Nicholas let go of Mattie's hand and put his arm around her, squeezing her in a hug for a second before loosening his grip and leaning on her shoulder. He closed his eyes again and just rested. He could feel himself slipping out of consciousness, but forced himself to stay awake. As he drifted, he could see his mother's face in the second before she'd dropped to the floor for the last time. He could hear her voice.

[i]"Nicholas? Why are you hurting me?"[/i]

He'd never got to say good-bye to her or Alisa. He didn't tell them he loved them - he hadn't thought to. He had always been so sure they'd make it out alive. They'd make it to the refuge camp one day. Just as soon as his mother got better...

The sound of a gunshot made him jump and forget all about them.

---

"I'll tell her," Jacob nodded, face expressionless. He hesitated, but recovered because it was so unlikely that Darrin would survive. He couldn't believe he was about to kill this boy. He shook his head then, and told Darrin, "I'm sorry too." That being said, he braced himself and pulled the trigger.