Chapter 23

"The one I shot last night got replaced by someone else immediately. He keeps the tower pretty surrounded with biters too. Kyle hasn't talked to me yet…"

"Enough guns should take care of it right?" Rahim suggested glancing around the room.

"Even if you get past some guards, you'll die not even ten steps inside." Rocket remarked. "Trust me, Rais will have more guns and traps in place than you can imagine especially with how much he wanted this."

"I hate to agree but Rocket is right Rahim. The fucker tricked me before and he's keeping all of his guys at the tower from what we know."

"Brute force won't do it." Jade agreed.

"Rais knows we'll never give up on Kyle. It's a race between us breaking him out or Rais getting to him." Brecken pointed out.

"Kyle won't bend to Rais." Gerritsen scoffed, Rocket glancing to her with a knowing look. He wanted to believe that too but he had seen the kinds of things that man did.

"Maybe we don't have to get in…"

"What do you mean Brecken?" Jade spoke for everyone.

"What if we can attack from the outside?"

"Snipe the guards from further away? It would slowly get rid of them…"

"It'll be too slow, he could let it out on Kyle." Crane objected. "We can't risk the structure of the tower with Kyle inside and letting zombies in is too risky if he's bleeding… DAMN IT!"

"Sorry to interrupt but one of Rais guys came to the tower and when we shot him, this got dropped. It just seemed weird to be on him and everything about the way he acted…" On the men on guard duty came in placing a satchel on the table with the map. Jade took out the content turning out to be a camera with a sticky note on it saying 'For Crane.' Everyone shuffled around the man booting up the small electronic device, an easily hand held one nothing professional for movies nor anything tiny. Faces filled with curiosity and foreboding dread twisted into horror and disgust, Crane frozen as the rage build inside him like a consuming growing tornado watching the cruelty shown on the device. Every cry and yell from Kyle was a stab in the heart and every chant and every word out of Rais mouth tended to a dark boiling lust for blood and revenge inside of him. With a morbid need to know what happened despite the knowing that only pain awaited, Crane let the video finish, Gerritsen having been the first one to turn away unable to watch almost throwing up. The second it ended, the screams, chants, and bellows from Rais no longer echoing off the walls, Crane threw the camera against the wall with a yell full of rage and misery.

"That bastard…" Jade snarled.

Kyle slowly stirred, eyes opening as he felt groggy trying to think back to last night only to feel a wave of disgust wash over him wanting to gag at the memory, the hand cuffs instinctively broken with a yank as his right hand moved to his throat only to drop with him at the following shock. "Morning though it's a little past that." Rais smiled at him, the kid hating it wanting to recoil from the man's vicinity with his throat feeling coarse slightly sputtering as he caught his breath. No one made a move to replace the cuffs and Rais' eyes strayed to the gun his hand played with on the table placed next to the chair. "You enjoy my gun?"

"You left it lying around."

"You know that doesn't answer my question." Rais mused, watching Kyle closely.

"I will never shoot anyone for you, with any gun."

"For now but that will change. I'm hoping you could enlighten me because I was wondering if you would know what to do about a missing hand since you never worry about wounds on yours."

"Sure I will." Kyle smirked with a dark chuckle and a glint in his eyes that enjoyed another's misery sitting on the floor. "I don't know why I'm this way, why I'm lucky. You would never try being bitten just to see if you could get lucky. In short, you're fucked Rais. Should probably learn to live with your stump because that's all you will ever have now."

"And that amuses you? Well, this amuses me." Kyle screamed, shocked again glaring at Rais with a flicker of fear the man caught and Kyle tried to hide. "You're clever and yes, you're right." Tahir yanked Kyle up and shoved him into a chair pinning a hand onto the table, a dart aimed by another man as Rais got up and stepped beside the blonde twirling a knife in his remaining hand a little. "Since you're great at coming up with ideas, perhaps a little inspiration will help." The knife rushed down sinking into his hand and Kyle bit his lip to try suppressing a cry. Rais wiggled the blade a little pulling it out to slowly drag it along over his flesh and over the stab pouring with blood. "In situations of extreme pain and fear of life, humans can do extraordinary things they usually can't." He glanced to his victim's face streaked with a few fresh tears. "So a monster like you must be even more amazing to watch then." Blood painted the red and Kyle instinctively did the switch the blood eh lost as Rais carved into the hand with a cruel smile. "I suppose you're used to getting hurt here in Harran… true suffering is something we both know, we both have in common, it ties us together…"

"We have nothing in common asshole!" Kyle spat, barely stopping himself from crying out in pain as the knife stabbed in again for the insult but still giving Rais the pleasure with a yelp.

"Such stubbornness little Kyle… it's not good for you. Not now anyway only when you know your place. Maybe a finger less will give you some ideas."

"NO!" Kyle tried to yank away only, Rais ever so slightly pausing for a second and the kid tried to beg. "P-please don't! I don't know how it works, I-I swear!"

"Then inspiration will surely help."

"No, please Rais don't!" Kyle screamed frantically. "I'll figure something out; I can stop people from turning!" Kyle at a loss what else to say dropped his head on the table with a cry. He knew what this would bring now; he loathed himself for it having clawed with desperation to make Rais stop somehow, anyhow no matter the consequence. And it had worked into his instance.

"Explain." Rais smiled, the knife stopping just right above a finger. "Or… you know what you lose…"

"My blood stops people from turning. Or at least no one has turned yet when they should've… Has to be bitten first though."

"Does Crane have your blood?" It sure would answer some questions the man still pondered about the museum.

"Yes…"

"And your other specialties?"

"No-wait, d-don't! I said I'll figure something out!"

"How Kyle? How can you figure something out if nothing changes with those receiving your blood except they seemingly can't turn? Just saying you'll figure something out isn't good enough!" The knife retracted from the shaking beaten boy.

"He's a little stronger at night, that's it but it's still a change!"

'Kyle, we're coming to save you! Hold on! I saw what he did, Rais will pay!'

'Crane… please hurry, Rais is trying to force me to fix his stump and I'm scared, I don't know what to do…' Silence spread for moment between the two staring at each other, Kyle making sure not to show a flicker of emotion on his face from hearing Crane in his head barely managing to keep it down.

"You have until tomorrow morning to figure it out." Rais said in a calm commanding voice that didn't hide the threat on how far he would go and Kyle knew better than to question it. Escape would only be watched for even closer now with the blonde viable to lose limbs unless he pleased the psycho with a solution he didn't even know if it existed. Tahir let him go, Kyle jumping and scrambling away like a spooked deer from both of them just to scoot away from a thug chuckling at him as the kid bumped into the guy blowing cigarette smoke in his face causing him to cough. Rais and Tahir turned away and in frustration and anger Kyle tried to pounce despite knowing the consequences falling short a few inches as his body cried out in pain and one of the gang members chuckled at his misery curled up in pain on the floor. Rais glanced over his shoulder with a smirk and walked. Kyle didn't even care getting up even with Tahir and Rais out of sight but still close by, tears down his cheeks. 'Crane, please come fast… Rais will cut off my hand tomorrow morning if I don't fix his stump. I-I don't think I can get back my whole hand…'

'Hold on, we're coming! Just make him think you're trying so he leaves you alone until we're there and try to rest.'

"Hey…" Karim came in with some food and a water bottle, Kyle sitting up slowly narrowing his eyes on his still shivering arm trying to calm down a little. His eyes softened on Karim taking the offered food and water silently.

"We need to get going now. Rais just threatened Kyle with cutting his hand of if he can't find a way to fix his stump. Kyle doesn't think it even works let alone know how and he doesn't think Rais is bluffing." Crane announced with a growl.

"Well, then let's better get a plan together." Brecken said.

Kyle paced back and forth hoping that any second, Crane would show up now with back-up and it would end, his eyes glancing over at surrounding men and there looking for any sign of trouble ready to kill them at any opportunity.

Crane glanced back to the group behind consisting of Jade, Timur, Rahim, Rocket and Spike. The group wasn't big but Crane never expected everyone to want to jump into head-on confrontation with Rais and his men. The tower was rather silent with not even the chit chat between the two guards not even on their posts. They couldn't see over the wall if the metal gate was closed or not, probably closed. "It's too easy…" Jade growled.

'What is going on?!' Tahir grabbed the boy by the scruff giving shove to follow Rais as they headed to a balcony with other men which would give a view over the entrance. He had had heard men move things outside but got hurt the moment he tried to check what was going on visually.

"Yeah but we don't exactly have the luxury of time or Kyle loses a hand. I'll go in first. If it's a trap, you guys get back to the tower right away." Crane didn't leave room to argue, darting out of hiding and hopping up to the entrance diving for cover right by the roofed little passage right by the metal door.

Kyle's eyes widened seeing someone disappear under the little passage, certain it had been Crane, the kid's wrist cuffed with handcuffs, Tahir watching like a hawk while Rais smiled at the view below.

'Jade, you guys can come in.' The group followed and Jade's eyes widened for a moment spotting Kyle look back helplessly, Tahir happily putting a twist on the blonde's arm to keep him under pain.

"Crane, on the balconies!"

"What?"

"Crane, I can't say I'm surprised you came. I was hoping you would. I put all my trust in little Kyle to make it happen. To cry out like a puppy to you. Thank you, Kyle." The man glanced to the blonde with a smirk, Kyle's eyes widening and turning to Rais with a growing snarl changing to a drowned yelp as Tahir twisted harder. "You know, since you came all this way you could show your face to make his day."

"Stop hurting him!" Crane charged out from the protective little passage with a snarl just outside it, the group glancing to him nervously.

"Ever so protective… But you should know, Crane, that you are not capable of raising him. You don't know suffering like he does, the pain, the loss. But I know the suffering of Harran. He's a monster, capable of so much more than you would ever like him do but I can mold him, mold him into what he should be!"

"Shut up Rais, he's not a monster!"

'He'll shoot them in front of me, I just know it… I need to remember how… and let it in…' Anger built up as he imagined it. A tidal wave of rage drowned as he pictured the blood, a need to protect his new family. A drop of blood thirst, and he let it feed. Eyes glanced at the slow draw of a hidden gun from another balcony from the hanging head, the rush stronger in his veins. An urge to spill blood seeped in, the door somehow cracked open as he thought back to the stadium, listened to the moans and screeches of infected around them and Kyle stood face to face with the monster gazing back from the darkness within him. "Go to hell Rais." Kyle's head lifted revealing the green consumed by the red, the black slits of pupils tarrying to the bone, Tahir stumbling back and crashing into the wall a step away unable to hold the leaping blonde leaping past Rais onto the other balcony, the shot's aim dwarfed down to the ground with the bullet hitting the grass as claws raked over the man's throat, the man beside the fallen thug having his gut's torn with a simple slap of the spike arm while the kid tore into the next one in the same leap. Blood flowed down from the bottom of the railings and everyone scrambled into motion, Jade and co catching a glimpse of Kyle's eyes feeling chills run down their spines. Crane dove under the cover again and Timur tried to reposition for a better shot as they tried to flank the building. Rais and Tahir pressed the remote furiously but couldn't slow down Kyle only after five times getting the blonde to stumble and sag redirecting bloodthirsty red eyes to them after slaughtering three balconies. A bang interrupted the chaos a little bit, all eyes drawn to the ground except for Tahir, Rais and Kyle. Crane and the other eyes widened in horror as Vulcan screamed out, his body tossed away and his leg further away in the grass, with his blood painting the ground quickly crimson gushing onto the grass. No one moved save for the three on the balcony, Kyle leaping back onto the balcony with Tahir and Rais but failing the deadly landing with the men pressing themselves against the door, window and wall, relentlessly shocking him as Kyle tried to get up again and again with snarls and screams growing louder trying to claw at their feet.

"Stop and I'll let them walk!" Rais growled, the next claw hesitant and Kyle seemed to fight an invisible battle and green surged back into his eyes after a minute, viral screams echoing in the air from the explosion robbing Vulcan of his leg and leaving him with just second to live. Tahir quickly kicked out, boot striking Kyle in the head almost knocking him out as Rais wanted him to see Vulcan before he'd pass out pulling him up by the hair. Kyle's eyes widened and tears came, Jade and the others falling back still by the entrance as Crane told them to so and to run. "I'm coming Vulcan!"

"Crane, don't! T-the mines…" Vulcan's voice faded as life left him and Crane glanced up to Rais holding Kyle by his hair, the boy's lip busted from the kick and face bruised and Crane noticed the only reason he wasn't shot yet by other thugs taking the dead one's places was Rais stopping them. He hated it. Eyes to the grass, knowing he couldn't do anything right now, Crane crawled the short few steps with anger boiling inside him. Managing to get over the entrance, Crane leapt over promising Kyle that they'll come back.

"Clean the place up and clear the area." Rais ordered, going back inside, Tahir dragging Kyle along shoving him down on his knees further inside.

Brecken's eyes searched for Kyle and Vulcan seeing him missing, the knot in the stomach already predicting what he would hear from the dejected group coming in.

"Rais had mines laid out, and he still has Kyle."

"Well, maybe he should…" Timur glanced away getting a confused look from Brecken and a coming glare from Crane.

"What were you going to say?" His voice was calm but had anger in it.

"You didn't see those eyes Crane!" Timur exclaimed, the others glancing away from one another.

"What eyes!? What exactly happened?" Brecken looked to Crane for answers, the only one who would look him into the eye.

"Kyle attacked Rais men when one tried to pull a gun and killed them. They were in the balconies and had made the entrance a trap. Rais figured Kyle would call out to me."

"More than killed try slaughtered or maimed. Not that I feel sorry for a single one of those bastards." Timur scoffed.

"Jade… what did his eyes exactly look like?" Crane looked like he was hardly keeping his emotions in right now.

"Kyle's eyes had turned red, completely bloodshot and he had slits for pupils. Rais managed to weaken him after a couple of men, Kyle was wearing a collar and he almost got Rais and Tahir as well."

"He was just protecting us, I've seen it before!"

"Wait, that happened before?" Brecken had his eyes back on Crane now along with everyone else.

"In the stadium, when Kyle lost so much blood and would've died if that guy didn't show up with that stuff. He was slipping and we got flooded with zombies, we would've died… I couldn't protect us and something inside Kyle snapped with all the danger and our lives at stake. I basically became invisible unless a zombie got close otherwise he just charged ahead and tore into them. He was unstoppable… and he couldn't stop. Bozak could've kept him there with zombies but Kyle passed out from the blood loss which is why I could grab him and run."

"And it didn't occur to you to mention that sooner?" Jade said for everyone, disappointment in her voice.

"So now he can turn?" Brecken sighed, hand going through his hair in frustration.

"I'm sure he can't."

"Crane, we trust but you just said how something had changed with him." Rahim countered. "I want to believe that too, man, that Kyle just can't turn for whatever reason. But I saw those eyes too… it was more than scary…"

"Okay, let's just... get a new plan." Brecken said. "Crane, run that stuff by Zere and Camden and don't leave out a single detail."

Kyle paced back and forth, his body beaten though it had come down softer than he had expected from Rais but the man still made it clear he saw a victory verbally berating him for striking back and beating him yet praising him for Vulcan's death meticulous to school Kyle again on what he was and where he belonged in his speech. Outside the night let the infected rule, Kyle unable to sleep moving his pained body erratically as time ticked by running out. Just a few hours until morning. And he had no idea how to give Rais his hand back, his mind pulling frustrating blanks, claws and spikes tucked back in with eyes back to normal save for the green glow eyed curiously by the guards ever present and other curious guys still awake. The hands were exchanged for claws again frantically staring at them for an answer, the need to vomit ever nauseating when he thought about the morning as he mentally apologized to Crane in his mind for Vulcan but it never reached the man as Kyle kept the thoughts to himself without really noticing his own hesitance to try to seek comfort in Crane.

"Where are you going?" Jade's hand stopped Crane at the ledge.

"To save Kyle."

"It's dark out!"

"Been out at night before."

"Crane, stop it! Stop this!" Jade exclaimed, the risen tension pulling the guards into the conversation. "He only has until morning you'll never get past the guards."

"Jade I can't just stay here and do nothing! Don't you get it, Rais will fucking hack off his hand!"

"I do get it! But you're no good to Kyle or us if you're dead!" Crane glanced away as did Jade neither moving.

"I can't keep failing him…"

"You will really fail him if you die… trust that he can somehow get his hand back… it wouldn't be too far- fetched with him. We'll save him. Without losing more lives." After a moment of silence, Crane spoke again.

"Thanks Jade… you'd make a better parent than me right now…"

"No, I'm just less reckless. Try to get some rest."

"Three hours left!" One of the men mocked.

"Someone is going to lose a hand…" Another chuckled, Kyle turning to them with a snarl, the cocky duo making point to flash the remotes to further annoy him.

"I won't!" Kyle spat, his heart dropping in his stomach at the words and the boy glared at a thug blowing a puff of smoke from a cigarette in his face. Kyle's narrowed eyes widened suddenly realizing he hadn't coughed. No, he didn't even mind.

Was a smoker among the ones he had torn apart? He couldn't recall, but he knew he never cleaned off the spikes, just pulled them in as he did with his claws. Where did the blood go when he pulled them in? Did he take it in? Did he have their blood in his veins? He had witnessed what a blood transfusion could do a person, he had seen a relative change from one becoming a sudden smoker when he had loathed cigarettes beforehand. His eyes wandered over the guys amused at the boy's sudden fearful behavior even though they didn't know the cause. These guys were monsters. Cruel. Cold. Bloodthirsty. Willingly ate eyes to join a murderous gang. Horror snuggly settled in as his thoughts kept spinning and Kyle tried to redirect to his hand, or rather Rais' demand of a hand. They were out again and Kyle scratched them watching the blood drip onto the floor, running over his wrist down to his elbow. 'I don't know what to do… I'm scared…' His tired eyes trailed the blood as a desperate thought came to mind and the boy lengthened the cut down past his wrist moving his arm watching the blood pull from the monstrous claw hand with the blood of his pale human arm. A tiny ray of hope shined on his heart as he rushed to Karim, the only person he willingly talked to, frantically asking for a cup. The others watched as Kyle did it again and again watching it fill the cup sitting on the dirty floor with his legs crossed, watching intently as he clung to his only idea dreading the morning.

"Hey, there you are. We're having a meeting." Crane found Rahim on the roof watching the sun rise. Yesterday had left everyone ragged and spinning with thoughts.

"I don't ever want to turn into one of those things. Kyle gave me hope that I wouldn't, Crane."

"Me too and we won't. Kyle won't turn."

"You say that but you don't know. I'd bet money even you are scared. What's going to be the next surprise in Kyle in the next bad situation?"

"I don't know." Crane admitted. "But hope is all I have, I don't have a fucking paper slip with a magic answer. At least Zere isn't convinced Kyle is a lost cause yet."

"Yeah, he's just clueless like Camden I've heard the rumors." Rahim scoffed but softened. "So how has hope worked out for you?"

"With that kid, every time so far."

"Well, then it's probably a safe horse to bet on. Come on, we'll be late for that meeting. I want to present my freshest ideas in kicking Rais in the ass on the table and getting our family back. If I ever get more moves, I'll need a teacher."

"Me too, kid." 'Thanks everyone, for still trusting Kyle.'

"I hope for your sake, you have a solution." Rais smiled, Kyle taking an instinctive step back as the man approached, a look from Tahir warning him to do as he was told. "Sit down." Kyle did so, Rais running a finger over the top. "So?" The blonde didn't answer instead taking out the claws, the cup on the table having been cleaned, quickly doing the cut from hand to below his wrist as fast as he could. Rais watched with interest as Kyle nervously watched his blood drip into the cup, eyes shifting between his enemies. "What is this?"

"I can't fucking explain it, just wait a minute!" 'Damn that was unhinged.' A hand motioned for Tahir to do nothing for now and after the cup was half full, Kyle pushed it over to Rais changing to hands, half of the cut past the claws still there. "You have to drink it. Shouldn't be a problem for an asshole like you who's into fucking eyeballs…"

"You know, I didn't expect you to execute people for me on the second day and be sunshine about it but I do demand respect. Now. Today. Watch your tongue from now on. You can address as me as your boss or master. Or simply Rais. Nothing else. You, come over here." The man walked over, Tahir pinning the hand in no time and the machete rushed down cutting it off. "Drink this. You didn't really think I would just drink it without testing it on someone, did you Kyle?" Kyle didn't answer, the thug crying in pain at his bloody stump taking the blood. Every gang member tried to see, curious as much as their boss himself watching their fellow member down the blood. A minute passed with nothing happening, the man simply bleeding out and Rais turned back to Kyle trying to jump away but Tahir pinned him, arm pushed onto the table with his hand pinned.

"W-wait, i-it's different for everyone it could work for you! Please, don't!"

"I'm sure, you'll do fine with one hand I certainly won't abandon you for it." Rais raised the machete again but paused as the now second stump bearer screamed and a tendril grew out of it morphing into two brittle fingers, the whole ordeal taking minutes as pain ravaged the man. Rais lowered the machete, smirking as Kyle twitched in the chair with the blade embedding on the table just a brush from his finger. "I do not want whatever that disgusting stuff is but I see it takes effect."

"It's slow, c-can't you see that? That look like it could take hours or days." 'Whatever the fuck that is…'

"Take him outside." Rais ordered, pushing the cup to Kyle. The man knew exactly what he demanded from the blonde, fully aware that Kyle was indeed clueless and only the fear of losing his own hand pushed him forward. "First, you'll tell me what you're leaving out. You're hiding something. You have five attempts."

"I told you it's different for everyone!"

"How do you know that?"

"I…" 'Damn it, I need a lie'

"How Kyle!? Alright, first finger goes off then!"

"Crane has telepathy, Rahim, doesn't!" The knife stopped barely in time just above finger. 'Shit, why did I say that first!?' "I burned my bite shut! It had gashes as well, I was bleeding out! All I could think about was surviving!" He wished Rais would stop from what he said first but knew the man wouldn't.

"A burn to stop bleeding out, something we have in common…" Rais mused wondering to himself where that burn was clearly hidden by clothing. "So Crane has telepathy…" He mused over the idea of having it himself, the way he could antagonize the blonde knowing he didn't want to walk to him and even though he focused his attention on him, Rais had another sinister plan cooking in the back. "Fill the cup again, make it full. 'If it stops others from turning if they are bitten it should still do nothing if it achieves nothing to get me a hand." Rais knew it would always endow risk the way he went about this, the only risk free way would be to know every detail about Kyle and how it worked and that he certainly couldn't find out here. Kyle did as told, his heart pounding in his chest watching the man down it with silence filling the room as everyone watching in anticipation and Rais watched his stump taking the cloth off burning with the desire to want his hand back and wave such a victory into Crane's face, a little glad that the man wasn't dead yet to drag out his suffering. Again, nothing seemed to happen but not a complete minute had passed before Rais grabbed his stump feeling something curse through his veins as Kyle watched intently and desperately wanting it to work afraid to lose his own hand. The man grit his teeth with a grunt refusing to scream out pulling his lips into a snarling smile watching for a hand to form which did suddenly burst forth in a grotesque bloody fashion throwing the man into a hysterical laughing fit looking at the volatile hand only for it to stop with the abrupt withering of the hand. The hand reverted in a withering fashion almost looking like it crawled back into the stump and Rais' eyes widened in rage, silence falling as the pain stopped and the man was left with a clean stump with no wound, smooth skin over once broken flesh. He couldn't feel any problem, not a trace of pain in the limb except he didn't get his hand back like he had wanted. Rais turned his gaze to Kyle, Tahir pinning his arm and hand, eyes begging for the man to spare him. The blonde was terrified and Rais liked it as much as he was angry right now, he didn't forget the fact that he had a clean stump there right now with risk of an outside infection gone and really did believe perhaps Kyle's blood could stop others from turning based on what he had seen and what he had wrung out of the kid.

"Please, a-at least you have a clean stump, that's fucking worth something!"

"True… I'll give you this one; I'm impressed you managed this. One day I'll figure out how you can give me exactly what I want." Rais smiled, glancing to his clean stump once again. Tahir let the kid go, just tiredly dropping his head in his arms instead of jumping up from the chair morbidly wondering if that would how he would be threatened every time now. He was tired and hurt, his leg still giving a limp from being beaten so much and with the pressure of giving Rais a hand gone Kyle didn't mind just biding his time for now to get better. "Crane didn't come in time, I'm sure you included your deadline in your plea." Kyle's eyes widened at Rais' verbal stab and narrowed again hatefully.

"Shut up, Rais. Just once shut your fucking mouth. Crane won't abandon me." 'Fuck, why did I let him rile me up so easy…' Kyle grit his teeth, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a scream curling up on the floor gasping for breath after it stopped.

"The Tower is no longer your home, it never will be again. You think they'll ever want you back after seeing you yesterday?"

"Maybe they won't but I've been in the streets before." Kyle scoffed though he chose his words carefully.

"Put this on, it's cut to your size. Perhaps dressing in the right attire of your new home will help." Kyle didn't move knowing every time Rais got his way he lost a little bit even though he knew the importance of biding his time for now.

"Fucking zombies!" And infiltration attempt from another spot had gone wrong and once guns were fired, they had flocked forcing the group back. On top of that, even though Crane had survived a bullet hail twice before he knew it was foolish to challenge such luck, the guy's thugs seemed to have taken up a course in strategy first lining the firing range with molotovs to make a fire barrier and then quickly add a bullet hail to ensure zero survivability along with some propane tanks littered in the streets around the garrison for a quick boom. 'Kyle, did he cut off your hand?'

'No, but the stump won't kill him in the long run anymore.' His throat hurt, eyes looking down on the clothes he hated as he kept his next thoughts from Crane. 'Fucking Rais… fucking choice…' Between being forced to walk naked or this, he had taken this. He hated himself. For liking it. The black sleeveless top with the yellow stripes because he liked the color combination and loathed for what it stood here. His boots he had kept, the pants black as well with a general military get-up look to it on the whole. Eyes strayed to the polished metal claws on his hand, not even the fact that he could slash open guts in the blink of an eye helping him right now though Rais and him both knew removing them didn't change that fact. At least Rais didn't know the story behind these yet. And as long as he didn't ask or Kyle made him curious having him think the kid just liked them out of looking cool, Rais wouldn't know. And Kyle had no intention to share an account of his past. He had to hide to hide any little bit Rais got to him, a wound slowly opening that he didn't want to acknowledge Rais had created. 'But he might still fucking interrogate me at some point anyway. I need to get out. And Crane is going to need help getting in; he's probably going to try playing it somehow safe so I don't get hurt. More hurt anyway. At least Rais and Tahir left me alone for a while now. He's kind of gone a lot… I thought he'd try breaking me 24/7… I have to find out what he's doing.'