I scurried away from the sight of the dead Parasite. I wanted nothing more to do with it, I already grabbed its smashed eye just in case, and that's all I needed.

The other Parasites were still there anyway, I couldn't stay close to them. Base was luckily no more than a forty-minute walk, so I made it back pretty quick.

Inside was the usual scene, Harry sharpening his blade, Emma sitting in the corner faking her eyes closed, and Jason suffering on the ground. Felt like home, I made my way inside and unloaded my bag slowly.

The place honestly felt smaller than usual, and that's saying something.

The entire space was basically just a square room filled with dead bugs. I wasn't sure what it was a part of before, my guess was an old basement room that got buried under rocks. We were pretty lucky to find the place before anyone else.

“Guys, here ya go. Today was a good day, I got a good amount of food” I announced.

Harry came up to me and opened the donut box, “what the heck man this is empty!”.

I snatched the box from him, he was right. How did I not notice that when grabbing it?

“This isn't enough. None of us are gonna get by with this much” Emma said with a look of anger and exhaustion.

Harry sighed and punched the wall, “alright. Tomorrow Jason will go. His shift will be a week early”.

“Be quiet Harry, how about you go?” Emma yelled.

“Why? Just because he’s sick he doesn't have to do anything? Harry shouted as he raised his knife.

I took a step towards him, looking at the size difference between us, it was clear I couldn't do anything to him. Harry had to weigh at least seventy pounds more than me, but still.

“He got sick helping us! He did what he could, it's not his fault he-”. “Leo, it's ok,” Jason said, cutting me off.

“Just eat what you guys can, I’ll go back tomorrow, alright” I murmured.

I forced my eyes shut after that, I wasn't sleepy but I was still tired. All the thoughts eating me up deserved credit for that, I was just sick of it.

Everything around me, it was pathetic. There was nothing left.

“Hey, I’m sorry you have to carry my burden again” I heard someone say.

I got up and turned around, it was Jason. I couldn't believe he was able to pull himself up to walk towards me.

I patted him on the back, “don't worry about it man”.

Jason adjusted his positioning and got comfortable,

“You know, I always thought I would be spending this time of my life being a nerd, focusing on getting good marks and just being a kid. Crazy things do happen huh”.

I looked at him, I could tell it wasn’t looking good.

“How bad is it?”.

“Getting harder to breathe, but it's alright for now. Better than I thought it would be”.

“Jason, stop lying man. Don't you get it, you're gonna become one of them. We have to know how much longer, so tell me, how bad is it?”.

Jason looked at me dead in the eyes, “don't worry Leo. I know what you're afraid of doing, but it's gonna be fine. Trust me”.

Jason did what he could to form a smile after that, and he limped away. I made sure to close my eyes again, I had to.

Sleeping wasn't easy with everything going on, but I had to get in at least half an hour.

“Yo Leo, Get up, hurry. Someone’s outside” Harry yelled, waking me up.

I immediately got on my feet and began looking around.

“Someone’s been calling for us outside, we haven't checked yet. They could be dangerous, high chance they’re here to steal our food or something,” Emma said while holding onto the bag I brought in before.

I nodded and looked around at everyone, it was clear we all knew what we needed to do. Our base wasn't much but the place was all we had. None of us were willing to give that up.

“Guys, who is it?” Jason squealed.

I didn't reply to him, none of us did.

“So, who’s checking it out?” Emma asked.

I stared at Harry, who stared back at me.

“Let me in, let me in! Damn it, please! They're coming! I'm begging you!” someone shouted through the doors.

“Guys, let him in!” Jason screamed.

Emma turned around to face Jason, “no. stop being gullible, if we trust him he could end up pulling out a gun. Then what?”.

“Alright, then we deal with him before he can do anything” Harry answered.

Emma sighed, “you know that's not what I mean. All I’m saying is we can't just trust him, not only that but we can’t let him in even if he is trustworthy, not just like that. It doesn't matter whether or not he dies, unless he has something to offer, he isn't worth helping. Remember, it's him or us”.

Stolen novel; please report.

“I do have things to offer. I'm stacked, trust me. I got food, supplies, and info” the same guy shouted again.

“Info, what info?” I asked.

“Damn it you guys are gonna get me killed. I got info that's gonna save you kids when these things try to rip you apart. That good enough, huh?”.

Emma nodded, as did me and Harry. So, I walked up, went up the steps to get a bit higher, and I opened the metal barrier we considered a door. Standing in front of me was a guy who looked about five years older than me.

He was double my height and his voice was deep enough to be taken seriously.

Also, he looked like he had just been robbed, mauled, chewed, and spat out. Basically, he looked like us in a way.

I opened up the barrier a bit more until there was finally enough room for him to crawl through, Well, of course, there was a problem. Why would there ever be a scenario where things could just go smoothly?

“My leg is stuck,” the guy yelled.

I moved my head up to check out what happened, and of course, it was a Parasite! It was one of the smaller ones but still!

“It's a Parasite!” I screamed.

“What? No then let him go, we can’t risk anything” Emma yelled back.

I looked the guy straight in his pupils, for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to let him go. I couldn't bring myself to let him die, even though it was the right call.

“Help me!” he shouted. I looked around, I didn't know what to do.

How was I supposed to help him? I was lost.

So, I made a quick, non-thought out decision.

I would fight the Parasite, “guys, someone hand me the bat”.

“Are you good? You're gonna try fighting it? Sit down Leo'' Emma demanded.

“Pass me the damn bat, I know what I'm doing!”.

She didn't listen, she instead came up towards me and tried pulling me away from the guy.

Harry rushed over with the bat, he pushed her out of the way as he tried throwing it to me.

He really wanted me to fight the Parasites. Either way, what he was doing didn't work, after colliding with Emma, both of them pushed themselves on me.

The bat fell from his hand and they both fell. I was still standing though, holding onto the guy's hand desperately trying not to let go.

Overall the scene shook us all up pretty bad, and because of that the guy I was trying to save dropped something, a gun.

“I told you!” Emma screamed.

I ignored her and loaded it up, killing the Parasite with this would be pretty easy. I extended my hand, got it ready, and fired it straight in its eye, the left one.

Parasite went down, and the guy I saved was free. I was getting used to dealing with these things now.

“Close it up quick, get inside all of you,” Jason said.

I nodded and pulled the guy in, Harry stayed back and he closed the barrier again.

The faces everyone was making proved how horrifying but relieving the scene was for them, they had never seen a Parasite get killed like that before.

“I'm keeping this gun, and now you gotta tell me the “info” you were on about before. Go on,” I said.

The dude looked nervous, it was clear the situation he was in wasn't what he planned or expected.

“Alright, my name is Toby. I used to be somewhat of a scientist in training you could say. Basically, I was working with the man that invented the Parasites. I helped him”.

Harry lost it, he went over and threw his hand

forward, he wasn't able to do anything though.

Toby was pretty big compared to him, “Listen kid, we didn't know this would happen alright. It wasn't part of the plan if you couldn't tell”.

“Ok what's your point?” Emma questioned.

“The machines were built for protection, that's why they have weapons like the stinger. Someone messed with the code causing them to go crazy, I don't know who that person is but it doesn't matter. What I'm trying to say is I know these things inside out, I know how they move, I know how they sting. I know how they die”.

I suddenly understood why the Parasites kept saying “assistance” and what not. But that was irrelevant right now.

“Then why are you here?” I asked.

Emma stepped forward, “Leo is right, you said you'd give us info for saving us. Now you're giving us the backstory that you know on top of that. You didn't need to tell us you helped make them, you didn't need to tell us someone messed with the code. That's info we didn't ask for, so answer me this, why did you tell us all that? What do you want from us?”.

“Listen, the Parasites die if you destroy their left eye. That's their weakness. The brain is there!”.

“Toby, I know how they die. And I don't care, we can talk about all that later. Right now, your job is to tell us what you want from us” I shouted.

“What do you mean you know how they die? Wait, how did you even know how to kill that Parasite right now? Toby didn't tell you that until just recently!” Harry screamed.

“I got into a fight with one before, when I was out to get food. I killed one, I was gonna tell you guys but I just got distracted. Anyways, that's not important, Toby, tell us what we wanna know”.

Toby sighed, “I want help stopping all this. I know how to destroy them, all of them at once. I just need your help!”.

Toby looked like he was about to talk again, but Emma started first.

“No, we're not helping you. There is no way we’re gonna try to stop the Parasites, that’s an idea equivalent to suicide. You wanted us to save you, we saved you. We got the info we needed anyways, if that's all you wanted then get out. The reason any of us are alive is because we've been hiding. We step out and try to make a move, we're dead”.

Harry walked up in the middle of everything and started an argument.

“What, so you want all of us to be cowards like you? I'm sick and tired of living like this, this guy helped build the Parasites. He has to know what he’s talking about. Let's go with him!”.

“If you go with him you're gonna die, you really think you can stop all the Parasites without losing your god damn life?” Emma asked.

Harry tightened his fist, “even if I do die, someone else won’t. I'd rather die doing something than live as a pathetic coward”.

I bent down and buried my face in my hands, what the heck was happening?.

“You guys cant make your decision right now, that's clear. Take this walkie-talkie, it's the last one I got. Contact me when you make your decision, I'll be waiting”.

Toby walked up and handed me the walkie-talkie, I gripped it tight and put it away.

“As for the info I promised, the big ones don’t die from having their left eyes destroyed. I can make weapons to help fight them off, but that's only if you guys, you know. Anyways, you know how to contact me. Good luck, oh, and make sure you use that gun I gave you to kill your friend, the one on the ground. Wouldn't want him becoming something he ain’t huh”.

Jason looked down, his face clearly showed everything he was thinking, anger.

He was still mad at himself, I would be too if I got into his situation. I turned my focus over to Toby though, I was honestly surprised looking at how different he was acting just now compared to a few minutes earlier, he was showing his true colors.

“Hey, the food you promised?” I asked.

Toby grinned before throwing a small bag at me. He didn't say anything else, he just walked out looking as confident as ever.

I looked at the bag, there were a couple of things there, it would last us a few days.

Emma and Harry continued their argument, I didn't even want to hear them anymore, so I just sat down in the corner.

I wanted to sleep because my eyes were staying open by sheer will.

PING.

I heard something ring, it was quiet, I could tell it came from the place I was at. I looked around for a good minute until I finally found it, the sound came from my watch.

The one I had been keeping for longer than I could remember. But I thought it was broken? I raised my wrist until it was close enough to see, the ping came from a message.

Opening it up, I noticed it came from someone named Luis, a name I didn't recognize at all.

Luis: Leo, are you getting this?

Leo: umm, hello? Who is this?

Luis: Listen to me Leo, you have to run now. A large wave is about to hit you, it's going to look like a tsunami made from electricity.

Leo: what?

Luis: Listen, you can't get caught in that. If you do, everything will start over!

Leo: dude, who the heck are you?

Luis: They're still watching me, I can't tell you right now. I have no time, I just need you to run when you see that wave.

Leo: …

Luis: Listen, I don't have time right now. I already know you don't remember anything, so explaining who I am would be pointless. You'll know soon enough, don't worry. Just whatever you do, DO NOT GET CAUGHT IN THAT WAVE.

The watch turned off, I tried sending a message back but no luck. Who was that anyway? Whatever he told me could be a trap to get me to move, but how did he know my name?

“Leo, what's your idea for all this?” Harry asked. I shook my head in confusion before finally understanding what he was talking about.

“I don't know, Toby wasn't lying, he did know a lot about Parasites. But it is true that going with him is a death wish”.

“What are you going to do staying here though? You wanna just live your life on the run, always desperate for food? That's what you wanna do, huh?” Harry argued.

“You know what, Harry is right. Staying here doing nothing is useless. It may be a death wish, but that risk is something we need to take. If the Parasites just all die, people can actually do something with this world” Jason said, finally speaking up.

“Jason you're one to talk, pretty soon none of this will affect you anyways. You wanna know why? It's because-”. BOOM! Emma was cut off.

I couldn't tell what just happened but from the sound of it, I heard something big fall.

“I'll check it out,” I said.

The others nodded as I walked up, and removed the barrier, opening an entrance for myself. I took a few small steps outside while being extremely cautious, so I could take a look around.

At first, I scanned the area ahead of me but couldn't see anything. I turned my head behind me then, and well, what I saw there was a different story.

Right behind our base, was a huge wave, made from electricity! It was absolutely horrific! And the wave itself was moving fast, destroying everything behind it in seconds as it sped up towards me. The guy, Luis, he was right, he wasn't kidding!