AN: I'm back! Sorry about the sudden absence, guys and/or gals. Some things got in the way and made me lose any motivation I had to write because I just couldn't bring myself to write creatively. And just when I got over it I got a job. XP

So now my updates will take longer. Like maybe a week between updates. Anyway, I did start a new story that's a crossover with RWBY so that kinda stalled this chapter a bit. I'll try to have Chapter 12 done by tomorrow. I'm almost done with it.

As always, Thanks to JDUBZ for his help on this chapter when it was in it's progress two months ago.

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 12: Solar Powered Savior

"Emilia, are you feeling alright? You've been acting strange all day. If it's something I did, please tell me."

"It's nothing…..Subaru."

"Is it about your dad?"

"Part of it, yes. But….there's something else."

"What is it?"

"..."

"Emilia…?"

"...I'm sorry, Subaru, but there's too much going on."

"E-Emilia-."

"No, Subaru! Please, I can't do this right now! I-I just need some space."

"..."

"..."

"Just know, I'm here for you, Emilia."

"...You always are."

May 15, 2015

3:56pm

Huffing, Subaru stared out the windshield as he spoke, "You know…..you could've helped."

Apparently, filling up a car with gas in the middle of nowhere, under the hot sun was hard work. Sweat was already soaking Subaru's shirt and dripping off his chin.

The sweet relief of the air conditioned car brought comfort to Subaru.

As Quark entered the car, Ram said in a matter-of-fact tone, "And where would the fun be in that, Barusu?"

Subaru turned in his seat and growled at Ram, "Nowhere! Nothing was fun about that!"

"Hmph, then I imagine it wouldn't be so hard for you to see why I didn't help someone like you."

Quark chuckled, "Hehe. You know, she gets that snarky attitude from her mother. Although, inside, Ram is as sweet as they come." He put the keys back into the ignition.

Subaru looked at the agitated Ram, "Hard to believe."

In response, Ram crossed her arms, "I have you know that I can be nice whenever I want to." She glared at Subaru, "You just haven't earned to see that side of me."

Off to the side, Rem smiled and nonchalantly said, "Nee-sama is the greatest."

Subaru smiled smugly, "So tell me, Ram, what do I have to do to see that nice side of yours?"

"Sarcasm doesn't help, Balse."

"It doesn't, but it sure as hell pisses you off."

Frowning, Ram slowly clapped her hands, "Congratulations, Balse. That's the first thing you've said all week that isn't stupid."

The proud posture that Subaru began to build up quickly fell, "Wait….is that a compliment?"

Hoping to stop Ram's savagery, Quark quickly said, "Alright, you guys ready?"

Everyone voiced their own agreements.

"Alrighty then. How about you, Subaru. You ready?"

Raising an eyebrow, Subaru looked at Quark with confusion.

"Um, yeah. Didn't you just ask me that?"

"Oh. Haha! I wasn't talking to you." Quark smiled and rubbed the dashboard of the car, making human Subaru grumble.

Rem, however, found it entertaining and rubbed the seat belt that was wrapped around her waist, a small blush on her small face, "Isn't Subaru just wonderful?"

Ram smiled at her sister's joy, "Yes, this Subaru is a lot better and more reliable than another one I know."

Scoffing, Subaru looked back at Ram, "You better be talking about another car and not me."

Smiling innocently, Ram shrugged her shoulders. Subaru looked back to the front as Quark turned on the car and drove back onto the road.

Only a few hours were left. Driving in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do was starting to take a toll on all the occupants of the car.

Ram pulled out magazines from the pocket behind the driver's seat and started reading them. They brought no joy to her to read about what celebrities were doing what in their lives. She could care less about what they had to say, it just gave her something to do. Both before and after the whole world went to shit.

Rem was sitting between Emilia and Ram, humming quietly to herself as she watched her sister read. She eventually pulled out her phone, which was dead, and just played with it in her hands.

With no electricity, each and everyone's phones died. It had already been days since each had even sent a text or placed a call. During what little time Subaru had left with his phone he called his parents over and over again, each attempt failed.

Subaru took to staring out the window with his cheek against the glass, once in awhile he would look in the side mirror and look at Emilia.

Emilia had slept most of the journey up until now. Her eyes were open and staring at her hands on her lap. She barely said anything the whole trip. The only times she spoke was when they had taken a break before entering Nevada and when Subaru tried to talk to her on the side.

He could tell that something was wrong, and it wasn't about their hell on Earth.

7:38pm

The sun had fallen, leaving the sky dotted with stars that shined brightly down upon the Earth. Behind their car, an innumerable amount of walkers were chasing them out of town. Their hungry roars pierced through the car windows, turning it's occupants white with fear. The only thing they feared most than being chased by the walkers was the very small possibility of the car stalling and breaking down. Like said, the chance was unlikely but still possible. However, the Subaru pushed forward, refusing to give up to the horde.

Ahead of them, a reflective sign thanked them for visiting the city of Battle Mountain. Written in some black material was the phrase 'Population: 0'.

Quark's knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel extremely hard. Thankfully, the sounds of the walkers slowly died out until they were just a whisper over the sound of the car engine. The grip he had on the wheel lessened while Ram opened her window, gladly letting in fresh air.

The color returned to her face, coloring her cheeks pink with blood that flowed beneath her skin at a rapid pace. No one spoke or made any comments. The sweet silence between them brought just a little comfort to Ram. Why it calmed her nerves may have been because of her short tolerance for people. But nowadays she had gotten better at it. She had survived a 9 hour drive with Subaru so she could say that it was milestone for her.

Looking to her right, Rem was still clutching her arm, hoping she would protect her. Complying, Ram reached across and held onto her dear sister. If the area was so disastrous here then what would Elko be like?

Everyone's thoughts were the same as they passed the occasional walker that watched as they zoomed by, their bloody teeth longing for flesh to pierce and consume.

Hopefully, strong defensive measures were still being met to preserve the safety of Elko, Nevada.

Hopefully.

8:02pm

They concluded that they were one of the lucky ones.

Quark stared out of the car window and surveyed the disaster from a distance. The small city of Elko was completely destroyed, with walkers shuffling around each corner. The hopeless scene of overturned cars and blood soaked dirt broke Quark inside.

Somewhere within the city, a man's scream could be heard. There was one last yelp before his cries for help were silenced by a source they could not see. But they could've made a lucky guess.

A feeling of hopelessness washed over him as he put his face in his hands, "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!"

The feeling of despair shifted towards anger at the world. With each word, he slammed the steering wheel with his hands, "Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! FUCK!"

Clearly, the world was against them. It may have granted them the ability to live this long, but Quark was starting to wonder if it wasn't salvation, but torture. Instead of being allowed to die and escape this madness, he had two daughters to protect that he couldn't just let die in this god forsaken world. With them, they would apparently have to suffer and hop around the country looking for safe places to live. That wasn't the life he wanted them to have.

He had to make sure they made it to safety. It was the last promise he made to her. To love and cherish them, no matter what.

Both Rem and Ram reached forward and wrapped their arms around their father, calling to him, "Father!"

Their cries nearly brought Quark back to his senses but he was still unsure of what to do. Their options were limited and unreliable. They couldn't be sure of anything if there was nothing to help them succeed.

They could find another Safe Zone, but at this rate it may already be taken over by the time they got there.

Gripping the steering wheel, Quark felt the small hands of his twins cross his chest, "I'm fine. Really…I am."

Emilia grabbed her seatbelt hard, scared that safety was no longer an option for them as of now, "W-What happens n-now?"

Quark had no answer, he honestly didn't know. Rem and Ram were too busy comforting their father to think about that. Subaru was the only one who had taken that into account.

We won't last long out here if we just sit and wait.

Subaru looked at the fuel gauge.

Damn it. Almost empty.

He looked outside at the walkers that shuffled in the city, searching for food. He couldn't imagine how many more walkers were probably crowded further into the city.

So many survivors must've flooded here for safety. But as soon as one infected person breached then it became a madhouse of who could run faster. Judging by the amount of walkers, not many got out of there fast enough.

CEDA medical trucks were scattered around the perimeter of the city, but so many walkers were around it would've made a gas-run a suicide mission. They had to find another way to fill up. However, no such ideas came to mind.

Sighing deeply, Subaru started relaying what he thought they should do, "Considering our situation, the city's fucked, we're low on gas, and there's no way in hell we can make it to another car…. I say we keep heading east until either our gas runs out or we find a place to settle down."

As if fighting the idea, Ram glared at Subaru, saying, "And what if we don't find a place, Barusu? What then?"

Subaru scowled back, "I'm not filled with every little detail, Ram! Get off my ass for once!"

"Subaru-kun!"

"Stop it!" Quark's voice boomed through the small space, preventing Ram from spitting venom at Subaru. The tension in the car had become thick in just a matter of seconds and nobody could handle it.

Ram and Rem returned to their seats, concerned looks crossing their faces.

When Emilia had enough, she spoke in a polite manner that made everyone's ears perk up, "Subaru, I would like to hear your plan."

Hearing Emilia speak about his plan, Subaru looked at her from the side view mirror. Emilia noticed and looked away, blushing, feeling everyone's eyes on her.

"Well like I said before, I think we should keep heading east. At least then we might be able to find somewhere that isn't crawling with the infected. They obviously came from the west so why not go east, right?"

As he spoke, walkers outside the car began to take notice of their car, the gentle hum of the engine luring them.

"There's no reason to head back. We head back, we die. We've seen the walkers back there, there's no way we can get stranded out there and live. At least if we head east and rub out of gas we might be able to find someplace on foot. But if we do find a house, or better yet another car, then we'll be safe for a while longer."

Emilia nodded along with Subaru's words, agreeing with the plan.

"RRRRRRAAAAHHHGGHHH!"

A sudden loud roar brought her attention to her door window. A walker stared back at her with menacing red eyes filled with hate, half of its face chewed off. Before Emilia could even scream, the walker threw back its head back and headbutt a huge bunch of cracks across the glass.

Combined with Emilia's scream of terror and everyone else's surprised yelp, the collective uproar triggered the rest of the shambling walkers to come rushing towards them. Within seconds, the car was surrounded with dozens of walkers that pounded onto the car, breaking the glass and denting the metal.

Finding a new outlet for his anger, Quark grabbed the neck of one of the walker's that had broken his window and planted multiple punches to it until it went limp. Up front, two walkers were slamming their heads and fists into the windshield, obscuring the horrid scene with large cracks.

Opposite to Quark, Subaru tried holding his own by smacking the butt of his bat into any walker that clawed at him. One walker grabbed the bat, but found Subaru's fist in its face the next moment, making it let go.

Emilia, Rem, and Ram squeezed together to avoid the windows that were now shattered. On either side, Ram and Emilia began kicking at the walkers that tried to crawl in.

During the losing battle, one of the walkers had managed to grab hold of Ram by her foot and started pulling her outside the car window.

Both Rem and Ram cried out in unison, "NO!"

With flesh out for them to eat, the walkers on Ram's side all focused on pulling her out, ignoring Quark.

"Honey?!" Quark heard both of his daughters scream and turned in his seat to see Ram with her foot out the window. Rem and Emilia were trying to pull her back in, but were too unmatched for the amount of walkers tugging onto her foot.

His mind went blank as he saw more walkers grab onto Ram's foot and pull on her. But nothing could compare to what Ram felt as she watched her hands start to slowly slip out of Rem and Emilia's grasp. Once they let go, she was good as dead. The only thing preventing the walkers from biting her right now was her ferocious kicking.

"Nee-sama!"

Subaru noticed what was happening and leaped to grab Ram by her arms, preventing her from moving outside any further. Looking over, Subaru could tell Quark was in shock.

"Tenshi!"

Quark looked at Subaru, who glared at him.

"Drive!"

Without even thinking, Quark put the car into drive and slammed on the gas. The tires slide and screeched before lurching the car forwards. Bumps told them that walkers were being plowed over by the car as they took off. The two walkers up front flew to the sides as a sudden jump knocked them off balance.

With the sudden take off of the car and Ram's kicking, the walkers were left with nothing to eat as they lost their grip on her foot. Most gave chase, but none would ever catch them.

Breathing heavily, Quark looked back with wild eyes at the Ram, "You okay, honey?"

A shaken and mentally scarred Ram was pulled into the car by her friends. She had gotten lucky and survived without any bites, her only injury were cuts from the glass and claw marks from the walkers.

Rem cried along with her sister, knowing she was extremely close to losing someone extremely dear to her. She held her sister close, her heart racing.

The sounds of the car and the low roaring of the walkers were ignored by Rem as she vowed to protect her sister at all costs. It was a decision she had made a long, long time ago. But she had never been more sure of it than she was now.

With what little gas they had left, the group traveled across a short stretch of desert before the car sputtered to a stop.

Quark clenched his teeth, "Fuck!" He tried multiple times to start the car, but with no luck. Knowing the car was done for, he punched the windshield in anger. Apparently that last hit was the finisher, as Quark sent the large piece of glass flipping away from the car, "Everybody out."

The sight frightened everyone, leading them to a state of worry for Quark.

"Father!" Rem and Ram exited the car along with Subaru and Emilia. Last was Quark, who slammed the door shut behind him, break off any pieces of glass that still clung onto the edges of the window.

At their horror, Quark began kicking at the tire's rim, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Underneath Quark's anger was fear, fear of not knowing what to do or where to go. Fear of not know if they would survive or even live to see another day. Fear for his daughters that were like angels to him.

Overall, it was the fear of death. The one thing that loomed over their heads at all times, just waiting for the right moment to strike upon them and laugh. What had happened earlier, Quark was sure was an attempt to take their lives, but luckily they were able to escape it before it was too late.

Still holding each other, the twins went to hug their father and hopefully calm him down.

Quark had just placed his hands on the car's hood with his head hung when he felt his daughters hug him tightly. At once, his hostile demeanor diminished when he heard Rem's sweet voice.

"Father, please don't be mad. Rem is sure we'll think of something."

Emilia spoke softly in a nervous voice, "Yes, don't worry, Mr. Tenshi. Maybe we should go along with Subaru's plan."

Subaru nodded, "It's kinda our only option now, Mr. Tenshi."

Understanding that walking was the only option, Quark cooled down and sighed, "I-I know it is, but….I still can't shake the feeling of…." he paused, "...nothing."

"What?"

At Subaru's question, Quark shook his head, "Nothing. It's nothing." He turned around and returned the embrace of his daughters, "Are you two alright?"

He bent down and kissed the top of each of their heads, showing fatherly affection, "Ram, are you feeling alright? Are you bit?" Worried, he held Ram's chin and checked both sides of her face and then glanced at her ankles, which were covered in scratches.

"I'm fine, Father….really." Inside, Ram was not fine. She had been so close to death that she couldn't help but feel helpless. It wasn't until now did she realize just how small she was–how small they were compared to everything happening around them. They had no power in the world anymore. It belonged to them.

"Thank god."

Opposite to Ram's thoughts, Quark's were filled with relief towards her safety.

A small gust of wind knocked up a bunch of dirt and pummeled the group for a bit, making them realize that it was best to start moving.

For more than an hour, the small, weak group of survivors walked. And for more than an hour, hopes of ever finding another city were endangered. Their eyes were glued to the horizon, waiting to see what would arise from it and hopefully show them salvation. However, such ideas were growing darker and darker like the sky.

Soon they were thrown into darkness as the sun disappeared and they were left with the moon and stars. Sadly, none of them had thought of bringing a flashlight.

"Guys look."

Everyone stopped at Subaru's voice. He was pointing down a dirt road that split off from the main highway. At the end of the road as a house. It was a small wooden house or shack that had a windmill next to it. It didn't look run down, but it didn't look bad either.

With the idea of finding a safe place to sleep, Quark said, "It looks deserted so I think we'll do just fine in it. Let's go."

Their eagerness to get a roof over their head increased their walking speed, making the trip there short. Approaching the wooden house, their shoes crunched the sand and stone beneath them.

Subaru noticed Rem walking ahead and told her to stay close.

"We don't know if someone or something might be in there."

Quark held his gun out, Subaru had his metal bat, Ram had her wooden sword, and Rem had her own gun. Emilia was the only one left weaponless so she stayed with Subaru.

Up on the second story, a curtain shifted, and caught Subaru's eye. However, he wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not so he made a mental note to search the upstairs.

Before trying the door, Quark looked through the front windows, but saw nothing. There was old furniture and other home accessories, but nothing telling them that people were living there currently.

"I'll try the door." Emilia turned the doorknob, but found that the door was locked. She gave a few more uncertain twists until she look at Subaru with a defeated expression, "It won't open."

Quark returned from a window, "Here, sweetie." He grabbed the doorknob and threw himself into the door. There was a pound cracking sounds and then Quark threw himself into the door again. This time the door swung open, bits of splintered wood flying to the floor.

The house was pitch black, and quiet. The only sound was the chirping of crickets inside and outside of the house.

That's gonna get annoying.

"Father, I can't see."

"Don't worry, honey, your eyes will adjust."

Slowly, the small amount of light that came through the windows helped Subaru's eyes make out the inside of the house. To the right of them was what looked to be a dining room while to their left was a living room. The stuff looked surprisingly new, except with a thin layer of dust covering most of it. Quark and his daughters went to the living room while Subaru and Emilia observed the dining room.

Subaru moved a chair from the circular table. It looked almost brand new and the tablecloth that covered it was spotless. Looking around, Emilia found a shelf that held fancy china. Next to some of the plates was a plastic bag. Looking inside, she called Subaru over.

Inside the bag was a small stack of picture frames, inside of them were still the stock photos. They were never used.

"Emilia, it's like everything in here is new." Subaru reached in the bag and removed a frame, looking at it. "Nothing in here looks worn."

Emilia set aside the bag, "I think people may have recently bought this place, Subaru."

Touching the hanging crystals from a small chandelier, Subaru said, "It's a sad thought, but I think you're right."

With the image of a new family buying what could only be their new house out in the middle of nowhere, Subaru walked over to a door on the opposite side of the room. On the other side was the kitchen.

The kitchen was small and had only a lone table that was tucked into the corner with some chairs. Emilia followed closely behind, looking behind herself periodically.

"Hmph," Subaru went to the table and wipe two fingers on it. He rubbed them together, saying curiously, "Table's kinda clean dontcha think?"

From his right, Emilia sounded shaken, "Subaru, what is that?"

Looking up, he noticed she was pointing at the table. And on the table was a short glass of water, nothing to be worried about.

However, what alarmed Subaru and Emilia was the fact that the glass had small cubes of ice in it, and was covered in condensation.

As they both watched drops of water fall down the smooth, clear surface, their minds began to think alike. Someone else was inside the house with them.

From the dining room, a quiet, threatening voice drifted to their ears, "I didn't expect people like you to come all the way out here."

In an instant, Emilia was held hostage with a blade against her throat. Before Subaru could act irrationally, a man popped out of a doorway the led to a hallway, a gun in his hand that pointed at Subaru, "Don't move."

With a gun held to his head, Subaru was unable to see who his attacker was. However, the man holding Emilia looked young, maybe in his twenties. His hair was an orangish-red color that didn't quite go along with his green eyes. A short scar traveled along his right cheek. Subaru could deduce that this guy was either an experienced fighter or a guy who luckily survived a losing knife fight. Either way, he had Emilia at his mercy, and Subaru would be damned if he left him hurt her.

The guy looked confused for a second, staring at Subaru as if he was judging him, "You don't look like a Cultist…..but you do look familiar."

Subaru took a step forward, but stopped when he felt the gun press into his head again, "Familiar how?"

"Can't say….I've met too many people." The way he had said it sounded awful, as if he didn't enjoy his experiences with others in this world.

For Subaru, it was the opposite. Since the first day of infection he hadn't seen many people, "Guess I can't say the same."

The man found this funny and spat venom, "Ha, then you're a fool. You really think others are as nice as me?"

"Wouldn't say nice."

"Nice means not killing you right here, right now, and giving you a chance."

The man behind Subaru sounded worried, giving his own opinion, "Hey, Bashur, I-I don't think he's one of the bad guys."

Nodding, Subaru said, "Yes, I agree with him. Let the girl and I go."

Bashur hesitated and looked at his partner. His partner nodded and lowered his gun away from Subaru's head.

Bashur really didn't want to follow suit. However, when he saw a woman appear from behind his partner, he lowered the knife from Emilia's throat, "You at least seem collected. I'll give you that." Upon releasing Emilia, he shoved her towards Subaru.

Emilia stumbled before being caught by him.

Holding onto Subaru tightly, she caught a glimpse of the other man holstering his gun. Shutting her eyes, Emilia whimpered, "Subaru."

Bashur slipped the knife into his pocket, "But they all seem normal until you see them for what they truly are."

Holding his silver haired maiden, Subaru narrowed his eyes at Bashur, "You said something about me being a Cultist. What exactly is that?"

From the chest pocket of his black leather jacket, Bashur produced a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. On the front of the jacket were eleven scratch marks, each the same length. He put a smoke into his mouth and lit it, "Bunch of maniacal sons of bitches that's what. They vary in sizes and age, but they all act the same."

The other man spoke, "Idiots that believe they have the right to take whoever and whatever they want. 'The Blessed' they call themselves."

It wasn't until that moment did Subaru actually turn and see the man. He looked older than Bashur. Subaru determined he was probably in this early forties, small, almost invisible wrinkles were formed along his brow. There was a small amount of stubble that covered his chin and cheeks.

Behind the man was a woman who looked to be the same age as him. With such a sweet, innocent face she looked almost motherly. She stood by, nervously playing with her long brown hair that fell over one shoulder. Her brown eyes fell upon Emilia and she smiled warmly.

The man followed Subaru's eyes, "Oh, that's my wife, Charlotte." He walked over to Charlotte and took her hand, "And I'm Sol, but most people call me Sunny."

From behind Subaru, a disgruntled Bashur mumbled, "Not anymore they don't."

With Subaru and Emilia going one way, Quark, Rem, and Ram went another.

On their side, there wasn't much to see other than empty bedroom that had nothing in them. It was obvious to them that the house was being remodeled. But it seemed it was stopped for obvious reasons.

Each of them took their time observing each and every room. Quark began to wonder if they could've possibly made camp there and waited out the infection. However, his own idea was shot down when he reminded himself that there wasn't anything around for miles.

They would need food and water, the essentials. And their supply in their bags were running low because he assumed they would've been safe by now. It would've been impossible for them to stay there long. A good place to be would've been in a city, but it should've been common knowledge that that was a very bad idea.

A horrid stench reached Quark's nose, making him gag. The smell was somewhat metallic, a stench he remembered, but didn't like that he did. It was the smell of blood...and something else.

While Rem was sifting through boxes of books and Ram was looking into another box of family photos, Quark went further down the hall to find the source of the smell.

Reaching the farthest door, he grasped the doorknob. At this point the smell was very intense, a rotting odor that clung to his nostril. But he had to be sure.

The hinges creaked as Quark opened the door slowly. Looking through the crack, he could clearly make out bloody handprints on the walls. Looking behind himself, he only saw the empty hallway and the front door. Taking a deep breath, Quark opened the door wide.

What should've been a normal room wasn't. Unopened cans of paint littered the floor, some spotted with blood. On every wall, including the only window, were bloody handprints.

The window itself was open, the bottom panel was held up to let the smell escape the room. Still, it did not help. Quark ended up covering his nose with his hand and closed the door behind him as he exited. He shook outside the door, coughing with his head down.

Quark may not have been a detective, but whatever had happened in there must've been recent. If the window had been opened for at least a whole day even a smell like would've gone away almost entirely. No, it was too intense.

Someone died in this house not too long ago.

"If it makes you feel any better; it was one of them."

A different voice.

Male. Not Subaru's.

A stranger.

Did he kill someone?

Where were his daughters?

Quark quickly pulled out his gun and pointed it at the man.

Sol quickly rose his hands into the air, "Woah! A-Alrighty there bud! Just put the gun down and let's talk." He stuttered when Quark stepped closer. "Hey, hey, hey! No need to be hasty."

Cracking a fake smile, Sol held his arms up defensively and backed away from the cop. Seeing the smile agitated Quark. Whoever he was, he must have had killed someone.

Quark questioned, "Who are you? Where are my daughters?" He grabbed Sol by the front and held him against the wall easily. The impact wasn't all that hard, but Sol still grunted when pain reached his chest.

Panicked, Quark yelled out, "Rem? Ram? Where are you?"

From a room farther down the hallway, Rem and Ram poked their heads out, simultaneously murmuring, "Hmm?"

Before either of the twins could realize what was happening, Bashur turned into the hallway with Subaru and Emilia behind him.

With a flashlight, he illuminated the whole hallway by pointing the light towards the ceiling, the light reflecting everywhere. He had no clear reaction to the situation Sol was in, but when he looked at Quark his eyes slightly widened, "Never thought I'd see you again."

Quark lessened his pressure on Sol, "Again, who the hell are you?!"

"A friend. And it would be greatly appreciated if you would let mine go."

Quark saw Subaru behind Bashur. Subaru raised a hand and slowly brought it down, telling him to settle down.

Subaru had yet to let Quark distrust him, so he let go of Sol, but didn't holster his gun, "I don't think we've met before." Quark tried to place this guy's face, but nothing came up that matched his green eyes and orangish hair.

Ram reached her arm across to block Rem in case anything went out of hand.

"Ha," Bashur brought a hand up to cover his nose and mouth, "I'm not surprised you don't remember me. It was, in fact, only a few weeks ago that you saved my life, old man."

Then, Quark remembered. The young man before him had once tried to rob Zoey of her car. He had held a gun to him. He had never noticed it until now, but the survivor had also had green eyes. Without the skull bandana mask he looked completely different now that he could see his entire face.

Quark could only hope that he was as much as a friend as he claimed to be.

"You…"

Bashur lowered his hand, "I never officially got to say a thank you, or even a sorry."

Quark lowered his gun, staying silent as he glanced at his daughters.

"Just know, I'm not a bad guy...anymore."

"Then who are you?" Quark was starting to get annoyed that his question wasn't getting answered.

"Ah, names don't really matter anymore, but I'll go with your request. The name's Atbash Cifra. Weird, I know." He threw his cigarette to the floor and crushed it underneath his foot. Then, he removed the cigarette box and offered one to Quark, "Kinda hate the name, but I live by it."

Quark shook his head when Atbash held out the box, "That's fine. I've…..got my own." From the side, Ram slapped his arm, clearly disapproving of his habit.

"So, Atbash-"

"Please, call me Bashur."

Subaru nodded at his request. He figured it was for the best, considering 'Atbash' was a pretty weird name to come across.

"So, Bashur, if you don't mind me asking, what'd you do after LA?" Subaru spooned cold canned beans into his mouth that Sol gratefully gave him and the others.

Apparently, all three were there when the save zone collapsed after a large crowd of walkers shambled by. CEDA's offensive force tried to eliminate them, but there were too many.

While being friends at the time, Atbash, Charlotte, and Sol were part of the mass of people that ran. The three strayed away from the large group and split off. That's when they stumbled across this house.

Solar panels on the roof provided electricity, a still functioning system provided water, and a hurried escape from the previous occupants provided them with lots of forgotten canned food.

Atbash shifted around the beans in his can. He's answered many variations of this questions so many times that he left out more details each and every time.

He shrugged his shoulders, his voice slow, "Same as everyone else, I guess. Went to find my family, found nothing, and then went elsewhere."

Subaru nodded sadly, "I'm trying to find my family too."

"Aren't we all?"

Subaru looked at Quark, Rem, and Ram, all happily talking to Sol and Charlotte.

He smiled, "Not all. Some already have their family."

Slowly shaking his head, Atbash got up and threw his can into the trash, saying with remorse, "Yeah, but they're not mine."