A/N:- Thanks to Princezzshell101 for your review! So, this chapter and the next two will be in parts. Part One, Part Two, and then Part Three. And I'm up here, so at the very least s**t's goin' down. 'Till next time.

Chapter 91
To Defeat Death – Part One

"We're going to have to be quick." Joshua said as he led the group of survivors through the rain. He was in front, flanked by Lukas and Dominika; followed by Detrikov, Chloe and Jeremy and finally Dorothy and David at the back. "We cannot let the list pass you, David."

"Why?" David asked wearily.

"If it goes past you, then it will go back to Nick. And he's not here, nor is Derrick and Grace. We got to get this thing done by then." Joshua managed a smile as he nodded towards Lukas. "On the bright side, you two won't get much action since you've been skipped." Joshua faltered for a moment. "You know, you didn't have to come."

"We want to help." Lukas said sternly, with Dominika nodding her consent. "We can't just… just do nothing. It's all our lives on the line and the more people you have to save those that are next is better, right?"

"Right." Joshua nodded. The group was silent for a few minutes before Jeremy spoke out hesitantly.

"…I-I'm not sure how much use Chloe and I will be…" Jeremy said, his arm around Chloe's shoulders.

"What do you mean?" Joshua asked while still moving.

"Well… surely you've noticed… b-but every time we are… t-threatened by Death… we survive." Jeremy said lowly. "When others didn't survive accidents, we did. Both of us can't wrap out heads around that fact…"

"Unfortunately you two will be under just as much threat as the others." Joshua said grimly. "I've also been thinking about why you two survived. I think the answer is that you were never meant to die in the first place. Not in Myers' manufactured vision, nor in the hospital."

"That's not right. Jason mentioned he saw them die in the hospital." David put in. "They were on that list no doubt. I mean… Jeremy may have survived both of them. He looked dead in the hospital according to Jason, crushed… but he could have been unconscious… Chloe was certainly dead. But we can't exactly ask Jason about the Myer's manufactured vision and Dorothy can't single anybody out from that one, can you?" David turned to Dorothy.

"No… but I know Chloe did die… I had that weird… episode, did I not?"

"True…" David tapped his chin.

"Huh… maybe…" Joshua's eyes narrowed in thought. "If Jeremy did survive, that would make sense on why he didn't those those times before. That still leaves you, though, Chloe… wait…" Joshua stopped walking and turned to Chloe. "Did Lisa tell you how long you'd been pregnant for?"

"Uh… no… she mentioned that it was too early to know much about it, just that the baby was there."

"Then it's entirely possible that your baby started… 'living', it's heart started pumping after the initial list."

"Why would that affect anything?"

"The second vision, there was a pregnant lady. They thought she was the answer to free them – new life beats Death or some nonsense. I'd ask the mortician but who the hell knows where he is now. However she was never on the list in the first place so it was fruitless. But if it does hold true… and in fact it would make sense. The baby itself was never on the list. And if the mother dies, the baby dies, and the baby wouldn't have been on the list and Death would have killed… an 'innocent' in his eyes. So the mother would become defunct as well, getting off the list." Joshua nodded. "Yeah, that makes a whole lotta sense. That's why you two managed to survive your injuries that rightly should have killed you, because you were… never on the list in the… the first place…" Joshua stopped, his eyes widened. "Oh Christ… you were never on the list in the first place…" Joshua put a hand on his forehead. "You never had to get involved in any of this… you were never on the goddamn list! We thought you were so we tried to help you along with the other survivors and unintentionally brought you to Detrikov's building where the final vision happened… and the baby was alive then and all of you were dead in that vision… if we had just figured this out earlier we wouldn't have brought you along and you two and the baby could have lived freely… fuck… fuck!"

"Don't blame yourself…" Chloe lightly touched Joshua's shoulder. "We all thought we were on the list. Me and Jeremy both too. It's over now anyway, and if everything goes to plan then we won't have to worry about being on the list anymore."

"Yeah… yeah… I know…" Joshua took a breath and nodded. "Okay, okay." He pointed up ahead of them to a large construction site. It was abandoned – likely due to the weather – vehicles abandoned on the mud and dirt. Half of the building had the main constructs in it, the walls, roofs and stairs, while the other half was in the process of being built. There was only one flight of stairs and the ground was all rebar for the foundation that hadn't been put in yet.

"That looks dangerous…" Lukas gulped and pulled Dominika in close.

"As unfortunate as it is…" Joshua took a breath. "That's good."

"Hey, Nicki!"

Nick turned around at the shout to see Grace skipping towards him, feet splashing through puddles. Derrick stalked behind her, hands shoved in his pockets. "Grace?" Nick cocked his head to the side in question. "What're you doing here?"

"I agree with what you said." Grace smiled. "About how… dying is what makes us human."

"That's… uh…" Nick was lost for words. He thought he had been the only one to think that.

"Like mom and dad." Grace continued, causing Derrick to step forward.

"Gracie, you don't need to-"

"No, Der, I don't. But I want to." Grace said quietly. "Mom and dad dying… was bad. I know it was bad and they didn't deserve it… but… but they would have b-been ashamed with the way I acted…"

"You didn't act, Gracie." Derrick put in again, putting a hand Gracie's shoulder. "You were mourning."

"I didn't talk for ages Der." Grace hugged herself and looked back to Nick. "Dying is what makes us human… and them… them d-dying made me feel… not human. But I realize now that… death has to happen. Everybody dies, right? I don't think that there are any second chances… the moment we die we die and we can't change that. Mom and dad wouldn't have wanted me to… to hide in myself like that. They knew I had Der to protect me so they must've been happy. They would have wanted me to continue the way I was… before. It might not make a lot of sense saying it… but it does make sense in my mind… and you were the one who… made me realize Nick. Thank you."

Nick was stricken. Derrick had made clear how affected Grace as by their deaths, and for her to speak so openly about it… Nick opened his mouth to say something when Grace suddenly stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek before pulling back.

"So I'll… b-be more confident. I'll be more like… like I should have been… and you've been… really, really nice to me… in the short time we've known each other… a-and you're not afraid to speak your mind and I really like that about you so… I don't think you are like the other men."

"Grace…"

"I see you sometimes, Nick. You look so lonely. No-one should be alone. E-Especially after all you've been through." Grace turned slightly to Derrick. "D-Don't you think Der?"

Derrick's face was convoluted. He wasn't sure what to think. So many years he had spent making sure that no man harmed Grace, took advantage of his sister's vulnerabilities. So many years he had worried the Grace would never get over the traumatising experience of their parents deaths. Feared that if pushed back to those memories she would go mute again and never speak another word as long as she lived.

He had protected her for a long time. Watched her. Cared for her. If a boy took advantage, he would hit them. It was a scare tactic, sure, but it worked. There was talk around town about the 'big mean brother' who didn't let anyone do anything to his sister. And those that were too stupid to realise that Derrick didn't want anybody seeing his sister were often met with a trip to the hospital room. Grace never once protested, always believing Derrick was doing the right thing for her. Never once had he let her be independent… he simply could not allow it, because who knows what would dredge those memories up?

"Der…"

Derrick blinked, looking down at his sister. He could see those eyes… and for the first time he saw determination. Stubbornness. This time, Grace wasn't going to listen to him. She wanted something for herself. She just wanted her brother's approval. She's a grown woman… you can't protect her forever…

"Derrick." Grace repeated, her bottom lip quivering.

"Gracie…" Derrick bit his bottom lip, a habit which he had tried to get rid of but when he did, Grace caught the habit. "If… if you do feel for him… then… then get to know him. Don't rush it. But if you think he is right for you…" Derrick sighed. Let her go, man… just let her go. Stop shackling her with your own protectiveness. "That's something only you two would know."

Grace immediately smiled and lunged forward, latching her arms around Derrick in a tight hug. Derrick patted her back and looked over her shoulder at Nick. He mouthed, 'You better protect her.'

Nick just smiled, mouthing back 'I will.'

"So where were you heading?" Derrick asked after Grace had let go. Nick paused before pointing to a nearby building.

"Actually there. I need to see a woman."

"What the… after all that just-" Derrick started, anger flicking in his eyes before Nick put his hands up.

"No, no no, nothing like that. Not that kind of woman. Gerald Myers, the guy I told you about? He manipulated her to be his wife. Married her and took her two children as his own."

"So why're you coming here?" Derrick asked, anger disappearing.

"Because she will know where his favourite haunts were. I would bet that he's going to be somewhere where he used to be all the time."

"I thought you were going with Joshua's plan, not his."

"I am… but…" Nick paused. "I… I need to find him anyway. I need… to-to talk with him."

"Talk with him? Isn't he a murderer?"

"He is. Yes, I know that but… I'm thinking that when he died, he may have… I dunno… come to understand what he did was wrong. I just want… want explanations… I guess. I want to know why he did what he did. I want to know Myers' story."

"Sure… whatever…" Derrick nodded. Nick just smiled gratefully for Derrick understanding and left for the main doors. "Oh, and Nick." Nick stopped and looked back to Derrick, who was actually smiling. "We'll be coming with you to meet him. From what you said, he's dangerous, so you can't go in there alone."

"…Thanks." Nick reflected Derrick's smile before heading into the apartment building.

"Stay close." David muttered to Dorothy as the group entered the construction site. The wind was so intense it was rattling the frame of the side with only one flight of stairs. Scaffolding clinked and clanked with plastic sheets rustling through the wind, being beaten by the rain. A flash of blue erupted in the distance with a roar of thunder.

"…Not exactly inviting…" Lukas ran a hand through his hair as they all stood near the half-finished building. He turned towards Joshua. "So… what do we do?"

Joshua half-shrugged. "We go with the flow. Always stick with someone else so they can skip you. The first person will either be me, Detrikov here, Chloe or Jeremy. Since you two were skipped and we know you two," Joshua looked to Dorothy and David. "Are last."

"Go with the flow?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "But how are we meant to stop it? I mean… after you've done what you're doing."

"It will stop by itself I'm sure." Joshua nodded. "Okay, let's get closer. We want to make it so Death can't help sending… accidents at us." Leading the group now underneath a section of flooring, Joshua sat cross-legged and leant his back to the wall. "I need to concentrate. If something comes for me, just get me outta the way. Just make sure you know where whatever it is heading. Otherwise you might save the wrong person."

"Okay…" David kept a hold of Dorothy's hand, squeezing it tight.

"And we don't get clues… unless they are so subtle that we can't hope to understand them. If Dominika and Lukas were any indication." Joshua continued. "Now we wait… sooner or later he won't be able to help himself."

As if on Joshua's cue, there was an increase in rattling followed by a sharp metallic squeal. Part of the scaffolding collapsed in on itself, clattering against the roof above them. However the roof was incomplete, with some rectangular holes still uncovered. One metal pole slid through the roof, heading for the first target. It wasn't Joshua nor Detrikov. It wasn't Chloe and it wasn't Jeremy.

Convinced the he had been skipped before, as was everybody else, no-one made a move as the scaffolding pole tore Lukas' throat into a bloody hole as it fell and went straight through his neck.

Lukas' eyes widened in surprise, bringing his hands up to his throat and touching the gaping, ragged hole of flesh and now pouring blood. He cast a glance around the room, in shock, before his legs buckled and he collapsed onto his back.

Dominika was the first to react, falling to her knees and grabbing Lukas' shoulder. "Lukas! Lukas, don't… can you hear me? Lukas!"

Lukas' eyes looked up at Dominika but he was unable to speak short of a gurgle. He reached up and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly within his grasp. Dominika starting shaking, eyes growing hot.

"No… no, don't you go… You got Mary to find! You got to live for her! Lukas… c'mon, please…"

With perhaps the faintest of smiles, Lukas' hand fell limp in Dominika's hand. She froze for a moment before tears slipped out of her eyes. "…We were skipped…" Dominika whispered. "Why did… why did he… He got me out of the way of the tree… he saved us both, he skipped us both! Why did…"

"He pushed you out of the way?" Joshua had one hand on his forehead. "You can't save yourself… you have to be helped… he wasn't going to die either way if he just pushed you out of the way and nobody pulled him out of the way…" Joshua blew out a breath before catching sight of cracks spreading across the concrete roof. "Guys, move now! Keep close and keep together!"

It wasn't only the ceiling cracking, but the floor too, perhaps some kind of basement area. Joshua, Detrikov and Dominika were split up from the other four. The floor started collapsing between the four, causing Chloe to pull Jeremy back and David to pull Dorothy backwards. Unable to stay in the same place for fear of falling, David pulled Dorothy out of the room while Jeremy and Chloe were forced to go up a flight of stairs as there was nowhere else to go.

Detrikov stood next to Joshua, eyes widening. The floor had stopped collapsing once the other four had gotten out of the way, showing that it wasn't going to be he or Joshua next. "Did you get in?" Detrikov asked.

"No… I was shocked… I wasn't expecting…" Joshua took a deep breath. "Next time I'll get it, trust me."