As the water finally covers the second floor, Jess leans over to watch, "Thing really wants me dead." I mumble, "Thadius is still standing there?" She nods, "I don't know how he withstands that cold." Thadius remains motionless with that badly damaged shield in his hands, "He's not." She turns to me, "Someone close to us is gone. He's failed himself again." She stares back at him, "So, what? He's hurting himself?" I shake my head, "No, he's training." She grabs at what's left of her shoulder, "You never told me what happened." She turns to me and with some hesitation, she tells me. Slim's time away from us really has changed him for the worse. She rubs her shoulder, "He should have done his own dirty work." She peeks down again at it, "Did that fish chase you for that long?" She nods, "We can't outrun it, was hoping Thadius would kill it."

  I hug myself in the bedroll, "Jack-" "That's not my name!" Jack grabbed my arm, "You're scaring-" "When Carter's done with you guys, I'll go back to my real family." I sniffle and try to sleep through this drawn-out burial, but then I remember a blade stopped was by something so inferior. God, I hate Jack. I want to puke at the very idea that a sick guy- I shudder, saved me. I cover my head with my arms, but he just won't leave my thoughts. I groan. Maybe I should grab the knife he took out Mama and just stab him. Jack did it all the time, I could do it. Wait- Jack? I didn't mean him- Why-

  I get up and walk up to Mama. She's snoring for a nap as I pick up the knife. Even if he protected me, it's all probably part of Carter's plan. He's compromised already. Watching from a gap in the tower's wall, Jack sits on the tower's outer ledge, watching that stupid fish below. I slowly raise the knife. A small yip from a dog makes me duck. Jack's footsteps come around and I leap out the window, "Puppers?" I peek over and Puppers is the size of a potato. Jack laughs and pets the little black blob, "I thought you died." His head turns towards me, so I quickly duck and toss the knife into the water down below.

  The smallest slits of light float out the window, "Rose?" I hug the wall, "Yeah?" "I saw that." I grumble. I laugh lightly and climb in, "What did you see?" As his silence grows, I stand up straighter.

  My lips tremble, "Were you going to push me?" She rolls her eyes, "No. I was trying to scare you." She smiles and I shake my head, "Mama was right. You probably would try to kill me." Her eyes sparkle, "No." Covering my eyes, I point at her, "Don't do that!" She laughs, "Do what?" I glare at her, "You're acting like Carter." She frowns, "What? How?" She crosses her arms, "You're lying with your face." She pouts, "You're more like Carter than I am." A growl escapes me and I stop myself, we're going around in a circle. I march towards her and she puffs out her chest at me, we eyelock, "I never agreed and I did put my foot down. If you hate me that much-" I brush back my buzzcut, "You don't ever have to see me again." I roll my eyes and turn from her, "I'll start by hunting Carter down by myself." She snorts, "You? Hunting down Carter?"

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  Markus, Thadius and Jess walk up, "Are you feeling up to it again?" Jess sighs, "Not with that thing hunting us." I huff and pull out Diesel's dog tags. Diesel survived so much and we're dead anyway. "It might help us." I hop out the window and I shout, "Rose, now's your chance." Everyone looks at each other as she climbs out and just looks at me weird, "Go on. Push me over. It's just ten feet at this point." Everyone rushes towards the window as she puts her hand on my chest me and whispers, "You can't swim like that."

  She pushes me, I flail to grab anything to stop myself as I plunge back first against the water with a loud plap. With what little breath I could muster, I sink through and that giant glowing fish barrels towards me. Jess plunges down after me, she grabs me as it flies fast towards us with zero effort. It's too fast to swim from. I hold out Diesel's tags. It quickly slows down, big and bright orange eyes pierce into my soul. In my hand, I can feel the pulse coming from the necklace, as if Diesel's still around. An odd allure on an acorn and his tags. Like me with those shards. I hope the ramblings of Mama and Diesel have some truth. As it opens it's giant jaws, a bright warmth washes over me as Jess pulls us away. We breach the water and as she drags me out, the fish thrashes in an effort to grab my leg. It gives up and starts thrashing against the supports below.

  Jess huffs, "What were you thinking!?" Mama uses a pipe as a cane as I stare at his dog tags, "Why did you-" "Why didn't they work?" She tuts, "You aren't like us, Jack. You must be careful." I take a deep breath. Jess shakes her head, "Don't ever do that again!" Rose growls, "Enough coddling him. Let's find a way out of here!" I sigh, "Soldiers welded all the other exits. The only way out is the way we came in." Thadius marches down the steps with a fire in his eyes. His chest inflates to it's brim as a knife forms in his hand. He butchers his translation, "Let's go." He scoops Jess up in his arms. "Uh- wait!" He digs into her skin and she suddenly turns to water, soaking into his clothes. He then scoops up Mama in his arms. I turn to Rose and she shakes her head, "You wish." I smile as Puppers yips and scoop him up, "I was going to pick up something so much more precious." She gives me a mean glare as I pass her up, then the lightest grumble. Markus says to her with a new rifle over his shoulder, "Come on, princess." She sighs as we head down the stairs and then plunge into the water.

  That fish comes for us, but as we zoom away, Thadius stops moving with us, he pushes the fish and forces it's skin against the door's frame. A large amount of bubbles explode from the fish, it grows brighter as Thadius gets swallowed by them too. With his other arm, he punches against the frame. I wince at the sharp pain in my arm as we listen to the loud thuds. Suddenly, they stop. Light slaps are heard as the bubbles stop forming. As it clears, the fish remains suspended, along with Thadius. It's glow quickly fades and the lights above us break, enveloping us in pure darkness.