Disclaimer: see chapter 1

"I'm makin' hot mush!" said Lizzie loudly. She broke Lynn and Brenda out of a light sleep. The house began to shake as Lizzie jumped up and down.

"I'm…getting sick of …hot …m…mush." said Big Brain struggling with every word. It was a hot day, hotter than normal which seemed to create an air of annoyance to the inhabitants of the house. To top it all off the air conditioner had given out. Or maybe it was the generator. All Lizzie and Big Brain knew was that this was going to be a can't 'stand you day'. Those days didn't come often but when they did nobody was happy.

"Well we ain't got much real food now do we?" said Lizzie. She didn't much like hot mush either but she didn't have much real food but she had plenty of oatmeal and things could be added to it.

"Still…tired of it." Said Big Brain. Lyn and Brenda pressed their ears to the floor. They knew that if the tried they could break the door open, the lock was probably old like everything else of what they had seen. They also knew that Big Brain was helpless and if Lizzie left in a rage they might have had a chance to escape.

"Well then why don't you do the cookin'?" asked Lizzie hands on her hips spoon dripping food onto the floor. She hoped that she didn't smell burning coming from the kitchen. She didn't like this one bit. She was trapped in a hot house with Big Brain and food she didn't much like and people she didn't much know in her house. It was all because of those people she was trapped in her house and in some childish way she held them responsible for the heat as well.

"You know I can't." said Big Brain in a rare unbroken sentence. She looked like her mother there for a moment, a younger version of her mother with a lopsided face and a layer of filth on her but that annoyed look was pure Charlotte.

"Well then don't complain." Said Lizzie turning on the worn heals of her shoes. She went back to the kitchen and stirred the hot mush. It was mostly oatmeal with some cereal and carrot in it.

"What...are you...going to feed…them?" asked Big Brain wheeling himself as close to the kitchen as possible.

"Hot mush." Said Lizzie getting chipped bowls from the cabinet above her. She looked almost like a caricature of a child with her over- sized apron wrapped around her while she stood on the ancient counter. They both looked up as they heard the shifting of weight above them.

"Guess they're…up." Said Big Brain. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost eight in the morning. Lizzie got 2 more bowls and two serving trays. She balanced the trays and bowls in her arms as they went into Big Brain's room. She put the tray over his chair and a spoon in the bowl.

"I guess Big Mama won't be around so I guess I'll be back but then we're watching cartoons. Well, if'n the generator ain't broke." Said Lizzie taking the other tray upstairs.

"Be…careful." Said Big Brain. Lizzie looked at him quizzically for a moment and then she grabbed a hammer from the table.

"I just nicked her last time. If the younger one tries something' again ill break her head in." said Lizzie waving the hammer for emphasis. Big Brain rolled his eyes.

"If she…dies?" said Big Brain. Lizzie got a quizzical look and lowered the hammer.

"Good point. I know! I'll just open the door a little bit and slide the food in real fats. I'll have someone else, probably Pluto, get the bowls and stuff back later." Said Lizzie. Big Brain smiled.

"You're smart." Said Big Brain quickly in one breath. Lizzie took off for the upstairs.

"Alright, when she opens the door well both rush her and then escape." Said Brenda pulling Lynn to her feet.

"And then what?" asked Lynn as she struggled to stand. Brenda looked at her like she was crazy.

"We get out, get help, get Catherine!" said Brenda as Lizzie's footsteps got closer.

"They're everywhere. Where will we go?" said Lynn

"Back to the road! To civilization!" said Brenda. She pulled Lynn near the door and motioned for her to lie low. Lynn didn't want to do this. She knew that there was no hope. They were miles from anyone else, there were more of the family everywhere, everyone she knew was dead, and she was going to be dead soon too.

"Breakfast!" said Lizzie opening the door a smidgeon. She was going to just push the food through and run away but suddenly the door was thrown open. They pushed past her and ran down the stairs. Big Brain gasped into the walkie-talkie for help. The strongest were on the lookout for any more of Hades' clan and would hopefully get them. They ran down the dirt road in what they hoped was the direction of freedom. They could hear people pursuing them but they ran. They ran into the hills to the mine without looking back. They could hear heavy breathing but they ran until Lynn, who barely had energy as it was, fell and twisted her ankle.

"Fuck!" said Brenda loudly as she helped Lynn up. The breathing got closer and a light was shined on them.

"Shhh." Said Ruby. He had seen them escape from Big Brain and Lizzie's house and was going to help them. She couldn't help Cutie, the boy, or Glasses Man but she could help them.

"Get away you freak!" said Brenda picking up a rock with her free hand to use as a weapon. Ruby covered her head but made a motion for them to follow.

"Shh. They come. Lizard sons. Bad." Said Ruby struggling to make words. She knew she didn't speak well. Maybe it was the way her mouth was shaped, or maybe she was just dumb. She knew, however, that anything that came from Lizard was bad news. She wanted them to follow her to the road so they could go back to the big clans on the outside like Sam had talked about.

"She's good. Not like the rest of them." Said Lynn remembering the kindnesses Ruby gave her. Her words made Ruby happy as she led them out of the mine. They shielded their eyes against the sunlight and didn't notice Memphis coming up to them.

"Bad Ruby. Bad, bad Ruby." Said the hulking form of Memphis, Lizards slowest son. Where Lizzie had inherited Charlotte's intelligence, Lizzie her looks, and Mars had gotten Lizards thirst for violence the only thing Memphis seemed to have was Charlotte's eyes. This has led many to think that Pluto was Memphis' father. Even Lizard on some level believed this partly due to pride that he couldn't make anything that stupid, and partly the fact that all of his other kids had normal intelligence.

"Go way." Said Ruby tucking the knife out of her sock and threatening him with it even though she knew she had no chance. She just wanted to buy the others some time. Memphis laughed and batted it away with his large meaty hand. Brenda grabbed Lynn and tried to bolt but she didn't get very far before she ran into Mars.

"Look what I got here." Said Mars. At thirteen, almost fourteen, he was scrawny but tall. He was burnt from the sun and filthy from the desert which only added to his fearsomeness. He grabbed Brenda, seeing that Lynn was in no condition to walk. Ruby tackled him but he just pushed her down. He pinned her to the ground while Memphis grabbed Brenda and Lynn by the arms.

"Take to home?" asked Memphis as Mars forcefully Ruby. Ruby began to cry out for help but Mars just hit her across the face.

"Whaddaya think dumbass?" asked Mars as he tore off Ruby's red hoodie. Memphis just nodded and dragged the two women home. He looked at Brenda and decided that he was going to do what his little brother was doing but when he didn't have two people to hold on to. Eventually the older one stopped struggling while the other one struggled, hit, and cursed at him. He simply threw her over his shoulder. He liked being strong. He dragged them all the way to Big Brain's house. He figured Big Brain would know what to do, he was the smartest person in the whole test village.

"They go…upstairs." Said Big Brain turning back to the TV. It was a clear day and they got the whole channel on their one color TV. It wasn't the generator, just the air-conditioner. Lizzie mimicked him in a mocking voice from the punishment corner. Big Brain stuck his tongue out at her. Memphis led them both to the room with a lock. It held the stench of half cleaned up hot mush. Memphis put them both down and Lynn just laid on the floor staring at the ceiling. She knew it was utterly hopeless and just waited for death to take her. Memphis kissed a struggling Brenda and looked around until he found a pile of blankets on the floor. Brenda saw what he was doing and began to scream and fight even louder. In the end even though Memphis knew he had two black eyes and a possibly broken nose as well as a split lip he was satisfied. Brenda on the other hand could only cry. Lynn had retreated inside of herself the entire time.