Chapter 45

The three humans moved silently though the city. Only pausing to check for danger. Eventually Brent had to carry Li. The little girl having developed a cough and was tired. Both men were worried. If she had caught a cold or worse, there was very little they could do for her. Not until they got to Haven.

They were having to take an odd route, abandoning Brent bike, much to the man's disdain. But it was too risky to simply go back and get it from the market. After all Vito's men were still there. It would take a week or two to get everything needed ready for the newcomers.

"Glenn where are we heading?"

"One of my safe-houses. I may have prepared something for if this day ever came" Glenn admitted tiredly. Even after the nap he had with Pedro and Nero, he was still exhausted. At the thought of the two infected, his heart fell slightly. Hopefully they would forgive him. All three of the Infected, well maybe not Fedele, he didn't really know the man, had started to prove themselves as friends.

"Glenn, it wasn't your fault" Brent said gently, knowing the look on his brothers face, "They aren't human. If you hadn't done that, they would had never let you go"

"Would that have been a bad thing?" Glenn commented sounding lost and almost bitter.

"You wanted to stay?" Brent asked gently. Disguising the surprise in his voice. Why would his brother want to stay with monsters? Then the memory of watching the two infected kiss came to his mind. As well as how Fedele had treated him. No. Monsters they were not. Not anymore.

Glenn shrugged, "I don't even know anymore" He sounded so lost and broken, Brent was suddenly hugging him close. Glenn paused, letting himself hug his brother back. Li stirring on Brent's back, but remaining asleep. "I don't know anymore. But the thing is, I can't. Haven needs this and since old Mcgee died..."

"They have needed a medic" Brent finished. Glenn nodded. Tears in his eyes. Haven had tried for years to get him to abandon his project and join them. Haven's leader wasn't entirely happy with letting humans live on their own. Especially when they had skills which would be more useful in a community. However, Glenn had also supplied Haven with medical plants which grew in the city. A trade for them to leave him alone. Now he had given up the project all together, he had no real reason to say no to them.

Then came a sound which chilled them to their bones. A sound which haunted their dreams from the darkest days of the new age. The roar of an enraged Alpha. Turning, they saw a figure standing a roof top. Large, strong and looking straight at them.

"Human!"

Brent and Glenn glanced at each other before running.

–

Vito was barely in control of his animal side as he hunted down his wayward pet. Making to make the man endure more pain then the human had ever experienced. How, he wasn't quite sure yet. Unlike his own men, he could simply leave the man in the sun. Humans walked in sun. Lived in it. Thrived in it. Then again maybe that's all he needed to do. Chain the human up and never let him see the burning ball again.

Following the trail, he got fed up of things being in his path. He climbed up a building, jumping from roof to roof, searching ground for the three figures. He knew vaguely in what direction Glenn had a safe house. Logically they were heading there.

Then he spotted them. The two humans, no three. The girl was on the stranger's back. They were hugging. Vito felt jealousy surge in him. Burning and fierce. It made not sense, especially as he already shared Glenn with Arato and also Vito knew the man was Glenn's brother. Kin did not sleep together. Yet it burned. Vito had only begun to get the creatures trust, but this man had it. Vito didn't care Glenn had only been with him a week and this was a man who had grown up with him. Glenn was his.

Eventually the feeling turned into a war cry. Both human's looking up at him. Even from up high, he could see the look of fear go over both of their faces. Smell terror in the wind. Then they ran. He jumped after them. Landing roughly on the floor, and charging after them.

Brent was the first he caught up to. Carrying the young girl, he was slower. Vito reached out to rip the child from his back, only for pain to run down his back. Snarling, he swiped at the person who had dared strike him. Glenn went rolling away, but flipped back on to his feet and started running away. His eyes on the one person he wanted, Vito run away the man, ignoring the other two humans. The youngest of which was crying in fear at this point.

Glenn managed to dodge him, slipping under fall concrete and jumping over logs. Vito just ripped though it all, not letting anything get in his way, furious his pet would even think of hitting him. Planning to may him pay back in spades. He could only see red as he dived forwards those last few steps to tackle his human. His human who he was going to rip a new hole into and chain up for the rest of his days. Then the world was burning.

-

One thing has always been certain about earth. Regardless of what the ancients may or may not have feared. The sun will rise again. Human live in the sun. We thrive on its energy and the radiation it gives off. The infected can no longer stand the sun and so feel pain in its presence. The clever Infected knew to cover themselves so they could walk in its light without fear. The disgraced knew to fear its punishing burns.

As the infected chased the last three truly human people though the city one known as Junipen, the sun rose. The infected fell to the ground screaming in pain as it burned them. Those not consumed in pain dragged themselves and others to shadows, watching on as the final confrontation took place between a human and an infected.

Glenn had grown used to the screams of the infected. He had learned quick which were screams of anger, screams of hunger and screams of pain. For the first time in a the week he had been trapped with the Infected, he was relieved to hear screams of pain. He slowed to a halt, Brent also slowing, seeing what was happening in front of him.

Turning, Glenn met the Alpha's eyes. Those red angry eyes which practically demanded he obey. A command he ignored. He was not Infected, it was not the Alpha's right to demand such a thing from him. Vito, like so many other had fallen to the floor in pain and was currently looking at him crouched on the ground. Glenn for once taller than him.

"Human!" The Creature snarled at him, Glenn flinching as it referred to him as human instead of by name. "Stop fleeing and return to the nest. NOW!"

"No" Glenn's response was quiet and oddly calm.

"Do not test me human!" The Infected growled "If you do not get your skinny ass back to the nest I will..."

"Hunt me down and drag me back yourself" Glenn finished sounding oddly bored, if a little amused. "But I'm not staying in the city Vito. Maybe one day I will return, but for now I have to return to my own people"

"Don't" Vito growled, his eyes dark.

"I must. I am the only one who can do what is needed to make sure no more humans run the risk of becoming..."

"Like me?" Vito growled, "Like the infected as you call us?" Glenn couldn't met Vito's eyes. "Have you ever thought that maybe this was meant to happen. We were meant to become like this? Instead you fight against the way of nature. The strongest and fittest survive and rule over the weak. You are going against the nature order of things Human"

"I am as you call me. Human. We fight against the odds" Glenn murmured before turning and walking away, "This time, I win"

"I am not done with you!" Vito roared, struggling to his feet. He managed to get a few steps in before collapsing in the heat of the sun, "STOP"

"Until we met again Vito" Glenn waved with one hand.

"You leave this city, you had better not return human" The Alpha growled, so darkly and angrily that a cold shiver went down Glenn's spine, "I vow to you now, if you ever return I will rip you apart"

"Then that is the price I pay" Glenn said remarkably calmly, walking away from the Infected. As Vito growled and roared at him to stop and come back, Glenn did not look back. Brent looked away from his brother as he followed the man down what was once main street. It wasn't until they were sure they were out of sight that Glenn wiped the tears which had been rolling down his face. He didn't want to go...

-

Arato flinched as Vito returned, burned and bruised. Traversi had been to the nest and informed them of the situation, he and his men carrying the very injured Fedele, Pedro and Nero. They were healing now. Fedele the fastest. Having already woken up several times. The Infected male was in shock of what had happened. Scared to how Vito would punish him for this failure.

Seeing no Glenn with his Master, something sunk in Arato's heart. All the other Infected moved away from him. Pedro dragging Fausto off. Everyone knew what that meant. Glenn had done it. He had run away. Vito walked up to him and rested his forehead on Arato's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't make it"

A tear ran down Arato's face and he gulped. Vito tried to kiss him but Arato moved out of the way. "But he submitted. He cared..."

"He left us for his own"

"He promised he would return" Arato snapped, beginning to breathe heavily and sob. "He promised!"

"He left us" Vito said simply, before his own emotions caught up with him and he roared in anger, punching the wall beside them. "He left us..."

"But..." Arato looked truly lost at that point, remembering the time he had spent with the human, tears running down his face, "He didn't even say goodbye..."

To Be Continued...

A/N thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story