Ash surveyed the stock that surrounded her in the study. Ralph had outdone himself. She had never been able to gather so many items to take back with her. It all looked intimidating. Her strange request initially had raised an eyebrow from him. He did not question it, and now she stood packing her treasure trove: water, food, and medical supplies.

She squeezed her arm tightly as she realized this would never have been possible without the help of Domenic.

The darkness was creeping its way in and it seemed at the moment he would not make it back. It was not like it would matter for she had other more important tasks at hand. The people needed her and they could not help themselves effectively and any lapse would result in death. She wished he would see things from her side, but it was a waste of time speaking to a man that had his foot sunk so deep in the ground. The sunlight faded as she grasped the bags around her and took the first steps into the void.

Now she was here again, Hell.

She did not want to waste any time, knowing that the clock ticked above the sky. She quickly moved, heading in a beeline to the safe house, realizing that the time she wasted would be a detriment to the others. She skewed, sliced and diced anything that got in her path with relative ease, making her way to the entrance of the red door.

She turned to the direction where the man once greeted her. He was always dressed in suit and tie, but the atmosphere here with its curse like corruption ate away at the mind. First, it took his sanity bit by bit until it was hard to speak, the most basic of sentences. Then it formed and changed his body slowly into a freakish state and that was the fate of all those who lay outside here for too long. The inside helped to keep this corruption down, but for how long was still unknown. His sacrifice and those that followed were not in vain as she put her elbow to push open the door.

Here was what was left of humanity in this world; at least that she knew of. No one present had turned due to slight intakes of the wind, but those on the front lines had the hardest of times. That, however, did not mean it was not happening. The heat both outside and in took their effects upon the body; both mentally and physically. It was only a matter of time before they did or they gave into human nature.

Would I turn into a monster too?

She looked at the faces of those either lying or seated on the ground. Their faces held despair that only seemed to lighten upon her return, especially now more than ever. Everyone was looking at the huge bags, she was carrying.

She passed the streams of people in tightly squeezed spaces as she went to place the luggage in the storage.

That light, that ray of hope took her back to when she had first came and laid claim to this area. Ronn, the two of them had run into each other trying to outrun the monsters in this place. She was able to go and come but he was not.

Escape was what they both wanted to find. Shelter and a place to stay came next. All he needed was the tools and with that material he could make or build anything. The door outside the containers, the beds and the chairs he had built them. In what was just an almost empty room. He really was something, she thought as she dropped off the bags. That is why she squeezed her hand into a fist, I must keep this promise.

She gave a message to one of the guards posted outside, to pass to the respected leaders. Guards were needed for chaos, panic and most importantly other humans more than monsters, which were a tremendous threat. A hungry man was a deadly man; if they realized they could take advantage. More than anything else, these guards ensured the rules here were enforced.

They used makeshift weapons and armour, but Ash wondered if they could even hold up to some of the bigger monsters that she had faced. There were so many of them, and even now she knew she had not seen them all.

She pushed the door to the control centre open and she waited a while before the others came trickling in.

Their faces varied from hope to gloom. Ash knew there was a lot that had happened here without her consent, of course it would, and she was only here for the night; these people, however, lived here. A title of leader in name but drifter was more deserved. She couldn't see everything or believe everything was true. The only thing that she could rely on was everyone's common desire to escape. Though for now, it seemed more of a dream.

Domenic was wrong, these weren't evil people condemned here. She had seen good in all of them, hope, and what could only be described as humanity. If anyone here was evil, Ash thought, it would be me.

"Is there anything new to report?" Ash asked while everyone took a seat on the makeshift chairs, she was the only one to remain standing.

She looked at them all and couldn't help but put a title to their name, Donald (Head of scouts), Bernie (Leader when she wasn't there), and Mark (Food and rations).

"There has been some increase in monsters in the area," the head scout reported. "The situation is being maintained but it may be," he paused looking at the others, "that there is a significant influx of people coming into this world, this is only my speculation."

"Hmmm, are any of these monsters with red eyes, black, and a towering presence?" Ash asked.

There was a quiet whisper among them.

"No, we have not seen or heard any details for a monster like that," Donald responded his face filled of inquiry.

"If you do happen to see one retreat immediately, it would be too much for you all to fight. It may even be a high challenge for me."

An air of discontentment and shock filled the room as the men nodded in agreement.

"Is there any particular reason for this influx of people? Are their more disappearances in the world?" Mark asked.

"It is being mentioned more in the news but no one cares about the common man. I know that there are many ways to get here, but is there a way for demons to come to the world as humans?" She asked as her gaze shifted to each man, and then falling upon the man she had left to run this place, Bernie.

Bernie scratched his beard before he answered. "Maybe it could be a part of how their contract was worded. For me, the way I ended up here was in my moments of despair. I cried out for help to live after being thrown out of the hospital. I was beaten and robbed before and did not have the money to pay, so they left me there to die. I felt it was the end for me and then from the shadows of that alley, a voice spoke to me in my head. It told me it could help me, it could save my life and like honeycombed words, I took the drug without question. It had scared me, yes, but by me not paying attention. I woke up here stuck and trap. I am not surprised if it may be happening."

"It is happening," Ash replied.

There was much muttering between everyone as she broke that revelation.

"What does that mean?" Mark inquired.

"I don't know yet, however, I don't think anything good could come from it," Ash said.

"So you mean after all of this, if we somehow managed to go back, these monsters will be there too?" Donald probed.

"Possibly," Ash replied.

"Fuck me!" Donald shouted, he slammed his hand on the table in frustration.

Ash was silent for a while, causing everyone else to be as well.

She squeezed her fist and broke the silence. "I don't know what to expect because they came to kill me at my home. I sensed about twenty of them in the area."

The men voiced their own thoughts out loud seeking answers that they knew could not be found.

"So many of them that you sensed one time, that means there are far more?" Bernie asked.

"Not sure."

"Are they taking our bodies now too?" Donald asked.

"It seems like a possibility," Bernie responded.

"Damn," Mark said.

"Are there really so many people that would trade away their life for temporary gain?" Ash asked.

"Look at us," Bernie replied and chuckled, "I think we make a perfect example."

"I wish we had some more cigarettes," Mark said.

"Sorry, I didn't prioritize that."

"So many onetime seems strange and hard to imagine based on the information you gave and the similarities between the worlds," Donald replied.

"Agreed, the drugs bring you here; contracts bring you here or take your soul. If you die here, you lose your soul and now they can find and use bodies to get back to where we live too. "Ash placed a hand to her head as she sunk back.

"It seems like a lot more is going on than what meets the eyes. Haven't you realized how similar these worlds are? Perhaps they are exactly the same?" Donald said.

"Spouting nonsense again?" Bernie replied.

"There is nothing for us to do than toss ideas and rely on Ash." Mark replied back with an emphasis on the name.

"Or die? How long have we been at it here, years now? We barely know anything, and the situation is getting worse. I am grateful Ash for all of your help thus far, but I don't think just sitting here and waiting is the answer. There must be something here we can use?" Bernie replied.

"The scouts are having enough trouble as it is avoiding humans and bringing back bits and pieces from the outside. You know already the effects of the wind, especially for lengthy periods of exposure that it causes us to turn into those monsters." Donald replied.

"It is better than doing absolutely nothing each day, waiting for the end." Bernie said.

"Enough!!" Ash shouted, "we all have a task to perform and we can't give up hope. There must be a way out of this. Just like there has to be a reason some of us are more powerful than others."

"How many are they?" Mark asked.

"I don't know, I only know of three. All roads have to lead back to that thing that gave me the drug in my weakness. They must want something, and since I am not acting to their desire, it may have been a first warning or maybe it was that woman. My gut tells me more than ever we should be prepared and vigilant so enough with the petty arguments and get ready for what must be coming."

Ash started to get up to leave and as she did, she could see in their eyes something she knew too well, Envy.

"Oh from now on everyone will be eating well put in an order tomorrow and I will see if I could get it," she said.

She touched the wall, feeling the taint around her.

She was taken back.