AN: Sorry in advanced :')

He felt sharp pebbles, shards of glass, and pieces of discarded metal scratch against his skin, a few of the dangerous objects nearly digging deep inside him.

Crane continued to struggle against the thick, tightened ropes that constricted his arms and legs. Every tug he did only scraped his skin more, marks from rope burns having been formed against his already virus-damaged flesh.

He didn't know where the hell Hunter and his men were taking him, Lena, and Brecken. They, too, also attempted to fight against the constraints put onto them, but also failed. All three were rendered helpless and completely vulnerable to Hunter and his men.

The sun was not far from fading away in the horizon, light barely touching parts of Harran anymore. He had no worry about the Volatile rising back up. It had been scared back into hiding with Hunter's UV light, its intensity burning him and shoving the monster back into the recesses of his darkened mind.

However, the sadistic fuck had also used the light to his advantage. Every time Crane began to falter and fade away into his head, fainting rather slowly, Hunter simply shined the UV light onto him, causing his skin to begin boiling, streams of smoke erupting from his affected areas. He'd scream like a madman, his teeth gritting tightly as his face became pinkish-red and slick with sweat. The veins in his head and neck would emerge and pulsate slightly as he tried to block away the light that made him feel like he had been coated in layers of lava.

Every time this had occurred, it was surreal. He'd be in pain, yet he'd also still have enough strength to watch in agony. He could see his skin smoking, some parts growing boils and blisters, while other parts simply began to split open from the stress and pressure the flesh had been put under, both from the light and his own movements to try to move his arms.

Hell was the only word he could come up with in his mind. In the small while that he had been able to rest from the burning, it was the only thing he could think of. At times, he'd look over at Brecken and Lena, their faces grim and pained as they looked back at him. He tried to let out a word, but it only came out as a groan.

He hated this so damn much.

"We're here, Kyle!" Hunter exclaimed, slapping his forearm hard, causing some of the small liquid-filled bumps on his skin to burst. His entire face contorted from the pain, but he stifled his cry of anguish.

"Oh, come now, Kyle." Began Hunter, a sick grin on his face. "You'll learn to endure the pain once you're with me. You'll become a powerful grunt once we're done with you."

"F-Fuck you!" Crane said, though he was barely audible due to his overstrained voice. "You'll never win, you goddamn bastard. You'll die off just like Rais - Overconfident in yourself!"

A strong kick was delivered to Crane's ribs, causing him to groan softly, a small cough delivered afterwards.

"Crane, please do not even try." Said Hunter. "I really want to cooperate with you. I really do. I want you to join my Family, a member of the highest rank. You can best even my most trusted henchmen if you simply put your part into this cause!"

Crane glared at Hunter, a fire in his eyes. He felt like a black, thunderous cloud had come over his mind, making him more furious than he had ever been. He attempted to burst out of the rope tightened around him, but failed.

"Crane, just stop!" Shouted Brecken, looking at him with worry. "Just let Hunter have his way, please! Lena and I can't handle watching you go through all of this anymore."

"Brecken, shut the hell up." The man said hoarsely. "I'm getting us all out of here. I don't care whatever it takes - we're going to leave!"

Another kick was sent to his ribs, causing Crane to flinch painfully, though he did not release any sound. A foot floated above his chest, threatening to slam down.

"I'm trying to make this easy, Crane!" Hunter hissed darkly. "If you keep resisting, we'll have no choice but to always keep you incapacitated through pain."

Crane growled angrily. He looked at his two friends again, finding desperation written on their faces. He looked deep into Brecken's eyes, which told him to stop. He looked into Lena's, her eyes conveying the anguish that all three of them felt.

Crane gave a deep, guttural sigh, before he stopped wriggling. His eyebrows lowered in a mix of both anger and disappointment. He mouthed a sorry to the others as he prepared himself to speak.

"So, you've chosen the wisest decision." Hunter smiled devilishly, kneeling to Crane's level. "I'm glad we could come to a compromise. I wouldn't have liked seeing you so depressed all the time. It doesn't suit a killing machine like you."

"Just shut up and shut me away inside the Garrison already." Crane growled in annoyance. "But, I want you to let go of Brecken and Lena. They aren't a part of this fucking mess. I'll be the one you're taking away."

Hunter chuckled lightly, before shaking his head at him.

"Sorry, Kyle." He motioned to a few of his men to lift up and grab Lena and Brecken. "That's not how this is going to play out."

Crane quickly looked to his two friends, who began to protest angrily as they were held onto tightly. He bared his teeth as he snapped his head back to Hunter.

"NO!" Crane yelled, attempting to get to his feet, but quickly smacked back down. "NO! You son of a bitch! Let go of them!"

Hunter shook his head again, before motioning once more to his grunts. They tugged the leader and the doctor to the two lone palm trees nearby, two sets of rope in a grunt's hands.

Brecken was pinned to one of the trees, a couple other grunts grabbing the rope and tying him tightly against the tree trunk. They did the same for Lena, who began to resist the hands gripping her arms and body. She cursed at them as she was constricted by even more rope, the tree trunk causing an aching pain.

Hunter looked to Crane now, his eyes scrunching in satisfaction at the sight of the man cracking under all the pressure he was forced to subject to.

"Oh, sweet Kyle..." Hunter mumbled darkly. "You don't need them anymore. You'll have everyone and everything you need right here, with my Family."

"Shut up!" Crane hissed through gritted teeth. "You god damn son of a bitch! Let go of my friends! I'm not gonna be a part of your fucking cult shit!"

Another kick was sent to Crane, though this one was delivered to his face. The sound of Kyle's pained grunt made Brecken and Lena visibly cringe, their feelings of disgust only further manifesting.

"Crane, stop!" Both the leader and doctor exclaimed.

"NO!" Crane yelled back, his face bright red as he still tried to struggle against the rope. "Shut up! I'm gonna get you guys out of here!"

Hunter grabbed his jaw roughly, lifting his head up to face him.

"YOU ARE NOT, YOU ANIMAL!" Hunter growled loudly, before slamming Crane's head onto the ground. As the man groaned painfully, Hunter began to head towards Brecken and Lena. As he walked, he lowered himself a bit, unsheathing a small blade nestled in his boot.

He scowled in frustration as he suddenly dug the knife into Brecken's lower back. A loud, pained scream erupted from the leader as Hunter took back his knife, leaving him to bleed profusely from the wound.

Crane's groans began to fade away as he began to register the sound - that horrid sound of agony. Meekly lifting his head, he could see Brecken's telltale yellow shirt already drenched in blood, parts of the bright yellow since faded and turned a shade a crimson.

He couldn't tell what had happened. In his mind and soul, he felt angered. The fury building up was so intense. His entire body felt hot, as if lava were flowing through his veins.

He felt the Volatile beginning to jab at his conscience, the thing itching to emerge. He was breaking already, the fabric of his mind almost gone, his conscience just about ready to be cut from the last remaining threads of sanity.

Allowing the Volatile to come out, he let his mind calm down, finally becoming tranquil after hours of nonstop stress and pressure on his mental state.

He felt the surge of raw, powerful, dark energy phase around his head, his veins pumping hot adrenaline suddenly, while his body grew heated, his muscles becoming tense.

Crane expected to awaken in the void, the area where only him, the Volatile, and the Mother resided now. He truly expected to be banished by the monster, its power overwhelming him and pushing him away.

No... He didn't feel that...

He didn't feel anything like that at all...

He felt... powerful...

He felt... revitalized.

He felt more alive than before.

He could feel the Volatile still, the eerie and terrifying presence swarming around him. He moved his limbs as best as he could, and the same presence followed as well. He glanced around more carefully now, but his vision was monochromatic, the many bodies of everyone around him glowing brightly with a shade of white.

He took a quick glance at Brecken and Lena, finding only the latter struggling against the ropes, while the former had already gone limp.

Despite the monochromatic tint to his sights, he could still see the blood from Brecken dripping to the floor.

Kyle felt the energy of the Volatile again. He could feel it swirling around him like a tornado. His anger was the Monster's anger. It's power was now his power as well. He finally took into account just exactly what was happening.

He finally got ahold of his infection. He did it. He was able to fuse himself with the Volatile! He had control now!

With his newfound strength, he began to fight against the ropes that kept him down. Slowly, thread by thread, the rope began to rip and become undone.

Hunter looked quickly to Crane, seeing the man's eyes no longer their normal milky white color, but, rather, the telltale orange glint of a Volatile. Smiling with excitement, he called to his men.

"Berk, get some grunts and take the creature down to the basement!" Hunter exclaimed, his hands clapping together. "We'll see what else we can use to trigger this monster to emerge once more."

Berk nodded, before he waved to a few grunts, choosing them to help him.

The henchman was the first to grab the rope, with a few others following afterwards. They began to lift Crane up off of the floor when they heard him beginning to grunt, the noise more close to a human-generated grunt. Confused, the men looked to him, finding him struggling against the ropes again.

"HUNTER!" Yelled Berk. "You're not gonna believe this. I think the fucker's still-"

The sentence the henchman made was cut off as the rope finally snapped into pieces, some whipping the men painfully.

Kyle fell to the floor, quickly scrambling to his feet as he briefly scanned the area.

The grunts and the henchman were attempting to recover from the surprise when he spotted an assault rifle in the hands of one grunt.

Hastily, he yanked the gun away from the grunt, before aiming it towards Hunter, who had begun to run towards him and the other men. He was able to send out a couple bullets before he jumped away from the swipe of a grunt's machete.

The fury inside of him pooled his head again, causing him to fling the rifle away. Immediately, he charged at the grunts, his right hand quickly raised above his head. In one quick motion, he sliced deeply into the men, his claws cutting through them like a hot knife in butter.

Those who had not been hit were backing away now, which even included The Henchman, Berk.

"SHOOT HIM!" Hunter's voice echoed off the building's walls. "SHOOT HIM! RESTRAIN THE SON OF A BITCH!"

Bullets quickly began to fly towards him. Bits of concrete and drywall hit him in the face as some bullets flew past him. Many impacted his body, yet they had no effect on him.

He growled angrily as he ran towards the fearful grunts. Again, he raised his hand above his head, before slicing more grunts open. At the horrid sight of the men being killed, the other men retreated, some attempting to go back inside the Garrison. Those that he could still see in his field of vision were targeted now.

Out of pure instinct, he opened his mouth. To his complete surprise, a stream of green gunk shot out of his mouth. It impacted against a few grunts, causing them to cry out in pain as they attempted to clean off the toxic gunk that began to burn through their clothing.

He finally had an opening. From a distance, he could see Hunter shouting angrily at his men, pointing directly at him as the grunts shook their heads and ran off. Scrunching his eyes angrily, he grabbed his discarded rifle, aiming it at Hunter again, before shooting.

He could see the man's face contort from the pain of having a number of bullets impact his right arm. He began to retreat as well, quickly running to the door leading inside to the Garrison as he left behind a tiny trail of blood.

Letting out a huff from his nose, Crane jogged towards his friends, making haste of this opportunity as he knew Hunter - the resilient bastard - would attempt to strike at him again.

"Kyle, get us out of here!" Lena exclaimed, her voice quivering and showing signs of desperation. "We need to care of Brecken as soon as possible. He doesn't have much time!"

Crane took note of that before he quickly struck at the ropes wrapped around Lena. They quickly fell apart, allowing the doctor to wriggle out of their hold.

Kyle now struck at the ropes constricting Brecken, cutting them with one clean sweep. Carefully, he grabbed the leader's limp body, before laying him on the ground.

"Lena, you need to block that stab right now! He's losing blood too quickly!"

"There's nothing here I can use, Crane!" She said loudly, tears threatening to form in her eyes.

"Fuck me...!" Crane muttered angrily before he quickly stripped out of his yellow shirt. "Use this! Take some of the rope and try to tighten it as best as you can! I'll try to find a way out of here."

Lena nodded quickly as she put the shirt against Brecken's open wound. She quickly got up and grabbed some of the cut rope, doing her best to wrap the material around the leader's body.

Crane quickly glanced at Lena's swift work before beginning to jog to the Garrison's main entrance. He growled in protest as he realized the metal gate was shut, chains keeping it from sliding open. He was about to turn back around when something in him told him to duck.

Following that gut feeling, he did, merely missing the swipe of a very sharp machete.

He quickly shot his head up, seeing Hunter's henchman looming over him.

Crane quickly shifted away, missing yet another strike. He got to his feet as he eyed the henchman cautiously. He could see the man's face full of craze and anger.

"What are you still doing here?" Crane asked with a low voice.

"I'm here to finish you off, fucker..." Berk mumbled angrily as he stood as still as a statue.

"You're making a fucking mistake here." Said Crane. "Those corpses you see laying on the floor? I did that. I won't hesitate to do it again."

"That's why you're gonna die, Kyle Crane." Berk's voice rang with venom. "You killed those I considered family. You've killed so many of our brothers. You killed my best friend, the man I cared about the most!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Asked Kyle, his eyes still fixated on the henchman.

"You should remember, you damn piece of shit." Berk said darkly. "We thought we had caught you. We thought we had succeeded. We thought we had finally caught the Hero of Harran... Serkan had to sacrifice himself to save me from you, you fucking monster!"

"You shouldn't be pissed at me, dipshit." Crane said. "Hunter's the one running things here. It's both your guys' fault for your friend's death. He knew the stakes and still decided to fuck with my friends and I!"

"Shut up..." Berk muttered lowly.

"None of you can't seem to understand that you put yourselves in these situations. You all try to make it seem like you're the victims in this goddamn situation!"

"Shut up."

"You knew what you signed up for when you agreed to fight for a god damn psycho!"

"Shut up!"

"You have nobody else but yourselves to blame!"

"SHUT UP!" Berk yelled loudly, charging at Crane, his machete raised above his head.

He quickly struck down on the man, successfully digging the blade into his shoulder. Crane cringed, the area affected beginning to burn. He tried his best to not focus on it, brushing it off as a mere cut.

He grabbed Berk's wrist with a rough grip, before twisting it so hard that the there was a loud snapping sound, followed by a shriek of agony.

Crane pushed Berk to the floor as he began to head back to Lena and Brecken. However, a hand gripped his ankle, causing him to tumble to the ground as well. He scowled as he turned his head to look, barely catching sight of the small blade that dug itself into his leg. He felt the heat of the damage beginning to register, but he gritted his teeth and sucked it up.

"You piece of-" Crane cut himself off as he yanked the knife out of his leg, causing blood to squirt out. He kicked away the henchman as he began to get back onto his feet, his wounded leg barely keeping him upright.

"Die out here, you piece of shit!" Crane shouted, beginning to walk with a limp. He muttered angrily under his breath, but the sound of approaching footsteps caused him to turn around. He quickly moved to his right, narrowly missing the knife that had already done damage previously to his leg.

He jumped back, shifting left and right repeatedly as he dodged every strike. He kept trying to ignore the constant bouts of pain surging through his body as he moved rapidly.

Crane attempted to focus on everything around him, as well as on Berk, but he soon felt himself falling as a result of crashing against an airdrop crate.

The henchman quickly jumped onto him, pinning him to the floor, the knife now raised over his head. His free hand was pushing tightly against Crane's neck.

"How the tables have turned, Craney." Berk said devilishly, his grin wide and crazy. "Say goodnight, creature..."

Kyle's eyes glinted with fury. He said no words as he shut his eyes, scrunching his face as he impaled Berk, his clawed hand digging deep into the back of his chest. The henchman's eyes widened suddenly, his grip on the knife and on Crane's neck instantly going away.

"Serkan..." He muttered as Kyle discarded him to the floor. He watched as the man began to leak blood from his mouth, before his final breath left his body. He gazed at this sight with a sick rush of satisfaction.

"Good riddance." Muttered the man as he began to walk towards Lena, who had already finished helping Brecken.

"Did you find an exit?" Asked Lena.

"No." Crane replied, putting Brecken's free arm over his shoulder. "There's no other way to leave besides the main entrance, but it's shut off."

"You don't have any explosives with you?" Lena said anxiously, her words spilling fast. "We can just blow it open."

"No." Crane shook his head. "The fucker must have taken my shit while we were being dragged here."

"What are we going to do?"

Kyle looked at Lena, then at Brecken. His good friend... The man he grew to care like a brother... He looked so pale and ghostlike.

A little nudge at the back of his head snapped him back to attention. His senses suddenly became flooded in yet another rush of newfound adrenaline. He felt so numb, yet also felt renewed once more. The pain he felt in each wound he obtained had subsided, while his rage began to funnel up once more.

"Stay a bit behind me." Said Crane, before he began to run towards the metal gate. He shifted his right shoulder to his front, before picking up his speed.

In an instant, he slammed into the metal gate. It rattled loudly, but didn't seem to budge.

Crane huffed, but began to jog back to his original position. Lena stood a tiny distance away, Brecken slumped against the woman. Again, he began to sprint, before he impacted roughly against the gate. Again, it quaked hard, but, this time, it began to cave in.

Crane grunted loudly as he sent his body into the gate again. He growled and grumbled with every impact he made. Each hit only made more noise, which seemed to be attracting the infected to the Garrison. Perhaps that was a good thing.

Finally, after many rams and a very bruised shoulder and forearm, the gate finally slammed onto the floor with a loud, echoing bang. Kyle grinned for a short moment, before looking back at Lena.

"We need to go."

"What about our things?"

"Forget them." Commented Kyle. "I'll come back another time to get them back. Right now, we have to go!"

Lena simply nodded. Crane breathed in and out heavily.

"SHOOT THEM!" Yelled a voice that echoed throughout the courtyard of the Garrison. Crane's head shot towards Lena, who looked back at him with a fearful gaze.

He immediately grabbed Brecken out of the woman's arms, before quickly putting him on his shoulder. He rapidly did the same with Lena, carrying her on his shoulder. He instantly began to sprint out of the area, jumping onto the platform leading to the other side of the barbed wire fence. The weight of both bodies slowed him a bit, but he was still capable of much.

And that included sabotage.

He heard the shouts of the grunts not too far and took that into account. They were not close enough yet. He still had some time to ransack the fucker's protection.

He walked towards one of the UV lights, it's wires tangled with the other wires of the other UV lights. Not giving it a second thought, he jumped up, quickly gripping the object with its wires, before landing back onto the floor, the light broken and mangled. He forcibly tugged it, successfully taking out the other UV lights on the section of fencing. He left Hunter just a tad bit more vulnerable now.

He ignored the screams of the infected as he ran past them, his grip on his two friends very strong. He sprinted through the crowds of putrid flesh and horrid stenches. He thought that they were finally free. That was what was supposed to happen. They were supposed to get back to the Tower in time.

But Crane hadn't taken into consideration that the fuckers still had vans. That detail had gone over his radar completely.

So, despite it being the dead of night already, a time when the most danger is present, the sounds of honking and engines coming to life barely caught in his ear. He cursed angrily, quickly turning around to see if they were on the road yet.

In the distance, he could see the crowds of zombies get lit by headlights, before they were quickly mowed down by one van. Another van seemed to try its best to wade through the massacre.

Crane turned his head forward again, before he glanced to his left. He pushed himself to run faster, quickly retreating to the underside of the freeway. He had to try his best to hide in the shadows it casted. If he didn't...

"C-Crane..." Wheezed the voice of his wounded friend, his tone weak and small. "Crane... You need to go. I need you two to get back to the Tower safely."

"Brecken, shut the hell up." Crane hissed angrily, his eyes scrunching painfully. "You're going to come with us. We can still make it back. We just- We need to stay hidden for a minute, god dammit!"

"Kyle is right, Harris." Lena whispered, her voice lightly quivering. "We need you back at the Tower. We all still need you."

"Crane..."

"Brecken, we're not leaving you."

"Listen to-"

"Shut the hell up. Please, just give us some more time."

Crane was suddenly gripped by shoulder, before being brought close to his friend's face. He could smell the telltale odor of blood, its scent repulsive to him now.

"You are leaving me behind, Crane." Brecken said with fury, his teeth gritting. "I'm done for already, but you two can still make it. You two need to make it. Our city still needs you..."

"No, we're not just gonna-"

"Just do it, Crane!" The leader's voice rose. "Please... For me... For the innocent people who have suffered in here long enough..."

Crane felt some tears threatening to spill, something that had become such a common feeling. He was never one to fall victim to tear-jerking moments. His time in Harran only changed that aspect of him as well.

Through the swirling agony and hurt clouding his head and heart, he nodded to his friend. He extended his arm out to him. Both men gripped their hands together, Brecken nodding approvingly to Kyle, before Lena came forward. She kneeled to his level, before connecting her forehead to Brecken's own, tears silently falling to his cheek. The man mumbled something inaudible, causing the doctor to nod lightly, her lips forming a straight line.

"Now go!" Brecken said loudly, gripping his open wound. "Go! Go! Get out of here!"

Crane gritted his teeth angrily, before grabbing Lena by her hand, dragging her along as they began to run away, heading towards the safety of the Tower now.

Brecken let out a long, deep breath as he watched his closest companions leaving. The searing pain of the knife wound in his lower back was nothing compared to the aching of his heart. He didn't want to leave them, but it was for the greater good. He'd only slow them down.

Knowing that they would likely make it back was the only sliver of solace he could get ahold of in this absolute hell.

He could see the two vans coming to a stop close by. His eyes followed the bandits that began to pile out of the vehicles. He could see Hunter coming out as well, his arm covered in crudely wrapped rags and shirts. Blood had soaked through each piece of cloth.

"Someone is right over there, Boss." One grunt informed Hunter. "It seems to be the Tower leader. I don't think he's with anyone else."

Hunter nodded lightly, before grabbing a magnum from a holster on his waist. He quickly took out most of the gun's ammo, leaving only one bullet remaining. He smirked devilishly, the bullets being put away into his pocket. Quickly, the man approached the wounded Tower leader. He scanned him, his eyes watching Brecken's struggle with interest.

He cracked a smile and scoffed at the display of weakness and shame.

"Where are your friends, Brecken?" Hunter asked softly, kneeling to his level. "Did they leave you? Did they discard you and abandon you like a piece of trash? Did they keep you here to rot?"

Brecken grunted, but he let out no words. He simply kept his eyes connected to Hunter.

"Harris Brecken..." Hunter began, his voice soft. "The leader of the Tower... How quickly you have gone down. It's laughable, really."

Harris held his gaze to the magnum in Hunter's hand now. The bandit leader took note of this, before he smiled, his hand bringing the firearm up close to Brecken's face. The cold metal of the magnum ran against his cheek, causing him to clench his jaw.

"Say, Harris, why don't we play a little game of Russian Roulette?"

Brecken breathed slowly.

"Let's see if it's your lucky day..." Hunter smirked at the man. "Three blanks and you'll live. But if that one bullet decides to come, then it's goodbye to your measly life."

Quickly spinning the cartridge, Hunter put the gun to the side of Brecken's head. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

A small click was the only outcome. Hunter huffed, but still kept his smirk.

Again, he pulled the trigger.

And, yet, another click came. Hunter raised an eyebrow at Brecken, an amused smile forming.

Brecken, at this point, had let himself drift away. Though he could feel Hunter's gaze pierce him, he had already accepted what was coming. He merely stared off into space, waiting for the second of pain he'd feel before he could finally move on.

He felt himself become blanketed in a wave of tranquility. Everything just sounded like an echo now. The sound of the gun trigger beginning to click was the last thing he heard as he finally knocked out from the stress and pain.

Crane stumbled meekly through the entrance of the Tower. Lena was barely able to keep him upright. His wounds had quickly begun to break him down, causing him to become tired, his strength having fizzled out.

He couldn't feel the Volatile anymore either. It had retreated once more to the back of Crane's mind, where it'd await the chance to bond together with the man again.

Crane, using the last amount of strength he had in his body, lifted himself up to the main floor of the tower. He then helped Lena back up as well.

He finally collapsed to the floor, laying on his side as he noticed his hearing beginning to go away, being replaced with a loud ringing. His vision blurred as his head began to pound heavily. He could hear Lena's voice through the ringing, but couldn't make out any words. He simply breathed in and out hastily, his chest growing heavy with every passing second.

He felt himself get lifted off of the ground, many hands gripping him. He tried to speak, but his throat felt dried up and sore. He was so fucking tired.

Images flashed through his head, reminding him of what had just happened only an hour ago. He was shown Brecken again, the image of that wound he had still fresh in his head.

Crane saw his friend's face, its appearance paper-like in color. He tried to reach out to him, wanting to return with him. He wanted to bring him back. He felt horrible seeing his brother, bleeding his life away slowly, staying behind to help him and Lena. He had stayed strong for Lena and for Brecken, but his heart was in pain.

His brain only tormented him more, retrieving more images to remind him of what happened. He felt so anxious and hurt, yet could do nothing but watch. His mumbles came out as incoherent blurbs, while his movements were jolted and random.

Crane finally felt himself blacking out. The images ran through his head, clouding his brain. He finally went limp, succumbing to his fatigue and the pain from his many wounds.

Lena gave a deep sigh, her eyes stinging badly from the lack of sleep and the remnants of tears still in her eyes. She kept herself composed through the rest of the night and into the early morning. Aman had helped her with other necessities, but she had been the one to pick out every bullet in Crane's body.

Lena had to stitch every hole and every cut closed with a slightly blurred vision impairing her every few minutes. Her head throbbed violently, but she still put all her focus on Crane. He needed to be treated quick, especially after taking a barrage of bullets and slashes.

She wasn't sure how Kyle was even able to withstand it all. The things that she had tended to were fatal, even to a mutated person like Crane. It was incredible and miraculous that he had even made it.

With a heavy sigh, Lena pulled a piece of red yarn, causing it to tighten against Crane's skin. Grabbing her scissors, she cut the yarn, before allowing the tool to fall out of her hands. She leaned back against the chair she was using, scanning Kyle for anymore wounds left undone. She nodded lightly to herself when she found none unaccounted for.

She slouched in the chair, her eyes beginning to grow heavy. Her head began to bob back and forth a bit as she floated in the median between the real world and her sleeping state. She was just about to fall asleep when a small murmur caught in her ears.

She opened her eyes, witnessing Kyle, still asleep, mumbling mostly incoherent sentences. She cocked her head a bit in confusion, but her heart began to ache once she noticed one word sticking out from the chatter.

"No... Brecken..." Kyle said softly, his face wrinkling a tiny bit. "Come... Brecken... No..."

Lena had not had much time to fully ponder on everything that had happened last night. She wasn't able to. She had to care for Crane the entire time, which caused her to simply grieve her deceased lover while her mind focused on saving their friend.

But, now, sitting here with her own thoughts and emotions, she finally began to brood about the situation. Her eyes began to spill tears again as she now fully realized that Brecken, the man she had loved and cared for so dearly, was gone.

She began to cry softly, her body jolting slightly with every sob. She covered her face with her hands, lowering her head into her lap. She cried profusely as the sound of Crane's words, which acted like locusts invading the free space, flowed around her. She felt so cold and alone now without her other half to be there with her.