Louise stepped inside slowly and rested her back against the doorframe for a second before straightening. Her clothes were still muddy and she had spent too long cleaning offices, kitchens, toilets and floors to be willing to drag the mess into her house.

The fact that most of the mud came from a graveyard and reburying the bodies was just extra motivation.

Shane's injury was another thing to consider and plan around. There were so many these days.

She quickly and efficiently stripped off her layers and collapsed into a dining chair. It wasn't a comfortable but she didn't sit on it for that. She picked the two frames, one drawing and one picture, off the table and hugged them to her chest.

Time passed.

Louise stirred eventually as her aches and hunger forced her back into awareness. It was funny, she had spent that first evening of this madness in the same way…

Louise pulled off her sopping socks with a groan, leaving them outside before shutting the door. She would need to throw both them and her shoes out when she left to find a pair of boots. The mud had seeped into them and there would be no getting the stains out. Both pairs had been on their last legs anyway.

She winced as she smelled herself. Maybe there was still enough water pressure to clean up. She walked towards the bathroom, setting her keys on the table before pausing. She turned to stare at a photo of Joan hanging above the table.

It was a photo from Joan’s secondary school graduation. Joan was mid conversation with a friend and had the greatest look of shock on her face.

Louise sat down on one of the dining chairs and lifted the frame off the wall to examine it. None of her calls had gone through earlier. She had spent the first half hour calling, texting, messaging, trying every app on her phone for some sign of Joan’s presence. Nothing.

Louise straightened up and shakily set the photo back on the wall. Her time for rest was up. She had made inroads at the clubs with the photo of the Slug but not enough. She would need to volunteer more over the next few days to strengthen that connection.

For now she turned her thoughts to her teammates.

The four random strangers she was now tied to.

They would be her first step.

Louise let out a cry of frustration as she slammed the door.

A council? All that work to build connections ruined as the balance of power shifted.

She retrieved the frame and sat on the floor.

As she learned more about the changes to the world, her hopes continued to be dashed. Each zone was less than 5 kilometres across. Cork city, once a 50 minute commute away, was now 15 or so zones away.

Dublin was a 3-4 hour drive on the motorway. More than 300 km away as the crow flies. 70-80 zones.

This ‘System’ prevented her from going more than 1 zone away from Kinmore.

The sun was setting when she stood and got to planning. The system would open the way up. It had to. And when it did, she would be ready. But she wouldn’t make it alone. She would need help.

Heinz and Shane were the way forward. Phil wasn't going to be moved and she knew why. Heinz and Shane had ties to Kinmore but they were less solid. They could be convinced to leave it all behind. She would have to start with something small. A dinner perhaps.

Louise shakily undid her jacket as she stepped inside. Tara's parents were nice and had been convinced but.. SHE WAS JUST LIKE JOAN. It was so hard not to see the similarities and want to hide Tara away from everything. From all this. But she couldn't. Not when Joan could have been teleported anywhere. Could be alone. Could be hurt.

But Tara would not be made a part of any plans. Her heart couldn't do it. She had barely been able to speak to Tara on that first night, too busy considering how to force her out of the group.

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It would have cost her what she was building in the group but it would have worked. The others would have questions but they’d accept it.

Then she spoke to a nurse outside the GAA club. She couldn't do that to Tara.

Louise slid down the back of the door until she was sitting. She began to knock her head back against the wood. Blaskeam manor had been a disaster.

She’d been off balance from the start. It had been years since she was fired but being in the manor still made her jittery. The months after had been so tough and she’d barely managed to scrape by.

The Boar nearly hitting Tara had been the final straw. She’d lost track of everything, only paying attention to the girl that wasn’t hers and the blood pouring down her face.

The food they brought back had aided her efforts with the council but Heinz, Shane and Tara were injured. Tara’s parents had been inconsolable and furious.

It was two steps forwards and one backwards all over again.

Louise closed the door behind her and scrambled to the kitchen to find a pen and paper.

The day had been illuminating. Shane’s impenetrable armour was turning out to be anything but that. Cracks had shown and then been forced wide open. A missing niece. It was her in.

She checked her status and smiled. It had been a very productive day.

The dirty helmet and shin guards she had returned with only made her grin more, even if her heart hurt.

The conflict between Rosa and Shane was concerning. It couldn’t spread to Heinz and Shane, it would ruin the group. Thankfully Heinz seemed comfortable leaving it be.

Another plus was that the council had finally announced the deaths and the news of Courtmacsherry. People would start to take things seriously and want to reach out.

Things were looking good.

Louise crumpled as the doctor left and the door shut. Tears flowed freely now. There was no one to see and question them here.

But they weren't from the pain. Her front was agony and she would have scars but she knew pain.

It wasn’t how tired she was either. The hunger and stutter in her movements from lack of energy wasn’t anything she hadn’t dealt with before.

No. She had carried on after the disaster at the farm to help the failed clearing team, and then on again to clear the zone herself despite the pain because she couldn't stop seeing his eyes. It had gone wrong so fast.

Shane let slip in the car that Patrick had a son. She didn't think it could get worse until that moment. She had planted the seeds for this. She had put it in motion that morning.

Louise clutched the bed pillow to her chest as she closed her eyes and tried to think of better times.

All four of them put their confidence in her before turning to tell the other groups. Louise tasted ash like she hadn’t since Dylan died.

The day had gone too well and now she had a secret that was ticking down where no one else could see.

It was a secret that could ruin everything and one that she hadn’t accounted for. Hiding it had been a split second decision but it was too early. She still needed Phil.

Louise watched her group as they sat in the bus on their way to the docks. She had gotten away with it.

With all the Jackals and Hyenas around them, no one had been able to keep track of what was going on. Earning such a large amount of Energy and Credits at once was the perfect excuse if anyone asked.

They were all back on the same threshold again.

Louise shut the door with a shaking hand.

People gave Energy.

She grabbed the door frame to try and steady herself. Why Dublin? Why did Joan have to go to the capital, the county with the highest population, the largest concentration of crime?

Why did she let her?

None of her ‘group’ had understood what the news meant. They didn’t realise the powderkeg they were sitting on. They didn’t notice the growing anger held by teleportees assigned as Reclaimers.

Bones had been broken during the riots after the truth about the diesel thieves got out. Thankfully it had stopped there. But that was before the town hall had been set on fire with children inside.

And at the centre of it all, Heinz. He was a conundrum. A wrench in some plans and oil in others. He burned her bridges within the council but created inroads into Rosa’s new setup and now with the Delegates. The fire had made him known in Kinmore, but as both a saviour and a figure of fear.

The man seemed to stumble into news and events without knowing. But was he too unpredictable?

Talking to Luke and his team had been very interesting. Maybe she had other options for the plan.

Louise slammed the door closed and took a big breath. Another disaster of a day.

Talking to Luke’s team had backfired and it looked like instead of furthering her plan, she would lose Heinz. Her right fist clenched but she was very careful not to crumple the sheet of paper in her left hand. It could be her saving grace if she played it right.

Her connections had paid off. The list of names would be the key to finding Shane's niece. The woman and her family were definitely not in Kinmore which was perfect. Almost poetic really. After finding them, Shane would be a definite. Tit for tat and all.

That just left the others.

The cold chill in the apartment had her wrapping her neoprene scarf around her tighter. As Louise turned to leave her eyes fixed on that frame. The colours were off in the dark but she would recognise that face anywhere.

Then she left.

To Bandon and then Cork.

For now.