After implanting the appropriate memories, Zeel began erasing the memories that could identify anyone in their circle as anything other than human.

Zeel had Sarah and Mark taken home by Henri.

Messing with someone's memories was a tricky process, one Zeel had come to appreciate after some time.

Have you ever had a fantasy you thought was real because it could actually be happening? Like you dreamt of going to the beach and confused it for real because you could actually go to the beach at any time.

Memory manipulation was a lot like that. You could not let someone who enjoys soccer think he played basketball the day before, because he would be able to identify the authenticity of the memory.

So for a proper memory alteration, you would need a storyline that could immediately occur with just a decision.

Hence, Zeel had to alter the memory variables and not the core, or the mind would be able to realize the memory is a fake.

"You know what to do right?" Zeel asked wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Usually, he would just alter the memories roughly and be done with it, but for Sarah, he did some complicated mild melding.

Zeel had considered contingency plans after contingency plans since the most powerful piece on a board was a forgotten pawn.

Sarah was perfect to act as a pawn because nobody would ever suspect her.

Zeel laid a complicated web of memories and interlays that would remain in her mind until certain conditions were fulfilled.

"Yeah, Usually I'd just suggest we skip town but after seeing the way he looks at her. I know we're already at the borderline," Henri replied as he looked at Sarah and felt a twinge of regret in his heart.

"How would you like it if someone did this to us?" Alice asked after Henri left in the car alongside the unconscious Mark and Sarah.

"You mean messing with my memories or you betraying me?" Zeel asked not caring the least about what outcome John, Sarah, and Mark would have.

"Both, we shouldn't play God with other people's relationship," Alice replied feeling disappointed in Zeel's lack of progress in regards to his emotional growth.

Silence descended for a couple of seconds, a heavy suffocating silence that would chill anyone to the bones.

*BANG*

*CRACK*

Zeel raised Alice by the neck and slammed her into the nearby wall.

The wall partially shattered and Alice could feel the massive strain on her body.

Alice and Zeel were looking directly into each other's eyes – red eyes into green eyes, honey-scented breath into mint fresh breath.

Alice, seemingly having expected this reaction from Zeel, did not resist in the least.

"Know your place Alice… know to who you belong and should you forget that…," Zeel realized had been squeezing tighter and tighter the entire time.

Zeel was surprised by his own aggression overclouding his rationality.

Alice's expression was unchanging the entire time so with his last bit of will power, Zeel squeezed out a statement "Should you ever forget that … leave and never return,"

Using her left hand that was not lodged into the wall, Alice caressed Zeel's hair as he held her by the neck up against the wall.

Zeel suddenly released her and she fell down coughing with a massive bruise around her neck.

Zeel began walking away, Alice steadied herself for a couple of seconds before staggering after him.

She was too lazy to walk, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him like a koala bear as he continued to their room.

Alice realized at that moment how messed up their relationship really was.

Zeel liked her enough to kill her should she ever leave, and she felt thrilled at the thought of being forced at his side forever.

But she knew sooner or later, their relationship would explode. Hence, she needed to introduce a moderator, someone additional.

At first, Alice considered Lexa but knew she was not a good match. Alice knew they needed someone young, impressionable, and strong enough to keep up with them.

Someone with an underlying craziness that would blend right into their dynamic.

"Why do something like that if you know how I'd react?" Zeel asked confused about why she would antagonize him just to get the exact response she expected in the first place.

"To show you, when it comes to me. You become off-balanced too easily. Do you not wonder why my scars are not disappearing anymore?

Our integration with the z-virus expels everything deemed harmful to our bodies. Yes, but externally it does little to our scars because they're self-inflicted.

Meaning we have to subconsciously feel that we deserve them.

Our scars tell a story, for me, it's the lives I couldn't save during the apocalypse – each scar tells the story of a group of survivors I let die.

For you … you feel like you don't deserve any of it. And that's the problem. They can't disappear if you can't acknowledge them in the first place Zeel," Alice whispered into his ear in a loving manner as they entered the room.

Though she would not admit it, for a couple of moments there, she was genuinely scared that Zeel would kill her.

**

The following day at school, John, Zeel, and Alice seemed to be in a strange place.

Earlier they saw Sam Goode and he avoided them like the plague, John saw Sarah and she also avoided him like the plague.

John attempted to talk to her and after a single sentence, Sarah no longer bothered with him.

"I am sorry for betraying your expectation John, but I can't do this anymore after what happened last night. I hope you can forgive me," Sarah said.

Sarah then departed with a tearful look in her eyes.

They watched as Mark approached her and tried talking but she pushed him away. Mark gave John a glare and went back to his usual Football-Captain attitude – aloof and beyond pettiness.

"What did you do to her?" John asked a bit angrily as he looked at Zeel.

"Nothing, I altered her memory so could forget what she saw, but I left enough hints for her to suspect what we are.

While I don't care about your happiness, I wanted her to have the choice to choose to be with you, which as you just saw, she didn't," Zeel replied to which John looked despondent.

Sadly, he was still a child – too trusting of others.

Zeel just told him a made-up story and John no longer suspected him. Zeel often pondered about how others could be so trusting when he was borderline paranoid?

**

Later after classes were finished, John got a text from Sam Goode and showed it to Zeel and Alice.

"I know what you are!" the text said.

Zeel and Alice were immediately confused and moved their seats away from John instantly.

"I didn't know you swing like that?" Alice and Zeel spoke simultaneously with a disgusted look on their faces.

"I am not gay!" John yelled loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Gay?" Zeel and Alice asked confused "We thought you were fucking dead bodies or zombies,"

Zeel and Alice were measuring John's preferences based on their experiences from The Resident Evil Universe.

John only stood there shocked at Zeel's and Alice's implications and he froze further when he saw the understanding looks Alice was directing his way.

Just as John was about to retaliate, another text came in.

"I saw you the night of the festival in the woods," Sam texted.

Alice nodded as if to show she now understood the facts of the matter.

Zeel and John went to Sam's house, while Alice went home to the mansion, just in case Zeel had to bomb the place and run after.

Knowing his tendencies, it was a highly likely outcome.

Entering Sam's yard, they could hear the cursing of his step-father in the house. Sam gestured towards them to enter the garage area after seeing them standing by the gate.

"I know what you guys are," was the first thing Sam said after they entered.

Zeel already came prepared to wipe Sam's memories so they awaited an explanation to see how much he had figured out.

If Sam could figure it out, then maybe others could as well. They needed to identify the weakness in their façade and fix it appropriately.