The car moved too slowly,

  the cold plastic of the case resting against my leg.

  The drive was quick.

  And when we arrived back at the house Will met us at the door. He turned to me gently, taking the kit and placing his hand on Rich’s shoulder walking us back inside. It's only been a matter of hours since we left. I followed them back up the stairs back to infamy connected to the garage where Jay lays nearly motionless on the table. Will starts an IV and takes the time to adjust the bandages, slowly his eyes open but he doesn't look at us, or anything really. Time passes an hour or two, before he begins to come too again.

  “How are you?” Rich asks once he truly seems conscious.

  “Better.” Rich stood over him watching his breathing and Will's reaction to it. Bruises and spots have begun to appear on his face.

  “Do you think you can tell us what happened, do they know about us hiding out here?”

  He nods, pulling himself up to sit a bit taller, before cleaning his throat. He coughs and his face twitches as he adjusts clearly still in pain.

  “I don't think they know where you are, but they know you're still a problem. Not long after you and Juno left, I was promoted. They realized that that ‘thing’ grew back too fast to cut our way through. They hired me to find its weak point. Once I did they began killing off any of the wanders/shrouded. There waiting till the wall was weakest before they blew a hole through the thing.”

  “They have explosives?”

  “They went down into the quarry and found sulfur and someone smart enough to turn the damn thing to ‘gunpowder’. They've been mass producing it since then, that's why they've been looking for so many workers, I didn't know about what they were doing to people until later.”

  “What happened to you, I didn't approve of what they were doing to people we both know damn well the chance of them recovering… I helped a few too many people get out and well they didn't need me anymore.

  Spider tried to put a knife in me but I wasn't so stupid as to turn my back to that man. I got thrown off the train not far after that connector point before the tunnel. Cut wasn't as bad as it could have been, but I'm lucky that man of yours remembers his sutures.” Will smiles.

  Will never got recruited by the Morrowmen; he was too smart for that. And far too cautious.

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  “Rich, they're looking for anyone, anything that could get in their way. This is their last shot. They are desperate, they will come looking." He slowly turns his attention to the mask Rich had on his hip, his eyes softened as he grabs his hand.

  “How much time do we have?”

  “Not enough.” Rich looks to Will and nods,

  “Juno, go tell May and Ella what's happening, It’s time we take them back to the Drayfolk.”

  I steep out into the hall, closing the door behind me. I have a bad feeling about this.

  “May?” She looks up the steps to me.

  “Let me guess, They have Bug, and they're coming to finish the job, aren't they?” She looks into my eyes, this was never her home, it wasn't even Rich’s. This place doesn't mean much to her. And she doesn't even flinch when I tell her.

  “Are you staying?”

  “I don't know.” Rich won't leave this place, staying out of the way is the best chance to survive this, But… They don't care about us, I could go with the others.

  “I’ll make a few calls, you'll need to decide.” I make my way over to the couch slumping over onto it for a long moment, Ella climbs up to sit beside me.

  “Juno.” Will walks down the stairs.

  “Get your things.”

  “What.”

  “You're going with May and Ella.”

  “You're… you're staying?” I stand walking over to him, he puts his hand on my shoulder.

  “Just because they're looking for us doesn't mean they'll find us, we just need more time. They'll need someone to look after them son, May can go back to working with Laura, Ella can make some new friends, maybe even go back to school. This doesn't have to be a bad thing.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me, this Isn’t fucking funny. I'm not fucking leaving You here.”

  “Juno.”

  “No, I'm not doing this.”

  “JUNO” Rich yells from the top of the stairs as he walks into the scene. He looks miserable. He pauses for a moment really looking at me.

  “We need to talk to you.” Will looks to Rich, as May leaves the room, taking Ella with her.

  “I have the plague Juno, I have for a while.” The room goes cold. NO, NO, NO, NO.

  “Jay has it too.

  Juno.

  I need you to listen to me.

  Have you been feeling odd, maybe confused, any stiffness, tingling, do you feel unlike yourself at all?”

  “No, I… I feel fine, you can't be serious. How did you?”

  “We don't know, no one knows.”

  “It’s safer if… you go with them. We will call everyday, and May will help you get settled in. Will can visit often but May’s been teaching him to…” he trails off

  “NO! I’m not leaving, you can't make me! I don't care what ‘could’ happen. I’m not going, I'm staying here with you as long as you...” this is real isn’t it.

  “Go pack your things kid.”

  “Whats going to happen to you, how long.”

  “Juno, please not right now, I can't right now.”