As Jackson walks me out of the science building, I can't help but feel anxious. "Don't worry, they'll take care of her," Jackson smiles. "It's crazy, ever since we came here, people are different, they're purer, more human. Everybody just co-exists, everybody here has had a similiar experience to everyone else. We're all more understanding now. Unfortunately, some people do have different opinions. Some people just want to build a future here, forget about the outside world. Not me and certainly not any of our scientists here, we have quiet a few, I just thrust Smith a lot so I brought Rachel to her. We all want to heal the world left outside, none of the attmepts have been successful but your Rachel can change that."

"How did you build this place up so quickly? All these buildings, the technology?"

"Well, it didn't begin like this, we've been building it up since we got here and continue to everyday. You wouldn't believe the mix of professions we have here, so many contractors and constructors, doctors, anything you could think of, we started with metal fences and it turned into this, wooden huts turned into concrete and brick buildings, it's pretty amazing what people can do if they just co-operate, some of our forces go on salvaging trips to try find anything we can bring back here to make life a little bit easier, all it takes is co-operation."

"I used to take trips like that," I say. "Usually it was just to get some fresh air. So how does someone so young get such a high title? Everybody here is at your command."

"Like I said we see everybody as equal, we do believe in respect though, well honestly I was just a lieutenant in Afghanistan, I came home on leave after I was injured in battle to find this, most of the army had been called up to try fight this virus, not many people were left. A few of us who hadn't been called up formed the compound, I had one the highest ranks out of everybody left. Security and safety is the main priority here, I know you've seen a lot of guns but there only for security purposes, only used by the army, civillians are forbidden to carry them inside the compound."

"So what happens to the weapons people bring here?"

"They're given to the army," Jackson replies. "Each civillian has the right to keep one weapon each but they are stored away in secure lockers and can only be accessed if the civilian is leaving the compound for good or as part of the military force. Maybe you could consider joining us Quinn, you obviously have a lot of strength if you got this far."

"I appreciate the offer Commander but my main priority now is taking care off Rachel," I reply.
"Call me Maritza, please, that's okay, I understand, come through here, take a shower then one of the doctors will give you a check up."

She leads me into a smaller building and through the first door on the right into a tiled, steamy room with three stalls fitted with a white, grubby shower curtain. It doesn't smell great and it doesn't look particularly clean but none of that matters to me.

"Thank you," I whisper, before now I would probably have been too proud to shower here but now this seems like heaven. I just want to feel that warm water run down on my skin.

"Go ahead there's soap in each of the stalls, I'll wait for you outside, you'll have to be quick though, usually the warm water only lasts for three minutes," She tells me. "Oh and here's a towel."

She throws me a worn but clean white towel which she has retrieved from a small cupboard near the door. I thank her again before finally getting to come in contact with the steaming hot water that one of the shower stalls provides.

As promised the commander is waiting for me outside when I'm finished, "I was just contacted by one of the lietenants in Admission, your friends have been admitted, congratulations, I can make sure you don't have to go through the same process, once you're through check up I'll escourt you straight through to your accomodation."

"Do you have cell phones here? Is that how you stay in contact?"
"No, unfortunately not, but we have radios and walkie talkies, hundreds of them actually."

"Radios? Have you been able to contact people outside?"
"Yes," Her face falls, "we contacted people in Michigan some time through the radio in our helicopter, e sent out the helicopter to rescue them but it hasn't come back, we completely lost contact with it, we don't know what happened, wee're not even sure if it got there or not."

"So they weren't lying," I mumbling.

"What?"

"We met those people,, we stayed with them but I wanted to leave after a few days when there was no sign of any helicopter. They stayed behind with a few of our own."

"I'm sorry," She replies.
"No, it's not your fault,"

"It obviously didn't reach them so, do you think your friends are still okay?"
"I doubt it," I admit. "There was a huge horde heading their way."
"Oh," She swallows. "We've lost some soldiers to hordes, it's always been so horrible but they expect me to be strong all the time, it's like I'm not allowed to have emotions now that I have the responsibility of keeping this compound and everybody in it secure. Anyway, we better get you to the doctor."

She leads me through another door into what looks exactly like any doctor's office I've been in before, this place never fails to impress me.

A female doctor beckons me over, telling me to strip to my underwear so she inspect my whole body, she checks for bites, infections, lice and anything else which I won't have. She gives me one last look up and down before motioning for me to leave with her hand, I put my clothes back on and return to Maritza. " I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of checking your things while you're in the shower, " She tells me. "I had to take your gun and ammo as well as that knife, you can keep the food though, seeing as you don't have much left."

"Please, you can't let anyone take that knife, it's Rachel's, I promised I'd return it to her, you can take the gun, I don't care, just save the knife."
"Okay, I'll set it aside," She replies and I trust that she is sincere. She glances at me, and looks me up and down.

"Your clothes are pretty dirty, we can get you new ones," She offers.

"I don't care," I shrug."All that matters now is Rachel. Do you think they're almost finished?"

"I don't know," She replies,"Let's find your friends first."


"Quinn, you're here," Santana exclaims with relief. "But where's?"
"She's in a labratory," I whisper gravely. "There's a scientist, who worked in Ohio, she thinks she can help her."
"Oh," Santana whispers I can tell by her expression that she's concerned. "But look at this place. we left a room free for you and Rachel when she gets back. Let me show you."
"I'll leave you to it," Jackson clears her throat.
"What about Rachel?"
"I'll find you when it's time," She replies before slipping out of the door of the concrete building.

"It's quite the place here," Santana comments. "There's so many people and places to go, there's a library, schools, stores and factories. We have to get jobs but that's only fair after all we've been given. They gave us tow houses since they didn't have one big enough for all of us. Puck, Kurt and Blaine are in the house opposite us, Carol and my mom are taking a nap in the room opposite yours, and Brittany is taking a nap in ours."

"So you guys are back together?"
"Unofficially," She replies, leading me down the corridor, without commenting further. "This is it." She opens the door to the room where I will live for God knows how long, it consists of two separate bed and a falling apart closet.

"It's basic but it's comfy, there's a toilet and shower block for men and one for women just outside, we've got everything we need."

"Everything except Rachel," I sigh.
"She's going to be okay right?" Santana whispers, her eyes filled with fear. "Can we trust this scientist? Why didn't you stay with her?"

"I wanted to," I explain. "They wouldn't let me. I guess we just have to trust them, it's the only choice we've got." I don't even want to think that Rachel could go through what she's been through before. I can understand where Santana 's fear has come from and now it has spread to me.

"Oh God, what have I done? How could I be so stupid, she must be terrified!" I shriek. "Santana! We've got to get her out of there!"
"Quinn, calm down, you know that's not a good idea, have you seen the amount of soldiers around, you really want to try fight them?" Santana whispers, taking my by the arm. "Look we brought some food back for you, eat and go take a rest, it will all be over before we know it right?"

I nod, I need a rest, I need time to pass by quick enough so that I can just open my eyes and Rachel will be waiting for me and we can live peacefully and I can watch over her every minute of every day for as long as she needs me.

"I'm going to sleep," I tell Santana.
"You want some food first, honestly Quinn, it's so good, compared to what we've been eating, I think there's even some meat in there," She informs me, I smile faintly but refuse the offer.
"No thanks San, I just need to sleep," I whisper before leaving her in her own company so I can try to rest my mind and body. I can't remember the last time I got a decent sleep, I wake up from nightmares a lot and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night because I remember I'm actually stuck in a real life nightmare, I haven't exactly had the most comfortable bedding either. Here though, I have an actual mattress! And a pillow and cotton blanket, how were we so fortunate to find this place?

I lazily kick off my worn shoes and immediately rest my head on the soft pillow. I close my eyes and pray for some solace.

"Quinn! Quinn!"
"Rachel?" I yawn.
"Quinn, wake up," the voice hisses. I open my eyes slowly.
"Santana, what are you doing?"
"The commander is outside, she says you need to go with her now!"
"What?" I exclaim, adrenaline begins to pump through me as I jump from the bed, grabbing my shoes. "How long was I asleep?"
"Hours Quinn, you must have been really exhausted, you missed dinner, it's like 3 a.m," She yawns, her messy hair and puffy eyes tells me she has just been disturbed from her sleep.

"I need to go, I'll talk to you later," I pant, hurrying out the door to the front room of the house where Maritza stands, waiting.

"Maritza, is it Rachel?"
She nods sincerely, but doesn't tell me anything, it spends a shiver down my spine. "Let's go Quinn."
I'm too nervous to ask questions, fearing the answer will not be a desirable one, so I walk in silence as I follow her outside where the small vehicle, like a golf cart, which we used to get here is parked.
"Get in," She tells me, starting it up. I'm feeling nauseous, something is wrong, I know it is. I'll wait until I get there before I ask questions, if I get too hysterical they might not let me see her, so I just bite my lip and try to protect myself from the cold winds of the night for the twenty minute journey.

We stop at the white Science building and Maritza hops out, silently, motioning for me to follow. Now I decide to ask.

"Maritza, what's wrong?" I demand. "You have to tell me what I need to prepare for? Is something wrong with the cure? Did it not work? Is she dead?"

I swallow nervously on the last question, Maritza leads me down the flight of stairs, ordering the guard on the gate to open it immediately, before answering. "No, she's not, it's not that bad, just wait until we're there, ok?"

She leads down the corridor, which seems even more daunting than it did before and knocks impatiently on the door of the laboratory I left Rachel in. I wonder if she's furious with me for leaving her here, maybe that's the reason Maritza isn't saying anything, surely I can't get Rachel to forgive me, in time.

"Oh Maritza you're here," I hear Dr. Smith say. "Is Quinn here?"
"She's here," Maritza replies, she doesn't open the door wide enough for me to look inside. Instead, Smith steps outside the door, shutting it behind her.

"What's happening?" I demand. "Tell me, straight out. Did it not work?"
"No, it did," Smith replies. "Well,"

"Well what?" I snap.
"Quinn, Rachel is fully healed, I was able to accelerate the progress of the cure but it has affected her."
"In what way?"

"It has affected her memory, it has wiped out maybe the past two or three years, she doesn't remember anything about the virus, she still thinks she's in high school. She's looking for her parents, her dads I believe? She's quite hysterical, she thinks she's in a mental institution at the moment, I don't know how this happened, it might just be temporary, maybe by you talking to her, her memory will come back. But she needs to be calmed first."

"Let me see her!" I demand, the last thing I want her to be is terrified. Her memory can't be that bad , can it? But if what Smith is saying is true, that means she remembers nothing about us.

"Okay," Smith replies, opening the door, before it's even opened fully, I can hear her scream. "Please! Get me out of here! I'm not sick! Please, were's my dad's?"
"Rachel, there's somebody here to see you, somebody that you know."

She opens the door wide enough so I can see inside, so I can see her, just as she was before, her beautiful tinted skin glowing and those gleaming, mezmerizing brown eyes glistening, and even though they are red and wet from crying, they are the definition of beauty.

I can't help but smile, but her reaction is not what I had hoped for. She frown, curling up like she's trying to edge away from me.
"Quinn," She whispers in an unfriendly tone. "What are you doing here?"

Her voice is cold, unwelcoming, like I am an unwanted guest, and then I realize why, in her memory, I am still that bitch who teased and tormented her.
"Rachel," I say, approaching her slowly. "Do you know where you are?"

She shakes her head. "Is this an asylum? I'm not sick."

"No, it's more of a hospital, you had a virus, they made you better, don't you remember anything?"

She shakes her head. I move closer to her, I reach my hand out to caress her soft face. She immediately jerks away, looking at me profoundly. "Quinn what the hell are you doing? Get away from me! Why are you here? Where is he? He should be here, not you!"

"Where's who?" I ask, confused.
"Finn."


Hi guys, sorry for the late update, I've just had writer's block so excuse the quality of this chapter, I wanted to update it and I wasn't even sure what to write. I ope it's okay, maybe I'll change it a bit in a few days but I'll let people know in an A/N if I do. Thanks again for all the reviews, I really appreciate them. Also, in case you haven't notice, I don't Beta any of my stories, I'll check back on this particular chapter for mistakes later after I've gotten some well needed sleep. Goodnight.