance. The zombies still claw at the grill.

"And it's down!" Sam cheers.

Tom looks at us with wonder, as if the three of us and that digger are the most beautiful things he's ever seen. "You. You came for me?"

"Leave no man behind," Maxine says with a smile.

"Jody?"

"I'm here, babe."

"Yeah, and those V-types are nice and safe behind that grating," Sam adds, and it's now that I recognize the armor they're wearing, and how, even though they have decayed quite a bit, they still look less decayed than the zoms we normally see.

"For now," I add. "I still think we should get out of here before they find a way out."

"And you're got a rendezvous to get to. Can't forget why you came out here in the first place." Sam's voice is hopeful, and a small smile pulls at my lips. "So get moving. Don't want to be late."

"Can I drive the digger to the manor house?" Milo asks excitedly.

"I don't think the people there would appreciate the noise, or any zombies the noise brings," Maxine says, and while Milo pouts, he still hops down from the digger.

I look at Tom, who's shakily walked over to us. "Ready?"

He nods, his eyes starting to focus just a bit more. And we head off, leaving the digger and the V-types behind. Our pace is quick, mostly because I want us to be as far away from those V-Types when they get out, because they will get out. I remember those caves. I remember those zombies. They are relentless. I don't know how they managed to get out of the caves after they collapsed on themselves, but those caves had a lot of hidden passages so maybe some of the zoms managed to crawl out through one of them before it completely collapsed. I'm not sure, and it's not as if we can go take a look.

If they stay trapped in there for a few days-hell, even a few hours, then Abel can send someone there to disintegrate them using gasoline at Abel.

Right now we have to get to the Manor House Center. We're already late, and that alone might make these people less inclined to see us, but we still have to try.

I have to try.

We run in silence for a few minutes, Sam only speaking to tell us to change directions. I feel a ray of hope well within me as it finally settles in that this could actually be it. I can actually be cured. I am a bit upset about getting rid of Moonchild. It's a bittersweet moment, but the chance to have my own mind back is too amazing to think about what I'll be losing in the process. I will still have to worry about the visions, and the Original, but now that can be all I have to worry about.

Well, besides the obvious things like zombies and Sigrid and everything else.

It's a start. Or it will be if they still decide to see us even though we're late. The consoles we got for them aren't damaged, so I suppose we could use that if they try to deny seeing us. They seemed to want them pretty badly.

"That's your target up ahead, the manor house at the top of that gravel drive," Sam says, and a wave of nervousness washes over me. "Veronica should already be there. She headed off once we knew you'd got hold of the equipment they wanted."

"Great," I say shakily.

"Everything's going to be fine," Sam says as if reading my mind. "I didn't tell them you had Moonchild Syndrome. I just said that we had a few people in Abel suffering from it, which, you know, isn't really a lie."

"Thanks. At least now I know they won't try to experiment on me on the spot." That was intended to be a joke, but it doesn't really come off that way, unfortunately.  I hastily change the subject. "Is there a house under all that ivy, or is it just a solid cube of ivy?"

"I can see light shining through," Tom says. "Probably windows."

"Or maybe a portal to a hell dimension," Sam giggles. "Is it possible this rehab center's being run by Zuul?

"Or Pinhead?"

He gasps. "A joke! That was a joke! It was a joke, right?"

Jody laughs. "Yes, Sam. Tom wasn't actually suggestin' this place is bein' run by demons."

"No, no, I know. It's just-well, jokes are a good sign."

"I'm fine now, Sam. I'm sorry I worried you all." Tom sends each of us an apologetic look.

"But you held it together, babe, even when it got really bad," Jody praises, and that gets a small smile out of him.

"I suppose I did, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I'm dead proud of you!"

"Hey!" A new voice calls out, and as we reach the manor I see someone standing near the entrance. He's only looks a few years older than me, and he's about my height. He waves as he starts to approach us.

"Well, looks like you've already got company," Sam says.

"Are you the Abel dudes?" The stranger asks once he reaches us, his brown eyes slowly scanning each of our faces.

"Yeah, we're the uh, the dudes," Maxine answers.

"Cool. Cool. The boss can't wait to see you. He's like, busy, so he couldn't come out himself, but he said to take you to him straight away, and he never does anything straight away, so it must be important."

Maxine raises a brow at him. "Uh, good."

"Come on, follow me." He opens the door and beckons everyone in. "And like, run!"

•

"Wow, that place is posh," Sam says in awe. "Some of those vases must be worth a fortune."

"They're pretty, and so are the rugs." I laugh when I see a painting on the wall. "Can't say the same for these paintings. I think this one's a crayon drawing of Bruce Lee."

Our unnamed guide gives me a soft, almost sympathetic smile. "Talking to the voices? Cool. Cool."

I tense. "No, I-I wasn't. I was talking to my operator on the-"

"The boss says it's like, healthy to talk to the voices. Or not. You can ignore the voices. Whatever you like. Like, he's all copacetic."

I blink. Ignore the voices? How can they do that? Anytime I try to ignore Moonchild she just gets louder and louder until I have to acknowledge her.

"Your boss sounds like a very relaxed person," Tom says in interest.

"Oh, he is. He's like, the most relaxed. He's just through here." Our guide opens a thick wooden door, and in the room stands a man facing away from us. "Hey, boss. Your friends are here."

The man turns around, and I gasp, my brain short circuiting when he smiles at us.

"Hey, guys!"

My eyes shift to Milo, who's gone from shocked to livid in two seconds.

"Is that-" Sam starts.

"Kytan?" Maxine gasps, and I feel my own face heating up with rage.

Kytan's smile broadens. "I'm so glad you all could come."

A/N: Here you go, guys! I hope you all enjoyed! Please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day!