CHAPTER THREE: 25 HOURS 02 MINUTES

Astrid used to believe there was a malevolent being in charge of the universe. She used to believe that said being had appointed 12 men to write a book based on his teachings. She used to believe a lot of things but now she just believed one.

She believed that the Gaiaphage had to die.

She was afraid of Drake. She replaced that fear with hatred. Deep, seething hatred that filled her soul with every step. The plan was simple. They were going to rush them. The Gaiaphage had to die.

They were going from all sides.

Sam, Dekka and Edilio from the north, Caine, herself and Roger from the south, Jack from the west and Brianna from the east. It was reckless and stupid but it was better than their previous plan of doing nothing.

The old Astrid would've preferred to think more before rushing off into something crazy but that Astrid died with Little Pete. Whatever he was now was beyond conception. He had risen to another plane of existence and wasn't ever coming back.

They tried to walk in silence but Roger wouldn't stop talking, most likely out of nerves. "Oh god, this is so exciting! But really scary. And can you see all those people over there? Think this'll be on YouTube? What do you think baby?"

"Shush," Astrid said sharply. "We don't wanna give ourselves away do we?"

"Oh you're right," Roger was quiet for about 2 seconds before he started up again. "You think my parents are out there?"

"I think I'm going to smash your little head into the sand if you don't stop talking," Caine just spoke once. He only had to speak once. Roger didn't dare say another word. Astrid secretly thanked him.

She saw the first sights of Hermit Jim's shack and drew her gun. They just had to wait for the signal. She could feel a huge presence of power welling up in her soul, like it was ready to get out.

Then she heard something.

A whistle so faint it almost sounded like the wind.

Go time.

Caine charged out in front, he literally threw himself in the air to get a better aim and then, held out his hands and pulled them to his sides. The house fell inward as the roof exploded. Bits of wood and nails began to float aimlessly in the air as Dekka canceled the gravity. Caine grunted and then used his powers again. The house was stripped from the ground and spun in the air briefly reminding her of The Wizard of Oz.

Two beams of green light hit the house full blast; the wood began to burn slightly. "Now!" he screamed. Dekka and Caine both stopped using their powers. The house smacked the sand so violently Astrid was thrown a foot in the air. Edilio, Sam and Brianna then came closer and started firing randomly through the windows, stopping and then letting Caine slam the shack into the ground.

He slammed it into the ground several times before Sam burned the place to ashes.

"We did it!" Roger cheered.

"No," Sam wiped the sweat from his brow. "They're gone. They're long gone."

"Got that right," Caine kicked at the wood in anger. "Failure. And what's better? We don't know where they are. Gotta love that combo."

"Where do you think they're heading?"

"I don't know," Sam held his head. Astrid took his hand.

"It's alright."

"No it's not," he snapped.

"I know," Astrid said trying to stay calm. "I was trying to keep you cool but it's clear that's failing."

"Like this mission-"

"Caine shut up!" Sam shouted. Caine held out his palm, Sam held out his. Both boys were just an inch away from each other.

"You only get one shot, brother," Caine said the last word with a smile. Sam threw his hands up and cursed deeply.

"We're going back to Clifftop," he turned and left. Not as many followed as before. "Guys?"

"When you have a plan get me ok?" Brianna turned her head. "I…just wanna go see my parents again. Ok?" Then she sped away. Astrid knew it was a lie. Everyone did.

She wanted to go find Drake.

For whatever reason she was obsessed with him and he was obsessed with her and both were trapped in a weird cycle of hatred. It was almost symbiotic on some level. Astrid stared out in the distance to the crowd perpetually surrounding them. People taking photos and such, she wondered if they were ready to see how much they'd change.

How violent and deranged their children had turned into without supervision. For some sick reason she wanted to find Mr. and Mrs. Sperry and show them the burns Edilio had acquired or show Mr. Merwin the scars Astrid had. Maybe they were more emotional than physical but they were there all the same.

They were broken.

Broken pieces of a puzzle that had formed into a mismatched picture of insanity and something else, something more even? She stared into Sam's strong eyes and kissed him on the cheek. She rested her head on his chest and felt his soft heart beat match hers. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too."

"Dahra?"

"Oh, hey."

"Hey," Virtue came and took a spot on the filthy dust covered sofa beside her. "How are the patients?"

"Six more W.F.L.'s."

"W.F.L.s?"

"Waiting for Lana," Dahra said with a hollow laugh that felt creepy but Virtue didn't laugh at her, he just pressed his hand on her shoulder. "How long?"

"Soon ok?" he said resting his big head on her shoulder. How he managed to stay so big Dahra never knew, he ate less than she did. Part of her liked him being that way, he reminded her of a teddy bear. Her teddy bear. "I just…have this vibe, it's like…like…"

"A burp?"

"Hilarious," Virtue returned in his normal deadpan way. "It's like something big is coming."

"Good or bad?" Dahra learned that when Virtue had a vibe the best chance she had was to figure out which way it was going.

"I don't know," he shook his head "not sure. It can go either way. All I know is that things are gonna change."

"That's super," Dahra rubbed her sleep deprived eyes. There were so many days when she just wanted to throw in the towel, lay down and die. She had almost taken the poof. She almost had just given up like Mary. Just lie down and accept fate but Virtue was there and he said three words that made her reconsider.

He didn't say "I love you."

He said "We'll miss you." Virtue rarely cried and this was the only time he ever had in front of her. That single tear kept her there for another day. Dahra just wanted to spend forever in his big arms.

Then she heard an ungodly scream from the other room.

"Calm down now," Drake laughed flashing every tooth like a hyena. "It's only gonna hurt forever," he held the girl's body up high, it had to be Alpha Wong, the weird named girl. Using his whip he slammed her head on the concrete repeatedly until he saw blood, he dropped her and then moved to the other sick kids.

They were so weak.

So easy…

Too easy.

Drake jammed one of his thumbs in his eye. There. Now it was KIND OF a challenge. He moved to the next body, he wrapped his whip around the little boy's windpipe and pulled him in close. "Oh John! If it isn't the Gentle Ginger. How's the sister Mary?" John tried to speak but his face was a dark shade of blue. "Nothing to say?" Drake slammed him against the wall opposite to him "sad. Oh Dahra? Where are you? Lana? You here?" he threw back his head laughing until his throat was raw.

He had broken his record. Nine kills in ten seconds. Jonesie, Blake, Sinder, Charlie, Jezzie, Ashton, Derek, Alpha and John. He heard a crash in the distance and went running. He broke down the door to the next room running so fast. Covered in splinters and iron he managed to look up to see glass pooling at the floor, a broken window and a big person trying to squeeze through.

He wrapped his whiphand around Virtue's meaty ankle.

The Gaiaphage would love this.

"VIRTUE!" Dahra pulled and pulled, tears were streaming down her face. "No!"

"Leave me," he said trying to push her away "get Sam! Get Dekka! Get someone!"

"VIRTUE NO!" Dahra pulled him harder, she pulled until the skin broke and blood trickled down her wrists but she didn't care. Virtue couldn't die. He wouldn't die. Not on her watch. "Virtue no!"

"Dahra-"

"I LOVE YOU!" she screamed. "You're NOT dying!" the soles of her shoes were tearing on the ground. Her muscles tensed up.

"I love you too," Virtue said shedding not a tear "and that's why you have to let me go."

"Virtue-"

"I'm sorry," he said and then he punched her in the face.