Warning - Character death


.~*Chapter One*~.

Méngméng glanced over at Jade as she got into the Charger. "Sorry for stealing your keys, Jade, but you were taking too long. We wanted to get in and get settled." She glanced back at her son and someday daughter-in-law, who smiled back at her.

Jade didn't answer at first, preoccupied with her thoughts. Everyone had acted like nothing was wrong. "Huh? What'd you say?" She turned to her and started the engine after a few minutes, having watched the others leave.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I guess. I just... I just have a bad feeling." She shook her head. "You have that walkie-talkie we paired with the boys?"

"Yeah, I do." She held it out, a confused look on her face.

"Keep in communication with them for me, all right?"

Méngméng frowned, but nodded. She stayed fairly silent as they pulled out of the parking lot and paid their parking fee, and only then she did she begin to speak, having been listening to a soft conversation between her son and his fiancé in the back seat. "Hey, Jade? I... I'm leaving."

Jade frowned, flicking an ear. "Why?"

"Alec. Among other things."

Jade looked at her quickly before returning her eyes to the road, keeping herself a safe distance behind Tennessee and Trixie's convertible. "Why? He clearly loves you. I've never seen him so happy."

"He doesn't want to marry me, Jade. He made that clear the other night when I asked about it."

"Oh, bull. He loves you, Mysty. Don't run away from him."

"I'm not running from him, but I'm not going to wait around for him forever, either. I love him to death, and nothing will change that, but I can't settle for just being his girlfriend for the rest of my life."

"Aren't you two mates again, though?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter. If we don't ever get married, it feels more like friends with benefits." Her ears lowered.

"What's wrong with that?"

"You know what's wrong with that. Plus, I won't be able to bear his cubs. I'm damaged." She placed a paw on her belly, staying quiet about it's swollen status. "And... I have to go back to China."

"Why?"

"I'm going to be Empress, Jade. I have learned while I was there getting Fēnglì that the people have voted for the monarchy to be reinstated, similar to the way England's monarchy still reigns. They are tired of being a military state. I have to go."

"No, you don't. Fēnglì can take over." She glanced in the rearview at the tall, striped, silver panda, who conveniently started looking out the window. "You've had training, haven't you?"

Fēnglì gave a small nod, but otherwise stayed out of the conversation.

"Jade, he's not ready for full leadership. And until Alec and I marry, he's ineligible. I've studied and trained and was raised into that life. It is my duty and honor. Don't misunderstand me; I want Alec to be there with me, but I don't think he'd like leaving his family here and moving to Běijīng with me. It just wouldn't be fair to him. Plus, he has business in Scotland now, since he is Chief Seillean. We're both going to be busy."

"Mysty, don't go. Your life isn't there anymore. It's here. Don't run away from your problems here. From those you love." Jade looked at her with a meaningful expression.

Her gaze lowered again. "Then what do I do? I love my country, too. There is so much I can do for them! So many plans I have. And my term would only be for a few years, and by that point, Fēnglì could take over... If I can get his father to marry me. Besides, Alec supports me. He's told me such things several times over the summer when I started mentioning this to him."

"Listen to your heart, Mysty. Do what you think is best, but be ready for the consequences." Jade then fell silent until about fifteen minutes had passed and the walkie-talkie crackled to life.

"Bear Bus to Dragon Dodgers. Come in, Dragon Dodgers," a voice rang out.

"Aw, Ted, I wanted to say that!" came Zeb's clear voice.

Méngméng burst into laughter. "That's our boys. Always arguing."

Jade shook her head. "Go ahead and answer them."

The she-panda nodded and pressed the button on the side. "This is, uh, Dragon Dodgers. What's up with the call signs?"

"Uh, just testing how they worked. How's things in there? Does Jade miss her Teddy... er, her big strong bear?" Ted asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just us girls talking about girly things. You probably wouldn't like it too much."

"Depends on what you mean. However, if it's anything about a new fruit diet, leave me out of it," Ted groaned.

"Nah, just bodily things," she lied, laughing as she lifted her finger off the switch, muting her microphone. "I'm so mean."

Jade raised an eyebrow while Fēnglì and Rādhikā snorted with amusement.

"Ugh! Here, Zeb, take it." There was a scrabbling sound, and then Zeb's voice rang out. "Chicken."

Méngméng burst out with loud laughter, finding them ridiculous. "Oh, I'm such a tease, no?" she asked, speaking once more into the radio.

"Ted, you are such a teddy bear. Ow! Hey, come on! No hitting!" Zeb complained. "Tease? You? Never. Mischievous and evil? Yes."

"Of course. Whoa! Geez!" she growled as a semi sped past them, going way too fast down the interstate. "Stupid truckers that don't care about anyone but themselves."

"You guys okay?"

Jade hadn't even needed to swerve, having perfect control of her vehicle.

"We're fine, Alec. Chill. Didn't even come close."

"Well, he came fairly close to us. Can you see me?"

Méngméng glanced out the window and laughed when she saw him waving out the back window. "You dork." She glanced in the rearview mirror, spotting a sleek, navy blue SUV coming up fast, she groaned and rolled her eyes. "Are all the crazy drivers out today?"

Jade frowned, glancing in the mirror as well, the queasy feeling in her stomach intensifying.

"What do you mean? Don't tell me there's another."

"SUV. They had been trailing, so why did they just speed up?"

"This is ridiculous. I'm slowing down to get that asshole to slow down. They're going to get somebody killed driving like that." Jade slowed her vehicle.

The driver of the SUV seemed to ignore her as he weaved around her, speeding up as he passed them, flipping them off.

Méngméng growled and spat a curse in his direction. "Stupid driver." She glanced back at her son, who looked startled. "You get used to seeing stupid drivers on the road here."

"It is odd. I thought Chinese drivers were bad. Who would have thought American drivers were the same?" Fēnglì questioned, glancing over at Rādhikā, who nodded in agreement.

"Indian drivers are also insane, but when we see a cow, we stop as they are sacred to the Hindu culture," she stated.

"I'm beginning to hate this state," Jade growled. "All the stupid drivers. Then again, stupid drivers everywhere."

The driver of the SUV pulled up alongside the Barrington van. Méngméng focused on it, confused. It was driving on the side of the road as they came to a curve. Knowing how odd that was, she opened her mouth to speak into the radio when she saw it.

Even on the loud road, the sound of the gun blast echoed through the air.

Within seconds, the SUV was slamming into the side of the van, which was just barely in front of the once-speeding semi, causing the semi to slam into it with a mighty crash.

The SUV vanished down the road as the red van went rolling down the road.

The bus began skidding along the road, but since they were going into a curve at such a high speed, it appeared that Roadie wasn't able to maintain control. The bus swerved off the side of the road and down into a ditch, landing on its top. Tennessee and Trixie's convertible vanished from sight.

Jade slammed on her brakes, skidding to a halt. "WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Méngméng had immediately relaxed her muscles, knowing that having them tense would cause further injury. Her eyes were wide and her claws were sunk into the dashboard and her fur puffed up. She looked at Jade, at a complete loss at what to say.

Suddenly, both Jade and Méngméng were jolted forwards as another car slammed into the rear of the charger. Fēnglì and Rādhikā let out shouts of pain, while Jade's nose bounced off the steering wheel and the airbags went off.

Jade turned around as soon as she was able, her ears ringing and nose bleeding. A couple of her teeth felt loose, but otherwise she seemed fine. "Are you guys all right?!"

"My legs! I'm pinned!" Fēnglì cried out, trying to free himself.

Rādhikā was in much the same way, and she was bleeding from where some broken glass that had sliced her ear.

"Frickin hell. Hold on." Jade tried moving the seat forward, and when that failed, tried opening the door, breathing a sigh of relief when it opened. "Hold on! Méngméng, can you get out?"

"I can. The back doors are done for, though. They might be able to get out the front if we get these seats out."

"Good thing we're bears then, huh?" Jade flexed her arms, dug into her seat, and started pulling, trying to relieve the pressure on Fēnglì's legs.

At that point, other vehicles that had pulled over rushed in to help, a couple taking the doors off Jade's car, and the others working to get the two bears out of the back seat. By the time rescue personnel arrived, Fēnglì and Rādhikā had their legs free and the rescue personnel were able to get them the rest of the way out of the vehicle and treated for their injuries.

Jade refused to be checked out, though her nose was still bleeding, and went walking. She had to find out about the others!

Mengmeng let out a long string of curses in Chinese and looked back at the totaled car, reached in and grabbed her medical bag, and then took off after Jade.

"You shouldn't be doing anything, Mysty. Go be with Fēnglì."

"I am a nurse. I can help! If you stay silent, I can get you in, too." She went to a firefighter, gave her name, and showed him her identification card, and he let her through. She then managed to get him to let Jade in, saying that she'd already been checked over. After a few minutes of bickering, Jade was allowed in, too.

As soon as they got past the firemen and reached the ditch, Méngméng froze. "Jade..."

Jade frowned and walked over to her. "What's up... Holy... Oh, no... No, no, no!" Jade started running. She stumbled and fell to her knees, but she had to get down the slope, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.

Underneath the overturned bus was the O'Neal convertible.

She rushed past the bus, at that point not even caring about Ted's safety, and hurried up the smaller half of the slope, looking around. Finally, she found what she'd been searching for, a lump of golden fur among the dead fields. Further down the way was another brown lump. "Trixie!" she yelled, getting down on all fours and running until she reached her. "Please be alive, please be alive!"

Trixie was a mess, her dress torn, her hip obviously dislocated and her legs broken. A long wooden stake, probably from the fence, skewered her through the torso. Her head was bloody, and her ears torn but still attached.

"T-Trixie?" Jade knelt down and felt for a pulse, letting out a cry of relief when she found one. "MÉNGMÉNG! I FOUND TRIXIE AND TENNESSEE!" she shouted, seeing the she-bear coming running.

Méngméng did a 180 and went back to get help.

"'ak... 'ak..." Trixie whispered, and Jade noticed that the she-bear's jaw was broken, hanging at an awkward angle.

"I'll find him, Trix. I'll find him. You're going to be okay." She looked into the she-bear's terrified eyes. "I'll find him. If you survived, I'm... I'm sure..." She closed her eyes. "Just hang on, all right? Jewel and Zak need their mother."

Trixie crinkled her eyes, relaxing slightly.

Jade stayed with her until help arrived, and then she moved on, watching as Tennessee, who looked to be in better shape, was taken care of. If they had been thrown, was it possible that Zak had been, too? He couldn't have been crushed, right? She refused to acknowledge that thought.

Hearing a soft wail, her ears perked. Was it possible? Following the sound, she ventured further into the field, and finally found the car seat. Her hopes rose when she saw that it was intact, and she breathed a sigh of relief, only to fall to her knees when she went to the other side and found the cub in his seat, his body broken and a large splinter running through his chest. She knew he wasn't going to make it, though he was crying. His cries were so weak, though, and his mouth was filled with blood.

She ran a paw along his cheek, openly crying at this point. She could feel that his neck was broken, and knew that he couldn't feel anything, something that made her actually thank an almighty power. "Shh, Zak... Shh... Go to sleep," she whispered, crouching down and lying beside him. She had no idea how he was even still alive at this point, but knew it was only a matter of minutes before he passed on, too soon for help to arrive.

A black figure, dressed in a leathery loincloth, naked from the torso up, with leather bands on his biceps with feathers falling from them, and hair done up in a few beaded strands, walked towards her, a walking stick decorated in leather cords, feathers, and a few carvings holding him upright.

Jade wanted to shout at him, yell at him to go away and to put on some clothes. Yet, when he knelt on the other side of Zak and put a paw on his cheek, she could see the tears that flowed from his eyes.

"Little one, your time has come far too soon. You were meant to have a long, beautiful life, but your body will not last much longer. I'm here to take you to a beautiful place where the flowers grow all year long, the water is crisp and clear, and you will someday see your parents again. Your life was not meaningless – you gave joy to many, little Zak O'Neal. Death leaves a heartache that no one can heal; love, however, leaves a memory that no one can steal. You've made your mark, and your body has been dealt a serious blow. It is time to come home."

The scantily clad bear leaned down and kissed his cheek and held his paw. "Lady Jae, I ask you to release him. It is time for him to go. He will suffer if he remains."

Jade nodded, tearing up as she stared into the infant's beautiful brown eyes, listening as he let out pained cries from a nasty cut to his face – most likely the only thing he could feel – as his breathing slowed. "Zak... Sleep now..." She began to softly sing a lullaby, sending him into eternal sleep as she gently brushed his cheek fur with her paw, continuing to sing long after he and the other black bear were gone, having walked away from her after the other bear had pulled his soul free from his mortal body, leaving it cold and lifeless.

"Jade? Jade!" Méngméng's voice was coming from somewhere near, and Jade finally pulled her gaze away from the vacant eyes in time to see a medical helicopter leaving from the road.

"Mysty...?" she whispered. "How... How long have you..."

"Long enough. They've just airlifted Trixie and Tennessee to the hospital. They're going straight to surgery. I..." She looked at Zak, letting out a mournful cry.

A couple of medics came over, and after finding Zak was gone, put a blanket over him and pinned it down. His body would be moved later, after pictures had been taken for evidence.

Méngméng grabbed Jade and hauled her to her feet, pulling her in for a hug, and for once, Jade allowed herself to openly cry on her friend's shoulder. The she-panda held her, gently rocking her back and forth.

When Jade's tears had slowed, Méngméng pulled away. "Jade... Jade, we need to go back. I... The bus... The Barringtons... We have to go back. We have to find out."

Jade nodded, blinking a few times. "Erik... Beary! Jewel!" Her eyes widened and she took off like a bullet, running on all fours once again. She didn't care how undignified she looked. She had to get to them! Ted could wait, as much as she hated to admit it. She sent up prayers to whoever would listen, begging that no one else had died.

Yet, when she finally caught sight of the skewered and crumpled red van, she felt her heart sink. She didn't want to go any closer, for fear all inside would be dead. "No... No more death. Please, whomever may be listening, no more death." She stood and walked a little more slowly. She could smell the blood from where she stood, and paused for a few moments before continuing on.

As she drew closer, she counted at least ten rods of various thicknesses through the windshield of the completely wrecked van from the bed of the semi. Blood coated the broken windows. She took one look in the front of the van where the firemen had abandoned, and let out a pained cry.

Allison and Norbert were dead.

She dared a look past them, and wished she hadn't. She could just barely see Beary, eyes open and vacant, blood dripping from his lips. He, too, had been skewered by the rods in the chest and torso, rods that had gone between the two front seats and hit him in the middle seat. Jewel, she couldn't find.

She fought back the tears as she looked back at Méngméng.

"Excuse me, ladies, please step back. We're going to pry the door open and get the girl out," one fireman said, gently ushering them to the side and out of the way.

Jade's heart filled with some hope as she stepped back and watched them pry the door open with the Jaws of Life. She bit back a cry when she saw how still Jewel was. The side of her head was caked with blood. Her arm was at an awkward angle, and there was a definite hitch in her breathing.

If she was that way, and Beary was already dead, what about the kids?!

Méngméng grabbed her arm, trying to steady her.

Something in the back of the van caught Jade's eye. Something shiny. She stood back, watching as the firemen cut through the bars holding Jewel in place and freed her, trying to get her to respond. Since they didn't cover her, but instead loaded her carefully onto a backboard with a neck brace and moved her away from the vehicle, Jade knew Jewel was still alive. But what Jade overheard about her being completely unresponsive was nerve wracking.

The moment they left, Jade let out a cry when she realized all of them were leaving. "Wait! There were three kids in that car! Three babies! What about them?"

The fireman looked at her in confusion. "Babies? We saw no babies!"

Jade rushed past him, and jumped into the car, her eyes widening when she saw the crystal "shield" that had formed between the back seat and the rest of the car. She slammed her fists on it, crying. "Erik! Kristina! Tempest!" What was this? Was this Beary's doing? Had he given his life to protect them? Seeing that his paw was still attached to the crystal, she choked back a cry and gently lifted it away, telling him that he did well.

Before she knew it, the shield partially gave way, and she was nearly flung forward. Fresh air and what looked like smoke, but didn't smell like smoke, wafted from the openings in the crystal, and she continued to pound, feeling her paws heating up. Slowly, she placed her paws on the shield, closing her eyes, and felt her pads heat up to incredibly hot temperatures. She opened her eyes and watched as the shield melted away, revealing three perfectly whole car seats and three distinct wails.

She was pulled out of the van and the firemen rushed in, unhooking the car seats and passing them out.

Jade started crying all over again when she saw that none of the infants were harmed. That they were all safe and alive. She glanced at Méngméng, who was also shedding tears.

"Four... Four survivors out of seven. How... How are we going to tell the others..." The panda looked back at the van.

Jade placed a paw on her shoulder. "I'll tell them. I... It's my job now. I wanted to be the alpha female, and now I wish I wasn't." She closed her eyes as she thought back to Helen's words of warning. She had known! She had known that this would happen! If only she had heeded her words! Or had Helen not known? She had said there was danger. Did she know what that danger was?

"Ow..."

Jade blinked, flicking her eyes in the panda's direction again. "What's wrong? What did you do to your arm?!" She looked at the bleeding arm in shock. Sure, there was a bandage, but it had already been bled through.

Méngméng pulled back and shifted her sleeve down. "It's fine. I just cut it while I was helping get my son and Rādhikā out. I'll change the bandages later."

"Méngméng..."

"It's fine, Jade!" the she-panda snapped. "My little injury is nothing to worry about. Now that we know that they're okay, and that Jewel's going to be taken to the hospital, let's go to the bus. It's... It's better than staring at this mess."

Jade took one last look at the kids and finally nodded in agreement. She had to know if Ted was alive or not.

By the time they got to the bus, rescue works were already underway. Jade paused for a moment, looking at the horribly scraped side of the bus, the painting of the band completely gone. One half of the bus was already crushed. Could it be that only a little bit ago they were laughing about not getting a new bus until the old one was totaled? She cringed at the thought now.

Who was hurt? Were any dead? She wasn't sure if she wanted to know at that moment, but she ventured closer, making sure to stay out of the way.

She listened to the metal being cut, and closed her eyes, trying to block out the sounds. Was anyone in the bus even alive? Was Ted? Even if they survived, would they ever be the same?

She already knew the answer was no.

"Jade. Jade! You're drifting again."

Jade blinked, glancing up. When had the sun started to set?! "Méngméng?" She blinked a few times when a bright light suddenly appeared in her vision. "Will you cut that out?"

"Jade, I think you might have a concussion. You're drifting in and out of awareness. Plus, you just called me Méngméng instead of Mysty." Méngméng flicked the light away again. "I think you should see one of the medics, too."

"Not until I know the others are all right, Mysty. I'm the female alpha now. I'm in charge, and I must keep my clan safe."

"You couldn't have prevented this if you had tried, Jade," Méngméng sighed, putting the light pen away.

"Actually, Mysty, I... I could have. Helen... Helen warned me. She told me that there was danger if we went to the airport. She... She tried to warn me, and I wouldn't listen."

Méngméng took a step back, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You knew... She warned you, and you... Goddamn it, Jade! All of this could have been prevented if you weren't so busy hating on her! Do you not see what you've done by being so close-minded?!" she snarled, bracing her paws to hit her.

"Do you think I don't know that?! Do you think I wanted this to happen?!"

"You had the chance to warn everyone! Now four of us are dead, and you put my mate and son in danger! Do you have any idea what the others are going to say if they find out?!"

"I know damn well what they're going to say when they-" Jade paused, blinking. "Wait, did you say 'if'? You're not going to tell them?"

"No. I may be furious with you, but I'm not going to rat you out. You're the alpha female. It's your job to come clean with them, not for me to tell them the truth. I won't say a word. That being said, don't think I'm going to forgive you so easily. And before you say anything, I know Helen should have told someone else, but instead she told you. I'm going to blame her just as much as you."

"I figured as much." Jade shook her head, sighing. "Hit me later if you want. I don't care."

"Maybe I will. Right now, though, our boys are still trapped. They are trying to cut a hole big enough for Fred. I hear that out of them all, he's in the best shape. Probably all that fat." She didn't say it to be mean, though. She just hoped that the others were not as badly hurt as she had feared. "Let's sit here and wait."

Jade nodded, taking a seat on the slope, finally allowing Méngméng to check on her nose and to see if she had other injuries.

"I think you just bloodied it, to be honest," she said a little while later. "You may have a slight case of whiplash, too, and your front teeth are loose, but you can have that fixed at the dentist. Other than that, I'm giving you a clean bill of health. Take it easy, though."

Jade looked up at her somberly. "Mysty... How am I going to tell them?"

"You'll find a way. You have to. Don't dwell on it now. But do not expect me to give you words of comfort. I'm still pissed. Once I know that Alec is okay, I may start to forgive you and Helen. But if he's dead, I will never, ever, talk to you again."

Jade didn't reply, instead focusing her gaze on the bus. "There's Fred." She breathed a sigh of relief when she found him up and walking. "Good ol' Fred."

"Jade!" Fred started climbing up the slope as best he could, digging his paws in deep as he came up and sat beside them, pulling them both into his arms. "You're alright!"

Jade managed a small smile as she hugged him back, sinking into the soft cushion of his belly. "I'm glad you're all right. Are the others... Are they alive?"

"They were all speaking, but I don' know 'bout injuries. I think I landed on one of 'em. Zeb, I think." He turned to Méngméng, noting the distress on her face. "I didn' mean ta!"

"I know you didn't," she whispered. "I know. He's alive, though, right?"

Fred nodded. "But he said he couldn' feel anythang."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "No... No, no, no... Please..."

The big bear held her, letting her cry. His gaze was only pulled away minutes later when he saw the convertible. "Is that... No..."

"They were thrown, Fred," Jade murmured. "They're... They're alive. Tennessee and Trixie."

He turned to look at her. "Zak?"

"He... He didn't make it." She looked away, drawing her hood over her eyes.

"O-Oh..." Fred looked down. "What about the others? Anyone else not make it?" he asked softly.

"Three."

"Who?"

"Allison, Norbert, and... and Beary." Jade pulled her legs up and hid her face in her arms, listening to him let out pained cries. Fred crying was one of the worst things she had ever heard. He was so easygoing and gentle, and never cried, so hearing him now was devastating.

Méngméng kept as straight a face as she could as she watched Henry finally being lifted out on a basket stretcher. His left arm and shoulder were wrapped up in a thick bandage. His head, too, was wrapped up, his facial fur caked with blood.

Out next, a few minutes later, came Ted, also on a stretcher, both his arms and upper body wrapped up to keep them immobilized. Méngméng overheard them say that both arms had been broken, along with a few ribs.

Normally Jade would have immediately gone over to him, making sure for herself that he was all right, but she forced herself to stay. She watched as Fred got up and went to him, and they both left in the same ambulance, Henry already gone in another.

Méngméng paced around, impatiently waiting on Zeb. What was taking so long?

Finally, the moment arrived, almost thirty minutes after Fred walked out, and she stumbled backwards, watching as he was carried out on a backboard, wearing a neck brace, and heavily bandaged. She couldn't see further injuries, but when she saw them load him into a helicopter, she knew it was bad. "Wait!" she yelled, running to catch up with them. She had to go with him!

Jade watched at Méngméng managed to get aboard, and silently thanked the powers that may be for Méngméng being a nurse.

She looked back to the bus. Where was Roadie? She glanced back over at the destroyed van, looking back away quickly when she saw that they had gotten at least Beary out at that point, laying him on the ground with a blanket covering him. More were working on getting Allison and Norbert extracted so they could all go to the coroner.

The she-bear forced herself up, and moved over to the still body that was out of the way. She knelt and lifted the blanket off of his face, letting her tears fall freely when she looked into the vacant eyes that were once so full of life and promise. He had a bright future ahead of him, after all the hell he'd gone through in the past two, and now... now it was gone.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." she whispered, leaning down and rubbing his nose. "This is all my fault..." She allowed herself to cry for a good long while before straightening back up, lifting the blanket further, and reaching into his pocket, picking out the surprisingly not broken crystal paintbrush, and placing it in his paw, lifting his paw over his chest, and resting it over his heart next to the now-cut rod that was going through his lung. "May you be welcomed on Ursaea. May you find peace on your journey, and may Helen... May Helen take care of you better than I have." She didn't believe in such things as the afterlife, but for Beary... For Beary she would. She wanted to believe that he hadn't just died. Ceased to exist.

"No one can hurt you anymore," she whispered, kissing his forehead and using her fingers to close his eyes. "I love you, kid..."

She sat there, talking softly to him, sharing memories, and just allowing herself to show her utter sorrow. She stayed as the firemen extracted Allison and Norbert's bodies, laying them beside Beary and covering them as well, which was just as well, for as soon as Jade saw the broken head that Allison sustained, she threw up.

After emptying her stomach, she crawled back over and immediately offered her apologies to them, wishing she could do more than just say sorry. She promised that Dex and Roxi would take care of Kristina. That Kristina would be raised with love. That if Dex and Roxi needed anything, she'd be there for them.

Nearly two hours had passed.

"Ma'am? We have to load them up now. They'll be taken to the city morgue," a new person said.

Jade looked up, ears lowering when she saw on his shirt that he was one of the coroners. "Take... Take care of them. They're friends."

"We will, ma'am. Please go and see the medics. You look like you've been banged up, too." He gave her a kind smile and helped her up, directing her towards help.

She glanced back only once, watching as the trio was loaded into body bags and placed in a car.

She then went in search of a ride to the hospital. She had to make sure that no one else had died. Only then could she leave. For good.

.~*Tainted Melodies*~.

Roland Morgue was a quiet, peaceful place in downtown Nashville, on the corner of 4th and Floyd Boulevard. It had a nice brick front and a rather plain sign. Right next door was the Breyer Hospital, where the surviving victims of a recent fatal car crash were residing. The hospital and Roland shared a tunnel running from the basement of the hospital to the morgue for easier transportation of bodies.

Dr. Felicity Ramsey was head coroner of Roland, and her assistant, Dr. Keith Bard, were bringing in the casualties of the recent wreck, their hearts saddened at the loss of two children.

"I hope they find rest," Dr. Bard stated as he helped lift the final body bag onto the slab in the main morgue. All four bodies were lined up in a row so they could be properly removed from the bags and stored.

"I'm sure they will, Keith. Do not be so sensitive, though. We have to be above that." Dr. Ramsey began working on the first victim, an infant of a very young age. "Poor thing. Just started at life. Flung from the car. Died at scene." She began marking on a tag as her assistant carefully lifted the cub out of the bag and over to the freezer. She then attached the tag onto one of the toes and closed the door.

They then began with the humans, removing the rods and taking photos once their clothes were cut away. A full autopsy would be done in the next week.

"Wait, look at this, doctor," Keith interrupted, looking at the head of the redhead woman. "This is not from a rod. I've never seen an accident do this. It looks like a gunshot."

"Hm?" Felicity moved closer to him, taking a careful look. "That does looks like a bullet wound," she stated, looking at the hole in the forehead. She carefully turned the head, frowning at the rigor mortis that was setting in. "The back of her head is blown off. Brain mush... This is not from a car crash. Make a note. I think perhaps we are looking at homicide. Perhaps this entire crash happened to cover it up."

"That's what I was thinking. We'll have to ask the police covering the crash," Keith stated, jotting down notes.

"Let's get her put away. Tomorrow we'll take a further look, when her body is easier to move."

Finally, they moved over the last bag, unzipping it and finding the body staring at them.

"It's unsettling seeing them staring as we open the bag," Keith muttered. "It's like they're still alive."

"Is this the healers?"

"No, why would this be the healers?" Felicity asked, looking at her assistant. "Wait, healers?"

"I didn't say that!" Keith responded, looking confused.

"I did. I think I should be near the healers. I'm in a lot of pain."

Slowly, both doctor's looked down at the white-faced bear cub in confusion. His eyes seemed to be staring at them. His chest rose and fell, and he blinked a few times, eyes flashing many colors.

"Please?" the corpse asked. "I really don't want this body to die."

The coroners screamed.