(Four Weeks Later - April 20, 2017 - The Tower's Headquarters on Floor 19 - 18:13...)

I'm gonna have to do a time skip here, about eighteen days. I don't really have much of a choice in the matter, because this is... Dawud kidnapping Sammy and gunning Libby down marked the beginning of the end. I swear to god, this is gonna be so f*cking painful to say...! And looking back now, I still believe I should have tried harder to stop that one traumatic event from happening.

I think you know exactly what I'm referring to.

Step 3 for the beginning of the end occurred one day before Libby's birthday and I was sitting in the main headquarters, frantically racking my brains. Okay so, I know Libby is a fan of Sonic, Marvel and DC. What the f*ck can we get her?! Without thinking, I switched my radio on. "Jade?"

"Hello, Kyle," My girlfriend's pleased yet slightly concerned voice came through the other end.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked with concern.

"Yes, of course," Jade answered. "I'm just enjoying some fresh air on the roof, may I ask why?"

"No reason, I just thought I'd check in," I replied happily, before angrily groaning to myself after a split second. "Actually, there is a second reason. Can I ask a favour of you?"

"What can I help you with?" The woman laughed.

"I'm trying to think about what we could get for Libby's birthday tomorrow," I explained. "Do you have any ideas in mind?"

"Well," She began happily. "You already know that she likes video games and having nerf-gun fights with Rahim, so I think probably the next great video game she's interested in or an updated nerf gun would do the trick. Libby doesn't ask for a lot, anyway,"

"Fair enough," I chuckled. "I was thinking maybe we could find some new t-shirts, ones that are Marvel or DC related. I mean, she clearly has the hots for Star Lord and that bast*rd is ripped as f*ck!" Cue the two of us to share an amused laugh. "I'm willing to bet you ten dollars that Rahim's secretly jealous and doesn't want to admit it!"

Even though, he told me that she's like a little sister to him. That could very well change in the future!

"We'll have to wait and see," My girlfriend agreed teasingly with a chuckle. "But yes, some Marvel or DC t-shirts would be nice as well. Where would we find them, though?"

"That depends," I answered with mild annoyance. "I'm thinking about looking around later and if I don't find anything, I'll have to search for something else,"

"Okay, that's fine," Jade replied. "Actually, could you make that a We? I need a favour, too,"

"Yeah sure, what's up?"

"I don't know how much time we have left, so the short version: I have an idea which could help the Tower," She began explaining. "I've discovered that Rais has not long turned the school into a supply dump, and I believe that's where he may be keeping Antizin. If you and I sneak in, we could get even more meds for everyone. Are you with me?"

"Yeah, I'm with you," I confirmed eagerly.

"Great!" My girlfriend cheered. "Meet me in one of the boxcars on the train trestle near the school,"

"Awesome, I'll see you there," I responded, rising to my feet and gathering my rucksack together. As I left the HQ and strolled down the hallway towards the elevator, I switched on my radio again. "Hey Rahim, do you copy?"

"Yeah, I copy. What is it?" The older boy's voice came through the other end.

Now, this was one clue about the beginning of the end I brought up. Why? Because Rahim didn't sound anything like the excitable kid I had grown fond of. He sounded... He sounded like a hollow and depressed shell of his former self. What the f*ck?!

"I'm just about to head out with Jade and hopefully find some birthday presents for tomorrow," I informed him happily. "Did you want to come?"

"O-Oh... I," Rahim stammered in a surprised manner. "That's very nice of you to offer, but I'll pass,"

"Why?" I questioned with mild alarm. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah!" My friend answered in a forced cheerful tone. "I just... I just don't want let my sister down any more than I already have, that's all. You guys have fun, alright?"

"Okay..." I muttered, secretly concerned for the poor dude. "You haven't let Jade down at all, buddy - you know that, right?"

"I wish I could believe you,"

With that, the line went dead and I was left in a confused and worried state. What the f*ck was that all about?

(Harran Public School in the Slums, Turkey, The Middle East, Europe - 18:19...)

As I made my way towards the train trestle whilst avoiding the biters as per usual, I attempted to push my concern for Rahim to one side by focusing on the more positive events that occurred during the four week time gap. One of which was telling Libby, Henry, Brecken, Zere, Spike and Lena about my relationship with Jade and they were all very supportive, which was quite frankly a big relief! Blame anxiety for that. Another positive event was Henry's 34th birthday on April 15th and looking back, that was a lot of fun! Libby had enlisted my help in coming up with gift ideas and after the two of us scavenged the biter-free houses, we managed to find a small Jack Daniels beer - which seemed to be decent enough as Henry loved it.

Along with a huge nerf-gun fight between everyone at the end.

Once I ascended a small hill towards a group of train cars, I knocked on the first one. "Jade, you in here?"

As if on cue, the door slid open to reveal my girlfriend who stood with a pistol in hand and left me feeling shocked. "How the f*ck did you beat me, woman?"

"I'm full of surprises," Jade smirked, before gesturing me to jump on the car. "Come up here as well, you need to see this,"

"What is it?" I asked as I climbed on board.

"I don't know, exactly," The woman began explaining, peering out cautiously at a U shaped building placed in a courtyard near a road leading to the overpass. Oh, so that's the school, huh? "But I've noticed that Tahir has had his men hauling boxes out of the school for hours. We need to take a closer look,"

She then jumped out of the train car and began descending towards a police car which was near the school building with me in tow. "What's in the boxes?"

"Good question," Jade remarked. "If it's Antizin, we'll need it,"

Yeah, no sh*t.

The two of us took cover behind the police vehicle and watched as Tahir's men piled their supplies into a working truck, whilst the man himself was keeping a close and fierce eye on three hostages. Oh no! For a spilt second, it seemed like one of them had turned in our direction and Jade reacted quickly by shoving me down onto the grass, placing a finger on her lips as if to tell me: Keep quiet. Okay, I got it! My girlfriend then allowed me to pull myself up and we moved forward to take cover behind one of the pillars holding the overpass.

"Jade, where—" I began asking, turning to see her make a run for it to another police car across the road. "Sh*t!"

Goddamnit woman, don't get yourself killed please!

"Do any of you know where Henry ran off too?" One bandit questioned.

"No idea," His friend answered bitterly. "But I'm willing to bet that the f*cking p*ssy's probably chewing off somebody's leg by now - that would serve him right,"

Hey! That's my friend you just insulted, *sshole!

"I heard that he was showing a dude and his kid around one of the Antennas, four weeks ago," The first bandit revealed. "Who knows where the f*ck they are,"

"Tch, they're probably dead too,"

Look behind you, I dare you.

"Hey!" Tahir angrily interrupted. "Less socialising, more work!"

Hearing this, I had to resist the urge to bang my head against the bridge's pillar. But before I could do s—

"Run!"

The hostages suddenly had minds of their own and off they went sprinting towards us, prompting Tahir and the two bandits to open fire. Nonononono! One of the poor hostages screamed in agony upon impact and collapsed a mere distance from me whilst the others were lucky enough to bail, influencing Jade to signal for me to remain quiet again. What about your friend, people?! The victim sensed my thoughts and weakly reached out to me before his life quickly faded away. Arrggghhh!

"F*cking Tahir," I growled angrily. "That guy should die in a fire, w—"

As I turned to glance at the police car across from me, I noticed that there was no sign of my girlfriend. Oh god! "F*ck, where the hell did she go?!"

Bonus points went to Tahir and his gang of bandits disappearing as well.

Taking that as a sign for me to go, I rose from my cover and began making my way towards the school whilst switching on my radio. "Jade, how many bandits are inside?"

"I only saw the ones who went in after Tahir, but I'm sure there's more," Jade answered on the other end. "We should use different entrances. That way, we'll cover more ground and make less noise moving separately,"

"Okay, fair enough," I responded. "Where would I find one of the entrances, though?"

"There's one on the roof," My girlfriend informed me. "Try there and if it's locked, I'll point you in another direction,"

"Thank you, Jade," I spoke appreciatively, before switching my radio off.

After this, I vaulted over the nearest wall to the front area and noticed that apart from the blue containers, numerous biters (accompanied by at least one Bomber) on the roof and electrified fences, it appeared to be normal - relatively speaking. Okay, so how to get from here to up there without getting myself killed? C'mon bro, think of a f*cking plan! ... You know what, buddy? Here it is:

Step 1: Throw a firecracker up. That will prompt the Bomber to explode and kill some of the biters with it.

Step 2: Whilst that's happening, climb up there and bail inside. Simple yet impulsively stupid, but who the f*ck cares? Go.

Bearing my pain, I fished out one of my firecrackers from my pocket and chucked it up onto the roof. It instantly caught the Bomber's attention and off it went jogging towards it, convulsing and gargling before detonating, killing itself and taking most of the biters with it as I hoped. Okay, that's my cue. I immediately started climbing up and once I vaulted onto the roof, I scrambled away from the chaos into a more smaller building connected with the former. Which thankfully wasn't locked! The room's walls were painted in a darkish yellow, whilst the floor was painted in a white and had a metal door waiting for me.

Along with an already convulsing Bomber!

I screamed like a f*cking six year-old in 1989 as I threw myself back outside before it detonated, spraying blood all over the stacked supplies and walls. Disgusting as usual. I quickly re-entered the room and shut the door behind me, approaching the metal door and lifting it open before I jumped in.

Here goes nothing.

...

Okay, so - quick recap: Jade and I just saw Tahir and some of Rais' bandits hoarding supplies out of the nearby school. The son of a b*tch executed some of the hostages he kidnapped without any remorse and almost saw us before he f*cked off back to Rais. I swear, both of them f*cking deserve each other...!

I just hope that Jade and I will find some Antizin and bail before he and his men come back.

Seconds after I landed, I fished out my radio and switched it on. "Jade, I'm inside,"

"Did you manage to get in alright?" My girlfriend worriedly asked through the other end.

"Apart from a Bomber making me yell like a little kid, yeah," I chuckled, forcing a brave grin on my face. "I'm still in one piece, though,"

"Good," Jade expressed her relief, changing the subject with "Anyway, start by checking the classrooms. That's the most likely place for them to store supplies. They should be marked, somehow. Military jargon is pretty straight forward, so it shouldn't be hard to notice,"

"Affirmative," I replied. "Expect an update soon,"

"Likewise,"

With that, I switched my radio off and briefly took in my surroundings. The location I had landed in was your normal elementary school hallway leading into a classroom; blue lockers, multiple framed child-friendly images and a floor number on the walls, you name it. But like the Slums outside, I could tell that something was wrong. The windows were all broken and blood stains were splattered everywhere all over the walls and floor. Jesus, this place has seen better days. I then entered the classroom and I could see that Rais had made his mark on the area, because of the two orange crates stacked up on the right side. Meanwhile, zipped up body bags, smaller green backpacks, brown desks and chairs occupied the left side of the room - all of which were accompanied by graffiti consisting of either his name or his signature black and yellow logo.

What the f*ck has he done here?!

Pushing my thoughts to one side for the time being, I decided to scavenge through the backpacks in the hope of finding anything useful (more importantly, Antizin) whilst attempting to swallow back bile thanks to the rotting smells originating from the body bags. May I ask how f*cking long they've been there, Rais? Or have you just left them like that because you're a piece of sh*t? ... The latter would make more sense, don't you think? Forget about it and move on, pal. Bearing that in mind, I continued scavenging and here's my result:

1. At least two lockpicks stored away in a tall cupboard on the far end of the left side. Those will come in handy, should I ever come across a locked room in here.

2. A roll of tape stored in one of the lockers outside the classroom. I suppose that could be useful in taping a pair of scissors to my table leg or a piece of long wood.

But unfortunately, no signs of any Antizin vials whatsoever. This is gonna be so much fun ... not.

Okay now, where to from here?

I remembered briefly catching a glimpse a pair of double doors on my left when I landed and initially, I thought they were unlocked - so I decide to start there ... only to look like a f*cking dumb*ss when I noticed that they were barricaded from the other side. For f*ck's sake Crane, I thought you were better than this. So, off I went back into the classroom to try the door on the right side. Locked. Thus, leaving me with the only other option which was another white door on the left side of the area. Please don't be locked, please don't be locked. Tell me you're not locked, because my head is gonna explode with frustration if you f*cking are!

End Result: Already unlocked. Oh thank f*ck for that!

After I opened the door, I stepped into a much darker hallway with another possible entrance accompanied by four blue lockers on the right. Not only that, but a set of brown tables and chairs were stacked against each other on the left side. Once I tried the door in front of me and discovered that it was locked like the others were so far, I turned away and quickly scavenged through the set of lockers for supplies. And I got nothing. Okay. Pretty much all I had left to do was to venture down the hallway and see where it will take me. With that, I switched on my flashlight and off I went. It didn't take long for me to come across another pair of barricaded double doors leading into what appeared to be the Biology and Science floor. Huh, nice to know where I'm at. Moving along, I approached the end of the hallway and noticed a tall cupboard blocking a possible way into the classroom.

Cue me pushing it forward, and I found a secret shortcut into Science!

The Biology classroom appeared a lot different than the one I started searching in and I'll admit, it almost reminded me of the same one in my high school because of the similarities. The area had a decently wide space with the walls painted in a creamy yellow and the floor in a light brown. Multiple chairs and desks bearing the latter's colour filled the classroom neatly and to finish things up, a massive green board sat on the wall with an accompanying skeleton and a bright BIOLOGY placed above in bright colours. I weaved my way through the desks and emerged back out into the hallway, noticing a black arrow with C painted on the wall in front of me and pointing to my left. Alright next floor, come at me. I should check in with Jade at some point too, see how she's holding up. Bearing this in mind, I descended the staircase and found myself in another corridor with the same letter pointing left towards a pair of dark brown double doors. Try there first, and...

"I can't get through that way," I sighed in an annoyed manner. Of course, they're locked.

I turned back and off I went down the corridor, taking note of another brightly lit classroom filled with green backpacks and who knows what else on my right. Alright, check there in a minute. Unfortunately, the double doors at the end were also barricaded - which prompted me to head on into the classroom via its' singular door. Okay, time to start checking. As I searched the green backpacks, I briefly took in my surroundings and noticed multiple green bed covers and matching duvets spread out all over the floor - two of which were next to stacks of green crates. The final touches went to two sets of brown desks and chairs placed against the three windows, followed by the multiple chairs placed in front of a singular white board at the end. Weaving my way through the beds, I suddenly froze in my tracks when a man spoke over a loudspeaker. Oh f*cking hell!

"Hurry up! We don't have all day for this sh*t, and this is the last place I want to be at night!" You and me both, bro. I had opened the door next to the whiteboard and stepped into a much smaller area with blue lockers and another way forward when he continued "Did any of you idiots check the basement? Of course not, because the key is still up here! Get your sh*t together!"

By the time this dude finished, I knew I had to hurry the hell up. So, off I dashed through another neat classroom and I emerged into yet another hallway - this time greeting me with numerous wooden crates and arrows pointing me to my right into a lit up room ... which was packed with black body bags and a set of brown desks on the left side. It didn't help matters when I immediately detected a strong smell coming from the bags in question. Don't f*cking throw up, buddy! Thankfully, I noticed a letter B painted next to a singular white door on the right and I wasted no time in bailing for i—

"What the f*ck?!" A man's voice spoke with confusion, before he revealed himself as one of Rais' bandits. Sh*t! "Hey, there's somebody in here!"

Instantly, I threw myself back behind the wall and quickly fished out my machete ... just mere seconds before the goon who ratted me out sprung from the room, screaming with his machete raised to strike. I managed to block the incoming blow with my melee weapon and just like that, the two of us were off fighting furiously. This quickly became one of those moments where I wish I had Rahim, Libby and Henry around to back me up, because it didn't take very long for me to hear two more pairs of footsteps rapidly approaching!

"That's f*cking cheating!" I hissed hatefully, just as I managed to stun my opponent long enough to plunge my machete into his stomach ... right in front of his two buddies.

"Sam!" One of the bandits screamed in horror, seconds before he lunged forward with a yell of rage. "You're gonna pay for that, you *sshole!"

Like hell, I am!

I had taken lives before and doing so was never easy, feel free to blame the GRE for that. It also didn't help when the bandit's friend had suddenly tipped off an alarm and it was screaming throughout the entire school. F*cking hell, nonononono!

"Turn that damn thing off!" My girlfriend suddenly shouted on the other end of my radio, mere seconds before I managed to finish off my new opponent by cleaving his head off. "We're gonna have walkers swarming towards the school!"

"I've got Rais' goons on me, Jade!" I yelled back. "I can't do two things at once, you know?!"

"We got somebody in here that don't need to be!" The voice I heard moments ago, shouted aggressively via the loudspeaker. "Find him and kill him!"

Son of a b*tch!

The final bandit was now lunging at me with a scream and once I managed to dodge him, sounds of bloodstained machetes violently clashing greeted my ears again. F*cking die already!

"For f*ck's sake, Kyle!" Jade yelled angrily, as I finished my assailant off by stabbing him in the chest. "Turn that damn alarm off or you will be overrun! Find the janitor's office, the switch ought to be in there!"

"I'm on it!" I told her, sprinting through a classroom essentially filled with crates and emerging onto the main hallway. I took a right and ran through some sort of medical area also home to a pack of crates, immediately finding the switch in an open office. Yes, yesyesyes! I practically dived for it and pressed the red button, sighing in a relieved manner when blissful silence followed.

Oh thank god.

"Are you okay, Kyle?" My girlfriend asked worriedly from the other end of my radio.

"Yeah," I panted, struggling to regain my breathing. "No luck in finding any Antizin or something for Libby's birthday, though,"

"I'm in the same boat, regarding Antizin," Jade told me sadly, shortly brightening up when she continued "But I found a bulletproof vest in one of the lockers here, and it seems like it could be Libby's size. I was thinking we could all give her that tomorrow?"

Sweet!

"That's smart," I commented positively. "Let's do it,"

"Alright," The woman replied. "The basement could be the next likely place for Rais' bandits to store supplies. See if you can find the key and I'll meet you down there,"

"Okay, I'll see you in a minute," I said, switching off my radio and scavenging through the janitor's office to search for the key - soon finding it tucked away in a brown set of drawers. Bingo!

After I placed it in my pocket, I ventured off down to the basement. It was a bit of a long trip, mainly because I had to repeat my route from before in order to reach it. But when I eventually did, I had to swallow back bile thanks to the rotting smell of the dirty water which just about managed to reach my trainers. Blech! Not only that, but the basement was dark enough to make me feel like I was in a post apocalyptic version of Jaws! I swear, Jade and I better not f*cking die in here. A pair of brown double doors on my left pretty much signalled the basement's entrance and just as I hoped, they were unlocked once I slid the key in and turned. Yes!

"Jade?" I called out after I stepped into a brightly lit area with its' walls painted in lime green and the floor painted in a light brown. "Are you in here?"

"Just around the corner," My girlfriend responded, grunting as she struggled to use a crowbar for prying open a crate in a darker room on the right. The woman flashed a smile at me as I approached. "Give me a hand here, would you?"

"Sure," I said, taking the crowbar and earning a "Thank You" before I attempted to pry the crate open myself.

"God, Kyle - you're such an oaf!" Jade scolded, snatching the melee weapon from me. "Why don't you just stick your head out the door and shout: here we are, come get us!"

"Hey," I shot back playfully, sensing that the crate was about to give way. Ha, jackpot! "Sometimes, there's nothing with the direct..." Cue me opening the box for the two of us to find something we didn't think of coming across. "Approach,"

"Holy sh*t," My girlfriend gasped. Took the words right out of my mouth there! "That's... That's plastic explosives, right?"

Ooooh, Rahim is gonna love this!

I opened my mouth to answer ... but a distant bang interrupted and I instinctively crouched with my machete at the ready. Why can't we catch a f*cking break here? I turned to Jade and told her firmly "Okay, I'm gonna deal with these *ssholes and you take this stuff back to the Tower,"

"Kyle, don't be ridiculous," The woman protested angrily, as she placed the explosives into her rucksack. "We fight them together!"

"And risk letting them keep this much ordinance? No! Just go, I got this," I reassured her, taking cover behind the left corner of the darker room. "Meet me back at the Tower,"

Jade continued packing up the explosives and just when I thought she was about to take off, I felt her hand grip my shoulder and spin me round - so that I was staring into her fierce eyes. "Promise me, you won't let Rahim near that hive,"

"What?!" I thought you made me do that already when we met, remember?! "Of course, I promise, I promise - just go!"

With that, my girlfriend worriedly left the school building like I asked. Okay, she's safe. Good. This allowed me to prepare myself for the possibility of getting mobbed by bandits. "Come at me, you f*ckers,"

Sure enough, they did. One sprang out screaming with his machete raised to strike. I managed to block the incoming blow and just like that, the two of us were off clashing machetes. It didn't take long for me to manage to stun him with a violent blow to his neck, which gave me enough time to finish him off by decapitating him - the latter which sprayed blood everywhere and a tad on me. Pfft, cheers for that. Seconds after, another bandit lunged forward hatefully with a friend right behind him. Alright, let's party! More sounds of machetes clashing greeted my ears and my opponents went out via getting stabbed in the chest and stomach after I soon managed to overpower them, once again leaving struggling to regain my breath and more importantly, glad to bail out of the school.

Back to the Tower I go...