"Finn, are you sure about this?" I ask, watching as he clips his backpack across his chest, his gun already in the holster around his waist.

"We have no choice, Alden," he tells me, coming over closer once he has everything in place. "I'll be back in a few hours and then we will leave early tomorrow morning."

"We could just pick up the stuff tomorrow after leaving," I try to reason, but Finn just shakes his head.

"You're still healing-" I scoff, but he continues to talk, "and Viola shouldn't be in harm's way when she doesn't need to be."

As if knowing that we are talking about her, Viola lets out a small grunt from where she is laying on her blanket spread across the couch. Harry is laying next to her, his head resting on her stomach as he sleeps. Viola doesn't seem to mind, not that she can do much about it anyway since she is still too small to make any real movements.

A hand lands on my shoulder, making my gaze return to Finn. He gives me a reassuring smile, but it does nothing to calm my nerves. He will be out there all on his own when everyone else is trying to do the same as he is: find supplies. So, not only does he have to be on the lookout for those monsters but also from other potentially harmful humans.

"I'll be back soon, promise," he says, pulling me into a hug.

It takes me a second to return the gesture, so caught off guard by his arms wrapping around me. As soon as the shock wears off, though, I am able to return the hug. With one last squeeze of his arms, Finn lets me go, walking over to Viola and patting her belly before walking towards the front door.

"Make sure to lock the door behind me, I have a key to get back in."

Rolling my eyes, I nod my head. This seems to satisfy Finn, who gives us all one last glance before stepping out of the entrance and closing the door behind him. Hustling over to the door, I turn the lock, glancing through the side window to watch as Finn gets into the car and drives away.

Once the car is out of sight, a soft sigh slips from between my lips. Turning around, I shuffle back over to the living room, trying not to put too much pressure on my still healing knee. It has gotten better over the last few days- the infection completely gone and the skin no longer flayed- but it still hurts if I push myself too far.

Finn has been monitoring my every move, ushering me to sit down if I show any signs of pain. I know that he has to be exhausted, between taking care of me and Viola, and it makes guilt bubble up in my stomach.

A guy who has only known me for about a week has risked his life multiple times to save mine.

It is a confusing thought.

The sound of Viola snuffling, which is a good indication that she is about to cry, snaps me out of my musings. As quickly as I can, I make my way over to her. Picking her up is an interesting event, seeing as it is difficult for me to bend over and I am still getting used to holding a baby. Finn is such a natural with her that it makes me feel like a clumsy fool whenever I do anything with her.

As steadily as I can, I pick her up, making sure to support her head while laying her across my chest. She immediately starts to nuzzle into my chest, telling me in her own way that she is hungry.

"All right, baby, just hold on a second," I say, voice soft as I try to soothe her. Viola is having none of it and just starts to cry harder the longer I take to get her dinner.

Harry trails behind me as I shuffle into the kitchen. Miraculously, I am able to shift Viola to one arm, dodge Harry as he is trying to trip me, and make a bottle, all without killing any of us.

"That was pretty impressive, hm?" I ask Viola, but she just answers me with an even louder cry.

As soon as we are sitting on the couch again, I adjust Viola so that she is cradled in my arms. Her little arms flail as she cries, but as soon as the nipple passes through her lips and she starts to gulp down the milk, everything is calm again.

It is almost eerily silent as she eats, her eyes half-lidded from the pleasure of having a full belly.

Harry jumps up onto the couch next to us, sniffing Viola's foot. Once he is satisfied with what he finds, he lets a little 'humpf' before laying back down.

Looking at the antique clock on the wall, I see that Finn has only been gone for a half an hour. Only two and a half hours until he has to be back.

I wonder what he has encountered so far? If he is hurt or seen anything particularly interesting?

Viola interrupts my thoughts, making a little grunting sound before turning away from the now empty bottle. Immediately, she starts to whine again, her eyes screwing up in displeasure. Before she can become even more worked up, I shift her so that her head is resting on my shoulder. Thumping her back- gently, of course- I wait patiently for her to let out her usual old man's belch.

I don't have to wait long before she lets out a satisfying sound and relaxes against me. In a matter of seconds, she is completely passed out. Harry looks up at us, meeting my eyes with his brown ones, before settling back into the couch.

Exhaustion is weighing down on my shoulders, but I can't relax enough to fall asleep, knowing that Finn is outside, most likely facing all kinds of dangers. But I can't find the motivation to get up and do anything else, so I just stay sitting on the couch, eyes closed against the world around me.

Minutes pass, maybe longer, before the silence in the house is interrupted by a loud boom. My eyes snap open, immediately looking around for the source of the sound.

Viola is screaming, her cries showing her obvious distress, and Harry follows behind me as I swiftly move over to the window, his barking only seeming to make Viola more upset.

The sight in front of me is enough to make my chest tighten, fear spreading through my body like ice.

The city below us, the one that I am pretty sure Finn went down to in order to find supplies, is in complete disarray.

Planes are flying off in the distance, which tells me they are responsible for the mess down below.

It seems as if everything is on fire, buildings completely consumed with flames and black smoke filling the air. Some of the buildings are crumbling under the weight, their destruction causing soot to join the smoke in the air. It looks like a war zone, and I bet that is exactly what it is down there.

And Finn is most likely down there, fighting for his life while I just watch from the comfort of his home.

Minutes pass, with me just watching as the city I have lived in for the past few years collapses in on itself. It takes a while, but finally, the buzzing in my ears is replaced by the cries of Viola, which are now stuttering from the efforts of her distress. Finn in just getting even crazier, seeming to be upset that Viola is so upset.

Shaking my head, I force myself to move. We have to get out of here. People will be coming up to the hills soon enough, trying to escape the destruction that has become downtown.

Patting Viola's back, I shift side to side, trying everything I know to get her to calm down. "Sh, Viola, it's alright," I whisper, even though I know the exact opposite is true.

Viola seems to know the truth, too, because she just continues to wail. Not wanting to waste time trying to comfort her while getting everything in order, I grab one of the thin stretchy blankets off the back of the couch, forming a makeshift sling so that I can keep the baby close while doing what I have to do.

Once she is settled securely into the sling- which seems to comfort her some- I start moving around the house, trying to find all the necessities we will need to survive outside of this home.

Viola's diaper bag is the first thing I find, so I quickly scoop it up, shifting everything around to make as much room as possible. Food and water bottles get stuffed along side bottles and diapers before I run out of room. Settling her bag against the wall, I find two backpacks in the hall closet, stuffing them with other provisions.

My knee is throbbing by the time I have three bags full of stuff, including some food for Harry.

Biting my lip, I try to think of how I am going to carry all of this stuff and Viola by myself.

The answer comes in the form of Finn throwing open the front door, stumbling into the house before slamming it behind him.

His chest is heaving as he tries to take in air, and it looks like he has been through a battle. His hair is in complete disarray and soot streaks across his face.

His eyes are wide as they settle on me, and before I can even get over the shock of him being alive, he pushes himself away from the door, stumbling towards me.

"Alden, we have to get out of here. A huge herd of humans and the monsters are heading right towards us. The bomb destroyed the city, so now they are trying to get away." His words come out fast, almost on top of each other, but I manage to catch all of it anyway.

Shakily, I nod my head, before gesturing towards all of our packed goods. Finn lets out a relieved breath before going over to pick them up.

"Come on, we don't have much time," he says, and I quickly bend down to scoop up the rest of the stuff.

As I am getting Harry and myself situated, Finn makes a couple more trips to the house, coming out with supplies I had not even thought to bring. He pops the trunk of the car, throwing blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, a couple flashlights, and another bulging backpack, inside before slamming the door closed.

The screams of the approaching humans are just becoming audible when Finn runs back to close the front door of his house. He doesn't waste any more time after completing that task, instead running over to the car and collapsing into the driver's seat.

I hold my breath as he turns over the engine, every book I've read telling me that the car won't start. But, it does, and my breath comes rushing out.

Finn presses his foot on the gas, moving us away from the approaching danger and towards the unknown.