"We need to get out of here. Those gunshots will have every infected nearby on us soon." Levi said, his gaze roaming around the building, looking for anything to help them escape. "Ricky, you'll need to watch the door while I search for a way to escape." receiving a grim look from Ricky, who nodded and braced as Levi moved away from the barricade.

Backing away from Ricky, Levi watched him for a second before his gaze roamed to the other door on the floor, where a thumping sound was coming. Levi moved forward and kicked the door open, moving inside and making short work of the infected inside.

He didn't focus on the infected for long, and his gaze soon began to scan across the apartment, trying to find a back entrance or window they could use to escape. But he found only two solitary windows facing outwards—their view giving him a clear sight of the infected that had pooled before the building.

The initial horde had now spiralled into a tide of bodies that pushed against the metal fences, trying to squeeze into the small pathway towards them. Levi doubted the door would hold, not with that many pushing. If he had to guess, there were around 200 outside. And more kept arriving from further up the street and assimilating into the horde. He wasn't surprised. The sound they made wasn't quiet. It wouldn't surprise him if half of the infected in Roxbury turned up.

Tapping his foot in thought, he grabbed more items they could prop against the door to slow them. And dragged them out, and with Ricky's help, the doorway had become almost impassable. However, that didn't stop the sound of the door crashing against the oven.

Reinforcing the door would buy more time. And Levi, again, after taking a loaded pistol from Ricky and began up the stairs. His eyes alert as the old wooden stairs creaked under his footfalls.

The second floor was the same as the first, besides a single window at the end between the two apartment doors. From above, Levi could see the horde beneath him, making him hold the knife in his hands tighter. Turning from the window, he faced the door of one of the apartments and kicked it open. Searching the inside for any infected before checking again for a way to escape–but left again when he found nothing and turned towards the other apartment on the floor.

He braced himself and slammed the door open, revealing the appearance of a man who stood before a woman and child, holding a gun. Levi was about to open his mouth and speak when…

Bang.

Levi saw it before he heard it. His jaw clenching, shoulder twitching and finger tense as it pressed down onto the trigger. Making his brain whir, trying to find a solution to the details it had observed. And before the bullet had even left the barrel, Levi braced and positioned his knife in the path of the barrel, watching as the shot sailed towards him.

Shree.

Levi let out a grunt as he felt himself jolt backwards before he changed his grip on the knife and looked up at the man. His arm arched as he launched the knife forward, shlich.

It all happened in a second, the bullet deflected from its path, and the Levi retaliated before anybody else could react. Even with a blade plunged through his forehead, the man still stood, his eyes uncomprehending.

The light faded in his eyes as his body went limp. Thud. His wife turned with difficulty after seeing Levi standing unharmed. Her eyes vaguely recognising the knife handle seen plunging from her husband's forehead as the one she'd seen thrown.

Her mouth opened and closed with difficulty as tears built in her eyes, her trembling hands shaking the man's shoulder as she pleaded. "Please, Andrew, wake up," looking as if she thought the man would stand back up, playing it off as a joke.

When her gentle shakes didn't seem to work, they turned violent as she screamed, "Andrew! Please," her breathless bawling sounding as the child behind her tearfully tugged her blouse, making her flinch as she struck her arm out, sending him sprawling to the floor. Her tears now flowing in rivers as she hung her head on the man's chest, her eyes landing on Levi, her eyes filled with venom.

Levi saw her eyes dart towards the man's pistol that had fallen onto the floor, and within that split second, Levi raised his pistol and pressed the trigger. Bang! The woman's body falling onto the corpse of her husband as her child lay propped against the floor, holding his cheek, watching behind in horror.

Levi processed everything that had happened with the same indifference as always, his face turning towards the boy who recoiled at his glace, backing away in fear until he pressed against the wall. The finger that rested near the trigger of the pistol twitching as Levi shook his head and walked toward the boy.

Making the boy close his tearful eyes as he held his arms up towards Levi, trying to keep him away. Seeing the act, Levi let out a small smile as he crouched down and said, "Open your eyes," his tone demanding nothing but compliance. The boy flinched but almost instinctually opened his eyes, meeting Levi's.

Levi moved his arm forward but stopped when the boy pressed back against the wall, his eyes closing once more, making Levi snort. "I'm not gonna hurt you, little fella. What's your name," asked Levi, his eyes a touch warmer as he saw the boy's grey eyes open once more, his eyes darting towards his two parents lying in a pool of blood that was building up.

A click of fingers took his eyes away from their bodies as he heard Levi say, "Don't look at them. Look at me, what's your name," getting the boy to stammer for a moment.

"My name's Bryson…" getting a wide-eyed look from Levi as he reached his arm towards the boy, making him flinch.

"Wow, what a coincidence, my father was called Bryson," whispered Levi, a reminiscent smile on his face that seemed to ease the boy. "My name's Levi. Don't you think it's time you got up now? I've got something to show you," getting a meek nod from the boy as he grasped Levi's hand.

His head turned towards the two bodies inside until Levi moved beside him and blocked him from looking at them anymore. Walking through the doorway, Levi closed the door to the apartment, pushing him towards the window that sat in the middle of the hallway, allowing him to see outside.

"Do you know what they are?" asked Levi, watching the boy's face turn pale.

"They're. They're the forsaken," he whispered, getting an amused look from Levi.

"What're the forsaken?" he asked.

"They're the things down there. It's… It's what daddy called them. They're god's punishment for sinners and have come to cleanse the world," he whispered, convinced that this was some religious curse.

"Yeah, they're the forsaken all right," said Levi looking down at the broken bodies that howled at the building. "But they aren't god's punishment, or at least I don't think so. Because they don't care if your a sinner or not, they'll eat you all the same."

He got a shocked look from the boy who shouted, "Your lying! Daddy said so! As long as your faith in the lord is strong, the forsaken won't harm you," his eyes tearful as he gave an accusing glare towards Levi. A laugh slipped from his mouth as he reached his hand out, smothering the boy's anger as he flinched back and directed his head towards the sea of Forsaken outside.

"Then do you want to test your daddy's little theory and stay here while me and my friend escape? Or do you want to leave here and maybe avoid being the next 'sinner' in the forsaken's stomach," asked Levi, making the boy frown before looking again at the infected that screamed as they tried to enter the building.

"I want to go…" the boy whispered.

"I'm sorry I couldn't quite hear that. You'll have to repeat louder," said Levi, hearing him clear the first time.

"Please, can I come with you? I. I. I don't want to stay here on my own," his body trembling as he looked up at Levi with pleading eyes.

"All right, we'll take you with us, but first, we have to get out of here. Go down, and help my friend downstairs keep the door closed. He's called Ricky. He's a little weak. I think he needs help from someone strong like you," said Levi, getting a nod from the boy who ran towards the descending stairs.

"If he asks who you are, say Levi sent you. Okay," added Levi, getting the boy to turn back and nod as he tottered down the stairs.

Watching the kid disappear, Levi sighed and turned out the window, his eyes stopping on a few infected that had remained at the brutalised human corpse, and an idea came to his head. His eyes glancing at the room where the two fresh bodies still lay.

He turned the door handle, and his eyes glanced at the bodies as he moved towards the window. His gun turned in his hand, so he held the grip outwards and began to prod the glass from the window. The shattering of the glass erupting a chorus of angry groans. But Levi ignored the noise as he removed all the stray glass jutting from the window frame and turned towards the bodies before reaching for his katana and realising it was still downstairs.

Dashing downstairs, he saw Ricky and Bryson pushed against a dishwasher staring up at him. Ignoring them as he slipped between the obstacles and picked up his katana covered in a sheen of red.

"Levi, what's up with the kid? What was that shot earlier?" Garett asked, getting a look from Levi as he wiped his katana across his shirt.

"You don't want to know. But anyway, I might've found a way we could escape. I'll find out soon, but keep your ears peeled. We'll need to jump from the second floor," Levi responded, a dark look on his face as he saw the fearful look on the boy as he stared up at Levi and nodded.

Levi paid no attention to Ricky and moved back into the room upstairs and rolled the two bodies, making sure to take his knife from the forehead of the man and laying out the man's arm where he raised his sword above. His blade aimed for the joint between the wrist and the hand as Levi slammed the sword down. schlett!

Cutting with no resistance as blood squirted from the wound, but Levi ignored it and sheathed his sword as he picked up the hand and moved towards the window. Aiming behind the bulk of the horde as he threw the hand out and watched for the reaction of the infected.

He was still unsure if it would work, but when the infected turned and saw the hand, a large bulk stopped what they were doing and circled on the hand like sharks. A smile on Levi's face as he saw a faint hope of getting out of here.