The insides of the police station didn't seem much different from any other building ed by the Void. Vetilim already flowed along the walls while the interior y scattered here and there. The only unique part about this pce were the golden torches illuminating the corridor.

  They looked eternal, bright as the sun, and it only took Leo a moment to figure out what they were. Ether, crafted into light for survivors to use during their struggles. He didn't know how Frank's group obtaihose, but thankfully, Cra voiced the question for him.

  "Where did you get those?" She o the orch. "That's Ethereal fire — the same one produced by the fres."

  "Spot on, love," Frank smirked at her. "One of mine found a seemingly useless job on the list. Lightfinder. And wouldn't you know, he ow craft all sorts of ented lights, fmes, and the like. Quite useful, even if we are missin' material for anything more than this."

  As they kept moving deeper into the building, plementing Frank's words, Holden spoke up. "And what about their properties? Same as the fres?"

  "I bloody wish," the Fallen Human huffed. "All those torches are good for is providing light and giving normal Voidlings a bit of scare. You fet about using those against Nightmares... Trust me, we checked."

  Leo grimaced, the man's tone indig how well that experiment ended. He just hoped they weren't dumb enough to face a Nightmare head-on just to test a damorch.

  "I'll take your word for it," Holden accepted with a tip of his head.

  "Good." With that said, Frank severed to the right, leading them through a wide-open door. "Wele to my humble abode. Make yourself at home. Although I fear there will be no refreshments," he finished with a wide grin.

  They entered peared to be an office. However, Leo was using the term very lightly, sidering the damage to the room. At least it has a table and chairs, so I guess it ts.

  As Frank and the others settled around the makeshift table, Leo stayed a bit behind. His eyes roamed over the wooden crates scattered in the ers, ons, clothes, and other items peeking over the edges.

  Seems they are doier than I expected. Though I still have no idea hoeople are here. We didn't even see anyone on the way...

  The urge to go ahead and use Hunter's Pulse grew stronger with each sed, yet Leo held it in. Curiosity was ohing, but ag without thinking was another, even if he could make the pulse invisible.

  "So!" Leo heard Frank decre and quickly looked at the man just in time to see him pce a handgun oable. "About that offer of yours, Tony. Let's hear it, and it better be good. Time is everything nowadays after all."

  Alright then, Holden. Prove to me you didn't just waste my evening.

  "I want us to rejoin forces," the man stated bluntly. "You have seen that things out there are only getting worse day by day. I said it before, and I'll say it again: there is strength in numbers. If we tinue like this, more people will end up dead until there is no o."

  Frank raised a single eyebrow during his old friend's speech, the smirk falling off his face. "That's it? You came all the way 'ere to give me the same rubbish speech you gave me before?" He raised a hand to stop Holden from speaking again. "And just so you know. My answer won't ge if yours doesn't ge too."

  Holden nodded. "I expected as much. That's why I am far from done."

  "Go on."

  "One of the reasons you left was our Safe Zone. Yued there is no reason to waste hundreds of Ether for something that will disappear anyway. This point no loands as thanks to our new friend here," Holden motioo Leo, "we have acquired a perma Safe Zone, ohat won't bleed us dry of resources."

  Frank leaned ba his chair, his gaze traveling to Leo. "Oh? And how did ya do that? My boys and I have been searg for a way to create ohout st a ."

  Leed, still standing by the door. "Then I'm gonna disappoint you, as that's exactly what I did."

  He could say more, expin the process and what happened ihe , but for what? Holden already knew all Leo deemed necessary to give, and if the man thought that Frank should have this info too, then that was his decision to make.

  "You cleared a alohe Fallen's eyes widened before he shook his head lightly. "My, my... If you're so capable, it makes me wonder how you even joined with Tony 'ere."

  "I have my reasons," he replied, leaving it at that.

  "That's fair. We all have secrets," Frank nodded and turned back to Holden. "Alright, you have my attention... But what about the freeloaders you refuse to deal with? Have you learned anything i few days?"

  Even standing behind him, Leo noticed Holden's body tense up. e on, I'm curious too. People who just hide inside a Safe Zone won't survive long. Hell, even Ava mao reach level five despite Adam's situation.

  "I'm willing to make some ges. To help people adapt… slowly," Holden finally gritted out. "But make no mistake, I won't leave ao die because they are scared."

  "Even if they refuse everything you offer?"

  Holden remained silent at the suddeion, fists visibly g uhe table. The silence dragged on for so long that Frank growled, shooting to his feet and starting to pace.

  "See?" He hissed, pointing at his friend. "This is the bloody problem with you! You want to be a fug leader, but you 't make any hard decisions. Well Tony, wake the fuck up! This is the new world. Being soft all the time won't work here."

  Holden stood up too, eyes narrowed. "I won't send people to their deaths, Frank! I won't be their executioner. No one deserves such fate just because they are not like you."

  Frank sighed, dragging a hand across his face. "For fuck's sake, Tony. This isn't about me, but you! All you're doing is saving your own sce. Uand that finally or the people in your care will suffer soon."

  Suddenly, Cra stepped betweewo men who were almost at each other's throats. "Stop it, you bullheaded idiots. Fighting again won't solve anything! We came here with a purpose, so let's focus on that."

  What a shit show! Leo chuckled within the safety of his mind, watg as Frank huffed and dropped bato his chair. Holden followed soon after, still gring at the other man. I see why he told me that Frank is hard to work with. Those two are like water and fire...

  "Bloody hell," Cra grumbled, refusing to sit down again. "Now that you two stopped ag like two dumb alpha males, why don't we get ba the track."

  "You," she turo Frank. "As much as I hate to say it, we need your help. The 'freeloaders' as you call them, among others, need prote on the way to the new Safe Zone. And before you say anything, they will be carrying supplies, so no. They won't be useless."

  For a moment, only the tapping of Frank's fingers against the table filled the room. "Fine," he groused out. "We'll join you. We need a safe pce to rest like anyone else... But I have ditions, and they are uiable," the man finished with a gre.

  Leo perked up, tilting his head as if to listen closely.

  Answering the gre with his own, Holden replied, "As long as they're not eous, you will get what you want."

  "Really? The's see. First, my group will remain mainly under my and. Sed, my word will matter as much as yours or Diana's," Frank listed off, ting each thing on his fingers. "And third, I'm gonhe oo whip those useless twats into shape. Sorry, but I don't trust you not to fuck it up."

  "Anything else?" Holdey much growled.

  "No, that's it," Frank smirked once more, obviously enjoying the other man's reas. "But I will be sure to tell you if my terms ge."

  "Great," Holden muttered. "Then I will expect you and yroup back at ReachHope as soon as you tomorrow. The old Safe Zone won't st much longer, and we will o make multiple runs to carry everything essential."

  Frank nodded. "On that, we agree. I also have some stuff ya all might find useful. We will try t most of it with us tomorrow. The rest wait."

  Leo's gaze once more wao all the crates. Despite what he had initially thought, Holden's group didn't have as many ons as he hoped. Some supplies of the offensive kind could definitely help their new, growing unity.

  "See?" Cra spoke up. "Wasn't so hard, after all. Maybe if you two weren't ag all high and mighty in the beginning, we would be already transp everything to the new pce."

  Frank snorted. "As if that would ever happen... Ya all needed an ugly monster — no offense, mate — to kick your arse into gear."

  Leed off the jibe, choosing not to say that the Fallen wasn't much better looking than him. In his opinion, the man was even lower on the scale than him.

  I might be biased though...

  With the deal finished, Leo, along with the other two, left the police station behind. Cra and Holden barely said a word as they jogged back to the gallery. He let them keep their sile least until they eheir previous meeting spot.

  "So Holden," he spoke up, leaning against a wall. "You pretty much got what you wanted. What's the pn now?"

  The older man took a seat on a half-broken bench, his face rexing ever so slightly. "Like I told Frank. I want to move everything in parts, including people."

  "How many?"

  "Tomorrow? Three or four trips bad forth at best. About a dozen civilians in every group with enough fighters to protect them," Holden expined. "After that? We will see what else we need from the old Safe Zone."

  Leo nodded. "Adam and Ava? I get them to the new site on my own. Might be eveer this way."

  "And I sincerely ask you not to do that, at least nht away. Just like with Frank and his group, we need help if anything stronger es after us."

  Acceptable reasoning, but... Leo admitted even as a frown spread over his face as he realized something. "You won't move them first."

  Holden flinched. "I'm not doing this to hold them against you, Leo. I just want to prepare some space for Adam first, something safer than what we have now. And if it makes you feel better, we will transfer him and Ava with the sed or third group if there is a need for a fourth run."

  I don't like it, but at least he isn’t pulling reasons out of his ass. We both know how dangerous Adam bee if there is nothing to mitigate his rage. I won’t have him bee responsible for killing survivors. We don’t need a plication like this. Not now.

  Sighing, Leo nodded. "So be it." He turo leave, only stopping at the exit. "I will drop by before the night falls. Stay safe on the way back."

  As the duo's whispered farewells reached his ears, he stepped out in the open, taking a deep breath. A strong gust filled the street at the same time, f him to open his eyes.

  The winds are pig up. He furrowed his brow, looking up at the sky dotted with dark clouds. Rain or something worse is on the horizon. And here I thought that the weather in the UK finally got better...

  With a light shake of his head, Leo dropped the thought. Time to find Nyx and tiheir task. He still had an hour or three to kill.

  Chaos65