Author's Note:

And so, we have reached the half of Part I which will probably the most enjoyable for me - because we have finally reached the Old Town portion of the game! Libby is now the main protagonist and we also have a new character joining the fray. Those of you who have read Nightmare Row will know who she is, but for everyone else - I hope you all will like her. :)

Feel free to leave your thoughts in a review, and I hope you all enjoy Season 2! :)

Season 2: Episode 1 - Chapter 31: Pain

Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness.

~ Katherine Henson.

...

K-L

Hello friend. Hello friend, that... no, that doesn't feel right. Do you want a different name? That's a slippery slope though, because we have to remember that we both thought we were in each other's heads before we began talking and honestly, I prefer the name you've got. I...! Please don't take this the wrong way, but I can't believe I'm about to tell you my story...!

I never told you much about myself, did I? Well to start with, people saw me as your awkward yet normal geeky nerd who was born and raised in England. But to be honest with you, I'm nowhere near normal - because I'm on the autistic spectrum and I suffer from two conditions; hearing loss and social anxiety. This affects how I function in everyday life, such as socialising and building a connection with people. Sure, some in my age group gave me a chance and I appreciated that. But... they didn't work out, they never did and that's made my anxiety worse over the years.

Well, at least I had my parents to help me cope … that is, until the Outbreak. My younger brother and two sisters are family members too, though they would appear in spirit because... they passed away before we got to know them.

On a different note, everyone has media productions, topics and people that they are interested in; favourite movie, television show or cute band, you get the idea. My interests were similar, but they were a lot different than the stereotypical teenager's interests. Since I was nine years old, I've been a huge fan of Sonic the Hedgehog. I've played the games I was able to get my hands on, I watched some of the television shows and I bought the merchandise that I could. My bedroom's walls were covered in video game posters and my plush toys of the characters helped me calm down whenever I had an anxiety attack. I also have a little lapis ring which was a gift on my twelfth birthday and that helped soothe my anxiety too...

I didn't know what happened to them after everything went haywire.

That doesn't matter so much now, because I initially believed there was no way back to Old Town. That's where the virus first popped out of the blue, and… and there were so much chaos when it happened...! The infected ripping citizens apart, the bloody sights and families getting separated - some getting evacuated to the United States and others getting left behind to get imprisoned by a quarantine wall!

And like most children separated from their families, I too was separated from mine...

So, feel free to grab a snack and settle in - because I'm about to pick up the story one month from where Kyle left off. Rais truly believed he had the upper hand after what he put us through in that arena of his.

But he had no idea what my friends and I were capable off...

...

Before the Outbreak, foreigners considered Harran as a beautiful and diverse city in the Middle East. We had the Slums being constructed across the Infamy Bridge from the city's major attraction - which was Old Town, or rather Sector 0. I still remember when my parents and I moved there back in 2013 and I couldn't help but notice quite the similarity between that and Themiscyra. I'll tell you, it felt awesome to live in a place which bore a resemblance to Wonder Woman's childhood home!

But those are memories now. And sometimes, it was nice to look back on them whenever the days of survival became too much to handle.

Jade, Rahim and I found ourselves doing that an awful lot over the next twelve days, more specifically to help us remain strong for Melanie - who must have been more affected by our situation than we were. You see, she was the first friend I ever had. Yes, I know that sounds dramatic, but it's the truth. She was the first person my age to truly accept me for me and... to notice that the bubbly girl she once was had been viciously torn into two was just...! it was just heartbreaking. That, combined with the way Rais had treated Henry and his prisoners, was enough to make me want him dead - and this is coming from someone who doesn't have it in her to wish death on anyone.

Then again, traumatic events can change people.

But before I dive in that, I should imagine that you're wanting to know what happened after Suleiman had did what he did. Trust me, I would be too.

So, here's your answer:

"You all should be thanking me, because we've come to a mutual understanding," Rais' satisfied voice cut through the vile atmosphere like a knife repeatedly piercing the heart, rendering the remaining five of us almost on the verge of vomiting. He then proceeded to scold us icily, holding back his genuine? rage as the hurtful words spewed from his mouth. "I think you should consider learning a lesson here, too. You should never form an alliance with snakes, because they will leave your own brother to be ripped to pieces right in front of you,"

How could you be so sick?!

"Why don't you shut the f*ck up and take one second to think about what your brother would say, if he saw you now?! Huh?! Because, he'd be disappointed in you!" Henry began screaming, his breathing ragged with fury. "And we don't know what loss is?! That's f*cking rich, because everyone's got dead people! That's no excuse to take out your emotions on us just because you hate the GRE, Suleiman!"

Our friend was understandably too wrapped up in his exasperation to notice that he had struck a nerve, as Rais' face was twisting with rage. Oh nononono!

Masks off.

"Suleiman is dead," He snapped calmly, turning on his former prisoner. "He died with his brother in this city, and I will see to it that you are next for abandoning me," Don't you bl**dy dare...!

"But not before I kill you," That came from Jade, who was staring at him with revulsion. God - if only that look could murder him in the most painful manner possible.

"I didn't quite hear you there, Scorpion," Rais taunted, walking towards her and kneeling to make eye contact.

"Did I stutter, psychopath?" Rahim's sister growled hatefully.

Hearing this, Suleiman smiled... almost a little cheekily. "No, but if you could be so kind to repeat what you've just said," Jade, don't let him wind you up!

If Jade had sensed what Henry, Rahim, Melanie and I were thinking, neither of us could tell. "I will cut you open and watch you bleed for what you've done," She then got straight in Rais' face and growled icily at him. "Not again,"

She's referring to Amir, isn't she?

During so, I sadly found myself turning my head to glance at poor Kyle - lying in a pool of his own blood with Imran following suit, the latter already long gone. And now, there goes another two people close to us... Why couldn't I have stopped Rais?!

A sudden twitch of a finger caught my attention.

Huh?

His back begun to faintly rise and fall, just enough so that I could see.

Wait...

His eyes slowly opened and closed with visible fear, sending my emotions in a complete whirl spin.

What?! He's not dead!

It took everything in my power not to stand up and shove Rais' failure in his face (as satisfying as it would have been), so I resorted to a nod to tell our friend: Hang in there, Crane. We're going to get you out of here. I then felt Rahim's eyes on me and I turned back to face him, quickly signalling my discovery whilst my anxiety begun increasing by the minute. Please don't let anything else happen, please don't let anything else happen! Once my best friend noticed, he responded by giving me a quick nod to tell me that he too was on board with bailing him out.

Alright, good.

"Wow," Rais pretended to be surprised by Jade's vengeful declaration, slowly rising to his feet. "If you all weren't going to join your friends, I would have believed you,"

He then turned to face four bandits, all armed with machetes. Upon seeing this, I locked eyes with my friends anxiously. Okay, this is our cue to bail.

"Kill them,"

Chaos erupted in a blink of an eye. Jade, Henry and Melanie viciously took on their opponents and Rais - whist Rahim and I dived for Crane and hoisted him up to his feet. Whilst we dragged him over and pulled him up onto the platform, we didn't realise that the latter three were on our tails...

...until Suleiman had caught our attention, shoving a brightly lit torch into his right arm with a furious scream. "JAAAAADE!" Oh god! He then tossed said torch onto the ground, revealing a burnt but rapidly bleeding stump where his hand! would have been. Oooooh no! Rahim and I then quickly hoisted our endangered friend over a white fence by the side of the platform before following him with Melanie in tow. C'mon buddy, you're going to make it.

"What are you swine waiting for?!" Suleiman demanded to two more bandits armed with military rifles. "SHOOT THEM!"

Guys, get over THE BL**DY FENCE!

Thankfully, Henry and Jade made it over relatively unscathed - just as the bandits opened fire and a row of bullets violently punctured the fence, prompting us to nearly jump out of our skins. Fuuudge! Seconds later, we all took off sprinting with Crane and Melanie both in safe hands. Looking back, I would say that this was one of many moments which were an absolute blur - so much so that I think my brain has blocked most of it and if you asked my friends, they would probably tell you the same thing.

Here's what I do remember, though.

I remember Jade helping Melanie whilst repeatedly yelling at Rahim and I to let Crane go (Like that was going to happen!), only for the both of us to get irritated that she couldn't tell that he desperately needed us like Mel did. But at least, Henry could.

I remember us sprinting for our lives through another smaller pit filled with crates (some of which were attached to construction cranes and nearly out of our reach), rubble and virals' corpses, as gunfire echoed from all directions - even managing to set some deafening explosions off in the process. Those were bl**dy terrifying!

I remember us exiting that blasted place by jumping into a bloody pool of water, which was probably the closest cover we were going to get.

I also remember Henry leading us through a more quieter area after we had surfaced and managed to climb out, quickly fishing out his radio and switching it on. "Hello?! It's Henry, does anyone copy?!"

"Yeah, I copy," Brecken's worried voice had come through the other end. "Did you guys find Zere?"

"I'll..." A frantic gulp. "I'll explain when we get back. Can you get the hospital ready for Crane and this girl we found? Because they need help, urgently!"

Hearing this, the Tower's leader's concern increased within seconds. "Oh f*ck, I...! Right, okay, I'll let Lena know and we'll be waiting for you,"

Okay, that's another positive thing to know.

(Floor 1 in the Tower, Harran, Turkey, The Middle East, Europe - 20:30...)

After the six of us made it outside, it was back to the Tower we went and it didn't help that we were in the dead of night for obvious reasons. But as we got closer to our sanctuary, I think... I think it was safe to say that a huge weight was slowly being lifted off our shoulders. I still remember feeling that way when I first came back from Rais' place, too. With that being said, Melanie's reaction was... quite raw. The poor girl was tearfully staring at the Tower with wide stunned eyes and violently trembling, prompting our hearts to painfully crack into two.

Rais, what the hell have you done to her?!

One climb up onto the first floor after making it back later, and low and behold; we find Brecken and Lena waiting for us with two doctors accompanying them. Meanwhile, the Quartermaster and multiple residents were all staring at the commotion, whispering words of concern.

"Glad to see you guys are okay," Brecken greeted us with relief, just as Lena watched the doctors take Crane and help him towards the elevator. Okay, that's one patient added. Good. "What happened out the—" He then began asking, before his eyes landed on Melanie. The result: complete and utter astonishment. "Mel?!"

All Melanie could do was open and close her mouth in equal shock, with tears threatening to brim. Aw, Mel...! But thankfully, Lena stepped in with a sympathetic yet calm smile. "Hey, let's get you taken care of, okay?"

"Will you be alright upstairs?" Jade asked my first best friend gently. "Or would you like one of us to come with you?"

"A-A-re you sure?" The redhead stammered tearfully, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Of course,"

Hearing this, Melanie appeared to feel slightly more at ease - despite still leaning over the edge. "O-Okay," An anxious gulp. "I think I might...!" Another glitched gulp. "I think I might be able to manage, but I'll let you know...!"

"That's okay," Jade told her kindly, then addressing Lena with a calm "I'll come up later to see how she's coping,"

"Okay, I'll keep you updated too," The doctor responded before she gently escorted the girl towards the elevator. You're going to be okay, Mel...

Looking back, I don't think I realised how much effort I it took in trying to hold myself together, that is... until my best friend quickly turned her head to flash me a terrified and guilty look? Once she and Lena had disappeared, that was it. So many emotions were running through my head at once; outrage, despair and torture - all because I had failed. I felt like I was the worst friend on the goddamn planet because...! I was so close to finding her four weeks back and I didn't even know...!

I was right there!

"Guys, let's take this somewhere else," Brecken's concerned voice snapped me out of my thoughts, gesturing for us to follow him.

After doing so, we entered the room where Henry was welcomed and once the Tower's leader closed the door behind him, he turned on the four of us with impending anger. "What happened out there?"

Hearing this, Henry took a saddened breath. "First of all - I'm sorry to say this, but Zere's dead,"

A split-second of horrified silence. "How did he die?"

"Rais killed him," My friend continued with his face a picture of guilt and self-loathing (the same went for Jade, Rahim and myself), becoming more emotional as he explained what had occurred. "He made us fight in the Pit and he ordered us to kneel, so we did and after one of his monologues, Zere was...!"

It didn't take long for Brecken to put two and two together, before he violently shoved three objects off the window sill with an enraged shout. "F*ck!"

"Look, he was our friend too!" Henry tried, equally upset. "He was a really nice bloke, truly," Agreed, 100%.

"I know, I know," The Tower's leader reassured him. "So, why is Kyle bleeding out like that?"

Oh god.

This time, Jade stepped in. "Rais assaulted him, because he's a GRE agent,"

"WHAT?!" Brecken yelled with anger. "That's impossible!"

"It's the truth," The woman remarked, turning to glare at Rahim and I with disappointment. "He lied to us, yet Libby and Rahim decided to bring him back here,"

You're having a laugh?!

"Maybe that's because we still see good in him?" Her younger brother snarked angrily, whilst I returned Jade's glare. "Yes, he's lied to us and got two of our friends killed bu—"

"But the two of you should have left him!" She growled sternly, her fists shaking with betrayal. "Why didn't you listen to me?!"

"He just told you," Henry butted in calmly. "Let's not get into a fight about this, okay?"

"Agreed," I remarked bluntly, deeply hurt by her attempts to turn the blame on Rahim and I. How could you do that, when we all know the real perpetrator is?! Huh?!

"Alright," Brecken sighed tiredly. "We'll wait until he's recovered, then we'll get some answers out of him,"

"And then, I kill him," Jade vowed hatefully, earning horrified glowers from Henry, Rahim and I. Okay. First, you want him dead - then you forgive him and you're all lovey-dovey for four weeks and then, you want him dead again?! Make up your mind, lady!

"I'll see you in the morning?" I asked Rahim and Henry in defeat.

"Okay," The former forced a brave smile on his face, which I managed to return.

"Yeah, sure," The latter confirmed kindly.

"See you guys tomorrow," I bade everyone a fond farewell.

The four responded in the affirmative and I left them to it, walking towards the elevator. Once I piled inside, I pressed the button for Floor 19 and up the elevator went. Thank god I'm out of there. Only... I didn't realise that my walls were crumbling by the minute. I found myself quietly inhaling and exhaling to calm myself down and violently trembling in shock. The final straw went to tears bubbling up and my throat turning hoarse, thanks to my glitched breathing.

Oh, I'm an absolute failure! Why am I even here?!