As per review from Return The Dark Slayer, I've learned my lesson about moving too fast. So thanks to whoever sent that review. Really, thanks. Just so the developers of Prototype are clear, I renounce any ownership of the game, even though I want to. Shame they put the franchise to an end, now we won't get to see Mercer again L Oh well, we might as well use our imagination for it.

Chapter Three – The Crazy Bitch

"Who ya' callin' a crazy bitch, you emo fuck."

Alex woke up from his forced coma and was sitting up at his bed. Yesterday's thoughts still buzzing around in his deranged head. Why had he saved her?

Voices in his head still wouldn't shut up about it. Those fucking voices, how is he even hearing them? He had already consumed them for their biomass, memories, and skills, not their goddamn minds.

He growled in frustration as they just wouldn't fucking stop. 'THEY WILL NEVER STOP! AND THAT'S A BITCH!' Alex screamed in his head. Voices of Randall, Greene, and many more clawing at his last wall of sanity.

"You're nothing more than a walking pile of shit. You should've stayed dead when that nuke blew up in your face." Randall's stupid voice echoed in his mind.

"There, there Alex. Everything is okay, mother is here." Alex clutched his head in agony as Greene's voice was heard. "There's no need to be afraid, Alex. Just release the virus and you can be free. You could be a king."

"No, I don't wanna be a king. I want you all out of my fucking head." Alex hissed as the voices just kept coming.

"You can never be rid of us you motherfucking monster! Because of you, New York City is in flames."

"You're the reason why I can't go back to my son. You're the reason why I can't see him again!"

"Why can't you just DIE!" They all screamed at him. Alex fell to his knees, his mind about to break.

They were true, he was and is the reason why they were here. He consumed them and took away their right to see their families and live their lives.

"I wanna go home to mommy." A young child sobbed inside his head only amounted to the guilt inside him.

He consumed that child when he was low on biomass, and how he wished to take it back. Alex was fine with consuming an adult but a defenseless kid?! He truly is a monster.

'You're god fucking right you're a monster! You're not human, you're not even a person! Just DIE!'Alex roared in his mind. There was no hope for him now, he was too far gone from his humanity and just wanted it to end.

"What's wrong with you, Alex? Pull yourself together, you fucker."A very familiar voice said that made Alex open his eyes.

Alex found that he was back at New York Zero, but how did he get there. He looked around and saw there were no infected around, no Blackwatch, no nothing. What the fuck was going on?

"Nothing's wrong dipshit. Turn around." Alex turned around and saw that Dana was standing there with her arms crossed.

Alex couldn't believe his eyes. She was dead, and he should know, he was the one who put her down.

"How...?" Alex was confused. Why was she alive? Why was she here? And where the flyin' fuck was here?

Dana smiled at her brother and walked towards him. "Don't worry, Alex. You're not dead, I am." She said and Alex let out a sigh.

"Yeah, you're dead because of me." Alex looked down. He couldn't face her, how could he? He failed her, like he failed New York.

"Alex, you couldn't have saved me. Even with all that power, you're still just one man." Dana said as she placed a hand on Alex's shoulder but he shrugged it off.

"No, I killed you and everyone else for what I did. I deserve death but I just can't have the fucking death I want. Hell, I even took a nuke to the face and I still came out of it." Alex sighed. "I just want this to end."

Alex walked around Time Square, looking around the devastation he knew he caused. Because he had to be a hero, because he just had to expose Gentek and Blackwatch, he caused the single deadliest outbreak ever in history.

"Alex, listen to me." Dana turned her brother's face to her. She saw his eyes were completely devoid of hope, of his humanity. "Don't let this bring you down."

"But it already has." Alex growled.

Dana shook her head defiantly. "No, you're the one bringing yourself down. If it weren't for you, the whole world would have been like this." She motioned to the barren and broken landscape of the once proud Time Square.

"You caused the outbreak, killed thousands, but in doing so, you saved billions. Alex, give humanity a chance, give yourself a chance and end this." Dana said but Alex was still unsure.

Mankind has done nothing more that destroy this world and he was no different. But could he really go down that path again? Become a cold-blooded monster he used to be?

"It's not that easy Dana." Alex sighed and lift his face to stare at hers.

"Nothing is easy, Alex. You know that. Now go visit your little girlfriend, you hound dog." She snickered and winked at him.

Before Alex could protest, he was sucked back out of his mindscape and brought back to reality. He found himself lying on the floor and slowly sat up.

"Huh, damn that Dana." He sighed and got dressed. The voices finally stopped so he finally had some quiet in his room.

Maybe Dana was right. Maybe what he needed was to give himself a second chance at this. Dana was always right anyway so what the hell.

"Well, time to see if that bat shit crazy bitch lived." He chuckled to himself and went on to the hospital to visit his first friend in London.

^Elise's Side^

Elise woke up from her sleep and groaned. What the hell happened last night? She remembered waiting for a cab to get home then she got grabbed by three rapists...RAPISTS!

Her eyes shot open and she remembered everything from last night. She was about to be raped by three men. She was so scared right then and there that she began to shiver in terror.

They held her to a wall with a knife to her neck while one played with her breasts. She shut her eyes shut, trying to block those images away. It was too much. Too much.

When they were about to tear her sweater off, she tried to get away. She tried with all her might but one of them punched her in the face and her body just went limp. There was no point in fighting anymore. No point in holding on. Might as well close yourself off and just die on the inside.

Elise felt empty inside. No hope, only despair. She was supposed to help people but she guessed God had other bullshit plans for her.

Then, in a flash, she heard a voice. "Let her go." Elise opened her eyes and saw that the man she met at the park was standing at the alley. She didn't know if he was brave or dumb but she did know that he was her only hope of escape.

And escape she did, but at a price. One of them managed to stab her in the stomach before the mystery man killed them. She thought she was about to die but he forced her to hold on.

'Oh yeah, Alex.' Elise remembered him. He was the one who forced her to hold on.

That and he called her a crazy bitch. Elise laughed softly at that. Yeah, she was a little crazy but no one, and she meant no one calls her a crazy bitch and gets away with it.

But Alex was an exception.

She owed Alex her life literally for saving her and one way or another, she'd have to repay him. Whether he liked it or not.

She felt that someone was holding her hand and looked down. She saw her mother their, sleeping, and her father no where in sight.

Elise rolled her eyes at this. Her parents were filthy rich and were always over protective of her and her father was no better. He assigned guards to her 24/7 and it got annoying really quick. The only time she actually managed to ditch them was when she went to the park.

She squeezed her mother's hand and she stirred. "Rise and shine, mum. I'm still kickin'." Elise chuckled and her mother suddenly jolted awake.

"Oh, Elise you're awake!" She practically crushed Elise in a hug and she groaned.

"Nurse! Nurse! Call the doctor, my daughter's awake!" Her mother screamed frantically and began to call her husband.

Elise, however, was not pleased about this. She never wanted attention but her parents just had to basically announce her birth to the world. 'What a bunch of fuckers.'

She loved her parents very much but she wished they'd get their heads out of their asses and let her live her own life.

"Richard, Richard! Come quick, Elise's awake!" Her mother shouted into the phone and hung up. She then was at Elise's bedside, asking questions like there's no tomorrow.

"Mum, mum. I am fine." She said annoyed. Her mother had been asking her the same question over and over again. "Are you hurt, are you hurt, are you hurt?" It gets old really quick.

"But what happened to you, honey?" She stroked her daughter's cheek and noted the bruise on Elise's face like she was punched.

Elise sighed. "Let's wait 'till dad gets here." She said as images of last night entered her mind. She had to fight back a whimper about what could've happened last night if Alex didn't come sooner, she didn't want to think about it.

A doctor came in and check her vital signs. He said that she was stable but was suffering from post-traumatic stress. Elise snorted at this. She was almost raped, who wouldn't suffer PTSD?

Then about twenty minutes later, her father burst into the room in his expensive suit and began to ask her questions and lecture her.

"What the hell were you doing, young lady? You could've been killed! Why, if it wasn't for the bodyguards I hired-"

"Dad cut the crap and just fucking listen for once!" She snapped, tears escaping her eyes. She had almost lost her honor last night and her father found it a jolly good time to lecture her.

Her parents, seeing that this was serious, settled down and sat down on either side of her bed.

"Tell us what happened, sweetheart. Please." Her mother pleaded.

Elise let out a shaky breath. This was going to be hard.

"Last night, I was waiting for a cab to go home. I was just minding my own business then suddenly three men grabbed me from behind." Her mother and father visibly tensed up at this.

"T-then what happened?" Her father asked wearily. He and his wife were not liking where this was going.

Elise swallowed hard, she didn't bother holding on to her tears and let them fall. "I-I tried to fight but they were too strong. They pinned me to the wall and...touched me." She sobbed softly.

Her mother hugged her while her father was sitting there, rigid as a rock.

"Elise, I am so sorry." Her mother assumed the worst but that wasn't that happened.

"They punched me. They tried to tear off my sweater. They were going to...r-rape me." She said shakily, memories of last night more vivid than ever. Their sick grins, their sick laughs.

Before she could finish, there was a knock on the door, and one of her father's bodyguards went in.

"Sir, there's a Mister Alex Frost outside. He says he knows Madam Elise, should we let him in?"

^Alex's Side^

Alex was in a cab on his way to the hospital. He remembered last night's events like it was only a minute ago. He saw the fear in her eyes, the desperation, the hopelessness. Elise just gave up.

He knew it wasn't her fault. They were three fully grown men and she was just one woman. She didn't stood a chance against them.

If he arrived there a second too late, Elise would have been doomed. Alex didn't want to dwell on those thoughts, he was a monster to most but even the most heinous of monsters had one rule they won't dare cross. Apparently, his lines end with violating a woman.

Alex was glad that he was able to save her in time, but he didn't know if she survived the night. Elise sustained heavy internal damage and was bleeding out by the time the ambulance got there.

She was resilient but everyone had their limits. She lost way too much blood that Alex doubted that she will ever breathe again. Well, if she died then there was no great lose there but then again, he would've lost his chance at that Med School.

'Well, if she did die, then I'll just consume her.' He thought to himself. If Elise was dead, the, he'd just have to take her shape and attend that school using her as a meatsuit. But he hoped it wouldn't have to come to that.

The cab stopped at the entrance of London General, Britain's most advanced hospital. When he heard the new that she was sent here, Alex got curious.

Attending medical school wasn't cheap but being able to afford treatment, much less a private room in London General was suspicious.

Alex paid the cab driver his fare and entered the hospital. He had his sunglasses on and his head low while he went towards the information center.

"Um, excuse me, I'm looking for a patient named Elise Abigail McMillan. May I ask what room is she in?" Alex asked to a nurse who turned to him.

"Of course sir, she's at the tenth floor in a private room, but no one is allowed there without her permission." The nurse said but Alex paid no mind.

"It's all right, I'm a close friend." Well, they better be friends because he just saved her life and honor.

"Well, okay sir. Have a good day." The nurse said kindly and Alex nodded in understanding. She then turned to her attention back to her duties.

Alex walked to the elevator and pressed the button. He waited for a couple of minutes before the elevator arrived. There was only three people there and they stepped aside for Alex to get in.

When Alex placed one foot in, the alarm went off that it was overloaded. He mentally groaned and kicked himself for forgetting that he weighed the equivalent of a heavily armed squad of marines.

Everyone in the elevator looked at him in surprise when the alarm stopped when he took a step back from the elevator.

"I'll take the stairs." He said and went to the stairwell. He looked up and sighed in annoyance. This would've been a hellava lot easier if the elevator didn't bitch around.

"Let's get this over with." Alex growled and went up the stairs. It took him a while but he finally made it up to the tenth floor, now he just had to find Elise's room. What better way than to ask motherfucking question.

Alex went up to the nurse's station. "Excuse me, where is Miss Elise McMillan's room? I'm a friend of hers." Alex asked at another nurse.

"She right over there." She pointed at the room with men in black suits were guarding. "Trust me, you can't miss it."

Alex nodded his thanks and went to the room. He would have to convince them that he knew their boss.

"Excuse me, sir, but no one is allowed in here without Madam Elise's permission." A man said that reminded Alex of Agent K from Men in Black.

'Madam Elise, eh?' He said, amused. Alex had a feeling she was rich, but technically he is rich, a billionaire really, so he couldn't judge.

"Tell her Alex Frost is here." Alex said calmly and one of the guards nodded.

'Well, the British are certainly more tolerable than the one's back home.' He smirked inwardly. Alex expected a fight but he guessed that the British had more common sense than America ever did.

"Sir, there's a Mister Alex Frost outside. He says he knows Madam Elise, should we let him in?" Alex heard him say.

"You know the rules, Edward, no one get's in without my permission so send him away." Alex scowled at this. He came here to see if Elise was all right, not to get insulted.

"Excuse me dad, but I think the rules says that they need my permission to enter so let him in." Alex recognized that it was Elise's voice and inwardly smirked. She just told her father off, that takes guts.

After much protesting, her father cave and motioned Edward to let Alex in.

"Thanks." Alex said and entered the room.

Alex saw Elise lying on her bed. She was banged up but otherwise alive. He smiled inwardly that she was alive. That took care of one of his problems.

"Who are you?" An old man asked Alex rudely. Alex raised an eyebrow at him. No one's ever been that foolish to insult him two times in a row.

"Alex Frost. And who are you?" Alex asked just as rudely.

"I'm Elise's father, Richard Bailey McMillan, owner and CEO of PharmaCorp, and how dare you speak to me that way." He growled but was met with an amused smirk from Alex.

Alex had to fight back a laugh when this old senile turd just growled at him. His growl sounded like a kitten's purr.

"Oh where are my manners? Tell me, do I look like I give a shit." He said sarcastically that surprised Richard and his wife but Elise was laughing her ass off.

"Why you little-" Richard snarled and punched Alex across the face and instantly regretted it.

Richard felt like he just tried to punch through steel when his hand was completely shattered on impact and was sent kneeling to the floor, holding his hand and moaning in pain.

"Ooh sorry. Does it hurt, does it hurt?" He asked before laughing.

His wife held his broken hand and called the bodyguards. "Throw him out!" The elderly woman shouted and before Edward and his friend made the fatal mistake of attacking him, Elise stepped in.

When Elise heard Alex's insult at her father, she was shocked at him but laughed nonetheless. She never saw her father so shocked by those eight little words. And when her father punched Alex across the face, she laughed even more when he broke his hand and Alex didn't even do anything!

When her mother demanded that he be thrown out, she knew she had to intervene lest she want a repeat of what happened to the three men who attacked her.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second. Mum, dad, meet Alex. Alex, meet Katherine C. McMillan, my mother, and meet Richard Bailey McMillan, my father." She snickered.

Alex figured that formalities were in order. "A pleasure to meet Elise's parents." He nodded his head at them.

Richard only glared at him but Alex remained cold and paid no mind to his pathetic excuse of a threat.

Katherine was a little weary of him but shook his hand, all the same. "How do you know our daughter?" She asked as she looked at his up and down.

Alex took notice of this and smirked. "What? See somethin' you like?" He asked, raising an eyebrow that made Katherine blush and turn away.

Alex and Elise laughed softly and Alex shook his head. "Elise was telling you what happened last night, so I suggest that we let her finish." He nodded his head towards Elise and she nodded back, and he went to lean on the wall with his arms crossed.

"After they punched me, I just sorta gave up." Elise sighed. "I knew that I was going to die, but I didn't think it'll end like this." Elise bowed her head and spoke softly.

Alex could sympathize that feeling. Every living thing he consumed felt the exact same thing Elise was going through.

Elise then lifted her head. "Then someone saved me, and dear old dad just had to punch him in the face." She snickered smiling towards Alex.

Richard and Katherine were shocked at this. This idiotic retard just saved their daughter?!

"Why did you save her?" Richard asked as he slowly stood up. Why did this man saved his daughter, he will never know, but at least he deserved some gratitude.

"Anyone would've done the same. Surely you would too." Alex said coldly. Memories of his time hunting down the people responsible for his creation and the virus.

All the times that he watched people get torn limb from fuckin' limb and he just enjoyed it. Maybe he was just as sick as humanity is.

They were taken aback by his cold tone but let it slide. "Thank you. For saving my daughter." Katherine said kindly.

"And...sorry...for punching you." Richard apologized reluctantly that made Alex roll his eyes behind his sunglasses.

"Yeah, sure." Alex sighed and turned to Elise.

Elise got that he wanted to talk to her alone and asked her parents to leave for a moment, which they did.

Alex took a seat backwards and faced her. "So...how's your day goin'?" He asked jokingly that made Elise roll her eyes.

"I got punched in the face, stabbed, nearly bled to death, and almost got raped. Other than that, I'm just great." She said sarcastically, which Alex rolled his eyes and took off his sunglasses.

"Told ya' you'd make it you crazy bitch." He chuckled that earned a small glare from Elise.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me a crazy bitch, you emo fuck?" She growled playfully.

Alex laughed slightly. "No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"Yes I did."

"No I didn't"

Then Alex burst out laughing. Elise just looked confused until she realized that she fell for the old Bugs Bunny trick and laughed also.

"You fell right into that one!" Alex laughed.

"Well it's your fault!" She laughed also but then coughed. Alex immediately shut up and patted he back lightly.

After a few seconds, Elise was able to calm down and control her coughing fit.

"You okay?" Alex asked as he checked her with his thermal vision. Luckily, he saw no major damage was dealt to her and he saw that her liver was healing up quite nice, making him smile at her progress. 'You're one lucky crazy bitch.'

"Yes." She said and Alex went back to his chair. They sat there in silence until Elise decided to break the ice.

"So Alex am I gonna make it?" She asked that made Alex look at her with his striking blue eyes. She admit that he was handsome and strong, as she saw when he killed those three fuckers and broke her father's hand without even moving.

"Judging from your attitude, your body is healing up rather quickly. Guess you'll be up and running in about four to eight weeks." He said and Elise nodded. Then feeling playful, "Just don't get stabbed again."

Elise glared at him but smiled all the same. She sighed and lay back on her bed. "Hey Alex, I just wanna thank you for saving me. I don't even wanna think about it if you didn't come."

"No problem. Those fuckers got what they deserved. And then some." Alex said and Elise nodded.

"When you killed them, I saw you change. Like you enjoyed it, why?" She asked softly and Alex sighed.

"Being in the Red Zone will do that to you." He said and Elise looked at him.

"You were in the red zone?" Alex nodded his head. He should know, his home was the red zone.

"Sadly, yes." He ran his hand through his brown locks. "NYZ survivors are rare and red zone survivors are even rarer."

Elise looked at him sadly, clearly he was suffering on the inside. She knew New York was hell but she didn't know the full hell like Alex did. "What happened?"

Alex sighed. "I had to kill, just to survive. People eating people; guts, limbs, fuckin' bodies all over the place. Never thought I'd see the day that zombies walked the earth." He laughed a sad laugh.

It was true; he never thought that zombies even existed. Chalk that one up to his list of fucked up accomplishments.

"It was a straight out of a goddamn horror movie. My sister was attacked by a hunter and fell into a coma. I tried to save her but she became brain dead. I had to put her out of her misery." His eyes were emotionless. They held no emotion the day he killed Dana.

Elise couldn't imagine that. Euthanizing your own flesh and blood. That must've been hard for Alex to do.

"I left New York because I don't to be reminded of that hell. I didn't want to see the bodies of men, women, and children get their heads bashed in and turned into fuckin' zombie food." He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Hey, you got out. Your sister would've wanted you to live." Elise tried to comfort him but it did little. Monsters felt no regret and guilt but why did he feel it?

"I don't know. She and I weren't exactly on good terms before the outbreak. But she was still my sister." Alex said and stood up from his chair and walked to the window.

The sky blue, birds flying, and humans mingling. He snorted. Alex was never one to socialize; maybe some times but just look at his former friends. Karen and Autumn betrayed him, Ragland and Dana were dead; everyone he ever cared about died at his feet. And their blood was on his hands.

Elise sighed. They said she had PTSD but Alex was just a fountain of it. She was amazed that he was able to keep it together for this long.

"Alex, I know you've been through hell and back but that doesn't mean you have to live in it all your life. You could start over here." Elise suggested softly.

Alex grunted. "You know you're just like Dana. Stubborn, defiant, and bat shit insane if you think that I'll just forget about it."

Elise was somewhat hurt with that. He just complimented and insulted her at the same time.

"But I did come here to start over, so I guess you've got a point." He said as he took his seat beside her.

"I always do. Do me a favor and come closer." She said and Alex raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Don't get any ideas you pervert just come closer, I don't bite."

Alex shook his head and went closer.

SLAP

Alex was surprised that she slapped him. It didn't hurt but hell, no one slapped him and not get their body torn to pieces.

"The hell was that for?!" He asked annoyed.

Elise was massaging her sore hand and smirked at him. "That was for calling me crazy again." She said sweetly and Alex rolled his eyes.

"Hmph, fine." He snickered, amused that this girl just got away with slapping him. The only other person that did that was Dana.

"Well, I better get goin'. Gotta find a job, you know." He said as he stood up. Elise stopped him when she grabbed his hand.

"You know I could help you be a doctor again." She suggested, hopeful that she could at least get him his old job back.

Alex smirked at this. He expected her to help him, and though he wasn't that desperate to be a doctor, he needed to start somewhere. Even if he had billions of dollars at his fingertips.

"I wouldn't wanna be a bother." He tried to reason out.

"Don't be ridiculous. I owe you that much so you have no say in it." She giggled and Alex smiled. This was going smoothly.

"All right. But why do I get the feeling that you want me to tutor you?" Alex asked and saw her ears turn red. "Knew it."

"Hey, can you blame me?" She said quickly, embarrassed that he saw through her. Elise did wanted to help him, she just thought that he could help her with her studies.

Alex chuckled a bit. "Fine." He said and Elise smiled.

"Okay." She said and Alex nodded.

Just then, Richard and Katherine and a doctor entered. Richard had his hand in a cast and sling, and Katherine was helping her husband with it.

Alex had never seen someone as bitchy as this old fart. 'Even the marines back home showed some back bone.'

"Good morning Miss Elise and how are we today?" A middle aged man asked and Alex stepped to the side and observed.

"Just fine a little sore, but just fine." She shrugged.

The doctor nodded and looked at her charts. "Okay, so you'll be able to leave in about six days and recover at home. Your vitals are stable and your wound is healing up quite nice. You'll be outta here before you know it."

Alex smiled inwardly.

"Thanks, doc." Elise said and the doctor nodded before taking his leave.

"So, I guess I'll be on my way. See ya' soon El." Alex got up and as he was heading to the door, Elise called him.

"Alex, wait!" He stopped mid way and turned his head to the left so he was facing her only slightly with his back turned to them.

"I was just wondering..." Elise bit her lip. "If you wanna grab some coffee when I get out of here?" She asked timidly.

Alex smirked. "Sure. When you're ready, gimme a call." He left a sticky note on the door and left without another word.

Elise let out a shaky breath and asked her mother to get the sticky note. On the note was a number, "2539 – 37678". She smiled and saved his number on her phone.

"You're not meeting with him." Richard said and Elise snapped her head to face him.

"What, why?!" Elise asked angrily.

"You don't know him and now, you're inviting him for coffee?! What if he did something to you?!" Now Elise was angry. Alex just saved her for Christ sake! And if he wanted to do something to her, he would've done so already.

"Dad, I'm just going to have coffee with him, not fuck him!" Elise exclaimed.

"Watch your tongue, young lady. Your father is right, look at what he did to him. He broke your father's hand." Katherine pointed to Richard's encased hand.

"No, mum, dad broke his hand when he punched Alex. Don't blame him for what he did!" Elise snapped. "I'm going to meet him, whether you like it or not. Now if you'll excuse me, I need some rest." She rolled over to her side, away from her parents.

"Mark my words, Elise. You will never see that man again, if you do, I'll make sure he suffers." Her father snapped and slammed the door shut, leaving Elise to her anger.

Her parents were over protective enough and now they weren't going to let her meet him. He saved her! She probably owed him a thousand cups of coffee.

She fell asleep with her raging thought. No matter what, she was going to meet him again.