Lukas didn't want to voice it, none of them did, but it was Alex who finally spoke, "No," he said firmly, looking angrier by the second. "I'm done with fucking hiding. After everything, after finally finding one of ours, I'm not going back to that. This time we fight." Mikael raised an eyebrow at him, then looked at the others. One by one, they each nodded slowly, even Lukas himself, who usually did everything in his power to avoid unnecessary violence. But this was necessary, he knew. It had to end. The longer it went on, the more collateral damage there would be. Mikael looked up then, as Ash and Jason came back downstairs, dressed this time. Sensing the tense feeling in the room, Jason raised an eyebrow, and Mikael answered him, "They're coming," he said simply. Ash's eyes widened, and she looked up at Jason, who's face darkened as he swore under his breath."We want to fight," Cameron said, and Alex nodded. "No more running," Nate added, and Alex and Mikael both looked at Jason w

Mikael watched Jason and Ash head back upstairs, before turning to the others, "I'll make sure everything here is turned off and locked down," he said quietly, and Alex nodded. "We'll go pack our things," he said, looking at Nate, "but Cameron can stay with you, following from a distance behind, until you're closer." Mikael frowned a little at that, knowing it was safer alone, but eventually nodded, "Alright, but only most of the way, and far behind. I'll stop a little way southeast of town and you can circle around and go in first. Lukas will be there already." They nodded then, and Alex and Nate grabbed their shoes and moved towards a shadow, "We'll wait a few hours to follow you, a while apart from each other," Alex said. "Be careful," Mikael replied , and they both nodded as they slipped into the shadows and away. Cameron began putting out the fire, while Mikael went room by room, turning everything off that needed to be, and checking doors and windows. They met back in the livi

Jason pulled Ashallia under him more, covering her protectively as the room continued to shake, more dust and chunks of concrete falling around them. "Are you guys alright?" he asked, trying to see through the dust towards them. He heard Cameron coughing, which was certainly an improvement on him being unconscious just a few minutes before, and Mikael and Lukas groaned softly. "We're okay," Lukas said, his voice sounding strained, "Is that all of them?" he asked, and Ashallia coughed again, trying to cover her nose and mouth with her sleeve, "I could only sense him, I transferred what I could from you two.." she said weakly, and Cameron groaned a soft, "Thank you." As the room fell still and silent again, they waited a long moment, then began to slowly get up. Looking around the room, a sense of dismay filled them all. Large chunks of the ceiling had caved, and streams of dust stopped and started in various places, making the whole thing look unstable, and worse, he saw that the sta

Ash smiled, feeling an enormous sense of relief as each of them stepped out of the shadows in the small dining room of the old house, finally safe. Or safer, at least. "So, where to?" asked Alex, and Mikael sighed, "Almost anywhere but here, but first," he turned and gave Jason a look that made him nod, before taking another one of those tiny devices from the seam of his jeans. "You're going to blow it up?" Ash asked, her eyes wide, and Alex patted her shoulder, "Let's call it, 'helping it collapse'," he said, sounding apathetic. "You don't care? That it'll be gone?" she asked, a touch of sadness in her voice, and Jason shook his head, "It's just a building," he said softly, "Everything that has ever meant something to me, will still live on." He reached over to touch her cheek, and she blushed, knowing he included her as part of that. He kissed her forehead softly, and she smiled up at him, before realising that they were all looking at her, waiting. "What?" she asked, confused, an

Ash froze as she turned and saw the second man with a crossbow, and reached out for Jason. He turned, and she heard him sigh deeply as the stranger stepped closer, keeping his crossbow aimed at them. He seemed unable to decide who to focus it in though, shifting between them two of them, looking tense, and at least a little bit afraid. "Jack," he called out suddenly, with a thick northern accent, "I've got 'em over 'ere," he said, lowering his voice as he spoke to the two of them instead. "How many more o' ye are there?" he asked, and Jason sighed again. "Just the two of us, for now," he said, as he slowly moved in front of Ash, putting her between him and the large tree. "The fuck ye mean, 'for now'?" another voice asked, coming around from behind the tree, where the first shooter had been. Jason shrugged, looking far too casual, though she could sense his tension through their connection, and assumed it was deliberate. "More are coming," he said calmly, "but we mean no harm. Just