Eian broke into a random house in the suburbs, here they were far enough Eian was sure they were not in danger of being followed, at least for a day or two.

Ezrael was sweating and Elisa was tending him in the couch, his kid Ezra was still sobbing, poor kid must be traumatized.

"I think we're good for now." Eian wiped his brow, he had blocked all entrances already.

"We'll need a first aid kit. Try to find one." Elisa was watching the injury to his abdomen.

"Do you even know how to treat it, mom?" Eian frowned.

Elisa shot him a disapproving frown, Eian found it disheartening that she was being a bit weird.

"I have another idea." Eian was skeptical but he knew they could be injured at any moment.

Elisa simply raised her eyebrows and remained silent waiting for him to continue.

"Ma, YOU don't have an element yet. That means you can still choose one. I think it would be best you chose life, that will make you heal him." Eian pointed at Ezrael.

Eian explained the elements to his mother in more detail, he was vague on Water, Air, and even Death but he could make reasonable assumptions.

"And how are we going to do that? I'm not killing those crazy people running about if that's what you're asking. Killing is evil and a last resort, Period." Elisa folded her arms and looked at him pointedly.

"OF course not! Well...not unless they attack us first, anyway ma I saw a few wild dogs running about hunting." Eian raised his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"You want me to kill dogs?" Elisa raised her brows.

"Well...it's better than killing people, and I don't think it's only dogs..." Eian licked his lips.

"What else is there?" Elisa frowned.

"I'm not really sure," Eian remembered how empty the streets were on the way here.

"How...Oh lord. Are you saying it's even more dangerous out here?" Elisa looked to Ezrael.

Ezrael hacked up, shivering slightly but he got their attention.

"I didn't sense anything around during the day," Ezrael spoke.

"Sense?" Elisa looked at him funny.

"My power lets me sense more or less the direction of living things through their thoughts...if they're close," Ezrael replied.

"How close are we talking here?" Eian asked.

"Not sure really, never tested its limits but at least twenty yards," Ezrael spoke.

"That's not very far." Eian shook his head, Ezreal shrugged helplessly.

Eian saw Elisa debate something before she waved at him to speak in private, Eian patted Ezrael's shoulder and left.

"I don't know how badly hurt he is," Elisa whispered.

"Is he dying?" Eian whispered back.

"I don't what the bullet hit, it might fully heal on its own or he could be dead in a few hours." Elisa took a quick look at Ezrael.

"All the more reason to hurry mom." Eian looked outside, it was well into the afternoon.

"...And the boy? We leave him here alone with his father whom might die at any time?" Elisa looked at the saddened child.

"I don't see much options ma, I can protect you, but if we take the kid we are only increasing the danger, plus Ezrael probably won't want his son to leave his side," Eian explained feeling sympathetic.

Their talk concluded Eian approached Ezrael.

"Ezra listen~" Eian started

"I know, I can hear your thoughts." Ezrael smiled, lips and skin pale.

"I thought I told you not to do that." Eian closed his eyes, slightly annoyed.

"I know, I'm sorry, listen Eian. Do what you got to do but..."Ezrael waved him closer.

Eian knelt beside him, bringing his ear closer.

"Listen, if...if I die please take care of Ez." Ezrael was breathing heavily.

"Er. Well, that's kind of obvious I'm not just going to leave a little kid to fend for himself out here." Eian looked at the kid.

"Heh. You're a good person, you'd be amazed how many would." Ezrael smiled thinly.

"Look, man, we're gonna go out and try to be back as soon as my mom can heal you. We'll hurry." Eian explained.

Ezrael nodded in agreement, each time Eian wondered if he was reading his mind, seemed invasive.

Elisa followed Eian out the door, they left easily and Eian kept his guard up, all he had was a damn chair leg as a weapon, Elisa held the sharpest kitchen knife they would find then attached it to a broomstick to make a flimsy spear.

With Eye's of the Earth Eian felt the vibrations upon soil, gravel, cement and pretty much anything considered 'earth', it gave him a hazy image of his surroundings.

Something Eian found eerie was how overgrown everything looked, grass on lawns looked tall enough to be attended for a month, not the measly week that passed, trees, on the other hand, had shed their old leaves and grown newer more vibrant ones.

His spiritual earth scan revealed only small animals burrowing in nests, they made their home within the earth and abandoned homes, what made Eian frown was their abundance and size, he assumed some were rodents and if so a rat the size of a fat cat was alarming.

*****

Their search was slow and meticulous as Eian was unwilling to break in randomly into homes just yet, after all the large vibrations he felt within could well be people and who knew how they'd react to strangers breaking into their shelters.

Instead, he searched and found something else, an abandoned house, it had clearly been abandoned long before the events transpired, in fact, it looked by far more run down than any other on the block.

Inside the abandoned house Eian felt several small vibrations, some form of small animal had made a nest within, Eian smiled it was perfect.

"In there, I think there are biggish animals inside." Eian pointed at the house.

"How big?" Elisa looked disturbed by the prospects.

"Er..like a poodle big maybe?" Eian tried to get a better read.

"Ugh, I just hope we don't get rabies." Elisa shuddered.

"Yeah, well I think you'll be able to heal us soon anyway," Eian explained.

Eian tore open the corroding gate easily, the overgrown grass was a hindrance though, Eian made sure nothing was around as the waded through the grass.

As he approached the wooden door, he wondered who owned this tiny cement shithole before everything, then he kicked in the door, the lock broke easily and the door fell off its hinges.

The sudden intake of his next breath made Eian want to vomit, there's nothing quite as disgusting as rotting animal feces with the potent smell of urine.

"Ugh." Eian covered his mouth and face, backing away.

"We can't go in there sweetheart, we'll get sick," Elisa explained.

"Can we cover our faces?" Eian asked.

"I don't think that will work." Elisa argued.

"Give me a second then." Eian closed his eyes.

Spreading his sense he targeted the nest, it was a small house so Eian hoped this would work, activating empower twice Eian focused.

Using earth magic this way took more concentration and power than Eian usually preferred, placing his hand on the cement he sent a surge toward the nest.

The cracking sound of cement sounded out, along with a chorus of beastly shrieks.

"Get ready!" Eian warned his mother as he felt the monsters racing towards the door.

As the rats ran out his mother skewered a rat the size of a dog, it screeched viciously from the injury.

Eian expected the animals to scatter at the sight of humans, instead, they charged at them with needle-sharp teeth.

Activating Rock-armor, Eian crushed several like ants, but they also attacked his mother.

Elisa stabbed her home-made spear recklessly at the beasts, but she got bitten more than once and her clothes meager protection.

Eian crushed several rats attempting to chase them away from Elisa until enlightened he grabbed her and hoisted her up from the ground and unto his armored shoulder.

Once up high she was safe to kill the large rodents, Eian ceased his efforts to kill them leaving that to his mother.

The remaining rodents fled into the grass, with his mother injured Eian decided his time was better spent helping her than to kill the nasty fuckers.

"Ma, you okay?" Eian lowered how seeing her leg injuries.

"NO! I just got infected teeth into my legs." Elisa was sweating.

"And your tattoos?" Eian asked.

"Who cares? I need medicine!" Elisa yelled, cradling her leg.

"You'll heal faster if you choose life. It's the door that looks like a mini-jungle." Eian explained.

Elisa looked at him with a dissatisfied frown, then quickly selected something and went into a trance, Eian sighed with relief he hoped everything worked out.

Shortly after his mother blinked and began yelling, Eian held her down as he saw her body convulsing.

She coughed and slapped his hands away, sweating and bleeding, but relatively energetic.

"I feel even worse now," Elisa complained, before coughing.

"Yeah, sorry I forgot to warn you about that." Eian smiled awkwardly.

"It's like that for everyone?" Elisa gave him a shaded look.

"The way my group described it was different for each, but we all chose different elements so..." Eian shrugged off the rest.

Eian carried his mother, he had to take her back and perhaps disinfect her wounds, her powers would be available to her in a while.

"Aae your other tattoo's still glowing?" Eian asked.

"No. Why?" Elisa glanced at him, question evident.

"fuck...We'll need to try again tomorrow." Eian explained.

"Why?" Elisa pinched his flesh, he hardly felt it.

"You need two points in spirit to heal people Ma." Eian explained.

Eian started turning back towards the house the other two were at.

"Help me then, Ezrael can die without treatment." Elisa tugged at his shirt.

"You're hurt," Eian said it saw a final statement, which earnt him an ear pull.

"I'm your mother and I say we need to help the gentleman who helped us escape. Just, ugh, no more rats. Please." Elisa frowned and pinched his hardened flesh for his minor cursing.

Eian walked down the sidewalk, he felt something approach, turning he saw a red-headed disheveled woman running towards him with feral eyes.

"Oh shit." Eian set down his mother.

"SHES SICK! Try not to hurt her." Elisa warned.

Eian easily restrained the woman, following his mother's orders.

"Now what?" Eian asked he didn't know what to do with the crazy lady.

"I... wait. Hello?" Elisa looked at the woman's face.

The red-head thrashed and tried to bite her, Eian held her back as his mother flinched slightly.

Wrestling with the red-head was easy but Eian was actually worried she would hurt his mother or that he would break her.

There wasn't much he could do to help her either.

"We have to try to let her go somewhere," Eian explained.

A few seconds passed in peace, Eian noticed his mother was staring at the woman again.

"Ma?" Eian asked.

The woman was also unnaturally still now, they were staring at each other as though each other's face was the most interesting thing in the universe, both nonresponsive.

'Oh shit.' Eian began to worry.

*****

Elisa was somewhere else.

Inspecting the room she realized it was once a woman's bedroom, everything from the pink walls to the shattered mirror next to upturned makeup gave it away.

The room was in disarray, black cracks splintered like hair-line-webs everywhere as though space was eating away at reality, her small area was clear and spotless.

The front door was open, white light filtering in, flashing.

"Hello?" Elisa trembled, this was scary.

The silence was her answer, an unhealthy feeling of wrongness made her hairs stand on end.

"Hello?" Elisa asked again, her voice echoed this time.

The air became chilly, she heard dark whispering in the distance.

"This isn't funny." Elisa shivered and started making her way to the door.

Bright light filtered from what looked like a hospital hallway, staring at the floor the mesh between bedroom and hallway disjointed and forced, Elisa found every door locked along the way.

Elisa followed it slowly watching the details, the cracks were following her, as if her presence lent stability to a small area.

She had to stop a few times to calm herself, it was frightening, she felt like a helpless woman walking to her inevitable murder.

She heard a single sob, coming from far ahead with uncomprehensive whispers following the sound.

At the end of the hallway was a door slightly ajar.

"Hello?" Elisa was breathing heavily.

'Well might as well.' Elisa took a deep breath and walked towards the door.

It was a patients room, the red-headed woman was laying on it unconscious.

A sofa was on the side, Elisa edged along the room wary of the sleeping woman.

"Help me." A voice whispered behind Elisa.

"AHHHHHHH!!!!" Elisa jumped forward, stumbling.

A hand grabbed her, it was the shadow of a man.

"HELP ME!" The sound turned furiously deep, masculine.

Elisa kicked her assailant, who shrieked at the contact, throwing itself back a distance.

The shadowy demon pounced at her, kicking blindly and pushing against its assault she tried to fend for herself.

Its body felt light and spongy, almost like a pillow wrapped in a thick blanket, and its cries grew louder the more she fought.

As the shadow dissipated Elisa heard its voice.

"....please, ...I don't... want to die....not again." The shadow said.

Elisa watched slowly as she saw the woman woke, heart pounding.

"Who are you?" The red-head asked, fear in her voice.

Then Elisa was staring at the woman and her son in the sidewalk, bewildered and confused, accompanied with a small migraine emerging.