I scream awake and grab my heart, Jean shouts with a new expression, worry. "What's wrong?!" A soldier clenches his gun as the armored car vibrates from the road. I shake my head, "Just a nightmare- Wait, where is everyone?" "They're back with the convoy." A soldier nods up at me as I rub my head. That was too real.

I clench my fists as we stop. Just another reason to give my all, here, right now. A soldier nods up at me, "Check it, old man." I grab my knees and groan. They quiver, my legs just won't do it. The soldier laughs and stands up, "Relax, don't piss yourself." He climbs out the hatch without even checking. "Nothing but scattered homes! Come on out!" I try standing, but Jean stops me, "Don't strain yourself." I let my head hang, look at that crack in my arm. That damn power's gone again. My legs haven't been this shaken in a hot minute too. She grabs my hands and lifts them, "On three." I look up and she nods. "Three." She pulls as I groan to my feet. I fall a bit forward, but she sets me right again. "Thanks." "We're in this together, remember?" I smile as she walks me out the door. "Big step." She helps me down as the soldiers line up in front of doors. Jean and I take our time into a house.

A lovely home, reduced to dark halls and cracked floors. She bends over and sweeps away some glass, "This belonged to a loving family before the quakes." I frown- Something that might be in the past, now. "I hope they got out." Water drips onto my head. She turns around, "Do you think-" Her eyes widen as another droplet rolls down my face. I wipe it, blood. "Jean, leave." She slowly backs up as shots come from the other houses. She jumps as I sniff the air, smoke. She just runs to me and helps me outside. One soldier tears off his jacket and starts slapping the fire on another's coat. A bush rustles, a raccoon leaps out running, the bush then ignites and a cat leaps out. It's tail catches fire before it nods at me, then chases after the raccoon. "What was that about?" I look back at the house, raccoons hiss at us from above, blood in their teeth. "I think I've got an idea." She follows my eyes, then gasps.

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The cat rushes back and meows at me. It looks up at the raccoons and it hisses back, it's fiery tail touches the house, the house catches fire in this dry heat. It meows at me as the fires spread. Jean backs up as the cat approaches us. "Diesel-" "Here, kit." It rubs against my legs, tail's a bit hot, but doesn't seem to hurt. It hisses at Jean and she jumps away, little guy then runs off.

I smile, "Afraid of cats?" "It could have burned me too." "Need you over here, nurse girl!" "Coming!" She rushes off as I watch several houses burn.