No one moved, the only twitching coming from the bolts and that single Mutated's footsteps slapping roughly against the dirt floor, the staggering gait slowing as it observed the emptied beds and stomped-out fire pits. Teresa's breathe escaped from her lips in short and harried bursts as the infected stench seeped under the blanket clogging her mouth. 

"Who-here?" the words were thick and slurred, seemingly painful to get out as the Mutant shuddered and paused, its eyes roving over the lumpy shadows in the back, hesitating. The complete black of its bleeding eyes froze as they rolled, and the Mutated slid towards the floor and dropped into the dirt. A dust cloud rose around its unmoving form as the hush in the room deepened, only the cracks of  bolts illuminating the pool of shadow on the ground, the suddenly dead Mutated. 

It would soon be followed by its brethren. 

"Cover your faces with the blankets!" Tobias bellowed suddenly, leaping into the air and plugging his nose with the cloth. People quietly followed his orders, obviously realizing there was no time to wonder at the partially lucky turn of events, because the thunder booming outside and drowning out the groaning of the Mutated was enough to instigate the fear in the S-Groups heart's again. 

"Hey, ya girlie, ya still hidin 'way under tha' blanket? Huh?" Alex had leaped up, her muffled voice issuing challengingly from under her cover, the remaining piece of blanket hanging around her thin waist bunching as she undoubtedly clenched her knuckles into fists. "Ya coward, too weak to fight? Huh?" Teresa scooted further back into the cave as she noticed her friend's eyes sparking madly, as Alex threw her blanket away from herself, and flexing her bare hands, charged into the masses of Mutated milling uncertainly outside. Teresa could barely breathe, as she realized what had just happened. She didn't even breathe for a second, her hands digging into the dirt beneath her, the blanket still completely swathing her form in shadow, but she did hear the groans of the Mutated as Alex took them down, her strong upper-body strength toppling over the unsteady Mutations. 

"Please," the words were dry and they barely escaped Teresa's throat as she leaned forward and peered painfully into the crowds. "Come... back." Her voice was husky and she didn't know if she could even do it anymore. Her friend's dark hair flashed as she kept on pushing Mutateds over, her eyes rolling with maniac glee. 

"PLEASE!" The urge was strange, but a burning fire suddenly lit inside her, feelings surging upward until it felt like fire pouring from her throat. Her blanket hit the ceiling and fell into a heap behind her as she ran, screaming a battle cry, towards her friend. 

"Stop!" There was Tobias, his eyes wide, his pants slapping against her face. "You can't go out there. I can't lose another one." His glance was towards Alex, who already looked close to lost. "She's already caught the Virus. She sacrificed herself." He glanced at her again, and the pain was clear in his dark eyes. "I... loved..." he didn't finish. But Teresa knew. 

"I don't care." The snarl that left her mouth was strange, inhuman. "I'm saving her." Tobias's shocked eyes stretched wide as Teresa ruthlessly shoved him aside. She had changed. She was about to lose her best friend. 

With a flash, she was outside, among the Mutated, half trampled by her best friend. The world seemed to be spinning as Teresa took a step closer, seeing the dead Mutants, lightning flashing too close for comfort. 

"Alex..." Teresa held out an arm to her friend, who turned to her, a hint of lunacy in her steady eyes.  

"Go 'way, weak beanie." She gestured frantically towards the cave. "I did, for ya. Go, now." And Teresa understood. But, defying the truth, she shook her head angrily. 

"You're coming with me, Alex." Grief tore through her heart, so strong, covering the truth she couldn't accept. "I need you." 

"Ya can't, not more, girlie. But prove you not the coward I see, and ya go back to the cave already." Her movements were becoming more rushed, and her eyes rolled up for a second. She fell forward, and grabbed Teresa's arm. "Please." She sounded like Teresa had a few minutes before, and she didn't know if she could accept it. 

"O-okay" Teresa slowly backed away, watching her friend's eyes as she glanced around for more Mutants to make short work of. Her eyes were sparking some more. 

And then it happened, and it was the worst thing that had ever happened in her life, worse then the day her parent's died, then the day her brother turned on her, a Mutation, infected. This was the worst day of her life, and she could have saved her. 

A boom of thunder echoed in her ears, and Teresa saw Alex glance towards the sky, staggering. She held up her hands as a bright flash filled the space. Mutated scattered everywhere, and a long pealing shriek seemed to echo long after it happened. Would, Teresa knew, echo in her ears until she died. Linger in her memory, that last scream. That last scream of her best friend, as lightning took away her life with a swift strike, leaving only a burnt husk in its place. The remains of her best friend. An electro-bolt retreated into a clouds, and the Mutated were dead. But not at this price. Teresa rushed forward, her hands stroking the cheek of her friend, blackened with ash. Her legs were gone, only a trickle of blood remaining where they were, and one of her hands were gone. At first Teresa thought she was still breathing, but it was only the air escaping from her windpipes. Teresa was alive, but at such a terrible price. 

Death would have been a better option. 

Her knees sank into the gritty mud, surrounded by the bodies of infected Mutants, once people like her, all killed by her best friend, who was now dead too. It was pointless, all of it. 

A scream of rage escaped her lips as her mind turned to turmoil.