January 31, 2138 (Noon)

Returning here earlier was so weird after the battle we had hours ago. Everyone in our group was so drained of energy and emotion as we walked back into the zoo. On the way back I hadn't noticed how tired we really were. Too tired to be happy or sad. Angry or glad. I finally realized how tired we were when we reached the gate of the zoo and Tad was standing there. I stopped to take in what we called home as Sarah slowly walked up to the gate and leaned into Tad to hug him loosely, and he stood there transfixed on the Dread Youth girl that we had brought back with us. I'd seen the look he was giving her before, during the fight with Cane when his rage took him over.

Kim was walking up behind the girl and making her walk in front of her as they moved up to the gate when Tad asked in a low voice, "What's she doing here?"

Kim stopped and looked at Tad and said, "What?"

His response almost knocked us all over as he yelled at Kim at the top of his lungs, "What's she doing here?" Sarah let him go and looked back at Kim like she had no idea where this was coming from or what to do. His veins were bulging in his neck and his eyes were open wide as he kept glaring at the girl, who had stopped moving out of confusion or fear. None of us knew for sure and she looked back at Kim as though she was waiting for more instructions.

Kim looked at Tad in shock as Tommy spoke up and said, "We didn't have much choice."

Karl had heard the yelling and came running to the gate as Tad yelled, "Get her out of here."

"What's going on," Karl asked

Kim spoke to Tad saying, "We can't, Tad."

Dad cut in saying, "Tad, please. It's something that we had to do."

Tad looked at Dad and replied, "No. What you have to do is get her away from me. And you do it now."

Karl moved closer to Tad and put his arm on his shoulder, saying, "Son, calm down."

Before he could say anything more Tad jerked his shoulder free of Karl's hand and turned to his dad saying, "Get your hands off of me." Then he turned back to the girl and whipped out his laser and aimed it at her saying, "You get her out of here or I'll do it for you."

The youth stood there staring at him, not knowing what to do. I noticed the discoloration in her left eye more but didn't have time to concentrate on it right then as Tad was so enraged just by her being there that I was afraid that he would kill the girl.

Mom came running out and said, "Tad, please don't do this."

"What the hell is wrong with you people? She's one of them," he said to all of us standing there.

Sarah finally spoke up saying, "We know. But she didn't hurt any of us."

"No, she just follows those that would kill all of us. And you'd all have her staying here like she belongs here among us. Well I'm not having it," Tad yelled out as he kept pointing the laser at the girl. His hand started shaking as he kept aiming it at her. It was as if nothing any of us were saying was going to make him stop.

Karl tried to talk to him again, saying, "She's not worth this, son. Please let this go."

"Like you let Mom go, Dad? Huh? Is that what you want? Me to let her go so that she can shoot one of us in the back like they did Mom," he asked as he kept his stare and his laser on the girl.

Karl tried again saying, "She didn't hurt your mother, Tad. It wasn't her."

Tad looked at his father and yelled, "How do you know? Where were you, Dad? When they were killing Mom in that school yard, where were you? Where were you?"

"Getting me," Tommy said as he stepped between Tad and the girl.

"Tommy, move," Tad said in a softer voice.

"I can't," Tommy said as he kept aiming the laser at Tommy now.

I couldn't keep quiet any longer and said, "Please, Tad. Your head is bleeding again."

"Move," Tad yelled back at Tommy as he became enraged again.

"No, Tad. This is wrong. Mom wouldn't have wanted this. Would she," he asked.

Tad stood there and couldn't hold his hand steady. He started looking off to the side and seemed to be losing his rage as Kim stepped forward and said, "I understand, Tad. But this isn't the way. Please give me the gun. Please, Tad."

Before Tad could answer he fell backwards and Mom and Karl had to grab him to stop him from falling to the ground. Sarah ran forward to help him too, but he seemed to be having problems standing and he started breathing heavily, like he was having trouble even doing that like he should. Sarah took the laser from him and handed it back to Kim as they took Tad back to his room. As they helped him get to his room the girl looked down at the ground in silence as though she didn't know what to say.

Kim looked back at Tommy and said, "Are you all right?" Without responding he picked up the bag I had given him before and walked off into the zoo. Dad looked at me and said, "Go get some sleep. Kim and I can handle this." The girl looked back up at Dad and I could see her eyes again. One eye looked like it was a normal gray or blue color, but the other was yellow. It was bright yellow like there was some kind of energy in her pupil, but there wasn't anything else around it that was mechanical that could be seen causing it to look this way. It was eerie as it gave her this cold, empty stare, and yet it was kind of beautiful at the same time.

After all of her silence the youth finally spoke up saying, "Why don't you go on and kill me now? I'm not going to be of any use to you."

"If I had my way I would have already killed you back at the mall, honey. If you're in a hurry to see if there's some kind of an afterlife for gear heads, I'll be more than happy to send you on your way, "Kim said with her icy glare back in effect.

She didn't answer Kim, and Dad pushed the girl forward saying, "Let's go."