I sighed, walking back to my apartment that I shared with Austin and Clayton and hopped over a low guard-rail and made my way up to the door. I take the hoverpad up to my room, scowling when Austin flings a pair of dirty underwear at me.

"Come on man, cut it out!"

"Aww, shut up, Jacob. You know you like it." Joked Austin. "But seriously, where were you?"

"Ugh, they had a meeting. They're afraid S-C is going to come get us. Let 'em come. I'll kick their ass." I snicker. "So, what's up?"

"Eh, the usual. Movie Monday." Shrugged Clayton, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

I smiled, and leaped over the back of the couch and landed next to Clayton. I shamelessly helped myself to his popcorn and laughed when some guy made a stupid remark. We all cringed together when the girl he was hitting on kicked him in the jewels, and all of our hands drifted to our crotches out of habit. That was such a bad hit each of us could feel it, and it wasn't particularly pleasant.

I sighed, stuffing myself with more popcorn and then leaned against the arm of the couch. The movie was okay, but I just wasn't that into it.

I thought about what I had said earlier, and about beating up whoever they sent after us and I sighed, knowing it wasn't true. I'd heard about the kind of people that they could send after us. There were some that had managed to get away from the city, and they had had to be deweaponized before they were even allowed in the city. I was acting tough, because that is what all of us men are expected to do, but I'm actually pretty damn scared.

I sigh to myself, because I am going to have to call Kiki in the morning, and tell her much I really like her because if they do send someone to get us, then I am going to make sure she knows how I feel. She's different than the girls back home, and I don't have to impress anyone out here. Not that she isn't impressive, if you know what I'm getting at.

Sleep came easy that night, though I can't say I wanted it. The guys didn't wake me up like they usually did, but this night I wouldn't have minded it. The dreams I had were scary and vivid- so real I forgot I was even sleeping and started to believe that we were on the road seemed as if all the city life was just a dream. I was in lead, and I was comfortable there. I was meant to be a leader, I knew that early on, I was just unsure of what.

Ok, so maybe I'm not really a full leader, but they listen to me, and they follow my orders unless they're completely moronic. But in this dream, every call I seemed to make was wrong, and bad. They were listening, and yet shit was going sour. First the boards cut out, and then we were being chased, and then we were being systematically torn apart one by one, and I could feel every blow and tear and rip in my muscles. And then these big creatures that had torn us apart so meticulously began to devour us, and all in the same system. It looked to be a very methodical plan thought out to consist of them eating us from the inside out. They gnawed on our legs like drumsticks, and even though we should've been dead we got to lay there in our many pieces and watch.

I woke up from the forsaken nightmare shaking and sweaty, the hairs on the back of my arm and neck tingling excitedly as I looked around the darkened had wandered to his bed at some point, but Austin remained sprawled out on the floor in deep sleep. He scratched his butt in his sleep and then moaned something along the lines of: Oh yeah baby, you know I like tha.... come on... yeah...

I sighed to myself and rolled over on the couch, stretching my legs out to loosen their cramps. My bad shoulder ached, and I carefully stretched it out. I carefully pushed my feet through the mess of food and wrappers and then used my good arm to prop under my head as a pillow. It's amazing what being uncomfortable can do to your dreams. Not that my emotions had any part in the strange, crazy dreams. I'm still in denial at that piece of that I'm particularly worried about it.

The shine of the Wall Screen flickered across my closed eyelids, and the sound of people bustling around roused me from my sleep. I glanced around, expecting to see Austin and Clayton wandering around and getting breakfast. But Austin was still lying on the floor, and the footsteps were too heavy to be Clayton's.

I stood up quickly from the couch, knocking the bowl of popcorn onto the floor and sending the little yellow puffs and kernels sprawling everywhere.

"Hello?" I never thought I'd be one of those idiots of the horror movie to go off and see what was wrong, yelling out Hello?! and Who's there?! intermittently. Yet here I am.

"Clayton?" I asked nervously, hoping it would be him. Why, for once in my life, couldn't it be what I hoped in stead of what I knew!? I sighed softly and nudged open the door to the bathroom. Please not the bathroom! The bathroom is supposed to be a happy place!

'Please don't be in the bathroom, please don't be in the bathr-' "AH!" A scream of sheer shock is ripped from my throat as a crazed S-C agent tries to grab me and tackles me to the ground. He punches me in the face and I buck my body to throw him off of me. He rolls off to the side and I kick him in the face. He grabs my arms and tries to pin them behind me back. He manages to get my bad one back, and I yelp in pain.

His grating voice sounds on my ears and I grunt angstilly in reply. He twists my arm further back and I feel the sickening pop as if wrenches out of place.

He starts shouting at me then, and I bite back the hot tears of pain.

"Jacob!" 'Austin?' Why the hell was he yelling at me like that. I could hear Clayton too, but their voices were far off. I felt cold and clammy now, and like I was... wet? How did I get wet?

"WAH!" I flailed my arms and legs, and only when I connected with the soft fleshy feel of a body did I finally wake up.

"Chill the fuck out, man! What the hell is wrong with you!?" Spat Clayton, stomping away from me.

"Dude, you were having some wicked nightmares last night. No more popcorn for you." Laughed Austin.

"Whatever man, shut up!" I swung at him lazily and flicked on the Wall Screen. There's never anything good on Tuesday mornings anyway...

Austin, Clayton, and I worked at the sports store at the mall, but we didn't work on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and weekends. Our apartment wasn't as nice as Anna's, but for three guys it worked just fine.

I rolled off the couch and set about finding myself the biggest bowl I could find. There was something about having nightmares that made a man extremely hungry.

"Man, Austin! Get your ass out here and help me clean up." There was a dish full of sinks, and literally no silverware at all left. We needed to get a Cleaner bot sometime soon.I mean come on! That's like... the understatement of the millennium.

Austin and I cleaned up for a half hour before finally calling Clayton in to help clean. He didn't mind it- in fact, he was all for cleaning up the gigantic pig-sty that we lived in. He'd been raised in a clean house and dorm, and couldn't stand living in such filth.

We even called the girls of my team up to see if they'd help, but of course we got shot down. Who wanted to help clean our apartment anyway, unless they were being sentenced to a crime?

After cleaning this place up, I think I'm not that scared of the S-C anymore. Oksy, so I'm lying. Shoot me. I mean really, shoot me. Half of me is saying that I'd rather be dead than have to face them! But the other half is screaming for me to stand up and fight.I don't which half of me I'm going to listen to, but I'm going to have to decide sometime soon. I'm not sure if they're going to find us, but if they do I'm going to have to be ready for them.

Author's Note- So- ya like? I hope so! Thank Alyssa for helping me get back into my groove. :) :D WOOT WOOT! SO- Reviews are lovely!

Lauren/Mellokai