The last wisps of dark clouds moved away in the sky, taking with them the heavy rain that had poured on the town for hours. Tentatively poking his head out of the post office he had taken shelter in, Mack inspected the weather. Bits of the sun poked out behind the clouds now, but there still was some light rain. The air was warm and groggy, thick with what Mack hoped was enough humidity to minimize any unpleasant encounters with a certain individual on his way back to base. It was probably best to get moving quickly.<br/><br/>Checking the streets for any movement, the boy stepped out of the dilapidated building, one hand leaving a thin film of black slime on the door as he closed it behind him as quiet as he could. There was nothing around him except ancient, boarded up buildings. Warped plywood covered most of the windows and years of ocean salt had eaten away at the bricks. Everything was empty - just as it was supposed to. He stood still, listening for anything other than the rain and his own breathing.<br/><br/>Nothing.<br/><br/>He checked his surroundings again, took a deep breath, and then broke into a run towards the direction of the coast. The ground made wet<span style="font-style: italic">splish</span>sounds under the balls of his feet as he ran. Fast as he was, it would be a while before he reached base.