Everyone was a bit taken back. Don had just told them that the End of the Year would be the hardest to survive. It did seem like things were starting to change. The Berserker, Phantoms, and Molten Spider were a few examples of this. Then there was also supposed to be that one water type undead.
"When will you be leaving?" Rebecca asked, and Don shook his head. "Sometime soon. I want to make sure everything is in place before I leave." Don answered. "How long will you be gone?" Rebecca asked again, and Don shook his head once again. "Not sure. That will all depend on the journey itself. I'll be infiltrating another base after all." Don answered.
Rebecca sighed heavily since it seemed like she wasn't getting straight answers. It wasn't like Don didn't want to give her any exact times; it was more like he couldn't. It just all depended on what was to come. "Anything else?" Don asked, but no one seemed to speak up. So, Don moved along.
"Now, what you should all expect during my absences." Don flipped the page of the packet. His eyes looked at the page he was on, and there were several hand-drawn images of various undead and bugs. Before that, though, was a paragraph explaining more about the undead and the bugs.
"As you all know, the undead and bugs are beginning to mutate. Due to this, they are broken down into stages. The first stage is known as the base stage—your normal oversized bugs and undead. The second stage is a mutated version. The Ferals are all second stage undead. You can tell if an Undead or Bug is a second stage by looking for mutations. For example, The Molten Spider." Don began to explain.
"The Molten Spider had a different texture and could sprew out fires. It also had wings. Anything that differs from the base is known as a second-stage mutation. However, there is a third-stage mutation as well. If an undead or bug is capable of speech and appears overwhelmingly strong to the point where other undead and bugs fear it, it is at a third stage."
"A Third Stage mutation is considered extremely dangerous. Not simply because they can speak fluently, but because they are smarter, faster, stronger, and more durable than their base form. Should you ever encounter a Thrid Stage, my advice would be to regroup. Find a weakness and then strike when you can. However, if you feel like you can not beat it, then run. There is no point in dying, and fighting these things should only be as a last resort." Don expressed.
He paused for a moment to see if anyone had any questions or was following along. Sofia had been given another coloring book to just do as she pleased, but she was paying attention. If they saw anything that looked super dangerous, then they were to run away. At least, that is what she took from this, as did the others.
"What about Tyrone? He can talk to bugs...." Someone stated, and Don nodded. "Good question. Even if Tyrone can communicate with the bugs, it doesn't mean any of you can. As long as the bug or undead isn't speaking from its own lungs, there is no need to worry. That said, I doubt Tyrone can tell the difference. The Bugs still have a form of intellect, so they have their own language." Don answered.
Tyrone wasn't down about anything Don said, but he was curious. What if he could find out a way to distinguish the different stages of a bug? That would help out the others and maybe even allow him to befriend a higher stage bug. Although it could prove dangerous, if they had a superbug on their side, it would increase their battle power.
When the room went quiet, Don felt it was time to move on. "Now then, this next part. It won't happen until much later, or at least it shouldn't, but in the off chance, it does. I want all of you to know about the fourth-stage mutation of bug and undead. This is the most dangerous. You must run away. Do not fight this stage mutation. Otherwise, you will die." Don made sure they all knew what he was saying and how serious he was before continuing.
"For a bug, the fourth stage mutation allows them to take on a humanoid form. They will still be able to change back into their original form, but they are stronger in the humanoid form. All of their power is condensed instead of spreading out, and they can control it more freely than before. That isn't all. They can also use Seed Powers on top of becoming stronger and faster. However, they still have notable differences compared to humans. They still maintain a few aspects from their bug form."
"For example, a stage four mutation of a fly may maintain its wings or bulgy eyes. The same can be said for mosquitoes. Spiders may have extra appendages, and worms may have slimy skin textures. Again these are just examples. All you need to know is that you can tell the difference easily. However, the stage-four mutation of the undead is far worse..."
"Since Undead already have a humanoid appearance, the fourth-stage can actually be mistaken as a human. They can control their hunger and even blend in perfectly with other humans. However, there is one offset about them. They have no Seed and can not use any Seed Power. They are still strong and fast. They are even smarter than the average human, so this makes up for that offset."
"So, how can you tell? Well, I've learned one thing. Most stage four undead tend to live in seclusion and often go out at night. In addition to that, their flesh is cold to the touch, so they won't feel warm. If you ever do encounter one of these, you will need to run. Fighting against them is also suicide. At least, at your present strength anyways." Don finished.
The room was now silent. No one knew what to say. It seemed like they had just gotten stronger, but the strength they have now wouldn't be enough for the future. With the way Don was talking, it seemed like this hellish year was far from over. Three months had gone by, and they had another nine to go.
A little over a quarter of the way had passed, yet it felt like nearly a year had passed with all they were doing. Still, they weren't done. There was more that needed to be completed. They didn't have time to complain or despair, not if they wanted to live. So, they took Don's information to heart. Besides, Don had said one more thing. They didn't have the strength yet. Which meant they would have the strength eventually.
"Since there are no questions or comments, I want each of you to look through the next several pages of the packet and memorize what is on there. These are the various types of undead and bugs you will come across. They each have distinctive features as well as their stages that tend to differ from other bugs and undead." Don would hand the packet over to April and step outside the room to give them plenty of time to go over the pages.
Don decided to head outside to get some fresh air. He had been cooped up inside the entire time and felt like a short walk might do him some good. Besides, there were some things he needed to go over in his head.
April had taken the packet and was going over it. When she noticed Don walk off, she would set the packet on the podium and follow after him. Although, he had already been down the hall by the time she even left the room. She was confused since Don didn't say anything to her, but he had seemed off these past few days.
'Is it still about his parents?' April thought to herself and decided to stalk... I mean, follow him in secret.
"You know Donathan. You don't have to shoulder everything. Didn't you promise them you would let them take some of the weight?" Melissa's voice spoke to Don through his mind.
"Perhaps, but... I doubt any of them aside from Rose has killed anyone. April is the expectation to this, and I still wish I was strong enough to prevent that. I should be the only one with dirty hands." Don said as he walked through the halls.
An audible sigh could be heard within Don's mind. "Isn't that a bit selfish? Even I knew that you would end up having to dirty your hands someday. That is why I trained you." Melissa said.
"Even if it is. You should know what it is like to have blood on your hands. It can be traumatizing. Taking another's life." Don said, and Melissa was silent for the moment. She agreed with Don on that part. Even when she had taken her first life, it felt weird. It was a disturbing feeling, but she had no choice. As long as she wanted to live, she needed to do it.
"Don, I get what you are saying, but what if other Contenders show up while you are away? Do you expect them to just let the other Contenders do as they please?" Melissa asked, and Don sighed heavily. "Of course not. I would want them to fight back. If they have no choice, then they need to kill. That is why I trained them in such a way. I don't want them to have to kill another, but if they have no choice, then they need to do it." Don expressed.
It seemed like he had indeed thought a lot about this. Even now, he was conflicted with himself. He knew he couldn't protect all of them on his own. They needed to become stronger, but the problem was he also didn't want them to experience what he did. Don had grown numb to taking lives. If anything, it was as easy as breathing, but for those who had never done it or only done it for survival purposes, it wasn't something they would be used to.
The entire time Don was talking to Melissa, April wondered who he was talking to. After all, Don was talking aloud and not in his own mind. She thought that maybe something was going on with him, but she didn't want to blow her cover. It seemed Don had yet to even detect her.
Judging from what Don was saying, he seemed to be arguing about something. It seemed like he was worried about the others. She could tell because it was something Don worried about when she took a life. She had done it to save Don on both occasions. The first time, she felt a disgusting feeling, but she told herself it was to save Don. This allowed her to get by, and the second time was the same way. However, it still didn't feel right, and she felt like she would never get used to it. As for the case with Mark, she wasn't the one who killed Mark, and at the time, she wasn't all there. In the end, she felt like even if she told Don not to, he would do it anyway.
They had finally reached outside, and Don seemed to walk past the wall. This broke April's vision of Don. She hurried along to not lose him, and when she reached the edge of the corner, she was pulled and pushed up against the wall. She squealed cutely to the sudden jerking motion and then looked up to see Don looking down at her, having her pinned firmly to the wall.
Her cheeks heated up instantly, and she quickly looked all over the place for any form of escape. When she saw none, she just gave up. "Umm... hi, darling~," April said cutely while looking back at him as if pretending she wasn't just stalking him now. Don sighed softly and stepped away from April. "You shouldn't sneak up on me. I mistook you for something else." Don said.
"Oh?" April looked apologetic. "Sorry." She apologized, and Don shook his head. He brought a hand up to pat her gently. "It's fine. What did you need?" Don asked with a soft smile. He had noticed someone was following him for a while but thought that maybe it was just one of the others going in the same direction or something.
He didn't expect it to be April... stalking him. "I just wanted to see if you were fine. You seem to be lost in thought these days." April brought to his attention what she had noticed. Don was a bit surprised, but in the end, huffed lightly with a warm smile. "You really do know everything about me, huh?" Don said.
"Of course! I am your equal, your other half, your wife! I am supposed to know everything about you. The good and the bad, all of it." April said with cheer in her voice. "Jeez, Don, are you that dense?" Melissa's voice spoke inside of his mind, which he ignored. He wasn't dense. He just felt like he had been doing a good job hiding his worries. No one else seemed to have noticed.
"And, I am glad that it is you," Don replied, which caused April's eyes to burn bright. Her heart skipped several beats, and she felt like she was falling in love with Don all over again. She felt her legs buckle, and eventually, she fell into Don. Don caught her and held her up. "That's my boy!" Melissa exclaimed, seeing April's reaction, and Don sighed inwardly.
"Thanks, darling..." April murmured softly. She felt so warm, so safe in Don's arms. She leaned up and pursed her lips into a kiss while closing her eyes. Don would lean down to kiss her gently and stayed there for a moment. They only split when they heard someone clear their throat.
"You know, we can always just dismiss the meeting if you two need to go release the beasts." Ion said. April blushed brightly from embarrassment, and Don chuckled lightly. "Nah. I am good. I just wanted to clear my head." Don said. "Riiiiight. Looks more like sexual frustration, but whatever you wanna call it, man. So, you coming back?" Ion asked after teasing Don.
"Yeah," Don replied and took April's hand. April smiled softly but kept her head down due to how red her face was from embarrassment. They would make their way back to the meeting room, with Ion teasing them along the way.
"I found the lovebirds. Although, it was in the heat of the moment." Ion said bluntly, which caused everyone's brow to raise. "Wow, babe, I didn't think you were one to eavesdrop on people like that," Jessica stated with a teasing expression. "Hey! How did I get thrown into this!?" Ion exclaimed, and the entire room erupted in laughter.
Seeing this caused Don's lips to curve into a warm smile. "I want to protect this. I will protect this. This time, it will be different." Don muttered to himself; however, April caught it and looked up at him. Seeing his warm smile, she understood why he was conflicted with himself. She didn't know about Melissa, but she knew that Don cared about others.
Seeing him like this, she could see the man she fell in love with. The man she saw behind all of that pain and distrust. The man she had always seen and believed in. It caused the light in her eyes to return and a smile to curve across her lips. "We will protect our family," April said softly, but enough for Don to hear, and she squeezed his hand.
Don looked down at her when she squeezed his hand and heard her words. It seemed she heard his earlier comment. Don nodded to her remark in agreeance. "We will." After that, Don decided to gather everyone's attention. When he had it, he said there were some final things to go over. The last few pages of the packet. Picking it up, he told everyone to go to a certain page that displayed the overall prison and what was around it.
"Since I will be gone, it will be up to all of you to make this base into a fortress. You will find several blueprints and 3D models of the prison and what is around it. You are free to use the land as you please. Build walls, shelters, farmhouses, windmills. Anything and everything you need. Why? Because this Fortress will become an outpost. It will be ours!" Don said firmly.
"We need to keep out the intruders and protect our own. We have nine more months here. Six of those will be spent preparing for the final two months. The last two months will be hellish of them all. Many other Contenders will already be dead, and places all over the world will be wiped out. It will be an all-out war!"
"Due to this, we need to make sure that we are prepared! We will all be going home alive!" Don said firmly. "And for those of you who are deciding on staying here..." Don looked towards Ion and Jessica. "This Fortress will serve as your home. Your base of operation. You said you wanted to make it to where people could choose if they could go home or stay, then you will have that. That is what this Fortress of Fifty-Two will be for." Don said. Ion and Jessica hadn't realized that Don still remembered what they asked him and their goal in all of this. It was surprising.
Everyone was shocked, everyone except for April. Why? Because Don was thinking about other lives. Outsiders and people who he didn't even know about. It was as if Don cared about the other Contenders, which was shocking to them, but it was just who Don was to April. She knew that Don cared about other people. Why else would he have friends like Jake, Josh, John, Jen, and Boss?
April smiled, standing next to him, and everyone seeing this could tell just how much April believed in Don. They knew it before that April was Don's light and agreed on it, but now more than ever they felt like the two of them were destined for one another. Like no one or anything would ever get in between them. They saw a Queen and a King before them.