His hand closed around the algae, swimming up again as fast as he could to the more shallow water sticking his head out with a gasp able to stand and his green eyes narrowed falling on a smiling man on the rocky wearing black and yellow toying with his stuff with some algae already bagged. "Oh hey mate, name is Rocket. Nice stuff, you have there. Never seen anyone wear claws around here, seems valuable. Aren't you worried it'll rust if you go swimming with it?"

"Not when you dry it afterwards. Don't touch my stuff." The eyes narrowed further stepping closer, the water dripping off of his body.

"You have some freaky green eyes, kid. Those contacts?"

"No, they're naturally like that. Now leave or get it over with and try to rob me already." Kyle snarled.

"What a firecracker you are…" Rocket remarked, stretching his back in no hurry at all to take him seriously and leave the enormous rocks nicely heated by the sun. "What's a kid doing alone anyway?"

"Leave"

"Nah, I like sitting here. Taking a breather before zombies come this way. Have some compassion kid I've been running all day." Kyle's frown stayed, eyes shimmering with hostility bagging the algae. He would just need one more dive and he'd be done but the Rocket guy bothered him.

Crane almost stumbled leaping onto the next roof, the lake drawing closer.

Rocket's eyes shifted to the algae, Kyle glaring at him hesitant to turn back to the water. "Hey blondie, if you need to go fetch more go ahead. I'll watch your stuff, won't take a thing." The man smirked, not a sign of budging anytime soon.

"No but you know what? You look like you could use a bath." Kyle now smirked, standing in front Rocket before he could react, his right hand tightly on the man's vest hauling him into the water with the short struggle futile, Rocket dragged in with a splash. Kyle blinked, the water not easy to see in glimpsing more of the red stuff deep down and diving as quickly as he could, his lungs growing tired from the repeated dives as Rocket splashed around above sticking his head out to swim back to shore thrown in after the sudden and scary drag. They both crawled out at the same time spitting out some water and Kyle immediately rushed to his stuff bagging the last algae as Rocket stumbled to him still shaken almost falling on all fours.

"Hey Rocket, you're still there with the kid?" The voice in the radio had been lowered a little on purpose keeping it on the quiet side since Rocket had first given a call while Kyle was diving for algae. "They're almost at the lake just another minute now or two."

Crane's eyes narrowed spotting the familiar yellow and black next to Kyle both dripping wet and the man hurried faster.

'What the fuck was that?!' "Yeah" Rocket's eyes, trying not to reflect the shock and slight creeping fear from what happened, glanced to Kyle quickly slinging on his backpack and trying to dash away, the runner's eyes widening grabbing for the blonde's ankle tripping him. 'Did he hear that?! No way!' "Come on, what's the rush? You didn't have to drench me I wasn't going to-Ow!" The boot stomped down on the arms coiling back in pain, Kyle scrambling to his feet. Rocket flinched away, Kyle leaping forward as a bullet dove between them almost hitting the runner quickly getting up and running off barely missed by the other bullets while Kyle darted behind the rocks for cover crawling away trying to glance past the rocky shielding.

"Kyle! Wait! It's me, Crane!" The man shouted climbing down hastily trying to catch his breath relieved to see the blonde peek out at him and stay watching him approach. "I'm so glad to see you alright. Did the guy hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine. You look out of breath."

"Because I am. Got all the algae?"

"Yeah but you use a second to catch your breath." As if Harran itself was against it, a zombie tumbled down swiftly beheaded by Kyle before the legs even got sorted out. The kid took the lead walking along the rocks relatively zombie free so Crane could catch his breath before they rushed off just in time to avoid the arriving thugs. "You wonder if I'd do it again don't you?"

"Do I give that much away in my face?"

"Well, kinda but it just makes sense that you would with how much you worry about my safety and others." Kyle shrugged. "I won't. I'll never give up again, I vowed to myself to live. Hey Crane, I don't think you would but could you…"

"Don't worry; I'll keep your secret."

"Thanks."

Sophia's head turned to the two Kyles stepping out of her hut greeting them and Kyle took out the algae. "I hope they weren't too hard to get. Thank you. What happened to your jaw? I can-"

"No thanks. Just a little fight, it'll be gone soon. Come on Crane, we have stuff to drop off at the tower."

"First, you're going to eat." 'I'll have to grab my pay too.' The meal of cans commenced silently sitting by the fire however there was still plenty to listen to as men talked about the mysterious night runner having shown up suddenly and shortly, now gone again and the two Kyles glanced at each other knowingly.

"Well, I bet during that entire week the kid won't stay at the tower for a single day." The resident chuckled, bet placed. Rahim glanced to the guys, Kyle's arrival quite the stir with rumors of him being the son of the witch going on and the bet if Crane will actually manage to make him stay. The opinion was fairly divided with a few still grumpy about the violin but most of them had forgiven the kid unable to stay mad as he clearly drove away others to flee from pain. Pain of losing friends as his outburst had revealed and many knew how that felt. But what stuck to Rahim was how clearly Kyle stuck out in Harran yet his existence wasn't known until Crane had dragged him in with no runner ever having seem him before. It was weird to say the least.

"Alright, we grabbed everything right?"

"Yeah" Kyle replied temporally holding the drop as they hopped out before Crane took it over again having collected his payment from Tolga and Fatim being insulting pricks again.

"Be careful around Rais' guys now alright, I'm sure you've heard of the guy. The guy that got away will probably talk about you. Maybe consider dying your hair if possible or stop wearing those claws." Crane suggested.

"I need them." Kyle glanced away, pulling his hand closer instinctively balling into a fist with the silent accompanied thoughts.

"Am I allowed to know why it's so important?"

"No" The tower's entrance came into their sight. The quartermaster smiled gratefully at them for the drop, orange starting to bathe the horizon and Kyle quickly made his way to their room already wrapping a blanket around himself partially draped over his head when Crane came in. His back was turned to the man, irises of his eyes now sporting the glow watching the sun vanish and it reminded the tower's newest runner of how the zombies stared at the coming night, Kyle's bold claim of never turning echoing in his memories.

"I can't even imagine what it must feel like."

"Torn" Crane shifted his gaze back setting his stuff down on the ground to the boy having so simply answered. "Sometimes I wonder what I really am anymore. Don't know if I should say I'm human, I know I'm not them and never want to be. I'll die before I'd let myself turn."

"Well, I'm not an expert or anything but I'm going to see you as human Kyle. I've seen bigger monsters here than any super strength or glowing eyes could ever make you." Crane replied with a smile sitting down next to the blonde watching the sunset handing him a meal with the rooftop garden kicking in slowly.

"Thanks." A small smile had formed on that misery carrying face, the slender arms hugging his knees.

"So…" His voice a little lowered more making sure to have kept it down before, Crane digging a little deeper. "What's it like at night for you? For everyone else it's hell."

"It's my own miserable little kingdom. I didn't really have a regular sleep schedule anymore after losing those I cared about. Did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and to avoid thugs I spent a lot of time awake at night. I thought my strength doubled but I think now it's more like triple. I can even get a deep cut and hold them off fairly well in a sense that I can make them ignore me. Enough blood though and I'll be hunted but for that to happen someone would have to manage to find and hurt me at night in the first place. Wanna know a game I played at night?"

"Can't pass up the chance to hear about that."

"Volatile racing." Kyle grinned, Crane amazed as much as disturbed and finding himself not surprised. "I'd get my hand on firecrackers and throw them away starting the race. I'm gonna go to bed, that's all you gonna get Crane maybe you'll get lucky one more time before I'm heading out at the end of the week." The blonde flashed a cheeky smile bundling up on mattress, the claw gauntlet taking off for sleep for the first time that Crane had witnessed it choosing not to comment potentially ruffling the boy's feathers getting ready for bed himself with a smile. Despite closing his eyes, Kyle still wasn't asleep an hour in slowly cracking an eye open as his ears picked up a volatile call close by prompting the boy to get up and hastily put on the claw gauntlet as his heart beat just a little faster. 'It's that one again… the one that sounds different…' He couldn't stop himself not even trying to unable to sleep anyway as that call drew him in like a moth beckoned by the light of fire. It wasn't the first time he had heard that volatile or felt it close in the night. The glowing gaze glanced to Crane asleep for a moment, thoughts racing eliminating entry and exit points. The entry point always had someone standing there. His feet silently rushed over the floor, throwing a hat on his head keeping his head low, everything else left back in their room save for the polished metal claws shimmering in the light on his left hand. The boy had rushed to the roof managing to evade everybody, gaze shifting down the high tower. The call faded from moving away and he wanted to run after it. The legs slipped over first, right hand closing on a ledge, heart pounding the hand let go to try to catch the next ledge.

Crane's eyes fluttered open first thing on his mind being to see what they had on cans to eat, eyes glancing to the little mementos he liked to keep noticing Kyle's absence, the additional mattress usually shoved under the bed over the day empty. His eyes landed on Kyle's stuff still there save for the claws calming the man down again. He was probably just up earlier wandering in the tower. 'I should at least get a picture of the kid as memento.' He didn't like it but Crane considered that he might fail at the end of the week and the boy would disappear into the streets. However after quickly asking around for the blonde having gotten some food ready, it turned out the kid was nowhere in the tower with the asking starting up a small mini search proving fruitless. The fact that pretty much everything was still in Crane's room didn't help only causing confusion since he'd never leave it behind if he had taken off.

"Hey Crane, he's coming to the tower with zombies in tow!" Rahim skidded around the corner, everyone piling to the windows including the kids as the ones with gas tanks shambled after the blonde going up the stairs goading and cooing them with whistling and drawing drops of blood from small cuts. "What the hell is he doing?!" As scary as it was, it just as enchanting the display, the impossible feat they all saw sparking consuming curiosity with only Crane able to even guess at ideas of how he pulled it off with visible difficulty.

Kyle frowned the next zombie without gas tank kicked back, the firecrackers he took working like half of the time as it drew away those he wanted as well. 'Kids must be so bored cooped in there, this for you guys.' Kyle smiled glancing over his shoulder seeing everyone at the windows currently horrified as they had no clue what he was doing. It had been grueling to gather those six barely keeping them now shambling after him in the morning sun without the others getting in the way, the night still fresh on his mind.

The boy gazed at the volatile not so indifferent to him than others but barely, gazing back shortly once in a while, a tie still around the neck tattered and so dirty with blood and dirt it was impossible to discern what color it would've been especially in the dark. He didn't know why this one sounded different, why they would circle each other on the rare occasion or gaze, why every time he heard that one's damn call he felt the need to follow to draw closer only to be left with no answers and no sleep. That tattered tie, it was amazing it still hung around the neck destined to soon fall off from the rough handling it received now leaving the volatile once human completely without clothing. An extra gaze could be drawn from the abomination when Kyle talked before he'd pull himself away after a while sometimes followed for just few a steps.

Finally having the gas tanks sort of in one camp and close to together already turning to wander away aimlessly, his hand closed around the handgun taking a stance to dash between them. The bullets hit perfectly with a little bit of difficult weaving to get one right at the bottom sending the zombie up in the air with the so familiar fizzing sound, the infected sent flying in every direction making Crane muse that the particular activity had been a way of entertainment to the boy before. The shots drew in a few biters and two virals only ending up skidding to stop finding no target smacked by the gas tank zombies. Kyle duck and stepped away glancing up the windows to find the kid's faces no longer scared but giggling and smiling in amusement. Glancing up and away caused, Kyle to get smacked by the last one shot causing the boy to stumble away as it flew over his head exploding a stretch in front of him. The display didn't last long, Kyle heading back inside met by Crane at the ledge pulling him up with Brecken and Rahim standing beside him.

"You know there are easier ways to entertain kids." Crane commented.

"Got nothing but time anyway." Kyle shrugged with a smile.

"So you did do it for the kids?" Brecken mused, Kyle quickly glancing away with a scoff.

"It has to be true…" Blake mumbled. "Hey kid, you know the witch?"

"No"

"Then how?!" Rahim gasped, all eyes on the blonde. Kyle wasn't covered in guts so he didn't camouflage himself.

"Lucked out. Hey Crane, anything particular you planned today? There are always drops to get."

"Actually, I want to stop by the bazaar if you don't mind."

"I don't. Oh by the way, I almost forgot I picked something up on the way." The boy smiled disappearing down the ledge again to come back with a drop, eying Crane closely as the man quickly helped with the drop kinda dragged. 'I just denied that witch everyone talked about, what's he up to? I didn't lie but maybe I should…'

"Wait, if you were getting those zombies here doesn't that mean you snatched a drop at night?" Rahim blinked.

"Come on, just enjoy your surprise and stop asking questions. No way am I going to owe the tower a thing when I leave."

"You know, you're forgiven for the violin…" Brecken chuckled.

"Not gonna stay." Kyle smiled back.

'I wonder if she really did talk about him…' Crane pondered to himself, the kid right behind him as usual as they hopped down the ledge after a breakfast meal back by their room.

"Never seen anyone sell metal claws." Tahir remarked, Rocket having described the kid to them.

"I'm sure he'll love to tell us after a little chat. Whether that is the same kid that intentionally or unintentionally had my men killed claiming to want to join, we'll have a chat with him he seems interesting. That kid sticks out, Rocket pass on for everyone to look out for the boy and get him when they see him. We'll have two groups only be looking for him." Rais smiled pondering how a kid like that had been unknown for almost the entire time of the outbreak. And the man knew the only people to get into Harran would be GRE agents and the man highly doubted they would drop in a child despite what he knew about them. 'If those are the same, that's two birds with one stone… who are you?' The man smiled to himself wondering what surprise the hunt for him would bring.

"Gerritsen?" Kyle raised an eyebrow sitting on a closed barrel both at the bazaar.

"Jade's fan girl, I think that was her name. She talked a lot."

"Yeah she does if you mention Jade she's like a fountain. Fine, you got me I know her but we're not friends." Crane's eyes slightly shifted aside, the boy toying with his claws as he talked failing to notice the very girl they talked about come up behind him with a smile that declined. "We're just acquaintances only because we're both fans of Jade, nothing more."

"Just acquaintances, huh? After knowing you for over a month, after keeping your existence a secret just for your sake?!"

"Oh h-hey Gerritsen-" The air left him after sliding off the barrel turning to her, the girl having struck out with a mimicked kickboxing move catching the thirteen year old in the crotch crumbling onto the ground and curling up.

"Doesn't look like Gerritsen sees you that way Kyle…"

"You have a secret uncle now?" Gerritsen raised an eyebrow.

"He's not my uncle! Or dad!" Kyle snapped.

"I didn't even say that…"

"Would it really be so bad to be related to me?" Crane sighed, just the slightest bit having his feelings hurt. "You know what, you'd be such a brat of a nephew anyway no uncle would enjoy spending time with you."

"No nephew would ever want to spend time with a creep like you!" Gerritsen blinked, the verbal battle started now like two growling dogs refusing to quit, the baffled expression turning into amusement at their ridiculous accusations turning to name calling and her hand slyly pulled out her phone managing to have a quarter of battery left from scarce usage and having lucked out able to charge it two times before though a third time didn't seem to be in sight.

"Stalker!"

"Brat!"

"Blackmailing jerk!"

"You were starving, I had to do something idiot!"

"Anyone can have a bad week but you made it two for me!"

"You would still be biting glowing flowers if I hadn't brought you in!"

"Find someone else to obsess over, weirdo!"

"I'm weird? You ever seen your eyes? You plan to leave at the end of the week anyway!" He didn't even take note of how easily he had been dragged into name calling with the kid.

"I so will!" Gerritsen slowly backed away, the name calling continuing just a few spits longer, neither noticing her leave chuckling, smiling and giggling to herself having filmed their little childish fight. Dahlia sighed stepping closer, the entire bazaar having received free entertainment recalling Crane's inquiry of a boy.

"You need another minute?" Crane sighed having held back his words embarrassed at himself for having been pulled in offering a hand to Kyle pulling him up still hurting slightly shown in his walk.

"No, I'm fine…" Crane's head turned to Dahlia barely catching Kyle's whisper. "Sorry, you're not that bad."

"I'm sorry too, you're not completely insufferable. Hey Dahlia, need something?"

"Well, I saw your… kid that travels with you there. That is the boy you asked me if I knew right?"

"Yes, you know him after all?"

"No" Crane turned to Kyle.

"Never talked to her or taken her stuff. I didn't lie."

"I actually figured you didn't." 'So it must have to do with the bite. Somehow, Kyle reacted completely different to being bitten than anyone else. If he really doesn't turn… he wouldn't just have survived it, it gave him abilities beyond human. He could be the answer to a cure but if anyone sees how he's changed he'd end up a lab rat. I won't let that happen to the poor kid. I don't think Zere would ever hurt him but if he knew all this stuff maybe it could help. Maybe just a drop of blood could really help a cure. There is still antizin for now though maybe Zere will have a cure before it runs out anyway. If the wrong people ever saw what he can do, he'll be running his whole life I have to get him to stay at the tower and at least trust Brecken the way he does me.'

"Hey Crane, an airdrop just landed let's go get it."

"Sure" The duo left but the run didn't last long bumping into one of Rais' men just across the street spotting them back. And immediately pleading for them not to shoot proclaiming to be no longer in Rais' gang. "Why did you leave?"

"The brutality. It's too much, I can't stand it. Do you know what they make you do to join Rais' gang? Fucking human eyeballs. They force you to eat human eyeballs! It's sick man… I tried joining the Tower but because I still wear this and have nothing else they shoot at me when I approach so I had to flee." The man didn't seem to lie, real disgust reflected in his eyes at Rais' tactics. "Hey, you're with the tower right? Can you help me?"

"Alright, I'll help but first you're to help us real quick. We're going to that airdrop and we already lost time just now."

"Of course and as payment for escorting me to the tower I'll lead you to a stash of mine too."

"We have a deal." The trio rushed off to the airdrop, the lost time already having allowed for Rais' thugs to arrive but the chest were open yet, eyes shifting to Jade arriving too. With four on one, the fight was short lived and easy as they jumped them no one receiving a single scratch in the four on four match, Ahmet's eyes widening at the skill of the thirteen year old never having expected a kid to do so well and unknown to the man the blonde didn't use any perks that came with the bite in this fight. "Kyle, help Jade get the drop back to the tower, I'll go with Ahmet to the stash and see you back at the tower. Don't give me that look; I don't want to fight you on this. You'll be fine without me for a little bit."

"Fine." Kyle growled with a look avoiding looking at Jade grabbing the lighter one with some stuff put in his backpack to scale down the package size heading off immediately with the size and his best efforts to avoid even looking at the young woman making it look quite funny.

"Well, looks like you're starting to have him listen to you." Jade smiled amused at their dynamic wondering why the boy acted so aloof toward her the few times they had met.

"Barely with a ton of sarcasm given to me. He's just so hurt; he keeps closing up every time I have a little win." Crane and Ahmet left as Jade headed after the boy, Ahmet leading the way to the Holy Year Tunnel.

"Ahhh! They've already cleaned this place out. But I know one they don't know about."

"Let's get moving."

"You know, you're pretty fast." Jade remarked, the pair halfway to the tower with her taking the lead, Kyle weirdly trying to either be behind or ahead of her without giving single peep from him. Like now, he just glanced away, Jade sighing on the inside. No one at the tower had forgotten his outburst that day showing a wounded loving kid utterly afraid to be in pain again.

"I have to be, being on my own." The reply was soft almost quiet having come out of the blue after a few strides.

"Not even going to consider the tower? Is being lonely that much easier?"

"It is."

"Everything is still here. Get me to the Tower and I'll give you your share."

"Let's go."

"Being without your kid is nerve wrecking huh?"

"He's not my son. His parents are dead, I found him hungry on the street. Been trying to make him stay at the tower but all he ever does is follow me around, that kid is as sly as a fox knows exactly what I'm doing too."

"I'm sure he'll heal looks like a strong kid. Good thing you found him, don't even want to think about what Rais and his guys would've done to him if they had found him."

"I have a feeling Rais' men would've had something to worry about as well." Crane smiled more to himself with what he knew.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." Ahmet barely had time to get settled inside receiving mixed looks arriving with Crane as the kid strolled up to causing widening eyes and whispers about the bets to be exchanged. Crane had headed for a bathroom right away ruffling the boy's hair walking by feeling the familiar shot glare in his back.

"Sure, what's the matter kid?"

"Not in front of everyone. Come on." Kyle lead the way finding in an empty room yanking the man in, the tower residents watching curiously. "How seriously does Rais take kids?"

"You want to join those maniacs?!" The man gasped.

"Hell no, quiet down! I... was wondering… how he feels about someone claiming to want to join the gang. And because one of his maniacs called him on the radio and said a kid wants to join, he knows it's a kid that made the claim. I've only ever heard of the guy, never met him. Also his men got shot right after he got told that."

"Oh man… Kid… I don't even… considering they hack people up for sport, he might just try to investigate to make a bloody spectacle out of it. Does he know what you look like?"

"No, they never gave a description and they never got to. Not single one got away."

"Well, there's that at least I suppose. It's not like you're the only kid in Harran. You stick out though. Didn't mention a guess of an age either?"

"No, he literally has nothing to go on except it being a kid."

"That's good but you have to watch your back boy. That guy is fucked up. If he really does investigate, keep your head low, thugs of his might just come after you just for your shiny looks on the street so better stay with the tower. Sorry I can't really help but that he has basically no leads is really good, play that in your favor. And consider telling someone like Brecken or that Crane guy about it."

"Thanks."