He curled against Alice's back like a child in the fetal position and bedded down again, he was pretty peaceful looking when asleep. His normal serious scowl faded away and his eyebrows slackened a little bit. It almost looked like he had died there from how slow he was breathing. Technically, Alex didn't sleep, he momentarily shut down his body so he could make repairs and regenerate, sort of what a human does with REM sleep. It was also why Alex found it hard to wake up unless something made him panic. He still had excellent hearing and would half lazily look at them if anything made a sudden noise.

Alex was probably the best bedmate ever. He didn't snore, drool, or kick, hell, he didn't dream much either. His "dreams" we're either his memories or other peoples memories. No deviations, just straight memories. Eight out of ten times there were his.

He was soothed by the sound of the girls’ breathing and went limp eight minutes later. He dreamt of the Aphrodite runner and how he had finished her off despite feeling wrongly attracted to her. Aphrodite seduced men and infected them, sending them away and 48 hours later they became walkers. She had attracted Zeus with her black hair, and big amber eyes, not to mention she was also ridiculously covered in pheromones. All runners were female until Alex. And he wasn't planning the least to make more runners. Aphrodite put her hands all over Zeus. Worst thing was, Alex let her. She had coaxed him and was lying.

All runners run by instinct. They only care about infecting. Aphrodite was a serious manipulator. She was so good she would make you repeat that grass was blue and skies were green and have you believe it. She was vain and wore a pencil skirt shorter than Lisa's and stilettos with her black hat rimmed with veil. Like some exotic 50s woman from a funeral, lace parasol included. He could remember the distinct feeling of her hands on his jeans and how she leaned to kiss him. Alex felt her coral lips on his and his jaw stiffened. He reached for her neck with his claws as she administered a painful and playful bite to his neck that made him cringe. They both snarled at each other and bared fangs.

"Cut the shit, Aphrodite."

"Zeus, are such a bleeding-heart, pacifist pansy." Her voice was like soothing liquid gold honey, his retort was a diamond edged serrated sword.

"It's called a conscious, you should invest in one instead of Chanel lipstick you buy with your dead 'lovers' bank accounts."

"Do you really love humans that much? You do know you will never ever fit. No one is going to love you better than me, Zeusy-poo. They will always fear you no matter how you try to be 'friends', you’ll trust them and they will catch you and start testing on you. You’ve gone soft and lost your fangs. Even Hera hates you now." Her long matching coral nails grazed his cheek and for a moment he considered her words out of how strong her ability was.

“These fangs?” He grinned, biting into her wrist.

Alex destroyed her as well in a fit of rage. There were three left after that. Hera, Apollo, and Aries.


Alex woke at four AM to the sound of a lonely crow's laughter. He gently nosed Alice's hair, reaching over her to make sure Lisa was close by, protective over both of his companions. He was already getting too attached because they had shown him humility. But he had a feeling that them being around him was far too dangerous and a risk. Them risking their life for him was ridiculous. Sooner or later they would tire of his antics.

Aphrodite might have been right. He could still see fear in the girls’ eyes even when he was lighthearted. They knew what he could do and they had no idea of his past. He had scared them with mimicking the monster of his strain and he never wanted them to see his true form, it was a nightmare. All those tendrils ripping and tearing. No exception of guilty, mutated, and innocent. He never forgave himself for Times Square. He tried to think of "Sacrifice a few to save a million.", but he was still as guilty as the guilty soldiers he took.

Mercer sounded like Lisa in the aftermath. This was someone’s child. Someone's mother. Brother. Father. Sister. Someone's wife or husband. He had no concept but he had seen families in the city when he was hidden. They were loving, nurturing units. And when he took something away by accident...

Tomorrow he would have to leave. He needed more soul searching. 149 years was not enough. Problem was; he didn't know if he had a soul.

But first, He wanted outside. He wanted to exercise.

Dawn was peaking and Alex was busy working out after breakfast. Anyone who was watching would have been astounded. He was focused on doing flips and aerials. He had full control of his weight and balance to do this. He could flick himself seven feet into the air and balance himself on his hands. Mercer was even more flexible than agile. Holding his weight on his hands, he slowly raised his hips straight above his body in a handstand. But he wasn’t done, he was aching, he bit his lip, bringing his rear to rest inches above his head, his feet in front of his face. He relaxed. He breathed out. With another deep inhale he braced himself. Keeping his hands and chest stable as hell, he acrobatically swing his hips and legs around his body on a pivot, finally letting his hands move as if he were walking. The momentum carried his legs as he swung.

On his feet again he scouted the tree and practiced as if it were a Chinese pole, without ropes or rough soles he began scaling it, relying on friction and speed, climbing and pulling with his hands, the pads of his bare feet pushing until he got to a tall, thick branch. Stepping out into the air on the branch he kept good balance, bouncing on his toes. Alex tilted his body back and forth, readying himself.

He used the resilient branch as a trampoline and flicked himself high into the air. He brought his knees to his chest and his body twisted through the air seven times. He straightened himself out and landed beautifully, his arms stretched to his sides. Mercer panted, his body on fire. He hadn’t done this in many years. He tumbled down onto his rear and rested his head on his knees, breathing out hard. He was sweating, which was rare unless he really was working hard. His muscles had a godly ache to them.

Alex smiled to himself, his chin on his knees, he remembered 2044, the year he disguised himself and applied his acrobatics to participate in Cirque de Soleil. At least he felt human doing it and he sometimes forgot that he wasn’t the same as the others.

There was nothing like having complete trust in your body and performing smoothly, feeling no fear as you swung yourself into midair, weightless, gliding, dangling, trusting others to catch you. It was a superior feeling to him. His favorite was The Kooza Wheel of Death from 100 feet in the air. After doing it so many nights Mercer was absolutely sure he had completely mastered balance and aerodynamics of his own body. He did that for eleven years under the false identity of Lars Holland. Nobody had figured him out, he only kept a small margin of the money and gave the rest to charity, and when his partner almost had an accident he vanished.

Ulrich Weber had been working with Alex Mercer unknowingly as Lars for six years, donning the new makeup changes to the costumes which now gave them magnificent dragon horns and white skull faces. Ulrich always was assured that it was Lars was better outside the ring than him. Lars was exponentially good at it, he had no fear and trusted completely that his feet were always going to hit the solid ring after a flip. One night during performing with the ropes on the wheels Ulrich tripped over his own rope while jump roping and fell. “Lars” had simultaneously jumped off the top of his grating ring and grabbed his partner midway and falling 75 feet with him, landed on his feet holding Ulrich. The problem was that Lars should have had broken both legs upon impact. He didn’t. This was too unreal and unnatural. He remembered Ulrich clinging to him and sobbing. His six-year performer friend stood there and held him, quivering badly from adrenaline. Not because of the fear of hurting himself, but fear for not making in time to catch his partner. Ulrich never saw blue-eyed, fair skinned performer “Lars” again after being thankful that night. He fell off the earth.

Alex honestly didn't know if he was leaving. He was between guilt and ideal. If he left and they got hurt it would be guilt. Ideal was he thought he should leave.


ooc//; www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIQrUc6Mp_0 This is the Wheel of Death. This is like. Shitting bricks cool. How do you do this.

Alex was still sitting there, thinking. If he had stayed a performer would he have been happy? He liked the factor that he was not normal and what we had chosen to do for fourteen years was natural. Cirque in itself was unbelievable. When he worked his way up the ranks in casting he admitted to his scout "I'm unnatural." He had grinned at Alex and put a firm hand on his shoulder "We embrace the unnatural. Welcome to Cirque de Soleil, Lars." Could he have just written the event off as some miracle? Would he still have been friends with Ulrich? He got along with him and it wasn't forced. It was genuine as his friendship with Lisa and Alice.

Aphrodite was wrong, he was going to prove her wrong. He could do whatever he wanted. This was his life, eternal at that.

Alex vowed to stay with his comrades until they told him to go. He never did let anyone down, even strangers.

Mercer stood and went indoors, listening to the soft applause from some of the men. He went to look for his girls. He was going to teach them.

Alice tried remembering the directions the Matron had given her but she was already starting to forget them the moment she stepped away to look for Lisa. Her stomach knotted, she wished they didn't have to leave but Ms. Maggie made it clear, no stragglers made her home, their home. Alice understood, keep the strangers at a distance and make sure it remains clear what's yours and what's theirs. Never the less, she didn't want to leave.

Outside it was warm and sunny and Alice patted on the little squirt of sunblock the Matron gave her. Thankful for it, she smiled and went and sat next to Lisa outside. Disturbed immediately, Alice looked at the infected outside the fence. It was like looking at some horror movie that you couldn't quite pause.

No matter how good things get for the moment.. those things will always remind you that no matter how comfy you get, you can never get comfy enough.

"The hotel Delgata." Alice said finally, but her eyes didn't leave the infected. Who could clearly see her.. Though she doubted they were looking at her as Alice, but instead as a walking hunk of white meat (aka their next snack). "The matron said her friend Debbie was a maid there when the infection showed up. Said the place was on lock down, but the infection got in somehow and is contained inside. The Matron said Debbie stopped calling once the old phone lines went down, last thing she said was she was bitten, couldn't control the bleeding probably.. I don't know if that's the safest bet, to be honest.."

Sure, Alice was unsure and anyone could tell that from the expression on her face but she knew the Delgata was pretty safe bet. She knew that all ritzy places had back up generators, laundry mats, stocked kitchens and freezers. No one ever thinks of a hotel in time of panic, it's always leave the country. But what about the few that did think about the hotel? And the matron did say Debbie is more than likely infected/dead. Not that the Matron spoke too long about it. Alice remember her looking a bit annoyed by her question of where they should go and even more annoyed when Alice asked if she wanted them to help Debbie get out of the hotel.

"Y'all couldn't 'elp 'er if I wanted. She's gone and thas' all thar is to say 'bout that."

“’ay, albino? Riddle me dis? Is your legs shaved to make you go faster when you do your swingies? What brand razor do yeh use?”

Alex stopped. He was quiet, listening to the few men drinking beers, jeering.

“Actually…” Alex turned slowly, quizzically looking at the bald heavyweight. “… That’s a really good question for someone of your IQ. Hmmm. Let’s think about this. A set of dynamical equations describe the resultant trajectories when objects move owing to a constant gravitational force under normal Earth-bound conditions. For example, Newton's law of universal gravitation simplifies to F = mg, where m is the mass of the body. This assumption is reasonable for objects falling to earth over the relatively short vertical distances of our everyday experience. If I were to kick your ass…” He began drawing out words to the stunned fellows, “… so hard, that you yourself became a trajectory from the force of my foot going up your ass, do you think that with a head of hair, which you obviously don’t have on your persona, cueball… would make you go slower or faster through the air?”

There was no reply. “It’s a myth, even if one were to try to calculate the difference, it would only create a slight margin, if any, of change. Hair follicles are so light even with thousands they would not change the speed or velocity of any object moving through space.”

More silence, Alex crossed his arms and laughed, getting dangerously snarky. “I mean, then again, you might be your own planet, judging the the orbit of men around you.”

“WHY YEW SHORT SHIT I’M GOIN’ TA RI-” Alex caught the fist in midair.

“I see you are willing…” He playfully grew horns out of his skull, making his teeth needle like and opening two leathery wings off his back, “… are willing to participate in my equation?”

“Wh-What are yew?”

Alex opened his pure crimson eyes, no pupils or irises, just red. “Your worst nightmare.” He even flicked out a forked tongue for extra intimidation. “Now. If you don’t leave those two ladies alone about what you perceived to happen... I’m going to have to send you all to the deepest, darkest purgatory where even God can’t find you. I really could give less a shit about the shaving joke, it’s the goddamn sexism that gets to me, you foul, bile soaked, waddling shitsack. Do I make myself clear or are you going to have a nice big size eleven shoeprint on your ass. Or maybe you just might go missing. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t consume you… I don’t put dirty things in my system.”

The men blinked and Alex was gone, already at Matron Maggie’s door, adopting a air of pure concern and fright. “Miss? Miss! I believe there is something wrong with some of your men! They started yelling and said I had horns and big scary teeth! Do you think they got into the medicine for fun?!”

He watched the woman scurry out, muttering profane things.
Mercer leaned against the wall.

Its all fun and games until one of you gets my foot up your ass.




He found Lisa and Alice clinging to the chain-link fence next to each other, wordless.

“I suppose it is almost time.” He rubbed his knuckles, “What is the best path to the hotel?” He tried to look supportive, but it was times to go, and things weren’t improving here. They were going to have to make the next move, life was becoming some big jilted board game.

"We will get through this. God as my witness."

Alex had his eyes eerily narrowed.

Alice turned around, looking at the infected in the distance that were coming towards then fence only to later be taken out by a sniper on a roof somewhere close by. Absentmindedly she ran a hand over top her head.

We've been down that highway.. full of nothing but infected and the dead.. Of course there's always the chance of rummaging through some of those empty cars for what may help us clean out that hotel.. Then again, there's the chance too that we may just end up getting into bigger trouble then we need.

Alice thought of the park, how nice the nature would feel around her. She didn't go out often at all but if she did it was to Maggie's grocery or to the park for a walk. She remembered the laughter of kids, then suddenly her thoughts turned dark. There was a play ground there, what if there were infected children there? Alice knew there would be no way she could kill a child, infected and wanting to eat her or not. What if it were her child? Could she do it? She shuddered at the thought.. An apocalypse would make everything harder. In that moment she swore off men, there was no reason she should get emotional in this situation..

And if it leads to.. thingsInventory: The even remote thought of her having a child in this hell was almost too much to think about.

Look at me, sitting here looking at the infected vowing to celibacy.. what the hell is wrong with me?

Turning around she gave a sigh. This was a tough decision. It was the three of them and she was making sure to cast her vote in first, so as to not be the final factor.

"My vote's with the highway and university.." Alice said quietly but at soon as she said it, it didn't feel right. She knew the risks of the highway, and she knew that the university was crawling with even more infected now that she let them out of the med center by mistake, but at least she knew the risks.

For all she knew the park was having some company picnic when the infection went down, or who knows maybe it was closed for the nearby fair set up? But surely the fair couldn't be here already? It was only September. Or was it October? Her memory of the days and weeks going by was all mushing together, making it just before and after outbreak.

Alice felt comfortable at the university, plenty of places to hide. Plenty of room to run, but then so was the park. But unless she climbed a tree there wasn't a lot Alice could do to hide. She knew her adrenaline could only get her so far before she eventually ran out of breath and her knees gave out.

It felt like every day sucked a little more and a little more energy out of her until she thought eventually she was going to be in a situation where she just gave up, unable to really do more.

"I agree, Alice. Through the Park and Service Entrance may be good for a pre-outbreak police raid, but with the infected involved, it poses unnecessary risk. The more I said earlier, the more I realized it would be a bad idea... I am so relieved you didn't vote yay." she cringed at the term, it had slipped out before she realized how lame she sounded.

But then she heard Alex's perfect replica of a southern accent. Lemons. She giggled beyond her control. Side effects of the Vicodin last night? Who knows, she'd never taken one before, but this morning she was a little more open than she'd like, embarrassing herself left and right.

"Ha, funny thing about lemons, did you know the ancient Egyptians believed eating lemons and drinking their juice was an effective protection against poisons?" she wanted to slam her head into the ground, did she really just say 'did you know'Inventory: But she couldn't disagree with how fitting it was, a fruit against poisons, just when they were in the middle of a plague.

"Where? I don't see anyth-" she paused, "Right, your abilities, super-sight one of them?"

"We should leave today, no sense in making Maggie wonder."