Dr. Davis sat before his desk in his office as he waited for a call that he had been anticipating for a while now. His patience was rewarded as the soft ringing of an incoming call sounded. Dr. Davis's hand's were lightning fast as he pressed on accept button when he saw that it was an video call. The widely grinning face of his colleague popped up on the screen and he couldn't help but return it in a similarly bright manner.

"It looks like you got some results." Dr. Hawks said as he held onto several printed out paper with the details on it that Dr. Davis had send him over. "Although I am a bit worried about the extreme lengths that you are going to gather these information, as long as you don't over do it and the boy lives, it's fine."

"I knew you would be of similar mindset to me!" Dr. Davis's grin widened as he exclaimed. "You said you wanted more details right. Let me explain what I found out and you can give me your insights." Soon they started sharing their findings and forgot the time. Ash's body was indeed a miracle. Dr. Hawks had previously never dared to venture too far with his experiments. As such he had always kept his work on the surface level. Thus he was extremely interested and curious about the inner workings of the boy's body. When he heard that Ash's organs were in a weakening state, he felt a sense of urgency. "My return has been delayed longer than I expected but I have been promised that a flight will take off next week. I will certainly be on it! So we will see each other soon... if the plane lands close to your location."

Dr. Davis's mood immediately brightened. Since their last call, his friends return trip was postponed time and time again. It was no surprise since it was the apocalypse now and finding someone to operate the machine itself was difficult. "I can't wait!" He stated with child-like excitement.

"What is of the boy? Where have you kept him?" Dr. Hawks asked suddenly curious. Although Ash had always been meek and cooperative most of the time back in those days, he had also attempted to run several times when people least expected it. The boy could be spontaneous and surprise you when you took your eyes off him for too long. Although given the situation right now, there wasn't a lot of places the boy to escape to even if he wanted.

"We have assigned a room to him here were he is kept most of the time. Although he had his guard up ever since that operation, he hasn't caused us any trouble." Dr. Davis was surprised as well by Ash's attitude. He would have assumed that the boy would struggle and resist a lot since that day. Yet he returned with George without much of a fuss. Dr. Davis wondered what kind of stunt George pulled for the boy to be repulsed of the idea of stepping out of the lab. But whatever it was, it worked. 'I should give the man some praise.' Dr. Davis thought as he imagined Dr. Hansen's fake flattering face.

"That's good. As for the follow up experiments, use the stimulator. From the data you collected it is obvious that the power manifests on mental stimulation. The stimulator was one of our most successful machines. It really brought out amazing effects." Dr. Hawks was seriously contemplating the next steps. He was so frustrated that he couldn't be there to oversee it all personally. The sooner he gets back the better.

Hearing Dr. Hawks suggestion, Dr. Davis nodded his head in agreement, "I was also thinking about it, but the stimulator requires a lot of energy output. Not to mention that we don't have the 0026 version of it in the lab right now. We only have the 0013 version and you know how bad that one is compared to the other." It was true. The 0026 version could stimulate the brain to tap into fears that the subject already has. Along with that it automatically created focused shock waves that attacked certain nerve systems to trick the body into believing it was actually going through the experience. Meanwhile the 0013 version just make the Subject go through several horrifying scenes that were not related to them. It was also the first attempt at implementing the nerve shock system. Thus the output of the shock ejected kept fluctuating, sometimes to barely noticeable, to very dangerous for the human body. As such it was normal for the scientists to usually set it at a low voltage and then compensate the rest through external physical stimuli. This had further disadvantages as the scientists had to accompany the Subject throughout the process and hurt their Subject's body at appropriate times with regards to the scene that was playing out in their heads. There were cases were the experiments results in deaths due to excessive trauma or blood loss.

Dr. Hawks frowned at the revelation. He thought for a moment before saying, "Go ahead and do it, You said that the boy's organs might give out soon. So there isn't much time to be wasted. Just be careful when you go about it."

Dr. Davis nodded again. "I am also planning to take him down to the basement to see how his power responds to the situation." He gave his friend a heads up so that he wouldn't later complain that he wasn't informed.

Dr. Hawks frowned at the mention of the basement. But he didn't try to stop it and only gave a short warning, "Don't overdo it." After Ash's business was out of the way. The man changed to another topic that he was dying to learn more about. Dr. Hawks being in another continent with an ocean in between, couldn't do anything but rely on his friend for information. "What about Subject Erva? Any news on her?"

Being the trigger of the apocalypse, both Dr. Davis and Dr. Hawks held a special interest in finding her. "I have already send out several people to look for information. But so far I haven't gotten anything positive. But last week I had a call from headquarters, Jude said that they located a girl that matches your description, traveling with a young man. Yet she is not certain if they are the same people so for now they will just keep an eye on them."

Dr. Hawks couldn't help but chuckle. "Typical Jude. Still so Moral and Kind even during the apocalypse. If it was me in her shoes I would have shot down the woman even if it was a mistaken identity. It's better to take the chances than cause a bigger problem. Don't you agree?" Dr. Davis responded with a smile. "Of course its good that, that woman has trouble acting out her instincts. He need Erva alive. Not dead!" Dr. Hawks urged his friend again, "Put a bit more effort in finding her. Follow the lead from the HQ and see if its a match. The sooner we have her the better." Suddenly there was a shrill call from the screen Dr. Hawks was in. The scientist frowned in annoyance. "This woman is driving me crazy. I have to go. Let's talk in person next time."

———————

Ash had locked the door to his room with the keycard that he was given. Not that it was of much use, since the other side had a master key that could open any room. He sat cross legged on the plain bed with Emma across from him. He insisted that the girl remain with him. There was no way he would feel confident in taking his eyes off her. They both had their eyes closed as they held hands. He was probing through her veins to see the progress of her disease. During her captive days, she shouldn't have been able to take the medication on time. Emma had informed him that she was forced to take some kind of pill regularly, which worried Ash to no ends especially since the girl had severe side effects from taking them.

It has been almost 2 weeks since he retrieved Emma. All this time, he was busy recuperating and getting his tortured body back in shape. As such Ash didn't have the spare power to look at Emma's condition. Today he was mostly back to his usual state as such he didn't hesitate to take the girl's hand in order to work his magic. Once his conscience reached the infected area, he noticed that the disease had in fact gotten worse. It was in a better state than he initially assumed but There were lot of signs of strain of her body which must have been caused by whatever medication she was forced to consume. Ash was furious at the state she was in. He couldn't help but wonder how she would have suffered if he hadn't found her when he did. undoubtedly his anger towards Rhys intensified. 'He and all his lies can go to hell!'

Ash shook off all thoughts of Rhys and completely focused on the girl in front of him. He probed and surrounded the affected area and poured all his power into it. Today he was gonna get it right and free this girl of the burden she was carrying. It only took a few minutes but it had the effect of a lifetime. Ash saw that the large dark spots that indicated her disease was slowly shrinking. After another few more seconds it completely disappeared. He made another round through her system to ensure that everything was indeed alright and then opened his eyes. He let out a sigh in relief and gently shook Emma with a smile.

The girl opened her eyes in a trance. She instinctively knew that she was better. Her whole body felt lighter than ever before and the discomfort she was accustomed to was no longer there. Emma looked at Ash surprise clearly written on her face. Yet instead of smiling out and feeling happy the first thing she asked was whether Ash was alright. She was used to seeing Ash's complexion change each time in the past when he was attempting the same thing.

Ash couldn't help but feel touched. He just smiled and nodded as he rubbed her hair into a mess. "You don't have to take those pills ever again. Now you can be like all those other little girls out there."

When she heard this she couldn't help but feel amazed. She hadn't thought about that. She had always assumed that ever since her father died, that she would soon follow after him. She was aware that she was a burden to most people and she always worried that she was dragging Ash down. When he went missing for a long time, she had really been scared hopeless. If Ash was dead then she would no longer have any chances of survival left. She was so worried that she fell ill with a heavy fever. Then when she heard he returned, she was so relieved that she almost cried. Yet before she could meet him, she was taken away by someone and ended up in the hands of those men.

At one point Emma even wondered if Ash had given up on her and if this was a way to get rid of her. So she was very glad when Ash came looking for her. All her grievances until then seemed to vanish as soon as he appeared. Now she was even healed. She couldn't ask for anything more. Emma was not really surprised to hear about Ash's power. Her child like mind instantly accepted it and just thought that her brother was awesome. She always thought that she was lucky to have been picked up by Ash. And every day that she spend with him made her more and more fonder of him.

"How is the studying going?" Ash asked suddenly as he saw Emma's eyes tear on the verge of crying. Dr. Hansen had indeed kept his word. Since they came here, they had been well fed and clothed. Emma was even given personal classes in turn by the people here. although she was young, with her excellent intelligence and calm personality, she was absorbing everything like a sponge.

"It's very interesting. Although sometimes I don't understand what they are trying to explain." Emma responded with a pout. Ash couldn't help but laugh. 'Of course it would be difficult to understand what those scientists are saying. She was still a kid after all.' But Ash was glad that she was enjoying it and that she was willing to study hard. Ash really hoped that with her sharp mind, that Emma would have a secure position in the future.

"That's good. If you don't understand something, annoy them by asking questions until you get it. It doesn't matter how many times it it.... Don't you have another class now? You should hurry along." Ash messed up her hair again as she nodded. "Also be careful. Don't trust them easily." He added a warning. Emma was already familiar with this routine talk, so she quickly agreed and rushed off. Ash watched her go with a worried look in his eyes. Once she disappeared around the corner, he sighed and laid back down on the bed.

As soon as Ash was alone, he got a chill in his heart. His body started to softly tremble and he broke out in cold sweat. Ash felt paranoid as if someone was watching him. He knew it was his delusion and there was no one there but he still couldn't help the shivers. Along with the fear was a dull pain that always accompanied it. He still felt like his body was dysfunctional. Like his body was no longer obeying his brain as it used to. Ash understood that it was a psychological shadow from the experience that he had, yet the knowledge didn't help in any way.

Ash suddenly felt uncomfortable. He rushed to the bathroom and keeled over the toiled heaving heavily. He was faintly aware that there was blood mixed in along with the breakfast that he vomited out. Yet after a moment of gasping, he wordlessly wiped his mouth in habitual motion and cleaned up everything before staggering back to bed and closing his eyes. He just wanted to rest and not think of anything else. But his mind had other plans. His thoughts wandered to several days back when he had finally discovered Emma. "Don't go!" That voice kept ringing in his head ceaselessly

On that day, after fainting, Ash had woken up in the hospital bed at the clinic Biyu Chen was working at. She was dozing off as she sat on the chair next to his bed. It took him a moment to remember why he was there. When he broke out of his dazed state he could here the sound of argument outside the door. Ash pushed his hurting body to slowly sit up but couldn't help the pained gasp that left his mouth. The sound must have woken the women as she blinked for a few seconds before jumping out of her chair and rushing over to check up on him with a worried look on her face. "You are awake!" Biyu Chen had been so busy since they arrived at the refugee camp that it was rare to catch a glimpse of her. Now that he observed her carefully, Ash noticed that she was much thinner and tired looking than the last time they met. It was no surprise that she fell asleep next to him.

"What happened?" Ash asked warily as he allowed her to puff out the worn out pillow behind him to let him sit up more comfortably.

"You are in a terrible state. It is a surprise that you aren't dead yet. Why are you running around like this when you should be resting. What did you have to go through?" Her voice became chocked and tears gathered in her eyes as she rambled on while she looked at his wounds to make sure that the stitches were still in place and the new bandaged still fresh. She was one of the few who was faintly aware of Ash's quick regenerative abilities. After all she was the one who always patched him up after all the troubles he got into. Ash admired her for keeping her curiosity to herself all this time. Unlike others she didn't see it as a blessing and knew the horrors that would follow once it became public. As such she had always kept her mouth shut.

Ash didn't respond to her question. Instead he asked what the fight outside was about. She glanced at his face for a second to figure out his mood and then softly stated, "The doctor took a close look at your wounds and he kind of figured out what must have happened to you. He explained the situation to Rhys and he got into such an angry fit that he stormed off to fight with the scientist. I think that's what they are arguing about outside."

Ash narrowed his eyes in anger as Rhys was mentioned. "Where is Emma?" He suddenly sat up and wanted to jump out of bed and rush off to find her. Seeing his intentions, Biyu Chen quickly held him down and promised that the girl was fine. "Mrs. Nolan is looking after her for the time being. You should stay still and focus on recovering." Her voice was kind of strict as she glared Ash into obedience.

The people outside must have heard the sound coming from inside as the door suddenly opened as Rhys stepped through. Right after he was inside he motioned Biyu Chen to leave before slamming the door shut leaving Dr. Hansen looking at a closed door in annoyance.

Rhys seemed angry at something as he took quick large steps towards him. Ash didn't really want to be alone in the same room as this man but he was severely injured as such he didn't have a choice but to wait and see what the guy wanted from him. Ash didn't forget to show his dissatisfaction clearly on his face. Rhys stopped in front of him and looked at him intensely for a moment before deciding to occupy the seat that Biyu Chen vacated. No one spoke for along time.

Ash could feel that Rhys wanted to say something to him. As he couldn't bare the observing eyes on him anymore, he finally opened him mouth and shouted in annoyance, "What do you want?"

"How are you feeling?" Rhys forced his voice to be calm and pretended not to be affected by the angry look he was receiving.

".... as you can see I am fine" Ash retorted while gritting his teeth.

"From what I can see you are a mess!" a hint of anger was laced in Rhys's words.

Ash glared at him in irritation, "If so what is it to you anyway! Are you here to see if I am weakened enough to kill me off!"

Rhys seemed a bit surprised at the statement. He got lost in thought for a second before saying in a serious voice, "You are always weak."

Ash felt the burn of his words and his face couldn't help but flush in anger. What pissed him off more was that he didn't have a good rebuttal. What he said was an undeniable fact. He gritted his teeth together and hissed, "What the fuck is it that you want. Are you here to insult me? If there is nothing then leav-"

"It wasn't me." Before Ash could finish his sentence Rhys interrupted him.

"What?"

"Emma. I wasn't the one behind it." His dark eyes were looking into Ash's as he earnestly stated.

Ash was silent for a long time. The truth was that he believed Rhys. From the very start, there had always been a nagging voice at the back of his head that kept telling him that he wasn't the culprit. Yet all the evidence always pointed at Rhys. After thinking for a while Ash finally spat out a, "So?" It wasn't going to change anything. He knew that according to Rhys's character, he wouldn't do something so underhanded. If he wanted to control Ash, all he had to do was drag him away and lock him up. No one would oppose him.

Rhys looked at him with slight surprise. "You believe me." There was a trace of joy on his face.

"What if I do. What if I don't" Ash's eyes were still cold as he looked at the man "It doesn't affect us in any way."

Rhys's face fell. "... Why did you leave?" He asked in a softer tone as he changed the topic to what he had wanted to ask the boy for a long time already.

Ash held his gaze and answered indifferently, "You already know why." He was no longer welcome in their group. There were people who actively tried to control and hurt him. People could easily turn into animals. Especially when there was something to be gained. Revenge and Greed are things that chips away at a person's humanity.

"So your solution was to go to the lab to become a guinea pig?" Rhys could no longer maintain the calm of his voice and he shouted in anger. "Look at the state you are in. Do you even realize how much danger you are in right now?"

"I am aware." Ash whispered and looked away no longer able to look at the blazing eyes that were directed at him.

"Then why?" Rhys burst out slamming his hands into the side of the bed.

"I will live. That's the reason. Even with everything that I have to go through, They will make sure that I don't die as long as they need me. I am well fed and clothed. Not to mention that Emma will have a better life." Ash ignored Rhys's outburst and continued. "With you... I am always looking behind my back. I am framed and beaten. They throw me out as zombie fodder when they see fit. My life has no value." Ash finally looked back at Rhys properly. His eyes holding a million grievances yet keeping them all bottled up. "This was before anyone found out I had powers. What happened once it became public knowledge? I was locked up and forced to treat people at the expense of my energy. Some whom I even hate. Men who threw me out on that mission." Ash chuckled in anger. "If I don't obey, people threaten my life with guns." Ash saw Rhys's eyes harden and strangely felt a bit satisfied. "I will not live any longer by your side than at there's."

Rhys's mouth pressed into a firm line as his jaws ticked while he processed this truth. Ash realized that Rhys must have never had all his grievances stated to him like this all at once. The man was only now understanding that for someone like Ash, there was no place that he could truly call safe.

"I still think you shouldn't take such risks. Don't you have friends here. There are people who could protect you." Rhys stated after considering a lot of things.

"Who will protect me?" Ash laughed out aloud sarcastically. "Everyone has their own lives to worry about. There is no such thing as protecting me."

"That's not true!" Rhys gritted his teeth. "There is -"

"Anne?" Ash interrupted him "She is soft hearted indeed. Yet she doesn't have any solid power to influence." Ash didn't stop. "Then there is Jule, He does seem to have a good impression of me but he has two brothers to worry about.... Ah there is Lena. She is an amazing woman. But she is new. Doesn't have any acquaintances nor friends. It takes time before she can get people's recognition.... Or where you offering yourself?" There was a slight mock in the his tone.

"I-"

"Don't" Ash interrupted him again. "You don't trust me. I have felt it for a long time now. There is something that upsets you when it comes to me. You are always suspicious about my every move. And you trust in whatever it is that you believe. Never hearing out my side you have always... always accused me." Ash's eyes narrowed as he glared at Rhys. "I don't trust you either. So we should end this conversation... You should leave."

Rhys seemed to be at a loss of words. He opened his mouth several times as if he wanted to say something but in the end he refrained from it. Instead he only stated in a barely audible voice, "Ash. Don't go."

Ash.

Ash.

"Ash!" A loud voice shocked him awake from his dream. Ash looked around him in alarm only to realize that he was still safe in his room. Shelly stood at the door, which was open, and seemed to have become slightly impatient when he didn't give an answer.

"What is it!" Ash asked as he slowly stood up from his bed feeling very tired.

"Dr. Hansen wants to see you." Just the name brought a terrified tremble to Ash's body. he took a moment to nod in acknowledgment and then followed after the woman to another dreaded encounter.

Soon they arrived in front of the man's office. Shelly knocked twice before entering, followed by Ash. Dr. Hansen was already waiting for them impatiently. The man looked at Ash up and down a few times while Shelly excused herself. "Are you recovered?" He asked plainly.

"I-" Ash's throat felt dry as he didn't know how to answer. Being well again was like a nightmare to him. It meant that he would have to continue participating in experiments. If it was something similar to last time then he didn't want to do it.

Annoyed at his slow response, Dr. Hansen stated indifferently. "Either way, we have to continue." He stood up from his chair and started walking towards the door. "Follow me." Ash gulped nervously before forcing his legs to move after the man.

They soon arrived before the door that connected to the basement. Ash was surprised and nervous. In all his time being here, he had never been allowed anywhere near the basement. Now he was actually personally taken down. This send some alarm bells in his head. The doctor gave in his identification credentials and started walking down the flight of stairs without explaining anything.

When they reached the basement, it was very faintly lit. Ash had some trouble at first adjusting to the dimness. Dr. Hansen fumbled around for a while before pressing on the switches to turn on the lights. Even before the lights came on, Ash could hear the faint growls and scratching. When the lights illuminated the space, the scene that greeted him made him freeze on the spot.

There were rows upon rows of glass chambers neatly aligned to the wall forming a corridor which gave of the impression of a modern dungeon. Most of those chambers were occupied by both Zombies and humans. Some where old, some young and some healthy youth. The doctor was accustomed to this scene as such he moved forward without stopping. "Keep up." He shouted behind him when he heard no movements.

Ash tore his legs from where it was rooted and started walking as he observed each cage with dread in his heart. At one point he stopped and started wide eyed into a cell. "This...Peter?" This was a face that Ash had assumed he would never see again. Yet here he was the man who framed him at the Tesco and made people turn against him due to the food distribution issue. The man who send out inexperienced people out to find food in the name of leadership. 'What is he doing here.' Peter seemed to have also noticed him and he widened his eyes with hope. He started banging against the glass and shouted something. but the glass was soundproof so except for a muffled sound nothing else could be understood.

"Friend of yours?" Dr. Hansen asked coming up behind him and startling Ash to heaven and back. "We found a group of humans barely escaping from a swarmed Tesco several months back. They didn't really have a destination so Dr. Davis was kind enough to bring them here." A grin stretched on the doctors face. "They have been quite helpful so far."

Only when the doctor mentioned 'they' did Ash realize that there were several more familiar faces. Ash broke out into cold sweat. "What are you doing with them? Why are there alive zombies inside the camp. Didn't you tell everyone that there is none inside?" Not only were there zombies in here, there were more than the number that Kyle captured. Either someone else has been capturing more zombies for the lab, or... the kidnapped humans have been forcefully turned.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Dr. Hansen patted him heavily on his shoulder and started guiding him deeper into the basement.

Soon they came at the end, where there was a re-enforced glass cage facing them. Inside was a Zombie torso without any limbs attached to it. Ash looked at the disturbing state of figure inside and was confused. Even with its limbs missing, the zombie was unnaturally still. It didn't make any movements or noise but just looked at them with starving eyes and occasionally snapped its jaws together.

"It has slight traces of intelligence." Dr. Hansen stated as he witnessed Ash's confused look. When he heard this Ash's eyes widened in shock.

"What!" He snapped his head towards the man.

"It's one of the first infected. Directly from the source, we believe." Dr. Hansen smiled with fascination as looked at the zombie with gleaming eyes. "It's just fascinating."

All Ash could think of were those golden eyes of Erva who had accompanied him through his past lab days. Although they didn't have any conversations and they were as different as day and night, Ash still held a soft spot for that person. looking at the decapitated zombie in front of him, he couldn't help but shudder at what these crazy people would do to Erva if she was ever caught. For the first time, Ash felt sympathy towards a zombie.

"Now let's get to business." Dr. Hansen walked up to Ash and clasped a chain on both his wrists while he was distracted.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked bewildered, worry already seeping into his mind.

"You will find out soon." He stated as he opened one of those glass cages and stepped into it himself before closing it tightly behind him. Then he raised a remote control and pressed on several buttons.

There was a clicking sound before the closest two doors flung open. They were cages with two zombies who were chained at their neck. As soon as the door opened, the zombies raised their heads and sniffed the air. Their hungry unfocused eyes fell on Ash and then there was only a flurry of movements as they rushed towards him with their mouths wide open.