"The Parisian Metro... I wonder if it'll be like stumbling on another civilisation for the first time, ...or will it be like discovering an ancient tomb?" Lauren spoke her mind calmly, looking out to sea as John fired up the boat's engine and sent them South, towards the Normandy coast. It would take around six hours to get there at this thing's top speed - and by then it would be dark.

Viktor slugged Lauren in the shoulder and sighed, "Keep your hopes up, eh? Optimism is good in a fucked up world like this." He chuckled, looking over at Sam and then to the others.

"...Just trying to be realistic." Lauren quipped back, sparing Vik a more serious glance.

---

Roughly seven hours later, it was late-sunset. As the boat was beached at the fishing village in Normandy, Viktor was the first to hop down onto the freezing sand. The temperature wad dropping, and fast. The team had to find shelter or they would suffer one of two fates: freezing, or being eaten alive. "I'll take point. Stay quiet. Don't hesitate to use flashlights, but turn them off if you can avoid danger." The English-Russian hybrid calmly told the others, staring up into the post-apocalyptic French town with his AK's flashlight illuminating the way.

Lauren remained by Sammy while it was dangerous - that was her place as her sister and as the one who watched over the squad protectively.

John followed on behind Viktor, flicking his nightvision scope on to see what was ahead. There were howls on the wind though. Mutants were coming - a LOT of them. "Must have heard our mighty rustbucket's engine as we came in. Hurry it up, guys." He advised.

Sam find time to drift off to sleep during the seven hour trip. It was the quickest way to pass time. She woke up just before they reached land, and got herself ready for combat. She climbed off the boat, and pulled out her pistol, looking to the guys and then to Lauren. She trusted this group, but nobody could beat her sister. She looked at her for what to do next.

Nathan jumped off the boat, rifle at the ready. His flashlight was off. He'd only turn it on if he really needed to. "Sam, Lauren, stick close" He said to the girls, and then took off running

"Coming" Sam called to Nathan.

"Just stay close to me. Ain't no monsters going to take the Kerry sisters out, aye?" Lauren tried to keep her sister's spirits up as they ran. It was terrifying to just hear the mutants' howls on the wind, let alone fight one. Noting that more or less every creature in the wasteland world used their teeth, claws and brute force, Lauren took out her MP9 and advanced close behind Nathan, but not letting Sammy slip behind.

As they progressed into the small town, Viktor and John didn't fire a shot. There were Watchmen dashing around the buildings and small alleys. They were possibly mutated from dogs, cats or other four-legged urban creatures. They had fur ranging from brown to dark green, offering them some camouflage. They were fast, they hunted in packs, and they made quick work of anyone who worked alone. If Viktor or John fired the first shot and pissed them all off, they would have a small army bearing down on them in seconds - and despite their skills, even they couldn't handle this many. Spotting a cellar door, John ran up to it and smashed the rusted lock apart with a single smack of his shotgun's stock. He then stood beside it waiting for everyone else as Viktor climbed in and secured the cellar. It wasn't much, but if it would keep the damn Watchmen out it would save their lives for the night.

Nathan ran towards the cellar, he patted John on the shoulder as he walked in. "Vik?" He whispered. "What we got?" He asked, still whispering, as he crept more inside the cellar, with his rifle raised.

Sam nodded and ran alongside her Sister. She hated hearing the things out here, and wondered if she actually up to the task at hand. She pulled her pistol out, and ran just behind Lauren, thanking the gods when they found the relative safety of the cellar. Sam headed inside just after Nathan, she stuck to the door, not wanting to go in there too much without Lauren. Sammy didn't have to speak this, Lauren would know why her sister held back, they knew each other well, and often read off each others body language.

"Looks like we're in the clear." Vik replied, "Might want to block the door up into the house though. Not sure a post-nuclear lock won't be rusted to all hell. Monsters could bash it down if they wanted." He said while grabbing some heavy things to put in front of the door.

"We're all in, let's go!" John shouted above the roars and growls of the Watchmen. They were so close now! He kept his shotgun aimed up at Lauren, waiting for any of the beasts to attack.

As soon as Lauren turned her back, one of them dived on her from above which then pinned her to the ground. She drew her knife from the strap on her boot and drove it into the mutant's lower jaw as it went to sink it's teeth in, and with a shotgun blast from John the creature fell limp. Lauren pushed it off and got her SMG back, then ran back into the cellar. As the cellar door was closed she sighed heavily.

"Bloody hell... That bastard nearly tore my face off!"

Sam was about to rush out, as she aimed her pistol towards the beast, she was about to go crazy on it, but Nathan stopped her, pulling her back. John had already blasted the beast. "Lauren!" She shouted when Lauren stepped in. She put her pistol away, and hugged her sister tightly. "I was so scared back there" She said, gripping the sides of her head, as she inspected her face, and then neck for wounds.

Nathan turned away from the group. "Let's check out the place. Make sure we're not living with something else in here"

"Knock it off, Sammy. I'm alright!" Lauren chuckled, throwing one arm around her sister's shoulder. "The only one who can kill me, would be me." She said with a game-on smirk. Though to tell the truth, she was still a bit shaken.

"Got a mutant!" Vik said as he flicked his AK's safety off and approached a corner of the room. There was a cute little growl before a small, hairy, four-legged creature scuttled across the floor. The baby Watchman was only about the size of a house cat! It slid to a halt behind Samantha and Lauren, playfully trying to hide behind Sammy's boot.

Viktor sighed and shook his head as he realised it was just a pup. It's mother was dead in the same corner it had escaped from, so Vik was in no rush to shoot the little guy.

"Ah, what a damn nuisance. Sammy, move your leg." Lauren bluntly told her as she pulled out her MP9 and flicked it to semi-auto mode. She took aim at the watchman pup, which seemed to emit a sort of whining sound.

"Laurie, you don't need to slot the little guy. Hardly a threat, eh?" John asked, not that the sniper was listening. Mutants killed her and Sam's parents - she thought of it as returning the favour whenever she came across the monsters. The little one was no exception...

Sam shook her head, and stood more in the way of her sisters weapon. "I can't.. Tá sé cosúil le linn (he's like us)" Sam then turned around, bending down to scoop the pup up in her arms. "I'll release it when we get out of here. I can't just leave it here, Lauren. That's not the way I am. You know that" Sam said, offering a small smile. Nathan walked up to Lauren. "First chance you get, kill that thing, okay?" He said, ordering her to do as she was told. Sam heard and didn't like it. "I realise it's going against the group, but to kill this creature, you'll have to shoot me. I hope none of you are willing to do that. I guess I can offer to leave the group, head back to the metro"

"It'll grow up to be a monster, Sammy. But..." Lauren sighed, dropping the gun in her backpack, "Fine. Only keep it until morning though." She asserted, nodding at Nathan. If it was anyone else, the little critter would be mush by now.

The little watchman's head rose out of Sammy's arms and it let out a cute growl that sounded somewhat like a purr. John scratched underneath it's chin, chuckling to himself as the small creature continued it's purr-growling. "See, he's not that bad! Laurie, c'mon."

Lauren reluctantly started to pet the watchman's head as John took his hand away, and for a minute everything seemed to be going well. Riiight up until the pup sunk it's teeth into her finger, making two little bloody spots. Baby or not, that was uncalled for! "Hey! It singled me out, that ain't fair!" She cried, falling out of her usually cold and serious attitude. Still... She had to admit, it was pretty cute for a mutant.

"Hey! That was naughty" Sam said to the small creature as it bit her sister. "We don't bite, okay" Sam said, telling the creature off and then looking at her Sister. "Sorry, are you okay?" She asked, pulling out a bandage and offering it to Lauren. "I didn't think it would do that, at least not to you, any of the others, sure, but not you" Sam said, putting the pup down. "You can walk for that" She smiled.

The watchman pup began circling through and around Sammy's feet, emitting that weird purr-growling to express it's happiness. Lauren just fake smiled at the little devil, rearing her foot back to kick it, ...but it just didn't feel right, so she didn't send it flying. "Told ya' he would be a nuisance..." She said rolling her eyes. Despite that one foul up the pup made, it seemed fine with everyone else. John even picked it up and petted it like a cat. He found a box to sit on, leaned back against the wall and let the little watchman curl up on his lap.

"Nathan, we're in the clear. Seems the mutants outside stopped bothering, too." Viktor said as he listened out beyond the cellar. Nothing... Nothing but rain could be heard up there now.

Sam smiled as the pup took a liking to John. She gave the pup a stroke "If he bites you, I'll take him back. Okay?" Sam smiled, and then crouched down. "No biting, at all. Okay? And no biting Lauren, you have to get her to like you. She's my Sister and means a lot to me, okay?" Sammy said to the pup and then smiled at John. "Sorry, I had to say that. Even if it doesn't understand me"

"We're clear?" Nathan asked, double checking. "Let's get a move on, before something else shows up, and we're in a worse place than the watchmen"

Johnathan shook his head after Sam was done telling the little Watchman what was what. It had been moving and tilting it's head as she spoke, almost as if it knew what was happening and started listening to her. "Animals, mutant or no, are intelligent. I think he gets the idea." He chuckled, scratching under the small creature's jaw, "...Are you going to name the little fellow?"

Viktor looked at both of the cellar doors, then back at Nathan, "If we just keep it quiet and wait out the night we'll be fine. We go out there and try to travel at night, we may lose people. Not necessarily death, but.. actually lose them. We're not in England anymore. I bet nobody has even been here since 2013." The British-Russian guide talked calmly to the squad's leader.

Lauren meanwhile went and sat in in a dark corner of the cellar, closing her eyes. Getting some sleep would do her good for the days of travelling that were ahead.

"You do?" Sam smiled looking from the creature to John. "Hmm.. I'm not too sure what to name him, perhaps the group can come up with a name?" She suggested with a smile. Sam went to sit in another corner, she liked to give Lauren some space, but she made sure she was within eyesight of her sister incase something happened. Sam pulled out her books again, and began reading some of the old medical journals she has read numerous times.

"You're right" Nathan said to Viktor. "Okay, let's wait out the night here. Whoever can, get some shut eye. We'll need to catch the rest now, before we move on"