[b]Tyler - Katie's Room - Katie[/b]

Tyler sat across from Katie, on the other side of little red carpet he'd found for her room. The room wasn't much to look at, even if it was the nicest room in the hideout. It had been impossible to get a bed frame down there, so all Katie had was two mattresses stacked on top of each other. Tyler had given her the softest sheets he could find; Quilt blankets covered in hearts, flowers, or whatever girly pattern he could find. He had men come down and change Katie's sheets most ever day. It was a pain to do, as the men had to carry the sheets aboveground just to wash them. Lauren in particular did this job the most, as she seemed to be one of the few to even enjoy Katie's presence. The rest of them simply tolerated the child of their intimidating boss. Tyler was glad to have Lauren for this reason, at least.

He stared at Katie now, his eyes on her innocent face and the cute little picture. It felt almost unreal, that his innocent little girl could still exist in this crazy world. Everyone here was sick, and not just with the virus. They were all sick and corrupted; a mere shadow of their former selves. Tyler could not afford his little girl to become like the rest of them, even if he was forced to keep her in this dank dungeon. His future children would have to be corrupted out of necessity, but not his little Katie. Never his little Katie.

When Katie climbed into his lap, Tyler held her and whispered softly into her ear. He assured her that he would never leave her, no matter what happened. Never ever ever-

[i]"Daddy? What does 'fuck' mean?"[/I]

It took Tyler a moment to respond.

"That's a bad word, Katie. It means to... mess with someone. Barney probably just wants to play a prank on the new girl." He closed his eyes. "And she's not your age, dear. She's Lauren's age. She's not going to be around long... she's just visiting."