Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! Everytime I get a new one it's a new inspiration to write more - in fact, I didn't even want to write tonight, but seeing the new ones made me think more and bam! Typed out a new chapter :) I'm so glad you all enjoy it! This chapter almost made me cry while I wrote it, so here you go!


Frustration began to take over as I searched the third house. Seriously, hadn't these people bought more than a weeks worth of food, or coupon-ed, or something? I rolled my eyes as I picked up a stray can. "Great. Lard. Exactly what I wanted!" My sarcastic tone didn't even seem to really reach my own ears as I got a loud and uncomfortable response from my own stomach. I rubbed it a little, trying to assuage the growing pain. Ugh. I needed food...and badly. It had almost been a full day, and surprisingly, this was the longest I'd gone without even a little bit of bread or a can of vegetables since the invasion began.

I kicked the can of lard across the kitchen floor, shoving my hands in the pockets of my newly acquired shirt. My brain stumbled across my vague memories of north Seattle, trying to think of new areas that I hadn't hit yet in my searching. Unfortunately I was coming up blank.

I headed for the back door and held my hand up to my eyes against the bright August sun. "Should probably go check at least one more house..." I mumbled, almost laughing as I caught myself checking both ways before crossing the street. Sure, a random Shifter craft was just going to run me down. That was possible, right? I shook my head, smiling slightly as I ran across the street and into the brightly painted house, dodging in through the giant bay window that had been left open, dirt-smudged pale blue curtains dancing in the light breeze.

The sight that greeted me shocked me – a very pink nursery, stray toys littering the floor, happy pictures of the family featured on the walls, a small bassinet pushed to the far wall out of the sun's reach. I ran my fingers along the soft blanket laid across the side of the bassinet, small pictures of dancing elephants and circus monkeys grinning up at me. I drew my hand back, a sad stillness in my heart. The world I knew truly was gone, forever, it seemed. No more happy babies. No more loving mothers. No more families.

My eyes started to tear up and I looked away, turning for the door to the room when a closet door caught my eye. Half open, it looked like there were a few shiny objects glittering inside, reflecting the sun's gaze. "Maybe it could be baby food! That's better than nothing!"

I reached out and grabbed the handle, flinging the door open eagerly. And I immediately turned and retched all over the pastel pink carpet of the nursery, falling to my knees.

A mother, clutching her baby girl to her chest, was covered in a light blue dust, her face begging, eyes blank and lifeless. The baby's mouth was open in an unheard scream, her tiny little fists balled up as she shrunk into her mother's non-existent warmth. Both still. Both gone.

A sob escaped my throat as my stomach heaved again, my hands pressed flat against the plush carpet. My eyes watered and tears fell down my cheeks in thick rivulets as my heart ached and twisted in my chest. Why did it have to be this way? What did we do wrong? What had this family done to deserve this? I fell to my side and curled up in a ball, my own cries wracking my body as I finally allowed myself to cry for everything – my own situation, my family, for Justin.

It felt like forever that I lay there, shaking and trying not to look at the fallen remnants of the family. My stomach heaved a few more times, both from lack of food and from the scene that still was burned into my mind.

Suddenly, a pair of warm arms encircled me and the room was bathed in a soft blue light. Tri held me close to his chest, wiping a small trace of liquid from the corner of my lips. He carried me out of the house, not saying a word, and into the sunlight, sitting on a soft patch of grass. Fingers found their way onto my head and he stroked my hair, letting me cry until all I could do was hiccup, my heart and stomach achingly empty.

"Kina...are...you alright?" Tri's concerned gaze looked down at me until I raised my gaze to meet his, tears still watering in my eyes.

"Why, Tri? ...Why did they have to die? She was j-just a b-baby..." I hiccupped, sniffling.

He glanced towards the house and then back at me. "I wish I knew, Kina."

I turned my head and, not caring whether he was a Shifter or the best human being in the world, buried it into his chest, wrapping my arms behind him, holding onto him for everything I was worth. My sobs raised anew and he held me all the tighter, rocking back and forth gently to help comfort me. Eventually, he stood and carried me back to the house we had spent the previous night in. He laid me down on the couch, fluffing a pillow to place under my head, and covered me with a blanket. He knelt next to me, placing a hand on my head.

"Kina...did you find sustenance?"

I shook my head. "N-No...I-I didn't find anything n-nearby.."

He nodded. "I will go look for you. Rest. I will be back with something to nourish you."

His fingers brushed over my eyes. "Rest, Kina..."

I closed my eyes and, curling in on myself, drifted off into a light sleep.