His legs burned, but that didn't stop his mad run. He had awoken to find himself alone in the bed of an 18-wheeler. Years of little-to-no movement had taken its toll on him, diminishing his muscle power to nothing.
"Where is friend?" The Screamer rambled on. He ran down the quiet streets, looking for the one he called "Friend". His feet were cut up from broken glass and rocks, but he kept going. Going down a set of stone steps, Darius found himself in a dark room. The sound of crying put him on edge, knowing that sound all too well from the asylum. He began looking around for the source and found a small girl. She looked to be around his age, but he couldn't tell for sure. The thin girl sat on the cold floor, crying her heart out. Her clothes were in tatters and her skin was an unnaturally pale gray.
"...Why...?" She whimpered between sobs. Darius sat behind her, a sad look on his face.
"Did Darius do something wrong?" He asked morosely, not knowing why she was crying.
"...?" She gasped as she looked at him, surprised by his presence. The Witch looked dead at him, her vermillion eye glowing. He could see that she had heterochromia, one red eye and one blue. She started growling when he didn't move. The Screamer didn't realize the danger he was in as she rose to her feet.
"Will gray girl be Darius' friend?" Darius asked as he put his slender finger up to his torn lips. The gray girl let out a terrifying scream as she started running towards Darius, her gruesome claws out to her sides. Seeing that she wasn't going to glomp him, the Screamer started hastily for the door. Running back up the stairs and onto the street, he could hear the Witch close behind him. "Leave Darius alone, please!" He called over his shoulder, hoping that she would stop chasing him. His frantic running prevented him from noticing the rumbling around him. The Witch was hot on his heels, ready to tear him to pieces. Darius nearly choked when something snatched the back of his coat and pulled him back. He started screaming hysterically as he expected her to shred him. Darius quickly covered his face with his hands and curled up into a little ball in terror as he felt himself slam onto something metal. The Witch then started screaming horribly, confusing the boy. He peeked through his fingers to find himself on a fire escape platform, high off the ground. The gray girl had run away, leaving the Screamer alive. He looked down through the grates to see Zach below him. Darius was shaking uncontrollably, unable to shake the fear away. The Tank sighed heavily as he looked out on the street. Reaching through the metal bars, the Screamer's thin fingertips just barely touched Zach's skin. Not even looking away from where the Witch had disappeared to, Zach reached up and took the Screamer down from the metal platform. When he was back on the ground, Darius saw 4 large gashes in the Tank's arm, bleeding grievously.
"Does hurt?" He asked quietly, truly concerned for his friend. Zach looked at his arm absently and sighed deeply. Without looking at Darius, the Tank turned and walked away. He limped slightly due to his undoubtedly painful wounds. Tears had welled up in the Screamer's eyes as he ran after his only friend. "Please don't leave Darius! Please!" He sobbed. Zach stopped and turned to see Darius standing there, crying pitifully. He used the long sleeves of his straitjacket to wipe his face. "Don't leave Darius..." He hiccuped childishly. His azure hair hung down and covered his tear-stricken face. "Darius never had a friend before. Please... Don't leave Darius..." He pleaded sorrowfully. The Screamer was clearly miserable, but he was sincere. "Darius will never do that again." He promised childishly. Zach only stood there, blankly watching the Screamer. Darius took small, staggering steps toward the Tank. After a few moments of agonizing stillness, Zach reached out and pulled Darius to him. He touched the small boy's face and felt the relentless stream of tears. Darius weakly put his sleeve-covered hands on the Tank's massive chest. "Don't leave Darius alone..." The Screamer said shakily. Running his large fingers through the boy's hair, Zach rumbled as he sighed, finding himself uncapable of even considering leaving Darius.