"They've been gone for hours. What if they're in trouble?" Raven blurted, pacing around the room.

Raven chewed the skin around her nails as she frantically moved from one wall to the other.

The rest of the group watched on in tense silence. Raven would have a panic attack at any moment, and none of them knew how to calm her down.

Even Ivory didn't know what to do. That was Morgana and Jaxx's job. They were good at preventing mental episodes. One of them should have stayed behind.

Lyria checked her phone. Two hours, twenty-seven minutes, and about forty-five seconds since the rest of the group had left. Not that she was counting. She hovered her thumb over the text icon.

Opened the app. Closed it again.

There was still no signal, but that was to be expected. There hadn't been any electricity since the government abandoned them. It would be useless to type up a message. The phone would refuse to send it.

Lyria groaned in frustration, shaking her phone violently before pegging it across the room. The screen shattered. Glass sprinkled across the floor. Lyria found herself grinning; finding small satisfaction in destroying the useless object. She wouldn't need it anymore, anyway. It had been on 6%. There was no electricity to charge it.

No one flinched at the violent outburst. The others didn't even seem to notice.

Raven was still pacing. She bit down on her thumb, ripping off a sliver of skin in anxiety. Blood met air; clotting immediately at the contact. Lyria couldn't tear her eyes away. The metallic scent of blood still burnt the insides of her nose. Her parents' blood. They'd tried to protect their children. Izzy didn't survive. It was all Lyria's fault. She'd opened the window.

The air inside her home had tasted stale.

Raven stomped around the corner. She caught sight of Esther; who sat filing her nails on the third step of the stairway. A hot flask of cocoa was placed unopened beside her. Beads of condensation dripped onto the wooden step. It had been a surprise from Katherin. She had used the cocoa to coax Esther outside. It had worked. They were far from home now.

"Esther! Why aren't you panicking? Katherin is out there! The zombies who slaughtered Rebeka could have killed them too!"

Esther didn't respond immediately. She didn't know how to. Raven had a valid point, but Esther didn't see their situation from the same perspective. Katherin, Morgana, Jaxx and Gwynth had volunteered for a reason. They weren't afraid of the danger outside, and each of them was ruthless in their survival instinct.

It was almost laughable to envision zombie's encircling the group. The four of them wouldn't go down without a fight. Esther was sure that they'd return.

"They're going to be fine." Esther smiled, setting her nail file down as she stood. "Jaxx trained through cadets for seven years and survived countless military camps. He might be an anxious, angsty soldier when you're not at his beck and call, but he's not stupid. Survival is his forte."

Esther awkwardly patted Raven on the back. The others watched warily. Esther's lack of concern and sympathy for her friend was dangerous. Raven could break down at any moment. No one would be able to prevent Raven from venturing outside in pursuit of Jaxx.

They'd lose another friend. Rebeka's death was already too much to bear.

Lyria chuckled from the corner of the room. She admired Esther's response. Broken glass crunched under her feet as she crossed the room. Her phone lay forgotten on the floor. There was no point in salvaging it, just as there was no point in protecting Raven from any darkness in their world. It wouldn't work. There was worse to come. Lyria was sure of that.

"Raven, if anything, we've got to be worried about Gwynth." Lyria grinned; her brain was spinning, threatening to tell the world that she was losing her edge on reality. "In those nine months that she and Esther shared a womb, Esther stole all the brain cells. Gwynth doesn't think anything through."

Raven sniffled; giggling through teary eyes. It was true. Gwynth never thought anything through. She was the type of person to think herself invincible.

"So, you aren't worried about Katherin?" Raven asked shyly. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"No," Esther shook her head firmly. "She can handle herself."

"Yeah Raven, don't you remember? She spent six days in that holding cell last June. I had to pay the bail," Ivory smiled.

Raven stared in shock. Her mouth worked silently for a few moments before she uttered softly.

"I didn't hear about Katherin getting arrested."

Esther grinned. "She's been arrested twice. You were probably too busy banging Jaxx to check your messages."

Raven flushed red. She buried her face in her hands; failing to conceal the mortified expression plastered onto her features.

Lyria laughed in delight; giving Esther a discreet thumbs-up. Rosabelle giggled from the couch. She hadn't laughed in months. A numbness had overcast every emotion since the beginning of the lockdown. Rosabelle's boyfriend Jason had been missing. He had only recently been accepted into the navy.

"Oh, don't embarrass her," Ivory scolded, despite the smile playing on her lips. "I have something for everyone upstairs. You won't be let in if you're being an asshole."

The others swallowed their laughter without much success; small snorts and bursts of laughter often echoed through the walls as the group ascended the stairs. No one knew what Ivory had planned. There was nothing of any interest upstairs.

Ivory gave nothing away. She walked up the stairs in silence; glancing back every so often to check that everyone was following her. This continued until they reached the fifth floor. Ivory halted in front of her apartment door. The others looked at each other. What was inside? 

Hi everyone! 

What did you think of this part? Can you guess what Ivory has planned for Raven, Esther, Lyria and Rosabelle? 

I am currently looking for some beta readers on my novel Kepler-168F. If you're interested, please don't hesitate to PM me. I'm planning to get Kepler-168F self-published, but that might take up to a year, maybe more. 

If you liked this chapter, please consider giving it a vote and comment. I certainly appreciate it. 

Happy reading x