Survivors - (Tsuki, Shadowfax and AmyMarie)

[Shadowfax]

"No... She got shot when she scared the gang off. They er.. Were beating me up..."Sam said, looking to the floor grimly.

Sam smiled as Gabriel introduced himself however and looked at him with gratitude as he began to carry Ashelin off. He followed him out the room and into the other room. Ash was completely out of it so he watched Gabriel lean her up against the wall before he too joined them. He nodded slowly as Gabriel asked him to watch Ash.

"You won't be long, will you?" Sam said with a little fear in his voice.

[Tsuki]

Gabriel frowned as Sam explained that Ash had been shot trying to protect him from a gang of thugs. He swore under his breath and headed towards the door. But he stopped as Sam asked him if he would be long. He looked over his shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

"I won't be long. I promise. I'm getting food."

He brought a hand to his mouth and coughed again before walking out and heading for the roofspace. He opened the fire exit and stepped out onto the roof. It was a cold day. Gabriel shivered slightly and walked over to a washing line which was suspended between two poles. But instead of there being just one line, there was a net made of fine string. Gabriel had made this himself from some old sheets he had found in a store cupboard. He smiled at the sight that greeted him. A Gull and a pigeon were tangled up in the net and through their exhaustion to try and escape, they had died.

Gabriel cut these bird loose and shoved them in a bag which lay next to one of the poles. He then began to carry his catch back to the doctors office. He opened the door and looked over at Ash who was still unconcious. He sighed. She must have been starving for a while now and the blood loss wouldn't have helped. He turned back to Sam.

"Told you I wouldn't be long."

He wandered over to the desk and placed his bag on top of it.

"I hope you aren't squeamish".

He pulled the Gull out of the bag and pulled out a knife from his pocket before preparing it so it could be cooked.

[Shadowfax]

Sam walked over to Ash as Gabriel left the room. He sat down infront of her and waved a hand infront of her face as if checking she was totally out of it. There was no movement from her, though her chest would occasionally rise and fall to show she was awake. Her head was lolled to one side and her eyes firmly closed. Sam sighed at the sight.

"It'll be ok Ash. I won't let you die. You saved me, so i'll save you"

At that, Gabriel returned and Sam leapt to his feet, grateful to have company again. He looked at the birds and blinked a few times.

"I've never eaten these before..." He said thoughtfully.

[Tsuki]

Gabriel chuckled slightly.

"It looks like you have eaten for a while. And these days you have to live as best you can."

He turned back to the Gull and carried on preparing it.

"It tastes just like Chicken. And besides, you'll be grateful for something warm on your stomach."

He then remained quiet and started to place the meat into a large bowl. He added some water to the bowl and a few herbs that he had also collected from a garden he had created on the rooftop. There had been a greenspace up there anyway but it become over run with weeds. Though the doctors had advised him to avoid gardening due to his fungal infection, he had wrapped a scarf round his face and dug up the weeds so that the herbs could grow.

He then placed the bowl by the fire that was beginning to get low. He picked up a stick and gave it a prod to get the flames going again before placing the bowl next to it. He coughed again as smoke began to rise but a hole had been created in the ceiling which revealed the outside and thus a vent for the smoke to escape. He stood up and looked over at Ash.

"Still not come round then?"

[Shadowfax]

"Are, you ok Gabriel?" Sam asked as he noticed Gabriel cough a few times.

Sam was worried for a moment that he had the virus, but then he remembered what Gabriel had said to Ash that What he had, they couldn't catch The nine year old sighed with confusion, but the food before him made his stomach growl so he quickly wrapped his hands round it.

"Sorry... I guess I am hungrier than I thought.. Oh, by the way... The gang didn't get these off me. I am happy to share my food too" The boy said enthusiastically, pulling out four chocolate bars from his pocket.

At the mention of Ash coming round, Sam looked over at her unconcious form in time to see her twitch. Maybe from pain, maybe from a dream he did not know, but she remained totally out of it.

"I guess so..."

[Tsuki]

Gabriel chuckled.

"Hey make sure you don't burn yourself."

He then looked over at the chocolate bars and grinned like a child.

"It's been a long while since I've had one of those. I've almost forgotten what they taste like. Afraid I've been living off Gulls and Pigeons for too long. It's not too bad. You get use to it."

He coughed again and when Sam asked if he was Ok he smiled weakly.

"I'm Ok in that I don't have the virus. And trust me, you can't catch this. This", he pointed to his chest, "is why I'm in this hospital."

He looked over at Ash and sighed.

"I guess I had better tell you when she has come round. Now."

He smiled and poured some of the meat into his cup.

"How did you come to be here Mr Samwise?"

He winked and took a sip.

[Shadowfax]

Sam blinked with confusion, but decided not to push the matter especially if he would be telling them when Ash came around. He then sighed as Gabriel asked how he had come to be here.

"Well, I lost my family to the virus a month ago. We stayed indoors for a few weeks, but then mum got sick.. Then dad and my sister too. I was left all alone and kinda waited for my turn. But, eventually I ran out of food so had to go out and find something. Most of the houses had been raided already so there wasn't alot of food about. So.. I came into the town and just found random places to hide out.. Then the gang found me.. They stole all the food I hate apart from these chocolate bars" Sam looked sadly at the table infront of them for a moment before continuing.

"Anyway, they were about to kill me when Ash shot one of them dead. The others rounded on her, but she took another two down. After that, they ran off so.. I followed her. She'd saved me and she seemed to know how to handle herself. Two days later... The gang came back and caught her off guard which is why she had a bullet in her arm. And that's why we are here now... I hate this virus... The world is so scary now" Sam said, something suddenly moving in his backpack.

"What about you?" Sam asked, oblivious to his backpack moving.

[Tsuki]

Gabriel listened quietly as Sam told his story and Gabriel looked at him sadly.

"It must have been awful to watch your family die. I'm sorry Sam."

Gabriel had been fortunate in that respect. He hadn't seen any of his family die as he had been held up here. But he had no idea if they were dead or, like him, waiting for all this to blow over. He had come to the conclusion long ago that he had been abadoned. He knew that they believed he wouldnt survive the virus outbreak and low and behold he was still here. Gabriel noticed the bag move but he decided not to question Sam about it. Whatever he was hiding was his own business.

"I was hoping that Ash would have come round before I told you my story. I'm not really a fan of repeating myself".

He smiled and spooned some more meat into Sam's cup.

[Shadowfax]

"It's ok, we can wait till she wakes up. I just hope she's less... angry" Sam muttered as he smiled gratefully when Gabriel topped up his bowl.

**

Ash had strayed into a dream. Back to when the virus had claimed her sister. Ash was stood in the room before her sister Sarah. The girl who was four or five years younger was coughing violently under the blankets of her bed. Ashelin's eyes widened with fear for her aswell as sadness when she began to watch her sister die. The girl was thin, shorter than Ash and had brown eyes and blond hair.

"Sarah.. I... Im sorry...." Ash said helplessly.

"Don't be.... None of this is your fault. But Ash, please... Put me out my misery"

"You can't ask me to do that" Ash said, shaking her head.

Sarah coughed again, this time blood came up which made Ashelin's concern shoot through the roof. She looked down at her sister with deep sympathy as the virus began to claim her life.

"Ash.. you were a soldier once... didn't you have to put soldiers out their misery then?" Sarah replied weakly.

"That was different..." Ash shot at her.

"How so? They were your team mates and family back then" Sarah said "Please... Im in pain here and I want to sleep"

Ashelin grit her teeth and picked up her gun from the bedside table. She felt like a murderer, but at the same time she wanted to give her sister the peace she wanted.

"Are you sure?" Ash said, her voice strained.

Sarah smiled and merely nodded. Ashelin struggled to tear her eyes away from her sisters weakened ones. With a swift movement and a sudden snap of the eyes she raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

***

BANG.

A loud gunshot suddenly sounded and smashed one of the cups on the table where Gabriel and Sam were sitting. Ash sat there, arm outstretched, gun smoking and arm throbbing.

[Tsuki]

Gabriel jumped up as the gunshot went off and quickly grabbed hold of Sam, pulling him out the way and putting himself between him and Ash. There was a loud smashing noise as one of the mugs was shattered by a bullet. Gabriel sighed in annoyance.

"I wish you wouldn't be so trigger happy Ash. I was quite fond of that mug."

He turned back to look at Ash.

"Pleased to see you are awake but this feels a bit one sided. Mind dropping the gun?"

He pointed to the mug next to her.

"You must be thirsty. Just please don't smash that one. Otherwise I'll be running out of mugs."