Ethan watched from the upstairs window as three of their men removed the corpses. They hadn't been moved, and now they decided to do it. Ethan took a small sip of water from the cup he had. He placed his head against the smooth, cold window pane, and let out a sigh.

Forget about the past.

He no longer wanted to remember Charles. He no longer wanted to remember pulling the trigger. It was either him living now, or those that were dead that filled his thoughts. He chose the living thoughts of his own.

We need to go back.

Ethan stood up with clarity after the few days of merciless nightmares. He picked up his pistol which he hadn't touched since Ann's death.  Brent had brought it in for him as he didn't think a killer should be given a gun. He ignored that now as he holstered it, and turned towards the door.

Ethan pushed the door open, and followed the banister to the stairwell. Ethan's hand rubbed against the oak wood ball that stood at the edge of it before letting out a breath. His footsteps echoed in the quiet house. Mostly everyone else was outside.

He was greeted by a concerned Brent, "Ethan! Up and about I see. What do you intend to use that gun of yours for?"

Ethan replied in a serious manner, "To protect myself. Now I need to talk to Bree. Where is she?"

Brent nodded before implying towards everywhere with a dramatic hand gesture, "Oh, she's around here somewhere."

"Now's not the time for jokes Brent." Ethan glanced harshly at his old friend.

Brent bit his lower lip before talking in a more friendly tone, "Honestly, I don't know where she is at."

Ethan closed his eyes slowly, make a choice, he thought.

Ethan glanced at Brent while speaking, "I'm leaving. Right now, not tomorrow, or an hour later. Now."

Brent's composer left him completely as he grasped what he was saying, "What, but you can't-"

"I can, and I will." Ethan cut in.

Brent starred at him blatantly, "How will we know where you are going?"

"Bree should know full well what I am intending to do." Ethan gave his final answer before walking back inside.

He watched Brent take off to the back of the house, and he decided to go a bit faster.

He's going to stop me.

Ethan jogged up the stairs, and pushed open the door to his room. He grabbed his bag, which had never been unpacked, and ran towards the stairway. He was just about outside when he saw Bree, and Brent coming around the house together.Ethan took off at a dead sprint as they chased after him.

He heard Bree call to him, "You'll regret this Ethan? Think it through first!"

Ethan just kept running as they gained on him. Hitting the tree line helped him as his smaller body slipped past the tree branches. The other two tried without success to move through the clingy branches.

"Your going to die alone Ethan!" Brent screamed as a futile attempt to coaxed his back.

It didn't work as Ethan continued down the road they had followed weeks ago. Ethan's pack slapped against his back as his legs started to ache. His breathing caused a sharp pain in his side as he continued on without glancing back. A few tears slipped from his eyes as he pushed past the pain he felt.

A few hours later, and Ethan was lying down under the shade of the car that had led to Charles dying. He checked the gas tank, and found it still empty. He turned the key anyways to see if anything was still playing. What came across chilled him to the bone.

"The Order has risen from the destruction of mankind." A male voice spoke from the radio.

"We have lived like kings for this past year of pain, and suffering." Michael's voice was playing.

"Now god will give us our Messiah." A sound of a book being turned played through the static, "As it is confirmed to us in Mark 10:45, 'For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as ransom to money.'"

Ethan's hand hovered over the dial to shut the radio off, but he held back as Micheal continued, "Our savior has beholden me with a duty to protect the innocent! Now our savior must cleanse the world like he had done before! He shall return home shortly to me, the young messiah, to remove us from our sins, and banish the undead from our lands."

Ethan clutched the dial tightly before yanking it off, and slamming his fist into the radio. His knuckles drug fiercely as he saw the skin scrapped from them. The radio went wonky, and Ethan turned the key off.

"That Son of a Bitch!" Ethan screamed into the air.

A Rotter moved from the treelike towards him. Ethan unholstered his gun, and grinned it by the barrel. He carved straight at the Rotter and tackled it.

He screamed at it as it clutched his shirt, "I'm going to Kill Micheal like I kill you!"

With that he slammed the butt of the gun into the Rotters head, and rolled back. It wasn't dead yet, but it tried to stand up. This is when Ethan slammed his foot into its side which sent it reeling away. He came up to it, and kicked it in the face once more as it reached for him. Finally, he flipped the gun around, and pulled the trigger.

"Michael's going to die. No kid is going to be sacrificed on my watch." Ethan muttered as he walked away towards the truck.

He grabbed his bag, and holstered his gun as he walked towards his old home; the Shell.

+++++

Short chapter!

Looks like Ethan is pissed off about the whole Micheal thing...

What will happen?!?