Morning came, and everyone was already up and about—everyone except for Don and April, who were just starting to wake up.
April opened her eyes to see Don's sleepy gaze resting upon her. She had slept beside this man so many times before, but this was the first she had ever slept with him. To wake up after such a dreamy night was... enlightening.
"Morning, did you sleep well?" Don inquired with a gentle voice and warm smile.
April nodded softly before snuggling up into him. "Can we sleep for a bit longer?" She murmured cutely.
Don chuckled lightly and brushed her hair gently. "I wish, but we have things to do. Remember?" He replied softly.
April groaned lightly. "Fiiiine. But a few minutes of cuddle time is okay, right?" April murmured cutely again. "I don't see why not." Don replied softly. The two continued their few minutes of cuddle time, which turned into half an hour before they got up.
They had gone over the plans of what they would do today at the dinner table last night. Don and April decided to check out the place Don wanted to check out before. The one that had weapons.
Jake, John, and Josh decided they would continue scouting and scavaging. They had become efficient at it now, so they knew what to do and how to do it. This allowed them to minimize the amount of time it took per house while maximizing the number of homes they searched through.
Noah and Tyrone had pretty much become best friends, so they kept working in the garage.
Juan and Catalina were going to keep watching over Sofia. No one seemed to mind them doing that. In fact, Juan and Catalina tried to apologize for not being able to do anything. However, everyone encouraged them to take care of their child and not pay much attention to it. They were doing plenty. Sofia's cheery smile seemed to be one of the things that kept their morale up.
John's mother, Alice, and Sarah kept tending to the garden and making sure the more mundane tasks like laundry and cleaning were kept up to snuff. Natalie decided she was going to take a look over everyone to make sure they were okay. So she later used the master bedroom as a check-up area.
As for Ion and Jessica, they decided to tag along with Don and April. Don wasn't really too fond of the idea, but April insisted it would be for the best. So Don reluctantly allowed them to accompany them.
As for Rebecca, since it seemed Ryan, Dilian and Susan didn't want to do anything, she decided to place training upon them. Simple workouts like push-ups, sit-ups, and jogs around the area. She accompanied the three of them and had them get into shape. She also planned to teach them the basics of holding a firearm. She could even teach them the basics of punching and kicking, but nothing too advanced. Her training course would also have them do patrols around the home. What to look for, and when to alert everyone. That sort of thing.
Don and April had finished getting dressed. Don wore black jeans and a plain black tee shirt with a combat vest. He was currently in the living room checking over his guns. Making sure they were ready to be used. April was sitting beside him, stinging her bow and counting her arrows. She was making sure there was nothing wrong with her bow. April wore a lovely sea-blue skirt with white stockings and a white blouse. Her hair was tied up in a twin-tail with sea-blue scrunchies. Once she finished, she nodded with contentment and turned towards Don. She saw him loading his mags and sliding them inside his vest once he finished with them.
"I am sure you two had a wonderful night." A voice came out of nowhere to tease both of them, which caused April to blush darkly. "I didn't think you were one to listen in. You never did when I brought home, other girls." Don said bluntly.
It was Rebecca. She had been trying to tease Don, but it seemed to backfire. April was too busy reminiscing about last night to notice Don's remark. "Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I got a present for you. I meant to show you earlier, but there wasn't time. Here." Rebecca moved to stand in front of Don while holding out the sniper rifle she picked up when they first met Juan and the others.
Don was curious about what she was talking about, so he shifted his glance only for his eyes to go wide. "Holy fucking shit! Is that Tikka T3x Tac A1!? Where the hell did you get that!?" Don exclaimed with a sparkle in his eyes.
April woke up from her dreamland memory when she heard Don shout and shifted towards him to see what all the commotion was about. Rebecca's brow rose since Don seemed to name the gun. "Uhh... off the corpse of the sniper who tried to fire at us. He also had ammunition as well as this." Rebecca set the rifle down beside her to hand Don a shoulder holster. The holster seemed to have two pockets on each side, along with two holsters for pistols. "It was in the duffle bag that guy had. I figured you could use it."
Don took the shoulder holster. He removed his combat vest to put the shoulder holster on before putting his combat vest back on. He moved around a bit to ensure no discomfort and smirked afterward. "It's perfect. Where are the magazines and rounds for the rifle?" Don inquired, and Rebecca stepped away for a moment to return with four magazines and three boxes of rounds which she set on the table.
"Nice." Don remarked and started checking over the magazines. He filled them up with rounds before putting them in each pocket on the shoulder holster. Afterward, he checked the magazine in the rifle and refueled it before putting the magazine back into the gun and loading a bullet. Finally, he lifted the rifle off the ground and aimed with it in front of him.
Rebecca was kind of surprised at how deftly Don could lift it. She experienced how weighty that rifle was, but it seemed Don could hold it in the air with no problem.
"Wow... You look rather natural holding that thing." Ion's voice came up, which caused Don to lower the rifle. "I know, right? Like some kind of trained assassin or something." Jessica pitched in. It was clear as day that they knew Don wasn't normal.
April giggled softly, "I'd have to agree. He looks rather hot while holding it." She added, which caused Don to smirk and position the rifle behind him. "You look pretty damn fine with that bow in your hand." Don replied, which caused April to blush gently. "Thanks, darling~" April murmured cutely.
Rebecca sighed lightly with a soft smile. "Oooh, to be young again."
"You aren't that old. Besides, I am sure there is someone out there for you." Don stated, which caused Rebecca to smile lightly. "Of course. But enough of that, you four have a task to deal with. So get going. Make sure you find some stuff of the others." Rebecca finished, and Don nodded.
"Of course. You two ready?" Don looked over at Ion and Jessica.
They didn't have anything on hand. They were empty-handed. "Umm... you are going to go out like that?" April inquired with a quizzed expression. "Don't worry about us. We are pretty strong. Besides, guns aren't our thing. If anything, a bat would be fine, but I still prefer my fists." Ion answered.
"Yup, and I would rather just blow shit up!" Jessica exclaimed happily.
"Uh-huh..." Don grumbled. "Well, if you die, that's on you." He added, which caused Ion and Jessica to chuckle lightly as if such would never happen.
"Well, just make sure you all come back in one piece. That applies means you two as well." Rebecca would express while looking towards Ion and Jessica. This caught them by surprise. The feeling of being wanted was different but not unwelcome.
"Alright." Ion remarked.
"Okay." Jessica responded.
"Good. Now have a safe trip!" Rebecca exclaimed, and the four of them were out the door and on their way. She returned to her task of training Ryan, Dilian, and Susan. She only stepped away because she wanted to give Don the rifle.
Don was walking with April clinging to his arm happily. Meanwhile, Ion and Jessica walked side-by-side, right beside them, with Jessica on April's side. "You are pretty attached to him, aren't ya?" Jessica remarked with a smirk.
"Mhm~ He's my protector. My lover. My knight in shining armor." April replied cutely while snuggling against Don happily.
"More like a cold stone killer." Ion remarked in a joking manner, causing Jessica to nudge him pretty hard for his remark.
Ion had his arms behind his head while walking nonchalantly. "Hey, what was that for? I was only joking." Ion remarked while looking at Jessica but seemed to have a bit of sweat dripping down the side of his cheek when he saw April smiling creepily at him.
He hadn't seen such an expression before, but it gave him chills. "Alright... I get it. Jeez..." Ion muttered.
Jessica chuckled lightly, "You brought it on yourself, babe."
April would turn towards Don with her innocent smile. Don had looked down at her for a moment. A sly smile curved his lips since he noticed what she did but did not say a word.
The four of them were well along their way, but it seemed as if they had not noticed they were being followed. A figure in a jet-black skin-tight combat suit was watching over them from the shadows of a building. A mask and visor masked the person's face. The visor allowed the person to zoom in on the four of them.
"Target located. Additional targets, Ion and Jessica, are with the prime target. A bystander is with them..." The automated voice spoke out. Perhaps a voicebox was adjusting their vocals, making it impossible to tell if they were men or women. From the figure, they appeared male. The male recalled what his mission was.
"Shade, you are to find and locate the man who drove off with the Doctor. Once you find him, kill him. I doubt he can be recruited, and even if we did decide on that, he is far too dangerous. So just kill him. Kill anyone else that is alongside him as well. Leave no witnesses. Am I clear?" The General stated while facing away from the man.
"Yes, Sir. Crystal Clear." The male answered.
"Good. I won't return for a while. I am heading towards New York. Apparently, the Rosario Group has made their move. When I return, I expect perfect results. Do not fail me, Shade." The General stated one final time before the flashback of the male being given his mission faded out.
"Starting Mission." The male said as he continued to stalk them. The male would dash in from the shadows when the time was right. The male's steps were soft, almost like he was not running up behind Don and the others. When the time was right, the male would withdraw an eastern-style blade. Then, with a sure and swift thrust, the male would come to pierce Don from behind.
To the male's surprise, Don had pushed April into Jessica and flicked his wrist to bring out his hidden blade, which he used to deflect the attack toward the ground.
'How did he notice me!?' The male exclaimed internally but did not have time to go into thought since Don had stepped in with his other hidden blade to try and pierce through the male's neck. So instead, the male jumped back and took to a battle posture.
"Hm?" Ion noticed something was up when he heard metal crashing and shifted his attention towards the person who had lept backward. Jessica had taken hold of April. "Gotcha." She commented while helping April steady herself. "Hey, what--" April was about to say something but stopped when she noticed the other person.
Don did not waste a moment; he withdrew his 1911 Ruger and fired upon the person a couple of times.
BANG!
BANG!
The person swung their blade swiftly and cut down both bullets, which caused Don's brow to raise in disbelief and maybe intrigue. Ion just sighed heavily, and Jessica shook her head.
"Shade..." They both said in sync.
April was in awe of how the person cut down the bullets, so she didn't catch the name.
"I guess you didn't learn your lesson last time." Ion commented as he began crackling his knuckles while slowly approaching the male. Jessica stepped away from April and flicked her wrists to bring out two balls of flames. "So I suppose we'll have to teach you once again." Jessica remarked with a flare of crimson in her eyes. "Do you know this person?" Don asked while still having the angle of his gun at the male.
"We ran into him when we were making our way to Texas with the Rosario Group. He's the General's little bitch boy." Ion stated while striking a battle stance of his own.
"Uh-huh... Well, if you two got him." Don turned away and holstered his 1911 Ruger while sheathing his hidden blades with a flicker of the wrist. "I'll see you two at the weapon's store." Don gave a backhand wave while walking off.
April tilted her head in a confused manner. "Umm... shouldn't we help them?" April asked while hastily making her way up to Don. "No need. They got it." Don responded. In truth, he didn't want anything to happen to April. If the others could take care of the threat, then he saw no reason to take action. Besides, Don didn't really care much for Ion or Jessica. He still wasn't over the fact that they nearly killed April.
"Still... I think we--" April was interrupted when she felt a gust of wind blow in between them. Minor cuts cut through the fabric of her shirt and appeared on her stomach and arm, even her cleavage. Don's left arm had several minor cuts. Parts of his shirt were also cut through. Since April was facing his left side, she took most of the damage.
Don's eyes narrowed, and he pivoted on his heel and turned around while withdrawing his gun. He was twirling the gun several times while bringing up the 1911 Ruger. Once he had a steady aim, he pulled the trigger several times.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Five shots came from Don's gun.
The male deflected all five of the bullets. He even cut down several balls of flames. He evaded a few punches from Ion before bringing his eastern sword down upon Ion. Ion side-stepped the cut. Once again, a gust of wind would rush forth, but this time it smacked Don in the chest, which caused him to go flying back.
"Don!" April called out to Don as she watched him fly back. She raced towards him only to see a large cut appear along his chest. The fabrics of his shirt and the combat vest were torn from the strike.
"A new power?" Jessica remarked since she turned back towards April when she shouted Don's name. "It felt like a gust of wind blew past me!" Ion exclaimed while slipping away from the male to retake a battle stance. "Sharp wind. Probably an element like my flames, but you can't see the wind. So be careful!" Jessica exclaimed.
"Don, can you hear me?" April inquired as she looked over Don.
She saw that he wasn't moving. He had also flown pretty far back from the others. She picked up his head and saw that he had smashed his head against the pavement. He wasn't bleeding terribly, and when she checked on him, he was breathing just fine. Next, she attempted to drag Don towards a stalled vehicle in the street so she could sit him against it. She wanted to minimize any negative effects that could come from this. It took her some time to get Don to the stalled vehicle since Don was pretty heavy.
Meanwhile, Ion charged the male, only after Jessica had tossed several more balls of flames at the male, who cut them down. This gave Ion time to close the gap between them. Ion unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, which the male evaded.
The male awaited an opening so he could try and strike Ion down with his blade. However, it seemed there was no opening. Ion was relentless with his attacks. Several minutes passed before the male finally grew fed up with waiting and jumped up and over Ion. The male had pushed off his heels so he could spin in mid-air. Upon landing, he brought his blade down upon Ion's backside, cutting a deep wound that caused Ion to groan and stumble forward.
"Ion!" Jessica exclaimed.
She growled at the male, "Bastard!" She shouted with a flare of flames erupting around her, but before she could do anything with it, she saw several arrows fly past her.
Well, saw wasn't the proper word. The arrows were a bit difficult to perceive. In fact, the only reason she noticed them was that she felt them flying past her. The male turned around when he heard Jessica shout.
The male stumbled back after being struck three times. Once in the shoulder, once in the chest, and once in the collarbone. The male did not even know what hit him until he looked straight to see April holding her bow. The male once again took to a battle stance to prepare to knock the arrows aside; however...
The male stumbled back again.
Another stinging pain, but this time it came from his other shoulder. Then another in his arm holding the sword, which caused him to drop the sword and a final one to the knee, forcing him to kneel.
'What the hell!? What hit me!?' The male spoke internally. Since he was facing the ground, he noticed a shimmering effect from the areas where he felt pain. As the shimmering effect faded away, it revealed several arrows. "Invisible arrows?" The male finally spoke, but his voice came out distorted, so it was hard to tell if they were male or female.
"You..." April grumbled while pulling out another arrow from her quiver.
"You hurt Don..." She knocked the arrow back.
"I will never forgive you!" She shouted angrily as she steadied her aim. A mixture of yellow and green flared in her eyes as she honed her sight in on the male's head. She was preparing for the kill shot.