Everything went silent as the world around him became a white haze. Even Jonah's screams vanished instantly with the light's appearance. Aaron questioned whether he had already pulled the trigger. It's not like he would've heard the gun go off. The bullet would've been halfway through his skull as soon as he pulled the trigger.

"O'Connor!" bellowed the all-too-recognizable voice of Commander Shaw.

"Shaw," Aaron replied, lowering his gun away from his chin. "Why is it I always cross paths with the people I hate most?"

"You're under arrest, lad."

"Fuck it." Aaron quickly took a shot, taking out what turned out to be a searchlight pointed at him and Jonah. The light vanished with the sound of shattered glass, leaving them behind in the darkness of night.

"Open fire!" Shaw exclaimed.

Once Aaron's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized an entire squadron of DZI soldiers were aiming their guns at him.

"WAIT!" another voice declared.

All of the soldiers, including Aaron and Jonah, looked back into the crowd to see Colonel Schaefer, still wrapped in bandages, standing on the roof of an APC, Vaughn beside him. Schaefer carefully climbed off the vehicle and made his way toward his old colleague.

"Congratulations, O'Connor," Schaefer spoke. "You have the honor of being the first person to piss me off just by appearing before me."

Aaron aimed his gun—or rather Jonah's gun—at Schaefer. "I know what you've done, Schaefer!" he exclaimed angrily. "You're the man who destroyed the world!"

"Are you taking the piss?" Schaefer commented irreverently. "Do you not see the dozens of guns pointed directly at you?"

"Aaron, he's not bluffing," Jonah warned, clutching his broken arm. "We both know he isn't."

"Does the Ambrosia Project ring a bell, Schaefer?" Aaron asked. "Or should I say Zeus?"

"What is he talking about?" Vaughn asked.

"Fuck do I know?" Schaefer replied. "The lad's gone bonkers."

"Quite hypocritical coming from a mass murderer!" Aaron shouted. "Artemis, Hera, my brother, Sarah, you killed all of them! You're the reason Bloodletter even exists!"

"You really think I'm responsible for giving the man who killed my wife and child his powers?" Schaefer shouted back.

"He didn't kill your child! You did!"

Suddenly, the impudent grin on his face transformed into the same rage displayed during his earlier fight with Bloodletter. All of the soldiers around him looked more terrified than Aaron had ever seen them before. Even Shaw looked like he wanted to duck for cover to survive Schaefer's explosive temper.

"He didn't mean that," Jonah added nervously.

"Franklin," Vaughn chimed in. "Would you like treatment for your arm?"

Schaefer cocked his gun. "You were there, weren't you?" he asked in a frighteningly calm tone.

"Oh, I was there, all right," Aaron replied. "I figured you'd be at the center of the violence. And given your history, I doubt you hardly cared at all about your dead comrades."

Schaefer didn't respond. He remained in his stance, aiming his gun at Aaron while breathing angrily.

"Those Deadmen out there have no control over themselves," Aaron said. "You, however, have no excuse. You never had a reason to kill all those people in the Ambrosia Project. And you especially had no reason to kill a little girl!"

All eyes were on Schaefer, most of which were starting to lose trust in him.

"It's true!" Jonah chimed in. "He murdered a little girl! She was begging for her father to save her, and this bastard is the reason that never happened!"

"The infection must really be taking a toll on you," Schaefer said calmly. "Making you spew all this bullshit. How about I do you a favor and plant one between your eyes?"

Aaron made himself believe a lie. He somehow thought he could shoot Schaefer without noticing all the guns trained on him. Not to mention the fact Jonah was charging directly toward him.

"AARON!" Jonah screamed as he tackled him.

A shot was fired. Then a second one came from Aaron.

Aaron crashed to the dirt, specks of blood dotting his face. The gun was still in his hand, and all the DZI still had their own weapons on him. He slowly leaned up to see Schaefer still standing among his men. The only difference was that he noticed Vaughn was laying back-first on the ground, surrounded by multiple panic-stricken soldiers.

Then he looked in front of him to see Jonah. A bloody hole was present in the side of his head.

His eyes were electrified and devoid of life. A teardrop had scaled down his cheek, and his face displayed utter desperation. Desperation to protect his family. His lifeless body slid to the ground beside Aaron.

Suddenly everything else in the world had faded away. The shouts of the DZI screaming "He got Vaughn! Vaughn is down!" grew distant. Aaron was trapped in an infinite abyss with the body of his best friend. The boy was known for almost always having a smile on his face, yet he died with the most hopeless expression any human would ever see.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Aaron shrieked in that same monstrous voice, and he flew toward Schaefer like a rocket and tackled him to the ground. He punched his face over and over again, determined to pummel him until he couldn't even recognize his face. The sight of blood on his hands along with the crunching sounds of his fist against Schaefer's face only made him enjoy the moment even more.

Schaefer blocked the next punch and threw a right hook, colliding with Aaron's eye. The boy fell beside him, and they switched places as Schaefer kept him pinned down while slamming his fists into his face. "Don't fucking shoot!" he exclaimed to his soldiers. "This son of a bitch is mine."

"FUCK YOU!" Aaron muttered before taking another shot at Schaefer's throat. Once he was gasping for air, Aaron took another shot at his face, busting his lip open.

"Enough," Schaefer said in a raspy voice, and he grabbed Aaron's arm and pinned it to the ground. Then with a quick head-butt, Aaron went silent, his nose a bloody mess.

"I can still shoot him if you'd like, sir," Shaw said.

"I've got this under control!" Schaefer replied. He wrapped his hands around Aaron's neck and proceeded to squeeze.

All the anger in Aaron was replaced with panic. He tried clawing out of Schaefer's grip as the oxygen vanished from his lungs but only managed to scratch his cheek. His punches couldn't even reach his face.

Not like this, Aaron thought.

And soon the world went dark. And he never saw Jonah's corpse again.

Schaefer rose from the ground and stood above Aaron's unconscious body, occasionally taking glimpses at Jonah to think about what to do with him.

"Orders, sir?" Shaw asked.

"Load Vega's body into the APC," Schaefer replied. "He was a good man. Give him the proper treatment and cremate him."

"What about Franklin?"

"Leave his carcass for the Deadmen."

"And O'Connor?"

"Let's just say he'll be lucky if he dies on the way home. Because if he wakes up where I'm sending him, he's gonna wish he hadn't."

* * *

Back at Matheson, the Commons were dead silent. Once news spread about another DZI massacre, many of the citizens went into mourning given how young most of the soldiers were. Plus, it wasn't everyday this many people were killed given how rare encounters with Abnormals were.

The silence didn't make much of a difference for Nika, however. Working in the library was always easy and tranquil. Most of her visitors were usually children and their parents, so she was never in a rush. Back when Aaron was in the DZI, they often laughed at how polar opposites their jobs were. He was a military man risking life and limb killing zombies outside his safe haven while she worked in a serene little building with nothing but books. What was more ironic was that both of them knew she could've easily risen up the ranks of the DZI if she joined.

Once the last customer walked out the door, it was time to close up shop. Nika finished her night by returning the books to their correct shelves and putting away the children's drawings. She cleaned out the mugs they used for hot chocolate and tea before locking the door into their private kitchen.

She froze in place when she heard the ding of the bell indicating she was no longer alone.

She peaked her head out to the main foyer to see DZI officer Hugh Richmond standing at the entrance. He had a shotgun strapped to his back and a cheerful grin on his face.

"Excuse me, sir," Nika said. "The library is closed. I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow."

"Don't worry, miss," Richmond replied. "I'm harmless."

Nika responded with a fake laugh as her hand reached toward a small bookcase embedded in the wall around the corner so Richmond couldn't see. With one hand, she pushed the books out of the way and pulled the wooden plank in the back out of its foundation, revealing a secret compartment concealing a loaded handgun. Just in case.

"You're Hugh Richmond of the DZI, right?" Nika asked, slowly pulling the gun out.

"In the flesh," Richmond replied. "I hate to barge in. There's just something special I'm looking for. However," Richmond paused at the front desk, "I have a hunch we're both looking for the same thing."

"Is that so?" She hid the gun behind her back. "Is it a book?"

"That's the thing, darling. It's not a book, but I bet he has quite the story to tell."

"He?"

Richmond's grin disappeared, replaced with his usual stern visage. "Are you associated with Aaron O'Connor?"

"Yes," Nika replied nervously. "He's my boyfriend. He used to work with you in the DZI."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Two days ago when I spent the night in his flat."

Richmond raised an eyebrow. "Only families and married couples are allowed to share a flat."

"I know. I'm sorry. We wanted to get married so we could upgrade to a larger flat, but he believed his life was too much at risk due to his job."

Richmond chuckled. "Responsible fellow. But do you have any idea how many people he's killed?"

Nika stared at him with disbelief.

"Rupert Cromwell, Dan Marston, and many other DZI officers, including your friend Jonah Franklin. Colonel Schaefer asked me to gather up his associates to determine his fate."

Nika stepped back fearfully. "I don't believe you," she said.

"You're coming with me," Hugh growled as he approached her.

Nika toppled over a trash can as she slowly backed away from him, still hiding her weapon.

"Dyer!" Richmond shouted.

A psychotic-looking woman appeared from around the corner. Nika recognized her. Lavinia Dyer, the most infamous prisoner in Matheson. But the sight of her arm in a sling nearly made Nika laugh.

"Cooperate please," Lavinia said in a quivering voice.

She reached out for Nika with her wrinkly, witchlike hand. And that's when Nika decided to strike, shooting Lavinia in her broken arm and slamming the gun against Richmond's head while he was distracted. Lavinia stumbled back, screaming in pain, but Richmond wasn't disoriented enough.

"Bitch," was all he uttered as he wrapped his arms around Nika to restrain her. Then he placed a cloth soaked in chloroform on her nose and mouth and watched as she slowly faded into unconsciousness.

Her body collapsed to the floor, with only Richmond to hold her up. Her limbs swung lazily by her side as Richmond dragged her body to a sofa. He returned his view to the new gun wound in Lavinia's arm. "I'm guessing you want that patched up?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," Lavinia replied with a sadistic grin. "Schaefer told me I had a job to do. Frankly, when I do these jobs, the only thing I ever feel is joy."