Author's Notes: I still have some problems with the Geography, this was typed before in script format and uploaded here in story format.

Ch 7 [Protective]

Michelle climbed up the vines growing up the sides of the mausoleum. When she got on the roof, she saw Trevor wrapped up next to a tall smoking figure. "Alright, who the hell are you?!" She yelled as she readied her claws.

The figure looked up at her and said "You don't remember? Well, I'm about to beat the shit out of this guy for hurting you, maybe that'll remind you."

Michelle put her claws down and thought for a moment. "Wait a minute, for hurting me… James?!" she yelled in shock.

"Hell yeah it's me! Now, just stay there while I take care of this guy!" James yelled at Michelle then looked down at Trevor.

Trevor looked up at the person holding him. "Wait a minute… James…? What the hell did I d-- Ack!" Trevor was interrupted by something wrapping around his neck and choking him.

James tugged on his tongue, which was wrapped around Trevor's neck, and he choked Trevor. "Shut up! Infected or not, you still hurt my sister. I can't let anyone get away with that. Now just go to sleep…"

Trevor tried pulled the tongue off his neck but he felt the air escaping out of his lungs. "Ah… Ah… Ah… Ahhhhhh……" Trevor let out before passing out.

James smiled and cracked his knuckles. "This will be much easier."

"Leave him alone!" Michelle ran over and cut James's tongue.

"Ahh!!!" James yelled after feeling his tongue slashed.

"I'm sorry, I had to do it." Michelle turned to Trevor and shook him. "Trevor! Wake up! Wake up!" She screamed as she shook his limp body.

"What does it matter? What does he mean to you?" He yelled at Michelle.

She stopped shaking Trevor and looked at James. "He's my friend! I can't let you hurt him!"

"What do you mean? He made you cry! What kind of friend is that?!"

Michelle turned away from James and looked back at Trevor. "He didn't make me cry. I just looked at the grave. He was just trying to calm me down."

James calmed down and watches Michelle as she shook her friend. "Oh… Guess I got a little protective… Sorry about that."

"No, I'm sorry about cutting off your tongue." She looked at the tentacle like thing she cut off from James. "This is your tongue, right?"

"Was my tongue." James pulled his tongue out of his mouth. "It's okay, it grows back."

Michelle looks back at Trevor. "Is he going to be okay?"

James nodded. "Oh, yeah. He just passed out. I've done worse so I can tell." He knelt next to Michelle. "I've missed you these past few days."

"We've never been apart for that long." She said and then examined his new body. "So, this is what you turned into."

James examined Michelle and then Trevor. "I see you've become one, too, along with him. Guess you were here to see mom and dad, too. Once I saw you break down the gate, I came up here to watch you two."

"Watch me like mom and dad?" She asked him.

"Yeah, except I can actually do something." He chuckled a bit.

"So, that smoke he smelled was you?" she asked as she looked at her brother and pointed at Trevor.

"Yeah. It's seeping out these sacks on my face." He said as he pointed at them.

"Up close, it's hard to recognize you." She said. "But, I cannot believe it is your face under there."

James laughed. "I can't believe it is you under all that gray skin and hair."

"Well, it is." She felt Trevor move a bit. "I think he's coming to. Don't try to attack him again."

Trevor slowly opened his eyes to see that Michelle was kneeling next to him with James behind her. "Ugh." He said in disgust as he held his nose from the smell of James.

Michelle came up next to him. "Are you okay?"

Trevor rubbed his neck. "Neck hurts. Can't breathe through my nose, because James is right there and he smells like smoke."

"You already know who I am?" James asked him.

"Yup, James. 18, smokes, and it Michelle's older brother." He said to James.

"I told him all about you." Michelle said.

James rubbed the back of his head and laughed a bit. "Guess my protection instincts got the best of me."

"I know how it feels to lose to your instincts." Trevor said.

"Come on, let's get you up." James extended his hand down to Trevor.

Trevor grabbed his hand and pulled himself up from the ground. He then looked at the weird tentacle like thing on the ground. "Is that your tongue?" He asked James while he pointed at it.

Michelle turned her head and looked at it, too. "It was, until I cut it off."

"It don't hurt, it grows back. It has five times already." He said with a new tongue slowly growing out of his mouth.

Trevor paused and turned his head to James. "You've used it on five people already?"

"Yup." He quickly answered.

"That's… disturbing…" Trevor said with disgust.

"So is all that blood on your clothes." James replied.

"It's true." Michelle came in with.

Trevor became annoyed. "Can we just get to real subject now?"

"Of course. So, shy are you two here? I mean, besides visiting my parents." James asked.

Michelle replied "We came to see mom and dad before we left."

James quickly turned his head towards Michelle. "Leave for where?"

"We were going to find a place that we could stay for the rest of our new lives. We could stay in a place that Michelle likes, and if any humans come by then I have my own snack." Trevor said.

"He likes meat and I like sugar." Michelle added.

"Well, I like smoking. I'm sure we can find a place."

"You really want to come along?" Trevor asked James.

"Who else would protect my sister? You need my help." James said.

"More like the other way around…" Trevor mumbled to himself and looked away.

"What?" James asked.

Trevor looked back at James. "Nothing. You can come with us."

James looked around. "So…. Any place in particular?"

Trevor thought for a moment. "She like meat, I like sugar. I guess a sugar mill. Before I was infected, I heard rumors about crying girls gathering near sugar mills. But all the ones here are already gone, all the sugar is gone and machines were shut down. I'm sure they took them for the extra supplies."

"We can follow the humans to a place." Michelle said.

"I don't know." Trevor paused. "The infection is early, people are not evacuating across the rest of the country yet. By the time people in Philadelphia would start doing something about this, it would have been two weeks already. I also heard that people would be evacuating to New Orleans. They would be evacuated off shore or go deeper into a safer area of America. I remember a city being near there, Ducatel, which was where they would stop before moving to the next city. That Ducatel place has a sugar mill nearby."

Michelle thought of the idea. "Humans for you, sugar for me, and I am sure we can find you something, James."

"Great idea!" James exclaimed in fake excitement. "One thing… How the hell are we gonna get there?! It is like a million miles away from here! We cannot drive, let alone use doors!" He yelled.

"Hitch a ride." Trevor suggested. "Follow the humans. There is an airport a few cities away from here. If we can get there, we might be able to get where we need to go."

"Fine, hitchhiking while risking death, a very safe idea." James said with sarcasm.

"You can stay here if you want, but if you have a better idea, then go ahead." Trevor said aggressively.

James gave in. "I can't let Michelle go anywhere without me, and you can't do anything to make me stay here without her. I'm coming no matter what."

"Then should we get going now?" Michelle asked.

"Heading about 200 miles west from here to find an airport, we can make it." Trevor said with confidence.

The three jumped off the roof and head out the main gate, Michelle turned her head back and looked at the field. "Goodbye… Mom… Daddy…" She thought to herself before leaving with the other two.