Chapter 5: Fight

Just a quick grab from the locker, that's it. I can do that without raising suspicion, right? I better, or it's my ass.

I ran down the sidewalk, my footfalls splashing in the occasional puddle. This rain was never going to end, was it? I was shivering - it might as well have been snow. When I walked, it usually took about half an hour to get to the school, but the running got it down to ten, my watch reading 8:06. School didn't start until 8:30, so I was good on time.

As I got closer, I saw the place bustling with activity; Jocks extorting money from the weak, dealers meeting the stoners in the parking lot, and bribed teachers slipping cheat sheets to the rich. It truly was amazing what you could notice when you paid attention.

Going past them all, I walked through the front doors and was greeted by a hallway full of students. I waded past them all, realizing that after today, I would likely never see any of them again. The thought made me smile - They were all pricks anyway. After a few turns through the large hallways, I finally reached my locker. I put the combo in and opened it. Inside, there were folders and notebooks for each of my six classes, along with textbooks for Calculus, World History, Geography, and Chemistry. Not one to throw away my education (or not entirely for that matter), I took my pack off and set it down beside the locker and started piling everything into it. Once it was devoid of any form of knowledge, I saw a line of photos at the bottom of the locker where the textbooks once were. I picked it up, and a closer inspection revealed it to be a set of connected photos of Tony and I at the photo booth in the mall. It physically hurt to look at, but I just closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and put it in my pocket where I hoped it would be fine.

As I gave the empty locker one final look, I was grabbed by the back of my neck. Whoever my assailant was, they smashed my head hard against the locker, making me grunt in pain. They spun me around, and I was greeted by a familiar face as they shoved my back against the locker.

"Oh, hey Ethan. Carson," I said coolly, a small grin on my face. Ethan, the one pinning me against the locker, was just your average sized kid who had just enough muscle in him to get into fights and maybe not lose. Now that Frank is gone and no-one has a reason to fear or pity me, everyone did whatever to me. Some people were decent human beings and didn't really talk to me, some few respected me for finally getting rid of that terrible man, some saw me as weak for not getting rid of him earlier, and a good portion hated me for getting Tony killed. Ethan and his cronie, Carson, were those people. Speaking of which, Carson was the muscle of the two, though most of that muscle was fat. Not the brightest bulb in the bunch, but he could fight. This I knew, because this wasn't my first run in with these guys.

A crowd started to form around us, begging for a fight to happen. Fights between me and different people weren't uncommon, not anymore. Everyone wanted to fight 'the guy who killed his dad' and see if he truly was the badass he was made out to be. I never called myself a badass, but that didn't mean I sucked at fighting.

"Ah, our most favorite fag in the school. Tell me, why should I not kick your ass right now?" Ethan said. Carson was behind him, waiting for a moment to jump in. However, I kept myself calm and assessed the situation. I tried thinking up a way to talk myself out of this, but gave up on the idea in about two seconds when I thought Fuck it, he called me a fag and headbutted Ethan as hard as I could, sending him stumbling backwards, his hand clutching his nose. My head hurt from that, but because I aimed for the bridge of his nose, he hurt much more than I did. Carson grabbed Ethan by the shoulders, making sure he didn't fall down.

"Cause you'll be too fucked up to do anything," I said.

What happened to 'Don't raise suspicion?' My common sense said.

It left when I came, My adrenaline replied. When it wasn't a fight where I was likely to die, I actually quite enjoyed them. And because there were almost always witnesses like right now, I was usually off the hook due to me not starting them, though… I kinda did start this one.. And besides, what are they gonna do? Send you home for a bloody nose and a busted eye? You weren't staying here to begin with, what does it even matter? I had to say, I was right.

With a barely noticeable nod from Ethan, Carson charged straight at me. I side-stepped at the last second to the left, Carson missing me entirely before crashing into my open locker. I slammed the door on his head as hard as I could and focused on Ethan, who was coming at me with a right hook. I caught his fist with my left forearm and jabbed him in the mouth with my right, the hole in my hand lighting up in pain.

As Ethan stumbled back slightly, a pair of arms came up under my armpits and went up, locking me in place. Carson was behind me, and Ethan was coming back up to me. I tried elbowing Carson, but Ethan was already hitting me before I could do anything. He punched me right in my left eye before he getting me in the gut, making me want to puke at the disruption he caused my stomach. Before he could punch me again, I kicked him hard enough between the legs to lift him off the ground, then again with my knee in his face as he doubled over. Carson swung me around, slamming me back in the lockers, my head colliding with it hard. My brain shook and I felt dizzy for a second, before kicking my leg backwards and into the side of his knee, bringing him down. I swung my right elbow around and hit him square in the side of the head, knocking him down and probably out. I felt a burst of adrenaline surge through me.

I turned around and saw Ethan, shakily getting up and still grabbing his balls in pain. Blood was coming out his nose, and his mouth was beginning to change shades. He actually looked frightened now that his bodyguard was out.

"C'mon, don't chicken out, Ethan. You've got you're adoring crowd to please AND you're the one who wanted to start shit!" I said. I never did stuff like this, trying to instigate people like Ethan even further (to be fair, I did progress it from trash talking to fighting, but I'm in way too deep to be thinking about that now), but dammit, this was probably the last time I'd ever have to beat his punk ass. "It was two against one anyway and I still took your friend down! Come finish the job your bodyguard couldn't!" He seemed to be weighing his options, not doing anything for a few seconds, until he finally made his decision.

He came at me quick, a right hook aimed for my head. I ducked under it and jumped back from the haymaker he had for me, my back against the locker again. As I went backwards, I planted my foot on a locker and pushed forward, swinging hard and hitting him between his cheek and his nose. I continued forward as his legs came up and out from under him, his body crashing to the ground behind me. I turned around and saw that he was still awake, though he was done. He wasn't getting up or making any attempt against me, and just like that, the fight was over. My hand hurt, my stomach ached, and my eye was already getting tight from swelling, but it wasn't nothing compared to thing 1 and thing 2 over here.

The crowd was deafeningly loud, people coming over to celebrate my victory. It was a truly amazing feeling, the victory after the fight. I don't think I've ever been this willing for a fight before, and I have to say, the thrill and adrenaline was certainly worth it, and the praise I was getting was the cherry on the top. The heat from the fight and dozens of people surrounding me was enough to get me to stop shivering too, which was the true cherry on top.

Ethan had gotten up now and was helping Carson up, who looked dizzy and uncoordinated. I waded through the cheers away from Ethan and back to my pack, zipping it up and closing the locker. And then all of a sudden, the cheers and everything stopped. It was unnerving, and a quick look around revealed why.

"Everyone, go to your classes now! You three, we need to go have a discussion," Principal Boisen boomed. Everyone grumbled at this, but said nothing and did as they were told. Ethan and Carson glared at me, and I took about two steps forward before a terrible idea came to mind. I was already feeling ballsy enough to be fighting after just getting an alien infection drained though, I think I'd be fine at this point.

In a split second, those two steps forward turned into multiple running steps back. Boisen was shouting at me, but I didn't pay attention to it as I turned around, grabbed my pack, and started running back towards the entrance, dodging and weaving past people as I did. The people who cheered earlier were cheering again. I swung the pack around and on my back awkwardly as I ran, my coat getting uncomfortably pulled up from the bouncing of the pack. I turned towards the hallway that went to the entrance and was greeted by the sight of the gym teacher - who's name I didn't care enough to remember - with a walkie talkie in his hand and a pissed off look directed at me. He also shouted something at me, which I also didn't pay attention to. I quickly ducked into the nearby boy's locker room to my right.

Luckily, there were very few people due to everyone still having ten or fifteen minutes until class started. I jumped over some benches and pulled my jacket down some more, hearing the gym teacher shouting from further behind. I was through the locker room in less than fifteen seconds, charging through a door that led to the gym.

It was large with there hardly being anything. The bleachers were out, and I saw a window at the top of them - my escape. I sprinted up the small stairs and to the window, Boisen and gym teacher already in the gym. They saw me immediately, me being the only other one here, and started running up the stairs as well. By then, however, I had already unlatched the window and pushed it open, the cold air and sound of the rain echoing into the gym. I swung my pack off and tossed it out the window, as there was no way it would've fit with it on me. Just as the two finally made it to the top and were about to grab me, I was already falling out the window, my feet crashing into the pavement and bringing me to my hands and knees. I rolled over on my back from the momentum, seeing the two yelling at me.

"Don't bother coming back!" They shouted, along with other threats. I got up and grabbed my pack.

"You always were a terrible principal, Boishit!" I spat out. Okay, I needed to cut it back a bit, I was enjoying this a little too much. Boisen's face lit up red with anger, and I started to run away before he could even think about jumping out after me.

I slowed down three blocks later, my legs aching and my lungs heaving. I could never, and I mean NEVER go back there. Huh… I was a high-school drop-out now, so close to graduation too. I'm resourceful, though, I'll make it. I don't have a choice now, especially with Xerxes with me.

How the hell was that going to work anyways? Were we just going to live a life in hiding now? I stopped myself from continuing the thought process - we needed to think of the now before the future.

The rain was unrelenting and the cold was beginning to come back, so I put my hood up and my hands in my jacket pockets, only to find a crumpled up piece of paper that certainly wasn't there before. I got under a nearby tree and smoothed it out. Reading it, I saw that it was an invitation to a party happening later at ten. Someone must have seen the fight earlier and slipped this to me afterwards. It had the address, and at the very bottom it read Bring food, alcohol, or anything else for a good time! I carefully folded it and put it in my pocket with the picture. I started jogging towards the library, which was just down the road now.

As I got there, I turned down the alley and started walking. It was a dump. Trash littered the area everywhere, and the concrete below my feet was wet with either rain or what was likely dried blood. I saw a large dumpster down the way and made my way to it. I looked around it and saw nothing, so I got up against the side of it and started pushing it. As I rolled it, I saw a blue plastic bag peeking out from under the dumpster and grabbed it. I got up and started unwrapping it, leaning against the library wall. Inside the wet bag was a box wrapped in brown paper, which I tore off, leaving a small blue shoe box. I took the lid off, finding a wad of cash with a rubber band around it, as well as four full-moon clips, filled with six rounds each. I pocketed the money and put the lid back on, trying to suppress a small smile. Got my ammo AND my paycheck! We're ready to go! Well, sort of. I still needed to talk to the boss about quitting. I was going to have to play it just right, or else he'd have my ass on a silver platter.

With the box in my hand and the smile I gave up suppressing on my face, I speed-walked home. I felt good, progress was being made and we were closer to escape. I started thinking about the invitation I got. Should I even go? I've never been to a party, and I figured it could be one of those things just to experience before we go. And then there was Xerxes. He already hated being alone, would he be okay leaving me alone that long? Would he be okay? Was he okay now? I started running again.

He'd be fine, he was cunning and strong. The thought didn't slow me down one bit though. What if he wasn't okay? What if he was dead? Or they stole him back? The thought made me sick to my stomach, being a more effective gut-punch than the actual gut-punch. He would live, I'd chase him down to his hive and save him if I had to, but he would live. I went through hell for years and suffered more than anyone could ever top, if I could keep him from that, I would. I cared for him, that much was obvious. The pressing question here - was I willing to be romantic with him?

…I don't know. It wasn't even about the difference between species, I was willing to get over that. He was kind to me and hadn't treated me like crap once, but it was because I wasn't sure if I could survive getting that close to someone again and losing them again. It'd kill me, it already damn near did. It hurt to think about, and as I walked down the long driveway and got closer to home, I became even more unsure. We've only known each other for less than a day, less than half of a day! And yet, I liked him. I liked him, but I was scared of loving him. He's been the first person in a long while that I've been able to repeatedly talk to - I didn't want to ruin that or, even worse, get my hopes up and have them smashed with a sledgehammer. But maybe he was what I needed to restore life the way it should be. Where I didn't have to go through the dangers of possibly being hunted in these woods, or by Frank a long time ago. I could leave behind Tony and move on. I could leave behind everything and start anew. Leave behind the horror. He is the reason to get me out of this mess, and though it was certainly much more dangerous than I'd have wanted, it's done. I'm in it. And I'm gonna survive this - we both are.

I made my decision.

It wasn't until I was knocked out of my thoughts by a loud screech in the woods that I realized how close I was to home, seeing it only a couple dozen yards away. The sound made me jump, and I started sprinting now, going closer to the house and to the noise.

I wish he had just promised. He'll be fine, he can handle most things, like the mechanics place earlier, or the lady with the bat. But dammit Alex! Your survival is what matters here. I deserve whatever happens, not you. Just one thing.

I was running through the woods, weaving between trees and over dead logs. The cabin was close, but I figured that I'd challenge myself, maybe get my mind straight a little. I got there fast alright, probably no more than two minutes.

I went through the still open doorway and into the main room with the couch. The place was in pretty bad shape still. Plus the, y'know, burn mark and blood near the wall and throw-up somewhere around a corner. I got on the couch and jumped up, grabbing onto the ceiling. I grabbed a large chunk of the ceiling, which was entirely resin at this point, and pulled it off. There was a small hole behind the resin, a hole in the roof, but not all the way through to the top. There was a foamy layer between the two ceiling roofs that I pushed aside and pulled out the gun. I dropped back down and landed on the couch with no sound except for the old springs within.

I sat down and looked at the gun. Inside the chamber was a single bullet. I almost decided to take it out, but stopped myself. It wasn't useful without it, that much I knew. But when I first saw Alex, I thought he was going to kill himself. That's what it looked like. Why would someone be out here? The middle of nowhere in the rain in the middle of the night with a gun? I trust he won't, now that I've talked to him… I hope. But it was a thought that lingered in my head. I was still going to keep an eye on him though, just to be safe.

I started running again, this time making it back in what felt like even less time. I went in through the back door, shutting it behind me and setting the gun on the bar. Alex wasn't back, and he probably wouldn't be for a little bit.

Back to being alone…

I didn't even know where Alex left this time, so I couldn't tail him, and I certainly couldn't go searching for him in this daylight. Though I'd probably get caught again because I decided to say something to him. To be fair, he was going to be out of range really quick and I did not want to be left behind like that, even if he had no clue I was there.

I started going about the house, looking for something to do. I opened the fridge in the kitchen, eyeing the meat in the plastic packages. He said I could eat whatever… I grabbed a package with red meat in it and tore it open, my jaws shooting out a getting a chunk of it. It was cold, but it was easily better than the deer meat or raccoon meat. The package was gone in moments, and I grabbed another one. It too was gone in less than a minute. I almost grabbed another, but stopped myself. I wouldn't eat all of his food, what would he eat?. I set the empty meat containers beside the gun and started exploring.

I had seen Alex's room and bathroom, as well as the living room and kitchen which were beside each other and between the front and back door. What I haven't seen is where the other hallway leads following the path of Alex's hallway. I went down it and saw two doors, one at the end and one on the right wall at the end. I went in the first one and shut it behind me.

It was a bedroom, probably double the width of Alex's room. There was a bed in the center of the room against a wall with two small tables at the sides of it. It had red covers and black pillows. Above the bed suspended by hooks coming out from the wall was a shotgun. Not much was really in here though. I went back to the hallway and went into the other room, which was a bathroom. Again, it looked a lot like the bathroom near Alex's room. On the sink was multiple makeup utensils, toothbrushes, and mouthwash. I grabbed it and, figuring no-one would ever know, opened it and took a swig. It was minty, painfully so, and I spit it out into the sink. That was terrible - why would anyone want to use that? I left and went back to Alex's room.

I searched it, making an effort to put everything back exactly where it was. He had plenty of temperature regulators, though most were a little worse for wear. I started moving things, trying to see if there was anything I was missing. It wasn't until I pushed the dresser to the side carefully, making sure not to knock it over on accident, that I actually did find something. Behind it was a small hole, not very large or deep. It looked like the area I hid the gun, full of that foamy stuff, except that it was missing an area where it was dug out, not pushed aside. I knelt down to it and reached in, grabbing something solid and pulling it out. It was a thick green roll of paper, wrapped in a tight rubber band. I set it down and reached for more, finding three more like it. I had an idea what it was, having gained some knowledge from Alex. But I have no use for this - what am I going to do, go buy something? I put the rolls back and pushed the dresser back.

A quick look under the bed revealed a few sets of small boxes, and when I dragged them out, they held many papers. The papers showed a plethora of assignments from different subjects all marked with an A, 100%, or something really close. I, on the other hand, had no idea what they were. I sat there and read some of them, beginning to get an idea as to what they were. They were validations of something, skill or logic perhaps, and Alex was incredibly good at them. I pulled out all of them, all but one containing more of these papers. The one that I left was far against the wall, and it contained many colorful booklets with characters dressed in full body clothing with masks and the like swinging between buildings by white strands or flying in a red and yellow suit.

I sat there for a while, reading an issue of what I found out to be Spiderman when I suddenly felt uneasy. I heard nothing, but I did sense something, and it was neither Alex nor Dante. Was it a scout? She must be sending everyone to search for us. Even if they did find us, she would wait until she had her army assembled, until she would unleash a horde of unstoppable power. It gave us time, but we could not afford to be here when it happened.

Nevertheless, I opened the door quietly and walked out to the kitchen and living room area. I could still sense something. I carefully opened the back door and peaked my head out a little, seeing nothing. I walked outside, closing the door but not all the way. I was on edge, this was not right.

I was about to go back in when I was tackled from above and to the ground. I failed to suppress a screech in surprise. As we collided to the ground, I used the momentum to roll him off and get on my feet, seeing that the black form was one of me. He got up right after me and charged into me, putting me against the wall of the home. He pulled away his hand and thrusted it into my guts, but I barely caught the clawed appendage and forced it away before it could do anything. His tail came next, which I was also able to grab by the blade before it went into my neck, but this time, he ripped it out of my hand and shot it at me again, missing my stomach and hitting my upper upper thigh. My hand and leg were both bleeding now, my leg throbbing even more as he ripped out the blade. I roared in agony and hit him hard in the mouth, making him stumble backwards. He turned slightly when this happened, and I took the opportunity by grabbing him by his tail. My own tail proceeded to shoot out and cut hard and fast downwards, detaching it from his body and shooting blood around on the ground. He roared in pain. I was about to tackle him and pin him to the ground, but before I could do anything, he was tackling me to the ground. He could have tried slicing my throat to make me choke on my blood, or shoot out his tongue and puncture my skull, but instead, he hit me quick and hard in the head, disorienting me. I tried to do something, slashing at his throat with my claw, but it was a weak attempt that went nowhere deep enough to be fatal. I felt dizzy, and as he raised his fist again, I realized how fatal of an error I have made. I felt pure terror, an impact, and then black.

I hoped that Alex would keep away and that I would be dead when I awoke.

There was a roar, louder than the screech and much longer. I ran up the porch and through the front door, slamming it behind me.

"Xerxes? What's going on? Are you okay?" I shouted. I dumped the backpack off beside the door and saw the gun beside some empty meat packages and an empty wrapper on the counter. I ran over and set the box down, grabbing the gun and emptying the single bullet onto the counter. I opened the box and grabbed one of the moon clips, putting it in the cylinder and snapping it shut. I looked out the window above the sink, seeing a black form splayed out in the grass, rain hitting him without remorse and yellow coming out of his thigh. It looked like he had been dragged. He had the faint gray lines. "Oh, crap!" I said, fear beginning to well up inside. I pulled the hammer back on the gun and carefully opened the back door, my finger ready on the trigger. I should've kept it near the trigger, not on it, but I was not fucking around.

Once the door was open and I saw outside, I peeked around the doorway, looking down the length of the house for the attacker. I saw nothing and went back inside, closing the door but not all the way, my hand still on the handle. I was breathing erratically, trying to force myself to calm down, which only slightly worked. I remembered what he wanted me to promise earlier, and my brain only lingered on the idea for a split second. I wasn't leaving. He was going to be okay. I would make sure of it.

I grabbed the grip of the gun by both hands and ripped open the door, looking around everywhere as I did. I kept the gun aimed where I was looking, seeing nothing but the rain and Xerxes. I ran over to him, nearly tripping on a disembodied tail that I missed, and got beside him, putting my head on his chest and praying that he was still alive. I heard his heartbeat, thankfully, going extremely fast, faster than mine from all the running. He was alive, just out cold. I tried shaking him awake, making sure to pay attention to where the blood was, which was melting and burning the wet grass. Nothing happened. I was about to go around and start dragging him inside by his arms, but as I did, I saw something past him and in the woods. It was barely visible with the overcast, blocked sun, and trees blocking the light, but I could make out a shape. It was similar to Xerxes in shape, and my blood ran cold. I knew what happened now.

It must have seen me too, because the second I took a step back to the door, he jumped out towards me and nearly collided into me. I managed to get out the way at the last second, and started running towards the door. As I ran, I turned around mid-run and took aim with one hand, my hand hardly staying still. I pulled the trigger, the bullet hitting his chest. It hardly did anything to him, only making him stutter in his steps for a second before coming even faster.

I opened the door and slammed it behind me, backing away and pulling the hammer back again. Something told me the next five shots wouldn't do anything to him, so I slowly backed away from the door, trying to think of other methods of attack. The Mossberg 500 was in Cassandra's room, that'd probably put a decent sized hole in him. There was no way in hell I was getting close enough for stabbing range, hand-to-hand would be suicide. What about fire..?

I was searching through drawers in a second, keeping an eye on the door. I heard a loud thump, then another. The back door was stronger than it was a few years ago, as the door and hinges got replaced after it collapsed. However, right as I found a lighter, the door flew open, small wood chips spraying out from where the lock forced its way out of the wall. His form came around the doorway, and I realized that I was trapped. He was missing a tail, and I realized that Xerxes must have ripped his off and that was what I nearly tripped on earlier. I aimed again and fired twice, hitting his leg and stomach. Blood sprayed out slightly and dripped onto the floor, burning it and filling the room with an acrid smell. He screeched in agony and ran up to me.

Thinking quickly, I slid over the bar, knocking down the box, wrapper, and empty packages onto the ground. I grabbed onto the other side of the bar and pulled myself across even faster, my feet just barely avoiding his grip and landing on my feet awkwardly, pushing up against the half-wall separating the living room from the hallway and kitchen. I pushed off of it and ran down the hallway, nearly going into my room before making a last second turn into the bathroom, seeing him almost on me. I slammed the door and heard him slide and crash into my room's door.

The door was definitely not going to hold, so I quickly opened the medicine grabbed a small can. As I closed it, I aimed the gun at the door and fired, hearing a loud yelp as the bullet went through the wood and out on the other end. The banging stopped, and I checked how many more bullets I had, which was two. I put the gun in my waistband carefully, adjusting it so it didn't fall through my pants. I took the cap off of the can. Then, with lighter and can in hand, I ripped open the door and walked out into the hallway. A sizzling blood trail lead down the hall and back towards the kitchen, which I followed. I was greeted by the sight of the alien jumping out and nearly grabbing me if it wasn't for me shoving myself as hard as I could from him, losing my balance and falling down after I stumbled backwards a few feet. The alien looked pleased, like he had just won. He was wrong though, because once I lit the long lighter, he stopped where he was, that pleased grin being wiped off his face. What really lit the match was when I lit him like a match, spraying the contents of the bottle over the lit flame and making a homemade flamethrower. The fire engulfed him, and I was shown the effectiveness of flame when the alien forgot all about me and sprinted out the back door into the rain. However, once he was outside, the rain was not enough to smother the fire, and he collapsed to the ground mere seconds after going outside. This I all saw when I got up immediately and watched from the back door.

A feeling of victory came over me, more so than the fight at the school. I was also greeted by a feeling of weariness and exhaustion belated from adrenaline and a fighting drive. I've barely slept at all today and yet, here I am, stealing cars, treating infections, and killing aliens. What a great day.

The acid had stopped melting the floor, but only because it had melted itself away, or so I assumed. The few areas where it had destroyed the floor was where I avoided, hoping to not burn a hole in my shoe in case it wasn't gone. As the flames began to die down on the alien in the rain, the other alien was busy laying in the grass and getting pelted by the rain. I sighed and went back outside, hoping there weren't any more of them. I came back to Xerxes, who was still knocked out, and grabbed him by his armpits, dragging him back inside. He was heavy, and I had to take a break from dragging once he was in the middle of the kitchen. I closed the door when we were inside, but it just creaked open slightly with the busted lock. I sat down on a barstool.

Suddenly, Xerxes' point of view made sense. There was no point in holding back anything now because we may die tomorrow. Hell, we'll be lucky if we don't die today! After that fight, the thought that death is just a corner away seems very real now. And am I willing to die alone?

My hands were shaking from stress and adrenaline. I set down the lighter and deodorant can, as well as the gun, taking the moon clip out and tipping out the empty casings onto the bar. I picked the trash off the floor and threw it away, as well as the clips and the spare bullet, which I set on the bar. I put a full clip in and put the spare bullet into the previous clip, giving me two and half spare clips remaining. I closed the shoebox and set it under my bed before going back and dragging Xerxes through the house. His leg had stopped bleeding, but sure looked like it could easily start again with the size of the gash. I sighed and started dragging him back towards my room and beside me bed. I slipped my hands underneath him and put all of my effort into lifting him up - which made everything feel as though it would explode - and set him down on my bed. He was soaking wet and I knew the blankets had to have been disgusting by now, but I truly couldn't have cared if I tried. I saw my old school assignments laid out on the floor, as well as my comics that I had mostly forgotten about. The thought of them made a small smile come to mind, and I promised myself to read them and clean them up later.

I grabbed the spray can from the bar and put it back in the bathroom, grabbing a roll of gauze from behind the mirror. When I closed it, I saw myself along with a large welt on my forehead, a purple left eye, and a cut and bloody right eyebrow. The blood left a trail going all the way to my lower cheek, bordering on my chin. I turned the faucet on and washed it off, as well as the cut itself. I thought about getting a bandaid or something for it, but the bleeding stopped and it didn't need stitches, so I just left it be. I grabbed a small towel on my way out.

I thought about finding and grabbing the bottle of alcohol somewhere in the bathroom, but I remembered the infection caused by Xerxes' special blend earlier and decided that I didn't want to risk something like that happening to him. I went back to my room and folded the small towel before placing it over his gash, which was then wrapped up by the gauze several times. By the time I was done, it looked like a decent bandage job, and the cloth was just barely withstanding his blood, a slight sizzling noise coming from it. But after a while, the noise seemed to disappear and the bandage never came off, so I assumed it was fine.

Taking my shoes off, I went over to the end of the bed and got over the footpost, getting beside him. The cold was coming again, and I felt like passing out before it had its grip on me. I pulled the covers over Xerxes and I, and once my head hit the pillow, I was asleep in seconds.

Except I wasn't dead. I would know if I were dead, wouldn't I? That didn't stop me from pushing myself up and looking around, realizing that I was back in Alex's room. Was that all a dream? Was I alive? I saw the papers and booklets on the floor, and I figured that maybe I was alive. But how?

My answer was Alex rolling onto his stomach and wrapping his arm around my chest. He didn't… he couldn't have…

I carefully lifted his arm up and sat up out of bed, careful not to step on any of the papers and such. I saw a wrapping around my thigh, and when I lightly touched the top of it, my nerves lit up. Alex did this, didn't he? I stood up, which was a mistake, because it lit up even more and I had to lean on the wall to avoid falling down. As carefully as I could, I opened the door quietly and closed it behind me.

As I limped down the hallway, I could've sworn that I saw slight scorch marks around the walls, floor, and ceiling, along with small indents that in the floor that couldn't have been there earlier.. I went past them and in the kitchen, seeing that the gun had moved, the packages of meat were gone, and a small box was on the table. I didn't bother opening it, because I was more concerned by the sight of the slightly ajar back door. I went over to it and tried closing it, but found that nothing was stopping it from getting pushed open. I opened it fully and looked outside, shocked by what I saw.

Outside was my attacker, dead and burned alive by the look of it. I could hardly believe it, I was alive. And Alex had saved me. Which meant… he saved me. He came back and risked himself for me, doing exactly what I begged him not to do. I was torn between pure joy and discontent at this. I was amazed he managed to kill him, I thought he would've died if he tried anything.

Something else - I was out here when I got knocked out. Did Alex take me back to his room? And he bandaged me? I don't think I have a right to be unhappy at this anymore. He risked it, but he saved me and himself. He saved me. I felt dizzy, so I leaned against the home and slid down to the grass where I wrapped my arms arounds my knees.

I almost died. Or maybe I didn't and that was even worse. But Alex saved me. He came and fought for me. It made me queasy - I was this close to death and suffering for an eternity. I was this close! It terrified me, much more than the fight did earlier. I didn't want that, and it almost happened. I wasn't mad at Alex, I was thankful. If I had eyes like the humans did, I'd be crying. Instead, I shuddered and shook, being unable to not comprehend what had almost happened. I understood it all, and I couldn't help but focus on how close I was to the end. And Alex saved my life, bandaged me up… I felt sick.

I must have been there for a while, because eventually I heard Alex calling out my name. I was so deep within my mind that I didn't even register this until he was outside with me, lightly shaking my shoulder.

"Xerxes, are you okay?" He said softly. I realized he was there now. I got up from where I sat and grabbed Alex, wrapping my arms around him. His smell calmed me down somewhat.

"Alex, I told you to run," I started. He put his arms around me.

"I know, I know. But when I saw what was happening, I couldn't let you just be taken like that. You don't deserve that, and I don't care how pissed-"

"Pissed? Alex, that was nearly it! It was almost over here," I gestured to the dead body and tail. "I'm happy you didn't run. I thought I could be fearless, that I could accept death if it was right in front of me. I was terrified. I thought that if I didn't die right then and there, I would want to die," I said. I was still shaking, and I felt Alex tighten his grip on me.

"Calm down. You're okay now," He said. "I have your back. Nothing will get to you before it gets through me, I promise you that."

"I don't want you to protect me. I'm supposed to protect you because I dragged you in this. I-"

"Fuck the debt! Fuck this whole 'you owe me your life' thing! I'll say it a million more times if I have to, but goddammit! You're not some martyr that has to be willing to die for me! You're my friend, Xerxes. We'll probably only have each other for now, so don't think you're alone. So long as that's true, we'll protect each other. I'll fight for you if you fight for me," He said. He took a breath. "We're in this together. You and I are equal - just two poor souls trying to seek safety. You don't have to be fearless or tough - I won't hold that against you. You don't have to fight alone anymore - I'll be there by your side… You won't ever have to be alone again - nothing will keep us apart."

I was in shock. I didn't know what to say. I shook the entire time, but when he said that last thing, everything stopped. I pulled away from him, seeing his face. I saw the new marks on him, but told myself to not change the subject. If this was what I thought, it could wait.

"Do you mean..?" I trailed off. He nodded.

"The way I look at it, the odds are against us. There's a decent chance we won't survive this and we'll probably die tomorrow. Why hold anything back? If we die, don't we deserve at least that much happiness?"

"Yeah," I breathed, and wrapped my arms around him again. "I love you."

He hesitated for a moment before replying, "I love you too." We stood there for a while, soaked in rain and holding onto each other. He was shivering and freezing cold. This was getting worse, but it usually did before it got better. Hopefully better would be soon. "How's your leg?" He asked.

"It hurts, but I'll be fine. How's… this?" I waved my hand across his face. "What happened?" He sighed.

"Got in a fight earlier. They look way worse than me, trust me," He said. An idea came to mind, and I decided to test my luck.

"Would you be okay if I… saw it?" I suggested. He looked at me funny.

"What? You mean like… looking in my mind?" He said. I nodded. He said nothing for a few seconds, lost in thought, before saying, "Only that. Nothing else."

"Deal," I said. I grabbed his head gently, pressing mine against his forehead and focusing. And then, it was all there. I found his memory of the fight and watched, seeing the fight itself to the escape through the window, everything passing by in no less than a four seconds. I backed my head away.

"Woah, that was weird."

"That was amazing! You were outnumbered AND you kicked their asses!" I said. I nearly gave a screech in celebration, but told myself not to, in fear that more of the unwanted would come and test their luck with us. It was hard not to though - he was amazing! He was already this tough person, but seeing it in action like that? I was in awe. If he was one of my kind, he could have been a great warrior, easily.

"You should've seen the fight with him," He said, referring to the body. I looked at him, waiting, until he finally said, "Go ahead."

Again, I pressed my head up against his and watched the memory. It was weird… seeing myself, passed out on the grass like that. But I knew that it was merely the past, I'm safe now. Once more, the whole thing couldn't have lasted more than four or five seconds. I backed away, returning to reality, and looked at him. I held myself back from celebrating his victory - that could wait until we got away from here.

I also had the urge to mate, which I forced myself to suppress. Not now, not after nearly dying not too long ago, though maybe that made want to do it even more. Either way, I made an attempt to not let it show. That can wait until later, if Alex is willing. When we're safe. When we're free of all this.

"You are an amazing fighter. Good idea with the fire - we can take just about anything but that."

"Would've been nice to know earlier," He said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "What should we do with him? Do you guys bury your dead, or..?" Good question.

"I don't know… I don't think we typically do anything with them, just let nature take them over."

"Well, nature's gonna be a while - should we drag him into the woods? Somebody'll see him here."

"Yeah. I'll get him, you should go back in and get warm and dry. I'll be fine," I said. I went to the body, but Alex was already there at his feet. He already had the tail slung over his shoulder, which I had forgotten about.

"I'm fine, I can help." I was at his upper half, ready to go.

"Alex, really, you do-"

"I carried you, didn't I?" And I shut up. I grabbed under his arms while Alex had his legs, and we went back into the woods until we could no longer see the house. Luckily, he was no longer bleeding, so Alex didn't get burned. We carefully set him and his tail down on the ground, placing nearby fallen branches and limbs on him until he was covered almost entirely. We walked back to the home and went inside, closing the door as best as we could.

He went straight for his room, and I followed, closing the door behind me. He took his shoes off before looking at himself, then at me. "Lemme get a towel." He left and came back, holding a rough looking piece of green cloth. He unfolded it and looked at me. "Hold out your arms like this," He said, standing in a T position. I did so without a word, and he came at me with the towel, rubbing it around my arms, around my head, up and down my chest and stomach, around and in between my dorsal tubes, jumping down to my legs and being careful of the bandage, before going over the top of my feet. It felt amazing, the towel going over my body, grabbing any remnant of water. Soon, I was declared dry, or at least, slightly damp.

He took his jacket and shirt off, revealing the plethora of scars on his body, and tossed it beside the door before going over himself with the towel. But before he could make it far, I grabbed the towel from his hands and went over him myself. I made sure to be gentle, careful not to press too hard on his bandages as I repeated the process on him. He was shivering, trying to suppress his shaking. In a quick motion, I lifted the towel over his head and behind him, pulling him towards me. I grabbed him and wrapped my arms around him tightly, tossing the towel behind him and into the pile beside the door. He didn't resist my action, wrapping his arms around me and shivering even more. I let my dorsal tubes go into me as I fell back on the bed, landing with a thump. I pulled the covers over us, Alex still on top and practically melting into me.

"Fuck this cold," He said, his teeth chattering between each word. "This is because of that black stuff that came outta me earlier, isn't it?"

"Yeah… Sorry about that."

"Stop apologizing, man. You couldn't have known it was going to be poisonous to me. And if you keep on staying this warm and doing this with me, then you're fine," He said. So forgiving. Alex, where have you been my life? I planted a kiss on the top of his head, which made him melt even more.

"Love you," I said, letting my tail come up and go over his back and legs.

"I love you too," He said, no hesitation in his voice. We laid like that for a little bit, his head on my chest as his breathing began to slow. "Your heart is so fast. Sounds like the beat of a song," He mumbled.

"Thanks..?" I said, unsure how to respond.

"You're welcome," He replied, smiling into my torso. He fell asleep shortly after, with myself falling into a deep, peaceful sleep not long after, wrapped in each others' embrace.

Thanks once again go to Incurser for beta-reading this chapter and editing it. Go check him out, he writes stuff too so give him some attention!