It was what they were all thinking, but what they had all refused to acknowledge that she had said, and she was right.

If the universes did indeed overlap, and a burst of energy could cause a transfer of matter, then her point wasn't a stretch or a reach, it was a fact.

The monsters must have come from somewhere, and anyone with common sense could have deduced that. As such, her conclusion was that they had crossed over the exact same way, and perhaps with the exact same method that they were planning on using.

As such, the place that they were going would be infinitely more dangerous than the small bit of water prison they were stowed away on.

She was especially against the idea seeing as they would be going to the ocean where a plethora of problems could occur, even without the monsters.

It would get worse though, as they were most likely planning on going to the epicenter of the disaster.

They would be subjecting themselves to a confined space with the unknown, she'd need some convincing.

"I understand h-how you feel Cali… b-but this is our best chance a-at surviving… Just within the time w-we've been here… I've picked u-up t-t….t-t-t…?" He was stuttering, but everyone could tell it was for a different reason than usual.

"Hair for brains…?" August nudged him with his leg.

"In the time we've been here… I've detected five hundre-…. Si-…. Eigh-… we need to leave… now…" The small man began to shake.

They'd all freeze for a few seconds at the revelation, surely he was mistaken, well, at least one of them believed him, he had his own reasons for maintaining silence though.

"How many more in the last few seconds…?" He stooped down to the small man, held still by fear and disbelief.

"I-I've never encountered a metric I c-c-c-c-c-c-c—"

"Calm down… how many?" August rested a hand on his shoulder.

"T-the influx of anomalous life forms… t-t-they… they broke my scales…" The look in eyes wasn't that of fear, but one of utter disbelief.

"I see…" August removed his hand as he looked to the ground, sighing, what was he thinking, I wonder. "Get the hell up! All of you! We need to move… now!"

A stark change, though they still wouldn't hesitate to listen to the shell of a man, he was their only hope after all.

In that moment, all of their feelings and intentions could have been easily summed up, to leave his side, was suicide.

So, even as scared as they all were, of the water and the monsters, they moved.

It would seem that even Cali had been convinced as she didn't hesitate to follow his words. She would still voice her concerns as they climbed back to street level though, and they expected as much.

"August… do you think you'll be able to contain that much energy… for so long…? Can you even do that…? Will… you be ok…?" He could hear her heartbeat, and it was rising.

"One… I don't know, but I'll try. Two, same answer… and three… I don't mind dying if it means saving May…" He had failed to calm her, as her heart would keep up its shenanigans.

"I… I understand…" It would fall? He was successful.

"And Cali… promise me something…" He wasn't quite able to maintain eye contact with her as he spoke.

"What…?" That behavior wasn't something she saw often, and it wasn't something she liked.

"This is… a weird request… and I know everyone can hear me… but I don't care… You and May are my first priorities… me in second… and the midget in third…" He'd feel a slight hit on his leg, but it was inconsequential. "Promise me… If there ever comes a time that I can't protect you two… take May… and run like hell…" It seemed more like a premonition than anything else.

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She wouldn't stop walking, even as she felt the strength leave her, instead, she'd cry, her tears petering and pattering on the concrete under foot.

"I-… I promise… to protect her…" She would have wiped her tears, but May seemed to get heavier in her arms. It was fine though, as August did it for her.

"I know I'm asking a lot… and I am sorry… but we have to look at things as they are…" Maybe he did have a heart, albeit not a…

"I know…" She held on to his hand as he wiped her tears.

August was never the type to ask for help, well, except when it came to Cali. His thought process was simple too; if she was going to force him to spend time with her, he'd at least take advantage of the situation.

She didn't seem to mind though, as to why she had never refused any of his many interesting and outlandish requests, including a proposal.

It was a surprise to her too, but for some reason— even after all that had happened— she learned to love him, for herself that time.

She didn't think twice about it either, she trusted him, even with her life, though maybe she didn't have a choice on the latter. Though, back to times of the past, she never did see herself with anyone else, and never even imagined it.

To the present we return though, with our vagabond group of survivors, perplexed to be walking so openly through the dangerous streets, but it was the best course of action. In the open, it would be easier for August to neutralize threats, it was his paradise.

"S-so…" He adjusted his oversized glasses. "I'm th-third… not second…" He was not pleased.

"I mean… if there was any lower it could have gone…" August cleared his throat.

"I-I… don't believe this… friends for w-what… three years now… and t-this is how you treat me… p-p-preposterous…" Disbelief to wash away his fear.

"I mean… if I'm even at risk of dying, there's no way I'm letting you go… so…" A strange wording.

"S-so that's what it is…!" Joy, even in the midst of carnage.

I suppose an explanation is in order, though I will keep it short. In any reasonable combat situation, the analytical and planning skills of Bob would be invaluable, especially seeing that he and August had inhuman synergy, almost as if sharing a brain. Anyway.

They were well on their way to their destination, but it wouldn't be a short journey. On any other day, a normal one of course, the walk to the shores would be no more than an hour, but not that day.

"Why… why aren't we talking the main road…?" The scared giant spoke, still scratching his pitiful beard and pulling his hair out.

It was a good question, it seemed a simple answer too, but as Fate would have it, it was astronomically more complicated than that.

"Do you want to climb over mountains of rubble and fight monsters that can do… God knows what…?" August shot him a look to accompany his words, he shuddered.

"Y-you're… still… c-connected to my…?" Bob would stop in his tracks, looking at his cube; August would pick him up by the clothes.

"Yup… some interests you have… I won't judge though… I mean… can I…? Haha… haaa…" Why the laugh.

"I s-suppose you can't… hehe…" He grinned in August's shadow, a small victory.

"I mean that's still weird though, but to each their own…" It was a victory short lived. August would even turn to look at Cali, and smile.

"What…?" She noticed.

"Nothing…" A bit of deceptive happiness filled him looking at her.

"Y-you didn't have to rub it in like t-that…" The poor man almost cried, though no one would see his tears under all that hair.

They found humor in their predicament, and that I suppose, was the most important thing for their survival.

"I…" The shy Zack had finally found the words to speak after a few minutes, unfortunate. "Why did you say something… like that…? You're saying… that if things go south… everyone is protected but us… that your sister and woman will be saved… even your best friend… but you'd let three people die… isn't that kind of selfish…? The little girl isn't even useful…. All of us have uses…?"

August would not stop, even at the sound of heresy. When he did go to speak though, both the best friend and the woman would cover his mouth.

"No… I want to hear what he has to say…" His grave, maybe he wanted to dig it a bit further past six feet.

"Let it rest… Shut. Up." Cali wasn't even angry, and though August's demeanor hadn't changed, she was just as nervous as Bob, hoping he wouldn't push past them and speak.

August would let his feelings out though, if even a bit.

He turned his head and looked at all of three, and then, from the tiny bit of his face they could see past the two hands, he smiled, the lights above exploding.

This would make the curious Zack stop in his tracks, heart racing and no more words. He would get pushed along by the cowardly giant though, and they seemed to bond over their mutual fear of the thing that paraded as a person.

It would be a long walk, maze like in nature. It was hard to dodge the monsters every other minute, but they did, and it seemed like they were no longer being pin pointed, not like before.

They didn't know why, but it was a stroke of luck they'd capitalize on.

It was better not to attract attention, especially seeing that some of the things that were lurking were far beyond their capabilities of taking down.

As they walked around, they'd see entire spherical chunks of sky scrapers missing, a feat beyond August, at least, the August that they knew.