"Dead?" Joe repeated staring at Eric. "She can't be-she can't be dead." He said trying to make light of what was going on.

His Lauren. Couldn't be dead there was just no way. She was better than that. She could make it. Joe was struck by the news he had just revived however. Someone was telling him he had to believe despite all his wanting to not to.

Eric nodded glumly, "She gone Joe,"

Joe just shook his head again, "No. You're wrong... She can't.. Be," Joe stated again and his eyes traveled down the hall to the hospital wing and he quickly headed down to prove Eric wrong.


Britney stared out the window down at grass. The green grass that she hadn't seen in so long. She sniffed and wiped her eyes. The words that the man had uttered played in her mind constantly. Her family was dead. She wasn't there for them. In that whole process of her being out there fighting for her life her family had also been going though a similar journey and she wasn't there. Her mother and father dead, and brother no where to be found.

She wanted desperately just to smile. But she couldn't. There was no reason to anymore. Her mind also had the flashbacks of everything that happened out there in Chicago. Images she desperately didn't want to see anymore.

She shut her eyes tightly and wrapped her self in her blankets more, ignoring her rumbling stomach and tried to focus on the positives.

As she tried she quickly realized there were none. Her family was gone. Tyler, her best friend was too. Everyone was gone. And she was stuck here.


As Joe reached the hospital wing a crowd of people shouting feverish orders met his eyes. He only caught some of the words, such as, "She's alive. Need all attention to..." And the rest he couldn't make out. His mind had started spinning at whatever it was happening. Lauren was dead and there were so many people around him he was finding it hard to breath. The whole room started to get darker and her could hardly see. Until it was he lurched backwards, passing out.


Joe Walker's eyes slowly opened and a rush of light filled in. He sat up, and rubbed them as he heard noise coming from all around. Joe's eyes adjusted to the light and he saw Lily Mark's familiar face greet him. "Joe, you're awake." She simply stated smiling over at him.

Soon Dylan, AJ, and Corey joined her side. "What happened?" He asked looming around at the room that was almost like a doctor's office.

"You passed out, that's what the doctors say happened at least. You've been out for a whole day. " Dylan pipped up.

"Where's everyone else?"

"With Lauren." Dylan said simply.

"Wait... They've... Died too?" Joe quickly asked disbelieving.

"What? No! They're visiting her! She just just woke up!"

"Woke up!" He said quickly sitting up right. "Eric told me she died!"

"Well, technically yeah. I mean, she died. But it just wasn't her time. The doctors called it a near death experience. Being declared dead, then coming back. There's tons of books about it I think."

A wave of relief flooded over him as he was told the news. Lauren wasn't dead. She was still alive. He didn't listen when Dylan was talking about how Chicago was blown up yesterday or how she still wouldn't have a leg, but none of that mattered. She was alive. That was all that mattered.

Joe got up it of bed, despite the other protests, "Where is she?" He quickly asked.

"Joe I think you should lay down-"

"I-I'm fine! Just tell me where she is," he said angrily becoming more and more frustrated.

Dylan sighed, "I'll show you."

The two set off a little ways and Dylan brought Joe to another room. Stepping in Joe saw Lauren sitting up right talking animatedly to Julia. "Lauren." He breathed out looking at her smiling widely. He rushed towards her as she looked up and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I thought I lost you forever," he murmured tears stinging at his eyes.

"I'm fine Joe... I mean. I thought I was going to go," Lauren started to explain pulling back from Joe to look him in the eyes. "I was just telling Julia, and there was this bright white light you know. And I saw him, God. Then I woke up here." She explained in brief.

"I'm so happy, you're alive Lauren you have no idea." He said, kissing her forehead softy.

Lauren smiled and grabbed his hand. Well I'm glad you're alright too. I'm not completely fine though, Joe. I mean," she shrugged then gestured down to her lower half and pulled back a blanket. Half of her leg was missing. Just above where the kneecap would be downwards was all gone.

"I don't care," he stated. "Just as long as you're alive and here. I love you Lauren, so much," he commented again leaning in and giving her a soft kiss.

Lauren was held one more day over night, and within that time, Eric had seemed to disappear. It wasn't until lunch the next day when any of them ever heard of him. "If you've ever spoken to Eric Kahn Gale, please step this way," a big burly man spoke to the mess hall and pointed off towards a room at the side. The group looked at each other nervously. What had happened to their friend? Unexpectedly Britney stood and followed the man. The rest of the groups quickly followed suit as well. They knew better than to disobey orders, in fear of whatever punishment might await. Besides most everyone else in the building already knew the whole table had contacted Eric in one way or other.

"What seems to be wrong?" Joe spoke up taking action as everyone filed in to the room.

The big burly man stepped to the back of the room and a short stout man walked out from the shadows. "I'm going to take a guess here and assume you all know Brian Holden, who so graciously alerted our attention to a problem at hand." The room went silent as he spoke of their now dead friend. "It seems Eric Kahn Gale, has been spreading," the man paused for a moment, "rumors, about things. And we are just here making sure, that your ears we're not tainted by these lies." He insisted.

Joe froze, he knew about their suspicions. He remembered briefly that Brian had outed Eric about his ideas before he shot himself. Joe's mind was racing again at the thoughts of where his friend was. "What's happened to Eric?"

"He was, let go early, one might say," The man replied with a lazy tone which grew harsh with his next words "Now what do you know?"

A/N: GASP an update! Ahhhh finally!