AN: SO, SO, SOOOO, sorry! I don't know what happened. I kind of gave up, and life got in a big mess and my laptop broke. And yeah -.- But I was saved! I wondered into the bookshop yesterday, just to get out of the cold too be honest. And what did I see? Plague, that's what. It is amazing. Seriously, get it. I read it all in one day :') anyway, I hope you're all still reading! Love you all xo


'Like violence, you have me, forever and after,
Like violence, you kill me, forever and after,

Can't count all the eyes that stare,
Can't count all the things they see,
She kills with no life to spare,
Just victims are left to bleed.'

-Violence, Blink 182


Crouched beside Josh, Beth heard them before he did. She could smell them. The sweat on their bodies, the stench of fear that rolled off of one of them in waves. But there was one that stood out, a strong smell of gunpowder and…death. Beth shuddered and Josh glanced at her with an almost pleading expression. He didn't want to be here, he was only ten, but The FAYZ had aged them all far beyond their years. And Beth? She was used to it – used to the violence and the screams, even from before the FAYZ had begun.

And then she saw them. They rounded the corner with the air of kings. Drake and Caine, two of the most feared and powerful people in the FAYZ. Josh whimpered in terror but Beth reached into the darkness and found his hand, clutching it tightly. Her heart hammered so hard against her chest it was a wonder it didn't jump right out. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins and she tensed her muscles, preparing herself for what was to come.

'Tell them to stop.' She whispered.

Josh looked at her with wide eyes. 'W-what?'

'Do it.'

'Stop! Don't come any closer!' Josh shouted, surprising himself when his voice didn't betray his fear.

They didn't stop though. A smile crossed Caine's face and he kept walking, Drake striding up behind him. Patting Josh reassuringly on the shoulder, Beth crept away from him and slipped out of the doorway, laying her body flat against the shadows on the wall. No one seemed to have noticed her and she moved closer to the pair. Josh, realising what she was doing, continued to try and stall them, although his voice swiftly became more and more shaky. Drake raised his gun, Josh fired, and a wolf leapt. It soared over Caine, who had promptly dropped to the floor at the first shot, and flew into Drake, sending him crashing to the ground. Her sharp teeth found his good arm and without hesitation she sunk her jaws into the flesh. Drake howled in pain and raised his whip arm, slamming it into the side of her head. Beth was ripped from him and slid across the rough tarmac. She scrambled to her paws but the snake like arm had already slid around her neck and she was lifted off of the ground as he slowly sucked the life from her. They were both unaware that all eyes were on them, both too caught up in their own power battle.

'Change back.' Drake snarled, venom to his voice that Beth had never heard before.

She obeyed immediately and found herself being dragged forwards until his face was inches from her own. She whined and struggled against him but the constriction just tightened until she eventually subdued.

'Stop pretending you're one of them. I told you,' he whispered, his lips brushing her ear, 'you can't survive without me. Stop fighting it, because in the end – I always win.' He gave a short laugh, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine. 'I know, and you know, that this isn't what you want – it's not what you were made to do. Just let yourself go.'

'I wasn't made for this.' Beth spat back, choking on his hold.

He smiled. A cold, knowing smile. 'I went to the facility, Beth,' he whispered, 'wasn't hard to find. I read your file, and I know, I know what you were made for.' Beth's blood ran cold and the fight seemed to drain out of her. 'Do you want to tell them or should I? Tell them, Beth, tell them what you did in those two weeks. Tell Astrid and Sam, I'm sure they'll still find it in their hearts to house a cold blooded killer like yourself.'

'I-I didn't know-,' Beth whispered. 'They said-,'

'They said they were bad people.' Drake grinned like a shark and nodded. 'But they weren't were they? One was a child – five years old. Another, an old man; and then a family, a couple on their honeymoon-,'

Beth hung her head, tears sliding down her cheeks. 'Please, stop.'

Gently, he took her chin in his hand, and lifted her head up so her eyes met his. His gaze was surprisingly soft and he brushed away a tear with his thumb. 'I won't leave you, not like the others, I know what's good for you. You can trust me, Beth. Without me you wouldn't be crying these tears, you wouldn't know how to feel. I'm not going to leave you.'

These words were spoken quietly, as if she was a child that needed to be reassured of it's own existence. And in a way, she was. She was an animal, a wolf, and a wolf needed a pack, a leader. As the apparent dominant, Drake appeared as the alpha and so she nodded, tears twitching furiously. He clicked the safety off of his gun and turned, grinning at Caine. The older boy smirked and moved forwards. Behind him, Diana and Jack lingered, and Diana watched with a frown as Drake and Beth strode past. There was a new step to the girl, and she walked with a determined face and a strong stride. As Beth passed her, the two girls locked eyes and Diana rose one eyebrow in a bored manner as if to say, 'what are you looking at?' Beth just smirked, flashing a sharp white fang at the girl.

They encountered no resistance as they entered the plant and walked down the long corridors. It was only when they came to a large steel the door did Caine finally come to a halt. He glanced at Drake who raised his gun and fired casually at the door. It held no effect apart from a satisfying cry of fear from the otherside.

'We'll have to break it in.' Caine observed.

'Work that one out all by yourself?' Diana remarked with a smile, perching herself on a table. Caine glared but she was unperturbed and just rolled her eyes. Ignoring her, he lifted his hands and twisted them. The door dented, hardly.

'Right.' Caine muttered, rolling his shirt sleeves up.

As he got to work, intent on destroying the door, Drake took Beth by the arm and pulled her back with him. 'Go round,' he muttered, 'you'll be faster than these morons.'

Beth nodded in response and like a faithful soldier, she moved away from the group. Only Computer Jack saw her as she leapt up onto the windowsill and without hesitation, jumped out. He considered telling Diana but the girl wouldn't be too impressed with that meager bit of information. So he stayed silent, and when Diana ordered Caine to let him help he obeyed, just as Beth had done.

She was a lithe shadow, a silent and deadly weapon, as she moved round the power plant and in through an open door on the other side. It wasn't hard to find the room Caine was trying to break into, the noise was a bit of a giveaway. She stayed hidden in the doorway, watching closely as the three kids argued. They were only young, maybe a bit older than Josh had been; two boys and a girl. The boys were nearer to where she was crouched and she smirked, she was so close she could see the hairs that stood erect on one of the boy's arms.

The door bulged inwards and Beth lay low, her belly brushing the floor and her whole body tense. Suddenly, one of the boy's ran passed her and Beth flinched, prepared to go after him. But he soon disappeared, and after all, he was just one boy, he hadn't stayed to impose any threat to Drake. The two remaining were talking rapidly, their voices both thick with fear. Beth didn't care much to what they were saying, she simply watched with waiting eyes. A gun was thrown to the girl and then the second boy was turning and moving away, towards Beth. Except this one didn't get as far as three steps before she was on him. He howled in pain and surprise at this sudden attack. Beth pinned him to the ground and snarled, tearing into his shoulder. He screamed and wailed, and it was almost certain that the noise would attract the remaining girl. The one with the gun.

Bullets sprayed past the pair. Hopelessly trying to kill the animal yet avoid the boy's flailing body. He screamed a second time as he was shot in the foot and behind them, the girl also screamed. The door burst open and immediately guns were blazing. Beth jumped from the boy, who sobbing pathetically, crawled away, and she loped into the room. The girl hadn't stood a chance against the four, and Drake was maliciously whipping her, a gleeful look in his eye. Diana was almost frantic and screamed at Drake to stop; it was the first time Beth had known her to show compassion. He ignored her and eventually, having had enough,, she lurched forwards to grab him. Beth, on instinct, lunged, teeth bared. Diana recoiled in a moment of pure fear as the wolf's jaws came snapping at her. Caine flicked his wrist angrily, sending the animal crashing into a desk.

'What'd you do that for?' Drake snapped, glaring at Caine.

'Get moving, Drake.' Caine said wearily.

Beth groaned and sat up, shaking herself. She was back as a girl and she winced, clicking the bones in her back. Drake marched towards her , grabbing her arm and yanking her to her feet. She looked at him expectantly but he moved away, so she jumped up onto a table and waited.