Ejirou took a step backward, almost tumbling on a rock behind him. He grunted and shot a worried look at Katsuki. Who only stared back in response. Kaminari had tears prickling at the corner of his eyes.

"I don't. I- I don't know what to do." he breathed out in staggering words. He pulled his hair in a frustrated manner, groaning into his mouth. "I don't know."

The things moved closer, almost intentionally menacingly toward the group. They groaned and moaned through their wide-open mouths, stumbling over pieces of rubble and scraping along the gravel. They were slow, but not slow enough. There wasn't time to think.

Kirishima brushed his fingers across the bare skin of Katsukis chest to silently regain his attention. He looked around and prayed that everyone else would be smart enough to follow suit. Taking a deep breath he took Fujiro from Katsukis arms and held the boy in one of his own arms. He took Katsukis hand, searched around a little,

And ran.

The gravel was slippery, annoyingly wet. And the rain that seemed to randomly fall felt hot. Sticky. It shouldn't be raining.

Behind them, Jiro struggled to hold the girl as she ran.

This place isn't familiar. Kirishima looks left, and then right. He didn't remember walking through any woods on the way to the hell hole. His feet hurt, he could feel something lodged in between his toes. A pebble, maybe? He felt cuts burn on his feet with every step. And his knees seemed to want to give out to end it all.

Ejirou heard a loud noise behind him. Reluctantly, he turned his head back while he cautiously ran. It was Jiro.

"Fuck," she said as she weakly lifted herself above the ground. The girl she had was attempting to help her up. In which attempts were useless. Iida made his way back to her at lighting speed helped the two stand. He grabbed the little girl and said something to Jiro that Kirishima couldn't hear and sprinted ahead.

It's like all movements sped and went in slow motion simultaneously by the time Kirishima heard the thud and when he looked back again. But this time, he didn't keep running. He could do nothing but stare back in horror.

Jiro's body fell with a defining thud. She tried to sit her self up, but her elbows buckled In response. She tried to crawl, but she couldn't seem to even be able to hold the weight of her head.

They were catching up. The groans and stench of their presence burning into Ejirou's twisted memories. Kaminari ran past with urgency. Slightly knocking into him, and Kirishima swears he heard him mumble "excuse me, sorry" over the noise.

Ejirou felt a tug of his hand. Katsuki had let go- and started to run to the two.

And against his better judgment. He stopped him.

"Katsuki no!" he said through a voice he couldn't recognize. what the fuck am I doing?

He hated it. He should let him go. But he just couldn't.

He had a hold on Katsukis wrist.

He thrashed. Cried and screamed.

"LET ME GO!"

But Ejirou couldn't.

He hardened his hand instead.

And continued to run.

Protests are all he could hear.

Loud cursing protests from Katsuki, who's being partially dragged behind him. And tiny, whining, angry protests from the smaller blond he was holding. At least, he pretended that's all he could hear. He didn't want to know that the screaming behind him came from Kaminari. He didn't want to hear him screaming Jiros name. He didn't want to witness the sounds of his voice being muffled until it came to a full stop. He didn't want to.

The rain continued to pour down unfairly against Ejirou's skin. Katsuki was still yelling, and pulling against his hardened hand. Fujiro had fallen into a mess of tears. He wasn't angry at Ejirou anymore, at least, that what he hoped.

Iida was far ahead. But not so far ahead that Ejirou couldn't still follow him on their way to safety.

Eventually, the forest-like collection of trees had dispersed. And the smell of fire burned his nostrils. Behind him, a fire raged bitterly. He supposed it was from the building that Katsuki had effectively destroyed. He liked that.

The run to the house may have taken minutes. It may have taken hours, Ejirou wasn't sure. But when he reached the doorstep with a hazy mind and foggy eyes, he felt as if he had already died.

Inside was cold. Colder than outside that was. He felt the spike of his adrenaline drop drastically. And his grip on Katsukis arm loosed. Only then did he feel the blood.

Ejioru stared in horror at Katsukis wrist. There were long jagged cuts that went through him in an ugly and painful-looking way. He winced as if he were the one hurt. The blood that began to seep from him fell down his arm. Leaving pink and red stains on its leave.

"Fuck, shit. Katsuki I'm so-"

"Shut the fuck up."

Katsuki did nothing but stare down at his arm. One could even say he looked less pained than dumbfounded.

"Give me him," he demanded.

"Fuck I'm so, so sorry-"

Before Ejirou could finish Fujiro was being stripped from his hands as katsuki stopped off into the upstairs room. He returned without the boy a couple of seconds later with a red-bloodied pillowcase around his arm.

"Give me," he said. Successfully grabbing the hands of the two little girls in one of his own and stomping upstairs with them. They didn't resist.

Sero and Mina were there. Sero's mouth was covered with his hands, while the other wiped at his eyes. He stayed sitting on the ground with Mina. She had a dull, unreadable expression on her face.

Iida had nearly collapsed next to the two. He brought his knees to his chest and laid his head down on top of them. He sobbed audibly. Ejirou Had done the same. Back against the door they shouldn't have left in the first place.

"They're gone." Iida finally spoke through the loud, heart-wrenching silence.

He continued. "They really are gone."

No one responded. Not at all for that entire night. They stayed seated until the sun rose.

The morning was quiet. It was obvious that no one had gotten any more than an hour of sleep, and between them was an unspoken agreement that screamed, "we've got to get the fuck out of here."

They packed again. Leaving the house in worse of a mess than it was when they first arrived. Most supplies were taken and placed in one of the large garbage bags and others were left. Like Kaminari's gloves. They carried far too many painful memories.

Eventually, they had all piled in the seats of Jiro's former van.

The rain clouds hadn't subsided completely, and the sky still held its uncomfortable grey tent. A reminder, Ejirou solemnly noted. He now thought of rain as the weather that marked more sudden deaths in his life. He wouldn't be able to enjoy the serenity it once brought.

Iida has sat in the front again but he didn't drive. He laid his head on the steering wheel and sighed loudly.

Eventually, he lifted his head and wiped off his eyes. He turned the key in the ignition and kept their eyes on the road as they left.

He didn't care if everyone was buckled anymore.

-

"We're going to have to find a place to stop soon," Iida said through the silence.

"Gas?" kirishima spoke from the passenger seat.

Iida nodded in affirmation as his eyes stared blankly at the hollow road in front of them.

"Unfortunately." he said.