You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?

---

Wednesday, September 3, 20XX

Greenwich Hospital, New York City, NY

---

Marcus Trent Tanner tried and failed to open his eyes.

It wasn't his fault, really. Between the blinding fluorescent lights, his headache, and the burning sensation that crawled across seemingly every inch of his skin, he'd be hard-pressed to twitch a toe, much less do anything more. He groaned, barely noticing a steady beep... beep... beep... in the background, getting slightly faster as he started to stir.

He didn't know what it was yet. He didn't know much of anything in the moment. Just pain, and exhaustion, and his name. He shifted slightly, and winced. Bad move. His skin screamed like he'd had a close encounter with a belt sander. Very close, and very thorough.

Beep. Beep. Beep. It was getting faster. And louder? Or was he just listening to it more?

There were other sounds, other sensations, too. Something dripping steadily, slower than the beep. Some kind of deeper, penetrating pain in his right hand. Something cold flowing from that pain. He felt it all. He felt too much. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sheets felt like sandpaper, the room smelled like a morgue. Too clean, too sterile. He writhed.

BeepBeepBeep.

He felt someone else enter before he heard them. He felt them move toward him. He felt something else enter his skin, his blood, his veins--

Beepbeepbeep beep beep beep... beep... beep...

...He felt nothing.

---

September 5th

---

Marcus resisted the urge to rub at his nose. He'd just had the tube extracted- an NG tube, they called it- a couple of hours ago, and he still felt raw, in his throat in particular. He tried to ignore the sensation as he let the doctor do his business.

He felt sorry for the staff. Marcus was only one of many people they were trying to keep alive.

They were referring to it as simply, "The Incident." Real original, though he couldn't come up with anything better. He remembered enough of it that he didn't want to remember more. A normal Monday, a normal school day, and then a rumble. Then some creepy red gas that made him feel like he'd been pepper sprayed.

Within hours he was puking blood.

And now he was here.

The doctor sighed, shaking his head slightly. Marcus felt it, more than saw it. His senses were doing backflips ever since he woke up. He decided he was just gonna roll with it. He was better off than most. Hundreds had gotten sick. Most of those had died. The rest were spending their days like he was now, wishing they were dead. Doctors came and went, running like they were on fire, for every little thing that might turn into an emergency. Not just doctors, either. Men with masks, or even hazmat suits, if they were paranoid. Cops, suits, men-in-black, who knows, asking questions, expecting answers.

I wish I had more answers to give.

The doctor turned to address him. He seemed confused. Said something about how much better he was doing. Like he was surprised. Marcus was surprised, too. He didn't feel better. But then, he wasn't a doctor.

Said doctor said a few more things. Marcus gave a few more token responses, and the doctor left. Marcus didn't really notice. Or care. He was staring. Staring at his hands, like he could see through his skin. See down to the veins and bones and arteries, and see the squirming and writhing that he could feel just underneath the surface.

He didn't feel fine. He felt different. He felt strange.

But most of all, he felt worried. Worried that the ones he loved were feeling the exact same thing, or worse, that they weren't feeling anything at all anymore.

How far did this thing spread? ...Hector. Scott. Even... even Dad... I hope you guys are all right...

He fell back against his pillows, resisted the urge to claw at his sensitivities again, and tried and failed to get his mind off of everything and sleep.

He was far from the only one in the hospital who did so.

---

Pick-pocketing is easier than one would assume. The main ingredient is confidence. Have the guts to snag someone’s wallet from their back pocket or even their hand, and the rest will come soon after. It helped, of course, that Clara Cabello had quick fingers. She was operating farther away from her house than usual, out towards the university. Where people didn’t expect crime to happen.

The best marks are distracted people. People are on their phones a lot now which certainly helps. So when Clara was walking inconspicuously down the street and saw a short legged jogger texting someone on her phone, she knew what to do. Approaching from behind, Clara quickly spotted the obvious wallet in the jogger’s pocket. Wait for it…

Clara bumped into the girl with her shoulder, effortlessly slipping her hand into the pocket and removing the wallet with surgical precision. ”Hey, sorry,” She apologized, holding the wallet in front of her so it couldn’t be seen.

"It’s-- ...Fine."

Unfortunately, you couldn't always have things go smooth.

The wallet had been successfully excavated, but it was fairly fat. It looked like a haul for sure, but heft like that was a bit easier to notice when you were used to it always being tightly crammed in your pocket. The girl turned in Clara's direction and began following her; lowering her phone and sliding it into her pocket: The same pocket Clara had stolen the wallet from.

She looked like a pipsqueak, not that much of an issue. Kind of smelled like sweat, too. Ick. But the fact she was following wasn't a good sign: Everything was moreso pointing towards trouble. "The easy solution is to just give it back." The girl said, tone somewhat flat. Shouldn't a kid that knew she was being robbed call the police or try to get help? Was she cocky, stupid... Or both?

Clara turned around, taking a larger step forward to make more space between the jogger and herself. Her heart rate began to increase- the rewards were great but the rush was better. Even if it was only a little. ”Give what back?” She shrugged innocently, opening her now empty palms towards the jogger, still continuing to walk backwards. The fat wallet was in her back pocket now.

"You're quick with your hands, but it's not funny." The girl responded, patting her pocket. She picked up speed to close their distance between one another, seeming to eagerly be approaching despite potential danger: It seemed she really was stupid. "If you give me the wallet, I won't have to call the police." She added, still progressing forward. She almost looked ready to sprint.

The thief grinned, looking down to the jogger’s shoes. ”Okay, shortstuff.” She reached into her back pocket and took the wallet in her hand. With that, Clara whirled around and began sprinting down the street. This was going to be fun. It had been awhile since Clara had been chased- and she’d never been caught before. Already her sneakers were slamming down on the side-walk’s pavement, she had good form considering she’d never done school sports.

The chase was on: The jogger wasn't as fast as she expected, but she seemed steady on her feet. She was persistent, too: Even if she sucked at dodging between the crowd as the chase went on, she changed tactics to pushing people out of the way to keep up her speed like she was some miniature bull with anger issues. Actually, she did look pretty peeved: Maybe the shortstuff comment got to her more than expected, judging by that scrunched up angry face. That only made the situation better, of course.

"You aren't getting away!" The jogger shouted, despite having not closed much distance between them.

Clara suddenly veered off down an alley between two convenience stores. There was a chain link fence about five feet high. Grinning, Clara leaped into the air and vaulted over it. There was no grace in her technique but there was speed. Her legs flailed briefly before slamming down on the concrete. Barely losing a step, she sprinted off down the alleyway. Crossing the street (was the light red?) she began making her way to what looked like a large complex of various buildings. Might be easier to lose her in their. Sticking mostly to the sidewalk, the thief made her way towards Empire State University. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see what her mark was doing.

It almost seemed like she lost that jogger, but then the short runner came out from around a corner still bolting at full speed. The best assumption was she totally botched getting over the fence and probably had to climb it like a slowpoke because the fence was taller than she was. What a determined little munchkin she was turning out to be: She even looked like she had steam coming out of her nose with how upset she was getting that she was being left behind.

She'd be eating dust until this chase was over, it was funny she thought she even had a chance to actually get her wallet back.

Clara would just have to break line of sight, and fortunately there were plenty of buildings available to do so. This college was connected via various paved paths, and there was a staircase that let into a courtyard from which many more escape routes were presented. That was where the thief would go next.

Her feet rotated rapidly as she descended down the stairs. Soon, she’d be home-

”What the fuck-!?” There was some kind of violent attack on her senses. Like someone had stabbed her in the eyes and filled her nose with poison. It was revolting. Clara lost her balance and scrambled out to catch the railing, but she could barely see a thing. With several grunts she tumbled down the flight of stairs and landed on her back. The last few steps were particularly troublesome, and with a solid crack Clara’s world went dark. The wallet had obviously slipped from her grasp and was laying at her feet. Now it wasn’t just her head that was fucked; her elbows, knees, sides, and the back of her head were throbbing with pain.

Clara coughed, curling up into a ball. Shit, that hurt. Move, Clara! There's no time to waste. She had to...

Things went black.

...

"Hello?? Are you--"

Despite the black, a voice kept cutting in.

"What the hell--"



Not very familiar, but it was heard recently.

"I need an ambulance--"





That jogger.

"You have to wake up; Help is on the way!" The girl insisted, kneeled down at Clara's side. Her eyes were watering, and she was shaking from what could only be assumed as pain. "Whatever's happening with this... Burning... We'll get out of here!"

Clara closed her eyes and then opened them, refocusing on the jogger. Tears started to stream down her face and her gaze was confused and delirious. What the Hell was going on? Clara gasped and shakily reached a hand out, grabbing the jogger by the collar of her tank top and attempting to pull herself up.

”No! No-, fucking cops!” She spat, falling back onto her back.

"There's no police, damn it! You think that matters right now?!" The girl retorted, gritting her teeth out of both irritation and agony for what she was feeling.

"I called an ambulance! You're getting taken to the hospital, you're bleeding! And whatever the hell is in the air--" She cut herself off with a hiss of pain as she fell backwards into a sitting position, aggressively rubbing her eyes in an attempt to get rid of whatever the hell was causing it.

Clara rolled onto her belly and began pushing herself off the ground until she was on her knees. ”Fuck off! I’m fine!” The thief swore, dismissing the jogger with a wild wave. There were a few lines blood running down the back of her neck out of her auburn hair.

”I just...gotta go home…” She began crawling over to the railing to pull herself up.

The girl lowered her hands, pushing herself to her feet after she witnessed Clara trying to crawl away. "You're an idiot: Do you even realize you could die? Just wait, the ambulance will be here any minute!" She approached and grabbed onto Clara, gripping her shirt as to not let her continue to crawl.

Clara reacted violently. ”No fucking cops! Blindly she planted her hands on the joggers torso and shoved her away, the momentum carried Clara down a few steps, but she steadied herself. Blinking hard, she tried to make something out of the bleary fog of her vision. Where’d she go?

What had been a shove to escape ended up being much worse.

The jogger laid against the stairs; motionless. A crimson leaking out from her head from an impact against one of the steps, slowly adding up on the step below where her head laid. The only sight of movement was her breathing, showing that she was still alive if someone looked close enough.

Clara felt a stab of guilt. Quickly, she shifted the blame back onto the jogger. ”God damn it!" She swore, pulling herself up via the railing, her eyes still on the jogger. Clara didn’t ask for help. Clara didn’t ask for help!

”Didn’t fucking ask!” She said aloud, though the girl didn’t respond. Regaining her balance Clara began stumbling back up the stairs. People all around were running or on the ground. At the top of the stairs Clara looked over her shoulder back down at the jogger, who still hadn’t moved. She had to get away. Had to go home. Warm liquid trickled down her back. Looking away from her crime, Clara straightened up and ran away into the chaos. Sirens wailed in the distance, filling the air with their horrible cries. The thief clenched her jaw and quickened her pace.

There were many people around. Easy to slip in and out. Time passed- Clara's memory was spotty. She knew the way home, but she wasn't able to remember the journey. Man- she was really fucked up. And not in the good way, either. This was some next level fuckery. Everything hurt. Hadn't she only hit her head? Why did everything hurt? This was bullshit. AJ. AJ, where are you?

Home was a bit of an overstatement. In a particular back alley near a particular bridge, there was a collection of various tents and sleeping bags. Had to get home.

"Hey, Clara- you okay?" Someone asked. Clara had to get home. Holding the back of her head, her right hand now covered in blood, she ran over to AJ's tent.

"Hey, sorry Alejandra. I need your help." She said in an uncharacteristically montone voice, speaking to the inside of the orange tent.

"Yeah yeah, what's up, sis?" The voice of a younger woman called from within the tent. A dark-haired head poked out of the tent, looking up at Clara. Clara fell onto her knees with a grunt, her hands falling away from her head.

"Somethin' happened. Can you take me...to Doc?" It would cost a lot of money. But it was safe. Doc had connections.

Alejandra shrieked and went to steady her best friend by the shoulders, scrambling out of the tent. Clara looked far worse than she realised. Tears were streaming down her reddened face, blood streaked down the back of her neck. This was no bad hangover.

"Yeah, yeah, of course! Come on! Stay awake, you gotta stay awake. Can someone help us!?" She called out. A few people rushed over.

"Do I really gotta stay awake?" Clara mumbled, leaning her weight onto AJ, resting her chin on her shoulder. Alejandra held back a sob.

"Yeah, yeah you do. You really do. Please, Clara. Stay awake." She pushed Clara away to look into the face of Clara. Clara blinked slowly, giving her smile.

"Okay, fine. For you. Boop." She touched her finger against AJ's nose. Despite the darkness at the edges of her vision and the swimming of her head, Clara kept her gaze trained on the bright green eyes of her best friend.

Alejandra giggled hysterically. "You're so stupid. You're gonna be okay."

"I hurt someone." Clara murmered. Someone wrapped their arms underneath her armpits, and AJ grabbed her by the ankles.

"Yeah? I'm sorry that happened, Clara." AJ said, glancing around, giving directions to whoever was holding Clara's upper section.

"I didn't mean too." Clara frowned. Her head lolled back. Her hair, a deep auburn red, dangled beneath her hovering form in a long ponytail. Brown, watery eyes searched a blue sky for signs.

"I know you didn't." AJ reassured her.

"There was somethin' in the air."

"Was it love?"

"No, stupid." Clara giggled, and went silent.

"Clara?" AJ asked.

"Clara?"

AJ? AJ? You ever shut up?" Clara responded mockingly, blinking a few times as something strange stirred within her chest.

"Not today, Clara, not today."

The last thing Clara remembered of that day was AJ screaming as blood bubbled from over her lips.

---

September 5th, somewhere in Hell's Kitchen

---

Alan Walker would be lying if he said his life had been an easy one.

Now, he wasn't ignorant enough to think he had it worse than countless other people in the world. After all, he had a Mom who loved and cared about him with all her heart, a nice home, food on the table, and he had a job he actually enjoyed. That said, the road to get here had been less than ideal, thanks in no small part to a certain deadbeat father.

However, in recent times, things looked to be finally going their way and the future was looking brighter...so why was he currently lying in a hospital bed?

Oh right, the university... Alan sighed as he stared up at the ceiling and let his memories come back. This whole situation had started out so innocently too. He'd set up shop outside of one of the local universities, hoping to make a quick buck and then treat his Mom to dinner to help her unwind after working so hard at her new job.

However, that's when he saw the people running and before he had a chance to find out what was going on, that wall of colored mist had totally engulfed him. Almost immediately, he fell faint and collapsed to the ground coughing and hacking up blood. The last thing he remembered before everything went black were men in hazmat suits approaching him with at least one saying something to him. It came out kinda muffled but it sounded like the man was trying to reassure him that everything would be ok....

What a load of fertilizer that promise turned out to be.

The next few days were anything but "ok" unless your definition of it was drifting in and out of consciousness constantly, coughing up blood and mucus, having parts of your body flare up like they had touched the surface of a hot stove, and a dozen other things that were better off not being described here. Long story short, it was a truly miserable time, with the only thing getting him through was the thought of seeing his Mom one more time.

That's when things got...strange. Just when it felt like he had reached his limits...the misery stopped and he felt...fine. Better than fine actually. He glanced around the room only to realize something very important:

His glasses were gone...and yet he had perfect vision.

---

Headache.

As Lindy laid in her hospital bed, she had a lot going through her mind: A bunch of why's and how's, essentially. Here she was in a hospital bed, with no recollection of how she got there. All she really knew was that there was some sort of 'attack' she could overhear the doctors talking about. And whatever that 'attack' was, brought a whole lot of people to the hospital.

Crying, screaming, noises of the machines going off in other rooms: These all made her wish she could just black out again, instead of hearing the suffering around her. She didn't want to end up like that; She just wanted to be home with her parents. She was scared, and having a hard time processing the situation around her, though she tried her best to remain calm despite the apparent panic that engulfed the floor she was on.

At least she seemed stable. Aside from that damn headache and some tingling, she wasn't feeling terrible. It was sort of like the beginning of the recovery of the flu, or something. That just made her think of soup, and then she was starting to get hungry. When had she last ate, anyways?

Lindy looked to the side as she heard the curtain to her room brushed aside, a doctor coming in instead of the parents Lindy longed to see. She found herself stuck in silence, unable to talk as her disappointment washed over her. But maybe the doctor could give her some answers.

"You're still awake, that's good to see." The doctor spoke, trying to sound casual to perhaps calm Lindy's nerves. Something was off, though. That casual tone wasn't sitting well with her.

"I don't recall seeing any doctors before." Lindy responded, skeptical.

The doctor was on his laptop, while checking the machines that Lindy was hooked up to. He seemed to momentarily look her way as she spoke, however. "We spoke an hour ago." He reaffirmed, noticing the look of doubt and confusion on his patient's face. "You're still having issues from the head trauma. Forgetfulness is a potential effect."

"Head trauma?" Lindy questioned, beginning to reach up to her head, only for the doctor to quickly insist she stop. Lowering her hands to the bed, she instead resorted to asking: "What head trauma?"

"You suffered a concussion, Miss Audrum. Forgetfulness during recovery isn't uncommon." The doctor wasn't exactly rude, but he was direct in his explanation as he tried to work. "You've been looking stable all-around, though. You've recovered quite impressively from this whole situation, despite the short period of time. Consider yourself lucky."

Lindy smiled at this news; That meant she could go home soon, maybe!

"So how long until I could be released?"

"I can't say. Not everyone here got a concussion the same day, you know." Smartass. Lindy squinted her eyes but continued to listen: "We're required to run a lot of tests, considering the attack. We have to make sure our patients don't spread whatever the substance in the air was further."

"Substance in the air? I thought it was some sort of explosion or something..." Lindy wasn't sure how to process that. Something in the air? It was an attack, so it was also purposeful, right? Just what had she gotten stuck in?

"It was some sort of red gas. I really can't say more about it, but I promise you we are doing our best to keep each of you safe. Just stay patient and you'll make it through."

Lindy nodded, watching as the doctor made his leave. Before he could disappear, Lindy found herself needing to shout out a request: "Wait! Is there a phone I can use to call my mom?"

The doctor paused, turning around to gesture at the bedside table. "Your phone and wallet were with you, you should be able to use it."

"Alright... Thank you." Lindy offered a small smile, and got one back from the doctor as he left, closing the curtain.

Her next objective was obvious: She reached up and snatched her phone off the table, noting it was cracked. Whatever happened when she fell, must've broke her phone a bit, too. Damn. That didn't matter at the moment; All that really mattered was that she still had some charge left. She quickly browsed through her (admittedly low amount of) contacts and selected the one that said ~Best Mom Ever~.

Ringing buzz...

Ringing buzz...

Ringing buzz...

As the phonecall was answered, Lindy flinched at the sharp sound of wind. Mom must've been outside.

"Lindy?!" She heard over the phone, the concerned voice of her mother. Lindy was quiet for a moment, finding her calm reaction to everything going on sort of breaking down at the sound of her mother's voice. A tear slowly made it's way down Lindy's cheek as she managed to respond:

"H-Hi, Mom..." She said, voice shaky.

"Honey, how are you feeling? It's been so busy that contacting the hospital hasn't done me any good for days; Your father and I have been so worried!"

"Linda! It's her?!" Lindy could hear a voice in the background: Her father. His panicky tone of voice was sometimes headache inducing, but considering she already had a massive headache... It was comforting to hear him.

It sounded like her dad pried the phone out of her mother's hands, just to talk for a moment.

"Lindy? Baby, are you alright? Is everything okay?!" He was shouting. Lindy expected the shouting, but was hoping it wouldn't happen. Now was not the time. "Yeah, dad. The doctor said I'm looking a lot better. He's not sure when I can be released, though. They're still running tests."

"It'll all be okay, you just trust the doctors, alright? Once we're allowed through we'll visit you, honey. Just stay strong." Her father spoke with motivational words. Lindy found another tear rolling down her cheek, a light sob escaping her as she nodded, despite her dad not being able to see it.

"Dad, I'm scared..." Lindy admitted, despite the general good news, it was still shaking her. She couldn't drive out the fear of what happened: It was all so crazy, when she tried to wrap her head around it. She couldn't remember; As if the day was gone. What day was it, anyways? How long was she here? She almost started to full on cry as these questions piled up in her mind.

"Honey, it'll be okay. You just have to relax and let the doctors help you." Her dad spoke more calmly than before; Seeming to try and calm his daughter with his softer fatherly tone. "We're going to be keeping tabs on you, so you just go ahead and rest. Just know that we love you."

"Thanks, dad. I love you guys too."

A moment of goodbyes later, and Lindy found herself alone again. She wiped her tears away, sniffling and trying to not continue her little cry. Her dad was right; She just needed to get through the recovery and she'd be home in no time.

Setting her phone down, Lindy decided to just try and relax. Nothing better to do now than to recover, and then get home to her family. She could, however, still hear the horrors going on around her: And it lead Lindy into an anxious state where she really couldn't relax. She kept worrying something would go wrong, and found herself curling up somewhat in her bed.

Alexander woke up groggily in a hospital bed, the last thing he remembered before the explosion and blacking out was starting to take his first geometry test of the semester. 'Hopefully I don't fail that test because of the incident' the martial artist thought to himself before remembering 'Fuck! Did I remember to feed Loki?'. With that the six foot two young man shot up in bed.

"What is going on? Where am I? How did I get here?" he practically interrogated the doctors as he shot up, tearing through his restraints. Xander was about to say more, but he was cut off by projectile vomiting blood all over a nurse as she walked. "I am so sorry, miss" the nineteen year old groaned before flopping back down.

With that he reluctantly went along with all of their tests, soon discovering that beyond his superhuman strength the only thing strange about him was that his normal body temperature was now exactly one hundred degrees Fahrenheit.

Recluse Incident

---

Everything burned, her eyes watering as she leaned over and harshly puked out the contents of her stomach. She continued to hack and cough violently, her body desperately trying to relieve the irritation that filled her mouth and throat. It felt like her neck glands were swollen and ached as if she had been sick for days. Her head was pounding and her vision felt blurry at best as she glanced around, trying to figure out what had just happened. Everyone around her was screaming, trying to get away in a blind panic or in just as bad shape as she was and a red mist hung in the air around them. Reyna had simply been on her way to work, eating breakfast on the go and tempting her co-worker to cover for her with the promise of a treat in return since she was sure that she wasn’t going to make it in time. It was when she opened her mouth to take a bite of her pastry that her senses were assaulted as if she had gotten pepper spray directly to the face which lead to where she was now.

She wanted to claw at her skin and rinse her mouth out repeatedly which meant work suddenly was a hell no. She found herself turning around, stumbling weakly in the opposite direction of where she had been headed. All she wanted to do was go back home, to rest and not feel any of this anymore. Reyna’s eyes wanted to close, her limbs screamed at her to stop and rest but she pushed on. The darkness at the edge of her vision was getting worse with each step and she felt chills running down her spine as if a fever was setting in. It was a miracle she made it to the door of her little studio apartment, her mind on autopilot as she moved through the streets. She made her way inside, not even bothering to lock the door as she went straight to the bathroom. She wanted out of these clothes and to get rid of that horrible burning so the shower was her first thought. Sadly, it hadn’t helped a damn bit and the warm water had felt like a bucket of ice on top of the fact that the irritation to her skin had stayed. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt, hopping under the covers to take a nap.

Reyna awake to a little paw tapping on her face, Jiji meowing at her. She groaned, her throat feeling like it was on fire and just wanting more rest. She sat up slowly, shakily moving out of bed to fill the cat feeders as Jiji rubbed happily against her feet. It only took her leaning over to pet him to cause instant regret as she rushed to get to the bathroom, only to trip and puke all over her hand as well as the floor. Her nose scrunched, not really happy with the thought of having to clean that up when her eyes caught red. Chestnut eyes widened in horror, blood covering her hand and the wooden surface of the floor. She shook in fear as raw panic gripped her, the vague memory of her mom and the times she had seen her cough up blood. It made her gut twist, the thought that she might be just as sick without realizing it. It wasn’t like she went to the doctor often. There was no way she could afford it but she wasn’t dumb to ignore a sign like this. Reyna dragged her way over to the dresser, grabbing her cell and calling a number she never knew she would need or would want to call for.

”9-1-1, what is your emergency?

”Help....coughing blood....”, she rasped out as her eyes lids started to droop down once more. She vaguely thought she heard a reply but she was already long gone and into the land of dreams. She didn’t hear when the paramedics had arrived, didn’t feel when they had strapped her onto the gurney, or even flinch when they started hooking her up with IVs and checking her over.

New York City

---

She slowly opened her eyes even though they felt heavy and her vision equally unfocused. The blankets around her felt like sandpaper, too rough against her skin and everything around her was far too loud. The world around her felt sterile and far too clean to her senses. She wanted to speak but she felt like her mouth was full. Reyna blinked a few times, her hand reaching up to her face and going into full blown panic as she tried to yank at the tube on her mouth. Alarms started going off, nurse rushing in to stop her and keep her calm but it was having the opposite effect. Reyna tried to remember how she got there but instead was hyperventilating at the tubes sticking out of her body and the face that she was in a hospital. Hospitals meant death. They meant something was wrong. She shook in fear, letting the nurses do what they needed to as she stayed in shock. Once some of the tubes and equipment had been removed, the doctor started in on some test while happily chatting how wonderful it was that she had woken up. He explained how lucky she was to be alive, apparently that weird gas had effected a large amount of people which had caused a good amount of deaths. It appeared that the ones alive were on lock down in various hospitals for their own safety and the safety of others though it wasn’t outright stated.

Reyna only resisted a bit, getting annoyed and scared over being picked or prodded at but ultimately let them continue. She was relieved when they left her alone once more, her gaze instantly looking toward the window so she wasn’t looking at the sterile prison she had found herself in. She just wanted to be home. She wanted to cuddle Jiji and be out of this hell. It was just looping pain and a crawling feeling in her veins, not that she would tell them that. She sighed, turning her attention over the items that had been returned to her and pulled out her cell, not even holding her breath that there would be anyone caring about her sudden disappearance. It wasn’t like she had anyone waiting on her. She noticed a few calls from her work and listened in on the voicemails, a twisted smile on her features before she laughed pitifully and tried holding back tears. Reyna found herself tossing the phone on the bed, eyes back on the view from her windows as she held back tears. ”Of course on top of all this bull that I would lose my job. It’s like the nightmare that won’t end....”, she whispered to herself, turning on her side and curling into a tight ball, trying to block everything out.

Ripley Hayes

September 1st, Empire State University

---

It was quiet in the library. The only sounds occupying the space were the subtle clearings of throats, turning pages, and the graphite pencil that was scritching softly against paper.

The pencil paused. A frustrated sigh. The sound of the pencil tapping at the table. Silence.

And more writing.

Ripley Hayes' head wasn't in the game that day. Usually she was quicker than this, finishing the assignment for the day much earlier. Usually, by now she'd be studying for her own interest. Ripley sighed, closing her eyes to escape the fluorecent lights of the library.

Drop.

Drop.

Drop.

Ripley opened her eyes to face the stark white paper of her essay, only to be met with stains of fresh, red blood. The saturated drops seeped into the white of the paper, completely opaque on top of the gray scribbles her pen had made.
Confused, Ripley blinked and looked up to see where the blood was coming from. The movement caused blood to rush into her mouth, the warm, irony taste hitting the back of her tongue.
Was her nose bleeding?

Ripley brought her hands to cup her nose. They were covered in red before she could comprehend what was going on. Shit.
Ripley began looking for a tissue. Her nose was running now, the occasional drips having turned into a steady flow of blood. It was everywhere. The front and sleeves of her white hoodie — dear god why had she chosen to wear that today — were dotted with bright red blood that dried into a rusty burgundy colour.
Her head hurt. She felt dizzy, light headed. It must've been the blood loss.
Glancing around, Ripley was about to call for aid when she saw it. People were coughing, shaking, falling unconscious. Dread settled into the pit of Ripley's stomach. What was going on?

Red haze. Ripley wasn't sure if it was actually in the air or if it was just because of the blood everywhere, but everything seemed to be covered in red mist. Seeing people coughing, Ripley realised her throat felt itchy too.

Cough.

A splurt of blood hit the table, spraying from between Ripley's fingers. A coughing fit hit her, and blood was everywhere. Her lungs were burning, they were on fire, she was going to die. She was going to die then and there, surrounded by books and other withering people. Shit. F*ck.

Ripley realised she couldn't breathe, that her lungs simply wouldn't draw air. She panicked. The girl rose up from her seat, turning around to run... And was met with the cold floor and a sickening thud as her legs gave out.
She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe, she was suffocating, she was dying. She was going to die.

She was going to die, and she didn't even know why.

---

September 5th, Greenwich hospital, New York City, NY

---

Ripley had been going in and out of consciousness for days. She didn't know how or when, but she had ended up in the hospital. Someone must've called 911, because the last thing Ripley remembered was falling unconscious on the cold library floor.

It hurt. Breathing hurt, her lungs were on fire. Her limbs felt like they were constantly being assaulted by thousands of tiny needles. Her brain felt like it was frying. She was sweating, shaking, her spit was weird and foamy. All sounds were too loud, too close, too much. Her tinnitus felt like an ominous buzzing in her ears, it felt like a piercing pressure she couldn't get relief from.
Ripley didn't know what was happening to her, but she knew she wasn't the only one. Pained wails and groans carried down the hospital corridor, and all that accompanied it was machines beeping and hospital staff rushing back and forth from room to room.
People were in pain, just like her. So many people. Too many, in fact. Where would they all fit? There wasn't room for everyone.

The doctors told her what they knew, that she'd been right at the center of it all when it happened. "The attack," they called it. Ripley had no idea what they were talking about.
Apparently she'd been there for four days now. Ripley didn't remember much of it aside from the excruciating pain she'd been in. The doctors had been busy going in and out of the rooms, checking on multiple patients at a time. Ripley couldn't really remember anything.

"...Can I see my dad?" Ripley asked on the fifth day. He voice was raspy and weak from disuse. Everything felt off.

"We... Your mother is on the way. She was listed as your emergency contact, and she was the only one we could reach. Your father hasn't been picking up calls, unfortunately," the nurse checking on Ripley's IV explained.
Ripley frowned, blinking a few times. Why hadn't her dad picked up? Surely he would've done so as soon as he'd noticed the attack. He knew Ripley studied at that university, he would've been worried sick.

He would've picked up, he would've been here days ago. Why wasn't he here? There was no way, unless...

"...He's really busy," Ripley assured the nurse. Or was it herself? The nurse looked at Ripley, something akin to worry sparking in her eyes at the statement.
"Yeah, he... you know, he gets really caught up with his work sometimes. He could be on a work trip - yeah, that's it - he just haven't had the time to check his phone."

"What does your dad do for a living, if I may ask?"

"He's a business man. Probably just in a place that has really bad reception," Ripley insisted with a sure smile on her face. Despite Ripley's smile, her heart monitor sped up.
She was getting agitated.

"Well, your mother is on her way. She's taking a flight all the way from California to come and see you. She'll be here in the next few days," the nurse soothed, her voice calming and reassuring. Ripley nodded, but she didn't really seem to hear what the nurse was saying.

"Dad will come too. As soon as he realises he's been getting calls from the hospital, he'll come rushing in - just wait."

And wait she did.

---

"Raymond Aaron Davis! Hurry up, time doesn't wait for you!"

An irritated mother's yell echoed down the hall to the ears of her youngest son. The boy was fresh out of the shower. As of late, she'd been tired of him simply being home during the day playing video games while she was at work. She wanted him to be proactive and shit. Like he didn't just break free of the laboring he did to graduate.

It wasn't like he wasn't grateful she wasn't kicking him out, nor like he didn't have a job. Joe's Pizza wasn't exactly the dream job, it helped with rent but his mom had high expectations. A pizza chain wasn’t gonna be his future, she told him. His work hours started in the late afternoon, which meant this morning, he was getting out to do something.

Empire State University was starting a new program next semester and he was gonna be on the front lines of the new frontier. Whatever the fuck that meant, it was just a tour for potential students. Regardless, here he was, on his way out in the only white collared shirt he had. It was hard to balance this shirt in among his regular swag but Ray found a way. He knew how he should probably dress, but as of today, he didn’t really care. The finishing touch was Cello’s necklace, tucked right under the collar like a tie.

When he finally made his way out of his room, his mother stared him down momentarily before sighing. Normally she’d probably make a comment about his clothes, but she noticed something that stole the attention from that. There was a certain gentleness in her usually firm voice. “You still wearing that jenky ol necklace huh?”

Ray didn’t answer her, barely even acknowledging that she asked him about it. He slipped passed her to grab his backpack. “Alright Ma, I’m heading out.”

“Don’t get into no trouble while you’re out there.”

“Me? Trouble? Nah.”

---

---

_{Play This!}
Was he alive; Was he dead?
Was he on the way to hell?
Blood and roaches sprawling,
His skin was nothin but a shell.

Was he alive; Was he dead?
Raymond couldn’t even tell.
How many days done passed?
How long it been since he had fell...?

Was he alive; Was he dead?
He might be just as well.
This pain was somethin the
embrace of death could only quell.

Was he alive; Was he dead?
He couldn’t stand the smell.
Outside Mama was crying.
He wished he could hear her yell.

Ray didn’t believe the doctors when they told him that he was in and out for four days. He’d been in a hospital bed before, but it was nothing like this. This was a whole new breed of pain. In the small periods he was awake he heard her voice. She wouldn’t stop calling their phones. It was barely a conversation though, he was physically incapable of even arguing with her. The bastards tried to take his phone away, fuck that. Ray promised her that he wouldn’t end up in no fucking hospital again. How did he get here? It wasn’t even his own fault this time.

Every time he moved, he felt a pulse of pain through his heart. Like somebody strangled a soaking sponge. He felt the blood bubble up under his skin. They put a blanket on him, sweat made it hot and cold at the same damn time. His arms and legs had been restrained initially, because he apparently had been seizing at some point.

What kind of disease was this? Some kind of Virus? Bacteria? Voodoo? Something that made sense? The doctors couldn’t tell him. He just kept hearing ‘the attack.’, or “the incident”. Like some kind of bomb went off...? What kind of shit was that? Isis was back in New York? 9/11 really wasn’t enough, 9/01 now?

This period of staring up at the ceiling, like he could see Tupac in heaven smoking, was probably the longest he’s been awake. Ray started to relive his whole life lying in this bed. Memories of Mama, Pops, Cello...even watching Kenan & Kel for hours. Kel was a dumbass. All that led up to this? The hell was he even doing four days ago?

The last thing he remembered was taking that tour...Oh shit! Was she here?! She was with him at some point that day. On god she’d better be okay. One of them doctors slipped the fuck up when they were talking about people had died already. Like they thought he couldn’t hear them because his eyes were closed.

Speak of the devil, one was coming in now. “Oh good, you’re awake.-”

“-Is Kim in here?!” Ray’s voice was strained, clearing having hadn’t used it in a while. The nurse gave him a quizzical expression.

“There’s a lot of people in here. It’s-”

”Muthafucka! Little girl, blue hair! Seen her in here or nah?!” Ray’s expression hardened. His heart rate jumped, and it was evident by the meter beeping faster with each passing second. The woman held a cautious yet steady glance.

“I’m not exactly allowed to give out information about other patients-”

”-Is she breathin’ at least?” His tone tremored almost, a clear crack in the armor of his aggression. He hoped the lady said no. Fucking damnit...There was a pause followed by a sigh.

“Yes.” A wave of small relief hit him, and he managed to calm himself down. Got him all worked up just to get tired again.

These doctors played too much…

---

"Crap, Crap, Crap, CRAP!" Kim muttering In a panic tone as she struggles to get dress, she just doesn't know her alarm clock didn't wake her up, she guess that her old alarm clock is dead or she just didn't set it up. Never less, she is late as hell!

Kim rush down stairs, just hoping that her mother still not here but to she relief, her mother left before Kim woke up. "Oh thank god" Kim muttered "I don't want to get yell at for being late this morning" she say to herself as she pack her school things to her bag and then stop her, why she so worry about being late? The school is full of assholes, why would she care? "You know what?.....Screw it" Kim pull her school things out of her bag and rush back upstairs and get her melodica, she just going to play on the streets today.

Kim hear a buzz on her phone and check to see who text her and it's not other than Ray. ["What's up, Kimi? How's school going?"] he texted ["Good, my alarm clock didn't go off. So I decided to skip school today"] ["I feel you. Well, you thinking of hittin the streets? I'm at that Empire State college place. I think the place needs some waking up, if ya catch my drift."] Kim smiles and texted back ["HELL YEAH! See you there my dude" ;] ] After texting that, she grab her bag and headed out to Empire State.

---

While riding on the subway, Kim phone buzzed again, she thought it was Ray but to her joy, the text it from Suzy Maxwell. ["Where are you???" :?] the text say ["my alarm clock didn't go off, so I'm skipping today"] Kim texted back. ["I'm going to hang out with Ray-Ray at Empire State"] Kim waited for a response, she think if it was a good idea to skip school. The only reason to go is to see Suzy everyday, Her smile, her laughter, her eyes Man, I'm so gay Kim thought, her phone buzz ["HaHa, Ok. Just don't get trouble, tell Ray-Ray I say hi, have fun" XP] Suzy texted, Kim sign lovingly, Yep, so gay

---

After a bus ride later, Kim made it to Empire State, she pull out her phone and texted Ray ["Hey, I'm here. Where are you???"]

There wasn't a text back, but rather a hand on her shoulder she jump a little and turn to see it was Ray. "Wadup?" He chuckled some, Kim laugh and playfully push him a little. "C'mon there's a good spot where you can get your stuff setup." He gestured to follow him, "Ok, lead the way my dude." Kim say to Ray

X-Ray led the way to a small courtyard of sorts, with a fountain and greenery between three buildings. Foot traffic was fairly few in comparison to the rest of the city, but Ray could only guess that this was that time a little before their classes started. So this could be a perfect wake up call.

Kim didn't know this university that well, so it came a surprise that they have a courtyard. Kim takes big deep breath and breath out "A perfect place to my perfect music" Kim say as walk the middle of the courtyard and stand on a bench. "Hello Empire State University!" Kim loudly say to everyone "I see that everyone is hella tired! But don't worry, I'm going to wake you guys the HELL up!" Kim proclaimed loudly. She take off her bag, pull out her melodica and start playing

As she was playing her music, Kim heart feel happiness when ever she play her music around Ray and Suzy, back to her old home, nobody want to listen to her music but now she have two best friends that are interested for music, she feel happy

While playing her music, Kim look down to see some red mist on the floor. "Um, you don't need to add something fancy Ray but the red mist is very co-" Kim words fail as her vision is starting to blur, her legs just give up on her and she fall off the bench and on to the ground face first. Kim eyes are failing on her as well, she try to reach to Ray as tears starting to fall on her cheek. "R-R-Ray...." Kim try to call out weakly before she black out.

---

Kim see nothing but darkness, her eyes are still close on her. She try to open her eyes but with no avail, Kim knows she wake but she can't open her eyes, she try one more time and she succeed, her eyes open wide to see a bright and it transform to a window, Kim thought she was back home, in her bedroom, in her PJ, thinking about what happen back there was a bad dream but when she started looking around the room, she realize that she not back home, not in her bedroom, not in her PJ, it wasn't a bad dream after all.

Kim look around to see machines hook up to her, she try to speak but she can't, why can't she speak? Kim hears footsteps coming from the hallway, she hopes it her mom, Suzy or Ray, all she want is a hug from all of them right but to her disappointment, a nurse walks in.

"Oh, Hello there." the nurse say to Kim "So happy that you are awake, are you feeling okay?" she nurse, in response, Kim give her a annoyance expression to her. ".....Oh! Um, sorry, hehe um wrong question. Well miss Agbayani, you probably have so many questions" the nurse say "Well before passing out on that day of the Incident, it seem that you busted your nose." Kim lifted her arm to feel the bandage on her nose. "You also been going in and out of consciousness for days for four days." Four days!? Kim doesn't even remember waking up and blacking out for four days but she remember is waking up late, not going to school, going to Empire State to see-...…. "Ray..." Kim say weakly

"I n-need to see my f-friend R-Ray..." Kim weakly say to the nurse "Well, Um, I'm not exactly allowed to give out information-"
"Just tell me he fucking okay goddamn it!" Kim yell at the nurse before coughing and the machines start beeping loudly. The nurse lay Kim down slow and softly on to the bed. "Yes, your friend is ok." the nurse calming say to Kim, her nice and softly voice help Kim to calm down a bit. "For now, you just need to rest." she say "Is there something you need? Like food, like Tv or wat-" "My mom..." Kim say quietly say but the nurse didn't hear her. "I-I-I Just want to my m-m-mom" Kim say weakly while tears are falling on her cheeks.

"Ok dear" the nurse warmly say "In fact, I think I see she drive up right now. She been right at your side while you were a sleep." Kim heart skip a beat, her mother have been with her all time "I will go get her for you, you just need some rest" And with that, the nurse walk out of the room to get Kim mother.

While Kim was laying on the bed, her body beginning to shake...violently and she beginning to cry, everything was so normal days ago, why this becoming a nightmare?

The building exhaled its processed air as the automatic doors slid open. On the other side, in a buttoned up shirt and a collared vest of a light fabric- and a color somewhere between mauve and burgundy- stood Scott, a look of deep concern on his face. I hope this works.
The young man approached the front desk, and placed his arm against the counter just slightly, leaning forward a bit, so that he might be heard when speaking in a low voice.
"Hi, I know you've probably been getting this all week, but I have a friend who's admitted here. I was at ESU when, well, when that thing went down. Still can't wrap my head around it, but I haven't seen him since, and I just have to know if he's in one piece or not."

The nurse hemmed and hawed for a minute or two before relenting- doctors said that the disease was past its contagious stage, and family or not, it wasn’t like he’d get much more than a reprimand from the admins for letting in a friend. After asking Marcus’ name, and giving Scott a room number, the young man found himself in front of a suddenly-ominous-looking door in a scant few minutes.

After taking a moment to make sure no one was around, Scott pushed his hands on the door, knocking softly as he moved the handle. He opened the door slowly, making sure it was obvious that he was there.

---

Marcus sat up slightly as he heard the door opening, dreading whether or not the doctors were coming to poke and prod at him some more. Which made it all the more enjoyable when his best friend walked through the door.

”Scott! You’re okay!” It had been driving him crazy, worried whether or not his loved ones had been caught up in this nightmare. It was a relief to see that at least one of them had made it out all right, even if he was feeling some sort of weird… interference in his skull. Like static, or something. He didn’t take time to notice it; it passed as soon as it left.

He smiled. ”You can’t imagine what a pain in the ass it’s been sitting here with nothing to do. At least you’re here to make it a little better. So… how have you been? What’s it like out there on the outside?”

---

“Thank god you’re alright,” Scott remarked, a breath he didn’t realize he was holding slipping out of his lungs, “Okay, so, don’t freak out,” he began, before moving closer to the wall.
Scott then placed his hand against the wall, then his foot, and slowly began to climb it, hands simply pressed flat behind him as he still looked at his bedridden friend, a couple feet off the ground now.
“So basically, I’m Strand,” he remarked, for a moment placing his hand on his forehead as another sharp lance of pressure shot through it, “And I have a feeling you are too...”

Marcus blinked, still wincing at the static sensation that had reared its head again. His friend, Scott. His best friend in the whole wide world.

Was hanging.

On the ceiling.

What.

“What.”

It took him a long moment to process what he was seeing. Even longer for him to recognize what Scott was telling him. ”Y...Y-you… you’re Strand…? Seriously? H-how, when, why haven’t you--?”

Another pulse of static. And the other shoe dropped. The last thing he’d said. He said I’m…?

“You think… you think I am, too? Wait, what does that mean? Scott, this doesn’t make any sense!” He felt his heart rate start to increase, heedless of the lights dimming around him, or the monitors nearby flickering.

“No, no it doesn’t. I… I felt like I couldn’t tell you. Like, nobody knows this. I couldn’t even tell me mom. ‘Cause, you know… if people know, they get grabbed by some mugger I stopped a month ago that I forgot about or something.”
Scott then took a breath, and climbed down, approaching Marcus.
“And, it’s like, I don’t know. Sometimes I’d get these like… pulls in my head… like, that feeling when you don’t think you should be somewhere, but like way over-” He stopped, his thought process cut off by Marcus’s sudden tirade.

”That… that’s stupid! I’m not made of glass, Scott. I can handle myself. What about you? I’m just supposed to be okay with you running around on rooftops, punching bad guys in the face??” He couldn’t tell through his haze and headache, but the room was getting noticeably darker. Particularly centered around Marcus himself.

”You keep dropping bombshells and you’re not even gonna explain any of them??”

“No. You’re not made of glass. But you’re not bulletproof. And you keep cutting me off. Like, seriously, this impatience is terminal-” he then realized that was bad phrasing.

”You’re not bulletproof, either! What would have happened if someone got a lucky shot, Scott? What was I supposed to think if you didn’t come home one night? What was your mom supposed to think??”

The darkness seethed.

“Easy buddy. I was just getting there...” he placed his hand on Marcus’s wrist, gently, but firmly, “I can literally see things coming.And right now it’s like… like there’s threads in the air… and one of them’s leading to you...”

”Don’t fucking patronize--” he said, jerking his hand away angrily, the reaction triggering… something else. A tendril of blackest black, like a scorpion’s tail, spearing up toward Scott, narrowly missing his best friend. However, in an uncanny shift, Scott’s shoulder dropped, and he clapped a hand over Marcus’s mouth in the same movement, as if to keep him from screaming.

The room fell silent, neither young man knowing just how to react to what had just happened, Marcus still with Scott’s hand over his mouth. Marcus’ eyes were wide with shock and surprise, not knowing how to respond, even if he could speak. Slowly, carefully, he reached up to Scott’s wrist, pulling it away so he could talk.

”So, uh… you were going to talk. I was interrupting. Please… please continue.”

To say Scott was calm was a lie, but he wasn’t nearly as shaken as Marcus. He was also much more stressed looking, suddenly.
“Yeah. So, you having super powers? Guess yours are more than a bit different than mine.”

”You think??” said Marcus, causing shadows to bristle across his skin with his irritation.

“Full disclosure? I have no idea what that was. That kinda scares me. But we’re like, connected. Other people in this hospital are too. Which is...” the young man put a hand on his forehead, “Look, when my powers kicked in, still not entirely sure how- there was like, a sting on my hand or something, next morning I woke up on the wall. Thought I was going insane for a while. But, well, since I could do stuff like,” he gestured to the wall, “I figured I’d better make the best of it. And trust me, I wouldn’t have done it if I couldn’t tell where a gun was going to point before it was pointed there. I can like, feel things coming and stuff, like, physically feel it, and my head goes nuts when I have to cross the street, then I look and some truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and runs up the curb and into a dumpster- that would have ran into me if I didn’t stop for a second,”
Scott paused for a moment, visibly stressed out. If Marcus was in the blast, and it he was there too… and now Marcus had powers… Scott’s stomach sank. He felt like he might throw up.

Marcus caught on quick to Scott’s unease. And shared it, as the lights in the room turned sickly and dull, ”Scott… there were a lot of people in that blast.

“...What if I’m just one of the new threads you saw…?”

“Yeah, we have a lot of visits to make,” Scott remarked, sounding exhausted.

---

Alejandra Jonas let Clara's fingers slip through her own, setting them gently back down on the bed. Clara was sleeping peacefully. She needed time to rest. AJ already had some time to herself over the past several days. Most of it she had spent in the hospital. Doctor Reséndiz was the cheapest there was, and they already had somewhat of a discount due to their business relationship. Even still, the 5000 dollar health free was enough to drive the two sisters into the ground. Doc was not a man to be trifled with, he always got paid. Both of them knew that. Everyone knew that. Doc was a very respected man.

Alejandra decided to make use of the time she had so she could present Clara with a plan. She produced an investment she had made a long time ago, a simple smart phone. There was a world of possibilites from this little thing. Buying it was wiser than stealing it. But internet and phone plans were out of the question, however, so AJ had to make that happen with her alternative techniques. Fortunately, it wasn't that hard. The Doc had wifi set up, so AJ assumed he wouldn't mind if she used it aswell. He'd never find out she had used it regardless, so it didn't matter.

She had put together a picture of what had happened over the course of the days following the attack. That's what is was, a gas attack. Thousands had been affected around the area of Empire State University. Social media was practically on fire. Nobody knew who did it. Doc either had decent bedside manners or wasn't fully aware of the symptoms. Pictures of symptoms had already been circulated in some of AJ's groups. Vommiting blood, flue-like symptoms, weird veiny black shit. It was horrible. It had a high, high fatality rate. Most people were still experiencing those symptoms. AJ's eyes once again scanned over Clara's face. She looked totally fine. A little pale, a little sleepless, but other than that she looked healthy. Clara must be one of the lucky ones. Despite the enormity of bad luck required for Clara to be near the site of the attack at all, AJ knew when to count her blessings. It was reasonable to assume that Clara was one of if not the only person in Doc's hospital who had been afflicted with whatever this disease was. Anyone at a University would almost certainly have access to a legal hospital. Plus, only someone like Clara would be skilled enough to navigate safely home without being caught and questioned by the police.

AJ had no idea how they were going to get that money. They lived out of a tent. The only real piece of tech she had was this smartphone. AJ had been working on some things, but without a real workstation her progress was basically zero. Still, she had recently completed a credit card scanner. Place that next to a credit card and it swipes the information, which they can then sell on the black market. Maybe even hacked directly. Riskier, but certainly less risky than letting Doc take Clara's kidney. But it wasn't enough. Her mind and heart was racing. The only sounds in the room were the buzzing electric lights, Clara's rhythmic breathing, and Alejandra's thunderous heartbeat. They had to play things riskier from here on out. But Clara was going to do something stupid. Some do or die stunt to get 20k all at once. AJ didn't want to see Clara get put in jail, or worse. After that it was all over. She'd never see Clara again, and she'd have to go back too...the thought was too much to bear. She had to focus on getting out of this, not the consequences of failure. That's something Clara had taught her.

Ironically, in order to make money, AJ was beginning to think they had to take out a loan. They had nothing right now, they needed capital to make some moves. Clara had quick hands and a quick wit, and AJ could do some tricks with her phone, but one has to spend money to make money. With, say, 5000 dollars at their disposal, they could buy favors. Buy tech, a temporary storehouse, grease some wheels. Clara would know what to do. After that, they could join a crew. Do a big job. They could pull it off. If everything worked out, they would come out of this better than when they entered it. Adversity is the crucible to success. Who would loan them five thousand bucks? Clara must know a few loan sharks. If not, they could find one. 5000 dollars isn't that much, they would just have to convince the shark that they could pay up. Big risks, big rewards. They could do it.

Clara stirred. AJ had been frantically tapping on her phone, but she turned it off and slid it into her back pocket. The woman on the bed's eyes fluttered open. For her, everything was in razor sharp focus. Must be high or somethin, she thought. Putting the heel of her hand on her forehead, Clara groaned. "Jesus, I have a headache. Did I really pass out again?"

AJ nodded. "Yeah. How're you feeling?" She asked, leaning forward.

"I feel fuckin' great. Never better. Like I could dance on the ceilin'." She lied. Her head was killing her, and she was starving. But at least she felt lucid. Like she wasn't going to pass out again.

"Clara, I'm being serious." AJ said earnestly. "You got gassed. We're low on money, and we need to get more. I'm not sure how. My plan is we're going to take out a loan, that way we can earn some extra capital and use it on making more money to pay off our debt. And you need to start taking your health more seriously. You got hit on the head, you could have got brain damage or worse. So what am I supposed to-

"Hey. AJ." Clara cut her sister off and looked her in the eyes with a serious conviction the younger girl hadn't seen before. "I'm alright. It's going to be alright."

AJ flung herself over Clara and began to sob. "Oh, God, Clara. I thought I'd lost you." She said, burying her face into Clara's shoulder. Clara smiled sadly, staring up at the ceiling, wrapping her arm around AJ's body.

"Not gettin' ridda me that easy." Her heart hurt. It pained her to see AJ so worried. Clara was supposed to be someone AJ could look up too. She would just have to do better. Going forward, Clara would make sure nothing like this would ever happen again.

"Doc'll get his money. You an' me are gonna make it, okay?" AJ withdrew herself from Clara nodded, wiping her face and plopping back into her seat, clearly exhausted.

"You look like shit, AJ." Clara observed.

"Says the zombie." AJ retorted, sniffing. Her black lipstick had faded, and the mascara had started to run down her face. Her black hair was all messed up, but Clara imagined hers wasn't much better. AJ was probably exhausted. When was the last time she had slept or eaten?

"What time is it, anyway?" Clara asked, glancing around the room for a clock.

"4:21 in the afternoon." AJ rattled off automatically without looking at her phone.

"Fuck. How about you an' I go home."

"Clara," AJ chastised. "You're still sick. You have a concussion."

"I just gotta bit of a headache. I'm fine, really." Clara said pushing herself into a sitting position. Fine was one word for it. The headache was strange, and her whole body felt tingly. Strangely enough, she felt oddly refreshed. Once again Clara assumed it was just the drugs wearing off.

"Clara-"

"I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, you're tired and who knows what else. We're going back to the tent, okay? We'll buy somethin' to eat along the way." She said, standing to her feet and turning her back to AJ. AJ quickly averted her eyes.

"Man, they really got my ass hangin' out." Clara stated simply, turning over her shoulder.

Aj had raised her cargo coat to cover her entire face, curling into a ball on the hair. Clara clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Well, whatever. Where my clothes?" She glanced around the room. AJ, mortified, pointed over to the corner. Alejandra had left at some point and brought in less blood-covered clothes. Sitting on the chair were fresh underwear, sneakers, jeans, an orange t-shirt and yellow baggie hoodie.

"Ain't gotta act like that, AJ." Clara reprimanded, quickly undressing and putting her new clothes on. She laughed from underneath her hoodie as she slid it over herself. Pulling the hoodie down over her hips she raised her eyebrows at AJ. "You can look now, Christ. What are you, 12?"

"Have you no shame, woman?" AJ peeked out from underneath her dark green coat, relieved.

"Shame is for pussies. Come on, we're checkin' out early." Clara announced, exiting casually into the hallway. Man, she really did feel great. The black market hospital is a repurposed and refurbished motel. From the outside it looks like any other abandoned motel deep in the city. Grease the right wheels and nobody comes to check. Doc runs a tight ship, and probably makes a lot of money. He earns it though. Earns it fair and square. Doc was standing at the desk and looked surprise to see Clara striding down the hallway.

"Cabello, get back in your room. You can't leave so early." He began approaching.

"I'm fine! See?" She responded, gesturing proudly at herself.

"Clara-" He began, putting a hand on her shoulder as she walked past. Instinctively, Clara wrapped her fingers around his wrist and pushed his arm away. It was shockingly easy, no contest at all. Infact, the Doctor winced from the pain and looked surprised down at Clara.

"Hey, sorry," Clara nonchalantly apologized, wiping the small act of violence off on her hoodie. "But, look, how am I gonna pay my bills from in there? I feel like a million bucks, and soon you're gonna feel like 20 grand, 'cause that's what you're gettin'. Now relax. Thanks for fixin' me up, I'll be back in here with the money you need in no time. Sim?"
The man narrowed his eyes, retracting his wrist into his pocket. "Very well, chica. I just can't get payments from a dead woman."

"Don't worry, I gotchu. I got it under control. Whatever you did worked big time, so I'm gonna go out there and earn some cash. See you later, Doc." With a confused AJ trailing behind, Clara practically skipped out of the side entrance of the repurposed motel. The headache was strange. Headache might be the wrong word for it. It was almost like she was too clearheaded. Like her brain was going to become light and fly away.

"Hey, Clara, wait up!" AJ shouted, stumbling out of the motel. Clara was already far ahead. As AJ rapidly approached, breathing heavily, Clara put her hands on her hips. "I'm thinkin' we grab some pizza. How's that sound?"

"We don't have any cash. How are we gonna afford it?" AJ asked, composing herself.

"You got my wallet, right? Prolly shoulda asked for it earlier."

"Uh, yeah. It's right here." AJ reached into one of the inner pockets of her muted green cargo oat and fetched the wallet from within, handing it to Clara.

"Thanks. Look, see, I got 20 bucks right here. That's enough."

"Clara, that's almost all of the money we-"

"What did I just say, AJ?"

"Huh?"

"What did I just say?" Clara repeated. Her tone was friendly enough.

"I don't-"

"I said everything is going to be alright. We're gonna get some fucking pizza. It's gonna be fucking delicious. Okay? How's that sound? 'Cause it sounds fuckin' great to me. Now quit your bitchin' and come on." Grinning, she turned began walking down the street.

AJ shook her head but followed behind. Alejandra never knew how the thief could act like this, even in the worst times. Some things never change. When they first met, Clara's devil-may-care attitude is what drew AJ to her. But recently AJ wondered if it was just a facade, something to keep AJ's spirts up. Hard to say. Especially now, Clara looked like she was compensating extra hard for all the shit they just went through. At the same time, they had always overcome any obstacle. So many it didn't matter if it was fake confidence or not. Maybe she should just buy into it and eat some god damn pizza. To be honest, pizza did sound pretty good. On cue her stomach rumbled. AJ picked up the pace and the pair vanished around the corner.

---

Time seemed to be passing so slowly. As Lindy rolled in her hospital bed, disturbed by the noise around her, she found herself getting restless: This wasn't working, and she was getting annoyed. This whole hospital bed thing wasn't for her; She wanted to stretch her legs, or something. She figured stepping outside the room wasn't a good idea, so she instead pushed herself up and scooted her way to the end of her hospital bed to stand up.

With nothing more than a short "Hup!" She found herself with her feet against the floor. Thankfully she was wearing socks; If the room was anything to judge by, the floor was probably pretty cold. She didn't need that in her life right now; Everything going on was already enough for her that chilly feet would just be the absolute mood killer.

She had to admit... She thought walking after multiple days in bed would be harder. But her steps felt easy; She felt really good aside from the headache. She approached the window in her room, staring out to view what may be going on down below: She could see the entrance, sort of: There were some vans out there, seeming to be with news outlets. It helped her think of how big these issues really were: That attack was severe, and it had a lot of people's attention and fear. Including her own.

That familiar brushing of curtains caught her attention, and she spun around to see that same doctor coming in again. He seemed slightly surprised to see her up, especially as she approached her bed again casually, proving nothing to be wrong with her physically.

"I'm surprised you're up and about on your own. I was about to come in and tell you it'd be a good time to stretch your legs around the hospital floor, if you so wish." He spoke, observing her for a moment, curiously. "How's your head feeling?"

"It's like a bad headache. But other than that, I feel fine." Lindy explained, looking down as she heard a noise emerge from her stomach. "I guess I'm a bit hungry."

"Meals will still be another hour, I'm afraid." The doctor replied, frowning behind his mask. "There are vending machines outside though: The people on this floor are no longer deemed contagious, so you can wander some. The only boundary is that we ask you do not leave the floor."

Lindy nodded in response. "Okay... Thanks."

As the doctor took his leave again, Lindy glanced back at her wallet: She needed to take it along to get a snack. Probably should bring her phone, too... But she decided to leave it as this hospital gown didn't exactly have pockets. Ah, well: She'd call back whoever called her when she came back into the room.

She approached the curtains; Swatting them out of her way as she stepped out onto the hospital floor. Things were quieting down a little, but it was still busy: A lot of nurses running everywhere, but they didn't seem to pay her any mind. Guess she really could wander around a bit.

Now, the goal was simple: Lindy was a hungry girl, and the vending machines probably had some delicious foods hidden behind their absurd prices. She wasn't afraid to spend the money right now; She needed some comfort through this shit. It was all too much for her to wrap her head around right now; She needed that food.

Reyna Rowe

---

She didn’t know how long she had laid there trying to drift back to sleep, get some relief from her emotions and being stuck in this hell hole but it seemed impossible as her body was well rested after days in dreamland. She took slow breaths, trying to keep herself calm but the noises of the hospital were unpleasant, the headache she seemed to be experiencing sporadically were odd and made her hair stand on end, but worst of all was the pain in her mouth as well as the sensitivity of her wrists. She mildly debated letting the staff know of her current aches and pains but the thought of them hovering over her to poke and prod again instantly had her rejecting the idea. Now, it was a matter of finding out what to do since she would not be able to escape via sleep. Reyna knew she could probably just play around on her phone but she doubted she could focus really on the task and would probably just end up frustrating herself.

She uncurled herself, rolling onto her back to stare up at the ceiling in thought. When would she get out of here? Would Jiji be alright? What would happen now? What would happen once they were released? How many people had been effected by this tragedy? How many had died? How many had been saved? All these questions rolled in her mind and they are at her because she didn’t have any really any answers. She had been too upset and terrified upon waking that she had forgotten to even ask. She suddenly felt antsy, the need to pace growing stronger and if she was being honestly, this shit ass day deserved a truck lot of sweets for comfort. An idea popped into her head, a grin spreading onto her features as she threw the blankets off and jolted up. She was in a hospital, hospitals meant vending machines and as far as she knew, no one said she had to stay in her room.

With that, her mind was made up and she found herself scooting to the edge of the bed before carefully placing her socked feet onto the linoleum floor. It was a bit shocking that she felt fine, no shaky legs or soreness from days asleep and actually felt like she could go for a run. Reyna shook her head with a scoff, chalking it up to pent up energy as she made her way out of the room. She slowly made her way down the hall, not really in a rush as she wandered through the pathways in search of her prize. If I were a vending machine, where would I be?...., she questioned herself in thought. The answer didn’t take long as she turned the corner and found a line of them in all their glory.

”Hello beautiful.”, Reyna practically hummed in pleasure as she moved over to them. She stood at one of the snack machines, looking at the various options of different sweets, trying to debate the one that would heal her tortured soul best when a sudden realization hit her like a freight train....she hadn’t grabbed her wallet. ”Shit, you have got to be kidding me!” she harshly whispered to herself. She sighed with a pout, wondering what to do now since she really didn’t want to have to go back to her room to get it. Heck, she hadn’t even really tracked where her room was. Reyna bit her lip lightly, glancing around a bit before stepping closer to the machine and looking around the side for a model number. If she was going to fool the machine into thinking she was maintenance checking the machines operations then she would need to know the type at least.

---

---

Thank god, I thought I was going in circles. Lindy thought, approaching one of the surprisingly many machines on the floor. All this stress was making her hungry, and she'd be damned if she wasn't about to fork over her money to get some delicious snacks. As she observed the machine, she looked over every option for what she'd want: But realized she was thirsty, too. Maybe a sugary soda wasn't ideal for that, but she didn't mind the idea of enjoying herself for some lazy hospital days.

Eyes darting between drink and food, she decided on food first: The machine had rotating slots that dropped down items based on your code input, and was chilled to keep it's held food cold. Lindy spotted something she wanted; A packaged cheeseburger that seems to be pretty large for $2.75. She opened her wallet, licking her lips at the thought of heating up that burger and devouring it: Soon enough she put her money into the machine, and pressed the code for the food she wanted.

Then she waited.

...And she kept waiting.

Wait, what?

"What the hell." Lindy grumbled, realizing it wasn't giving her jack shit. She attempted to get her money refunded for the sake of using another machine, but the thing wouldn't even give it back! Her cheeks puffed up with anger as she attempted to get refunded again and again, with no success; The irritation sparking a moment of anger in her head that also increased the pain in her head, leading to her becoming simply angrier.

"Piece of shit machine!" She shouted, before taking the only logical conclusion her brain was currently allowing: She punched the vending machine! ...And sent her fist straight through the display; Shards of the protective exterior all over the floor in front of Lindy as she stood there, momentarily blanking out in front of the machine.

Hesitantly, she slowly turned her head to the left…

Reyna just stared to the right side of the hall, eyes wide and jaw slightly open at what she had just witnessed. The sound of cursing had had her pulling back from the machine she had been casing for fear of being caught in her attempt to steal. She hadn’t wanted to be suspicious so she just stood there as if still debating on her choice, making she to glance over to the other girl so she knew when she made her exit. Instead, the sight had graced her with a front row seat to one of the strangest things to which she had ever been privy.

The pint sized girl punched the machine in frustration which isn’t anything unusual when a piece of trash won’t cough up food or money but it was the fact that the entire front shattered from said punch. Not scratched, not dented, not cracked....fucking shattered to bits and spilling all over the floor around her. Now, they were just awkwardly staring at each other as their eyes met and Reyna wasn’t sure about the other girl but she was trying to even process what the hell just happened. It felt like she should say something but everytime she went to open her mouth to speak, it just ended up closing again as she was speechless. What did you say to seeing something like that?

Wh-what did I just do?!

Lindy was panicking, to say the least: Not only did this just happen, there was a WITNESS. What did she say? What the actual hell could she fucking say to justify this?! She had no idea about what to do in this situation, and at that moment wasn't even acting on any sort of instinct to defend herself. She was just here. With her fist inside of a vending machine. Literally. She was legitimately at a loss for words; Nothing seemed right, everything seemed so terribly wrong. She had no idea what to do.

Looking back at the machine, Lindy yanked her hand out; Shards of the machine's remains falling off her arm to join those that littered the ground: She moved her fingers, observing them carefully: She hadn't felt that at all. Her hand was completely fine, despite having just been forced through the front of a vending machine. Why would she be able to do something like that? Why didn't it even hurt? What the hell was wrong with her? Despite a lack of pain, her hand began to shake: She was scared of whatever just happened, and didn't want an outburst like that to happen again.

Her glance met with the girl close to her again; The sole witness to this craziness and Lindy had no idea what she was thinking of while witnessing these events. Lindy's eyes expressed nothing but a mixture of fear and concern, feeling something odd while observing her: It was like a feeling of similarity in her mind, that she couldn’t explain. This only caused her to become more scared however, and slowly she backed away towards a nearby wall that held supplies like plastic silverware, condiments, and a microwave for heating the food out of the machines. As her back pressed against the wall, she slowly lowered down onto the floor; Her mind racing about the situation as she panicked quietly in the corner, staring at her own hand.

_{"I-I'm sorry..."} She mumbled, knees nearly up to her chin as she curled up in her corner.

The initial shock wore off fast when the eyes that had been staring at her suddenly mixed with pure fear, confusion and concern about the situation. She had been shocked to just be a witness and she couldn’t imagine what it must be like to experience something so bizarre like that. The reaction after the fact was akin to falling apart and terror mixed into one which made Reyna’s heart drop and her guts twist just watching it. The small “I’m sorry” had just been the cherry on top of that bag of feels and kicked in her normal protective instincts which had Reyna moving closer to the other girl.

She walked straight up to the vending machine, being careful to avoid cutting herself as she dug out two cheeseburgers. She plopped them both into the microwave and punched in the numbers to heat them up, not caring if they should have probably been done one at a time. Reyna has planned to get something sweet but hey, savory was just as comforting and the chick needed someone by her side right now. If that meant sitting on the floor and sharing a burger together then that is exactly what she was going to do. It wasn’t like what just happened would be easy to explain to seek comfort from another person.

That being done, she brushed some of the pieces of machine out of the way and plopped down adjacent to the other girl. ”Why are you apologizing? It’s the stupid machines fault for being a piece of crap. In my opinion, the damn thing had it comin’. “Reyna stated, taking a moment to pause before talking again in a softer tone. ”Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? I mean, I know I am a stranger, but I am a pretty good listener and not to brag I am an amazing hugger.”

At first she was hesitant: But upon looking at the girl next to her, Lindy began to calm down a little; Nose scrunching as she sniffled from the crying she almost started, it was unexpected for her to come sit and talk about things. What could Lindy say, 'oh, I am the Vendinator, destroyer of vending machines!'? She remained quiet for a moment, considering her options as she looked around. That vending machine... Surely someone would be here soon to investigate. But nobody would believe she could do that, right? They wouldn't look at her weird? And this girl was being pretty accepting of the situation, maybe she wouldn't say anything...

"I-I just don't know what happened," She spoke, coaxed out of her silence by the other girl's words. Lindy looked at her hands, still shaking from the experience. While she was keeping calm, it didn't change how scared she was. "I didn't feel anything. It's like that machine was made out of wet tissue paper..." She tried to speak her mind, but really she was just repeating her thoughts out loud at this point. It felt good to not be alone at the moment, but Lindy wasn't certain of what to do now.

She contemplated taking the hug offer; Lindy felt like she really needed it. She shifted as if to move to do so, but remained where she was, hesitant. What happened to the vending machine was fresh in her mind; She didn't want to make any sudden moves that could endanger this girl, or anyone else.

”Hey, it’s okay. We will figure it out. I’m sure there is some sort of explanation. I can’t think of anything at the moment but there is always hope.”Reyna replied softly, trying to offer some words of encouragement or comfort. After all, things didn’t just happen but Reyna didn’t trust doctors to know since experiments or at least examinations were a hundred percent positive if someone found out about this. She noticed the other girl shift as if about to take up her offer for a hug but stopped. She thought back on the girls words and took a quick glance before the action clicked. She was worried that she would hurt her.

Reyna shifted, carefully wrapping her arms around her in a gentle hug. ”It’s okay if you are afraid, I will just hug you instead. Don’t worry, the whole vending machine thing will be our little secret.”, she said before hearing the microwave beep repeatedly to signal the burgers were done. She let go of their hug, pushing herself up to go grab them. ”My name is Reyna by the way!” she smiled, holding out one of the burgers for the other girl to take.

. . . . .

Laying there on the floor, Lindy wasn't moving. Her eyes were wide, staring straight ahead as if she was awake, but there seemed to be nothing coming from her in that moment: Her breathing was slow, she wasn't blinking, and sweat began to slowly slide down her forehead. The outside was seemingly gone, but it was partially her brain playing catch up with the thoughts crawling in her mind.

Ṷ̴̢̹̽͐͆̏̀̉́͛̈́̀͊̚̕͠Ç̸͇̬͇͖̝̮̇̇̌̂̈́̑̈̆K̵̨̧͍̜̟̤̥̳͔̪̑͌̾̌̋I̷̧͖̗̒̑͘N̴̢̡̗̗̠͖̦̬̠̚͝G̶̢̛̛̻͙͕͌̀̈́̐ ̷̨̢̼̜͖̲̭̃͜C̸̛͕̺̖̦͐̀̑͜͠O̷̡͔͙̜͓̬̣̭͙͆͐̑̑́͋̓͜P̶̖̯̎̐͌͐͑͆̐͛͊͒̏̍͘͝ͅS̸̰̬̦̝̭̥͙̀̃̍̐͐̃̽͌͒̿̒͑̚͠ ̷͖̺̘͓̝́̔͒͋́́̌͊̎̈͂̕͜͝Ņ̴͚̤̺̯̩̪̝͈̞̮͎̏̇͒͌̉̈́͊̄̈́̊̍̕̚O̷̬̿̇͊̾̂̊͒͂̚̕͘ ̶̢̘̺͈̦̣͓͈̪͕̤̘̓͂̃̈́̽̉̾̆̾̍͊̔͜͝F̴̛̼̬͙̰̮̭͍̠̫͈̯̦̟̌͛̚Ȗ̷̜̋̽̃̾̎̀̀̽̍̓͗̕Č̶̼̤̞͖͎͇̳͕͙́͂̿̑͐̋̓̈͝Ḵ̸̛͉̥̾̋͗̊̑̑̽I̴̢̲̮̲͌̈͐̍̀̓̋́̕͜ͅN̵̢͕͈̦̥̺̥͍̿̿̂͌͊͂̚̚͝Ğ̸̢͙͙̖̯̼̥̫̺͖̯̰́̓́͌̌͒̃̌̄̓̊ ̴͓̫̯̮͇̭̼̺̫͍̥̗̥̏̎̕C̶̡̛̦̫̭̟̜̻̬̜̩͙͔̦̲͑̈́̽O̷̩̟̭̫̬̜͈͚͙̳̼̼̼͋̓̇̽͌͊̓ͅP̸̢̨̗͈̻̦͆͆́̚͠S̴̠̮̯̐̇̌́̓͆̋ͅ
̵̤̟̗͚͍̼͈̘̲̚N̷̡̢̛̰͕̰͉̊Ö̵̢̮̦͎͎̫͈͇̣͍̠̰́́̕͝͝ ̶̧̜͙͖̹̬̮̳̖̣̗̏̋F̴̫̟̦̗̪͈̼̘̘̠̯̟̅̍̅͒̈́̎̅̀̉̑͛̐͜Ų̵̞̞̜̺̐̇͑̏̈́̋̓́̉̓͑͘ͅC̴̠̪̻̦̖͚̪̋̽̅͐̈́͛̑̽̍͜K̴̡͉̭͗ͅĮ̵̱̥͕͍̪͉̹̹̫͔̹͉͚͐̂̿̃̽͂̑͑̕̚N̸͕̗̥̯͖̤͕͔̱̻̓̄́̈́͋͛G̷̙̱̹͙̭̦͇̭̞̋̄͆̃̎͆̀̕̕͘̚͝ ̷̨̧̛̯̯̬̝͇̝͋͋́̄͋̒̆͐͘C̷̛̹̦͍͕̪̝̤̬̯̥͇̮͕̬̔̀̈́̒̐͝O̸̙̱̺͐͆̍̿̏̀͂͠P̸̛̛͚͔̞̦̹̘̥̱̹̳̮͊̋̍͗̓̓̈́̓͌́̎̚ͅͅŞ̴̡̘̭̲̻͍̖̥͔́̎ ̴̳͚̮͖͕̻͙̩͖̪͊̏̐̑͝͠Ņ̵̲̪͙̭͔̞̖͍̄̌̈̅̋̀͜͝O̸͚̺̲̮̞̳̞̥͔̽͌̕͜ ̷̛̛͙͉̬͉̪̓͊͌̎̌̒͘͘̚F̸̧̄̏̐̐̀̐̍́̃̅̽͒̔͘Ų̸̺̩̺͓͈̤̜͚̲͇̮͕̯͐̂́͒͊͆̚͘̚C̵̩̥͉͇̗̦͙̖͙̣͑̓̔̚̚͜K̴̡̳̝̬͙͖̝̮̼͎͊͆͑Į̸̰̖͔͗̾̎̑̽̋͋̿͘͘͠N̷̼͖̞̲̆̾͌Ḡ̷̙̜͙̘͇̩̠̯̹̞̞͌̌͐̋̽̐̄͝ ̷̡̋́̽̋̍̆́̓͘͝͠C̸̢̛̜͉̣͈̻̟̲̑̐͗͋̊̎̆̈́͛̆͐̕͝O̴̖̻̱̰̘̱̰͉̗͓̙̪̒̓̀͊̐̔P̸̞͖̤̠̹̲̠̩̐̅͐̇͋͆̽͜S̸̡̩̥̖͇͉̙͙͙͎̋̏̆̃̉

She began to toss and turn; Clenching her head as she screamed bloody murder at the feeling pounding in her skull. A voice kept yelling, she gained faint but blurry visions of things she was uncertain of: Words repeating again, and again in her head! They were driving her crazy, and they wouldn't stop!

O̵͂̐͒͒̇̕͠ͅK̶̯̣̙̥̳̟̑Á̵̼̹̩͍͖̼͐͛͛̇̒̈ͅY̷̡̢̨̧̺̭͎̠͓̜̙͔̦͔̽̀,̶̯͓̓͛̄͊̉́̂̄͐̔̆̈͝ ̵̛̤̫͓̱͚̺̰͕͚͙̅̈́͛̊̎ͅS̷̡̰̤̥̫̱͔̥͍̊̆͋̈́̇̔͒͆̐̄̕̕̕H̶͔̙̘̊̈́̅͗͛̾̌̇̍̾̆̅̕͝O̷̪̹̼̤̾̄̎̉͌̅̊́̐̈́̕͠Ȑ̵̤̱̼̹̬̘̻͔̇̊̇͗̓̈̈́̄͐͗̚̚T̷͓̞̳̩̈́͆̐͂͗͋̃̅̀̐̚͝S̸̝̼͕̮̆͂̉͑T̸̤̹̎̑͌̐̎̈́̔̒̋͝͠U̸̩̯͎̘̙̪̜͂F̵̮͈̪̭̽F̸̧͍͓͇̞͖̮͍͙̓͊̍

"No fucking cops!" Lindy shouted, holding herself as she repeated the words slamming into her mind: Finding herself laying on her stomach, facing towards the floor. Shakily, she slowly managed to raise herself to her knees: But all she did with this was nearly fall back down; Catching herself with her palms and cracking the floor below her with strength similar to have of the vending machine.

"No fucking cops!"

"̷͕̬̀̍͗̇̾̚Ḧ̸͔͉̖̦̈́̈́̓̑̈̈͊͑̋͗̕ͅe̵̡̥̻̙̣̣̙̹̱͓͚͖̣̅l̷̨̧̖̉̈́̽͋̋̇̀̔̿͑̕l̸̫͇͎͚̆̃o̴̤͓͖̻̤̬̓͆͜?̸̹̱̙̩͇́͋̐͊̽̄̿̈̈́͝?̸̡̨͍͓͚̺͕̂̈́̋͑̈́͌̐́̏̚͜͜͜ ̵̧̛̠̥͕̘̬͚̭̲͕̤̜͙̱̿̈́̇̈̈́̈́͋͑̒Ạ̵͖̝͔̝͙̫͗͋̌̓́̍̈̈͛̆͑͒̚r̵̨̟̞̤̳̗̰͈͎̯̃̎̍̎̀ͅe̴̜̓̓̄̀̇̂͒̉̀̌̀̕͘ ̴̧̨̧͎̘̩͉͙̩͌̔̇ȳ̶̢̛̜̜̻̖̬͓̬͚̹̈̒̔̑̆̔͛͛͆́̌͝o̵̞͂͌͛̈͐̿͒̉̔͋̏͘͝ǘ̸̢̞̻̤͎̤̻͗͐̅̀͌̂͋̃̂̽͂̏̕-̸̛͕̩̱̺̣̱̝̻͈͔̝̘̑͒̅͒́̈́̒̎̾̚͘-̵̞͚̮̎̀͛̀̐͂͋̐̕"̸̧͇̱̺̠͕̫͍͍͍̣̩̪̖̉̈̓
̸̢̝̫̭̟̼̬̠̩̦̣̤̓̅͑̕
_{"No fucking cops!"}

”̴͈̞̼̼͗͜Ņ̴͕̭̪̉̍̉̂̇͘̕ǫ̶̨͉̳̫̠͈̰̬͈̳͒̌ͅ!̶̼͓̿̈́̒̈́̉͗̽̃͊̿̎͒͑͘ ̷̢̛͕̘̾̈̑͛̓͗̿̚̕͝N̸̛̳͔̬̖̜̗̩͊̏̐́̏̂̍̎o̷̦̺̳͗-̴̦͚͔͙̳̤̘̜͊̓̃̉͝͝ͅͅ,̶̛͎͈̺̩̤͓̃̿̓̈̏̋̄̾͝͝ ̶̨͉̬̗̣̖̩̯̭̹̲͓̔̐̉͛̂͊̆̈̍f̷̙͙̜̭͗̈́ų̸̡̧̖̭̱͉̺͆͗̀̑̽̎c̸̺̣̖̰͌̀̿̈́̒̀̈̌̽̅͝k̴̨̯̰͙͉̪̟̾̂̉͗͛̈i̵͔̝͊͒̎͆̋͋ň̶̢̧̯̭̼̬̺͐̀̚̕g̷̛̘̗͉͚̈̂́̍̂̓͌̇̈͠ͅ ̴͇͚̼̼̺̮̬͖͕̿͋́̀́̄̓̆̒̽̾͛̕͜ͅ[̶̢̣̖̫̞̖̺͙̜͚̤͉͉̲͑̈́͌͑̓̌̈́̌̓ĩ̶̡̨̼̬̬̬͎̫̠͉̇̈̽̔̀̈́ͅ]̴̢͍͖͕͇̃̈́̆̓̈́͆̄̽̾c̸̦̔̅̂͆̽̀̆̇̉ò̴̢̨͕̞̺̖͎̘͛̄́̉̂̉́̊͗͝p̸̢̥̭̰̯̲̝̲̳̘̝̮͚̏ş̴͍̣̖̞̩̹̙̙̄̀́̽͜͝!̷̡̛̛̠̮̖͖͙̋͊̈́̋̅̆͒̔͛́͜͝”̶͔͍̝͒̇̄

The screaming simply continued as Lindy collapsed onto the ground, gripping back at her head in immense pain.

The blank stare was what had her pulling back her hand to set the food down. She was about to ask if something was wrong since the girl was suddenly sweating bullets with slow shallow breathing but never got the chance. The loud blood curdling scream echo down the hall, the noise practically giving her a heart attack and causing panic to flare at the spontaneous reaction. What the heck just happened?! What did she do? What was going on?! Reyna looked down the hallways, trying to see anyone that could help the girl. This was way out of her league to handle. She was making no sense now and when it seemed she might make a run for it, it only ended up causing her to fall which in turn made Reyna back up as cracks appeared in the flooring. The continuous screams were tearing at her soul and she wanted to run to get help but there was no way she was gonna leave her like this. What is she got hurt? What if she accidentally hurt someone else like she feared earlier?

No, Reyna wouldn’t allow that. ”SOMEONE!?!? PLEASE HELP!?! she called out desperately, trying to be louder than the girl on the floor. The random screaming was awful but actually calling for help might be enough to grab someone’s attention that wasn’t a nurse or doctor, not that she wouldn’t mind one of those right about now. She tried to think of what had caused the reaction in front of her but it made no sense. Sure, she had seemed upset but a full mental break down just didn’t line up with the conversation they just had! Tears gathered in her eyes, wanting to comfort the girl or get some kind of help and all she could be was useless. Reyna desperately scanned down the halls in panic, ”SOMEBODY!?!? ANYBODY!?!? HELP!!!”

---

Scott had given Marcus a choice- sort his own thoughts out by himself or come with him. Either way, Scott wouldn’t have hesitated to keep going. Knowing how bad it had been for him, and after seeing what had gone down with Marcus- well, he had the feeling he should be there to help them through it.
And speaking of which; Scott felt a sudden jolt of adrenaline, but through a haze, as if it were coming from someone else. Yup, super-power stuff. His neck jerked a bit. Someone was panicky. Scared maybe? Also hungry. Definitely hungry.

…

Feeling other people’s brains was weird.

And that’s when the screaming started. Scott rushed around the corner, only to see one girl crumpled in a corner and the other standing in panic by a broken vending machine. Well… that happened.

Movement caught the corner of her eye, her gaze instantly locking on the man that had just popped around the corner. Just having another person there was a relief because this was way out of her realm to handle but she knew one thing for sure...she wasn’t leaving someone to flip out on the ground alone. Now that there was another person in the mix, one of them could rush to get some help or they could move her to a better location than a floor with shatter vending machine all around.

“Hey, so… weird question; You guys were at ESU when the thing happened, weren’t you?”

Reyna blinked, confusion etched clearly on her face as she thought, ’there is no way he seriously just asked that question now of all times… and was still trying to process it clearly.

<sup>"̸̨̥̓̌́E̸̛͔͓̾m̸̨̻͖̟͌̀͑p̷̰̑͐̊͠ͅȉ̸̲̟̳̮̈̓ȓ̸̛̮̣̮͖̂͠e̷̻̼̟̅ ̴͚̱̿̀͜S̵͚̪͓̔ť̷̲̣͇̊̓̋ā̶͇͚̕t̵̺̓̏͌e̵̳̮̙̲̍̈́ ̸̟̱̰͝U̵̡̨͕͖̅n̸̛̼͐i̸̩̰͒͘͜v̶̖̮͓̼̉̋͘ė̶͚̭̌́̅r̸͍̹͕̮̈͊ṣ̶̣̱̪̆̀i̴͖͉̠̎̾̕t̴̼̹͒̔̍y̷̢̯͖̓̾̊̿͜-̴͎̎̌̒̆-̵̢̧̞̲̿̽̅̽"̵̯̭̳͎̔̉̒

"̶͈͎͉̻̋̀M̴̧͔̒̽̾y̷͉͆͆̈́́ ̶̫̼̖͖̃n̵̨̬͐͊̈́à̵̗̮͔̍m̶̯̥̹͈̅͛ȅ̴̲̎̀̏ ̴̹̔̆̓i̴̟̾̚s̸̢̢̬̩͆̆̀̒ ̷̪̭͉́L̴̲̱̠̀́ī̷̛̥͇͑n̴͎̿̉̚̚d̷̯̻̃͌ͅÿ̶͙̤̯͑̃ ̷̱͕͉͈̃̇̈́̚Ā̵͍͚͘ǘ̶͚͕̖̃ḋ̷̰͛̌r̶̟̠̈ų̵̜͉̖̔m̵͔̃͂̕͝;̵̟̭̫̃̎ ̴̡̢̙̦̍͐͐̽P̵̬͗̕͜l̶̠̟̍e̷͉̒̏a̸͖͍̔͐s̵̡̭͊̉ȅ̴͚́̒͝,̴̛̱̪̳͊̄͘ ̷̮̖̄̀j̸̙͍̪̉u̷̩̮͂͜͝s̷̢̯̣̎͝ț̵͔̻͔͆̚ ̵̱̦̠̠̈́̓̃͝ḧ̵̻̈́̑̚ū̵̞͖̼͈͛r̸̙̱̻̓r̸̳͔͉̙͗ý̶̥̮͗͒̚!̶͉̂"̴̱́</sup>

Lindy's breathing became heavier. Those words: They were sparking things. The university... Where was that girl? She was hurt, she needed help. She called the ambulance, damn it! Where was the ambulance?! Where were the doctors? This girl was going to bleed out and die!

She lifted her head, looking around frantically: Tears pouring from her eyes as the pain came rushing back; Her head felt like it was about to split open.

"Where did she go?!" Lindy questioned, hands leaving her head and instead searching the floor. She shuffled through the busted pieces of the vending machine, accidentally pressing her hand into a sharp edge and causing her palm to bleed; She hissed at the pain, but seemingly ignored it as if she had better concerns; Rather, she just bled onto the floor as she shuffled through the debris. _{"She's-- She's gonna die... I have to help her."}

It was the words from the girl on the floor that had her snapping out of the small moment she was having. Reyna moved to kneel down next to her, desperately swiping more of the debris out of the way since the other had already managed to cut herself in the sudden frantic searching of the floor. She didn’t want her to get more hurt than she was so if Reyna got a few nicks to save worst damage then she would.”I haven’t gone anywhere. I’m right here. We are gonna get you help.”, she said in a soft voice, trying to keep it calm even though she was freaking out inside. The last thing they needed was more triggers.

With the area around them now safe or as safe as it was going to get, she turned her attention to the dark haired man that had joined them. He had an athletic build and seemed capable of being able to move the other girl with far more easy than she would be able to. It was hard to say if he would be a faster runner to sprint for help but they were limited on options. In all honestly, she was already a little irritated with him since he had chosen to try and question not only her....but a screaming person on the ground. He had it right though, weird was the only way to define the placement of the question as well as the whole situation.

”Does that really matter right now!?! Help me move her or go find a doctor to come here! I don’t know what is happening to her and she is already a danger to herself, I know she wouldn’t want to hurt anyone else but I am not ruling that out either. You don’t leave someone in this situation alone.”, Reyna snapped while barking out orders to the stranger, desperation and concern leaking into her tone near the end. She was trying not to be angry but she was scared, confused and worried. She just wanted to make sure the other girl would be alright.

Slowly, very slowly, Scott approached, placing a hand on the taller girl’s shoulder.
“It’s going to be okay,” he assured, “I’m Scott, by the way. Scott Yi. I… yeah, this is gonna be weird. You guys have super powers now,” he remarked, his tone steadily deflating as he went on.

She relaxed slightly under the simple touch of her shoulder, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. The last thing they needed was her taking out her frustration on an innocent guy that was at least there to help when no doctors seemed to be around to do their job.
”Sorry, today has been kind of a lot. I didn’t mean to snap at you. My name is Reyna and...well, I don’t actually know her name.” she stated, looking to the poor girl that was a mess on the floor. She bit her lip lightly at Scott’s next statement though, her eyes drifting to the broken vending machine before looking back at him.”That...actually makes a lot of sense for her but I don’t think that is the case for me. Nothing weird has happened to me so far. I mean, other than the normal aches and pains.”

“You definitely have super-powers, like mine.”
Scott slowly lifted the huddled, and formerly screaming, girl into his arms, holding her close. She seemed to have suffered more of a traumatic injury than the rest here. Maybe she had become affected while already in the hospital? Either way, it was best to keep her out of the glass. His eyes flicked around to the walls, double checking that there were no cameras or stray observers around. With the coast being clear, he sidled over to the wall near the vending machines, and placed one hand against it. He then placed one foot on the wall, then the other, as he shimmied up it a short distance, then let himself back down.
“And… odds are you two can do that too,” he admitted.

She held out both of her hands, inspecting them a bit before standing up slowly and raking her hands through her hair. There was no denying that the other two had abilities but this all seemed like something out of a sci-fi movie or show to her. Now she knew how the companions in ’Doctor Who felt when they saw something insane and had their world turned upside down. ”This is...I don’t know if it should be incredible or terrifying. Not only for me but...there has to be a lot more people than this. Not everyone would use powers for good reasons.” Reyna stated, just speaking her mind and trying to make sense of it all. She looked to Scott, worried and trying to find some sort of answer to all this.”What are we even supposed to do now?”

“Yeah I… I know. I don’t know either,” Scott replied.

_{"B-But... Where...?"}

In comforting arms, Lindy's breathing began to calm. Still confused, but not flailing or breaking anything. Her surroundings were returning; Flashes to the past were fading, and her head began to hurt more trying to process the events. Things were kind of... Dizzy? She felt like she could vomit, though had no intention of doing so; And probably nothing to vomit in the first place considering how the situation started.

Scared of the sequence of events she had just experienced, she clung to the nearest thing she could; The man carrying her. Fear ran rampant in her mind over the mixture of everything she just saw slowly fading away, and the thought of the strength she had now returning. That gi-- Was it a girl? Or a man? Things were slipping away, getting blurrier. She felt tired; Her grip on the man loosening as her eyes began to slowly begin closing.

Her head turned enough to see the vending machine; And the blood on the floor. The stinging in her hand became more apparent, but it didn't really matter. She had a horrible thought in her head that wouldn't go away: Perhaps it was childish fear, or something more. No matter what it was, she couldn't help but question herself:

_{"Am I a monster?"}

Her eyes drifted downward, closing as her grip loosened further; She seemingly fainted from the stress piling in her mind. The bright side was she was calm, but with her both bleeding and obviously terrified, what was the best thing to do with her?
“No,” Scott replied, smoothing down the girl’s hair, “No you’re not. You’re still you. Oh, nice to meet you Reyna.”

”The pleasure is all mine. Now let’s get this one back to her room.” she replied, taking a look at the girls wrist band to snag the room number. Once they had the information they needed, she started heading in that direction, conversing with Scott along the way. She was just glad that Lindy seemed to be slowly getting into a better place before she had fallen asleep. Scott would be able to let her know a bit more about the whole power thing once she was more alert and maybe she would find out more about herself. It made her curious just how many more like them that their could be.

Alan Walker And Alexander "Xander" Lee

Alan wasn’t sure how long he lied there for, but eventually, he pushed himself to do something. He glanced side-to-side to make sure he was alone before pulling the tubes and needles out of him and sitting upwards. Seeing that all his items had been taken from him, he sighed. I need to find a phone. Mom’s likely worried sick about me…

He started limping his way out of the room and down the hallway. As one might expect after a bio-weapon being unleashed, the place was like a madhouse with doctors and nurses moving from one part of the hospital to the other. Not helping was the occasional wails of pain and sorrow that could be heard in the distance.

To help calm his nerves, he stopped to grab a cup of water from a conveniently-placed pitcher then took a seat on a bench.

Xander was just about bored out of his mind so he got up to go stretch his legs, maybe he should try to apologize to the nurse who he had puked on. If he could find her that is, his vision was blurry in that moment that he couldn’t really make out her face, only that she was a redhead. He slowly began to rip tubes and such off of him so that he could get up, not really noticing the plastic melting slightly in his grip.

With that the six foot two martial artist began to slowly stumble through the halls, his vision still not fully clear and his ears ringing a bit so he did not sense the chaos around him. First things first, he needed something to drink, so when he spotted some water he shakily poured himself a cup and sat down.

Every few minutes he would accidentally spill a drop or two on his flesh causing steam to come off of him.

When Xander took a seat next to him, it took Alan a few moments to recall where he’d seen him before but soon, his memories fully returned and he blinked in surprise, “Xander? Is that you? You got caught in that weird mist too?” He had yet to notice the steam coming off the martial artist.

It took a moment before Xander’s ears to stop ringing, but right after they did he recognized a semi-familiar voice speak his name. “Oh, yeah I was in the middle of a math test when the bomb went off” he sighed honestly before adding “At least my professor can’t fail me because he died in the blast” the young man chuckled rather nervously.

However, Alan didn’t find it very funny, as evident by the frown on his face, “Dude...too soon, don’t you think?”

Xander downed his water and got some more before shaking his head. “Alan?” he asked as his vision finally finished clearing up.

“Yeah, it’s me,” The baker-in-training confirmed before downing some of his water, “I was on campus selling some of my baked goods so I could make money to take my Mom out for a nice dinner. Guess that’s not happening anytime soon now…”

“I’m sorry to hear that, according to the news report the bomb went off in the science building so I was a couple dozen feet away from ground zero.” Xander sighed honestly, knowing full well that everybody who had a STEM class that morning was likely dead, except for him. His hands weren’t shaking as much now, but right before they stopped he watched some steam come off of his left knee.

Alan took notice of the steam but didn’t say anything for the moment, instead just opting to get up long enough to grab the whole pitcher and bring it back, “...And you wanna know the part that really sucks? The cops in this city are likely never getting to the bottom of it. Oh, they’ll spend a few months or so making it look like they’re doing stuff, finding persons of interest, saying some flowery words to the press…”

He filled his cup again before handing the pitcher over, “But sooner or later, they’ll bury the whole case.”

“Yeah...just like they did with my uncle’s murder…!” Xander muttered under his breath. With that he crushed the paper cup in his hand, accidentally burning it down to ash, before getting up. “I haven’t trusted cops since high school.” he shook his head before finally looking back to Alan.

His sudden burst of rage caused his temperature to spike, which made the linoleum at his feet melt slightly. “Anyway, why don’t you take your mom to Lucky Star when we finally get out of this place?” the tall young man offered with a sigh.

“Sounds like we’re both in the same boat,” Alan pointed out as he tossed his cup into a nearby trash bin before glancing at Xander, managing a small smile, “I think my Mom would like that very much. You know, just a week ago she was asking how do you get those chow mein noodles to taste so good.”

“I know the secret to that, but I will only tell you if you promise to never to tell anybody” Xander informed with a sly smirk “My grandmother wants it to stay a family secret”. He then gave a bit of the shifty eyes before saying “I’ll make a single exception for you mom, but that’s it.”

Despite their current situation, Alan managed a small chuckle,”We get out of here alive, I’ll be sure to let her know...but something tells me she’ll say no as I’m pretty sure neither of us wants you to get in trouble with your grandmother. Speaking of which…”

The young man put a finger to his mouth for silence before glancing down the hall, seeing what looked to be the nurses that frequented his room talking to a couple of the doctors. For some reason, the hairs on his skin were tingling, “Follow me, it’s not safe to talk here anymore…”

Alan stood up and headed to a nearby vacant office before beckoning to the martial artist to join him.

Xander silently nodded and followed Alan down the hall to the empty office. He did not know where they were going, but easily understood that anywhere is better than being out in the open right now. Being much calmer now, his footsteps did not leave scorch mark behind.

After they were inside, Alan would lock the door and let out a breath, “Ok, I don’t know if there’s cameras here but either way we don’t have a lot of time so I’m just gonna come out and say it…” He eyed the martial artist warily, “You and me...that bomb...I think it did something to us.”

Xander’s eyes widened a bit at that statement before something finally clicked. Out of habit he then snapped his fingers, but this time when he did it his thumb caught fire. “Um...Is this what you are talking about?” he asked in shock as he watched the flame emanating from his thumb burn, though it did not hurt him at all.

Upon seeing this, the baker clapped and pointed with both index fingers, “Exactly that! Yes!” He began pacing back and forth me, “As for me, I spent the last three years needing prescription glasses then suddenly I wake up this morning and find I got perfect vision! That doesn’t happen to just anybody!!”

Knowing he was getting carried away, he stopped and took a deep breath, “And back there...I saw the nurses that frequent my room talking to the doctors and I felt the hairs on my arm standing up. It was almost like...I don’t know, a warning siren of sorts. That something bad was coming....”

“I felt that too, but I thought I might be crazy so I didn’t know if I should act on it or anything,” Xander agreed solemnly just before finally getting the flame of his thumb to go out. With that he looked out the windows of the dark room they were in together really quickly and let out a sigh of relief. “It looks like the coast is clear now, we should get back to our rooms."

However, Alan shook his head, “Bad idea. Sooner or later, something's gonna happen that'll let everyone know we got these abilities and when that happens...I don't know about you, but my chances of seeing my Mom again are gonna drop sharply...”

“Alright, we head back to my place and hideout until its safe” Xander suggested with a knowing grin before taking another sneaky look out the window “The question is, how do we get out of here unnoticed?"

“One step at a time, my good friend,” Alan said with a smirk, “First thing’s first...we need some clothes as I’m not gonna be caught in public wearing this…”

---

"Hmmmm....." The nurse stare at the clipboard for what Kim feels like hours. Maligaya, Kim mother, have been holding Kim hand ever since she arrived, Kim almost starting crying when her mom rush into the room and give her a big hug, it was nice to feel her mother lovely embrace. The nurse look at Kim and Maligaya, "Well, I don't know what to say mrs.Agbayani but from this result paper, it seem you are....Ok" The nurse say, Kim and her mother sign in relief, she thought it was going be something serious but after the gas attack, how can result say that Kim is fine? "To be honest ladies, I'm surprised of these results. I thought it was going to be bad like anyone else who got sick from the gas attack but it seems that you are ok" The nurse say warmly "... besides the busted nose"

"When will my daughter be leave?" Maligaya say to the nurse "Not today unfortunately but I'm pretty certain your daughter will leave tomorrow" Kim sign, she just want to leave right now and just go home, she starting to feel sick being here. "I will be checking on her daughter every two hours." The nurse say "Thank you for taking care of my daughter and um, sorry to push you out of the way, mrs um..." "Mrs. Aikyo and it's ok mrs. Agbayani. If i have a daughter who was in the hospital, I would push nurses out of the way as well" Mrs.Aikyo and Kim mother Exchange laughs at each other while Kim just rolled her eyes

"Ok, I will let you two be. I'm going to take care of the patients. See you in every two hours Kim" Mrs Aikyo warmly say as she walk out of the door leaving Kim and her mother in the patient room. Kim and Maligaya are just sitting and looking at each other in silence, then with no hesitation, Maligaya hug Kim once again and Kim just can't help but to cry again, she never cry this much before but it didn't matter, her mother is here with her and that what matters "I was so so so worry about you my sanggol..." Maligaya say tearfully "...Me too mom...me too, I thought I was going die..." Kim say back "Well, you're alive and that what matters" Maligaya place her forehead on to Kim forehead. Kim love it when she does that, her mother always does that when Kim is upset or hurt.

---

They sit in silence once again but that doesn't stop Kim mother is start a conversation "So, Kim...." "So, um, mom?" ".......Why were you at the university?" Her mom say curiously. Shit! Quick Kim, think of a lie! Any lie! "Well umm, mom, you see um..." Maligaya look at Kim with a questionable expression, waiting for Kim answer ".....Well um, my alarm clock wasn't working, so I got up late..." Maligaya glare at Kim Cmon Kim, think of something....That it! "Knowing I'll be late for school, I rush toward Empire State University, I thought it was going to be a easy shortcut and that how I got attack from the gas and before ask, no, I wasn't thinking about skipping school today." Kim smile nervously at her and just hoping she believe her lie ".....Well my little treeswift, I'm glad that you are finding ways to get to school on time" her mother say warmly, Kim sigh in relief quietly but at the same time, Kim feel kind of bad for lying to her mother sometimes

"So, how were things while I was in the hospital? Did the students from the school get me or say anything?" Kim ask "Well, I couldn't sleep at all while you were away but people at work are sending get well cards for you but as the students, well, they not getting you anything yet" Yet is usually means never or no to Kim, the students at her school are always pretend that Kim never Existent and teachers never really care either. Kim thinks why bother going to school anyway "Oh! Wait, her friend Suzy, that girl who love science, was worry and sick." .....Oh yeah, that why. "She ask me all the time if you are out the hospital and she even come with me in the hospital to see you." Kim look at her mother with wide eyes, Suzy came here as well but that wouldn't be surprising, this is Suzy after all, she was the first person who welcome her with open arms. Kim lucky to met Suzy, a girl like her wouldn't hang out a weird girl like Kim but there she is, want to listen her songs and stay with her like Ray does....Maybe that why Kim have a crush on her

"Um Kim?" Kim snap out of it and gone back to reality when Kim mother tip her shoulder. "Um hey mom?" Kim say "Um, dear, you're glowing" "Oh really? It's probably hot in here or something. Are my cheeks red?" "No, Kim, you're really glowing. You're blue." Kim look at her hand to see it glowing blue! Panicking, she rush out of bed and head to the door, "Um you are probably um, seeing things. And I'm goingtothebathroomokbye!" Kim rush out of the halls and into the bathroom

---

Kim finally made it to the bathroom and see in the mirror that she really is glowing. Kim try to wrap her arms, hoping the glow would go away but it wouldn't, "UGH! Go away, go away!" She say to herself. Kim ran into a stall to avoid being see, she sit down the toilet and try wrap all over herself to make the glow to go away. "Go away, go away, go away, go away!" She say to herself quietly. it's official, this have been the worst day ever in Kim life so far

A restless wind blew across the courtyard, bring a refreshing coolness despite the heat of the mid-day sun.

The cafeteria was crowded and noisy. A throng of students had formed disorganized queues around the various stalls selling food. The dull roar of idle chatter permeated the air and forced everyone to casually shout at one another. Nalini sat cross-legged at a small table by the window. She wasn't the biggest fan of people in general, but she somehow felt at home in the chaos. The rap tracks playing through her headphones helped drown out the noise too.

Nalini was incognito today. She liked attention, but not all the time, and definitely not when a paper was due. With intentionally frizzed hair, thick glasses she didn't need, and no make up, she was dressed to unimpress. And, if someone got the bright idea to get too close while she was studying, she believed the ten pound cudgel in the shape of a textbook would persuade them otherwise. It had the weighty title "Cultural Anthropology". She hoped most people read it as "Run Away Quickly". She took a sip of her iced latte as she scanned the pages, scribbling notes every now and then.

Almost thirty minutes had passed before anyone summoned the courage to bother her, even during the lunch rush. A short girl with purple shoulder-length hair that looked like it had been dipped in hot pink dye sat down at her table. Nalini looked up from her book and met the girl's eyes. They were bright and cheery and regarded her with mild terror. Nalini saw it, but said nothing and patiently waited to see if she would do anything else besides smile nervously.

Everyone else had the good sense to strategically avoid her, so anyone crazy enough to walk through her imposing aura of "fuck off" deserved a little respect. They got more if their brain didn't melt in the first five minutes of talking to her.

"I hope you don't mind." The girl spoke at a near shout to overcome the noise. "...There's nowhere else to sit. This place is so crowded." She said, adjusting her volume. "My name's Bobby. What's yours?"
She made the kind of reflexive smile people use when they feel awkward and are trying to be polite.

With a mix of calm intensity and subdued admiration, Nalini's expression did the talking for her. Her raised brows and heavy gaze silently posed questions like "Who are you and why are you sitting within 10 feet me?" and "How many hours did you spent on that perfect ombre fade? It looks immaculate."

Nalini pulled out one of her ear phones, music blasting from the speaker, and spoke in a clear even tone that cut through the din, "Sorry. I didn't hear anything you said, but you're more than welcome to sit there, Bobby." She said with a genuine smile and promptly put her ear phone back in.

Bobby's expression loosened with the effort of thought and her brows knitted together in confusion. Something didn't add up. "Wait...If you didn't... How did you... ?" Her questions piled together and died tragically as her train of thought derailed off a bridge and into a ravine. She eventually collected her thoughts from the wreckage. "If you didn't hear me at all, how did you know my name?"

"Magic." Nalini said dismissively.

"Riiight. Magic." Her sarcasm was obvious. Bobby's pouting face sank into her palm as she prodded her salad tray with disinterest. She could faintly hear the deep bass notes from across the table. Whatever she's listening to is really loud. Can she really hear me over that and the rest of the noise in here?

"How about this?" Nalini began. "I'll make a deal with you. A fair trade. I'll tell you my secret, if you tell me one of yours." Nalini gave her an expectant look.

"I don't even know your name." She countered.

"Fair. It's Nalini, Nalini Nortman. My dad owns Ingonyama on 81st street in Manhattan. Y'know, the restaurant?"

Bobby wore a blank expression; the name wasn't familiar. "Sorry, I don't know it." She admitted finally.

"Nevermind that. Are you in?" Despite her best effort to hide it, the edges of Nalini's mouth curled into a grin.

Bobby seemed to consider the offer for a moment, then clicked her tongue and sighed. "Fine...But will you promise not to laugh?"

Nalini nodded.

She took a baited breath as if she was preparing to jump off a cliff, then took the plunge. "I don't know about you, but in our high school they had this really stupid sexual orientation class. Sometimes they hand out pamphlets, but our teacher decided to hand out condoms too. Except she stapled each one to pamphlet and then tried to lecture us about how to use them properly."

Nalini was trying desperately to hold back her laughter, but a giggle snort came out her nose instead.

Bobby continued, trying to ignore her. "I told her she just ruined all of the condoms here, and wasn't helping anybody. We got into a big fight about it. They sent me to the principal's office, and somehow I got suspended for day because my teacher was an idiot. It's the only time I was ever in trouble."

Nalini hid her face with her textbook and started to shudder with mirth. Quietly restrained laughter leaked out against her will.

"Your turn." She urged, mildly offended. Even as Bobby's cheeks reddened, she couldn't stop herself from laughing a bit too.

Nalini slowly collected herself and choked back the giggling fits. "That was priceless. Mine is nowhere near as good as that!" She removed both of her earphones and let out some of her pent up excitement in a sigh. "Phew...Well, the tl;dr version is my dad and I used to watch people in the restaurant and make up stories about what they were actually talking about. But when I was kid, he started going deaf in one ear and soon he'll be deaf in the other. So our game started to include lip reading as well. Like those guys over there are..." Nalini eyed a group of guys three tables behind Bobby. After a long pause, she grimaced.
"They're debating who they would bang, kill, or marry between you, me, and the girl behind me. Trust me, you don't know want to know what they said."

Bobby turned and shot them a look of disapproval. "What a bunch of assholes." She stared back at her meal tray and huffed irritably "You know what... I've lost my appetite."

"Me too." There was no food on her side of the table

Bobby laughed and shook her head. "You're ridiculous."

"And you're way more interesting than you look." Nalini said with smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She said acting hurt.

"Trust me, it's a compliment. By my estimate, you've got more than half a brain, probably a whole one, which is a hundred percent more than what most people have. That's like a two hundred percent difference." Nalini could barely hold her stoic expression without cracking a smile.

Bobby face warmed and she fell into a pile of giggles and laughter. "Your math is so far from being right, I'm not even sure it's wrong."

Nalini shook her head knowingly, wry amusement widened her grin. Her phone chirped and displayed the time. She sighed and began packing her things, "I gotta go. If you don't want to be leered at by the dickless poachers over there, then walk with me to my next class. You can even lecture me on math or how exactly you dyed your hair so damn perfectly."

Bobby looked at her with an incredulous smile, and then slowly nodded. "You're so strange. Fun, but strange."

"Better than being dull." Nalini countered with a matter-of-fact tone. "Anyway, let's get out of here."

It was a brief walk to the science building, but the two girls took the long way around just so they could have more time to talk. Their conversation was colorful and filled with laughter. Nalini's freshman year in college had been a harsh one until now, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad, if she had someone like Bobby as a friend.

They were both walking through the hallways when the world went dark.



Nalini stirred in her sleep. Everything was hot, too hot, like she was lying in an oven. Tears of agony wet her lashes as the pain singed her nerves. The sheets clung to her damp skin uncomfortably. She tried clawing them off, but couldn’t. Her limbs wouldn’t respond, trapping her inside a body that wouldn’t move.

Hazy visions raced through her mind. There was shouting and screaming, distant and faint, which echoed and faded into a noisy oblivion. Hot colors burst in her eyes and gave way to a roiling fog of red hues. Memories erupted one after another. Some she recognized, some she didn’t. But the one that always haunted her were the eyes filled with mortal terror looking back at her, pleading for help. It was Bobby. Her face was pale and haggard. A writhing liquid, black and foul, seeped from her eyes and mouth as she drew in short, ragged breaths. Words formed on her lips, but the memory was murky and always ended with deafening silence.



Nalini knew she was in a hospital before she ever opened her eyes. The acrid scent of rubbing alcohol and musty bedding had been accosting her since she regained her senses. Just smelling the rubbing alcohol made her thirsty. She craved it, and it made her feel awful, strange. She struggled to open her eyes and was surprised to see a bizarre relief of ultra-blue hues dancing on the walls. It was dark outside the window, yet the paint still glowed. It revealed messy hand prints and old splatter stains, bright against the violet background. The flowers on the windowsill seemed to be from a distant alien world. Neon crimson and intense violet petals rimmed a collection of delicate stalks painted with moonlight. Even in the dark, everything was awash with vibrant colour. It was a bewildering sight.

Something was wrong. Her pulse began to quicken; panic accelerated it. Dread settled in as she struggled to sit up, barely noticing the plastic tubes hanging from her. It wasn't just the colors in the night that worried her. A terrible thirst haunted her. Her throat felt unbearably dry. A water bottle was left on a tray nearby. She reached for it, groaning with effort, and started chugging it. Even after she polished off the bottle… Nothing.

A mild scent drew her gaze to cabinet a several feet distant. Thirst tightened her chest and closed her throat. She had no idea what it was inside, but she knew she needed it. The loud thumping in her ears drowned out the sound of her own thoughts. She padded from the bed to cabinet.

Her attention fell upon a bottle of rubbing alcohol and, next to it, iodine. Acting on instinct she reached for them, one after another, and began drinking them to the last.

The rough taste scoured her tongue. Nalini's stomach lurched and twisted in disapproval. It felt like molten metal was churning inside her, but the pounding headache and her racing pulse both began to subside. The shock of realization froze her thoughts even as the strange craving faded.

"What the fuck am I doing… What's wrong with me?"

VvVvV

Alan Walker And Alexander Lee

Xander checked the hallway really quick before forcing the tall cabinet open and starting to dig through it. It took a bit, but he eventually found some clean scrubs. “Do you want the set with a shirt or the one without one?” the Asian teen offered as he held up a full set a light blue scrubs and just a pair of black scrub pants.

Alan glanced between the two outfits, recalling how he’d caught Xander several times doing training in just a pair of pants. As such, he gestured to the one with the shirt.

Xander nodded and tossed the full set at Alan. With that he began to put the black pants on, accidentally ripping the hospital gown that he was wearing the process.

His cheeks flushing red at the sight of Xander’s muscles, Alan turned away and took off his gown, blinking in surprise at his own toned physique. He knew that he wasn’t obese or even that blocky but he was certainly no bodybuilder, yet compared to the old him he was looking fairly ripped.

Filing that info away for later, Alan quickly changed into proper attire before poking his head out the door, “Ok, now for the tricky part: Actually getting out of here.”

Xander poked his head out with Alan, soon spotting the melted footprints on the floor “Fuck, I’m going to need to stay calm“ he sighed. From there he quickly noticed that the hallway was finally empty. “Good, the coast is clear” he nodded to the baker.

The martial artist than turned to Alan, motioning him to follow before tiptoeing out the door. “Now which way do we go?” he whispered to the shorter man.

“No idea,” Alan admitted as he also tiptoed out, “But people need to be getting in and out of here somehow…” He then spotted a vent cover, “Hang on…”

He crept over and pried it off with his bare hands, staring in shock at his own physical strength, “Whoa…” Shaking his head, he motioned to Xander, “Come on, before anyone comes to check.”

Xander squeezed his way into the vent, he just barely fit within the space. Being six foot two made it very hard for him to get inside of the tight pathway. He moved in a little bit more than enough for Alan to get in too.

Xander heated up a bit more, the steam giving the baker a silent signal to follow. With that he began to keep going further in.

Alan saw the signal and slipped into the vent as well, putting the vent cover back in such a way it wouldn’t be immediately obvious it had been tampered with. Not even a few seconds after he finished, a pair of feet walked by, causing him to wince and hold his breath…

Thankfully, the feet didn’t stop moving and he breathed a small sigh of relief. He then turned to Xander and made the gesture for them to keep moving. At one point during their crawling though, they’d come across a grate in the bottom of the shaft and voices could be heard below.

“So, how’s it looking so far, doctor?” One of the nurses asked.

The doctor sighed and shook his head, “We’ve done what we can but by the looks of it, at least 40% of the patients we got here will be dead in a matter of weeks, if not sooner.”

If the nurse was shaken by the news, she was doing a good job of not showing it, “Have you noticed anything..unusual about the patients? Any of them displayed like mutations of some kind?”

The doctor went through his papers for a moment, “Hmm...actually, we have noticed certain cases where the patients’ bodies have gone through a period of what looked like radiation sickness...only for the signs to vanish in a matter of days. We did have two cases of particular interest: One is an Alexander Lee whose displayed periods of vastly heightened body heat and a Alan Walker whose skin and eye color has displayed periods of rapid color change…”

At this news, Alan froze like a statue...

“Fuck, we need to get out of here yesterday...!” Xander muttered as he turned to Alan. With that he began to go through the vents as fast as he could without making a sound. Eventually in his panic he led the baker to a dead end, but the good news is they were near the fire escape.

The martial artist then punched the vent, opening them to the fire escape on the outside of the building. “Shweet!” he grinned before starting to climb out of the hospital and into the rain.

Alan could only follow along in silence, pondering to himself just how deep his particular changes went. However, his spirits were lifted when he climbed out to the fire escape and ended up in the rain. He opened his mouth and let the rain land on his tongue, “Ahhh..my friend, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to be outdoors…"

He let the cool, soothing rain fall on him, even going so far as to use some handfuls to wash his face. For a moment, he felt totally at peace…

Except that didn’t last as Alan knew they still had a way's to go before they were truly free,"Let's book it while we still got the chance."

Xander began to quickly run down the fire escape, being on the third floor made their path difficult. In his panic his body began to heat up causing steam to come off of him and parts of the metal that he touched to melt a little.

Once he was close to the ground he leaped across the street, coming dangerously close to getting hit by a car. The martial artist just kept running, making his way down to Chinatown.

They had ran for about a couple of dozen blocks before he felt the need to take a breath. He turned to the baker “Just a little bit further and we’ll be almost to my home” he panted with his hands on his knees and steam coming off of his bare flesh.

Alan said nothing and kept pace with his friend, somehow doing so despite the fact the martial artist was in far better shape than he was.

Unable to take anymore, he turned and puked at the street corner…

After he finally managed to catch his breath, Xander began to slowly climb on top of the bridge in front of them that had Chinatown on the other side.

It took Alan a few moments to compose himself before following along though he did so at a more even pace in a effort to conserve his strength.

At one point, he had to ask, “So...you’re sure your folks won’t mind us crashing at your place for a bit?”

“I’ve lived alone in my uncle’s old loft for the last couple of years” Xander informed honestly with a sullen sigh as he crawled across the top of the bridge. He had to do so on all fours as not to risk falling into the river below. Once they made it to the other side the martial artist jumped over, barely grabbing onto the fire escape of the closest building.

“Come on, just a couple more blocks” the martial artist instructed as he began to climb up onto the roof. With that he ran across the roof top and sprung onto the next.

Alan watched Xander take off and start parkouring, to which he shook his head, “Yeah, I think I’ll stay do-” He stopped at seeing police cars pass by right below him, “On second thought, your way looks better.”

With that, he proceeded to also climb along the bridge, finding it to be surprisingly easy, which he chalked up to yet another feature of his new physiology. He kept pace with his friend, even managing to do a running jump to reach the fire escape. He repeated Xander’s actions and before long had caught up to him.

“Ok, this is just me but I’m pretty sure there is no way I should’ve been capable of doing all that under normal circumstances…” Alan admitted after he was done.

“I have never done this before myself” Xander admitted as he looked around really quick before jumping across to the next roof. He continued to run and jump from rooftop to rooftop for about three more blocks.

Finally the martial artist stopped to catch his breath. “You see that old dojo with that partially burnt out neon sign just across the street?” he asked with a tired sigh.

The baker looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if to say “Really?” before shrugging and following his lead. Once Xander pointed out the building, he nodded, “Yep. I guess that’s your house?”

“Yup, I hope Loki didn’t miss me too much” Xander chuckled before walking over closer to the corner of the roof. With that he jumped across, skidding across the roof before grabbing onto the edge. From there he stood up and motioned for Alan to follow.

“This dude is gonna be the death of me someday…” Alan thought to himself as he repeated what he’d just seen.

With that Xander opened the hatch in the glass over his loft before climbing in. “Come on in, there is a cot down stairs if you want to stay the night” he offered before adding “I have some leftover Chinese food in the fridge if you want some dinner”. From there a black Maine Coon kitten jumped onto his shoulders “I missed you too, Loki” the martial artist smirked.

“Thanks. Anywhere is better than that hospital…” Suddenly, Alan spotted Loki and squealed, “Oh my gosh, what a fluffy kitty! Can I pet the kitty cat, please?”

“That is up to him, but you can try” Xander informed honestly as he grabbed some fried rice and orange chicken out of the fridge. With that he grabbed a couple of paper plates and chopsticks. “Do you know how to use chopsticks?” the martial artist asked curiously as he opened up his microwave.

“You’re a big ball of fluff, you know that?” Alan squealed while holding Loki, “Who’s a super fluffy kitty cat? You are! Yes you are!” He scratched Loki behind the ear.

With that Xander reheated dinner for Alan and himself, handing each of them a pair of chopsticks.

---

Lindy's eyes slowly opened as she stirred from her apparent slumber; Hearing the sounds of rain, and the light creaking of a rocking chair. Everything felt so light; Like she was floating, in a way. Without a care in the world aside from the comfort she felt at this very moment. But a natural instinct in her caused her to be wary; Her eyes managed to widen, and allow her a view of the room around her. It looked familiar.

It looked like home.

Lindy shifted in the chair, pulling herself to her feet in a heavy, slow motion. As she hit the ground, things suddenly felt... Taller? When she observed herself, she was, indeed, shorter. Or maybe she was never taller? She felt the cute baby-blue sleeping gown she wore, recalling it well: It was something she wore years ago. Many years ago.

Small feet waddling forward in bunny-slippers, she explored the room with curiosity; Feeling the furniture, looking at books on the small coffee tables, and simply taking in the atmosphere. It was so strange; She remembered a hospital, and her being super strong... Punching through a vending machine like it was nothing. Was it a bad dream? Maybe. Why was she down here, alone? Her room was upstairs. Her parents always carried her to bed, before: So why not tonight of all nights? Especially with rain?



The sound wasn't heavy, but it did catch her ears; Lindy looked up towards the stairs, hearing a voice that instinctively drove her towards it. Each step up the stairs was a trial, her small legs barely lifting high enough to go up each step; But she managed. She looked left and right, trying to find the source of the noise. If she had to guess, it might've been from...



To the left... Her room, of course.

She carried herself forward; Approaching the door. She reached upwards, but damn it, the knob was too high up. She could still hear the words coming from behind the door, but couldn't get in normally. What to do? Go get a chair? That sounded hard... Wait a second.

Slowly, she reeled back her tiny hand: Before throwing it forward and crashing it through the door, causing whoever was on the other side to gasp in surprise.

She pulled her fist back, and punched again.

And again.

And again, until there was space enough for her to walk through.



No... What was she doing here? This was her room, not whoever was in her bed, calling for her parents. A fake, a horrible fake. She continued to walk forward.



Monster? There wasn't a monster here; Unless it was this faking creature. Lindy knew she was right; She knew this thing wasn't her. It laid in bed, crying, pretending to be her. She wouldn't allow that.

So she climbed the bed, watching the faker recoil and scream.



No. Lindy wasn't going anywhere.



No, she was the monster! She was trying to play mindgames; Lindy wouldn't allow it. Whatever this thing was, it had to be removed; One way, or another. There wasn't room for two Lindy's to share this bed. What did this weak and pathetic one think it could do? Stop her? That's a pathetic thought.

Lindy grabbed her fake.



Lindy's grip tightened.



Tighter...

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"Stop!" Lindy shouted, shooting back awake from her momentary faint; Sweat pouring down her face as she quickly gathered what her surroundings were: Hospital. Above the ground. She saw that girl that was comforting her earlier; But Lindy felt more elevated to her height right now.

Looking up, she made eye contact with him; A man, carrying her. Lindy felt vulnerable, noting the gown she was wearing; It caused her to look down, and see blood: Slight blood on her gown, and a similar red on her hand, despite there not being any wound. Her brain wasn't able to process what was going on; There was too much to follow, and she felt so lost. All she remembered was the fear; The fear of her strength she used on the vending machine still in viewing distance.

"Wh-What happened? I was just sitting over by that wall a minute ago!" She questioned, voice squeaking slightly from the confusion. It would appear that whatever her freakout was, she wasn't aware of it: Or even aware of the freakout happening at all. Instead of screaming or dead-silent as she momentarily was, she was back to scared, and confused.

It wasn't intentional, maybe instinctive: She gripped the clothing of the man holding her, wanting answers. It was like she faded out of existence and ended up in his arms; That was way too weird to pile on with what else was already happening!

_{"A-And the blood: Why is there blood on me?!"} She asked more quietly, biting her lip.

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_{|Ft. The Talents of Sassy1085...|}

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“Oh, y’all came back to see how he was doin huh? That’s cool...he’s wasn’t tho. He lookin like somebody deepfryin his @$$ from the inside out; tossin and turnin nd $#!?. On top of that he been hiding somethin from the doctors because he don’t know what the hell it is. Maw&?!$@ out here leakin like day-old milk. Plus, he’s about to notice a little somethin is missing.

What? Who am I? That ain’t important right now. What is, is that X is up now. Keep an eye on him for me, I got $#!? to do…”

Okay, so, here Ray thought he was getting better. Fact is, it was getting worse. The burning feeling was still there, now he had a headache, and he wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating or what. For the past hour, his forearms felt real sore and tingly, and weirdly...sticky. When he looked, it appeared like there were small holes in them or something, with white stuff oozing out. This...whatever the fuck this was, Ray wasn’t here for. Plus, the pillow was making his neck MAD itchy….Wait.

Ray pulled a hand up near his collarbone and it was bare. For the first time in days, blood ran cold. His pulse picked up in pace and he looked around frantically. Where was it?! Why wasn’t it there?!?

He lurched up from where he was laying, eyes bouncing from side to side on the bed; not there. Lifted the pillow, nothing. He was soon to toss the pillow aside...but it stuck. He shook his hand and it didn’t budge. What kind of shit was this now? Did somebody inject him with superglue? His hands didn’t feel sticky though!

Though, when he tried to pull the pillow off of his hand, the strength of trying to separate it from his hand left him reeling back. That action, in turn, nearly left him spiraling off of the bed. Though, not only that, but the bed itself leaned with him. The only thing that saved him from a huge crash was a hand that clipped the ground.

In a matter of seconds, Ray somehow found himself stuck to the leaning medical bed propped up by only his pillowed hand. He felt like his legs were strapped to the bed, but with the blanket having fallen off, there was nothing there but his own legs. He looked around and exhaled cooly through the soreness in his muscles, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on with him.

This was something straight out of a cartoon or a comic strip, he swore it. Thank god he was stuck to this damn bed, there was no telling how expensive it’d be if any of that equipment broke. More than anything he and his mom got scrounge up, that’s for sure.

As he was about to place his other hand down to try stabilize his awkward position, he took note of the sound of the heart monitor. Right on cue. It had to be the hand propping him up that the device was connected to. If he moved too much, he might have pulled that down too, as the wire was pulled to its limit.

In a burst of adrenaline, he used whatever strength he had in his ground hand to try flipping himself and the bed upright. To much of his surprise, he actually did it. There was a sort of loud bang as it settled back in place. His breaths came out a little easier. Everything seemed fine...Though, his legs were still about as stuck as a hobo to a street corner.

Looking around again, he glanced down at the blanket now on the floor and he noticed it. Laying on the floor, was Cello’s necklace. It must’ve been under the blanket. There was a small sigh of relief. Yet, with the relaxing of his shoulders, the pillow stuck to his hand fell. Ray blinked at it and then wobbled his legs.

Free again…? What the hell was going on with all that? Regardless, he was quick to get out of the mind bending glue bed, almost tumbling off and breaking his neck in the process. Once down, he grabbed up the piece of string with beads on it and threw the loop over his head.

With it safe where it belonged, Ray pulled himself to his slipper-socked feet. His eyes flew to the bed again and he glanced down to his wrists. The holes weren’t bleeding...or leaking that weird substance anymore. All of this was really bizarre, to say the least. Well, now that he was up, he figured he might try walking around a little...at least to the bathroom. He just needed to get out of here for right now…

Stepping out of the room he was in, Ray took a look around. There weirdly wasn't that many people walking around the halls. Which kind of surprised him in comparison with earlier, but he figured that they were probably just between different rooms. Although it burned and was really weird to walk, he made moves to head to the bathroom. He wasn't sure how he could feel hot and cold at the same time, like, the air was cold, but his body was hot.

He noticed a bin with clothes in it that hadn't been pushed away yet, so he nabbed a white pair of them hospital scrub pants. Walking around Free Willy style, with this patiently waiting ass hospital dress, wasn't about to be it chief. Besides, that whole mess with the sticking already had him on edge.

He followed signs that led to where the restrooms were, unable to curt the urge to glance into other people's rooms. There was just a sort of need to know if Kim was in one of those rooms sleeping or something. The nurse said she was breathing. Ray wanted to believe that she was okay but he had to see with his own eyes.

Ray had already passed by a few rooms. It wasn't looking too good. On the flipside, some had closed curtains, which could have had her behind one of them. Though, that didn't satisfy his protective instinct. Ray just....he had to know. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost another one. He shouldn't have coaxed her into coming on the university campus that day.

An elephant load of guilt sat on his chest as he rounded a corner. The bathroom shouldn't be too far away now. After that, he'd probably do a little more poking around till the docs decided to…--

A sharp pain hit him in the forehead, like a gunshot at close range. It pulsated for the span of a few minutes. Maybe his triflin ass shouldn't have gotten out of bed like he was superman or some shit. Whatever. He finally looked up from the tile floor, and he noticed her. There was only one person in all New York that had blue hair like hers. The fact that she had the same look on her face only confirmed it. He continued on his approach.

"Kimi...? You okay?"

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"Go away, go away, go away...." No matter how many times she tell it, the glow in her body just won't go away. Kim just doesn't understand, was she is drug from the doctors or nurse in the hospital or was it the gas?

*Ok Kim, please calm down. If you're really high right now, you would make it go away* Kim close her eyes and think really hard to make the drug in her mind to go away *.........Ok, noooooooooow.....Stop being high now!* she open to see she is still glowing, Kim sigh in disgust *All right, that didn't work. Come on Kim! How do you make this glowing stuff go away?* Kim thought about for awhile......Until, a lightbulb pop on the top of her head *That it! Think of happy thoughts, mom did say think about those if you are sad or something...* Kim close her eyes and happy thoughts fly into her mind

Kim see her cousins, having fun back when she uses to live in her old home. Second thought is Kim when she was a kid, she was crying, her mother came to side and Comfort her. Third thought is on the first day of school when she moved to New York and she was all alone, until someone call out and that someone was Suzy, smiling and all. The fourth thought when she was on the steps of her new home, feeling miserable and frustrated, feeling like she doesn't belong here. Kim starting to get steps on the sidewalk and see shoes on the floor, she look up and see a familiar face that is too recognizable...And it was-

*Oh shit! I forgot about Ray!* Kim rush out of the stall but immediately stop when she see herself in the mirror, she not glowing anymore "Huh, I guess it work." Kim say to herself "Ok, time to find Ray and find out what happened to us. I swear if this hospital drug me or that dumb gas attack drug me, then I'm going to lose my shi-" Kim stop talking as she step out of the bathroom, she turn her head and see a friend that she haven't see for like years....Even though it was four days.....It was Ray.

Kim have no time to answer to Ray question, all she can do is just Ray a big hug around his body.

Kim try not to cry up in front of her friend but tears keep escape from her eyes "I'm okay? How about you? You okay?" Kim chuckle a little but while wiping her cheeks.

From the way her little arms immediately tucked around him, he could tell she was a bit shaken up. Shaken, but okay. Although the squeeze made the muscle burning hurt worse, he didn't even care, smiling a little. Ray let his free hand come up to the back of her indigo curls to hug her back and he shook his head.

"It's gonna take a helluva lot more than some crackhead pixie dust to take me out." He jested as well, clearly more at ease than before.

Kim giggle, Ray goes find a way to make her laugh at times like this but her giggles slowly fade away as she sign in exhaustion.

Ray took the time while Kim was giggling to head into the little archway that led to the mens room. He didn't go all the way in, but just enough to be out of view. Putting on those scrub pants he found, they were too big around the waist, but Ray had the cure for that. He just rolled them joints up at the top. Temporary solution, but who the fuck was honestly tryna stunt in hospital clothes?

When Ray came back out, he noticed her sitting on the floor, so, he just rolled his shoulders and leaned on the wall beside her.

"Hey Ray...." Kim look up at Ray ".....Do you think that gas attack did something to us?"

Kimi's question solicited a nod in response. One of his wrists lowered and he pointed to one of the small holes that he had on each.

"I don't know what kinda radiation or witchcraft was goin on in that crackhead cloud, but, it's definitely did somethin to me." Ray replied in a lower tone so as to not echo down the hall. "But out here might not be the best place to talk about all this."

"Hmmmm.....You're right, I think one of these nurses are, like, man in black or know karate or something" Kim look back to see a nurse walking in halls, she noticed Kim looking at her, she wave at Kim kindly and walk away.

Ray released a snickered through a hiss in response to her comment about the nurses. “No kiddin.”

"Plus, my mom is probably worry about me cause I rush out of the roo-"

"Kim! There you are!" Kim mom head pop out of the door "Don't run out of your room in such a hurry, what if you fall and busted your nose aga-" Kim Mom stop when she notices Ray "Oh Raymond! Oh poor dear, did the gas attack you too?" She ask Ray in a worry tone.

His head wryly shook at the mother fretting over her daughter. Though, when the attention shifted to him, Ray shrugged.

"I guess so. I was out there takin a tour nd stuff, next thing I know I’m here. Thought about goin to that school too, but it's lookin more like hex to the nah."

"Aww, I guess all of us are having rough day." Maligaya say with a sign "Well, since we are all here, how about we drink some tea that I made from home. I believe it still hot and sweet" she lovely say. Kim pull herself up from the floor, "To be honest, I would love to have some tea right now. How about you, Ray?" She ask Ray.

Ray gave the offer some thought, and ultimately nodded. The taste of his own morning-noon-night breath was really starting to kill his soul right now. Plus, Ms. M made some pretty damn good tea. Better than anything this hospital was serving.

"Sure, why not." He agreed, putting his hands in his pockets.

Kim, Ray and Maligaya walk back to Kim room, Kim jump back to her bed while her mother pull out a bottle of tea and two cups from her bag. "Now, you two stay here while I go to cafeteria to get Ray a cup." Kim Mom leaves the room to leave Ray and Kim in the room.

Ray slid over to the wall across from Kim’s bed and sighed. “So, about that gas…”

Greenwich Hospital

---

"Stop!"

It was that one simple word that had her attention locked back on the girl, Lindy, as she jolted awake in Scott’s arms. It looked as though she was still in a fearful and panicked state but it didn’t seem quiet like it had been before. Lindy seemed to be coherent this time around, looking around her and when her eyes landed on Reyna, their seemed to be recognition in the depths of those eyes. Unfortunately, the moment her attention was directed to the man holding her, it was clear from her features that confusion and if not even deeper feelings were playing out inside the other. Reyna couldn’t honestly imagine what it must be like for the other girl in this moment after what had happened not to long ago. It also meant that if she didn’t remember Scott, than it was safe to say she didn’t remember the explanation for the vending machine or the fact that the previous cut she had done to herself was healed.

It wasn’t much later that her suspicions were confirmed. The last thing she probably remembered was the hug that she had tried to comfort Lindy with. She really didn’t know how to explain to the girl about all that had happened and honestly, some of it had been a bit...weird. Reyna’s gaze drifting to Scott for an moment at that thought before shaking it away. It had to be nerves or something right? Maybe it was because they were both girls or something else they didn’t know? Either way, maybe it was best if she was the one to give it a try. He had dropped the bomb shell on her but the ill timed questions had been hard on her, possibly more so than the other information. The powers part still didn’t feel real for her. She had tried to tell Scott she felt normal still be he had said she was like the other two with her.

It scares her to think what she might be like if Lindy’s powers were any example but she sucked it up. It wasn’t about her right now. She needed to help the one that was really in need first. She could reflect on everything by herself later. ”Lindy, I know this is all really confusing and scary but it’s going to be alright. I’ll explain what happened and I know this will be hard to hear or understand but please bare with me. I don’t mean to upset you or put you through more than you have already had to deal with.” Reyna started, trying to keep calm even tones like you would do when comforting a child who had a nightmare.

”When we were back in the hallway by the vending machine, you suddenly became very out of it. It was almost as if you were having a kind of break down, screaming on the floor in fear and panic. I didn’t want to leave your side for fear of you getting hurt. I called out for help since I was afraid I wouldn’t be strong enough to pick you up on my own and get you to a doctor.

The man carrying you is Scott, he heard us and came to see what had happened. After some.....discussions, we managed to get you picked up but not before you managed to cut yourself while supposedly searching for someone. I tried to move the pieces away from you as best I could but you were already cracking the floor when you tried to move. The most important from the discussion I spoke of earlier, was the fact that Scott let us or more me know that the incident, that attack at the university changed us in a huge way.

We, each of us, have powers and apparently they aren’t all exactly alike. It seems some might be the same but others, like what you did with the vending machine are our own. We were on our way to your room so we could put you down and you could get some rest. I was planning to stay till you woke up.” Reyna said, hoping she had answered as much as she could for Lindy and in a way that wouldn’t be completely dropped on her. This wasn’t a normal everyday discussion and that was before you added powers into the mix of it. She could see now how someone might mess that up or want to rush it out. It was stressful knowing something so much more than yourself and having to tell another. Reyna still wasn’t sure how she felt about earlier but they wasn’t something to think of now. All she could do was hope that Lindy would be alright. That she could handle what she had just been told and if not, then Reyna would at least try to support her as she had tried to do in the hallway.