In luminous lit chamber, they hung upside stripped to their underwear. Their hands tied behind their back.

"Why are you here?"

Someone questioning Rath since Kate couldn't turn her head to see the source of the voice. It had hollow tone to it.

Let Rath answer this which was only silence.

Its knees popped as it bent down.

Gripping Rath's hair, "Why are you here?" came from its rotting throat.

Noticing a group of zombies eating beside them was their gear. Rotting skin with two empty eye sockets dominated her view. They belonged to a zombie in a lab coat staring at her.

Stroking her flat stomach with nerve deaden fingers, "Now pretty girl, do you know why you're here?" picking at the waist band of her panties with his bonelike finger tip .

"I don't know, Dr. Todhunter."

"How do you know that name?"

"It's on the name tag."

"So it is. He would know, wouldn't he."

"He has all the answer."

"Let's loosen his tongue by ripping yours out," placing his thumbs on her brown eyes.

Slowly pushing against her soft eyeball increased the pain through her skull.

"AAAAAAAAAAA." escape her lips.

"To close the rift," stopped the pressure.

Her eyes watered as Todhunter return his attention to Rath.

"Really? What do you know the Arrowhead Project?"

"Trying to recreate the Philadelphia experiment."

"And this is the result."

Chuckling he slid them towards a drop off. Floating above this bottomless pit was the source of light laminating the chamber. A rift in time and space.

"Now that out of the way," kneeling close to Rath's, "Dinner time," running his decaying tongue across his bone formed lips.

Sharp snap Rath's hands shot from behind him swinging then crushing Todhunter's skull in. Sitting up, he gripped the center chain they were hanging from. Lifting his feet upwards sliding it off the hook, he dropped ran barefooted towards their gear. Pulling his satchel bag from his backpack, he grabbed his bo staff from his coat pocket. It expanded then he brought against the temple of a zombie. Sliding his coat on, he saw a torn name tag with Maynard, L stenciled looks like her and her team got ambushed by zombies after being swallowed by the ground.

Popping his thumb back into joint, he bent down wrapping his arms around Kate's chest. Bending her towards her feet, he lifted her off the hook.

Cutting her free, he handed her the backpack. Groaning got louder along with scraping of joints. Noticing the vines hanging above them, through her mind imaged them coming loose and swinging across. Something hit her head. Turning to a vine hanging beside.

"Rath," poking him.

Seeing the vine, he wrapped his arm around her waist. Gripped the vine swinging towards the rift. The vine snapped. Their momentum carried them into the rift.

Entering the rift, every molecule separated. Her consciousness stayed. Everywhere. Nowhere. With form. Formless. Katelin Renee. Her name. Survivor. Non existent. Existing in a moment. Her memories emerged with Rath. David's your real name. Brightness, now darkness. Coldness. Wetness. She embraced someone and she's being embraced. Warm. Familiar.

"Open your eyes," broke the spell.

Opening them, she found herself in Rath's embrace in knee deep of sewer water. That familiar touch of their bare skin against each other.

"Can we leave?" asked Kate.

"Yes," letting her go.

Walking through the sewers seemed easier. Unable to see she gripped his arm. Finding a ladder he went up first. He slid the manhole hole cover letting light shine around them. Covering her eyes, her vision cleared.

"Follow," he said which she did.

Climbing out, they discovered an empty New York. Buildings were intact. Nature haven't reclaim it. Dead. Only they existed. The two people left behind.

"What do we do?" asked Kate.

Placing his duster coat around her, "Play the hand given to us," Rath remarked pulling a pair of pants for him and Kate to wear.(Fin)