Luckily, they had no issue securing a ride. One of the evacuations was headed up north anyway, so Chad, Jerry, and Squawkers hitched a ride with them. After stowing Ol' Bessie in the back of a truck, of course.

They disembarked at the very edge of the city. Rick helped them unload the bike and their other belongings before offering Chad one more handshake with his left.

"Thank you, friend. I don't know what would have become of us if not for you."

"Of course!" Chad clasped the man's dark hand. "Thank you for taking care of everyone on the way out. I wish I could've helped more."

"Nonsense," the man chuckled. "You did more than anyone could have asked. After all that, driving people around and shooting a few monsters was the least we could do."

"Aw, you're gonna make me blush." The arm wrestler chuckled. "Actually, what are you gonna do now? You said you're not from around here, right?"

"Indeed." Rick hefted his rifle. "I suppose I'll stick with the refugees for now. I'm high-level enough that I believe I can provide some real aid to them. Beyond that... I'm not sure. We'll have to see what happens next."

Chad took one last look at the man. Despite everything, Rick had come out pretty unscathed. His salmon polo shirt bore stains where flecks of monster blood hadn't entirely washed out, and the bags under his eyes spoke volumes about how much he needed a rest. But he wasn't injured, at least.

They released each other's grips. "Well, we're gonna head off. It was good to meet you, Rick. Stay safe out there."

"You as well, Chadwick." The man nodded approvingly. "I hope we meet again someday."

With that, Rick stepped back into the truck and signaled to the leader of their convoy. The police car up front rumbled to life and led the vehicles away to find shelter anywhere but here. The trio watched them go. They looked more than a little out of place – Chad stood with his backpack and firearms, cutting an intimidating figure compared to Jerry. The violin slung across the man's back wasn't quite as intimidating, nor was the overstuffed travel suitcase with a shotgun sticking out of it.

"Well," Chad turned to Jerry and Squawkers. "Guess we gotta make it the rest of the way ourselves."

"We're not seriously doing this..." Jerry muttered.

"We don't really have a better option." Squawkers tried to shrug in defeat, but seemed a little excited about the plan.

"It'll be fine!" Chad reassured Jerry as he stood up the bike. "I used to do this with my buddies all the time in high school."

Jerry blanched. "That makes me more leery of the idea, not less."

"Why? I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"I'm beginning to believe that's a matter of luck rather than any modicum of regard for your own safety..." The younger man muttered as he ran a hand through his hair. "I really hoped that Annie's taste in men had improved…"

"What was that?" Chad cleared a piece of dried goop out of his ear.

"Nothing." Jerry let out a sigh of resignation. "Let's just get this over with."

"Just think of it this way!" Squawkers chimed in. "I thought of it too, so it can't be that bad of an idea! Right?"

"Exactly!" Chad nodded enthusiastically as he attempted to tie Jerry's suitcase to the bike. "Besides, this is all country roads, anyway. Long, straight, and empty country roads. The only thing we really gotta look out for is deer."

"If you say so..." Jerry stepped toward Chad, then stopped. "How exactly are we doing this?"

"You'll sit behind me and grab the accelerator with your right. I'll steer with my left. Easy! You don't even have to do anything but keep us going fast!"

Jerry wrinkled his nose. "Behind you? Have you showered since your big battle?"

Chad looked down at himself in surprise. Between being unconscious and their haste to get out of the hotel, he hadn't had time to wash up. The Nurse had cleaned the area around his wounds, but once again, Chad found himself positively caked in dark goop, feathers, and flesh chunks.

Is it weird that I'm getting kind of used to this? He gave himself a quick sniff, which earned him a look of revulsion from Jerry. Yeah, that smells pretty bad. Whoops.

"Nope!" He grinned and settled onto Ol' Bessie. "Hop on."

With a groan, Jerry obliged. As Squawkers obligingly wiggled into the front of Chad's shirt, they headed out.

***

A little under an hour later -- and a number of close calls borne of Jerry's white-knuckled grip on the handlebars -- Gram Gram's cottage came into view. The younger man dismounted almost before the bike had stopped, matching Chad in his enthusiasm about reaching their destination.

"We're home!" Chad called out as he released Squawkers from his shirt. "Gram Gram! Annie!"

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Quick footsteps sounded from inside just before the door flew open. Annie's diminutive figure stood framed there, her black hair pinned up in a tight bun. Her dark eyes widened in relief and joy. "Jerry!"

Without a moment of hesitation, she bounded down the porch steps and tackled her brother in a forceful hug. Chad heard the breath leave the willowy man on impact. "Y-yes... H-hello, sis..."

"What were you thinkin'?!" Annie squeezed even tighter. "Worryin' me like that! I swear, every time you stopped responding I thought you were dead… When you didn't say anything for an hour, I... I just..."

"I-I can't breathe," Jerry wheezed out as he frantically tapped Annie's back. "Please..."

"Right! Right." Annie quickly stepped back, allowing her brother to take in a few lungfuls of air. She kept her hands firmly on his shoulders, though.

"Gah!" Jerry recovered, straightening his shirt and muttering to himself. "Really, sister. We were driving. Of course I couldn't respond..." He looked up and met her gaze with a sigh. "But it's good to see you, too. Happy birthday."

Annie's face softened, all traces of disapproval disappearing in an instant as she brought Jerry in for another crushing hug. After releasing him, Chad could see wet tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. The woman turned in his direction. "Thank you, Chad. Thank you so much."

"No problem." He shot her a thumbs up. "Anytime."

"Lots of problems, actually." Squawkers circled overhead, stretching his wings. "Don't let him fool you, he almost died at least a dozen times."

Annie glanced up in surprise, then looked to Chad for confirmation. "Did that parrot..."

"Yes I talked!" Squawkers came to rest on the arm wrestler's shoulder. "Honestly! Is it that weird to see a talking parrot? I thought this was a common thing!"

"You're just extra impressive, Squawk." Chad scratched the bird beneath his chin. "Annie, meet Squawkers. Squawkers-- Ow!"

"What did I saw about introducing me as Squawkers?!" The parrot cawed in frustration as Chad rubbed at his temple. "My name is Percival Aurelio Malthanus the Third!"

Annie stepped forward, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You don't like being called Squawkers? But it's an awfully cute name!"

"But... but I'm not cute!" Squawkers puffed up his chest. "I'm a noble and intelligent bird!"

"That doesn't mean you can't be cute, too." Annie joined Chad and petted the bird soothingly. "I think you're very cute!"

"...R-really?"

"Of course!" Annie smiled.

"...Well, I suppose you can call me Squawkers, too..." Squawkers ducked his head shyly.

"Squawk?" Chad asked incredulously. "Are you... blushing?!"

"No!" The parrot shook himself. "Parrots don't blush!"

Annie just laughed. "Wow. You two certainly seem to get along. I'm sure you've got quite the story to tell..."

She finally looked them over and noticed Chad's sling. Her eyes narrowed in concern. "Are you ok, Chad? What happened?"

"I'll tell you once we're inside. A lot of stuff." He began untying Jerry's suitcase from the motorcycle. "Can you help me with this?"

"Sure. Jerry!" Annie called over her shoulder. "Is this yours? Help me bring it inside!"

"Fine, fine. Just... give me a second." The younger man wheezed. "I think you broke one of my ribs."

As the three worked to bring the belongings inside, Squawkers took advantage of the time to spread his wings and make a few loops around the house's exterior. The area had seemingly remained monster-free, allowing the bird to soar about entirely carefree.

Meanwhile, Chad gave the siblings a moment to catch up. Evidently, they hadn't seen each other in quite a while. They would have had a lot to talk about even before the whole "apocalypse" thing. Still, seeing them interact made him feel a slight twinge of jealousy.

I wonder what that's like.

He watched Annie turn incredulous at the sheer weight of Jerry's suitcase. "Jesus, Jerry! What did you pack in here, lead weights?!"

"I did not!" The guy rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Then why's it so damn heavy?"

"I merely packed the essentials. Clothing, shoes, toiletries, some sheet music, a few books, your present…" He ticked the items off on his fingers.

"Right. Essentials." Now it was Annie's turn to roll her eyes. "Well, either way, I ain't carrying this. Bring in your own damn suitcase!"

Yeah, I probably would've driven a sister insane, Chad admitted. A brother would've been cool, though.

As they made their way up the front porch, Jerry struggling behind with his suitcase, a sudden screech sounded from the side of the house. "Chad! Help, help, HELP!"

Chad's head whipped toward the sound of Squawkers's voice. Annie immediately drew a pistol from her belt, whirling to meet the threat. The parrot's grey form came careening around to the front of the house. In hot pursuit of their feathered friend was... a cat.

Chad snorted and relaxed. "Oh yeah. Sorry, should've warned you about that."

"About what? The hellspawn felines that live here?!" Another cat sprung down from the roof as Squawkers dodged it. "Yeah, that might have been nice to know! They're everywhere!"

"Yep. You got that right. Still, what are they doing outside?" Chad extended his arm for Squawkers to land on, bringing them close to his chest. "Go on, git kitties. He's not a toy."

"Oh, did my little Tabitha get outside? Bad girl, you know you're supposed to stay in here. You too, Smuckers."

Gram Gram appeared in the doorway, her walker shuffling before her. At the sight, Chad felt his shoulders relax. One of them, at least.

"I'm home, Gram Gram!"

"Oh, Chadwick!" His grandmother's face lit up in a luminous and wrinkly smile. "It's so good to see you again! I saved you leftovers from dinner last night, don't you worry."

Squawkers fluttered to Chad's shoulder as he hugged the fragile woman with a chuckle. "Thanks, Gram Gram. I'm starving..."

Chad's words trailed off as he focused on the woman's hunched form. Ice trickled down his spine.

"Oh, well we can't have that now, can we?" The old woman turned back toward the doorway, evidently failing to notice the sudden tension in his posture. "Come, come in. I'll heat them up for you right quick, sweetie."

"I'll be right there," Chad called after her. His voice sounded strained even to his own ears. As she disappeared, he slowly turned back to the female masseuse.

"Annie?"

"Chad?" Her brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"

He closed his eyes and let out a long breath, attempting to keep his tone level. "Why is my gramma level two?"