STATUS REPORT: ALL APPEARS TO BE GOING SMOOTHLY
SUPPLIES RUNNING LOW, MORE SCAVENGEING PARTIES WILL BE SENT OUT
NO RESEARCH PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE
"..Mark- who were those people?"
Mark jumps at Sebastian's voice, quickly turning behind him.
"S-Sebastian! Hey- how.. how long were you listening?"
"I.. I was here the whole time."
"They- they uh.. they're just old friends of mine."
"Mark, I.. I'm not an idiot. I have ears you know. Those aren't your friends.."
"I-.. Look I'll handle it okay? I promise you won't be in danger as long as I have something to say about it."
"..W-Why can't we just go to that lab place? Isn't it meant to be safe? We could be protected from those people."
"No! You don't understand bud, we can't do that. We can always get more food, we can fend those people off. People with power though, you can't trust them. They always stab you in the back."
"..I feel like you're lying to me."
"What- why would I even? That's absurd Sebastian. You are all I have. We're family, family doesn't lie."
"Then tell me the truth! I-.. those bad people said something about a scheme you pulled them into, r-right? Does that have to do with what mom was fighting with you over? I-Is that why she kicked you out?"
"N-No, it isn't.. I-.. it isn't like that.
"Then what is it like?"
"I-.. look, I made some bad decisions Seb. I care about you and your mother more than anything else in the world. You're all I have left. I.. I lied a lot, okay? I lied to people for money, a-and I lied to your mother about how I got that money."
"You lied to mom?"
It's all in the past though- those people were just.. remnants of that past. If we go to that lab, with government people. How long until they recognize me? I.. I owe them a lot of money. If we went there, and we got separated.. I don't know what I'd do."
"Mark.."
"..Things may be difficult, we may have a bit less food, those people breathing down our necks, but.. I-.. we'll be together, alright?"
"..You're selfish."
"What?"
"W-What if I don't wanna be here? Maybe I wanna be in that lab place. Why do you have to decide for me? That's stupid. You.. you just wanna feel good about yourself, you don't care about how I feel as long as you get to feel like you're in the right!"
"Sebastian- take that back."
"O-Or what?"
"I- look.. I'm not arguing with you over this. I'm the adult, you're the child. You'll understand how I feel when you're older."
"Yeah right.."
"Sebastian- go to that guest room now. Everything will work out, but I am not fighting with you over this."
Begrudgingly, Sebastian agreed. Limping his way to his room. Mark remaining by the outside door.
"..Family has to stick together, that's all there is to it. I can't trust him with anyone else but myself.. He'll get it when he's older."
Sebastian returns to his room, sighing as he shuts the door. Quietly he looks down to the floor.
He shuts his eyes for a moment, images from the dream last night returns to his head.
His eyes open just as quickly as they shut. He lets out a shaky sigh.
"Why am I seeing this?"
He questions, no answer seeming apparent to him at this moment. He returns to his bed and sits down.
Sebastian begins digging in his pocket, pulling out a worn photograph. His mother smiling behind a younger version of him.
He feels teary eyed looking at the picture, as if it reminds him of a now missing piece of himself.
"..I'm sorry mom."
He brings the picture closer to his face, sniffling once as he looks at it for some time longer.
His moment is interrupted by a loud noise outside. The noise of an alarm clock rings incessantly.
"W-What the?"
Sebastian jumps at the sudden noise, sliding the picture into his pocket quickly. As he does so Mark enters his room.
"Sebastian- hide now. We have company."
The boy nods quickly, moving with great haste to make it underneath the bed he was once lying on.
Mark grabs his trusted baseball bat, alongside a knife from the walk in for extra safety before exiting the house.
He's faced with 5 husks, all going towards the noise of the alarm by Sebastian's window.
He moves as quiet as he can, using his knife as he sneaks behind one of the distracted husks, stabbing at it in the head.
He gently brings it to the ground, taking care not to alert any more husks. He repeats this process with another husk.
Outside of Sebastian's window, 3 husks are banding at the boards covering the glass.
Mark takes no chances as he yells to the husks to grab their attention, bringing their focus off of the boys window and onto him.
He singles them out. Using more energy than needed, but taking them out regardless one swing to the head at a time.
Once he's finished with fighting the small group, he rushes to the alarm clock to turn it off.
Once finished, Mark notices that the final husk appeared to have a note taped to it's lower back. Slowly Mark pulls it off and reads the scratchy handwriting.
"WE KNOW ABOUT THE KID. 3 MORE CANS OR WE WILL BE PAYING HIM A VISIT. YOUR DEADLINE IS THE SAME AS BEFORE."