“Wow, dramatic.” said Dante, as sarcastic as he could. “And we need your help building a flying toaster.”

“I’m being serious. I worked for a secret government agency that developed a serum to help combat against people who were changed and the ones who were sent to change them.”

Dr. Jeffrey Standhill was a worm-ish looking man; very tall and slender with a neck that matched. His thick glasses slid down his nose almost constantly and his index fingers took turns pushing them back up. He moved and acted in a way that reflected his social awkwardness with eyes that seldom met with your own. The only thing missing was his lab coat and pocket protector and you’d have a walking, talking cliche.

Ivan put his hand in the air signaling for the Dr. to cease continuing. “Hold on there Doctor. First of all, do you have any sort of proof for us before we continue?”

The Dr. paused for a moment thinking of any proof he could offer the group. He then took out his wallet and then removed from it his security clearance card with his picture on it and handed it to Ivan.

“I hope you find this sufficient, for the only other proof I have to offer is actually bringing you to the lab myself.”

Ivan looked it over and was satisfied enough to keep questioning him.

“Okay so we need to start over with what you just told us.” Ivan said, as he handed Dr. Standhill’s security card back to him. “Where is this lab you speak of? I’ve never heard of a government-run lab around here; and I’ve lived here all my life.”

“Well that’s the point, uhh…” Dr. Standhill gestures towards Ivan, requesting his name.

“I’m Ivan, she’s Lucy and he’s Dante.” said Ivan in a tone that said “go on, I’m listening.”

“Right, Ivan. Nice to meet all of you. But anyways, yes, the general public wasn’t meant to know of our lab; and it’s closer than you think.”

“How close?” asked Lucy.

“Well I’m not familiar with this area and I’ve been traveling by foot since the lab was overran, but I’d guess anywhere between ten to fifteen miles due Southwest; oh, and the lab is completely undergro—”

“What’s the serum do?” Dante asked, interrupting the Dr. with his arms folded.

“It uhh,” the Dr. was fumbling over his words having been interrupted. “It’s designed to heighten senses, increase strength, speed and stamina, and enhance reflexes.”

Ivan, Lucy and Dante all gave each other glances. Their eyes all showed skepticism and doubt all while asking “is this guy for real?”

“No thanks Doc.” Ivan said as sternly as he could. “You’re just gonna have to find someone else to toy with.” Ivan was now walking away.

“Hold on sir.” Dante said as he started walking after Ivan. “Ivan don’t you think we should talk this through as a group?”

“I don’t like it either.” Lucy said softly, so as not to offend Dr. Standhill. Although he was a stranger, Lucy wanted to carry on Brock’s kindness that he had shown; even when the world went to hell, it was one of the few things that could still be controlled.

“Guys listen. I know this guy is probably blowin’ smoke but what if he’s not? We were all okay with the validity of his identification card, so why would this guy be lying to us about the serum?” Dante’s voice was full of eagerness at this point. He so desperately needed to know if this serum existed and better yet, it if did, would it work?

“What if it’s a trap? A trap like those animals set for us, using Brock like a damn piece of bait — then what?” Ivan asked sternly.

“What if it’s not? What if it’s all real and taking this serum gives us the ability to make a difference in this world? You heard him guys, he specifically said ‘the ones who were sent to change them.’ This whole time we thought we were going after the Deceiver, but all along there are Deceivers all over the planet! We can’t fight that. Not like this. Not like how we are.”

Lucy gently put her hand on Dante’s shoulder. “Dante we all want what you want; we do. But we don’t even know this guy. This really could be another trap just to be able to get our belongings. He might have a group of people just waiting to kill us and take our stuff. We all want the same thing but if we’re dead what good will—”

“Lucy, I know. I understand that this could be a trap; of course it could be. Listen, I went along with everyone’s plan—Leeza’s plans, Brock’s plans, Ivan’s plans, yours, everyone’s. I’m going to find out the truth even if it kills me.” Dante was no longer pleading, he was no longer asking anyone’s permission; he was going.

“Dante…” Ivan said to his best friend—his brother, as Dante was now walking towards Doc.

“I’m going.” Dante stated, as he stopped to turn back to look Lucy and Ivan in the eyes. “And I hope you both come with me.”

“It’s not right.” Lucy said, turning to face Ivan.”

“He’s not wrong either, Lucy.” Ivan admitted. “I don’t like it one bit, but he’s not wrong. We followed my plan and it got Brock killed and if we hadn’t—”

“It’s NOT your fault about Brock!” interrupted Lucy. “Don’t you dare put that on yourself. Don’t you carry that, ever.

“But it was my plan.”

“Yeah, and we’re all adults who consented to it, didn’t we?” Lucy was not about to let Ivan take all the blame for Brock’s death.

Ivan just stared at Lucy for a few seconds, kissed her, then hugged her tightly.

Lucy and Ivan have been together for almost their entire lives. Ivan has a hard-time showing affection to Lucy, let alone other people. Ever since that fateful day coming home from their camping trip, Ivan was even more distant. Although Ivan has shown less affection since the day everything changed, Lucy knows without question that her and Ivan will be together the rest of their lives.

“You guys coming or what?!” asked Dante impatiently.

“Yes but what about our car? Let’s take the car.” insisted Ivan.

“While you two were over there making out, Doc was telling me that he’s only traveled by foot so in order to find our way back to the lab, we need to go back exactly the way he came.”

“Seriously?” Lucy asked, irritatingly.

“Yes, I do apologize, but as I’ve said earlier I’m not from the area; I’m from Denver and was flown in to work on the project.”

“Alright then, let’s grab what we can from the car and head out.” replied Ivan.

So the group grabbed any necessary supplies from the car and followed the lead of a man they had barely just met. Only Dr. Standhill knew whether this was a trap he was setting for the group as they blindly followed him.

The trip there wasn’t long; only a mere fifteen miles. They made their way through neighborhoods and woods and decided to spend the night in an abandoned home to avoid the risk of traveling at night.

Fortunately for the group, they only came across three Slayers and four Destroyers; although, they left the Destroyers alone because there was no point in killing them.

The group was approaching a tall chain-link fence surrounding a large abandoned shoe factory from decades prior. There was a hole in the fence large enough for people to squeeze through and as they all made their way to the factory, Doc stopped and said “Well, we’re here!”

Ivan, Dante and Lucy were now on their guard expecting to be ambushed.

“What do you mean, ‘we’re here’?” Dante responded, still on guard and thinking he just lead them to their demise.

“This is it!” answered Doc, excitedly. “Well, it’s below the factory anyways…”

Ivan dropped his backpack and walked over to Doc, grabbing his collar with both hands. “If this is a trap you’re the first to die, you got it?!”

“Ivan let him go!” Lucy yelled.

“Yes, I understand, but it’s not a trap, I assure you.” replied Doc nervously.

Ivan just stared directly into Doc’s eyes for a few more seconds before letting him go. He would make sure they weren’t going to fall prey to anymore people ever again.

“You so much as even say anything that remotely sounds like some sort of code word or give any warning to people in there, I’ll kill you myself.” Ivan said to Doc, as firmly as possible.

“Let’s just get in there and get this over with.” Dante pleaded. “We’ll kill whatever Slayers are trapped inside, get the serum, and be on our way. Let’s just do what we came here to do.”

“Very well then.” replied Doc, as he continued towards the building.

“Why would the government go through the trouble of working under this abandoned factory?” inquired Lucy.

“Ah, yes.” said Doc. “I originally wondered the same thing upon my arrival, but quickly learned that the government created a myriad of ‘pop up’ labs all over the country upon the arrival of these extra-terrestrials. They knew they needed to spread out and fight them all over America and with the arrival of these beings so unexpectedly, the government threw up these labs quickly; tasked with using a given formula from the main lab in Washington to reproduce this serum all over the country. The idea was to disperse it quickly enough to armed forces to combat these...beings. To my knowledge, there are one hundred fifty-seven labs that were created in mere weeks, all across the country.”

“Where’s the entrance?” asked Ivan, but in the tone of a demand more than a question; he wasn’t interested in how many labs were around the country until he found out if the one below even existed.

“Right around the corner.” replied Doc, as he made his way inside and through a small room. He opened two sets of doors leading to a staircase going down four stories. “We’d take the elevator, but as you well know, the power is out.”

Ivan and Dante each took out a flashlight as they descended down the staircase with caution.

“Remember Doc, if you say anything that sounds like you’re calling for help or activating some sort of ambush, you’re dead. In fact, just stay right next to me.” Ivan demanded, while keeping his voice down.

As they neared the bottom of the pitch black staircase, Doc reminded them of the Slayers inside.

“Stop here.” Doc said, as they reached the door at the bottom. “Remember, there are people trapped in there; the ones who only go after other people.”

“Slayers.” said Dante. “We call them Slayers, and the other type are Destroyers.”

“Right, yes. Well there are Slayers trapped down here; a lot of them.” warned Doc.

“How many are we talking?” asked Lucy.

“I don’t know for sure, as everyone was in a panic as the Slayers made their way into the lab, but by my best estimates there are fifty.”

“Fifty?! exclaimed Lucy.

“It doesn’t matter.” stated Dante. “We’ll fight them; the three of us. We can take them. They’re mindless idiots so we’ll have to take each one down quickly and just stick together while Doc holds both flashlights. We can do this—we have to.”

“We’re here because of you, Dante.” said Ivan. “It’s your plan and we’re with you. So let’s do this. Lucy, Dante, are you ready?”

Lucy dropped her backpack and while looking straight at the door separating them from an army of Slayers, replied “I am.”

“For Brock.” declared Dante, doing the same.

With Doc now holding both flashlights aimed at the door, Ivan front-kicked the push-bar handle, slamming the door open.

The light exposed a sea of Slayers stretched out across a long corridor who immediately came crashing down upon the group like a tidal wave.

Ivan, Lucy and Dante each focused on taking out their targets as quickly as possible. Time did not allow for defensive moves, as each Slayer had to be killed or incapacitated instantly. This meant necks had to be snapped, arms and legs had to be broken, and tendons had to be severed.

Dr. Standhill’s hands shook with fear, creating an almost strobe-like effect with the flashlights. Although his hands were shaking, he made sure to keep both lights aimed forward.

Doc witnessed pure poetry in motion. Ivan, Dante and Lucy were flawless; they were systematic; and they were untouchable. They stood side-by-side and with pure focus each of them decimated Slayers one by one and two by two.

As bodies quickly piled up, so too did the group make their way down the corridor. Only a few Slayers were left and were promptly eliminated.

“Damn I hope that was it.” Lucy said, in between breathing heavily.

“Let’s all hope it was.” Ivan responded as he turned to Doc. “Was it?”

“Well, I, uhh. I truly don’t know.” Doc stammered. “When the lab became overran we all tried escaping and trapping as many Slayers in here as possible; only for the purpose of getting out of here alive. If there are more Slayers, as you call them, behind this door it is unbeknownst to me. Proceed with caution.”

“Right.” Dante said, disappointed with Doc’s answer. “What’s on the other side of this door? Another hallway or what?”

“No, we will be entering into the lab; and quite a large one at that. I do remember the layout though and right where the serum was stored however.”

“We should rest a few minutes before opening the door in case there’s a lot more Slayers.” suggested Lucy.

“Agreed.” said Dante.

Ivan silently nodded in response.

After a few minutes went by, everyone went into the same ready position as before. Ivan once again kicked the door open and this time they were greeted by a much smaller group of Slayers. Only ten Slayers were in the lab and were dealt with within a couple of minutes.

“Well that wasn’t so bad.” said Dante enthusiastically.

Lucy smiled as she high-fived Dante.

“Okay so now what?” asked Dante. “Where’s the serum?”

“I will take you to it but first we must go to the generator room and get the power up and running. The serum is safe-guarded behind two doors that can only open with the electric on; oh and these doors must be actively held open via a button on either side of the door which is too far out of reach for any one person to activate both buttons. Unfortunately this normally takes four people to keep the doors open but each door has a ten second delay once opened.”

“So one of us will have to run in and grab the serum and be back out before the ten seconds.” added Ivan.

“Precisely.” concurred Doc. “And given that I know exactly where the serum is once inside, I have the best chance of retrieving it and returning before the door closes.”

“Okay then, let’s go turn on the lights!” said Lucy excitedly.

Doc led them to the generator room. On the way there, no Slayers were seen and they were able to get to the generator room uneventfully. Doc reset the generator and for the first time since it all began, the group experienced electricity.

“Doc,” Dante said joyfully. “We won’t be needing those flashlights anymore!”

“I have to hand it to you Doc, you’re really coming through on your word. Thank you.” Ivan said, contently.

“Right, yes, but we’re not quite finished yet.” Doc stated. “There’s a lot of pressure on me retrieving that serum in a timely manner. Should I fail, there’s no way of getting out.”

“Oh you can do it. We believe in ya.” Lucy said, encouraging Doc.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Doc now led Ivan, Dante and Lucy to acquire the serum once they open the doors leading to where it was stored.

“Okay so here are the buttons that must be pushed in at all times for the primary door.” explained Doc. “Ivan and Lucy, I want you both to press your respective button allowing Dante and I to enter the next room. From there we will each press the next set of buttons therefore opening the last door and allowing me to run in and grab the serum and get back within ten seconds. Dante it is imperative that you push your button even while I am in there because if both buttons are released, the door will shut immediately. Are we all clear?”

“Yes.” replied Lucy.

“I understand.” said Ivan.

“I won’t let you down, Doc.” answered Dante.

“Good. Ivan, Lucy, if you would be so kind as to let Dante and I through? We shall begin.”

Ivan and Lucy pushed their respective buttons and just as Doc stated, the door opened. Doc went into the next room which was identical as the first and Dante followed.

As Ivan and Lucy held the door open, Doc and Dante now took their positions, gave each other a look signifying they were ready, and pushed their button.

“Whatever you do Dante, don’t let go.” Doc said as the door was opening.

“I know, I know.” Dante replied. “Ten seconds Doc, you can do this.”

“Yes of course.”

And with that, Doc released the button and sprinted as fast as he could. The room wasn’t large, but the serum was kept in vials which in turn were kept in a steel case which had to be raised up from within a lab table to be able to retrieve it. Doc pulled the lever to raise the steel case. He opened the case and only grabbed one vial so as to not chance being locked in.

Just as Doc made it back to the room with Dante, the door closed immediately behind him.

“Whew!” exclaimed Dante. “Hell yeah!”

“Oh my. I do believe that was quite a thrill!” Doc said excitedly, as he handed Dante the vial so he could see for himself.

Doc and Dante both made their way into the first room.

“Guys look! We got the ser—”

“Did you really think I was going to let you all have it?!” said Doc as he plunged a knife into Dante’s stomach.

Doc pulled out the knife as Dante fell to the floor and instantly went after Lucy. As Doc was lunging towards Lucy, Ivan came from behind and disarmed Doc, knocking the knife to the ground.

Doc was able to get his big hands around Ivan’s throat and was choking him as hard as he could. As Ivan was trying to get out of the chokehold, suddenly Doc’s grip loosened. Lucy stabbed Doc three times, killing him instantly.

“Dante!” cried Lucy as she immediately turned her attention to him.

“You’re gonna be alright brother!” said Ivan whose eyes were welled up with tears. He took off his shirt and balled it up to apply pressure in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

“Promise me you’ll take this serum and avenge us; all of us. Mom, Dad, Brock...everyone.” requested Dante as he was starting to cough up blood. “You have to promise.”

Ivan pressed as hard as possible on Dante’s wound, but the shirt was already drenched in blood.

“We will, we will.” Ivan said, with tears rolling down his cheeks. “But you’re gonna avenge them with us. You’re coming with us Dante. You’re going to fight this you hear me?!”

Lucy was brushing Dante’s hair with one hand and brushing away her tears with the other.

“Stay with us sweetie. Please, we need you.” said Lucy. With every word she spoke the tears fell faster and faster.

“I love you both.” Dante said, grabbing Lucy and Ivan’s hands. You’re going to beat this worl—”

And with his dying words, Dante took his last breath; still holding Ivan and Lucy’s hands, with eyes wide open.

“Dante. DANTE!” Lucy screamed as she rapidly tapped his face with her fingers in an effort to keep him with them. “Wake up!” she cried.

Ivan lovingly grabbed her hand and pulled it away. “He’s gone.” he said calmly through the tears.

Both Ivan and Lucy sat with Dante in silence for several minutes until Ivan spoke up. “We have to bring him back home.”

“I know.” Lucy said calmly, while keeping her focus on Dante. “I know we do.”

“We’ll take turns carrying him until we pass through that neighborhood we came through coming here; I saw a wheelbarrow at one of the houses we can use the rest of the way.”

Lucy silently nodded.

Ivan carefully picked up Dante and placed him over his shoulder while Lucy grabbed the backpacks they brought and started making their way out and up to the surface.

Upon leaving the factory, Ivan and Lucy were greeted by a hot sun and noisy crickets from the nearby fields. Their journey was a silent one; not only did they not want to attract any Slayers, but they were both quietly grieving as well.

As night approached, Ivan and Lucy decided again to not risk night travel on foot and stayed overnight in an abandoned house. They wrapped up Dante and left him in the garage in a wheelbarrow. Neither Ivan nor Lucy were happy with that decision but it was the best they could decide on for the night.

Morning came and they continued on with their journey home. Both got little sleep, but it was enough.

It was early afternoon when Ivan and Lucy arrived at home to bury Dante in the backyard—which was now a family cemetery.

“I’ll start digging if you want to take a rest Lucy.” Ivan offered, as he grabbed a shovel.

“No it’s okay. We’re both tired and hungry so let’s just get him buried and eat then try and rest.” Lucy replied, as she walked over to grab the other shovel.

So the two of them dug on the other side of Brock’s resting place for forty five minutes before the grave was big enough for Dante. They carefully lowered him into the hole and before they filled it with dirt, they stopped.

“Damn it Dante.” Ivan said, almost under his breath.

Lucy looked over and saw a tear rolling down his face.

“We were supposed to beat this world together.” Ivan continued. “My biological parents were dead to me long before this world went to hell. Your parents took me in when I was a baby and you’ve always been my brother; and my brother you shall remain. You’ll be with us always. I love you.”

Lucy smiled and nodded as she wiped away her tears. “Always. I love you Dante.”

Lucy didn’t say much because she has never seen Ivan that emotional before. She wanted him to have his moment and was there for her man no matter what.

After the last bit of dirt was patted down, Ivan walks over to Lucy and kisses her.

“Lucy, you’ve always been my everything, but now you’re all I have.”

“And you’re mine.” Lucy replies as she hugs him tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you Lucy.”

Ivan and Lucy went inside, ate a light meal from their backpacks, and went to sleep. All through the night they slept, both too emotionally and physically exhausted to care about taking shifts to stay awake and keep watch.

As the morning light slowly crept into their room, Ivan lay beside Lucy staring at the ceiling— thinking. He did so for a while before he felt Lucy grab his hand.

“Let’s just stay here.” Ivan said, turning to look at Lucy, who was already looking at him.

“You know we can’t.” replied Lucy, speaking softly while running her fingers through his hair. “This world won’t allow that kind of life anymore.”

“God I wish it did.” he said with a large exhale.

“I do too. I’d give anything to live a normal life; I’d give everything to have everyone back.”

Lucy just lay there watching Ivan think for a few minutes. She knew that he knew they couldn’t stay, but wished just as much as he did that they could.

“Let’s just stay here for another day or two to rest then head out.” said Ivan, breaking the silence.

As they lay in bed, both Ivan and Lucy tried to sift through their sadness to find enjoyment in the brief peace and quiet they would experience until their adventure continued.

Over the next two days, little was done. They checked nearby houses for medical supplies and for food and water that was previously overlooked. To pass the time, Ivan flipped through old books and magazines of his while Lucy drew a couple pictures like she used to when she was younger. After two days of grieving and rest, Ivan and Lucy were ready to get back out there to look for the Deceiver once again.

“Okay that’s it.” said Ivan as he loaded the last supply backpack into the car that was still parked at home.

“Where do we even start?” asked Lucy

“Honestly I don’t know.” admitted Ivan.

“Well, I know there’s another large city maybe fifteen to twenty miles east of where we lost Mack and Leeza. Maybe the Deceiver is there. Oh wait…”

“What?” replied Ivan.

“Not that I want to even mention him, but didn’t Doc say there’s Deceivers all over the planet? How are we supposed to ki—”

“One at a time.” interrupted Ivan, looking into Lucy’s eyes. “We’re going to kill every one of those bastards one at a time.”

Lucy nodded and gave Ivan a look that showed she was thankful for him bringing her down from becoming overwhelmed from such a monumental feat. “...One at a time.” she simply said.

Having decided to leave first thing in the morning, Ivan and Lucy agreed it would be best to stop briefly at each town they passed on their way to their destination city; they weren’t completely out of food, but they were close.

Along the way, they ran into a few Slayers, which were quickly dealt with, and the occasional Destroyers which were typically ignored. Neither Ivan nor Lucy were concerned about encountering much trouble, as these towns were already overran by Slayers and Destroyers who had since wandered off.

Finding some success in their search for food, water and medical supplies, Ivan and Lucy made it back to the city where they lost Mack and Leeza, and ultimately, Brock.

“Probably only thirty minutes of sunlight left.” stated Lucy. “I know this city harbors bad memories for us but I think we should stay here for the night.”

“I agree.” concurred Ivan with a nod. “Doesn’t seem to be much movement from what I can see. We should be able to spend the night at the top of one of the buildings.”

Ivan drove as close as he could to the nearest building. Once there, they had to fight their way through a couple small groups of Slayers and were forced to take out a few Destroyers in the process. After they cleared the way, they grabbed their backpacks and made their way to the rooftop where it would be safest to spend the night.

As the night closed in, Ivan noticed Lucy was cold and sat even closer to her, pulling out a blanket from one of their backpacks and wrapping her in the blanket first, then his arms.

“Thank you.” said Lucy with a smile as she leaned her head against his.

“Anything for you.” he said, squeezing her tightly.

After an hour of looking over the sides of the building to ensure no one was coming after them, Lucy and Ivan set a noise trap in case someone made it to the rooftop, then went to sleep.

Night came and went without incident. As Ivan and Lucy grabbed their backpacks, they walked to the side of the roof and looked in the direction of the city they were going to. The sky was clear and the morning light allowed them to see just enough of one of the buildings at their destination. After a few moments of peering off into the distance and appreciating the view, they cautiously worked their way back to the car, and continued on their way.

“I have a feeling it’s there; I just do.” said Lucy.

“I don’t have that feeling, but if it is there, we’re going to find it and kill it. Everything and everyone has been taken from us and it stops now. This will be the largest city we’ve been to since it all began so there’s probably a good chance it’s there—it must be.”

“And I hate to say this but unless there’s people there that we see get changed from the Deceiver, I don’t know how we’re going to spot this thing.” added Lucy.

“That’s a good point.” agreed Ivan. “We’re probably going to have to wait for nightfall and watch for any blue light if it changes someone. It’s unfortunate, but I can’t think of a better way.”

“Me either. But if we see that flash of blue light, we’re going to have to act fast, even if it’s at night.”

“Ivan nodded. “Okay then that’s the plan. We’ll go to one of the taller buildings, take shifts watching for any blue light from the rooftop tonight, and if either of us sees that light we have to wake the other person up and go after it immediately.”

As they made it to the city, Lucy and Ivan agreed on parking the car outside the city and traveling by foot to the building they chose to take watch from. They needed the cover of silence to help them avoid as many Slayers and people as possible.

Once they parked the car and head towards the city with their backpacks, Ivan and Lucy noticed that there were a lot of Slayers. Although the Slayers were all spread out from one another, they were still occupying almost every street.

The building Ivan and Lucy agreed to take watch from that night was just a few blocks away. Having learned of the behavior of Slayers, Ivan and Lucy realized that a Slayer only attacks someone if it sees or hears that person. The moment a person is out of sight from a Slayer, it stops pursuing them unless it’s able to follow any noise the person makes.

Ivan and Lucy slowly made their way to the selected building by staying close to any sort of cover and communicating via hand signals. They had plenty of daylight to work with so they made sure to take their time.

Although a Slayer needs to see someone before they attack and therefore traveling at night would be most logical, Ivan and Lucy believe they are at a disadvantage traveling by night due to the lack of their own vision in spotting a Slayer.

Two hours after leaving their car, Lucy and Ivan slowly and quietly made it to the building and climbed the stairs to the roof. Still having plenty of daylight available, Lucy and Ivan both took watch as it was too soon for the need to take shifts. Ivan took watch at the Northeast corner of the building, while Lucy covered the Southwest corner.

Hours passed with no sign of anything down below besides Destroyers and wandering Slayers. No people. No Deceiver.

Night was creeping in and as the sun retreated for the day, it left behind a sky filled with the most beautiful array of colors. An elegant mixture of yellow, red, orange and pink blanketed the western sky before blackness moved in on them like an unwanted guest. As the sun was setting, Ivan came over to Lucy so they could enjoy it together.

“What about watching for the Deceiver?” asked Lucy as she noticed he left his corner.

Ivan stood behind Lucy and wrapped his arms around her, leaned in and whispered “Right now, in this moment, there is no Deceiver. No Slayers, no Destroyers, not even other people...Just us.”

Lucy said nothing and in the quietness of the moment and in the comfort of Ivan’s arms, they both watched the only sunset they’ve ever seen together. It would be their last.

As the last sliver of sun disappeared under the horizon, Lucy turned to Ivan and asked “So who’s taking first shift?”

“I’ll take watch the first half of the night. You get some sleep and if I see anything I’ll wake you up.” instructed Ivan.

“Okay and I’ll do the same if I see it. We should leave as much as we can in our bags because the moment one of us sees that blue light we need to go after it.

“Yup. Okay get some sleep.” Ivan says as he leans in to kiss Lucy goodnight.

As the minutes quickly turned into hours, Ivan slowly made his rounds around each side of the rooftop while listening intently for any unusual sounds. After five hours of watching and listening for the Deceiver, Ivan woke up Lucy for her shift.

“I didn’t see anything.” whispered Ivan as he gently nudged Lucy awake.

Lucy stretched then stood up. “Okay my turn. Get some sleep.” she said, giving him a goodnight kiss.

As Ivan slept, Lucy made her way around the rooftop in the same manner as Ivan. It was still dark when Lucy took watch but after several hours dawn began to take its hold of the eastern sky. Just as the streets started to become more visible, Lucy saw a blue light in her peripheral that was gone within seconds.

Lucy ran over to Ivan. “Ivan, Ivan! Wake up I saw the light!” exclaimed Lucy in a loud whisper.

“Where? Was it far, or?”

“Just two blocks away on the Northern side of the building, kind of near the stadium. Let’s go!”

The two of them ran down the stairs as quickly as they could. When they arrived in the lobby they stopped to make sure there were no Slayers outside the doors.

“Okay listen to me Lucy, you take us to where you seen it. I’m going to be out in the open as bait and—”

“No. No!” Interrupted Lucy. “You’re not doing it!”

“I’ll have my back to the wall, it’ll be fine. We have to act fast. You’re going to hide around the corner and when this thing comes after me you come from behind and kill it. We don’t have time to waste. We have to go now.”

“Okay fine but we’re coming up with something better for the other Deceivers.” demanded Lucy.

“Fine.”

Lucy quietly opened the door and lead the way as they left the building. The doors were glass so they saw the coast was clear. As they made their way to the location where Lucy saw the Deceiver’s blue light, they hugged the walls of the buildings to avoid as many Slayers as possible. There weren’t many, but enough to slow them down.

“It was right on that corner.” whispered Lucy, pointing from the alley they were in.

“Okay I’m going to stand near the corner against the building. Remember, I’ll be the distraction and you wait here until we see it then you come from behind. We know how the Slayers act and move so we should be able to tell the difference up close.”

“We got this.” replied Lucy with a smile.

Ivan kissed her forehead then made his way to the corner.

Although Ivan was bait, he had to be completely silent in doing so. It was a long shot but they couldn’t risk taking on too many Slayers at one time.

Ivan was now on the corner for almost two hours and in that time he had to quietly take out four Slayers that came after him at various times. Despite being out in the open however, there was no sign of the Deceiver.

Lucy and Ivan spoke only with their eyes and by using hand signals as it was her job not only to kill the Deceiver from behind, but to point out things to Ivan that he couldn’t see from his position. Another hour passed and as Ivan was keeping watch for the Deceiver, he noticed a blue light coming from Lucy’s direction. He looked and saw the Deceiver’s hands around her head from behind; Lucy was being changed.

Before the Deceiver was done changing Lucy, Ivan was sprinting to her faster than he’s ever ran before. By the time Ivan made it to Lucy, she was no longer alive; no longer human—She was now a Slayer.

Ivan snapped. As he made it to Lucy, he pushed the Deceiver into the wall as hard as he could, away from Lucy. He immediately continued attacking the Deceiver while it was on the ground. The Deceiver was continuously trying to reach for Ivan’s head to change him. As Ivan relentlessly punched the Deceiver, Lucy started attacking Ivan.

“NO!” cried Ivan as he stopped attacking the Deceiver long enough to push her away.

Ivan was now crying so much he had to keep wiping away his tears in between attacking the Deceiver and keeping Lucy at bay. Finally, Ivan grabbed a nearby piece of rebar and drove it through one of the Deceiver’s eyes and all the way out of the back of its skull. An immense flash of blue light emanated from the entire body of the Deceiver as it fell to the ground dead.

Still crying, Ivan turned his attention to Lucy. Just as any other Slayer does, Lucy mindlessly continued trying to kill Ivan.

“Lucy, STOP!” commanded Ivan, knowing she never would.

Ivan’s heart was shattered. Punch after punch, kick after kick, Ivan defended himself while pleading with Lucy through his tears for her to stop; for her to come back.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!” cried Ivan. He knew he couldn’t allow her to go on as a Slayer and had to kill her mercifully.

On her next attempt at attacking Ivan, he stepped aside, got behind her and snapped her neck. The moment he killed her, Ivan cried even harder as he gently lowered her body to the ground on his lap. He held her tightly and kissed her forehead as tears rolled off his cheek and onto hers.

Ivan decided to carry Lucy into the nearest building to be out of sight from any Slayers. Once inside and out of sight, he again sits on the ground and places her head on his lap. Ivan sits with her for an hour. He just stares at her while brushing her hair with his fingers as she so often did for him.

“Lucy I couldn’t imagine a more perfect girl to have been with. You have always been my rock but today my rock shattered. I am nothing now without you here with me...I am nothing!” Ivan begins to shed more tears as he continues. “Truly I will seek my death now because I have already died along with you; the Deceiver killed us both. But I won’t die before taking down as many of those bastards as I can with me. With tears in my eyes and blood on my hands I will kill every last one of them! Because you see Lucy,—” Ivan chuckles as he pulls out the serum that Dante gave him. “I still have the serum... I’ll see you soon Lucy. I love you forever.”

Ivan kisses Lucy one last time and immediately drinks the serum. Minutes go by and Ivan doesn’t feel any different. As he sits with her, he starts doubting if it works when all of a sudden his hands start shaking uncontrollably. He feels a surge of power pumping through his veins.

The rush of energy throughout him is overwhelming. He lets out a mighty roar from deep within him in a concoction of every emotion being released all at once along with the power, speed and stamina that his body now possesses. Ivan is a new human; an ultimate human, and it was time for the world to see.

He gently laid Lucy’s head on the ground as he stood up. There was no more fear within him—only revenge.

Ivan walked slowly to the door and kicked it off its hinges. As the door landed on the other side of the street, it got the attention of Slayers who immediately pursued Ivan. A swarm of fifteen Slayers all came towards Ivan at once and he didn’t wait until they made it to him to start attacking them. He used every move on them that he ever learned; only now, every hit he made was with the force of being run over by a Mack truck.

Every Slayer he engaged either died immediately, or was too incapacitated to continue attacking Ivan in any threatening sense. Once the fifteen Slayers were defeated, Ivan turned his attention to the nearby stadium. He wasn’t sure how many or even if any Slayers were in there, but he was eager to find out.

Ivan tested his new speed and sprinted as fast as he could to the stadium a few blocks away in a matter of seconds. Once he arrived, he casually walked into the first part of the stadium with no care in the world. Only a few Slayers stood in his way as he calmly disposed of them with ease making his way to the tunnel leading to the field.

At the entrance of the tunnel Ivan stops. He sees hundreds of Slayers, if not thousands. He doesn’t stop out of fear, but to smile and take a moment to realize he will be with his Lucy once again very soon. He slowly starts making his way through the tunnel with the sun shining brightly on the opening of the tunnel while perfectly silhouetting his back. A perfect analogy of the dark past he leaves behind while making his way to the bright future of being with Lucy once again.

Halfway through the tunnel, it happens. Slayers take notice of Ivan as he was now fully in the light of the tunnel. They poured into the tunnel like water down a funnel. Ivan roared once again and leapt toward the crowd of Slayers. Big sweeping punches took out several Slayers at a time.

Ivan made sure to use moves that would take out as many Slayers as possible at one time. As body after body went flying away from Ivan, he fought his way past the tunnel then jumped to the center of the stadium and came crashing down with a force so strong it knocked every Slayer back twenty feet in all directions. In the brief moment of peace, Ivan looked up at the sun and smiled with tears of joy.

“My Lucy, my life...I’m coming home soon.”

From every side, thousands of Slayers descended upon Ivan. As they closed in he heard a voice from the stadium speakers—“Ivan get up. Wake up dude.” He looked at the speakers and heard again, “Wake up, Ivan!”

Ivan opened his eyes and saw Brock hovering over him.

“C’mon man! I told you I’d be here by eight o’clock for the camping trip! Dante and Lucy are already ready and waiting. They sent me in to get you so let’s go!”

“Okay, okay!” Ivan exclaimed as he rubbed his eyes. “I just had the weirdest dream.”