White, fluffy clouds loomed in the distance, blocking the sun. It was well into the morning, all awake and doing their own activities. While Father worked on improving the fence, his wife sung to the twins at the table. Their son, on the other hand, played by himself on the floor.

Everything was just perfect.

Smashing his cars together, the boy made a loud 'boom', then laughed.

"Having fun over there?" Chloe asked gently.

He looked to his mother, smiling brightly. "Yes," he said, "but can you play with me?"

Shaking her head, the woman waved him over. "Why don't you sit on my lap? I have a song for you and your siblings." With that, her face softened. "Whenever you hear this song, I want you to remember me, okay?"

The girls nodded from the other side of the table.

"Will you, Forest?"

With a sigh, the boy left his toy cars and met his mother's gaze. "I will." Then he came forward, sitting on her lap. "I promise."

Chloe looked to each of her children, before starting her favorite song from the beginning.

"Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain,

We all have sorrow,

But if we are wise,

We know that there's always tomorrow."

Her voice angelic and soft, Forest hummed along, lost to the lyrics. Only when she finished did the boy speak up. "Can I go now?"

Nodding, Chloe pat her son on the back. "Go on. You can continue playing." Facing the girls, she gave each another smile. "Go on."

Already on the floor and playing with the cars, Forest was called again. "What is it?" he asked, slightly irritated. "I want to play!"

"You know what that song is called, right?"

"It's called Lean on Me."

"Good," Chloe said, "good."

"Mom?" the boy asked after a moment. "Why is Dad working on the fence? It's already done." No longer was he playing. "I don't get it."

His mother sighed softly. "He's making it better. You never know when walkers might come."

"But they already have," Forest mumbled, searching her face. "I still don't get it."

Chloe's smile left without a trace. "You know I'm pregnant, right?" When he nodded, the woman swallowed hard. "Well, that means I'll be giving birth... and you know that hurts, don't you?"

"Yes," he said, tilting his head. "What are you trying to say?"

"Well, when people are in a lot of pain, they tend to make noise," she said, then paused. "This might draw walkers, so we need to be better prepared."

"We'll be prepared, won't we, Mother?"

"Yes, we will."

-

With a low groan, Forest rubbed his neck as he came to be. It was throbbing with pain, and he didn't know why. But that was when he had a realization. Struggling upright, the boy searched for the intruders, only to be left speechless. Where am I?

The room was small, heaps of trash littering the cemented ground. Gagging, the boy looked to the corner of the room and made out a toilet coated with grime. All light was gone; instead, the place was ill-lit and cold. That wasn't what concerned him, though. It was the prison bars, trapping him from within.

In a daze, Forest crawled over and gripped the icy structures. He shivered. I'm all alone.

However, it was then that a soft whimper was heard. The boy turned to find his sister, Autumn, in the corner, head in hands. "You okay?" He kept his voice down. "It's me."

His sister recoiled, before sighing with relief. "I'm glad you're awake."

She didn't answer the question. Despite himself, the boy still smiled. But then it left. "Where's Winter?" he pressed. "And where are the others?!"

"Not in here," she said, staring into space.

"What does that mean?"

His sister eyed him for a moment, frowning. "The others are beside us," she mumbled. "They put us in cells of two."

The boy tried to catch her gaze as he stood. "How do you know?!" She flinched at his tone, so he lowered his voice. "Can you elaborate?"

Autumn sniffled, wiping at her eyes. "We can see them through the openings. There's one on both sides of the cell."

Forest blinked at her. Then, all too slowly, he looked over the walls and found that she was right. The boy crept forward, peering through one of the tiny, squared holes. And his heart dropped. There, lying on the ground, were Holly and Winter, each unconscious.

"Are they awake yet?" Autumn asked delicately.

Forest swallowed hard. "N-no."

"Jade and Skylar are to the right of us. Last I checked, they weren't awake either."

The boy continued to watch them through the opening, struggling to find his voice. The sight was just too painful. "G-guys?" he croaked.

"It's of no use-"

"Can you h-hear me?"

No response.

Forest finally dropped down beside her and huddled close. He was only wasting his breath. "What do you think they're going to do with us, Autumn?"

"I don't know."

The boy shivered. Her tone - it was so unfamiliar. Normally, it'd hold hope and cheer; not anymore.

"But we'll find out soon, I'm sure," she continued.

"I don't want to find out."

"Me neither."

There was a moment of quiet, each lost to their thoughts.

"How long were you awake?" Forest asked, resting his head on her shoulder. "How long were you waiting?"

"Ten minutes, maybe," Autumn replied, then began to stroke his hair. "We did well. You know that, right?"

The boy took an uneasy breath. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, brother, always full of questions." With that, she chuckled dryly. "You know what I mean. Please don't make me say it."

"You think we're gonna die here, don't you?" Forest lifted his head, then locked with her gaze. "All these years, you were the one keeping everyone grounded. That was you; this isn't. Where's the sister of yesterday? The one that would look me in the eye and say it wasn't over. I need her back!"

"That's not fair," she snapped. "I'm tired of all this weight on my shoulder. I'm human too! Why do I always have to be the grown-up?"

Forest's blood ran cold; this side of Autumn hadn't come to light in years. "I'm sorry. Forget I said anything."

"No, you've already said it," she muttered, then paused. "I've never experienced anything like this before, you know that?"

"Yes."

"And you expect me to not be a little scared?" Autumn demanded. "I'm allowed to feel human emotion sometimes, you know. Everyone else has their moments, so why can't I?!"

"You can," Forest insisted, forcing a smile. It wasn't met. "You can."

His sister eyed him, fresh tears falling down her face. "It doesn't seem like it."

"Autumn?" he asked suddenly. "You know what I'll do?"

"What?" came her weak reply.

"I'll prove it to you." He rested his head over her shoulder once more. "I promise. We'll make it out and I'll prove it to you."

"Prove what?"

"That you will no longer have to be the only mature one. I'll grow up, and so will Winter." When she scoffed, the boy sighed. "What is it?"

"How do you know we'll make it out of here?"

"Remember that song Mom used to sing?"

Autumn froze for a long moment. Then, without warning, nudged him. Her brother lifted his head again, his gaze on her. "Lean on Me? That one?"

Forest nodded, smiling. "That's the one. Mom would sing it to us all the time."

She broke into a smile as well and laughed. "How could I forget?"

"I knew you would remember. And I know you always will," the boy said, thinking back. "I wonder if Mom would be proud of us."

"I know she would be." Autumn's grin brightened. "I know it."

That's the sister I know. "I sure hope so."

"No." There was a pause. "I know it."

Forest chuckled to himself. "If you say so."

"Look at me," she said, tipping his chin. "Look at me in the eye and know I'm not bluffing. Anyone would be lucky to have a son like you."

"You were always a great daughter too, Autumn."

"What's g-going on?" It was Jade. "Where am I?"

-

Having drifted off hours ago, Forest awake with a start when he heard footsteps. "Autumn." He shook her, desperate. "Autumn!"

Rousing from sleep, she was soon wide-eyed and alert. "What?" she whispered, but then she heard it too. "This can't be good."

Slow and steady, the steps drew close until they stopped just out of sight. "Rise and shine," the person said, before appearing in front of them. "I can see you're finally awake."

It was Matthew, Forest realized, and it took everything to hold back his rage. "You must be a genius."

The man chuckled. "I tend to be snappy in the mornings also. Never was a morning person!" With that, he looked over everyone from all three cells. "I can see you're all awake. That's... lovely."

"Lovely, huh? You could have killed us!" Skylar barked, gripping the iron bars.

"Actually, the drug wasn't going to kill you. We knew that," Matthew said, arms crossed. "It was Ketamine, which is medically proven for surgeries. In other words, it's safe."

"Really?" Forest couldn't help but ask.

"Yes," he answered with a smirk. "When you and that one girl foolishly tried to escape, which was incredibly stupid might I add, we decided to give it to you. And everyone else." The man paused for effect. "Ketamine is effective for 1-2 hours, so we kept injecting you all with it. That's why your necks are so sore."

"I don't understand," Holly spoke up, "you don't want to kill us."

"Obviou-"

"-so what are you going to do with us?"

"Work." The response was so quick, the man continued before any could reply. "You will work for us. Your jobs have yet to be assigned." Then he studied them, his eyes resembling fire. "Holly and the twins know. They remember."

"I-" Holly tried.

"But you thought it was too late, didn't you?" Matthew grinned when the woman only stared back. "Well, as much as I'd love a good meal, you people can be used in a different way."

"Matthew, I do-" Winter began, but he held up a hand.

"Never address to me as that name ever," he ordered, barely composed. "If you ever mess up again, you will be used in the way that you deserve. Got it?" The man eyed everyone, one by one. "You wouldn't want to see me for dinner, would you?"

There was a strained silence.

"Would you?!" Only when they shook their heads did he nod. "I didn't think so." With that, the man disappeared from view. "Well, see you when I see ya!"

-

It had to be an hour later when a voice caught their attention.

"I'm not sure I can," a woman said in distress. "I'm sorry."

Two pairs of footsteps drew near when they stopped altogether.

"Don't you dare give me that." It was Kara, all too cold. "You're going to, and you won't tell me otherwise. Not again."

Slap.

"But I-"

Slap.

There was a moment of silence.

"I understand," the woman managed. "And I will."

While one pair of feet grew distant, the other came their way. Blue eyes narrowed, the woman stood short with a thin build, her black hair neatly braided behind her. When she noticed the prisoners, she stopped to face them.

"Are you okay?" Autumn asked gently. "What is it?" She took her brother's hand, nervous.

"You don't know me, but I know you." Laughing, she then gave a crooked smile.

It was her.