"Stay down!"

Louie barely heard Peyton's shout over the blasts. Explosions of light filled the sky and sent showers of sparks raining down on the huddled group. Peyton was close to Louie, his body protecting her from the chaos. Louie shifted, her lips coming up to reach Peyton's ear.

"What the hell is going on?" Louie shouted.

The ground shook beneath them. Louie's ears were ringing, every muscle taut.

"I don't know but I have an idea," Peyton shouted back, his expression stony.

Another blast punctured the air and Louie cringed, her body tightening into a ball, Peyton's body shielding her. Debris and dirt were hurled though the sky, raining down on them, coating every inch of them. The air was thick with the smell of burning flesh and chard foliage. Louie felt as if her teeth would fall out of her head, with each new deluge of explosions.

The earth felt as if it was going to crack open as shock wave after shock wave shook the ground to its core. Inhuman guttural voices were drowned out by the tumult of bombs exploding. Louie pulled herself into an even tighter ball, her back pressed against Peyton's chest, every muscle straining against the tremors that tore though her.

After what felt like an eternity, the world went silent and the shaking stopped. Peyton was the first on his feet, racing up the side of the ridge and looking down at the destruction before him. Disoriented, Louie untangled her limbs and weakly rose to her feet, stumbling up beside Peyton. Her ears were deaf to any sound, a constant high pitched ringing residing in them. She staggered slightly, her balance thrown by the noise that had no end and Peyton's hand caught her upper arm, steadying her.

Splintered trees and torn branches littered the ground, mixed with the forms of hundreds of Crawlers. Holes riddled the land, smoke billowing out from the crevices. Figures started to race from the edges of the bombardment, their twisted limbs and awkward gaits marking them as Crawlers.

Louie's gaze moved upward and saw helicopters hovering above the ground, their blades whipping up the smoke. In an instant ropes were tossed out from the inside and figures repealed down. Guns were raised as they moved outward, in search of the scattering Crawlers. Peyton pulled his rifle from his back and notched it into the crook of his shoulder and took aim. A Crawler fell a few yards away, its pursuer halting in their tracks and finding where Peyton stood already taking aim at other Crawler further away.

At the sight of Crawlers approaching, Louie's thoughts came back to her and her knives were in her hands. She sent two falling to the ground by the time the rest of the team had moved into position and were taking aim themselves. Dax tossed Louie more knives and she sent them flying, making sure her target was Crawler instead of human. The ringing slowly melted away as Louie concentrated on taking down the disfigured forms.

By the time the last Crawler was down, the helicopters had landed in the clearing. A tall, imposing figure stepped out of the helicopter's interior and turned towards the ridge that held Peyton, Louie and the rest of their team. The figure strode purposefully forward followed by a team in all black, guns raised. The curve of the body announced it was a woman and Louie looked to Peyton, noticing his mouth set in a thin slash.

"Peyton do you know who they are?" Louie asked.

Peyton didn't answer right away, his features running through a myriad of emotions that went by too quickly for Louie to read.

"Yes, I do. Come on. Trevor, Dax, Luther collect the knives on the way," Peyton said.

He shouldered the rifle and started descending the other side of the ridge, moving towards the woman. Louie and everyone else followed in his footsteps. The helicopter blades had dispersed the smoke and the chaos of the raid came into clear view. Bodies covered the ground. Detached limbs jutted up from the dirt, looking like buried humans breaking free from their graves.

The smell of burnt flesh and decay was so strong that is dulled in Louie's nose. Peyton stopped a few feet away from the approaching group, arms crossed. They took that last few steps to him. Close now, Louie could make out the woman's face. She had cutting features, domineering eyes and short hair. As she moved forward, her lips curved into a patronizing smile, her eyes surveying the group before her.

"Peyton Jones," the woman said, her voice mocking.

"Diana Winters," Peyton said, mimicking her tone.

"I should have known you would be somewhere around here," Diana said. "Hiding in the brushes. How cute you have a crew now. You have stepped up in the world."

"I see the Artillery decided to listen to sense and take my advice. Took you long enough."

Diana gave a mocking smile that was pinched.

"Yes, well we got better intel and so decided to act on it," Diana said.

Peyton's scowl deepened, his jaw clenching.

"What better intel could there be than what I already shared with you?" Peyton said.

"It's classified."

Peyton barked out a laugh that lacked any humor.

"Of course, how's that self importance working out for you? People bowing to your obvious superiority?"

Diana's mouth tightened, but she rearranged her features going for a friendly expression. Instead she ended up with a look of mild irritation.

"Peyton, I see no reason that we can't work together. My offer still stands."

Peyton gave her a wry smile.

"I don't take orders well. Remember?"

"Well we can change that. Offer you a different position."

Peyton's face fell into a stony expression, his eyes hard.

"I don't like how you work. Choosing those you think are more important over others. Abandoning thousands for the sake of a few chosen leaders, who you believe are worth hundreds innocent lives," Peyton tone was steely, his body tense with disgust. "Tell me Diana, how many people are listening to what your self appointed leaders are saying, huh?

"How many of them are able to even receive the mindless speeches that they are producing? It might help if you gave some support to the people you are trying to brain wash, otherwise how will they hear what your trying to force feed them."

Diana straightened her shoulders, her face going hard.

"I see there is still no talking to you Peyton. I believe there could have been an alliance reached but you are as stubborn as ever."

"Better stubborn on my own than dressed up like one of your monkeys." There a was tense pause and then Peyton gave a mocking grin. "It was a pleasure seeing you Diana, don't let the Soulless creep up on you. Let's move on."

Peyton nodded towards the group and Dax took the lead moving out of the clearing, Peyton bringing up the rear.

"What no thank you for protecting you from the Soulless group," Diana shouted out.

Peyton turned, walking backwards.

"Only you would ask for thanks for something you should have been taking care of months ago. Goodbye Diana, I hope to never see you again, if I'm ever that lucky."

Peyton spun around and disappeared into the mass of trees, leaving Diana glaring at his retreating back. Peyton quickly caught up with the group, meeting Louie's blatantly curious look with a slight shake of the head. As he took the lead once more, he spoke back to them.

"We'll make it to the edge of the town and camp on the outskirts for tonight," Peyton said.

No one argued or made any comment but their thoughts swayed around them, curiosity burning their tongues with questions. They travelled in silence navigating their way through the rumble of buildings and the forests that was sprung up around the broken down remains.

They stopped outside the town, a brick wall giving them one layer of defense as clusters of trees provided another. Jonas and Peyton scouted out the surrounding area, while the rest of the group gathered logs, built the fire and set up the ring of wire along the perimeter.

As everyone ate, Louie watched Peyton, noticing the tension in his shoulders, the frown on his lips and the distracted look in his eyes. When the last bite was taken silence descended but was broken before it could fill with tension.

"Alright, Peyton what the hell was that all about?" Trevor asked.

Every eye that hadn't been watching Peyton, looked at him then. Peyton however didn't take his gaze from the flames that licked at the air. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing.

"They are one of the West Coast branches of the Artillery," Peyton said. "You know the group that took over for every division of the military. As you can obviously tell we have had some dealings with each other in the past."

Jonas let out a loud laugh.

"Some dealings? You make it sound as if you merely disagree on a couple things. From what I saw it was like they had killed your grandmother and you had pissed on their diplomacy."

A ripple of laughter spread through the camp and Peyton quirked a smile.

"True. In reality I managed to get a meeting with Diana," Peyton said. "I approached her with my findings of the Crawlers. She said she would take it under advisement, like it was a piece of information to store away. We've run into each other a few other times. She offered me a position on her team after I managed to send four of her men to the infirmary. But I don't do mindless solider all that well. And that's pretty much all there is too it." His tone echoed the last statement.

The group fell into a different topic of conversation until the day's journey and events sent them off to sleep. Louie announced that she would take the first watch and settled closer to the fire, flipping a knife in one hand. Peyton sat opposite her, staring into his hands but unseeing. Eventually Peyton roused himself from his thoughts and met Louie's gaze. He stood and moved to sit beside her. He didn't talk for a long time.

"You said that they chose to save a few over hundreds, what did you mean?" Louie asked.

Peyton face was hard, his eyes dark.

"The first time I ever ran into Diana Winters was about two years back," Peyton said. "It's true I went to one of their military sites to tell them what I had learned, but I met her before that. I was helping a Compound further North when it was attacked. By some chance the Artillery were near by.

"Instead of fighting the Crawlers, they evacuated some of the high up members of the Compound. The ones that had been someone in the past. I think possibly a president but I have never been sure. They said they would come back for the others. They never did. I saved as many as I could. But they were unprepared and defenseless."

Peyton's shoulder sagged as if the weight of every death was laid upon him.

"Hundreds died to save just a few people that had once mattered. They still believe that there could be some sort of government to help govern this world. They still deny what everyone else knows, its every group for themselves. Those who can survive do it any way they can."

Louie nodded.

"I can see why you wouldn't get along with someone like her."

"I can't really stand self important people."

"There's that, but you also believe that a life is a life and always worth saving."

Peyton looked at Louie, his features softening. Louie shrugged, her gaze drifting back to the fire.

"I agree with you," she said. "It's taken awhile but I understand you. I can see why a life of constant danger is worth it. The world needs more people like you Peyton. You're better than an army of Artillery men. Diana knows that. It's why even with your attitude she would still offer you a job. She sees the value in being fearless."

Peyton gave a low chuckle, his eyes sliding away from Louie.

"I'm not fearless, I just choose to ignore the fear for the sake of someone else."

They were silent for a long moment.

"Thank you, Peyton."

He gave her a puzzled look.

"For what?"

Louie found she couldn't met his gaze.

"Shielding me."

Peyton didn't answer, instead looked back at the fire smiling to himself. The night stretched on, the moon slowly cutting a trek across the black sky.

"You should get some sleep. Tomorrow we start heading back to the Compound," Peyton said.

Louie had started to stand, but paused, looking at him.

"Right...Home."

Peyton nodded his head.

******************

The following morning the group set out, their destination the Compound. All thoughts turned toward the familiar location, minds running ahead of them to the familiar smiles, faces and feel of the ones they left behind. Spirits seemed high as they journeyed, their mission complete and their fears relieved for the time.

Everyone seemed happy. Everyone except Louie. As each day took them closer and closer, her thoughts raced to the Compound. With each step she could feel the weight of duty fall back onto her shoulders.

It had slipped away so gradually she forgot how long ago it had been that that pressure had been lifted from her mind. Now each mile pulled her back to the responsibility. To the demands that she had laid away more than three weeks ago. Each night Louie found sleep harder and harder to achieve as her thoughts weighed her down. She found she was the one that stayed up through Peyton's watch as well as her own; finding comfort in talking about things unrelated to the Compound.

Louie's shoulder's felt heavy as she sat staring into the fire on their second to last night outside the Compound's walls.

Peyton had told them that by tomorrow night they would be within the confines of the barrier and sleeping in normal beds. The group had cheered, their tired limbs already imagining what the comfort would feel like.

Peyton stirred beside Louie, his gaze on her.

"Thinking about sleeping in a real bed?" Peyton asked.

Louie blinked herself out of her reverie and looked at him.

"No. I don't mind sleeping outside that much. I've gotten used to it."

"You are one of the few. Jonas seemed unable to shut up about it as we were clearing the area," Peyton said, half laughing.

Louie only managed a vague nod, her thoughts storming in her mind once more and pulling her away. Peyton's face fell and he looked at her with concern.

"You alright?" Peyton asked.

It took Louie a moment longer to pull herself from her thoughts and look at Peyton.

"Fine."

"You sure? You've seemed, distracted ever since we started back towards the Compound."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about getting back. That's all."

"I'm sure your father will be happy to see you."

This brought the faintest smile to Louie's lips.

"Yeah, he will."

They lapsed into silence, their thoughts verging away from each other.

"I think I'm going to miss this," Louie said.

"Yeah? Are you talking the company or being attacked by Crawlers?" Peyton asked, his smile playful.

The corner of Louie's mouth curled slightly.

"I guess little of both." Her gaze drifted upward, staring into the endless sea of stars stretched out above them. "It's more this. The freedom."

Peyton nodded.

"I can understand that, its one of the main reasons I don't stay long any where. I can't stand confined spaces. No room to breath, none of this."

He stretched his arms out indicating the forest around them.

"If I have to risk danger to live freely than I'll do it. Not really an option," Peyton said.

Louie let his words linger in the air, nodding in agreement, but not realizing it. Suddenly her thoughts became overwhelming and she felt as if they were pressing against the inside of her skull. Reaching up, she pulled her hair free of the pony tail, letting it fall past her shoulder. She felt as if it had released a small portion of the pressure. 

"What do you think you'll do once you get us back to the Compound?" Louie asked.

Peyton whose eyes had been on her, shifted away as he shrugged.

"I don't know, probably go and try to find my parents. See if they survived. Keep tracking the Crawlers."

"It sounds kind of lonely. You sure you don't want to stay at the Compound? I'm sure we could find you a job. Human company has to be worth something even if it means dealing with confined spaces."

"Actually I think I prefer Crawlers." Peyton joked.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, with Crawlers at least you know where you stand. They are trying to eat you. Much less complicated than the dynamic of Compound life."

Louie laughed the sound warm, the effects of it leaving a smile on her face. She looked at Peyton the smile falling slightly as she looked at him, a look in his eyes that she hadn't ever seen.

Before Louie knew what was happening, Peyton's hand was cupping the back of her neck and he was kissing her.

******************

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