Shoutouts!

Lexi123321: I am sorry that Mike died, it is in the storyline. Have a cookie for your troubles.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own this show.

Rick and I stopped dead in our tracks when we heard the gunshot. I looked over at Rick and he stared back to where his father was. He stood stock stiff like a person stuck in a block of ice, just freezing and trapped in his mind. I can't even imagine what he is thinking right now.

I pulled Rick towards me and pulled him into a hug. His arms dangled at my side, limp.

I said to him, "We need to go. We'll come back for him. I promise you that." Rick wouldn't move and I had to yell at him.

"Come on, Rick. Clayton will catch up with us. You need to go."

I pushed him ahead of me and he came out of his daze and ran to catch up with the group. I looked around and walked to the place I last saw Mike. I went over to him and noticed Clayton had obviously left him for dead and left to get us. I sat with him.

He looked towards my direction, rolled his eyes and sighed.

He said to me, "You shouldn't be here. You should be with your brothers. You shouldn't be here with me. It's too late for me."

I replied with watery eyes, "No, no, I'll get help. I'll help you."

He smiled and said, "You can help my son, he'll need your help after this. You have helped me enough. You and your family are great fighters and I am proud that I have had the honor to serve with you guys.

Tell your father that I am glad to have fought with him.I truly am glad that you are back with us. Stay strong, you're a Mason. Make me proud. If you wanna fight for someone, then fight for me and your mother."

I felt tears building, "I am the one that should be proud to serve with you. You have protected and served this country since before the invasion. Thank you, Mike."

"No, thank you, Elizabeth."

Those were Mike's last words as I saw him smile at me and he died. I felt the tears fill up in my eyes. I left Mike with a promise, that he couldn't hear, that I would come back for him. I ran through the woods to catch up with Rick and the group. I caught up with them and looked at Rick. He looked at me and we made eye contact. He understood what I didn't say and nodded. I saw his eyes water.

We walked around for about an hour or so, and saw many lonely houses, broken trees, and destroyed cars on the cracked streets. It looked like an apocalypse had happened. The invasion has only been going on for a few months, but I can't believe it was this bad. Good thing, we still have hope and are fighting unlike that Clayton jerk. I saw this one house that looked huge and very pretty, but looked dilapidated.

Hal and Lourdes led us to the house. It was white, had two stories, and had trees in front of it. We went inside and the little kids went into the bedrooms and went to sleep. Us older kids stayed in the living room trying to find some supplies to take. The family that lived here was long gone, there was dust on the water bottles!

I looked towards Hal and saw him rub his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up. I walked towards him and told him he should go to sleep in one of those beds. He said he couldn't sleep, not now anyways. He was worried about me, Ben, and Matt. I nodded in understanding.

I looked over in the living room and saw Lourdes on the piano. I walked over to her and asked what she was playing. She told me that she was playing a song she learned when she was little, "David's Angels". She started playing it and the soft notes relaxed me and I felt calm for a while, since Mom died.

I left Lourdes and went over to Jimmy. I asked him if he was ok and he replied that he was fine.

I looked over at Rick and saw him staring out the window towards the woods. He was touching his spikes. I looked at Ben and saw that he was doing the same thing. I walked towards Ben and he quickly stopped.

I asked him, "What were you doing?"

He replied, "Nothing."

"Ok, Ben, if something is bothering you, just tell me."

"I'm fine Elizabeth."

I left Ben and went back over to Hal and heard him and Lourdes talking about if we should fight or head back to HQ. I said we should go back to Dad and Ben said he would go. He said he could do it because he had more endurance. Hal and I didn't want him to go, but he promised us that he would be safe. Hal gave him his jacket and told him to run to the camp, tell Weaver what is going on, and come back. Ben left and I went over to Rick. I asked Rick what he was doing and he said he was waiting.

I went upstairs to wake up Matt.

I went into the bedroom that Matt and two of his friends were sleeping in and saw all of them asleep on the bed. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen in this world we live in now. I quietly walked towards the boys and tapped Matt on the shoulder. He didn't wake up so I picked him up and carried him downstairs and as I was picking him up, I heard a noise outside the house.

I ran down the stairs with Matt still in my arms and my jostling him woke him up. When we got on the first floor, I put him down and went to Hal. He had his head down on the counter, snoring softly. I smiled and then frowned knowing I had to wake him up. I shook him and he woke up. I whispered in his ear that I heard a noise outside.

He told me and Lourdes to wake the kids and meet in the livingroom, away from windows. Matt stayed hidden behind the couch. We got all of the children and hid behind the couch with Matt. I heard Clayton's voice telling us to surrender and come back with them.

Hal yelled, "NEVER!" That's my brother for yah, always trying to protect others.

Clayton and his men started to shoot at us and I covered the kids with my body and saw Lourdes do the same. I yelled at Hal to duck. Hal ducked and I heard my Dad's voice telling us to come outside. Hal uncocked his gun and went outside like Dad said. I could tell Hal was mad and I understood his emotions, but we went outside,after Hal, and Matt and I ran to Dad to hug him. He hugged us back and we followed Clayton back to our old sanctuary.

We came up to the old, two-story house and stopped in the front yard. Clayton put his gun on Dad and threatened to pull the trigger unless we stayed with them.

I yelled at Clayton, "Never, you will not take me or any of us to those wretched creatures just so you can save your own skin." Clayton pushed Dad aside and walked towards me. Hal came in front of me and tried to hold Clayton off. Clayton pushed Hal aside also and grabbed me by my hair. I screamed in pain and fear as he put the gun to my head. I felt the cold metal on the temple of my head and the tear rolling down my cheek as I realized this could be my last day on Earth.

Just as I felt Clayton pull back on the trigger, I heard another gun being cocked and turned my head, slighty, and saw Weaver pointing his gun at Clayton. He told Clayton to put his gun down or he would shoot. Clayton released me and I ran to my family. Weaver told them to stop giving kids to the skitters or that he would come back. We left our old sanctuary and went back to the school.

'I realized that I have had too many lucky shots since the invasion.' I thought.

I noticed Pope was with us and he had a gunshot wound near his artery in his thigh. I went over to Pope and put his arm around me to help him walk. He looked at me weird and I just gave him a small smile. I half carried, half walked him back to the school and took him to Anne. Anne laid him down on the bed and worked on his leg. I left the hospital/science classroom and went to go find my brothers. I went to the courtyard and found all three of them together. I walked towards them and they turned their heads towards me and a smile lit up on their faces. I sprinted the last feet and enveloped them in a bone-crushing hug. We broke the hug and just smiled at each other, even though I was hiding pain behind mine. I watched Mike die and I miss him terribly.

Dad calls us out to the front of the school and I see that there is a service for Mike. Dad asked Hal to lead as he and Mike were very close.

Hal started the service and says,"Mike fought for his family, friends, and the survival of this world. Rest peacefully, my friend."

Dad went up and talked about wars in history and how they related to us now and said to Mike,"Rest easy my friend."

I went up there and said,"Mike was a great man and he was a great soldier. He cared about all of us and about his son. Rest in peace, my friend." I choked up at the end when Dai rolled up the flag and gave it to Rick. I was standing next to Ben and heard Rick say something to Ben.

He said,"I don't understand how people kill their own kind. We would never do that, you should know that." My sadness turned into anger at those words. This was Rick's father's funeral and he was still with the skitters as if he didn't care about his father dying.

I went to our family bedroom in the school after the service and just let my tears come down. I heard someone knock on the door and I turned my back to the door and wiped my tears away. It could be Matt and I don't want him to see me crying. I need to be brave for him. I heard an older voice and turned around thinking it was Dad or Hal, but to my shock it was Ben.

He said,"Are you alright?"

I replied,"Of course, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. I can tell you've been crying. I heard you from outside the door. What happened with Mike?" It amazed me how easily he could read my emotions.

"Ben, I watched him d..die. Do you know how that feels? I watched Mike as he literally died in my arms and then hear Rick talk bad about him. How do you think I feel?" I saw a flicker of hurt flash across Ben's features, but he hid it as soon as it came, as usual.

I told him, "Ben, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. You're the only one who knows what I'm going through." I began to cry again and I felt Ben's arms envelope me in a hug as he soothed me.

"It's alright. You have definitely been through a lot. This may sound bad, but we all have been waiting for the moment that you would let go of these emotions instead of ignoring them and taking care of us."

"Taking care of y'all helps me deal with it and not focus on the nightmares I have every night of the skitter factory."I felt Ben nod in agreement on my head.

I couldn't believe how understanding Ben was of all of this. I thanked him and then went to sleep with Matt next to me. I was ready to face the nightmares as I realized I could beat them.

A/N: Read and review everybody. I love all of yall. Thanks for reading.

Mike's sacrifice gave me strength and hope that I am able to fight this war against these Skitters.