Chapter 28: Apathy

The farmhouse had a decent-sized kitchen. It had a large granite counter, shaped like a horseshoe, which was mounted to the back of the room. In the center was the gas stove, an older model but still serviceable. There were oak cupboards above the counter, several mugs, pots and pans hanging from hooks beneath it. There was also a massive dinner table in the middle, along with an ancient-looking icebox. It looked like it hadn't been used in years.

It had been a while since Levi had skinned an animal. It was a long and grueling process, but a satisfying one. At least that's what his mother had taught him. She said that there was nothing greater than bringing home a large catch that could feed the family for six months. And when it was just the two of them, it could last longer. Of course, he hadn't regained any of his memories of Vacuo, but after seeing the flashes of events from Jinn, he had been inferring what had happened, filling in the blanks as it were.

He was still debating on taking his contacts off. He had enough eyedrops to last him a good while, but after learning why his mother had hidden them, he didn't know if he should take them off.

He hadn't faced Salem, but with Cinder being after him, it made wearing them pointless. After all, if Cinder knew about him, he was certain Salem knew. It was pointless to hide this trait. He had made a mental note to speak with Ruby, and share this knowledge with her. She needed to learn how to use her eyes if she was going to keep going forward. Especially with the fact, Salem was hunting down Silver-Eyed Warriors. He didn't want anything bad to happen to his close friend.

"She's probably gonna ask me how I know that kind of stuff. I'll have to let her know she and I share the same trait. I'll probably wait until we get to Argus." he thought to himself, as he slid the knife in his hand beneath the deer's skin. He had cut off the back leg and had been in the process of preparing it in the sink.

He heard something clatter to the ground behind him, causing him to turn around. He saw Neo standing by the kitchen table, where she had been getting more cuts of meat. He noticed she was holding her hand, blood dripping to the floor. He set down what he was doing, wiping the blood from his hands with a rag, walking toward her.

"Let me see it," he said. She gave a pained look as she held her hand up at him. The cut was very deep, but her aura was already sealing it. He reached into his pocket for a water dust bullet, channeling his aura through it. A glimmering blue glyph appeared above her hand, dripping a bit of water into the cut. "You should keep focused on your task, Neo. If you didn't have an aura, this would require several stitches."

She sighed audibly as he cleaned the cut, making sure it didn't have any more deer blood on it. He waited until her aura sealed up the cut, looking up at her face. "What's wrong? We agreed to be partners right? Partners share things with each other. I'm still in the process of sharing what I learned with people, but I will eventually. Please, Neo?"

The young woman shook her head, taking a hold of the knife she had dropped. She went right back to what she was doing, cutting a rack of ribs from the deer carcass. Levi's ears drooped a bit, but he knew she would speak with him whenever she was ready.

He held back the urge to yawn, feeling an odd sense of fatigue washing over him. Sure, he hadn't slept all night but he had never felt this tired. He likely wasn't going to get any sleep any time soon. He didn't exactly trust this old farmhouse. There was something wrong in this place, but he didn't know what it was. But judging from the far-off look on Neo's face, it had to have been serious. He wanted her to talk, but he knew forcing her to talk wasn't going to solve anything.

"Gods, I'm so tired. Are you doing okay, Neo? You look beat." he said, glancing over his shoulder. She gave him a thumbs-up, setting the knife she had been using down. She moved the cut of meat she had grabbed to the large bucket of water in the kitchen, dipping it inside. "Do you think these people had seasonings somewhere? Meat always tastes better with salt and pepper."

She set what she was doing down, and started looking through the cupboards. After a few minutes, she ended up finding what he needed, along with various other seasonings. The two then started the long and arduous process of seasoning the cuts of meat. Levi had managed to prepare everything he had cut up, placing a few cuts on a sheet in the oven. Thankfully, the gas lines were still good, allowing him to prepare some ribs and steaks with ease.

"Damn, I wish I had some fresh vegetables to make with this."

"Well sadly, all we have are the canned stuff," Weiss said, as she entered the kitchen, followed by Ruby. They had several cans of vegetables, beans, and other things in their grasp. "I will admit, my refined palate still hasn't had the pleasure of tasting venison. Is it good?"

"It's kind of gamey, but the meat is good if you season it well. Put a lot of salt on anything and-"

"It'll taste juuuust fine," Ruby finished, the pair sharing a laugh. "It's good to know you are in good spirits, Levi. Especially after what you must have seen."

"I'm still processing things, you know? Finding out your mother isn't your mother and learning everything in her life, in the span of a few minutes? It's a surprise I'm still mentally here." he said, leaning back against the counter. "Things will be tough, but they will get better. We just have to keep our morale up and make sure we get to Atlas."

Weiss set the cans down on the part of the table that didn't have deer meat on it, a tired expression on her face. "Are you sure we should still go to Atlas?"

"Huh? Why are you asking that, Weiss? You know we have to go there." Ruby said softly.

"Believe me, I'm struggling to comprehend everything after what Jinn told us. But I still believe heading to Atlas is our best chance. I mean… It's the safest kingdom in Remnant. Not only that, but Cinder expects me in Argus soon. We dawdle here too long and we'll miss our chance to catch her." Neo's scroll said. Weiss closed her eyes for a brief moment, gathering her thoughts.

"Are we seriously still going after her? Yes, she did awful things, and yes she needs to be stopped, but what's the point? Salem is just going to find and train another henchwoman to do her bidding. It's all pointless."

"Weiss, you don't mean that. Do you? After what we've been through? After the Fall of Beacon?" Levi asked, a pleading look on his face. He placed his hands on her shoulders, staring deeply into her eyes. "You've been fighting to carve out your path for a long time. This is not the time to give up, you know it, and I know it. You're just distraught, just like the rest of us."

She remained silent, shaking her head a bit, the smile returning to her face. "You're right, I'm just cold, hungry, annoyed, and sooo...damn tired. This house is really getting to me."

"There's nothing to be scared of, it's not like we're in a cabin in the woods or something."

"Oh, you saw that movie?" Neo's scroll asked a cheerful look on her face as Ruby gave her a nod. "What was your favorite part?"

"When the unicorn comes running in and skewers a guy."

"Really? Mine too!"

"What are they talking about?" Weiss mumbled, earning a shrug from Levi, who turned his attention back to the stove, a cast-iron skillet in his grasp.

"Who cares? As long as they're getting along, right?" he said. She nodded, turning back to the stove. "Would you like to help me? Maybe I can teach you a thing or two about cooking. We have to make sure Weiss Schnee isn't just a capable fighter, but a capable cook too."

"Sure, anything beats sitting around staring at a fire."

xxx

"Ugh… goddamn dude, I haven't been that full in weeks," Yang said, picking at her teeth with a toothpick, several cleaned ribs sitting on a plate beside her. "You outdid yourself, Levi."

"It wasn't just me, Yang. Neo helped cut it down and Weiss helped cook it. Apparently, her favorite butler Klein taught her a thing or two about cooking before she left Atlas. I was honestly surprised." the miqo'te said, earning a grin from the heiress.

"Why thank you, Levi. I am quite glad I was able to surprise you, but honestly, you surprised me. I mean, catching a buck that big? In this weather? It's spectacular!"

"She's got a point, kiddo. I know your mother taught you how to hunt, but I wasn't expecting a twelve-point buck to be dragged through that door." Qrow said, tipping his bottle back. "I'm impressed."

"Ah, it's nothing. It's thanks to my faunus traits, it was a bit difficult to track with the wind blowing in my ears. But picking out a buck crunching down snow from the blowing snowflakes is a little easier when you're hungry. You tend to focus your all when your stomach is grumbling and you've got people back home that you gotta feed." he said, glancing at the fire.

"What about you Blake, do you know how to hunt?" Ruby inquired, earning a nod from Yang.

"Hey yeah, you must know how to hunt right? Do you like, pounce birds from high up?"

"No Yang, I don't. Contrary to popular belief, just because I'm a cat doesn't mean I pounce whatever moves," she said, downing a bit of water. She licked her lips, setting her glass down. "But I do know how to hunt, my father made sure I had a few trapping and skinning skills, just in case. My fishing skills are top-notch."

"Of course they are, you're a cat!" Oscar said, breaking into laughter. Yang and Ruby joined, making Blake shake her head. "In all seriousness though, I'd love to learn a few things from you both if I can. Oz said I would eventually get his knowledge and memories, but I'd like to stay myself for as long as I can. If I can avoid merging with him, then it'll be for the best."

Being reminded about his fate brought everyone in the room down. Oscar seemed rather cheerful, but the look in his eyes was quite different. They all knew the fate he had gotten was the worst one in the world. Learning about Salem wasn't nearly as bad as knowing Oscar wouldn't be himself in the future. Ruby clapped her hands loudly, grabbing their attention.

"Alright then team, I think it's time for a team exercise."

"A team what?" Neo's scroll said, a look of confusion on her face.

"I thought it would be best to lift our spirits. Maybe we can play a game or something? The people here must have had some board games lying around. There's no Scroll Service, so that limits our options." she said.

"Oh! Spin the bottle!" Yang said, grabbing Qrow's empty bottle.

"There are five girls, two boys and one of them is fifteen, out of the question," Weiss said, glaring at the blonde.

"You're just scared to kiss another girl."

"What? I am not!" the heiress said firmly. "I'm just not into women!"

"I'm in Weiss's boat, I'd rather not take that risk, especially if it lands on my sister," Ruby said, flushing. Levi looked over to Neo, who had a small smirk on her face.

"What's got you grinning?" he queried, only to earn a kissy face from the woman. "So you don't mind kissing another girl? Somehow I figured you'd be the one to agree to this game."

"I know… how about we talk about our deepest darkest secrets. The things that keep us awake at three in the morning, or make us wake up in a cold sweat." Blake suggested an almost malicious look in her amber eyes. "We can start with Yang and how she sleeps with her hand down her pants."

"Aw, dude!" the blonde cried, clearly embarrassed.

"Pfft, is that it? I figured you'd have something interesting, not something all of us knew." Weiss said, rolling her eyes. She tucked her legs in, taking a deep breath. "Sometimes I think about my father. I think about all of the dark things he's been doing, all the faunus he's been enslaving. The people he's had killed. When I was fifteen before I decided to learn to be a huntress… I thought about poisoning him."

Levi straightened up, a look of disbelief on his face. The others had similar looks on theirs, even Qrow had stopped drinking, paying attention to the former heiress. "Are you serious, Ice Queen?" he asked, earning a nod from Weiss.

"I didn't always saw things the way he did, how I acted in Beacon Academy was the culmination of his brainwashing. But before that, before my sister left to join the Military, I was raised a little differently. Yes, I was prepared to take over should Winter fail, but she shielded me from most of my father's uncouth actions. This had nothing to do with the SDC, it was mostly with how he treats my mother." she said, glancing at her empty water glass. "He's… a piece of shit, a limey bastard, so many other cuss words a lady of my position shouldn't use. He drove my mother to drink, told her on my 10th birthday he only married for her name, and laughs at her whenever he can. He treats her like a trophy and doesn't care about her. I wanted to do it for her, so she'd be free. But my own twisted sense of love held me back. How can I love someone that's done so many cruel things?"

"Because that's how human hearts work, dear. Even if someone is the worst kind of human in the world. If they are related to you in any way, you'll still love them." Maria said, glancing up from the book she was reading. "Your father is a terrible human being, but you shouldn't ever think about killing him. He'll get his, and I'm sure your mother will be free."

They remained silent for a moment, a bit of tension hanging in the air after Weiss's confession. She cleared her throat, glancing at Blake. "What about you, Blake? This was your idea. Any dark secrets you'd like to share with us?"

Her ears drooped a bit, but she gave her friend a nod, glancing around the room. "You know how I was a part of the White Fang right? Well, there was a night where I had a mission. Adam had tasked me with retrieving some Atlas Tech. Should have been an easy in and out, but I wasn't expecting to run into military men while I was there. I was sent in alone, and Adam wasn't sending me back up. I was scared of what he would do if I didn't get what I was tasked with. So I used my covert skills to knock them all out. The last one was right next to my target and he wouldn't move, so I shot Gambol Shroud at him, hoping to wrap my ribbon around his neck and knock him out that way… I ended up snapping his neck."

"You killed someone?" Ruby asked. Blake sighed, resting her face in her hands, eyes clenched tightly.

"It was an accident, I was more scared about fulfilling my request to Adam than I was about anything else. The worst part is, I didn't care at the time. I was convinced I was doing what was right, and that humans needed to pay. But when Adam only encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing, that I shouldn't be afraid to get my hands dirty, that's when I realized he was changing. I watched how someone I admired slowly fell down into the darkness. It was gradual, and it was horrifying. It is one of my biggest regrets."

Yang sat down next to her partner, wrapping an arm around her waist, holding her close. "Well, I don't have any dark secrets, other than what Blake shared. I did shatter a dude's knee cap back in Signal though. Didn't know my own strength, and I wasn't aware he hadn't had his aura unlocked. I was traumatized for a week, but he healed up nicely, so it was all water under the bridge."

"There was this game that I wanted once, and dad didn't lend me the money I needed. So I waited until he was asleep and took it. I used Zwei as an excuse since he needed a walk. I got my game and hid it from him until I had enough money to put it back in his wallet." Ruby said, poking her fingers together. "He found out anyway and I was grounded for a week."

"What about you, Oscar? What deep dark secret are you hiding?" Levi asked, ears twitching in anticipation as the young boy looked up from the book he was reading. He forced his lips into a thin line as he looked at the fire.

"My parents were murdered when I was four years old. The killers came in to steal some valuables and didn't know I was watching television with my parents. My mother told me to hide under the bed and I did. I had to lay in my mother's blood until the killers left."

"Oh Gods, Oscar… I'm so sorry to hear that." the miqo'te faunus said. Oscar shook his head, returning to his book.

"It's alright, Levi. It's just another part of my life. I've been living with my aunt since then, though now I'm here with all of you. I sometimes wonder how she's doing. She must be worried sick about me." the young boy said, looking up from his book. "I've wanted to write her a letter, but if she figures out where I am, she'll come get me. We have a mission to do now, and I can't afford to go back home. Not yet anyway."

"Alright then, we've almost come full circle! We already know the atrocious shit Neo's done, I doubt she has any more secrets she's willing to part with." Yang said, giving Neo a curious look. She gave the blond a wink, zipping her lip and tossing away the key. "Fair, that only leaves you, Levi. What deep dark secret have you been hiding from us?"

"Well since we're all coming clean, I'd like to tell you all-" he paused for dramatic effect, holding his hand up. "I'm secretly a girl."

"What?"

"Pfft, gotcha!" he said, giving Weiss a playful wink. She punched him in the arm, making him groan a bit. "Ahaa, okay, okay. I'll be serious. I sort of lied about my relationship with Velvet."

"How so? I thought the two of you went to second base?"

"No, we didn't. Velvet and I did date, and she was very affectionate, but we didn't break up because of the semester weighing us down. Velvet has been bullied a lot during her life. She grew far too attached far too fast. I wasn't ready for that kind of commitment you know? Here we were, two weeks in and she was already talking about sex." he admitted, glancing at the ceiling. "Any other guy would be jumping at the chance to be with a girl that insanely adorable and that accent? She melted my heart the day we met. But I just wasn't ready, you know? I was nervous I'd fuck it up. I wanted to be a huntsman, not a dad at seventeen. Coco wanted to beat me up because she thought I hurt Velvet, but I told her the reason and she said she'd talk to her. We just decided to break up afterward."

"Wow, I… didn't think Velvet was the overly affectionate type."

"She got better though. Eventually, she learned to be confident and we became great friends. We talked about dating a few times, but I told her I'd rather stay friends. That was around the time I asked Athena on a date and you know how that went." he said, reaching for one of Qrow's unopened bottles. He uncapped it, pouring a bit of wine into his glass, setting the bottle next to his chair. "Moral of the story, love sucks ass, but blue balls are worse."

"Damn straight," Qrow said, clinking his bottle with Levi's wine glass. Weiss rolled her eyes, muttering the word pigs under her breath. Maria snapped her book closed, setting it down next to the stack, grabbing another one.

"So, what's so interesting about that book series, Miss Calavera? Is it about fairy tales or heroes of yore?" Ruby asked, causing the woman to laugh.

"Of course not, child. This is a detailed diary about this very estate, written by the head of the household, Bartleby. I'm already on the fourth volume, and while things started off happy, it seems things are starting to take a turn for the worse." she said, opening the cover. "Apparently, he and several other families founded this little settlement to try and live on their own. It sounded like it worked, at least for a spell."

"Grimm?" Oscar asked, causing the woman to sigh.

"Just one of the many hardships. Slowed down their farming, made everything harder… it's a shame, really. He seemed like quite the ambitious fellow, always thinking of new schemes to overcome the odds."

"Life away from the Kingdoms isn't easy. Grimm aren't always the cause, sometimes it's human error. Other times, it's arrogance. At the end of the day, hubris is the one who wins. I passed through enough broken villages and half-built cities to know what that's all about." Blake said, stretching her arms. "It's just a bitter reminder of the world we live in."

"Guys, I know things are bad, but we have to stay positive. If we don't then we're handing the world and the relics over to Salem. We can't let that happen!" Ruby said firmly, trying to inspire her friends.

"She's right. Lying down in defeat isn't an option, it shouldn't be anywhere near the table. We should just focus on surviving through the night." Levi added, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Well, the way things are going, the storm should be cleared up by tonight. Meaning we should be able to leave by morning." Qrow said, finishing his bottle. He stood up from his seat, checking his scroll for the time. "Damn, five in the afternoon already? What the hell is up with this place? Time moves slow and fast at the same time."

He muttered a few swears under his breath, disappearing down the hallway, like to the bar, leaving the others to their own devices. Levi rubbed his eyes, holding back the urge to yawn. He noticed Neo had fallen asleep, using the side of the couch as a makeshift pillow. The others just looked bored, or tired. It was far too early for him to be taking a nap. If he went to bed, his sleep schedule would definitely be messed up. He stood up, stretching his tired limbs, earning a few satisfying pops from his tired bones.

"Maybe a song will lift up our spirits?" he asked, making his way to the piano. "I don't have any more original ones, but I can take requests."

"Oh-oh! Me!" Yang cried, shaking her hand back and forth. "Can you play Carry On?"

"Eh… maybe? I don't remember the lyrics off the top of my head, I'm sorry," he said.

"Hot Crossed Buns?"

"No." he vehemently refused. Yang deflated a bit, glancing at Weiss for a brief moment, a small smile appearing on her face.

"How about a duet with Weiss? You can sing anything you want."

"Yes! You said you'd think about it. Come on, do it, do iiittt!' Ruby said, poking his side repeatedly, making him chuckle.

"Okay, fine. I can do that… how about it, Weiss? Are you up for it?" he asked. The white-haired girl had a far-off look on her face. She returned to reality, blinking a few times.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Levi asked if you were up for a duet," Blake said. Weiss stood up, brushing her hand through her hair.

"Of course, do you have any songs in mind?"

"Nope, whatever you want to sing. If you'd like I can focus on the piano and you can sing. Whatever works for you." he said, making her hum to herself. She reached for her scroll, pulling up something on it.

"Here we go, this is a song one of my favorite artists wrote. He and a buddy of his released it before I left Atlas. You go first and I go second since I know the tune I can play." she said, positioning her hands on the keys. "Ready?"

"What? No dress rehearsal?" he asked, earning a glare from the former heiress. He chuckled, sinking a bit under her gaze. "Alright, I can do it. Give me a moment."

He read the lyrics a few times, giving Weiss a few curious glances as she played some notes on the piano, likely readjusting herself to the instrument. Once he was ready, he gave her a nod, a soft melody filling the study. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes a bit, letting the music wash over him.

"You hear the world behind your door

You think you know it,

But you know that you could know it more

You think you've seen the dark of night

But in your pocket, you have always had

The brightest kind of light~

I could say you had it easy

But then you'd only victimize

You don't know the Devil

'Til you've seen behind his eyes!

If I lie

Awake in bed at night

And why you won't believe me

Believe me for a while~

You could try on, Someone else's shoes

Then lose you'll believe me

Once you have walked a mile~"

He continued the melody, his fingers lightly tapping the piano keys as Weiss took over, leaning her head back, lips slightly parted. She took a soft, gentle breath, her eyes firmly closed as she began to sing.

"You feel the chill run down your spine~" she began, making Levi shiver as she ran her finger up his back. She gave him a wink, her eyes returning to the lyrics in front of her.

"You know that nothing can compare

And you begin to realize

You're on your own for the first time

No one will catch you if you fall down here

The sun will never shine

With all your crutches fallen

You pick yourself up off the ground

Now that you've hit the bottom

Learn to not look down!

If I lie

Awake in bed at night!

And why? You don't believe me

Believe me for a while

You could try,

On someone else's shoes

Then lose you'll believe me!

Believe me for a while

Once you have walked a mile

Once you have walked a mile!"

"If I lieeee

Awake in bed at night!

And why? You won't believe me!

Believe me for a while

You could try!

You could try someone else's shoes

And lose, you'll believe me!

Once you have walked a mile

One you have walked a mile~~"

A thunderous applause filled the study, as the two singers bowed for their adoring crowd. Weiss, while proud, had a slight flush on her cheeks, while Levi was honestly impressed with her singing abilities. Her voice was angelic. He could tell why it was that Jaune had fallen for her.

"That was amazing, Weiss! That song sounded so natural for the two of you!" Ruby said.

"Thank you, Ruby. It's one of my favorite ones, I feel like it matches my personal changes in life. How I used to be spoiled but I had to grow up quick. How I used to judge the faunus, but I saw things from their point of view-" She said, looking at Blake and Levi, giving them a smile. "-Metaphorically putting on their shoes. I've wanted to sing it for a long time."

"Well, you did a fantastic job, child. I heard you sing before when you were still in Atlas, but I'll say, you have greatly improved." Maria said, giving the young girl a smile.

"It's a real shame Neo slept through it, I"m sure she would have loved it," Oscar said, glancing at the girl in question, who was still asleep. She had a pained look on her face, her nose twitching every so often. "I don't think she slept since we got here last night. She must have been really tired."

"Yeah," Levi said softly, giving his partner a look of concern. Everything had been going well, but the moment they returned to reality, he felt so fatigued. He was beginning to wonder if he was just exhausted from being awake all night or if it was something else. He shook his head, patting his cheeks. "How about another song? I have another one in me."

"Yes please!" Ruby said cheerfully, looking through her playlist. "How about I May Fall? That one was pretty popular!"

"You got it, Ruby," Weiss said, a genuine smile on her face. It had been a long time since Levi had seen his friends genuinely happy. He just hoped things didn't get worse than they already were.


Location: Unknown

She was tired. She didn't know why it was, but she had just been so tired. She remembered the days where she would get up early and played with the farm animals. But now, even getting out of bed hurt. There were days where she just wanted to lay in bed and sleep. But she knew she couldn't do that. She felt a rumble in her stomach and weakly lifted her bedsheets, seeing nothing but pink.

She was only eight years old, but even she knew something was wrong. Ever so slowly, and tiredly, she pulled the bedsheets off, stumbling a bit until her feet had found her slippers. She stumbled a bit, hearing the soft putter of her favorite doll falling to the floor. She sighed, bending down to grab it, only for her to decide it wasn't worth it. She moved toward the door, slowly opening it. She looked down the hallway, noticing her parent's bedroom door was closed. Down the hallway, her sister's door was closed as well. She shrugged her shoulders, and moved toward the bathroom, knocking on it to make sure it was empty.

"I wonder if mommy made breakfast. I know she wasn't feeling well last night, but she always gets up to make breakfast." she thought to herself.

Once she was done in the bathroom, she started walking toward the stairs, feeling a bit more refreshed than before. The house was quiet, an odd stillness that she had never experienced before. She looked up at the clock, noticing it was 10:35 in the morning. She was usually up by seven, due to her mother knocking on her door. Perhaps she decided to let her and her siblings sleep longer?

The kitchen was empty. Not a single dish had been washed the night before. Her mother prided on keeping the dishes clean. But the way they were strewn around, haphazardly, it made the little girl worry. She decided she would do her mother a favor. Since she never washed the dishes, she decided today would be the day. So she grabbed a chair and knelt before the sink, grabbing a sponge and the soap.

She didn't know how long it had been, but she slowly, but surely, finished washing each dish. She dried them all and placed them in their proper place. She glanced over her shoulder, wondering when it would be that her parents would come into the kitchen. Had they gone on a run to Argus? It was too far for them to leave her behind. Surely the Putnam's would have stopped in?

"I should speak with Mrs. Putnam, see if mommy left her a note or something," she said softly. She grabbed her scarf as she headed for the door, pausing for a moment when she saw her father's shotgun tucked behind the grandfather clock. She tilted her head a bit, as she moved toward it. "Daddy wouldn't put this here…. it must have been big bro. He's always messing with things like this."

She spared a glance up the stairs as she reached for the doorknob. Something compelled her to go back up, and check the rooms to make sure her parents were truly gone. She carefully made her way up the stairs, walking around the top of the banister, slowly heading to her parent's bedroom. She rose her small hand to it, giving a few knocks. "Momma? Poppa? Are you in here?"

When she didn't get a reply, she gently opened the door, peering inside. Sure enough, her parents were still in bed. She sighed, making her way toward the bed, grabbing her mother's arm. "Momma, wake up! It's already eleven! You have to start making lunch soon!"

She shook the woman harder, but she didn't move. She climbed onto the bed, looking at her mother's face, seeing the cold stillness to it. Her face was pale, her eyes looked a bit sunken in. She looked unlike she normally did. She poked her face, starting to get worried. "Momma?"

Her gaze shifted to her father, who had been beside her. His straw hat sat on his bedpost, where he always had it. The man was exactly like her mother, completely still, and pale in the face. She poked his face a few times, but he didn't even react, not like he usually did. He usually started barking like a wolf in an attempt to scare her. But this was different. She shook his shoulders, but he didn't even move. "Poppa? Poppa! Wake up!"

The little girl stumbled back, falling out of the bed, pain shooting through her body. She forced herself to get up, stumbling out of her parent's bedroom, racing to her brother's room. She pounded on the door, throwing it open. "Big brother, momma, and poppa are in bed and they aren't moving! You have to help them!"

But just like her parents, her big brother was laying in bed, an arm hanging down to the ground. He had a tired look on his face. She walked up to him, pulling his arm up, only for it to limply fall to the floor. She moved him a bit, but when he didn't move, she stepped back, her eyes widening. "No… not you too big bro. I… I gotta get big sis here, she'll help you!"

It was the same for her sister. Her beautiful brown hair was splayed around her head, a serene look on her face as she slept. Both her hands were at her side, her sheets tucked around her. She had a glass of water on her bedside table, but she hadn't even touched it. Much like her mother, her face looked sunken in. She noticed her chest wasn't rising and falling, making her even more scared. "Big sis, what's wrong? Wake up! Momma and Poppa and big bro need us. Wake up! WAKE UP!" she shouted, shaking her sister. Her body crumpled to the ground, laying still.

The young girl let out a scream as her sister didn't move. She raced back to her parent's room, trying in vain to wake them up, but they didn't. As she moved toward the stairs, she heard a screech, causing her to stumble a bit. She almost fell down the stairs, thankfully she hung onto the banister. She forced herself to walk, making her way toward the bar.

"Mr. Harrison, Mr. Harrison! You have to help, my parents, my sister and my brother, they're not moving! I think they're dead!" she shouted, hoping the family's hired huntsman would help her. But instead, she found that he was gone. The bar was completely empty.

She saw the bar doors leading to the cellar were open and started moving toward it. She heard another screech, causing her to drop to her knees. Why did she feel so tired all of a sudden? She grit her teeth, moving toward the stairs, walking down them. The wine cellar doors were open, leading down into the depths of the farmhouse. She remembered her father telling her not to go down there unless an adult was with her. She heard a gunshot, making her run toward it.

"Mr. Harrison?" she cried out, hoping to get the man's attention. She peered into the cellar, only to see a pair of beady red eyes staring back at her.

A large, black lanky looking creature stared back at her. It had thick bone plating around its head, acting almost like a protective exoskeleton. Its long, gangly arms stretched downward, long sharpened fingers almost dragging across the floor. The creature looked up at her, a twisted expression on its face, its shoulders almost dislocating as it let out a screech.

The little girl screamed in return, falling down on her backside. She screamed as she struggled to get away from the doors. She could hear the wooden steps creaking as they started climbing up the stairs. She forced herself to get up, grabbing a wine bottle, throwing it at the creature. It smashed into a million pieces across its head, sending it tumbling back down. She raced up the steps, into the bar. She looked around for a moment, grabbing two more bottles, throwing them at the creatures.

"Mr. Harrison! I need help! Mr. Harrison!" She cried, to no avail. She continued throwing bottles down the stairs, hoping to slow the creatures down, but as she lifted one up to throw it, the Grimm let out another screech. She groaned a bit, feeling her strength leave her, the bottle dropping to the floor out of her hand. "Hgn… why do I feel… so tired?"

She fell to the floor, sitting on her rump, wine soaking her nightgown and undies as the first of the Grimm made its way up. She felt her heartbeat quicken, her breathing becoming ragged as she stumbled back, feeling the broken glass shards puncturing her hands. She closed her eyes as the creature rose a hand up above its head, about to bring it down.

Boom!

She opened her eyes, seeing the ghastly creature fall down dead, its body turning to ash. She looked up, eyes widening when she saw Mr. Putnam holding a shotgun in his hands. His messy orange hair was covered in sweat, his worn-looking shirt and overalls hardly hanging onto his weakened frame.

"Trivia Vanille, are you alright?" he asked.

"My family isn't breathing!" the little girl cried, eyes soaked in tears. "I think they're all dead!"

"They are, I'm afraid. And it's all because of these damned things," he said, raising his shotgun to his shoulder, letting off a blast, taking down another Grimm. He pulled the barrels down, ejecting the two shells, sliding two more inside. "I'm gonna drive 'em down into the wine cellar. You wait for me outside."

Another Grimm peeked its head through the door, only to be blasted in the face by Mr. Putnam. Trivia Vanille let out a scream, struggling to stand up. She managed to get up, only to slip on the wine, falling to the ground. She felt something sharp pierce her throat, causing her to gasp, eyes wide in shock. She reached for her throat, feeling a piece of glass sticking out of her neck. She looked at her hand, soaked in blood, her mouth opening in a silent scream.

She heard the metal doors below her being slammed shut, along with the sound of a chain. She heard Mr. Putnam racing up the stairs, seeing her injury, his jaw-dropping. "Oh sweet Gods, Rosa!"

She reached for the glass, trying to pull it out only for the man to grab her hand. "Are you insane? You pull that shard out and you'll bleed to death in less than a minute. We gotta go!"

She felt herself being picked up, the house blurring as they moved through it. She saw the man throw the used shotgun behind the grandfather clock, as they raced through the door, which locked behind them. He put the young girl in his pickup truck and turned it on, flooring it out of the property, slamming through the chained gates, the right one slamming into the side, the top part of the hitch breaking. Trivia Vanille tugged his shirt, pointing to the houses behind them.

"What? You wanna go back? Are you insane? Everyone back there is dead. The Melvilles, Christopher, and even… even Mrs. Putnam and Buck." he said, as he drifted into the beaten path, in the direction of Argus. "We gotta survive, the farm is lost. God, Bartleby is a dumbass. The hell was he thinking? Getting those Grimm in the waterways?"

The orange-haired man looked down at the frightened little girl, her eyes wide with tears. He sighed, shaking his head. "Your father meant well, but them Apathy? Those Grimm are far too dangerous. I'm tellin' ya, Trivia Vanille. Don't you ever, ever risk your life next to them things. They're too much. We got lucky, remember that."

She gave the man a nod, glancing back at the road behind them, seeing the dust that was being kicked up by the rear wheels. She thought back to her parents, and the rest of her family, seeing the sunken look on their faces, the fact that they were dead and she had been trying to get them up, and those… those things. She could still see them in her mind. She tried to scream, but her voice wouldn't work. She started to feel dizzy, her head swirling around in pain. She didn't know when, but she passed, her vision being swamped with darkness.

xxx

Neo shot up, pulling her fist back. She felt it colliding with something hard, hearing a tumble a few seconds after. She was panting, her pupils being shrunk in size, a frightened look on her face. She looked around for a moment, clutching her chest tightly. She heard a groan in front of her and noticed Levi sitting up, holding his nose in his grasp.

"Alright, note to self. Don't wake up Neo ever again, and if I have to, use a stick."

Her brows knit together, her expression changing to one of sheer exasperation. She forced herself to get up, stumbling a bit as pain shot up her back. She grit her teeth for a moment as her dizzy spell went away, holding her hand out to her partner. He wrapped his hand around hers, helping himself back up. She patted his shoulders a bit, fixing his scarf. She looked into his eyes for a moment, before giving him an apologetic hug. He rolled his eyes, hugging her back.

"I'm sorry too, Neo. I should have been more careful waking you up. You looked like you were having a nightmare. Were you?" he asked. She nodded firmly, glancing over her shoulder. "We can talk about it if you want."

She shook her head, back turned away from him, arms firmly crossed. That was the universal sign for "I don't want to talk about it" one of the first he had learned. He simply relented, knowing whatever was bothering her, she'd tell him eventually. The pair grabbed some of the smoked meat they had prepared the night before, heading toward the front porch.

Levi chewed on the dried meat as Qrow and Yang pushed the trailer they had found in the garage toward Bumblebee, while Weiss used her dust to weld together two pieces of metal to form a hitch. Ruby was standing around, wondering how she could help, while Blake, Maria, and Oscar sat on the porch steps. He noticed all of them looked rather tired. Even he felt oddly fatigued, and he didn't really know why.

"Did you finish making that hitch, Weiss?" Yang asked, causing the white-haired girl to gesture at it with her sword.

"There, that should be okay," she said, holding back a yawn. Oscar however didn't his tired voice drifting through the property.

"Can we just go back to bed?"

"If we're all so tired, maybe we should make breakfast?" Blake suggested, sounding rather disinterested in the thought. Oscar gave her a look.

"You wanna make it?"

Blake sighed, resting her face in the crook of her arm. "Not really."

"Let's focus on getting the fuck outta here." Neo's scroll said firmly. She shoved the device into her pocket, dashing down the steps. Ruby sighed as she looked away from her scroll.

"Is the bike ready?" she asked, only for Yang to gesture to Bumblebee. Their uncle paused, taking a drink from his flask, resting his leg on the trailer's tire.

"Well, it's done now. So let's hook this thing up and-" Qrow stumbled a bit as the tire popped, the air whizzing out. "Ugh… fan-fucking-tastic."

"You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?" Maria mused, looking up from the diary she had been reading. Qrow kicked the trailer in frustration, stomping his way toward the nearby fence, unceremoniously falling down to the ground.

"I'm starting to think the Universe just doesn't want use getting to Atlas," Yang tiredly replied, leaning against the edge of her motorcycle.

"It's just a flat tire, I'm sure there's a spare," Ruby said cheerfully. Her sister looked at her, an almost vacant look on her face.

"It's not just that. It's everything...storms, crashes, monsters." she sighed audibly, running her mechanical hand through her hair. "I'm so tired…"

"Me too. It feels like we're always having to fight to get by." Blake added.

"Well, yeah… but that's what we signed up for," Ruby said, glancing at her teammates. "We all knew the risks when we joined Beacon Academy, right? That's why we are in it. To make the world a better place."

"We signed up to try and save the world, Ruby. Not just… delay the inevitable." Oscar added, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Last night I… couldn't help but think, why are we even going to Atlas?" Weiss asked, looking around the group, a troubled look on her face.

"Why? You know why, Weiss." Levi said, finally deciding to speak. He stepped off the porch, standing in front of her. "We have to get the lamp to Atlas, to make sure it's safe. We all decided to join the Atlas Military to get our licenses. We can't just give up before we try. Sure, we got a shitty hand of cards, but we can still make a good hand if we try! We just have to count our blessings and…"

"You say that but…" Yang paused, standing tall as she looked at the faunus. "There's no reason for us to get to Atlas, or even bother with the lamp. Ozpin hid the relics behind giant doors under enormous schools. But how long would it take Salem to find a lamp in the middle of nowhere?"

"What? You know the Grimm are attracted to it, Sis!" Ruby exclaimed, glaring at her sister.

"Yeah, they'd find it eventually, sure. But bury it or just throw it down the well, and it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime. But we could be done with it, now." the blonde said, gesturing for the lamp.

"Whoa… wait a minute, hold up. You do know what you are suggesting, right? To throw this precious lamp down a hole in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. Do you hear yourself, Yang? This thing is important! It was created by the Gods, and if Salem finds it, all of us are fucked!" Levi said.

"Yeah sure, if they find it in our lifetime, but I'm sure she won't."

"Okay, we abandon it here and we fuck the future generations? It's our job as Huntsmen and Huntresses to safeguard the future. This woman murdered millions of people, destroyed the world! Look at what she did to Ozma, to countless innocents, to her own children! She murdered my people, killed my mother in cold blood, and is doing her damn best to take over the world. Beacon fell, and Haven Academy was attacked, who's to say Shade or Atlas won't meet the same fate?"

"If they do, so what? We don't have an attachment to this anymore. Levi, we can just go somewhere and live out the rest of our days. If the world is going to turn into a shithole, we might as well try to live normal lives, right?"

"You don't believe that, Blake. After fighting against the Fang, against Adam, coming this far? You have the nerve to say that? What's wrong with you? What's wrong with all of you!?" he shouted, glaring at his friends. "Just yesterday you were all motivated and eager to get the fuck out of here and now you want to abandon the mission?"

"He's right, guys. We can't give up, we made it this far. I know all of you are tired, but let's give it one more big push. We're so close to Argus. We have friends there, Jaune and the others are worried sick. We need to let them know."

"We don't," Weiss said, looking at Ruby. "We keep it to ourselves, let them live in blissful ignorance. What's one more lie, right? Ozpin hid them from us. We can do the same with them."

"I… I just… Weiss, you don't believe that. I thought you wanted to carve your own path? I thought you wanted to save the SDC. What happened to that?" Levi queried, earning a frown from the girl.

"I'm tired, Levi. I just want it all to stop. Come on, we can all just find a new place to live, and just let what happens, happen." she said, holding her hand out to him. She looked at him, expecting her to take it. He slapped it away, glaring at the heiress.

"If you wanna go ahead and give up, fine! Give up! But I'm not going to! I am going to Atlas! I am going to finish my training. I'll take the fucking lamp myself if I have to!" he said, holding his hand out to Ruby. "Come on, let me take it."

"No, Levi. We're going together, okay? Besides, I can't trust you to watch the lamp after you stole it from me." she said firmly. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath through his nose.

"Fine, whatever. I'll get a headstart to Argus. When you all get your fingers out of your asses and decide to fucking do your jobs, I'll be waiting!" he said, brushing past them, glancing over his shoulder. "Neo, let's go."

The young woman looked relieved as he called her name. She gave the others a bow and a curtsey, racing toward her partner. She matched his pace as the two left the property, ignoring the near foot of snow ahead of them. Yang watched them go, shaking her head.

"Fucking dick."

"Just let him go, he clearly has more important things than to hang out with us," Blake added, earning a glare from Ruby.

"What is wrong with you? He's the only one making some sense around here! We are going to Atlas, and we are going to deliver that lamp to General Ironwood, is that understood?" she shouted.

"Just forget about it, Ruby. Aren't you tired of carrying that burden with you? Of having to take care of something that is practically useless? I made a good point. No one is going to find it, and by the time they do, it won't matter anymore. Do yourself and us a favor. Let it go." Yang said, gesturing to the well behind her. Ruby didn't know why, but she felt compelled by her sister's words. She unhooked the Relic from her belt, holding it in her hand.

"You… do make a convincing point. I am really… tired," she mumbled, her eyes becoming dilated as she held the lamp over the edge of the well. She was about to drop it when she saw a pair of beady red eyes down in the darkness.

She let out a scream of shock, the lamp fumbling from her grasp. It clanked off the edges of the well, dropping into the water below. "No! No! NO! I didn't mean to!"

"Ruby, it's okay," Weiss said softly, making her leader turn around, grasping her hair tightly in her hand.

"No! No, there's something down there! I saw it! It was looking right at me!" she screamed. She felt her sister place a hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze.

"Hey, it's okay. You said you were tired, right? It's probably nothing. Now, let's get going."

She brushed her hand off, glaring at her sister. "What is wrong with you?! We can't just leave, we have to go down there! We have to get the Lamp back! Oh, gods, what was I thinking?!" she cried, slapping her forehead with her hand.

Qrow pulled the flask away from his lips, forcing himself to stand up. "All we have to do is fix this trailer. Hey, Farmboy, check the shed for a spare," he said, looking at Oscar, who rose to his feet. Ruby turned around, glaring at everyone, her eyes flashing with anger.

"I'm not leaving without the Lamp!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the property. Her friends all shared a tired look, with Blake stepping forward, rubbing her eyes.

"I'll go down with you."

"We'll all go," Weiss said, reaching for her sword. They all heard Qrow grumbling under his breath.

"Fine! Get the stupid Lamp. Oscar, fix the stupid tire!" he said, as he stomped up the wooden stairs. Maria looked at him, holding her book tightly in her grasp.

"And where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" he said, shaking his flask. Maria sighed, sitting down on the step as she opened the book.

"Stupid."

xxx

"God, can you believe them? Oh, we should give up! Fuck getting the relic to Atlas, screw getting our licenses! What a fucking joke!" Levi said as he struggled to walk in the snow. He shook some of it from his pant legs, using his semblance to melt a bit of it.

Neo followed along, Hush resting on her shoulder. She periodically looked over her shoulder, hoping to see Bumblebee appear on the path. She was starting to grow worried. She glanced back at her partner, who had been stomping on the snow, flattening it out a bit.

"Step on my footsteps, Neo. I don't want you to fall," he said. She nodded her head, following in his footsteps, making sure her heels didn't dig down in the snow. "Are you alright, Neo?"

She quirked a brow, gesturing around them, placing a hand on her hip. She tapped her finger against her hip bone, the same look still on her face. He sighed. "Right, right. We're stuck in the middle of a snowy path, cold and angry. I just… I'm so mad. After everything we've been through, they just want to quit?"

She bit her lip, reaching for her scroll. It took her a moment, but she was able to type something out, despite her hands shaking. "Don't blame them, they're all just tired."

"Tired? Do you blame what happened to them being tired? I mean come on, we're not that tired. Hell, I've been feeling better ever since we left that shithole." he said, patting down more snow. He continued walking forward, his ears twitching a bit. "Huh… that's weird. Now that I thought about what I just said, I realize how better I feel overall. Why do you think that is?"

Neo swallowed the lump in her throat, pondering how to answer his question. Finally, she decided to come clean, telling the truth. "Levi, do you want to know why I was so nervous while I was in that house, why I didn't want to go in there and wanted to take my chances out here?"

"Uh yes? Seriously, I'm curious. You've been acting so unlike yourself, you are normally cheery, playful, hell even mischievously malicious. But these past two days you've been so morose and somber, and so unlike yourself. I was starting to grow worried." he said. He stood patiently as she typed, looking around for a moment, making sure there weren't any Grimm approaching them.

"There is a reason why I didn't want to go back there. Thirteen years ago, a tragedy happened in that farm. It was on a cold morning that a little girl lost her family, and her entire world shattered apart. She had woken up, feeling tired and worn, but acted like normal, until she decided to search for her parents. She tried to awaken them, but she was too young to understand what was going on. It wasn't until she tried to awaken her sister that she realized they were dead.

She tried to search for the family's hired huntsman and had heard gunshots coming from the cellar. But what she saw shocked her for the rest of her life. These dark, ghastly creatures. Grimm capable of sapping away your vitality, your willpower. They let out a screech that makes you unable to move. Your body feels heavy, and you feel immensely tired. She thought it was a good idea to throw wine bottles at it, hoping to injure it. But their screech ended up making her drop one. Just as she was about to die, her savior came in and shot them dead. It was during this exchange that she lost her voice for the rest of her life, thanks to that wine bottle she had dropped, a glass shard pierced her voice box, making her mute. They left the farmhouse, beaten, and scared never to return. It would be the first in a series of events that would define that little girl's life, and turn her into the woman she is today."

Levi processed the story, his jaw-dropping. His eyes drifted back to the path they had walked down, ears flat against his head. "That little girl was you wasn't it? The girl with the doll in that picture is you. But then… your savior was?"

"Roman Putnam, but he changed his name to Roman Torchwick after we arrived in Kuchinashi and began our new lives. The first thing he did was get me some ice cream for my throat. I had to have surgery to remove the glass shard embedded in my throat. I learned to love ice cream, and since Neapolitan Ice cream became my favorite, we decided that would be my name. Neo. Short, sweet, just like the ice cream. My real name is Trivia Vanille Brunswick, and those bodies back there were-"

"Your family… on Neo. I'm so sorry. We just walked in, walked around, and made ourselves comfortable without even considering your feelings. We all noticed how you were acting, but we didn't connect the dots." he said, looking distraught.

"How could you have? I never said a word on it, and I didn't intend to. But us being there awoke something evil. Something that I would have thought would have died ages ago. It's a Creature of Grimm that is the most dangerous in existence. It's called The Apathy." she said.

"Apathy?" he thought, closing his eyes briefly. His ears twitched as he heard his mother's voice in the back of his mind.

"I know I've taught you how to fight Grimm, Levi. But there is one Grimm that we will never, ever approach. If you ever see any emaciated animals, even creatures of Grimm, or start feeling tired despite sleeping and getting enough rest, you need to run. That means there's an Apathy around. They aren't strong, and they don't attack, but they drain your will to go on. Get too many of them in one spot and you will die. They won't kill you, but you just won't have the will to even eat. If you ever feel fatigued, angry, confused, or just tired in general, you run, understood?"

"Yes, mom. I will!"

"Oh no… oh no no no no no! We have to go back, Neo! They're all in danger, they're going to die back there!" He cried, racing back up the path. He stumbled a bit, falling face-first into the snow. "Dammit!"

"Calm down! If we start panicking, we won't be able to do anything. Let's walk over here, there's a river that flows underneath the property. It's how we used to get our well water. We can use the tunnels to make it back there!" she said, tugging him toward the edges of the path.

They stumbled around for a moment, finding a frozen stream. They walked alongside it, heading back in the direction they had come from. As they did, Levi heard a scream, echoing around him. He stopped, drawing Overture from his hip as he started running forward.

"Ruby!"

After what felt like hours, he finally reached a stone path, leading beneath the property. He ignored the cold water rushing into his boots as he ran, making sure his gun was loaded with shells. Neo tugged his arm, making him change directions, running up a dried-up river bed. The stone walls rose around them as the tunnels widened, the dark path extending before him for what seemed like miles. He reached a fork in the road, nearing another scream. He pulled Neo to his right, squeezing Overture tightly as he reached a solid wall.

"No, no! Why the hell is this sealed up?"

Neo threw her hands up, unable to reply to him. She gestured for his weapon before pointing at the wall. He stood back, taking aim at the wall. A bright pink glyph appeared at the end of his barrel, spinning rapidly as he took aim. He squeezed the trigger back, the bullet whizzed through the glyph, breaking the sound barrier, shattering the wall on impact. A rush of water spilled out of it, but the wall was broken, allowing the two to run forward.

They spotted a bright light ahead, and raced toward it, glancing upward, seeing the bright blue sky above. Levi wrapped his arm around her waist, forming a vermillion glyph beneath their feet, blasting themselves out of the tunnels, appearing right in the center of the property, causing Oscar to scream in surprise. Neo opened her parasol, allowing the two to slowly drift downward.

"What the hell? I thought the two of you left?!" the boy exclaimed in surprise.

"Ruby and the others are in danger. Just keep pumping that tire, Neo, get on Bumblebee, and get ready to gun it the moment we're outta there. I'll go get the girls." he said, cocking his gun. Neo gave him a salute, climbing on top of the vibrant yellow motorcycle.

The miqo'te faunus darted forward, using a glyph to shoot himself forward. He moved through the house, looking around for a moment, finding the door that led to the bar. He spotted Qrow there, snoring loudly, a bottle of alcohol in his grasp. Levi growled angrily, shaking his shoulder. "GET UP!"

But he didn't reply. He decided to ignore him, opening the cellar door. He used his glyphs to jump down the stairs, landing in a crouch at the foot of them. He heard another scream just beneath the doors, and raised his rifle, shooting the lock on the iron doors. He moved toward them, throwing them open, gasping a bit when he saw Yang and Weiss laying on the stairs. The blonde looked up, her eyes widening in surprise.

"L-Levi?"

"Yang, you have to get up, now!" he said, tugging her up the stairs. He moved downward, wrapping his arms around Weiss's body, helping her to her feet. He looked back, only to see a brilliant flash of silver light enveloping the room, almost blinding him for a moment.

Almost instantly, Yang shot up to her feet, helping Levi and Weiss out of the cellar. He turned back, holding his hand out to Blake, while Ruby and Maria made their way up the steps.

"Hurry, before they come back!" Ruby cried. Levi glanced back down at the cellar, his eyes widening a bit when he saw the Apathy, the dark, ghastly creature almost looked like a zombie as it shambled forward. One locked eyes with him as if peering into his soul.

He saw a bottle fly past him, breaking him out of his trance. He saw Weiss throwing several more down into the depths, giving him an idea. He moved toward the nearby barrels, stabbing his estoc into one, pulling it free. He watched as the red liquid started flowing into the room. He shot the other barrels, a wave of red and violet spilling onto the floor.

"Alright Weiss, let her rip."

"With pleasure!" she said, flicking a wave of fire dust at the pool of wine, setting it ablaze, just as the Apathy had entered the wine cellar. He grabbed ahold of her wrist, pulling her along.

It was a mad dash to the front, trying to leave before the fire got out of hand. The moment Levi exited the building, he dashed straight for the trailer. "Now, Neo! Let's get the fuck out of here!"

Neo looked back, seeing the plume of smoke rising from what was once her home. She shook her head, twisting the key. Bumblebee roared to life, she twisted the throttle, shifting to drive just as Yang climbed onto the motorcycle behind her. They sped out of the old farm, watching as the house was engulfed in flames. Seconds later, a large explosion rocked the area, sending wood and debris high into the sky.

xxx

No one knew how long had passed, whether it was minutes or hours, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that they were safe. Levi kept looking down at his feet, seeing the ice that had gathered around the tip of his boots. Had it not been for his aura, his toes likely would have been frostbitten.

"You came back,"

He looked up, seeing the look on Ruby's face. She was smiling, an honest genuine smile, that made Levi feel fuzzy inside. He gave her a nod.

"Yeah, I did. I realized what a jackass I had been, though if not for Neo, I would have kept going. She…" he paused, glancing to the front of the motorcycle. "Neo, is it alright if I tell them?"

She raised her arm up, giving him a thumbs up. He licked his lips, gathering his thoughts a bit. "Neo is… her real name is Trivia Vanille Brunswick, that house we stayed at was her childhood home. And those people in the beds were…"

"Her family?" Blake asked. Levi gave her a curt nod, remembering what Neo had told him.

"She woke up one morning, thirteen years ago. She tried to get her parents to wake up, but they didn't. She tried to wake up her brother and sister, but when her sister fell out of bed and didn't move, she realized she was dead. She tried to look for the hired huntsman, but he must have died as well. It was Roman who saved her life, his true name was Roman Putnam, he was the orange-haired man in that picture at the front of the house. That was also the day she lost her voice."

Silence permeated through the group, no one knowing how to reply or what to even say. It was Weiss who finally broke the silence after a few minutes. "How did she lose it?"

"She threw wine bottles at the Apathy, but one of them screeched and she grew weak. She dropped the bottle. When Roman saved her and told her to get away, she slipped on the wine and landed on a jagged piece of glass. Roman got her out of there, and after that, they searched for a new life together. You all know how that ended." he said firmly.

"Gods… it's like the world constantly keeps kicking us down. At least one good thing happened from all of this." Oscar said, glancing around the group. "It brought us all together. We're all kindred spirits, connected by the same shit hand that fate has dealt us."

"Fate is a fickle lady indeed."

"Fickle my ass, that bitch is trying to kill us," Yang said, sending chuckles through the group. They heard Maria sigh as she reached the end of the diary she was reading, a frown deep on her face as she stared at the words.

"Something wrong, Miss Calavera?" Blake asked, making her lookup. She shook her head, tapping her mechanical eyes until they focused.

"Just thinking about what an idiot I was," she said, glancing back at the book. "The Apathy. They're not strong, or ferocious. They drain your will to go on. Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone… calm."

Oscar took a hold of the book, reading the semi-last page in the book. "Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired."

"The next page proves he did just that, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair, all the way back home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning," Maria said, making Levi gulp.

"So that's what that wall was for… he didn't know those things were all in there. He sealed them all in, practically made that house into a fucking tomb. What a dumbass."

"Levi, that's Neo's dad you're talking about!" Weiss scolded. The woman in question held a hand up, making a brushing motion with it before continuing to drive. Maria reached for the book in Oscar's hands, turning to the final page.

"It doesn't matter, his plan worked. No one was angry or sad, or scared. Soon enough, no one was anything. And then… no one was left." she said, focusing on the final phrase that was written in bold letters. "I'm tired." She closed the book, throwing it with all her strength out of the cart, watching as it landed in a snowbank far away from them.

"Everyone I'm… sorry about what I said," Weiss said, looking rather apologetic. Yang nodded in agreement, glancing over her shoulder.

"Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe."

"It isn't your fault, Yang. It's none of our faults… those things."

"I should have known. The signs were all there, but I'd never seen an entire settlement just withered away like that. I suppose my mind isn't what it used to be." Maria said dejectedly, placing a hand on her forehead. Neo pulled over for a moment, rapidly typing on her scroll.

"It isn't your fault, Miss Calavera. It's mine. It was mine. I should have told you all about the Apathy, but I was just so scared. I kept replaying that moment, the moment that my sister's dead body fell out of bed. Those… fucking things walking out of the cellar like goddamned zombies. I couldn't focus, I couldn't breathe… I don't know how I didn't have a mental breakdown." the scroll said. Yang patted her shoulder, shaking her head.

"I don't blame ya for not telling us. Those things were gross, it was both a good thing that you spared us from knowing and a bad thing. Had the circumstances been different, we likely wouldn't have run into them."

"Yeah, don't blame yourself, Neo. Things change, you lived through a traumatic experience, and it molded you into who you are. At least we have a bit of insight on how you became the way you did. I'm glad you trusted us enough with that story," Ruby said, earning a nod from the girl. Ruby shifted her gaze back to the old woman, the look on her face changing to one of curiosity. "Though I have one question. Miss Calavera, how is it that you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me… to make my eyes do that. How?"

Levi looked at the old woman, and then to Ruby, a look of realization appearing on his face. "No… it couldn't be… Miss Calavera, would you happen to have.."

"Silver eyes?" she asked, chuckling. "Why, as a matter of fact, yes, I did. At one point in time. I suppose I can regale you, children, with my tale. Tell me, have you heard about the Grimm Reaper?


A/N: I hope I did this chapter justice, honestly the Apathy are among my favorite Grimm introduced, and this was most definitely one of the highlights of Volume 6. Just when things couldn't get worse, they fucking do. Everyone questions themselves and the mission only to find out they are being controlled by shambling zombies that were living beneath their safe haven. Man, this one set the stakes high. Too bad that 4 episode fight at the end fucking ruined it.

I chose this chapter for a duet with Weiss because I wanted to showcase her singing a bit. So far, we've only heard Levi, but now the two of them have sung together. The song I chose is one by Jonathan Young featuring Caleb Hyles. It's called "Walked a Mile" and I believe it encompasses Weiss a lot. How she lived a sheltered life, and how she eventually had to learn to stand on her own two feet, and of course, her views on the faunus changing thanks to Blake and of course, Levi. Walking a mile in someone elses' shoes is always a good way to put yourself into the perspective of someone else. You get to understand things from their perspective a little bit better. Of course, you won't ever be able to see things the way they do, no one person can do that. I feel like this is a good peak into Weiss's character. She's always been my favorite girl in the series and I am happy to see she's gotten the most solid development in the series, even if they make her dumb in order to fit the plot. I mean seriously, did they have to make her fight with Vernal so fucking stupid? I believe in the headcanon that she had been off the field for so long she became rusty but not using Time Dilation to kick her ass? Come on man.

Anyway, enough about that. With this chapter, we are nearing the end of this arc of the story and boy is the ending such a ride. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Now I return to the den, so I can continue watching Black Clover. See ya!