Rainie listened to the childâ€™s surprisingly lengthy explanation with wide, attentive eyes. When the boy swung a 9mm up for her to see, her eyes picked up the word<span style="font-style: italic">Knight</span>immediately. Her eyes instantly turned dark violet, and her heart picked up double time.<span style="font-style: italic">Itâ€™s Aareagow. Thereâ€™s no doubt.</span><br/><br/>Adrian had heard most of the boyâ€™s speech as he had scanned the alleyway for possible threats, kicking at dumpsters and overturning crates. There was a long-dead body a few feet away, but it was ultimately clear. Somewhere near the end of the speech, he glanced toward the other end of the ally and only then realized Nathan wasnâ€™t with them.<br/><br/>â€œRainie,â€ he said and she glanced up. â€œThe nerdâ€™s gone.â€<br/><br/>She leapt to her feet in an instant with an indignant, â€œWhat?!â€ She sprinted to the end of the alley and looked around, but saw no sign of Nathan. Instead, she saw a young man about AJâ€™s age sprinting their way. She stepped back as the boy swept the child into his arms and held him.<br/><br/>The siblings quickly gathered that these two were definitely related. Their matching red hair was a testament to it.<br/><br/>The older boy looked at her and pleaded, â€œPlease you have to go save him! He told me to leave because I had to take care of Danny and he had no one else so it didnâ€™t matter if he died. Please go save him!â€<br/><br/>Rainie clenched her teeth. Nathan was missing. That thought was foremost in her mind. Nathan was more than likely in trouble. He needed her help. But these two strangers were begging for her help. Her ground-in police officer teachings told her that the immediate need was the need to be met. There were people asking for help, and she couldnâ€™t deny them.<span style="font-style: italic">Damn it, itâ€™s Knight Aareagow, that man who </span>shot<span style="font-style: italic"> you!</span><br/><br/>A sudden onslaught of gunfire scared the buhjeezus out of all of them. It wasnâ€™t just one gun firing now, but many more. The four of them dashed out of the alleyway to stare down the vast road littered with old cars and the bodies of the unlucky. Cold crept into the siblingsâ€™ chests, and they looked at each other.<br/><br/>Adrian hissed in irritation. â€œGod damn it. You go help them. Iâ€™ll go save the other damn hero.â€ He reached for his M16 and nodded at the younger boy and glanced at the child. They would be safe with Rainie.<br/><br/>He slid his gaze back to his sister, and found an odd desperation mixed with resolution in her eyes. She nodded to him once. Even as he turned away, the image lingered. â€œShit.â€ He muttered. He jogged a ways, his eyes scanning for any sign of the nerd, and finding none. Determined, he pressed on.<br/><br/>Rainie watched her own brother disappear, and finally looked at the pair of brothers. She was unwavering now, her gaze strong and her grip on her machine gun firm. â€œLetâ€™s go.â€ She said, then turned and ran toward the sound of gunfire. She heard the brothers behind her, and didnâ€™t look back.<br/><br/>----<br/><br/>Four soldiers fanned out in perfect harmony, taking down numerous Infected in their wake. They soon cut a swath through the mob and made it to Knight in a matter of minutes. Once there, they made an arc around him and continued firing.<br/><br/>All in synchronization, they released their empty mags, and slapped in new clips all at once. In the sudden pause of gunfire, a new source of fire started. Infected started dropping as a woman with the devilâ€™s scarlet hair burst onto the scene, guns blazing.<br/><br/>----<br/><br/>AJ cursed under his breath for the umpteenth time in the past minute and a half. He had turned down a blind alley and woven through the mess of turns, getting deeper and deeper with each passing second. He ended up hopelessly lost.<br/><br/>â€œFuck...â€ He whispered. What kind of rescuer was he? Damn it, Rainie was never going to forgive him if he didnâ€™t find this asshole.<br/><br/>Finally, he stopped and took a deep breath. He tried to block out the sound of faraway gunfire. That was easy now, he had wandered so far from it. Next he strained for any sounds that were close. The wind fluttering old paper, his own breath, the animalistic shouts of Infected. Slowly, he smiled. He was close. His eyes fell to the pavement, and he noticed the lone dry item for miles.<br/><br/>Taking a step toward it, he eyed it critically. It was a burnt out match, not even slightly soggy. Either there was a zombie out there who couldnâ€™t light his cigarette, or it was Nathan. That thought was confirmed further by the resounding echo of a nearby gunshot.<br/><br/>And Adrian was off like a bullet, winding corners and jumping trashcans when he abruptly came up short. A small crowd of Infected were gathered in the alley, and a door was just beyond them. Adrianâ€™s M16 was immediately in his hands, and he opened fire on the group. The peppering of bullets took them down slowly, as opposed to how quickly they would go down with a comparatively stronger gun. But it got the job done in two clips.<br/><br/>Scoffing, he stomped up to the door, not caring how much zombie muck he got on his boots, but secretly praying his hunch was correct. Making a fist, he pounded on the door. It swung open, and he stared at Nathan dryly with a hand on a hip.<br/><br/>â€œYouâ€™re a fucking<span style="font-style: italic">morooon.</span>â€ He nearly sang with irony and sarcasm dripping from each word.