Revealed that this attempt's nothing more than a political assassination, Johnnie's dismayed, and not only that, he's angry. Rightfully so. The senator not only used dangerous creatures, but had a gall to have a contingency plan if they made the mistake of attacking the other patients, and didn't seem fazed at the chance of that happening.

This whole thing boiled his blood as he huffed.

Cassandra aspired to be a politician.

Lewis wanted to clean up the city.

Dr. Walsh wanted a bribe and died for his trouble.

And the senator gave the orders, knowing that none of them would've gone against his wishes, else they risked a visit from the Drekker flock themselves.

Politicians sending assassins to silence opponents, not unheard of, but as the technological age slowly progressed, it's becoming difficult to hide that fact. Yet, here they were and if Johnnie didn't know any better, they'll make sure nothing stays on the internet forever. Even if someone has the proof, it's a matter of time before they're smeared or silenced, too.

It dwelled on Johnnie's mind, how many other senators willingly used the creatures for their own vested interests, and how many died from them that he didn't know about because their deaths censored in the news.

The fact this conspiracy easily went on for years, just painted a sour picture in Johnnie's mind.

It explained the hesitation in helping the sick that can't afford help and don't have means to do so. If they're sick and can't afford it, then let a Drekker find them, let it take care of them, for free in the eyes of politicians.

People who sell their bodies for money, they're refuse for the politicians, clear up any loose ends, and get rid of them in the name of politics.

It's unknown how many active flocks there are in the country, but if Johnnie had to guess, it could've easily been in the thousands if not more, and that alone just made his skin crawl.

Disturbingly, Johnnie could see people who gladly welcome the Drekker, because of some misguided attempt to make themselves feel superior over those who can't afford basic healthcare.

When they themselves are just food for the birds.

Just a matter of when and how, the Drekker will find them.

By that point, every nasty piece of karma won't even dent the things that'll happen.

Maybe then, they'll feel remorseful, as the last thing they see before they die, the ravenous Drekker, hellbent on killing them.

"You gotta help me!" Jerry begged Matt and Johnnie to help him escape.

There's fate worse than death, he agreed, but he didn't want to die with his bum hanging out in the back, and his pride exposed for the world to see. The last thing he wanted, his poor mama seeing his torn-up body on the slab, the poor medical examiner not knowing where to begin for the autopsy.

By the time they stitch him together, assuming there's anything left, he might as well be hung up and used as a scarecrow, because he knows exactly what the Drekker do to sick people like him.

They'll dig around and get what tastes the best and leave the rest to rot. With him, he knows where exactly they'll go, and he's not happy about having his cavity emptied for only his lungs.

His mama told him to stop smoking and here he wished he did, forty-six years old with lungs of a coal miner.

Now, he's dealing with possible lung cancer and a chance of having his lungs ripped out of his body.

Worse of all, if not for the medical gown, he'll be in his birthday suit.

"Damn you, you didn't have the cajones to do yourself, you don't even let me have some decent clothes on when you try to off me?" Jerry sneered as he wished the senator were here to hear it himself.

Politics, at it's basic, just kids around recess. The older kids made the rules and the younger kids either followed them or rebelled. Then you have kids like the senator who'll gladly off the other kids who don't play by his rules.

The men watch as the Drekker came closer, ready to attack at the command of the Big One as it stepped forward, eyes firmly locked on them.

With no ability to broker peace and means to escape without risking them touching the men, they're forced to watch as the Drekker hiss.

Matt's out of his league.

His cologne's only good for a couple of hours and with the sweating he's done, half that at most.

Looking down at his feet, Matt saw the poppers that he and Johnnie laid down on the ground to appease the Big One. Looking up, he struggled to come up with something to say, something to help them.

Clicking his tongue against his teeth as he's nervous, Matt looked towards the window and saw light coming from the helicopter, slowly it pans over the window, barely misses the Drekker.

"Everyone knows you exist; you think you're clever, but you're not," Matt tried to appeal to the Big One. "You can't honestly think it's easy every night hunting the homeless. They're using you for their own selfish gains. They don't care about you or your sons. If you weren't hunting the homeless, they'd just about launch attacks against you!"

Matt tried to appeal to the Big One by bringing up the fact that the flock's always able to hunt easily at night, when in fact, they're encouraged by the people in the know to do come and hunt. All in the name of cleansing their city of undesirables. If the Drekker didn't eat the sick, then they'd have more reasons to get rid of them, permanently.

"They're going to use you until it's not convenient anymore and they're going to throw you under the bus when they're done with you," Jerry had to add his two cents in.

It's known that once the Drekker grew too problematic or the cat's out of the bag, the people in the know are going to use them as a scapegoat. None of them want the public associating them with the Drekker and especially if it's found they're using them.

The Big One listened to them quietly as they pleaded.

It's not simple as it looked, even though the Big One understands them, it's a matter of how it understands them in relation to the flock.

Glimpsing towards the windows, Matt saw the spotlight looking into the hospital and in the distance, he saw lights coming on in buildings.

Johnnie noticed it and told the Big One that if it wanted to escape with the flock, it better now, because the lights are turning back on, and if they're all on, there's no hiding in the dark, and they're in trouble.

"They know your weaknesses," Johnnie told the Big One. "You think they won't use them against you?"

The Big One let a low hiss.

Johnnie never lost his cool as he stated that if the Big One wanted to leave now, they'll make a distraction so no one can see them fly away. He pointed out that they wouldn't want their prey to know their formations.

"…we…fear…no… man…" the Big One hissed at him.

Bringing up that it had a flock to worry about, Johnnie motioned with his arm as he told the Big One that it can't risk its sons.

Looking at him closely, the Big One blinked slowly and grunted.

It's an order and the Drekker stood down.

The Big One gave them permission with their plan to help the Drekker escape the impending light, but made it clear that if there's a whiff of deceit, they'll all die.

Collecting the poppers, Matt and the men used them to lure the helicopter away from the wings he and Johnnie didn't spray. They tossed them, causing mini pops and explosions as the Drekker used the cover to flee from the hospital.

Throwing the last of the poppers, Matt exhaled sharply as he turned around to face the men and froze as the Big One lingered behind Johnnie.

It caused the men to turn around to face the Big One as it lowered it's head to Johnnie, smelling him deeply, and gurgled. It's eyes narrowed as it let out a low, "…filius…"

Looking between Matt and Jerry, the Big One clacked its tongue against the beak before turning around and moving on with the flock.

It confused the men and they looked at each other before deciding that they didn't want to stick around and fled from the hospital.

As they fled outside, policemen, firemen, the whole nines, waited for them, and around them, the buildings and torchlights lit up.

The power's turned on again.

Matt exhaled sharply as he turned around to face the darkened hospital. The Drekker gone from it, fleeing before they're caught in the sea of light, and likely never to return to the city.

While questions needed answers, he didn't care to follow up.

Alysia's safe, that's what mattered most.

Johnnie got his scoop of the century with proof that the government knowingly allowed dangerous creatures to prey upon the sick.

Jerry's collaboration and his own proof would've aided Johnnie and even though he's just as guilty for knowing, even he had to have standards.

Once Johnnie brought the Drekker's presence to light, it'll be a arduous period where the world struggled to handle the truth.

Matt expected mass revolts, civil wars, plenty of discord because of Johnnie's expose on the truth about what goes bump in the night.

As for the Drekker and Sabbek, there's no doubt they'll stick around, they're not going anywhere, because even when the world knows they exist, it's an uphill battle. A bloody one.

Exhaling, Matt rubbed his eyes when he heard footfall coming towards him and arms wrapping around him. In a daze, he couldn't register in time until he saw an outline of a woman in the red and blue flashes.

"Matt!" Matt heard his name and saw plainly, Ripley, as a helicopter flew overhead, bearing light down on the scene.

Ripley looked worried as she released Matt from her grip and reached up at his face, checking it with her left hand.

"None of them touched you, did they?" Ripley worried.

Matt shook his head as he told her that none of them did and Ripley exhaled sharply before in a spur of a moment, she held the side of his face, and reached up to kiss him.

It caught Matt off-guard as she kissed him on the lips, lingering, before releasing him, and stepping back.

The kiss never registered with Ripley either, but in time it caught up to her, and surprised herself and Matt when she did it again.

Matt comforted her and when she calmed down, she told him what'd happen.

Cassandra gave up names of people aware of the Drekker.

It ranged from senators, mayors, police chiefs, and doctors.

She told Ripley that a senator had them plan out the attack on the hospital. Down to the fine details, even. The senator knew what the Drekker were capable of and planned to spin the inevitable attacks of the patients on terrorists. It's easy to plan when the people who knew the truth wouldn't dare whistle, out of fear of having the Drekker come to them next. He made it explicitly clear that the target was transferred to Mercy Hospital since it's overseen by Dr. Walsh.

Dr. Walsh tampered with the generator and plunged the hospital in total darkness. Due to the protocol and Dr. Walsh unable to suppress it, the patients began evacuating.

However, only one couldn't, and Dr. Walsh made sure that the patient couldn't escape. While he couldn't stop the evacuation, he's able to keep a patient from leaving.

"Political assassination," Ripley huffed.

As feared, the senator behind this wanted his opponent silenced and planned to use the terrorist angle to coverup his track.

She noted that because the opponent wasn't dead, seeing him in the back of an ambulance breathing oxygen from the mask, the senator's going to have a rude awakening when his plan's inevitably revealed. No chance, he'll fare better. The known suspects of this conspiracy went further than the senator himself.

"God, I was so worried," Ripley held back her emotions as she told Matt she was frightened that something happened to him.

She feared the Drekker killed him or in a rare instance, kidnapped him to become one himself, either way, she fretted with fear as she made her way to the hospital after having Cassandra confess to her crimes.

Matt placed a hand on the side of her face and rubbed it with her thumb, comforting her as he hugged her with his free arm. As he held her close, Matt gently rested his lower mouth against her forehead, caressing her as he did.

He had the sudden urge to open his eyes and glimpse up to the rooftops of the building across from the hospital. He barely saw them, but he spotted a pair of glowing red eyes, watching them from afar.

It's the Big One.

Matt watched as it turned around and disappeared in the darkness above, causing him to exhale sharply.

It's not something Matt ever wanted to deal with again.

He was fortunate Johnnie saved them and now he'll save the world with a scathing piece that'll forever haunt the minds of those guilty of turning a blind eye.

Releasing her, finally, Matt looked down at Ripley and asked her what happened on her end and she told him that she turned Cassandra's agents against her. Even though they turned a blind eye on the homeless, they couldn't turn a blind eye on a hospital, and even though they helped with the hospital, they'll pay for their crimes as much as Cassandra and those above her.

They allowed the homeless to die and thus will think about their actions however long the sentence given.

"You okay?" Matt asked her.

Rubbing her eyes, Ripley replied, "I am, now."

She shied from Matt when he leaned forward as she averted her eyes. Rubbing her eyes until they're dry, Ripley lowered her hand, and spotted Johnnie coming towards them.

His legs wobbled as he tried to stay upright, the whole situation changed his perception forever, and Matt went to talk to him.

"I think I can safely say, with all my experience, this is a world first," Johnnie's voice wavered as he looked at Matt.

Matt nodded as he motioned with his arm, thanking Johnnie for saving them.

Johnnie waved as he said that it's his job, although he'll have to update his job description to avoid this scenario ever again. He'll have a field day with the wealth of information provided among other things, that by the time he's done and passed the article along, there's no chance people wouldn't know what really went on in the world.

Remembering, Ripley grabbed from her inner jacket pocket a set of folded papers and handed it to Johnnie. She told him that it's everyone that Cassandra's aware that knew about the Drekker. She affirmed with her own statement in the matter, signed and dated.

Reading the papers, Johnnie's astounded at the names and Folded the sheets back as he held the papers, a look on his face.

"I can't believe this," Johnnie's disturbed at the length of the conspiracy.

Ripley mentioned that with the political opponent, Johnnie has a fighting chance.

Sighing, Johnnie rubbed the back of his head as he mused he'll be lucky to get a break.

Matt mentioned work's never over and Johnnie dryly laughed.

"Good luck," Ripley said to him.

He'll need it.

Johnnie thanked her and asked Matt what's next for them.

Truthfully, after all this, Matt wanted to go home with Ripley, and never leave his flat again.

"I think we did enough for the time being, yeah?" Matt wearily said.

Johnnie nods as he mentioned that with the hospital rerouting the patients, it's a madhouse, and won't settle for a couple of hours.

"Cassandra's resigning her agency, you won't hear from her," Ripley revealed to Johnnie about Cassandra.

In few words, Ripley told Johnnie and Matt that she got Cassandra to see her point, and now she's opting to resign her agency from the council. As for Cassandra, she's probably going to run and hide, but not before Ripley let it slip to some people that she allowed the deaths of hundreds of homeless.

"What about the mayor?" Matt wondered.

Ripley told him, "Oh, I made sure to say some choice words over the phone. She was nice enough to call him for me and I chatted with him about his public policies."

In a bid to appease Ripley, Cassandra called the mayor's home for Ripley, and when Mayor Lewis picked up the phone, Ripley took no time to chew him out for letting the Drekker into his city. She leaned heavily on her knowledge and warned the mayor that if he valued his head, he'll resign himself, and if he had any conscience left in his head, he'll turn himself in for aiding and abetting.

"I think I got my point across," Ripley sighed.

Johnnie mused she's got fire and Matt responded, "Oh, you have no idea!"

Ripley looked at Matt with a raised brow and he smiled at her.

The trio talked until Matt opted to leave with Ripley. The pair bid Johnnie farewell and wished him luck in his journalistic duties.

Departing from the hospital, the pair easily made their way back to the TARDIS with the lights turned on.

Matt admitted that he fled into the TARDIS, pulling Ripley inside with him, and locking the door, checking it twice.

Exhaling sharply, Matt loosened his bow tie as he admitted that he didn't know how intimidating the Drekker really were until he found himself in an enclosed space with them.

"Yeah, they thought they were just lumbering giants," Ripley spoke how easily people mistook Drekker for being nothing more. Never questioned if they were intelligent. Never questioned the moralities of allowing them to do what they do and turn a blind eye.

"Well, I can put down that I encountered them… and lived," Matt nearly undid his bow tie as he coughed.

Ripley asked if he's really okay and he affirmed once more that the Drekker didn't touch him and she exhaled sharply.

"Thanks for the help," Matt thanked her for the knowledge she gave him on them, it helped him out, and he picked up new ones regarding child-like Drekker. Not something he wanted to say, but it's something that best described the Drekker that mistook him for a brother.

"I don't ever want to encounter them again, for as long as I live," Matt admitted that he's terrified of them.

As simple it was to ward them away, they're still dangerous, especially how smart they really are, and how easily people mistaken them as oafish.

Ripley nodded as she pulled on her matted auburn hair as Matt went towards the console. He found what took them home and used it.

The air shifted and cooled. The sounds of metal sheets rubbing against each other echoed throughout the console room. When it stopped, Matt turned around to see Ripley behind him, wanting to know how Johnnie faired since they left.

Matt used the console and brought up the events that happened after they left that night.

It didn't go according to plan, that they hoped.

The political opponent that the senator tried to have killed died in a car accident with a drink driver two months after.

Johnnie never published his work. Never revealed the truth to the masses like he promised. Nothing. Instead, he went missing a week after the incident. His publisher tried calling him numerous times and sent police to welfare check only to find a stale cup of coffee on his desk and cold dinner in the oven. Everything else in the home untouched.

Talking to neighbors, they all said the same thing where they saw him go inside his home, but none of them knew if he went anywhere, as his car's parked outside. Nowhere for him to walk in a comfortable distance, it's impossible to say where he went.

One neighbor mentioned a large crow hanging around Johnnie's house and seemingly waited for him to arrive before taking off.

On a whim, Ripley asked Matt to check something for her and he did. When the screen loaded, they read off a sheet from a county office a few kilometers south of the city, and on it the county clerk wrote the count of the "black birds" for the sheriff.

Fifteen.

"You don't think…?" Matt looked at Ripley.

Ripley shrugged as she said that it didn't appear that Johnnie was silenced. She asked Matt what happened in the hospital and when he told her their encounter with the Big One, she frowned.

"I don't know how it works with them. Sometimes they see something in a person and they take them. Not to kill, but to turn them," she said.

It's hard to tell what the species' sees in a person that makes them viable. No one knew and there's no chance anyone's getting answers. If Johnnie wasn't silenced, then the Big One took him, and he's now one of the brothers in the flock. His mind altered, his chemistry, his everything. If he ever encountered Matt again, he won't see him as a friend anymore.

"They got what they wanted in the end," Ripley sighed.

Even though they tried to spread awareness, the forces that be dictated that they couldn't, and that meant Johnnie's now one of them. Once more, the world remained ignorant of what's in the darkness they can't see.

"Someone's bound to try again," Matt tried to remain hopeful.

Ripley nodded as she sighed.

She walked with him out of the TARDIS and locked it. Leaving the backroom, the two went up to her flat, and talked about what happened.

"It's not fair," Matt hated the outcome.

Ripley patted him on the back as she acknowledged his discontent. She said, "It's not. However, to the universe it is. Whether we like it or not."

Reminding Matt, Ripley told him that it's as good of an outcome they could hope for. Johnnie wasn't killed or silenced, but he's not human anymore, and now hunts the sick and lame with his brothers and his father.

"I wish we could've done something," Matt frowned.

He heard Ripley tell him that it's possible it wouldn't work. No matter what, the universe wouldn't let them change the outcome. As much as they both hated it, it's as good as it gets, and that's that.

The pair discussed their adventure until Ripley noticed the time.

It's late and she would've asked Matt if he wanted to go home, but after that, she felt better if he stayed back for the night.

Matt seemed to agree, he didn't want to go home in the dark, not after their adventure.

The pair readied for bed and ended up keeping a light on and a rosemary candle lit.

THE END