I’m finding it harder to walk as I lean more and more of my weight on Cody who was dealing with his own wounds as well but he ignores it, awkwardly holding onto my arm that was draped over his shoulder and the other at my waist that was gripping that blasted sword he just had to pick up.

I must have made a noise of pain as the next thing I notice, Cody goes to a nearby tree and pulls me round so that I was sitting with my back against the trunk.

Swallowing hard, I look up at him and find him sliding to a crouch in front of me, his fingers tilting my chin from side to side to get a look at my neck, “It really did a number on you.”

“Look who’s talking,” I mutter back, pushing his fingers away while moving my head from his reach. It wasn’t my stomach that it almost ripped open.

There was a silence as he reaches for my head again, forcing me to look him in the eye. “At least you don’t have a concussion,” he finally says after his eyes were searching mine. “But seriously…what was going through your head when you threw your shoe at it?”

…Was that what I threw at the blasted monkey? “I wasn’t.”

He sighs while pushing my mud and blood encrusted hair from my face, “Clearly. God there’s a gash in your head as well.”

“Well you’re not exactly unscathed either. It was about to play skip-rope with your intestines.”

“I’ll live.”

An exhausted breath leaves my lungs as I lean back, my energy almost completely drained. I’m so tired.

“We need to keep moving.” He moves to pull me up. Almost all my weight went onto him this time as I found that as we begin walking again that my ankle was now hurting. Probably sprained it. Wonderful.

“They know you exist now,” I said after a while as we trudge through the forest.

“Does it look like I care?”

I met him with silence. How am I supposed to argue with a pig-headed moron with mental movability of a brick-wall?

As we make our way through the woods in silence, we came onto a highway before finding an old beaten track that lead to a farm house that Anne had spotted this morning. It took a good hour for us to make our way towards it resting on a hill overlooking what was once a cattle farm but now overgrown and the forest was slowly taking it back. But the house seemed to be from the era that eve a tornado couldn’t pull it down. It looked sad and lonely with faded chipped paint but it was away from everything and so far no one has even found it until now.

Making our way up the dirt driveway that was full of pot holes, Cody finally opens his mouth after almost two hours of silence, “Don’t tell Anne about this.”

I shoot him a look, “Have you met her?” One look at us and she’ll know. She always knows. It was Markus I was more concerned with to be honest. As if reading my thoughts the front door slams open on its hinges and a ten year old whirlwind comes running down the stone stairs towards us. Markus crashes into my gut, making me gasp and cringe as he tries to wrap his arms around my back, knocking the air out of my lungs and squeezing my sore and battered body. I hold onto him as he sobs into my shirt.

“You’re both idiots,” Anne’s voice came from the doorway as she looks out at us. Her sharp blue eyes took in both of us calmly.

“Why thank you ma’am,” Cody half bows to our twelve year old sister.

Stroking Markus’s back, I try to coax him from his death grip on me, “Come on, I need to clean up.” Shaking his head, his grip tightens as he buries himself further into my gut. Seriously… “Come on, Makky...I’m here. I’ll always come back.”

He looks up at me to make sure I wasn’t lying before letting me go and I could feel my legs turning to jelly but I had to ignore it. I had to make sure I look like I’m fine.

Anne must have caught my intentions and calls for him, “Markus, Kae’s gonna need a bath. Can you go look from some clothes for me?”

Markus nods again and runs into the house.

I can feel Cody’s eyes on me as I limp my way towards the house. “Are you alright?”

“Speak for yourself,” I mutter back. “You’re the one in a fist fight with it.”

He scoffs behind me as I make my way towards the house.

Once in front of Anne, she looks up at me carefully, “The bath is upstairs.”

I pat her head as I go passed, “Thanks, missy.”

“What about me?” Cody pouts.

“You can jump in a lake,” I retort while making my way through the house. Inside is quaint with wooden furnishings and a staircase covered in worn carpet. At the top, I found the bathroom easily enough and the white tub already filled with hot water. How you may ask? Anne’s a psychic, psychokinetic bundle in a dress. I’m not joking. Her abilities are unstable and flux but she’s been learning to control them and developing more and more abilities. It’s almost scary what she can do and I’m terrified if the Suppressors ever got hold of her.

I strip off my clothes that peel off like a second skin and gingerly hop into the tub. My feet tingling as the numbing cold is suddenly attacked by heat. All the mud and blood colour the water immediately as I try to clean myself off. I notice bruises and cuts all over my body and wonder at the ones around my neck. My fingers trace my neck that’s still raw, the memory flashes through my mind in an instant. Mentally shaking myself, I couldn’t linger on the pain or the fear. Anne will see…she has already seen way too much and it has caused her to age far more than she should ever have. And that is not fair on such a little girl. This world is not fair on Markus or Anne. And I will not impose any of this on them. And that is exactly the reason why I run after Cody, to bring him back.

Finishing in the bath, I find a towel and some clothes left beside the door. A black hoodie that was big and thin, a pair of worn ripped jeans and a white shirt that was far too big for me. This was an interesting house to say the least. The Disaster happen nine years ago and yet the house and its contents all seem to be in relatively good condition. I make my way slowly down the musty hallway and found something that was too good to be true in one of the rooms. A bed. I collapse on the dusty creaking heap without hesitation. It felt like a cloud. A creaky musty cloud. But I don’t care. I haven’t felt comfort like this in a while.

“Thought you’d be here,” Anne smiles in the doorway watching me. I notice that in her hands was a first aid kit. Our only one.

I frown, “Don’t waste that on me. You should check Cody.”

“He said the exact same thing.” As she sets the box down at the foot of the bed, I grab her, pulling her down onto the bed with me, wrapping my arms tightly around her small body.

“Kae!” She whines but doesn’t struggle.

“This is better,” I say while closing my eyes, I want more than anything to sleep. Looking over at the doorway, I saw Markus standing there and I roll onto my back, freeing up an arm and a side. He doesn’t hesitate to jump into my side, snuggling into me as my arm curls around him.

“Kae,” Anne repeats.

“It’s fine. Just let me sleep,” I go back to closing my eyes. “You should sleep too. I know you haven’t been.”

“…Because you’re not here,” Markus voice was soft and almost strains with emotion.

I chuckle, “That’s right. I chase the nightmares away.”

“A lot more than you know,” Anne whispers, burying her head into my neck. I almost wince in pain. Almost. I try to exhale as smoothly as possible to mask the cry of pain that was rising in my throat.

Since these two were small, they never seem to want to go to sleep as the nightmares constantly hounded them. That was when I said that if they stayed by my side I would protect them from the nightmares. If Cody protected us from the physical danger, then I would protect their dreams. Since then they always sleep peacefully if they wrap themselves around me.

As I drift off, I could feel Anne moving from me, probably to see to Cody. Later I feel the springs in the mattress creak with additional weight but it did not disturb me in the least. The four of us were squeezed onto this old double bed and I felt a moment of bliss even through the haze of pain. This was my family and I would do anything to protect them and make them happy.

My eyes snap open as ragged gasps leaves my sore throat. Swallowing down the blades I look around the empty dark room. Feeling that there wasn’t any threat I relax a little. I had a nightmare again. Though I never seem to remember much of them. Cody began rubbing my shoulder from in front of me, meaning I had turned to my side in my sleep and Markus was between me and Cody. Anne had wrapped herself around me from the back, practically strangling me but I knew that they were peacefully sleeping so I put up with it.

“You’re sweating, Kae. Do you remember anything?” Cody’s voice was hushed but at least it didn’t have that irritating arrogant tone to it.

“No,” I answer back simply, my voice croak and sore. “Go back to sleep.”

“It seems like you pay the price,” he says after a time.

“What?”

“That all of us sleep peacefully but you wake up in fits every night.”

“…It’s a small price to pay if it means everyone else gets a goodnight’s rest.”

“But you don’t.”

“I don’t remember anything.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

I grin. A breathy chuckle rocks my body, a joke rising from my tongue, “Maybe that’s my Cursed power.”

“Huh?”

“I let people sleep.” Fear me! I can give you decent night’s rest. Lame.

“…I highly doubt it. You’re the closest thing to a parent that they have…” he then adds softly, “…and that’s what comforts them.”

He must be half asleep to be so chatty.

I then felt him somehow manage to wrap his arms around my head, pulling me in close but without sqeezing Markus between us, his fingers moving some of my bangs from my face “Go back to sleep. Maybe I can protect your dreams for a bit.”

I didn’t say anything and let myself sink back into sleep. When this idiot makes up his mind, it’s impossible to change it. Maybe it's alright to impose on him…just of a little while…