Ephraim didn't wake up until the afternoon. Groggy and heavy-headed, he opened his eyes to see Mia sitting on the end of the couch at his feet. She was asleep, curled up with her knees at her chest, her head tilted to the side and strands of hair fallen in front of her face. The sight of her made him smile. He was happy to see her, though after days of solitude in this lifeless building, he would've been happy to see anyone, but especially her. But the feeling of comfort was soon replaced by one of shame as he recalled the previous night.

As he sat up on the couch, his movement startled her and she jolted awake.

"Good morning," Ephraim mumbled exhaustedly.

"It's not quite the morning," she yawned.

"What time is it?"

"Mid afternoon, I guess."

Ephraim sighed, squinting his eyes and rubbing his throbbing temples with his hands. "You've been here the whole time?"

"Yeah, and Malaika too."

"Where is she?" Ephraim looked around the room. "She better not be touching anything in the lab," he grumbled.

"I don't think she can mess up the lab any more than it already is," Mia chuckled. "You know, she was the one that helped you off the floor last night."

"Ah geez," Ephraim muttered, holding his forehead in his hand. "I could've done without the reminder. It's definitely not my proudest moment." He pulled the blanket to the side and swung his legs over the side of the couch. He let out another exhausted sigh before propelling himself to his feet. He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, which he sculled like a man who's just been rescued from the desert. When he finished, he put the glass down and stood leaning on his hands over the bench.

Mia stood up from the couch and slowly made her way towards him.

He glanced at her and then lowered his head in shame. "You probably think less of me after last night."

"No, of course not," she intoned with slight outrage.

"Look, you don't have to pretend. I know how this looks; how it makes me look. I know you're probably thinking…"

"Eph," she cut him off. "It's okay," she emphasized with reassurance. "Everyone has their own battles, and sometimes you lose; sometimes you break. It's nothing to be ashamed of. You just get up and fight again the next day."

"But I gave up, that's the problem. Maybe I just thought there's nothing left to fight for," he murmured.

"Eph…" Mia's face suddenly showed a stern expression. "Who's Kelly?"

"What?" he gasped at the mention of the name.

"Last night, you called me 'Kelly'. Who is she?"

Ephraim bowed his head. He didn't like to talk about her; he never did. "She was my wife…" He stood silent for a moment, and then let out a deep sigh. "We were divorced long before any of this happened. And I had son – Zack. He would've been ten this year…" He closed his eyes and rubbed them, shaking his head. "This is gonna sound crazy… but tell me something – do you believe in ghosts?"

"Ghosts?" Mia perplexed, taken aback by the unusual question.

Ephraim chuckled to himself. "I… uh…" he paused. "I see their ghosts..." He winced at his own words, realizing how ridiculous it sounded and wondering if he'd really gone mad. "They keep haunting me. But every time I see them, for some reason I just can't see their faces, like it's always a blur, or hidden in the shadows. And all I want is to see Zack's face again…" his voice faded as it started to break, and he took a moment to recompose himself. "I was never there for him when he needed me, and now it's like this is my punishment."

Through his voice, Mia could feel his pain. She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"They're not ghosts, Ephraim," she said softly. "They're demons. And they're only here to drag you down to hell. But you can't let them. If they were really the spirits of your loved ones, they would tell you to forgive yourself and move on."

"Yeah, well you don't know my ex-wife. She probably is a demon," Ephraim chortled, remembering all the heated arguments they had, and the way she would yell – sometimes he could really see the Devil in her eyes. But he never blamed her; he always knew it was his fault. "Do you have family?" He looked at Mia.

"No," Mia shook her head. "Doctor Price was probably the closest thing I had to family."

Ephraim looked at her face. He found himself lost in her eyes for a moment – in their deep expression. Then he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I've been meaning to show you something. I mean, I know you can't see… but… come here." He took her hand and led her to the window on the other side of the room. Then he gently placed her hand upon the glass. "There's a garden down there. It's overgrown with weeds and shrubs – it looks kinda nice… in a wild wasteland sorta way. But as you look down from up here, right where your hand is on the window, there's an old oak tree."

"I know the one," she said, as she ran her fingers across the cold, smooth glass.

"I wanted to pay my respects, and maybe bring you some closure. So I took the liberty of digging a grave and burying Doctor Price in front of that tree. I know he deserves better, but…"

"No," Mia smiled, "it's perfect."

"Come on, I'll take you down there."

The earth was soft and damp underneath her boots, cushioned by a blanket of dead leaves. The air caressed her skin like a cold hand, and there was a freshness in the scent that you couldn't find in the city; it was the smell of nature – rich, damp and earthy. The sunlight filtered through the overhead branches, producing broken specks of light in the dusky shadows. It would be the last rays of light for that day – dark clouds were rolling in.

They stood in silence in front of the mound of dirt. Neither of them knew what to say. Mia reached into her pocket and her fingers touched a folded-up photograph. She closed her eyes. There were no tears, just darkness.

I never lived until I met you. I never knew love, or kindness. I was broken and in pieces, but you put me back together. My world is darker without you, but I know you wouldn't want me to give up. I'll keep fighting, Graeme. I promise you. You were the one that taught me be to be strong.

Thunder roared in the distance. The wind picked up and the air grew colder, and a dark shadow cast over the sky.

"Looks like it's gonna rain," Ephraim commented, looking up at the sky. "Come on, let's get back inside."

Mia stood unmoving and unresponsive, as if she did not hear him.

"Come on," Ephraim tried again, softly touching her arm. "I gotta get back to work."

She turned to him this time. "You're going back to the lab?"

"Yeah, I gotta clean up the mess and start over," he sighed. "It's been three weeks and I'm not getting any closer." He frowned in frustration. "I just can't get it to work."

"Neither could Doctor Price…" she muttered softly.

"You don't understand; he was so close!" Ephraim exclaimed with a tone of urgency. "I mean, his formula was almost there!"

"Then where did it go wrong?"

"It's us – our bodies. I discovered that after a while, our body starts to reject the vaccine. It recognises it as a foreign agent and starts producing antibodies to fight it. Our own immune system kills the vaccine!"

The look on Mia's face was not surprise or disappointment – it was almost indifference, as if she was fed up with the whole idea of finding a vaccine. She stared down towards the ground in front of her, where the only man she ever loved now lay beneath the earth.

"If I can figure out a way around it," Ephraim continued, "then I can get it to work."

"No," Mia shook her head. "Come back to the city with us, Eph. You need a break."

"I can't. Every minute that I'm not working on this, we're further from finding the vaccine."

"But look at what it's doing it to you. It's making you…" she paused.

"It's making me what? Crazy? Is that what you were going to say?" There was annoyance in his tone.

"No… it's just that… what if this is a waste of time?"

"Finding a vaccine is a waste of time?!" Ephraim cried, outraged.

"We don't even know if it's possible!"

"So you don't believe I can do it, is that it?"

"That's not what I said. Eph…" Mia put her hand on his arm, "this is consuming you, just like it did Doctor Price. Maybe it's time to stop…"

"Don't tell me to stop doing my work!" he snapped, shaking off her hand.

Mia stood back, stunned by his sudden outburst.

Lightening cracked the sky and thunder followed, louder this time, directly above them. Then within seconds, rain started to pour – it didn't even start softly; there was no soft drizzle to ease into it. It simply poured.

Mia didn't move. The rain fell on her like she was a statue, and her eyes had grown as distant as a painting. Her hair was becoming wet, and the drops of water running down her cheeks looked as if they were tears. There was a slight tremble in her bottom lip as the icy water touched her skin. She looked helpless as Mother Nature bestowed her wet lashings upon her. Ephraim quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he put his arms around her and walked her back towards the building. He could feel her shivering in his arms. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm sorry."

The sound of raindrops drumming on the roof resonated loudly inside the building. Mia always found the sound soothing. She could have just closed her eyes and listened to the rain, and let her mind wander away. But Ephraim squeezed her shoulders as he turned her to face him.

"You were right," he said. "Maybe I do need a break. I'll come back to the city, just for a couple of days."

She gave him a faint smile. "Ok..."

At nightfall, they left the research facility and drove back towards the city. The rain did not cease and the night was unusually dark, with not a single trace of light other than the headlights of the car. Clouds had covered the moon and the stars. It wasn't until they reached the border of the safe zone that they saw the lights of the city in the distance.

As they drove through the streets of the city, all was dead and silent; there was not even the sound of guns or screams, unless the rain had drowned out the sounds. Just blocks away from the warehouse, Ephraim turned down a narrow street and suddenly stopped as a military vehicle was parked ahead.

"Shit!" Ephraim muttered under his breath. "What the hell are soldiers doing out at night?" He looked at the vehicle sitting silently ahead. "Maybe they haven't seen us."

Then suddenly, the car started its engine and drove towards them.

"Shit!"

The car stopped directly in front of them and then blazed its bright headlights. The glare caused Ephraim to shield his eyes with his hand. Even Mia squinted and turned her head in discomfort from the light. The brightness blinded them and they couldn't see a thing. Amidst the sound of the rain they heard a car door close, and another. Then, Ephraim heard a tap on his window.

"Get out of the car," a voice firmly commanded.

"Let's just do what they say," Ephraim whispered to the others.

Slowly, Ephraim and Mia opened their doors and stepped out of the car. As soon as they got out, they were greeted by two soldiers who harshly grabbed their arms and dragged them to the side of the car, and pushed them up against the car next to each other. There were just the two soldiers, and somehow they hadn't seen Malaika in the back seat, nor did she make any attempt to make her presence known.

"Look, we're just civilians trying to get home…"

"Shut up!" one of the soldiers barked at Ephraim. "Where did you get the car?"

"We found it…"

Mia stood silent as Ephraim talked.

A young soldier, who looked merely a boy, stood back with his rifle aimed, while the older soldier, a harsh-looking man in his middle age, interrogated with an intimidating presence. He stood close in front of Ephraim and looked him up and down. Then he moved onto Mia. Her head was lowered, but he grabbed her cheeks with his hand and forced her head up. She gasped at his forcefulness. He looked at her face and smiled. Then he moved back to Ephraim.

"You know civilians are not permitted to have vehicles."

"I know. We were caught in the storm and we just wanted to get home safely. We made a mistake; we didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"Get home, huh? From where? Where were you tonight?"

Ephraim was suddenly lost for words. He couldn't think of an answer that was both believable and not a violation of the law.

"We were looking for my dog," Mia thought quickly. "He ran away earlier. We were just trying to find him."

The old soldier turned back to the young man. "Search him," he motioned towards Ephraim. Obediently, the young soldier lowered his rifle and began to pat down Ephraim. Then the old soldier pushed Mia up against the car and ran his hands down the side of her body. She flinched at his hands and shut her eyes tightly, but she forced herself to comply.

"Searching for your dog, huh?" He found the gun inside her pocket and pulled it out. He opened the clip and saw that it was loaded. He smirked to himself. Then he pressed the gun under her chin and pushed her head up. "You need a loaded gun to look for your dog?"

Mia could feel his breath on her face and she tried to turn her head away. Her heart was pounding.

"Hey, leave her alone," Ephraim interjected. "The gun's just for her protection…"

The soldier let go of Mia and turned to Ephraim. He grabbed Ephraim's collar and pulled him forward, then rammed his fist into his stomach. "I wasn't talking to you," he barked.

Ephraim hunched over, paralysed by the hard blow and gasping for air.

"Stop it!" Mia cried, trying to step in front of Ephraim.

"Shut up!" He grabbed her hair and dragged her to the front of the car, and then threw her over the bonnet. He pressed the gun to the back of her head.

Malaika watched silently from the back seat, and as soon as she found a moment of opportunity, where the soldiers were distracted, she flung open the door and ran as fast as she could away from the car.

"What the fuck?!"

It took a moment for the soldiers to register what was happening, allowing Malaika to make some distance before they opened fire. The first few shots missed. But then the next bullet caught Malaika in the shoulder. She let out a cry of pain as she stumbled and fell to the ground. But she immediately got back up and jumped through the window of the building next to her. The young soldier went to run after her, but the old soldier stopped him.

"No, let her go. I need you here. Next time, check the goddamn back seat!"

The rain started to fall heavier. The streets echoed a cacophony of pelting raindrops, and a hazy mist had rolled in through the grotesquely beautiful wasteland city. Everyone had become drenched, but it was the least of anyone's concerns. Mia trembled as she lay across the bonnet of the car, her cheek pressed firm against the cold, wet metal as drops of rain splashed on her face.

"We… we should arrest them," the young soldier faltered, clearly nervous and uncertain about the situation.

"Well go on, arrest him."

The young man grabbed Ephraim's arm and twisted it behind his back, then walked him towards their vehicle. But the old soldier, with his gun still pointed at Mia, did not move.

"What are you doing?" the young man asked. "Aren't you going to arrest her?"

"Take him back to base. I'll be right behind you."

"But shouldn't we bring them in together?" the young man looked at him questioningly.

"She was armed. Where do you think she got the gun? I have to interrogate her."

Ephraim's heart sank. He knew this was not protocol. And the young soldier, whose face twisted in disgust, was also not naïve to what was happening.

"But Sir…"

"Are you questioning your commanding officer?"

"N… no sir…"

"Then get in the car and take him back to base. That's an order!"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ephraim outraged. "Your job is to protect the people!"

"Protect the people?" the soldier laughed. "Well ain't that a cute idea! No, our job is the protect the system. To ensure order! And the two of you just broke that order. Take him away!"

"No!" Mia cried, standing to her feet in panic, unconcerned about the gun at her head. The soldier tried to grab her but she desperately fought off his hands.

"Mia!" Ephraim struggled free from the young soldier's grip.

She ran towards the sound of his voice and he caught her in his arms. But as quickly as she broke free, the soldier grabbed her again, holding her tightly around her waist. Ephraim tried to hold onto her but the soldier pulled her from his arms. She reached out her hands towards him, her eyes wide with fear and desperation. The young soldier regained his grip on Ephraim and started to pull him away, but Ephraim reached out and managed to grab Mia's hand.

"Eph!" She cried his name as she desperately held onto his hand, her nails clawing into his skin.

"Mia!" Her hand was starting to slip. "Don't do this!" Ephraim pleaded. "You're soldiers! You're fucking soldiers! Mia!"

"Ephraim…"

He felt her fingertips slip out of his hand, and then the butt of a rifle at his temple, and everything went black.

There was a loud banging on the warehouse door – loud and relentless like there was a matter of urgency. Desperation, even. The eager and persistent fist rattled the door so loudly it was as if the whole building quaked. From across the room, Vasiliy looked at the door and then shot Quinlan a look of uncertainty. But Quinlan gave no second thought before approaching the door, as unconcernedly as if it had been a cat mewing outside.

Quinlan opened the door and in front of him stood Gus, with panic on his face, drenched in rain and breathing heavily.

"There's a breach…" he huffed. "Northern border…"

"Catch your breath and tell me what happened," said Quinlan.

"There's no time!" Gus exclaimed. "Hundreds of them! The infected… they're getting into the fucking city, man! You have to go, now!"

No sooner than he said those words, a loud wail tore through the night. Not even the storm could drown out this sound. It was the city's distress siren – the sound that sent chills down everyone's backs. It was the call of Death, and it mean that Death was on its way.

Even Quinlan paused for a moment at the sound. Then immediately, he went inside and grabbed his weapons, and rushed out into the night. Across the road, a truck was parked with its engine running and the hunters standing around it. There were looks of shock and horror on their faces, like they had witnessed something unimaginable. Then as they saw Quinlan, they reanimated with hope and relief, like he was some sort of savior.

As Quinlan made his way to the truck, he heard someone screaming his name. He looked down the street and saw Malaika running towards him, clutching her shoulder with her hand. He could smell blood.

"Quinlan!" she screamed.

"What happened?" he asked, grabbing her arm as she ran to him. His eyes were intense, staring at her. "Where's Mia?"

"Soldiers... Soldiers have her."

Quinlan's heart raced. Tension seized his body. He looked back at the hunters, who were staring at him eagerly.

"Quinlan!" Gus yelled over the loud siren. "We gotta go!"

Quinlan looked at Gus and at the hunters; he could see their desperation. They were calling to him. The city was calling to him, and the wail of the siren was her cry for help. It was not his responsibility to help, but perhaps he was the only one who could. He clenched his jaw, fighting the decision he had to make. Then, with fire in his eyes, he turned to Malaika. "Take me to her."