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Hanna wakes with a start at hearing the house bell ring. Her sister also wakes. Her brown eyes large and breathing heavy. "Do you think its mom?" She asks, not giving Hanna time enough to answer, she quickly crawls over her sister and darts out of the bedroom.

Hanna curses under her breath and scrambles after her sister. "Don't open it until they say who they are!" The girl calls after her sister.

Her sister has already opened it when she gets down. Her sisters turns around, her face forlorn. "It's only, Mr. Ruffers." Her sister huffed.

Hanna gives her sister a look that she didn't even have enough energy for. "Hey Mr. Ruffers," Hanna greets pushing her sister out of the way to face the officer.

"Good morning," he tries to smile but Hanna can tell it's forced. "I have news."

Hanna's stomach ached. "Is it about mom?" She blurts, Isa looks up at her with wide eyes.

"No, no," he quickly says, looking at Isa, "I'm sure your mother is fine." He looks at Hanna, "Can I come in?"

"Yeah... sure," Hanna moves back, pulling Isa with her.

She closes up after him and leads the man into their living room. "I found someone willing to take you girls in until your mom gets back." He awkwardly stands in the middle of the floor. He looks nervous about what he's going to say next.

Both girls share a look. "Yeah..."

"It's Kandace Dasam," he quickly says. Hanna thinks she'd heard wrong until he quickly adds, "you have to live with an adult."

"You want us to live with a murderer's family?" Her oh so elegant with words sister says, looking horrified by even the thought. "How is this safer as oppose to living alone?"

The officer rubs his face in frustration and suddenly Hanna can see how tired he is. She wonders who long it had been since he had a good night's sleep, she guesses a week or two.

"As of now the case involving Austin Dasam's father is closed, he is in custody has been for five years, you'll be fine."

Isa huffs, "yeah right."

"It's not an option really, girls..." He looks directly at Hanna. "I'll be back in an hour and a half, you should pack some things to take over." He awkwardly stands there for a few seconds before walking himself out.

"I'm not going to live with those freaks!" Isa shrieks once he's gone.

Hanna bites her lip, breathing out of her nose. This wasn't something she wanted at all either. Since that night those few months ago, she'd avoided Austin, she wanted all of it behind her, all of it, all the heartache, all the anger, all the bitterness, all the being alright when she's not.

"Just go pack your stuff." Isa tells her sister.

"But, Hanna!"

"Go!"

Her sister glared at her before getting from the couch and storming out of the living room. "I bet you're happy to go live with your bad boy ex- boyfriend because you want to win him back!" She yells out as she moves upstairs.

Hanna shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. After a few minutes of regaining herself, she moved into their kitchen, loading all of their food supplies into bags. Next the young woman goes to her bedroom and grabs a gym bag and loads it up with clothing. She grabs a framed photo of her family from her nightstand and leaves a note for her mom.

Mr. Ruffers returns, looking sweaty as well as tired.

"Alright, is this everything?" He asks, looking at the bags lining the hallway.

Hanna nods biting her lip. "Are you sure there isn't any other places we can go?" She asks as her sister grabs a few bags and storms out of the house.

He nods rubbing his face. "Things are going to get worse before they get better and... I think you living with a family so close to your own will be very good. I'm sure Austin has learned something's because of... how he use to be. I think you both will be much safer with him. That's how serious I believe things are going to get."

Hanna frowns at that. He grabs a few of the bags and Hanna grabs the last few. They exit and load all the things into the trunk and backseat of his curser. He goes back in for all the water and returns.

###

Kandace Dasam greets them a few seconds after Mr. Ruffers rings the bell. She gently smiles at the two girls but gives Kyle a less then enthused stare.

"Mr. Ruffers," she greets dryly.

"Kandace," he greets back sounding tired.

"You girls can come on in," she ignores him, taking a step back. Hanna freezes upon seeing the boy she was dreading seeing standing on the home's stairwell, watching impassively, his hair pulled back in a short ponytail. He's wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of sweat pants, his hands in his pockets.

"They have a few things in my cursor, a lot of water I'm sure you'll be happy about." He gently scratches his head. "I'll bring all of their things in."

"I'll help," Hanna quickly offers wanting to get away from Austin's stare.

###

He hasn't even mumbled a word in her direction since they got there. In fact, he vanished as soon as Kyle Ruffers was gone. He offered no help in putting away their items and didn't tag along as Kandace showed both siblings to a guest bedroom they would share.

"Thank you for offering your home like this, Mrs. Dasam." Hanna said, looking away from her sister who had dropped her bag onto the queen sized bed. Her sister was obviously ignoring everyone.

"It's really not a problem." The woman shrugged. "I'm sure your mom would have also offered up her home like this." They both are very aware that that's a lie.

Isa snorts. Hanna mentally groans at her sister.

Kandace looks uncomfortable as she coughs into her hand. "Well, dinner is in about half an hour." She awkwardly stands there before finally leaving. Once the woman is gone, Hanna rounds on her sister.

"Would it hurt you to be a little nicer? It's really nice of Kandace to offer us a place to stay."

Her sister glared at her. "I want to go home."

"You think I don't?"

"I dunno... you get to live with your not your boyfriend now. You don't look upset."

"Will you stop picking at that?" Her sister is seriously a pain. "I want to go home like you. I want mom to come back so that can happen. Try to think of someone besides yourself for once, Isa."

"That's real great coming from you, Ms. 'The world revolves around me'!"

"Whatever," Hanna huffs, shrugging off her backpack, beginning to go through it, ignoring her sister.

"Whatever," her sister immaturely mocks. The younger girl digs for her spiral notebook from her bag and a pen. The young teen begins to frantically scribble in it.

Hanna's pretty sure her sister isn't writing nice things about her in there. Lightly shrugging, Hanna leaves the bedroom deciding time away from her sister would be good for both of them. She finds herself walking by Austin's bedroom, his door shut tight, all is silent. The girl doesn't breathe until she's moved by his door. She heads downstairs. Half-way down, she can hear the news blaring in the living room. Hanna wonders there, finding Kandace standing in front of it, her arms wrapped around herself. Her body is tense.

Hanna hesitantly joins her.

"These videos are those being sent in by our viewers, from reports from all around our nation of a disease... they're calling it as of such." On screen are long lines at hospitals, people lying on the ground outside, waiting to be let in. Men and women wearing masks rushing around in, putting unconscious people onto stretchers, people falling out in hallways. There were a few of accidents and one of a man slumped over his steering wheel, his skin pale, a green ooze around his mouth and nose. The images stop a woman wearing small, thin glasses comes on screen. She leans forward, squinting at what is likely what to say, she's not the normal GGNS reporter. "We're getting word... from the center of disease control. There is no clear indication... of how this... virus began, nor of how it actually spreads. I... what... we are trying to get you the news as fast as possible, but things are changing every second." She frowns and looks away from the camera, likely at a person behind it. Finally, she nods.

"Austin!" Kandace calls out, fear obviously on her features. It only takes a few seconds for him to appear, he comes to a stop beside Hanna, looking intently at the television. Hanna glances at him but he barely looks her way. Hanna attention turns to the television again, an odd numbness settling over her, she can hear her sister also coming downstairs.

Suddenly the TV goes blank, on for a few seconds. An image appears. It's a familiar face, the face of the nightly news anchor from world news – he's in his forties with jet black hair and drawn on looking eye brows. The lights flush out his face more than usual, and he's drinking from a glass of water. He addresses the camera, his voice very steady, almost calming despite the unease in his eyes.

"Good afternoon," the man says. "It is with heavy words that I must address our nation today with more bad news. It appears that our nation is being greatly tested." The anchorman continued. "It appears our nation is under attack. Details are none existent, but we are getting word of this being an attack. A type of biochemical attack from an unsure threat as of now. Yes, that means that last week when news of tainted water and food was being reported was when this first happened. No word of what exactly it is has been determined. While the illness is claiming its victims and still is, all nations are beginning to place blame, explaining the bombings earlier in the week. We..." The man exhales. "We are getting more information and my fellow Americans... it is troubling. How this illness will affect those infected is being greatly ranged between... immunity... death... and... madness, this is coming in from the CDC. They've been studying this for a week now and have only now confirmed. Yes, the virus is directly linked with the violence happening all around our nation, as well as the many deaths. We are not talking zombies here, those effected with such side-effects are all from dangerous range of the bombs, something happened..." his attempt at a joke falls flat. "I'm talking about mentally ill people whose only want and desire is to kill and... feast on human flesh. Cannibalism. The National Guard has been called in, in attempts at corralling these individuals in for appropriate treatment." He frowns. "Please we advise everyone to stay at home and inside. Also, I am being informed... do not eat meat nor vegetables if packaged in the last two weeks. If you have a garden, do not eat it until further notice. All food and water are now deemed... unfit by the CDC and FDA. Proceed with caution when eating. Animals and plants may not appear toxic at first, but are. Animals seem healthy but the CDC and FDA comment that the animals' blood work if off, they estimate that the animal's life expectancy is cut in half because of whatever is effecting them. So I cautio -"

The television blinks off snapping her out of her daze. A second later all the lights flicker off as well.