"Guess who!?" Alex said melodically as he covered Sun's eyes from behind. Sun  rolled her eyes internally, a smile smile working its way into her lips.

"Alex, I know it's you," she said, going to grab his hands. He leaned forward to whisper into her ear.

"Wrong." She turned around, screaming as she took in the face in front of her. An eye was popped out of its socket, dangling by its tendons. The skin sagged, looking melted. A gaping hole was torn into the left cheek and the skin on the forehead was peeling away, revealing writhing maggots.

The light flickered before glass shattering echoed through the room, throwing her vision into pitch blackness.

"Alex?" she called out to the darkness, reaching her arms and feeling around. Voices in different tones and pitches ricocheted around, causing her head to swim. She wandered around aimlessly, not sure where she was going. Then a raspy voice whispered in her ear.

"You did this to me." The lights flickered back on, and Sun was face to face with a Blight that looked uncannily like Alex. It lunged for her...

And Sun woke herself up to the sounds of her own screaming. She cut herself off abruptly, realizing what she was doing. She stared at the ceiling for a few moments of the ransacked building she holed herself up at in the town near Ryseden. Light started to filter in through the cracks on the boarded up windows, casting the room in a barely visible glow.

Alex... This is my fault things turned out like this. Everywhere I go, people around me seem to die. I should have known this. You could have been spared. I should had said no... Sun thought to herself, her eyes leaking a few tears loose. They streaked horizontally down her cheeks, tickling the brim of her ears. She quickly wiped away the tears.

"I called you Sun, for a reason, and not because of your 'shining personality'. Even though I wouldn't had admitted it to you at the time, you were my Sun. You guided me through the dark, and you brightened my days. That's the true reason you're my Sun." A few more involuntary tears slipped out, and she growled in frustration. Sun scrubbed furiously at her cheeks and eyes, determined to be rid of the leaky waterworks.

This is why I didn't want to grow attached. Nothing good comes from attachments. You learn to love people, and then you lose them. God, I'm such an idiot for letting this happen again. She breathed in a cleansing breath before expelling it. I should probably check on my arm...

Sun reached for her bag with her good arm, setting it between her legs as she sat up. She tugged the zipper open, grabbing the sugar, not minding the bits that had spilled out and settled at the bottom. Sun grasped the remain medical materials she had scavenged up, laying the out before pushing the pack aside.

The next few minutes were spent tediously undoing the tourniquet, sugaring up some cloth and then wrapping the cloth up. Over night, she had managed to minimize the blood flow, but it still didn't keep her from getting dizzy every once and a while. Sun knew she needed to get admitted into Ryseden sooner rather than later if this wound was going to get the proper attention it needed. Sun sighed inaudibly, playing absentmindedly with the strap on the discarded bookbag as she numbly stated of into space.

It was Alex's dream to get to Ryseden. I was just there for the ride. I didn't expect the ride to be a roller coaster. Should I still go to Ryseden? She shook her head, scoffing out loud at her idiocy. Of course I should still go. In the end, Alec's goal to get to Ryseden was just as much his wish as mine! The only problem is if I'll be able to handle it there without him...

She packed away the supplies she had gotten out. Sun rifled through her bag, snatching up the last morsel of food she had left in her bag. The chocolate candy bar. Her heart sank as she looked at the delicious dessert. We never did get around to splitting it... Sun slowly stumbled to her feet. She snatched up the gun that laid by her bedside, before starting out the door.

She glanced off to the east, seeing the sun had yet to peak over the horizon. I'm setting off earlier than usual. At that thought, she realized it had been normal, but Alex normally slept in until a bit after sunrise, causing her to fall into his habit. Sun shook her head. I'm letting my mind wander to too many things about him. He's dead now. You got to let him go. Sun closed her eyes, visualizing the map she had seen so many times before. Remembering the black dot, she positioned herself in the town marked nearby. Ryseden is due south from here a ways. With that, she face the rising sun again, turning 90 degrees to the right.

"Off in this direction..." Sun muttered to herself, squaring her shoulders, she started down the last stretch of road. I'll get there Alex. This is for the both of us...