12 First Things

He'd lost count on how many people he'd devoured in the last two minutes. More and more memories had filled his mind, whispers and screams of death drowning each other. The pain and images faded, but the godforsaken wrench in his gut still persisted. It wouldn't leave him alone, and it was driving him crazy. He couldn't get his mind straight - thoughts were wreaking havoc and spinning up a tornado in his head. Dana's words were still echoing like a distant reminder of how much she would hate him for all he'd done if she found out. He recalled the fear he'd seen in her eyes when he'd barged into the apartment the days prior. 'Monster', he thought. He was a monster with no name and no mercy. He had an alias - a codename, but that was all. He was Zeus. The monster that the militia wanted dead.

A blind rage filled his senses, and before he could realize what he was doing, his fist collided with the wall of a building. Soon after came his other fist. Again and again, until the wall gave in to his strength. As the dust settled, a headache whipped his temples. "I don't see them punching holes into walls". He had to find a distraction from whatever mental disease he'd picked up. It was too early to go back and pretend to be some military man on a mission. They were still searching for him, he knew that, and he knew he couldn't go back to the hideout. His old apartment? No, that place was blown to bits. 

He'd just have to enjoy himself until things calmed down. Enjoy himself as the monster he was. Central Park was dwindling with life at dawn, and the opportune place to have some fun. A cruel grin spread in his face.

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Just a few blocks away, an old couple were cleaning up the floors and tables of their restaurant. The man in his late eighties were wiping the counter with a moist towel while his wife used a mop to clean any dust from the checkered floor. They'd been running this place all by themselves for many years now, and they both took equal responsibility to keep it up. Though, with half of the island's residence setting up a rebellion against the authorities, they didn't get as many guests as they used to. Nevertheless, they liked to keep things neat and tidy. Cleaning the restaurant was part of their daily routines.

"Martha, clean off table three, would you? I think I forgot that one" the man called to his wife. She looked up at him with a smile and nodded. The mop was put away inside the cleaning cabinet in the kitchen before she grabbed a towel to dust off and clean the table with. As per usual, she sat down on the chair next to the window to start wiping. As she did, movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked out the window with peaked curiosity to spot a few figures across the broad street.

"George dear, come look at this. I think they're playing in that movie again" she called while squinting at the figures outside. He walked up to her and looked over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. He too squinted a little and pushed up his squared glasses on his nose to see better. After a moment of inspection, he grunted.

"Well well, would you look at that. Kids are playing outside instead of watching their screens all day" he muttered. She nodded thoughtfully and pushed up her small, rounded glasses on her nose. She noticed how one of them played along wilder than all the others. It almost looked like a game of tag, except he tagged all of them one by one. She was curious at this.

"You think he's special? With the claws and all?" she asked aloud.

He looked to where she was pointing. "Hmmhmm, he looks talented" he agreed, then turned his head to look at the clock and straightened. "Martha, we need to close" he reminded her with a tap on her shoulder. She was confused for a moment, but understood what he meant after also looking at the big, round clock hanging on the opposite wall.

"Right right". She stood up and nodded to her husband. "You go on ahead dear, I'll finish this up" she said with a smile, earning an appreciative kiss on the forehead from his George.

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As the sun rose a few hours later, Dana was stretching her limbs after waking up on the mattress that she and Rebecca had claimed as theirs. Strangely enough, she'd slept an awful lot better here than she'd ever done back in her own apartment or in the hideout a few floors above. She could imagine it had something to do with the calmness that came with sleeping in a basement secluded from the world around them. Or maybe the warmth from another body so close to her own? She had to admit that it was calming. It had been a night without dreams and without worries. If that was how every night was gonna go from now, she'd gladly put up with sharing a mattress.

"Slept well?" said a sleepdrunken Rebecca from where she was still huddled up under the thin duvet they'd previously shared.

"Like a baby" Dana responded, desperately trying to hold back a giggle. Becca's bedhead hair was unruly. It looked like a crow had tried to build a nest, then raged for a moment before giving up because it was simply impossible. Eventually, she couldn't hold back anymore and reached her hand out to frizzle it a little more. "What about you, sexy?"

A narrow of those gray eyes was the only response she would receive before the brown-haired guy interrupted them. "You two lovebirds done chittering so we can have some breakfast?" he shouted from where he was half-sitting on the second of the three mattresses the team had brought with them. Dana wondered for a moment how they'd gotten all of it down here, but realized pretty quickly that she was more interested in food than anything else. She was starving, and her stomach loudly agreed. Food it was.

"Morning to you too Desmond" Rebecca grumbled while getting up from her place. Dana stayed put as she wondered if there might be anything left among all of their packing or if they would have to find a place that had takeout. Or a restaurant. That could probably do them all good right now. That blonde girl could certainly use something alcoholic right now. She seriously had to chill out.

Dana almost jumped out of her skin upon hearing a groan from the third mattress. Shaun was just waking up and man did he looks scruffy. His blonde hair was sticking out in all directions, dark circles under his eyes and his eyes mirrored those of death itself. It sort of reminded her of the freaks of terror she'd researched recently. He most definitely needed a cup of coffee. The bad news: they didn't have any. It seemed they had no other choice but to go grocery shopping.

"Guys, there's a restaurant not even a block from here". Oh yea, that worked too. Everyone's attention was now focused on Rebecca where she sat in front of her laptop, squinting at the screen. Dana still hadn't quite gotten over the crow's nest her friend sported and covered up her chuckle with a cough.

"Don't tell me you're-"

"No, Shaun, I saw it when I was out earlier. I'm not using any network". Rebecca dismissed the Brit's complaints with a flick of her wrist. He grumbled something incoherent while snuggling back into the comfort of the duvet. Had he been up all night? Dana had noticed him being up when the others went to bed, and it was quite possible that these people had agreed on some kind of nightly watch. As she understood it, they were wanted by some organization that had to do with those templar guys, and they basically had to always keep moving and stay low in order not to be sniffed out. They had their similarities to herself and Alex, didn't they?

"Restaurant food sounds delicious" Desmond announced, breaking off Dana's thoughts. She would agree with him, but wasn't sure if she'd be welcome to come with them. The blonde girl still looked at her like they were enemies. She hoped she'd be able to prove her wrong, even if that would take both time and effort. They were all wanted by some organization, all needing to keep quiet and keep vigilant toward everyone they met. Wouldn't a bigger team working together be safer and easier than two teams working separately in their own dark corners?

"Let's just hope they're open-", Rebecca got up from her seat, "-Who's coming with?" she asked. Both Desmond, Shaun and Lucy said yes in choir, even if Shaun's yes was more alike a grunt muffled by a set of blankets and Lucy's seemed hesitant. Dana was just getting started on thinking what she could possibly have for breakfast when two pair of eyes were aimed at her. She looked back and forth between Desmond and Rebecca, confused for a few seconds. Then it dawned on her.

"Huh? Me? Oh, no, I'm not-". But her stomach loudly disagreed. Okay, yes, she was hungry, but there was clearly no need to- Growl! Yea, okay, she wanted to come with them. Or at least her stomach did.

"Well?" Rebecca questioned expectantly. Desmond's expression were insistent, if not hopeful.

"Fine, I'm coming" she finally agreed, and Rebecca offered a hand to help her up from the mattress. Shaun seemed to have fallen asleep again and Lucy was still hesitant over her company. "I'll need to pick some stuff up first"

"Stuff like?"

"Oh, you know... Pins, photos, laptops, my wallet..."

"Riiight"

The two ravenheads snickered while walking toward the door that would lead them to the stairs. Lucy were quick to catch up to them and grabbed Rebecca by the wrist. She pulled her away a few steps, and Dana was bright enough to know they wanted some privacy and backed away a few steps of her own. Okay, Lucy didn't trust her, that fact was clear as day, but really. What had she done that would seem that suspicious? Then again, she didn't know how these templar dudes acted on their daily basis around people, so she guessed she could understand the uncertainty. But faith wasn't won until a chance was given.

Lucy seemed to understand that, because Becca was soon at her side again with an apologetic look. "She'll come through eventually" she said. Dana smiled, but felt the blue eyes dig into her back as the two exited the cellar. She hoped that 'eventually' would turn to 'now' sooner rather than later.

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"Ready to go get some grubs?" Rebecca asked when Dana had finished collecting what she needed. They hadn't been here for more than a few minutes, but knowing what was waiting for them, it already felt like hours. Both of the girls' stomachs were complaining loudly, and Rebecca's mouth watered at the thought of food. She could see freshly cooked beef and salad, a glass of water so cold it steamed. Alright, no, water wouldn't get that cold without freezing, but imagination didn't have any limits. Unless you set one, that is.

"I was born ready. I'm so hungry I could eat a cow" she responded, rubbing her belly.

"Me too! I hope they have a steak like this big". Rebecca held out her hands for measurement.

"I'm not sure they have plates that big"

"Okay, yea, you might be right. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm hungry". They both laughed and headed for the door. Rebecca could still see the steaming plate in her mind. Sweet, delicious food was within her grasp, and all they had to do was to meet up with the others and walk less than 500 meters. They'd have to order first of course, but that wasn't exactly a concern. What was a concern however was that Dana's footsteps stopped. Rebecca turned with a confused expression on her face. She didn't need to open her mouth before Dana responded to the question she'd meant to ask.

"What if he comes back and we're not here?"

'Him'? Rebecca was confused at first, then realized what her friend was talking about. She fired off a reassuring smile. "Just leave him a note saying you'll be gone for a while. Also, maybe we should buy a doggy bag to bring back for him. I'm sure he'd appreciate it".

Dana hesitated for a moment, but she eventually agreed to Becca's proposition. She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from her desk and scribbled down a note for her brother. Rebecca wondered if they should write a second one to leave in the basement, but decided against it. He probably would go up here first if he did come back before them, since this was where the two siblings had been hiding out lately.

"You should probably put it somewhere where he definitely can't miss it".