AN: Hello again! I'm back and ready to finish what I've started. I hope you all enjoy what i have for this chapter. I like to think my writting thrives with action sequences, but this chapter is dedicated mainly to set up and some character development. I've put a lot of thought into the story and characters to the point where I've mapped the route they would take and the locations they would visit thanks to Google Earth since I havent gone to every place I'm settting in this story. So if you feel interested in following our charcters with a map then it wont be hard to figure out where they currently are in the story. I'll see you at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 16: Since the Beginning

"Subaru, so glad you could stop by!"

"Glad to be here, Mr. Tenshi!"

An elementary grade Subaru stepped into the Tenshi residence when Quark stepped aside to let the little one in. Dressed in a doctor's uniform from Halloween, Subaru asked Quark to see the patient.

The tiny Subaru's serious expression contrasted his innocent look and pudgy cheeks. Still young, the mischievous glint was still permanent in his eyes despite having no intention to cause trouble. Right now, he was the doctor he was needed to be.

"Yes, doctor." Smiling, Quark led Subaru to the room despite having done so already many other times. "She's got sick yesterday so hopefully you can work your magic and make her better again."

Subaru put his tiny hands in the pockets of his coat, doing so as he'd seen doctors do on television. He turned to Quark, having to look up. "I cannot make any promises, but I'll see what I can do. Please wait here while I athes… atess.."

See he was having trouble remembering the word, Quark provided some help. "Assess?"

Subaru nodded, a blush forming from embarrassment in his face. "Yes, that's the word. Wait here while I athess-"

"Assess."

"-assess the patient."

With that, little Subaru walked into Ram's room. With little effort, he climbs up a small stepping stool to be able to look over Ram. Upon noticing Subaru, Ram's tired lips instantly rose into a smile.

"You came," was all she said before Subaru took out a small clipboard he'd been hiding under his coat.

"Like I could ever leave my favorite patient!" Subaru exclaimed in glee, making Ram smile even wider.

Since birth, Ram had often found herself becoming sick. To no surprise, she was born with a weak immune system. And since then, Quark had tried everything to get her to strengthen it. While still young, he couldn't force her to do much except to be healthy and take care of herself. It wouldn't be for a few more years that she would decide to do kendo as an exercise that would help her stay strong and strengthen her immune system.

In these often times where Ram would be sick, Subaru would find his way to her as her doctor. It had all started off as a joke from his mother. She gave him the lab coat he'd worn before when he wanted to be her for Halloween, and set to heal the sick.

Growing up, Subaru came to believe that the sweet candy Tootsie Rolls had healing powers. He came to believe this from his father's word. He had once gave Subaru a green one, claiming it would cure him of his sickness. He wouldn't have believed it hadn't it been for the fact that he was all better the next morning. From then on he truly believed in the healing power of the sweet candy.

So when the day came that he heard news that Ram was sick, he was motivated to heal her with candy. And so, that was when he began to be her self-proclaimed doctor. She shared his knowledge of the candy with Ram, insisting that they worked. So when he gave them to her and she inevitably got better by natural means he took the credit, proclaiming that he once again healed Ram. And Ram, not knowing any better at that age, would believe it as well.

So when Subaru came to Ram's house once again she was more than happy.

During the time they spoke, Ram told Subaru her symptoms. With that, he sifted through the candies and produced a pink Tootsie Roll. After unwrapping the sweet he reached over and placed it into Ram's open mouth.

Her smile, when tasting the fruity candy, brought a feeling of warmth in the pit of Subaru's stomach. He couldn't process what it meant, but knew he couldn't wait to feel it again.

The sun slowly began its descent, giving off an allusion of beauty as the sky was tinted orange with purple streaks. And with the beauty of the evening sky came the dim lights of the upcoming stars, their glow barely making it through the short remaining sunlight. Their light, a small glimmer in the expansive space, made a scene of beauty.

A flock of birds flew overhead, their lives remaining unaffected while others were changed forever. As they flew down to the river to drink, a group of survivors in this unforgiving world observed them with interest. Of all the things to out live humans, the bird brains did.

The sounds of the water was calming, but not enough to take them off edge. Anything could happen at any moment. And if they weren't ready then they might as well be dead.

It wasn't long before the sun began to sink below the horizon. Atbash shook his head, "Damn it. Got lost in thought." He stopped in his tracks and sighed. Quark stopped shortly after, yawning as he did so.

"We'll have to cross again if we want to find a place before night falls. I can see buildings, but not much. We'll have to make due."

"I knew this was going to happen. Now I'm gonna have to get soaked again," Charlotte whined.

Sol hobbled up next to his wife, using her shoulder for support while he caught his breath. "Not that…. not that we can help it much. If we're lucky we might actually find a working car." Charlotte shot a glare at her husband for using her as an arms rest, making him remove his arm quickly.

"Well, there isn't much we can do here now is there?"

"We should spread out and cover more ground that way we find something sooner."

Atbash smiled as he took the first few steps into the water. "You've got to be joking me."

"Hey, it worked for Scooby Doo and the gang, right? If it worked for them, why not us?"

"Can we just rest for a bit? My legs aren't what they used to be," Sol whined as he reached the other side.

Without a word, the rest of the survivors agreed and took a knee or sat down in a circle.

Panting, Sol made a circular motion with his hand, edging on a sort of conversation. "So, uh, like what's the plan? What happens now?"

Quark scanned the small buildings, finding nothing dangerous.

It was nearly barren except for the occasional building. It seemed more like a desolate residential area rather than a city.

"Not too sure, but we'll definitely need to find a place to settle down until the sun comes back up. We didn't cover much ground especially with the sun cooking us alive so I'm still on board with finding a car."

"If we can find a car," Atbash corrected.

"We'll find one," Ram stated, glaring at Atbash. "We've had nothing but bad luck, something good has to come our way."

Grinning, Atbash turned away walking towards the closest building. "We were your good luck, little miss princess. I'm not trying to be mister downer, just stating my personal opinion. At this point in time, there'll more bad things than good things in store for us. So we best be ready when they hit."

"Has he always been that obnoxious," Ram asked Sol and Charlotte.

The couple shared a look. Sol shrugged, saying, "From the time we first met him till now, I'd say yes."

"Just a bit," Charlotte admitted. "It can't be all his fault though. He's always had a hard time getting along with people."

Quark sighed, looking out after Atbash. "I don't think it's that," he claimed.

The others turned to Quark, who was still watching Atbash walk off on his own. "What do you mean?"

"It doesn't seem to me that he naturally just doesn't get along with people. It I think it's more so he's trying to keep us at a distance. He'll tell us his story, sure, but then he'll expect nothing in return. He's willing to share, but not willing to talk any further about it."

"So…. what? Are we just supposed to do what he wants and ignore him until the day he dies?"

"Of course not. I'm sure he thinks he has nothing left to lose at this point, so it wouldn't surprise me if he became reckless. But if he truly does care about being with us and helping us survive then he'll watch himself and know his boundaries."

"You talk as if Charlotte and I don't know him. We've been with him almost since the beginning of this, and not once has he ever put our lives in danger."

"Hmm. Then maybe I was wrong. I apologize. But I'll still be keeping an eye on him."

"As we all should with each other. As far as we know we could be the only non infected for hundreds of miles. Helping one another out will get us farther along the path, and make the walking trip that much more enjoyable if at all."

"Walking is a no go for me. I thought we went over this already."

Coming to the edge of a road, Sol looked into the small collection of buildings. There wasn't much to see, so he assumed there wouldn't be much to use from it. Scanning his eyes around the area, he caught sight of Atbash peering through one of the windows of a house. When he caught up, Atbash had already moved on.

Checking the front door, Atbash found that it was unlocked. After pushing his way in, he noticed that nothing was out of the ordinary. The only thing wrong with the image, of at all, was the fact that the television was smashed. He looked around the kitchen, noticing that it had already been looted. By whom, he could only assume by the previous owners. The fridge was still open, it's contents all missing.

Moving to the hallway that connected the kitchen to the rest of the house, Atbash made for the first door on the left. He opened the door and immediately with he hadn't. Inside were two people, the property owners. Both were sitting against the wall, one with a gun in their hand and bullet in the head, the other with a messy shirt and a bottle of pills next to them. He didn't know the story of what had happened here, but knew he didn't want to.

A shallow feeling of envy pulled at his brain as he looked at the couple. While dead, they had died with each other maybe accepting the fact that they couldn't survive in this world now that every major government and country was reduced to nothing but a smoldering pile of ash.

"Hey, Earth to Bashur!" Sol, who had suddenly made his appearance, waved his hand in front of Atbash's face. With little to no reaction from his friend, Sol looked into the room that was so interesting.

The sight made his sick to his stomach. "Not this place. We can sleep elsewhere." Sol then pulled Atbash away from the terrible sight, unknowing of just how much the image alone affected Atbash. Sol took Atbash outside then let go to take a few deep breaths.

Looking back at the house, Atbash knew how hard it must've been. He himself had been there too. Those people had sought the easy way out. Atbash himself had thought of it too, multiple times. Since the day he found the house he had been living in with Lindsay broken and burned to the ground he knew she had to be dead. The whole street had been destroyed as a matter of fact.

Having fought through countless infected, and too many uninfected, he had finally reached the place he'd last called home only to find it completely gone. The streets had been colored red, the crimson liquid pouring down into the storm drains, collecting as one. It had been a sight he screamed at. It was over.

Lindsay, his ferocious little sister, and Ashley, the kind girl he never got to confess to, both were forever gone. His job with drug trade had showed him the endless abyss of misery, his forced escape from authorities had pushed him to the edge of it, then their deaths had castes him over and into the hole.

And now, it was always a part of him, the hole. He couldn't think of it any other way. It was a hole in him that could never be filled. And knowing he couldn't fill it, knowing that they would never come back, he thought of taking the easy way out. With his two only loved ones dead, what was there for him to do? Was he supposed to save himself? What good would that do if all he ever did before was ruin people's lives? Why would he, a man who willingly let people give him money to kill themselves, be given the time to survive?

Back then, he felt he had known. He was given the time he had just so he could know that he had killed his sister. Because of his involvement with the dark side of society he'd been forced to leave behind everything he loved, this preventing him from protecting them.

It had been the ultimate form of punishment. He no longer had anything left to live for because everything had already been taken. So why was he still here now that he'd seen what God had intended for him to see? That question he was never able to answer. But on his last day, the day he decided he'd end it all, he found a purpose.

And so, having looked at the deceased couple, Atbash not only saw a tragedy but what could have been him only a few weeks ago.

"Hey, you alright, son?" Sol asked, shaking Atbash's shoulder to get his attention away from the house.

Turning to his friend, Atbash could sense the genuine concern in his voice. "Y-Yeah, I was just thinking about something."

Sol nodded. "Alright. Just don't go crazy on us." Patting Atbash's shoulder, he smiled and informed him of their findings. "Well, while you were off somewhere else, the others found a suitable house and a truck. Buts it's kinda beat up so we're not sure whether it'll work or not."

"You know anything about cars?"

"Just a little."

"That's good enough. All we need to do is start it. We can find a better car later on."

"Okay, now open up that panel there," Atbash informed, teaching Ram how to hotwire a car.

Ram did as she was told, using a screwdriver to open the panel sweaty the steering wheel. "Alright, what next?"

While Subaru and Rem watched as well from the bed of the truck, and Emilia in the passenger seat, the others stayed inside the house. Which was identical to the first one Atbash had found.

"Some day, huh?" Quark asked Sol and Charlotte, who were both resting on a couch that sat in the living room.

"I guess. We covered a small amount of ground though. If we don't get this car started we might get cooked out there."

Charlotte rested her head on Sol's shoulder, saying, "If it doesn't start then we should really start moving at night. At least then it'll be a lot cooler and easier to move around in."

Sol countered, "That'd be nice, but when it's dark we can't see as well. What if we get surprise attacked by a group of the infected?"

Charlotte reached up and playfully poked her husband's face. "We're in a flat plain. We'll be able to see them from far away because they'll have nowhere to hide, I imagine."

"I guess you're right," Sol said, attempting to say it normally with Charlotte's finger poking his cheek.

There was a moment of silence. Both parties on the couch started to close their eyes when Quark asked a question about them as he entered the room. "So, I never really got to ask. What did you two do before this all happened?"

"Charlotte here used to be a dealer. Sold a bunch of different varieties of that green stuff."

Quark looked at Charlotte, a surprised look on his face.

"A florist," she reassured, pinching Sol's cheek.

"And I used to be a handler for that good old white powder."

"A baker."

"Why you gotta make us sound less interesting?"

"So you don't make us sound like bad people."

"Hey, Bashur turned out great!"

"He's an exception."

Smiling, Sol asked Quark of his previous occupation.

"Well," Quark scratched his chin. "I used to be a police officer. Los Angeles Police Department. It was a tough job, really. I was caught up in the middle of it when this all first started. If hadn't been for Subaru showing up I most certainly would've died."

Sol raised an eyebrow. "Really? Subaru was the one to save you? I thought it would've been the other way around."

"He's a good kid. Not all that athletic, but he has a will to survive so he uses his smarts. I don't even know how, but he just found me in a random part of town and told me to get in." Quark began to scratch his chin, thinking of the memory.

"He found you randomly? Charlotte and I lived in Oregon, but we both know about how large LA is. Must've been a stroke of luck."

"Hm, yeah." Quark looked outside towards the kids. They were all still crowded around the truck, watching intently as Ram attempted to start the truck. "I guess I'm a pretty lucky fella."

"Okay, now be very careful on this part. Just connect the stripped wires together and then the truck should start if the battery isn't dead already."

Ram did as she was told, touching the two wires together. There was a small spark and then the truck attempted to turn over. There was still juice left in the little guy, but not a lot. Finally, after two painful seconds, the truck turned over and roared to life. There was a celebratory cheer from all four of them as the truck rumbled.

Subaru poked his head through the back window and attempted to see the gauges. "How much gas does it have left?!"

"Not much," Ram admitted with disappointment. "A little less than a quarter tank."

Atbash pushed his hair back with his hands in relief. "I don't know how far that'll take us, but good god is this a dream come true!" Reaching under Ram, he separated the wires. As a result, the truck shut off.

Her hands to her chest and a smile on her face, Emilia asked, "So now we know we have a car, should we leave right now?"

"I'm getting a bit sleepy," Rem said, embarrassed. "Perhaps tomorrow?"

Atbash agreed, his green eyes flashing with new found hope. "I can roll with that. We've been walking in the hot sun for a long while so I think a good rest is deserved after this victory."

Subaru threw his fist in the air. "Then let's head inside! Who wants to break the good news?"

"We'll do it together," Atbash assured. "Oh, and Rom-"

"Ram," Ram corrected

"Ram, yes, that's what I said. Good work. Took a bit, but I'm sure you've got it."

They all got out of the truck and began to move to the house, each talking happily to one another. There was a new vibe among them. Now that they had a better chance of making it to the next city, it only made them happier.

"It did look quite interesting I must admit," Emilia said, nervously scratching the side of her head. "I'd like to try it next time."

Atbash agreed, telling Emilia that she'd get her chance next time they found a car. This made her smile and continue to join in on the talk the others had started now that all was good.

While it was indeed amazing that they bow have a mode of transportation, it was still a small hurdle for the. To get through if they planned to make it all the way across the country. No one but Atbash seemed to think this, who had the thought in the back of his head.

Forcing it away, Atbash decided to just take a load off and join in with his new friends with talk about what they'd do when they got to safety.

AN: So what'd you think? Good? Bad?

So I'm trying to stick to a schedule now. My plan is to release a new chapter every two week, or within that time frame. If I update it earlier than expected then I'll get it out within two weeks from the time I updated, not giving any extra days. If I do happen to miss the date then I will not hesitate to release an update with an approximate date as to when the next chapter will come out. I hope this is good enough for you all.

So then I'll see you all very soon. Bai bai!