"You're not going to take your armor off before you go to sleep?" Red asked as she laid down on her bed.

"No." Alec laid flat on his bed, removing only the weapons he carried.

"That can't be comfortable."

"It isn't"

"Then why not take it off?"

"I have my reasons." Alec said nothing more, in spite of a few more attempts by Red. Resigned to the fact she wasn't going to get anything else out of him, she dozed off.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Footsteps. She could hear them behind her. No matter how fast she ran, the steady thump of footsteps were close behind. She didn't dare look back. She didn't want to know what was chasing her.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Run. Run. Don't stop. Run. As she ran she could see corpses strewn across the landscape. Corpses. Corpses of what used to be her friends. They were everywhere. Their eyes stared up at her accusingly as she ran. Ahead of her she could see more corpses; but these were standing up, a walking toward her.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The steps were getting closer. She had nowhere to run. The corpses where reaching out. Trying to grab her. Just as there rotted hands were about to touch her the thumping stopped and she screamed.

Red shot awake. Sweat covered her entire body. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm herself down.

'A dream, just a bad dream.' She continued to repeat it to herself. Eventually, her heart beat slowed and she felt calm enough to step out of bed. As she did she looked to Alec's bed. Empty. Once she had dressed herself she stepped outside and looked around. A thick fog and a dark mood had settled over the settlement. People moved about armed and everyone she saw had the same grim expression.

"You're awake."

Red jumped at the voice and whirled to her left. Alec was leaning against shack, staring into the fog.

"Sheesh. Yes I'm awake."

"Good." Alec casually tossed something toward her. Once she caught it she saw it was a mutfruit. "Come with me." Alec started walking in the direction of the gate. Red followed, munching on the fruit as she walked. "The Gunners will probably attack as soon as the fog lifts."

"Why not attack in the fog?" She asked in between bites. "The fog would make good cover for an attack."

"True, but it's good cover for a defense as well."

She thought about that for a moment, then nodded her head. "If we can't see them, they can't see us."

"Correct." Once they reached the gate Alec walked up one of the guard posts and surveyed the landscape. For a few minutes, the only noise was Red standing beside him, finishing her mutfruit. She wiped the remaining juices off on her clothes and looked out into the fog. She could only see a few feet in front of them. She looked back at Alec. He hadn't moved or spoken since they reached the post and the silence was getting unbearable. After several more minutes she couldn't take it anymore; but just as she opened her mouth to speak, Alec interrupted.

"If you are going to survive, you must learn to be patient."

"What?"

"You easily become impatient and frustrated."

"I… what are you talking about?"

Alec turned toward her. "You."

Slowly, the pieces fell into place. "This was a test?"

"Yes."

Red suddenly felt a bit ashamed. If this was a test, she had just failed. Alec continued.

"You must be patient when fighting raiders."

"I understand."

"Good." Alec returned his gaze back to the outskirts of Nordhagen while Red mulled over the moment in her head.

Something stuck out to her about her whole situation. He had called it a test. He was teaching her like she was a student. As she continued to think it over she decided to voice a question.

"Why are letting me tag along with you?"

"You told me you were coming with me."

Red rolled her eyes. "Yes, but you seem like a loner to me and Gwen even said you usually work by yourself." Alec turned back toward her as she continued. "You wanted me present at the meeting to plan the defense and you brought me here to teach me something. Why?"

Alec seemed to consider the question. Although she couldn't see his eyes, she could feel him looking down at her. It made her uncomfortable but she refused to turn away. As she stared back at him she noticed that his helmet and armor had a cobbled together look. After a few moments Alec broke the silence.

"I've been hunting for years. I've become good at it. However, during those years I realized that I can only do so much alone." He turned toward the center of Nordhagen. "There is also less room for error when working alone. One mistake could be the end. I realized I needed someone to fight with me. Someone to teach."

"An apprentice?"

"Yes."

"But why me, specifically? You don't know me. How do you know I'm the right person to teach?"

"I don't, but you were willing and you had some skill. You also had something important. Something that could be molded into something dangerous. It is the same thing that drives me to keep fighting."

"What?"

Alec looked at her. "Hate."

Red didn't know what to say to that. Thankfully, she didn't have to. At that moment, Sarge called out to him.

"Slayer! Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Wordlessly, Alec left, leaving Red with more questions than answers once again. With nothing else to do, she left the guard post and found a bench to sit on, next to one of the many shacks.

'What have I got myself into?' she thought to herself. His final word stuck with her. Hate. In the short time she had known him, Alec had shown very little emotion. But if he was telling the truth; there was something frightening underneath. And what of herself? True, despite being a former raider, she hated raiders because of what Slash had done to her. Did that mean she would become like him? And what if he found out? What would he do?

"Mind if I sit?"

Lost in her thoughts, Red hadn't seen Gwen walk up to her. Instead of the casual clothes Red had seen her wear yesterday; today, Gwen was wearing a metal chestplate and helmet. In her arms was a double-barrelled shotgun. Red shook her head.

"Nah, go right ahead."

"Thanks." Gwen sat next to her. "You look deep in thought."

"Yah." Red agreed as she rubbed her forehead with her hand. "Has Alec always been…" she paused, trying to think of the right word.

"Unique?"

"That's one way to put it."

Gwen sighed, leaning back against the building. "No, he used to be pretty normal and… well, kind of charming."

Red snorted as she tried to contain a laugh. "Charming?"

Gwen half-smiled. "Yes, believe or not."

"Heh, that's some change. What happened?"

The smile immediately disappeared."That's a long story."

"I think we've got time."

"Well…"

"Gwen." It was Sarge's voice. The two of them looked up. Sarge was making his way toward them, followed by Alec. Once he reached them he quickly looked around, making sure no one else was in earshot. "Early this morning I sent a man to scout around. He just returned a few minutes ago." He took a deep breath. "They're coming."

Red felt a knot grow in her stomach. Gwen shot up. "We should sound the alarm bell." Before she could bolt Alec grabbed her arm.

"No."

Gwen looked confused. "Why not?"

"If they hear the bell they'll know were expecting them. Better for them to caught by surprise."

Sarge nodded. "I'm about to spread the word for everyone to get into their positions. Anyone who's not fighting is being sent to the town hall. Once the shooting starts it'll be the safest place."

Gwen rubbed her hands nervously. "Alright. Go ahead."

As Sarge left, Red looked around. "The fog is almost gone." She noted aloud.

Gwen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them she looked resigned to the situation. "Here we go."
"Indeed." Alec said as he turned toward the front gate. Both women followed him.

"Are you sure their going to do a two pronged attack?" Asked Gwen.

"Yes. nine times out of ten it is their preferred strategy."

"What about the other one of ten." Red Asked.

"They may throw everything at the front gate and try to overwhelm with numbers."

"I don't like either possibility." Red stated with Gwen nodding in agreement.

When they reached the gate a man practically leaped from his guard post to meet them. Red recognized him as Carl.

"Gwen, three guys are walking across the bridge toward the gate with a white flag. I think they want to talk."

As if on cue, they heard a man shout. "I'm Sergeant Hargraves of the gunners, we want to talk to the leader of this settlement."The early nervousness Gwen had shown was now gone, replaced with contempt.

"Do they really think we're that stupid." she said aloud. "As soon as I step out they'll either shoot me or take me hostage to get what they want."

"So, we obviously can't send you out." Noted Red. "So, what do we do?"

"I'll go."

Everyone turned to Alec. "You?" The three said at once.

"Yes. They'll most likely demand that we surrender peacefully. When I refuse they'll try to kidnap me. Since I'm not you…" He nodded at Gwen. "...there is no risk."

Gwen was not convinced "But they might try to kill you!"

"Try."

It was just one word, but it sounded menacing coming from him.

Gwen took a deep breath. "Alright, don't get killed. Carl, open the gate."

"Yes, Ma'am." Carl moved to the gate with Alec following behind.

Red made her way to a guard post so she could see. Halfway across the bridge three men in gunner uniforms stood with white flag. Two of them had laser pistols on their hips while the one in the center had a combat shotgun on his back. As Alec walked through the gate the men looked at each other and appeared to be speaking. They were too far away for her to hear them properly, but she guessed Alec wasn't what they were expecting. Alec halted a few feet from the men and she assumed he was talking to them.

Red glanced past the men to the other side of the bridge. The fog had mostly lifted so she could see the beach at the end of the bridge. On the beach she could make out a lot of people. Some standing around others crouching behind cover, but all watching what was going on. When Red looked back at the three gunners talking to Alec she could tell they weren't happy. The central man, whom she assumed was Hargraves, was making angry gestures and almost yelling his words. Red caught some of the words and none of them boded well. After several more moments of yelling profanities the man turned away from Alec.

Without warning, Alec stepped forward, drew his pistol and fired into the back of the man's head in one clean motion. Before he hit the ground Alec seized his body and fired at the other two men. The second man had begun to draw his pistol but didn't have a chance to fire before bullet struck his head. The third man managed to fire his laser pistol; but his shot hit the body Alec had grabbed and was now using as a shield. Two bullets hit the third man who went down.

For a second, the beach was silent, as if both sides were unsure what to do next. Then, bullets tore through the air, sounding like a thunderclaps happening at once.

Red ducked down for cover and heard the whizzing of bullets passing overhead. Sarge went immediately into action.

"Keep your heads down! Wait for them to come to us!"

As Sarge rushed forward,barking orders, Alec stumbled through the gate, still using the gunner's body for a shield.

"Close the gate!" Sarge shouted. Carl moved quickly to obey, slamming the gate shut.

Now secure behind the gate, Alec dropped the gunner's body, revealing himself to be covered in blood. Red quickly moved to his side.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, none of it's mine." He casually used his sleeve to wipe blood from his visor.

"You two better get to the north wall than." Sarge told them. "If you're right about this whole mess, I doubt they'll wait long to blow it up."

Alec nodded then motioned for Red to follow. "Let's go."

The two of them rushed toward the north wall. As they ran Red saw a man at a guard post stand up and fire his gun. As soon as he began to duck back down he stumbled backwards off the post, landing flat on his back with blood running down his face. Red forced herself to look away and keep running.

It didn't take them long to reach the north wall but it did nothing to calm Red's nerves. Scattered around, hiding behind makeshift cover, where the men and women tasked with guarding the wall. Four of them looked like guards, six others were citizens armed with whatever they could get their hands on. Most looked nervous, some looked absolutely terrified. Alec's presence had a somewhat calming effect on some, but not much. Alec knelt behind some sandbags while Red took cover behind an overturned metal table with cinder blocks in front of it.

'Breath.' Red told herself. 'Breath. This isn't your first fight and it won't be your last.' While that was true she knew she had never been in a fight this big before so it didn't calm her much. 'I wonder if Alec is nervous?' She glanced in his direction. He had already holstered his pistol and was now holding his rifle in a ready position. He looked as calm as ever. Of course, it was hard to tell when she couldn't see his face.

An explosion caught her attention. Her eyes darted toward the wall. It was still standing.

'The mines.' She thought. She checked her pistol. Loaded and ready. Another explosion, this one sounded closer. She slowly aimed her gun at the wall. The third explosion made her duck back behind cover. Wood and splinters flew everywhere. When she peeked over her cover she gulped. Where there was once wood was now smoke and a hole big enough for a pair of brahmin to walk through.

Through the smoke came two gunners. When they made it through both froze, apparently surprised to see twelve guns pointed in their direction. As one of them turned to run, someone fired. Immediately an avalanche of bullets followed, nearly cutting the two men in half. Seconds later the smoke completely cleared and Red could see at least a dozen men making their way towards them. Behind them Red saw a gunner with a rocket launcher, aiming it right at them.

The crack of a familiar rifle sounded to Red's right and the gunner fell backwards, pulling the trigger as he fell. The rocket went high, sailing past Nordhagen and into the ocean.

Red fired into the breach. She could see a few gunner stumble as if they had been hit but get back up and keeping moving, their combat armor saving them from major injury. A few other gunners fell face first into the sand, settler bullets having found their marks. To their credit, the gunners didn't retreat but kept moving forward, firing as they went. One woman screamed and clutched her shoulder. A man flew backwards as a grenade exploded next to him. Neither side was backing down and both were taking casualties.

In the chaos Red noticed that Alec had stood up and was slowly walking forward. Every other step he fired his rifle. One gunner noticed and his own rifle at the exposed Slayer. Red rapidly fired an entire clip in his direction. Most of the panicked shots missed but two managed to his him. One in the thigh and the other in the arm. The gunner screamed and instinctively dropped his rifle. Realizing his mistake he moved to grab it but was hit a third time by a bullet from a settler.

The gunners appeared to realize that the tables had turned against them and began to fall back. While some of the more experienced gunners fired as they began stepping back others simply turned and ran as fast as they could. Those that run were easier targets. Red moved forward as the gunner's fire waned.

Click. Her gun was empty. She reached for another clip. Nothing. She looked down at her waist. All of her clips were gone. Without realizing it, she had fired all of her ammunition in a matter of minutes. She looked back at the breach, all the gunners that were still alive were gone. Alec had taken cover behind a portion of the wall that was still standing as he reloaded his rifle. Once his rifle was loaded he stepped out of cover to take another shot. Bang. He fell backwards and dropped his rifle.

"Alec!" Red screamed. She rushed toward him as fast as she could. Upon reaching him she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into cover. "Alec! Are you alright?" No response. She looked him over. She didn't see a bullet wound. "Alec!" she screamed at him. This time he groaned and reached up to touched his helmet.

"It just grazed me."

Red looked at his helmet. There was indeed a graze mark on it. She breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly feeling very tired, she leaned back against the wall. She could still hear gunshots, but they were far fewer. Alec sat up and looked at her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She told him.

"Good."

Red waited for her heart to stop beating so hard before she spoke again. "Is it over?"

"Probably."

Alec rose to his feet. He offered her a hand. She took it and he pulled her up. By now the gunfire had stopped completely, with only a few parting shots to break the silence. Red looked back at the other defenders. They were only now beginning to break from cover and survey the carnage. Gunner bodies lay everywhere. She could see the bodies of a few settlers as well, but not nearly as many.

"I think we should check the gate." She thought aloud.

"I think so too."

They found the gate to still be standing. It was little chewed up by gunfire, but still intact. There were a few injured but casualties appeared to be minimal. They found Gwen kneeling beside one of the wounded, administering a stimpack. When she saw them approaching she stood up and met them.

"How did it go?" She asked.

"We won."

A smile played on Gwen lips as she removed her helmet. She wiped away the sweat that had collected on her forehead.

"It seems Nordhagen owes you, Alec." Suddenly, Gwen dropped her helmet and gripped Alec in a tight hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

After a few seconds Gwen let Alec go and turned to Red. "Thanks for helping us defend our home. I know you didn't have a stake in this but you helped us anyway." She held out her arm, which Red took and shook. "As far as I'm concerned, you're welcome here anytime."

"Thanks." Red couldn't help but put on a big grin. If someone had told her a few weeks ago that she would be welcomed by a settlement, she would've laughed. 'How things change.' She thought. As she released Gwen's hand she suddenly realized she was really thirsty.

"Do you have anything to drink?" She asked.

Gwen smiled even more. "I think I can find something."