Lindsey nervously looked out the window, watching as the metal titan destroyed Las Vegas…praying to God it stayed away from her side of the city. Biting her lip, her eyes moved to the driveway, eager to see someone approach it!

'Mom? Grandma? Oh man…where are you?'

Should she leave her house before that thing got there?

Or should she wait for Grandma to show up? The next question brought dread as she watched the big giant metal machine again, wondering if the lab was…

Her mind shied away, rapidly changing gears.

…What about mom? Was she okay?

Lindsey bit her lip harder, the sharp pain barely reaching her as her mind raced through all the grim possibilities in vivid color.

She couldn't stay here! She couldn't just sit and wait while her mom could be dying! While her grandmother was trying her best to run from the monsters! No! She had to help! She had to do…something!

Lindsey rushed to her room, grabbed her book bag, dumped the contents onto the floor, and stuffed all the clothes she could inside. Then she went and found a small cardboard box, and threw all the preserved food into it. No fruits or vegetables, those would rot too soon. She stuffed some matches and a flashlight into her pocket, and left. The food would last her about two days…

That would be long enough, right? Surely by then she would have found everyone, and maybe a shelter…

'Don't worry, mom, Grandma. I'll find you guys, and we'll get out of here!' Now…which way to go?

Catherine anxiously drummed her fingers against her thigh, feeling a little bit of relief seep in because the closer she got to the house…a little better everything seemed. At least the monster hadn't trampled through here yet…although, this part of the city looked like a ghost town.

"Warrick…what if my mom already took Lindsey somewhere? How am I going to find her? Oh god…what if I don't?"

"Don't worry, Cath. We'll find her, okay? We'll find Lindsey," he turned to the other distraught woman in the group, "Jacqui we'll find your kids too, all right? Don't worry, we'll be fine." He turned around to regard the rest of the people that were with them, all of them anxiously looking for their family; only five or six of them, including Jacqui. "We'll find everyone we can, okay everybody?" quiet murmurs of acknowledgment were his only reply, most people still too caught up in their worry…

"Catherine…how much further to your house?"

"An hour…maybe two." She shook her head, anxiously running a hand through her hair, "God…this is taking too long. Isn't there…" she flung her arms out. "There's gotta' be a car working around here somewhere! I mean…this is a big city! There's has got to be millions of cars, how can none of them work?" She buried her head in her hands, shaking. Warrick laid a comforting hand on her shoulder while the others anxiously hovered around the trembling woman. "What if I never see her again? I didn't say goodbye. I didn't kiss her good night. Does she know how much I love her? God…my baby…" Everyone stayed silent; the only noise came from the faint screams around and the wind as it howled through the ghost town.

Everyone was gone. Fled from the hell Vegas had become.

Did Lindsey leave too?

Or was she simply dead?

Warrick was quick to support Catherine as she started to wretch, puking on to the cracked concrete.

"Hey, hey…come on, it's okay." He rubbed her back, trying to make her relax. She glared up at him, while a good number of the group kept on walking. Right now, their only concern was finding their own family members, group be damned. They weren't going to stop, now. Not for anything…or anyone. Jacqui stayed in the corner, watching the Warrick try to comfort Catherine as the woman started to dry heave.

"You don't get it Warrick…nothing's okay." Both CSIs looked up at Jacqui in surprise, "Nothing's ever going to be okay until we find who we're looking for…alive. Make sure their safe. Right now-"

"Right now nothing's okay. Not for me, not for Jacqui. Not until I find Lindsey, and my mother. Not until Jacqui finds her kids." Catherine straightened up, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. The two woman looked at each other in understanding, and then kept on going, not bothering to try and catch up with the others. Quietly, Warrick trailed behind.

Lindsey timidly walked the empty streets, nervously clutching the box to her chest as she kept on looking.

"Grandma? Mom?" she peeked through all of the empty cars, wondering where the hell everyone went! How did they all leave so fast? And then it hit her.

This was fuckin' Vegas.

Almostno one was home at this time, they were all at work or getting high in clubs somewhere in the heart of the city…where that machine was no doubt killing them all at this very moment.

That's where the crime lab was too.

Something inside her chest constricted, her fists clenched tight.

She was going to see her mom again, right?

There was no doubt in Lindsey's mind that she would find her grandmother and her mother.

No doubt whatsoever!

Yeah…right.

Shetightened her grip onthe box likeit was alifeline, knowing it could quite possible be the only thing left from her house.

'I've should've grabbed some pictures…' Lindsey thought to herself, mournfully looking back.

Maybe…if she just went to get some pictures…just two hours…

And she shook her head.

No…

No….

No more excuses, she had to go on. No time to stop, not when her mother or her grandmother could be dying…waiting for her to come rescue them. So she kept walking, eyes nervously darting to and fro for any sign of danger…when it happened.

Another monster rose out of the ground, and this time…it wasn't on the other side of Vegas. She choked up, eyes wide with fear as she gaped at the horrifying sight before her, feet refusing to move.

'I'm going to die…' and she took a few stumbling steps backward as she saw her doom start to move through the city, dust flying everywhere. Blocks of concrete went flying through the air, and screams rose up into the sky. Where did those people come from? The machine got closer, and her mind just…shut down. Eyes wide, mouth agape as she stumbled back in a desperate attempt to get away…her thoughts were fast and in tune with her shallow, rapid breaths.

'Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god…'

"Lindsey!" The voice didn't reach the girl through her panicked haze.

'Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god…'

"Lindsey!"

Greg shakily stumbled out the house, cowering away from the remains of looming buildings.

Is this all that was left? Empty streets, fires burning all around him and the smell of death overwhelming, making him want to retch?

Is this where Nick died? Or is this what Nick survived?

Swallowing a sob, he looked back at that damned house, or the remains of it. It was nothing more than the grave for two innocent souls, now. Almost three.

Almost…

The thought sent him crumbling down to his knees; harsh sobs making his body tremble as he heard the faint echoes of the titan moving on. Was this it? Could anyone really stop these things? Were they all going to die?

And oh god, Nick!

Was he alive? Or did he die too? Like everyone else…

Then again, what did it matter? How…how could he find out?

'I-I'm not going to spend my life looking for you, am I Nicky? Please…don't be dead. If you are…let me find your body. Don't make me look forever…don't make me look for something that isn't there anymore. Please! Oh god…Please…I'll look for you forever…I'll die for you, just please don't leave me alone! Please…'

And Greg sat there, a heap of desperate grief, as he sobbed for the lives lost. As he mourned for the future gone, and the frantic hope that Nick was alive.

Because if he wasn't…if he found Nick's body…

It would all be over.

It was simple as that.

And another violent sob shook through his body.

He was going to find Nicky...even if it wasto the grave.