This wasn't in the survival guide

Renzi sighed and looked toward the window, he had heard sirens going off for the fourth time today. He got up and walked to the window. Three cop cars flashed by his apartment; behind them was an aid car. He sighed again and went back playing his COD: Black Ops. He didn't really care what was going on outside, as long as his girl was okay. His light green eyes peeked out from his shaggy brown hair.

Renzi thought about what he'd heard on the news and read in the papers. Misquotes were now carrying a lethal virus that made people crave blood. It was only in small circumstances. Nothing to worry about. The round ended and he turned off his PS3 and stretched. A thunk sounded on his door. Renzi scratched his hair and walked slowly over, grabbing his kendo sword as he did so. That was his first rule in these uncertain times. It was the same as Boyscouts, but that didn't matter, besides it was morbid than young boys going off in the wilderness with an adult. He snorted as he thought about it. Renzi brought his thoughts back to the present and held his bamboo sword at the ready before opening the door.

Rule #1: Be prepared- A weapon is the difference between life and death.

Renzi flung open the door and two faces appeared, one was human, the other. Renzi brought up the sword and slammed it down on its head. The second face had been bloody and parts of skin and bone were missing. "Poor bastard." he muttered as it fell. The human face glared at him, "You'll pay for that!" he ran off. Renzi shook his head and looked at the body on his floor, blood was on the bamboo. A thought occurred to him and he stepped into his apartment quickly to grab a few things, a leather jacket and his katana; light weight items. His second rule.

Rule #2 Protect your skin and ass. Leather and duct tape.

Renzi kicked the body out of the way before locking up and running down the stairs to the first floor to get into his car and drive over to his girlfriends. He noticed as he drove that the streets were empty. Uncommon for this time of year, but he pushed it aside. He focused on driving until he saw one of his old friends run up to his car. Stomping on the brakes; opening the passenger side window he called to her, "Jess, what are you doing out here?" he asked.
Jess shook her head, "Doesn't matter, mind if I get in?" she asked him.
Renzi looked her up and down, not out of checking her out, but because of his third rule. "Yeah come on in." he unlocked the door, Jess slid in besides him. Nodding her thanks.

Rule #3 Check for injuries. Simple really, make sure your companions have no scratches or bites.

Jess remained in silence as Renzi drove the rest of the way to her house. Once they got there, Renzi told JEss to wait and ran up to the front door, knocking three time and then two more. "Hey, anyone alive in there?" he called.

Nicole had been staying inside recently, the news having made all unnecessary trips outside pointless. The bug sprayers in town were certainly making a fortune off of this latest update about the mosquitoes carrying a virus. She shivered at the thought of the old woman she'd seen attacking a young man, the face bloody and distorted with rage and senility, as well as a glassy look to her eyes--one that showed she wasn't fully in control of her faculties. The image still haunted her.

Nicole had managed to stock up before the incident--non-perishable food stuffs, canned foods, milk, water filters and purifiers, and frozen foods. She'd been planning a party, but had chosen to cancel it after seeing the news. That very day she bought enough bug spray and citronella candles to supply a small camping expedition.

Okay, so she was paranoid, but seeing that old woman...let's just say it was better to be safe than sorry. She didn't have room mates--not since they'd gone out one night and hadn't come back. That was alright with her, however. She had access to their accounts to pay the rent and utilities, and she felt no shame in doing so.

Sighing, she shook her head. Maybe she was being silly. But something told her that even if nothing had happened to her, that didn't mean that it wouldn't. She ran her fingers through her auburn hair, pulling it back as her grey-blue eyes swept across her apartment. She had a gun and she knew where the bullets were. That was enough for now. Enough for town. She had a taser, but she wondered if that would be enough to slow anyone down. There were a few knifes she'd bought over the years as well. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. She stretched her long, shapely legs as the sound of a car outside caught her attention.

The curvy young woman had not been expecting anyone, but she was ready. She grabbed her gun and made sure she had it fully loaded before she looked through the peep hole and saw her boyfriend starting to pound on the door. With a sigh of relief, she looked him over. No injuries.

Opening the door, she looked at him with a calm smile. "Hey, you. Come in." She closed the door behind him and set her gun down, putting her arms around him.

Renzi mirrored her moves and stepped inside the house graciously, hugging her tightly to his chest, he looked at her with relief. "I'm glad you are alright Sweetie, I wouldn't have been able to move on for very long if you were one of the fuckers running around." He pulled back again to look her over, he dipped his head to kiss her. When he ended the kiss he looked around her apartment. There was no one else around. He sighed for the third time and leaned against the arm of the couch. "I've come to bring you out of the city." he told her. "I've got my car out front. It's running, empty out your cupboards and pack a bag." He smiled at her briefly before his face turned grim again. "I'm putting my bets on the lake Dad used to take me when I was a kid."

Renzi looked at her before he started pacing, "You remember Jessica, right?" he asked. She had been his childhood friend, she was cute. Brown hair, brown eyes with a ring of blue. She had pixish features so most saw her and wanted her. She would never have any of them, however. Jess had written off males after her boyfriend was killed in a war that he had no part in. Renzi back at her, "She's in the car, watching it to make sure that nothing happens to it." he held up a hand. "Don't worry she has my katana and knows how to use it." His fourth rule.

Rule #4 Find a car and defend it.

Renzi moved quickly to her, his black Doc Martin's not making a sound, "We need to leave soon Hon. I don't like the idea of crazies out there and you in the city. We must get out.' he grabbed both of her hands and shook them gently, his green eyes growing darker slightly.

Nicole kissed him back and held onto him for a moment as she listened to him tell her they were leaving. He was getting more and more restless as time went on. Renzi really wasn't kidding about leaving and as he took her hands she watched his eyes grow more intense. "Okay, Renz. We'll go. Just let me get my stuff." She kissed his lips softly and hugged him to her one more time. "Why don't you grab the stuff out of the cabinets in the kitchen? I'll go get some stuff packed." That said, she pulled her dad's military duffel bag out of the closet and started to take stuff out of her drawers and bathroom and pack it up. "There are some boxes under the sink if you want to load those up," she called to him.

Renzi kissed her back and relaxed slightly. Knowing that Nicole was safe and that she agreed to come with him made all the difference. He hugged her tightly to him, waves of love pouring over him onto her. Once she pulled back, he smiled down at her slightly before he let her go get ready. Renzi made his way to the sink and grabbed two large boxes before he started to fill them with canned and dry food. When he opened the freezer, he found a few freezer packs, but those would only keep for so long, he sighed. They would have to use the frozen and perishables first. He filled up the boxes carefully and quickly before moving onto the necessary pots and pans, filling up another few boxes with items, he stacked them, putting the pans underneath all the other food.

Renzi stuck his head outside to check on Jessica, she was sitting calmly though alert in the car, he nodded once and made a circuit of the house, checking all the doors, windows and other rooms. Once satisfied, he went to check up on Nicole, "How are you doing sweetie?" he asked, walking over to her and rubbing her back comfortingly.

Rule #5 Check the perimeter frequently or you will become food for others.

Nicole packed everything she thought she might need or want and the materials to clean them with. She had a variety of clothes, mostly for temperature fluctuations, but for other reasons as well. She had her shower items with a few spares she'd kept on hand, a pillow, blanket and several kinds of shoes.

She was thinking of what else she wanted or needed and frowned softly, leaning back into him as he rubbed her back. "Mmm, it's so weird to be leaving..." She sighed and looked up at him. "Will we be able to come back?" That said, she reached under her bed to pull out as much ammo as she had that would fit in her bag.

Renzi hugged her close, "I know the feeling.. I might never get to take you out to eat again, sit on the couch, watch a movie and cuddle." He kissed the back of her hair and smiled sadly, "I do not know, honey. I sure hope so, but with the way the world is looking, I have a feeling that we might not be back here for a good long while." He drew back and watched her pack her bag, "Let's just hope and pray that the government will get this under control."

A sudden thought came to her ans she frowned. "Doesn't it seem a little counter-intuitive to go to the woods though? I mean, that's where all of the mosquitoes are." She frowned a little and looked up at him, glad to have his arms around her. It was comforting to have him near, even when he confused her. He had a way of putting her at ease, and if she had to be out there in a place where she couldn't be sure of herself, she wanted to be with Renzi.

Leaning into him, she wondered if he would change his mind. Then again, when he got this worked up about something that was rarely the case. Nicole had to ask, "Will we at least have some way to know what's going on with the rest of the world?"

Renzi frowned as she did, "That didn't occur to me. All I wanted was to get out of the city." he thought about it for a moment, rubbing Nicole's back. "I believe that RV Town is abandoned. The police have more to worry about than finding a missing motor home. We can take our pick and just attach my car to the back." he kissed her before adding, "We could knock off a few gas stations as well, steal a gas can from it and haul it away." he smiled down at her. He hugged her to his chest, "I will protect you with my life Nickie."

Renzi thought about her second question, "Yes, I will find a portable tv somewhere. Extra batteries and other necessities." he looked at her. "Are you ready to leave? I don't want to stick around for much longer." His 6th rule.

Rule #6 Keep moving. It's not that hard really, keep moving, don't stay in the same place for very long.

She frowned and leaned into him a little. This didn't seem like the best of his ideas, but staying here was becoming less and less of an option. She kissed him back as he tried to assure her--and himself--that this was going to be okay. She let him hold her close and just took a few moments to relax with him.

"Don't just protect me," she said, softly. "Protect yourself a little too. I couldn't imagine being without you, Ren." She kissed him softly and for a bleak moment, thought of living all alone. The thought of absence brought to mind her parents. How were they getting along back in her home-town? Not willing to completely give up hope, she grabbed two stuffed animals (one from her parents and one from Renzi), her cellphone charger, her cell phone, her purse, the purses her roomies left behind, and her movie collection--one never really knew. She grabbed her binder of cd's as well and zipped her big bag shut. In a smaller bag she packed her weapons and got everything together. "Okay. Grab the boxes and I'll get the pack of toilet paper from my bathroom and we can start loading up."

Renzi looked at her, searching her eyes before he responded. "My sweet Nickie," he clutched her tightly, "I would protect you more than my own hide. However, I promise to protect myself to. I will do my best not to do anything rash."

Rule #7 Keep your head. Literally.

Renzi kissed her once more before nodding and walking back out to the living room to grab the boxes, holding them over his shoulder, so that he had a hand free. He waited until she came before picking up his kendo and opening the door, walking first, checking the area. No crazies anywhere- luckily. Renzi looked back and closed the door after her. Glancing at the car told him that Jessica was still alive and well. He felt himself sigh again before he helped Nicole load her bags into the car before starting off for RV Town.


Jessica had been waiting in the car for what seemed like hours. She payed attention to her surroundings, just like her childhood friend told her too, but she was jumpy as hell. She was wearing a black leather jacket, blue jeans with a polo shirt under the jacket. Her phone in her pants pocket, just above her panty line. It had been buzzing for the last hour. She finally just turned it off, the world was crashing down around her and sooner or later, phones would be of no use. She looked up and saw Renzi and his girlfriend come out of the house and she opened the door so that could offer assistance. Once everything was safely stowed, she moved to sit in the back seat. Before saying, "Nicole, right? Forgvie me, I am Jessica. Nice to meet you. I'm afraid proper introductions should be given later." She spoke very respectful, the words sounding alien in these rough times.

Renzi had always been protective of her, but this was something new. Then again, how could he be sure that she wasn't the only person left that he could protect. But she was glad that he was going to try to keep his head. She kissed him back before they headed out and loaded up the car, careful of the rest of the world. She locked her door out of habit and stuffed the key in her pocket in case she ever needed to come back.

Nicole smiled at Jessica once they were both piled into the car and Renzi started pulling away. "Hey, it's good to meet you. Sorry it's not under better circumstances though."

Jessica smiled and nodded, "Likewise." she smiled slightly. She watched the town fly by and wondered if she'd ever see anyone familiar again. Anyone she wanted to see. She glanced at Renzi and became jealous. He had found someone who loved him dearly, while every male that wanted her just wanted what was inside her pants. Sighing she closed her eyes and thought about different times.

Renzi drove quickly and carefully to RV Town, taking all the back roads he could. Once there, he parked in the back and again had Jessica watch the car before he walked around to open the door for Nicole. Even in these times, chivalry was NOT dead. It would never be dead. Taking her hand they walked to the back door of the shop. It looked abandoned and Renzi knocked lightly on the metal door before taking a step back. Raising his sword, he waited a few minutes. When nothing happened, he turned to Nicole and shrugged, "Guess no ones home. Makes our job a lot easier."

Rule #8 Make noise, wait, kill.

Renzi opened the door and entered slowly, change, papers and garbage was everywhere, it looked as though someone had stolen most of the cash from the register, Renzi laughed slightly, it wouldn't matter how much money you have, it won't be worth much. However the keys for the rvs were still in tacked. "Hmm.." he rubbed Nicole's back before walking behind a desk to see the charts of where the best RV's were. "I think we'll take the biggest one here." he smiled and plopped a finger on number 34. "That one." he turned around and grabbed key 34 behind on the key rack. Looking back at the charts he grinned again. Small dimples showing, his hair seeming to stand on end playfully. "Seems as though they are all fueled up. Oh and stocked too." He looked up at his girlfriend and winked, "Looks like we're all set for a trip." he joined her and looked around, "let's go before something finds us." Renzi kissed her quickly before walking first out the door, holding his hand behind his back to know that Nicole was behind him.

Nicole stood watch, her gun at the ready as he went with Renzi to steal an RV. It wasn't like they were doing it because they wanted to take a joy-ride or anything like that. No--this was survival, and that was the only thing that mattered at the moment. She ran a hand through her auburn hair as Renzi looked the place over. Just because nothing was in the building, it didn't mean there was nothing waiting to come in.

When he decided on one, she smiled and chuckled at his wink. Okay, so maybe winking was a little cheesy, but she enjoyed it when he did that sort of thing. It was comforting and she put her arm around him for a moment, kissing him back before they went to the door.

Nicole walked along with him and made sure she knew which lot 34 was in and quickly came back to the car, walking around to her side with the gun at the ready. Suddenly she was quite glad that she'd been a member of the gun club back in the day. Sighing in relief once they got back into the car, she looked at Jess. "Everything okay?"

Renzi didn't want Nicole to go back to the car; he watched her go, carefully before opening up the car with the keys and checking it out. It looked alright and he checked the cupboards and bathroom. Plenty of supplies, apparently someone had had the same idea, but either was attacked or ran off before they could. Turning the key, the engine purred, "Hello Sweet Thing." he kissed the dash before backing up and driving back to his indigo Camry.

Jessica started, her fists raised, a pair of metal knuckles appearing out of nowhere. "I'm sorry." she apologized, slipping her hands behind her, they returned, empty. "Yeah I'm okay. I'm just worried about Rennie." she looked up at Nicole and blushed slightly, "Please do not tell him I said that. It has been my nickname for him since I was a kid." she sighed and pulled her long bangs out of her face behind her ears. She bit her lip before looking up at Nicole, "I..I'll admit it, I am jealous of you." when she smiled, it looked pained, "You look good together." Jessica shook her head, "Do not get me wrong, Rennie defended me back in the day, he still will, but he will gladly jump to your side faster than he will mine." Laughing slightly she grinned, "I apologize. I did not mean it that way." she bowed her head slightly, "Forgive me, how are you doing?" she seemed to be nervous as if something were to happen at any given moment.

Nicole was glad the other girl was alright. At Jess's candid confessions, Nicole shook her head. "It's okay. I didn't want you to be all by yourself in the car again. I know how nerve-wracking it can be. Let's drive over to the lot where the RV is, kay? Renzi's there already." She said it with an air of "all is forgiven and forgotten." Hopefully that would be enough to put Jessica at ease.

The two of them did look good together. She truly loved Renzi. He was a sweet guy who thought the world of her, he could be romantic if he so chose, and he was strong. Plus, he could make her laugh and calm her down in an instant. She only hoped that she was half as good for him.

"Don't worry about it, hun. I'm sure this is all temporary...there's bound to be someone with the same idea...Maybe we can band together?" She grinned and then told Jess which way to go to get to the lot. When the arrived the RV was started and ready to go. Nicole immediately got out of the car and climbed into it. "Renzi?"

Jessica nodded, and smiled again, she was still hesitant, but she decided that meeting up with Renzi was better than sitting around here, waiting for something bad to happen. She got into the driver seat and drove slowly. She hoped that he wouldn't be mad. His Camry was his baby. Hearing Nicole's words, Jessica nodded, "I sure hope you are correct, Nicole. I would love to go back to what it was before the world decided to kill everyone off."

Once the only running RV was in sight, Jessica pulled up behind it and attached the Camry to the jack in the back. When Nicole got out, Jessica followed, slowly behind her, grabbing the boxes and bags as she did so. Her own backpack on, Nicole's duffel over one shoulder and the boxes in her arms.

Renzi was in the master bedroom, looking under the cushions and found an arsenal of guns and ammo. "Beautiful.." he whispered, licking his lips. At the crunch of gravel, he grabbed the closest on, a Desert Eagle, fully loaded and he cocked it before walking to the cabin. He turned around the corner, the muzzle in Nicole's forehead. He uncocked it in one fluid movement, the gun behind him in a blur. "God, Honey." he brought her against his chest, clutching her tightly. "I'm sorry sorry." he pulled her back to kiss her deeply. "I love you Honey. I love you so much." He clutched her against him, eyes closed breathing deeply against her hair. "I didn't hear you." he whispered lightly in her ear.

Renzi opened his eyes and saw Jessica standing hesitantly behind her, arms full of bags. He let go of his girlfriend, but not before kissing her quickly and giving her another loving hug. Renzi stepped around her, not all that hard, there was a foot between the walls.
"Here, Jessie, lemme help." he smiled at her, taking the boxes, the heaviest and stepping aside to let her in, closing the heavy metal door behind her.


Jessica had brought the boxes down slightly so she could see where she walked and she breathed in shock at the site of Nicole with a gun to her head. She didn't say a word as Renzi grabbed her and hugged her with love; jealously raged inside her and Jess turned her head away. It was only when Renzi had finished that she smiled at him, "Thank Z." her smile seemed too forced. "I locked the car." she handed the keys to him and he smiled his thanks before putting the pots and pans away. He pointed to the master bedroom, "Put the bags there." he told her. Jessica gladly disappeared to take care of the task.

Nicole had a moment of pure fear. It absolutely shut down her brain. Her eyes widened in shock at the feel of the cold metal on her forehead. Instantly she imagined the old woman and the fate that awaited her, death the only thing on her lips. One instant before he recognized her, she saw the cold, unfeeling look in Renzi's eyes and gasped, only then realizing that she'd stopped breathing. And then the moment was over.

He was holding her again, reassuring her. Hot tears formed in her eyes, but she blinked them away as he hugged her like she might disappear.

She was just about to say something when he kissed her. She let it go and kissed him back, just glad that he'd realized it was her and she was still alive. Closing her eyes, she kissed him back and put her arms around him, holding him just as tight as he was holding her. When he pulled away, she looked up into his eyes and saw just how sorry he really was. She curled into his chest and relaxed into him, letting him comfort them both.

"It's okay. I'm okay." She kissed him and returned his hug as he pulled away to help Jessica. She immediately offered a hand as well, taking a bunch of things from her and stashing it away where it belonged. Once they were all inside and Jess went off to the bedroom, Nicole frowned at the look on the girl's face. Had she seen what had happened?

"Renzi, can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked, stashing some cans.

Renzi stood up from putting more pans away, "I always have time to talk with you, Nickie." he smiled at her, hurt was showing behind his smile. He was still feeling guilty about almost shooting her. He had seen her tears and hated himself for scaring her so badly. He looked down the hall and saw that Jessica was sleeping, or what seemed to be sleeping. He sighed and saw that she had her earbuds in. That at least was a good thing.

Renzi walked over to Nicole and hugged her tightly against him, "I'm sorry about.." he motioned with his hand. "I didn't expect you two to be coming to me." he sat down on one of the benches around the table and pulled Nicole over to him, his hands on her waist, looking up at him. "What is on your mind?" he asked gently, softly, eyes searching her face.

She smiled and shook her head. "Renzi, don't beat yourself up about it, okay? You didn't do anything wrong." Glancing back at the bedroom to see how Jessica was doing, she was glad the girl had in her ear buds. When she looked back, she was in her boyfriend's arms again. She sat down in his lap and smiled at him, cupping his cheek with her hand. "You're wonderful, Ren. I know you didn't mean anything by it. And I really should have been more careful, or made some more noise or something. But that's not what I want to talk about."

She removed her hand and looked right into his eyes. "Jess is feeling sort of lonely, and seeing us together...well it makes her kind of uncomfortable, I think. She said she was kind of jealous, and I don't want to rub what we have in her face. Maybe we can cool it when she's around?" Nicole really hated to see when anyone was having a hard time...unless they deserved it. Jess did not, from what she could tell.

The girl in his lap kissed his lips softly, pulling her close. She pulled away after a moment and smiled at him. "But when we're alone like this, it's fine."

Renzi smiled softly, he knew he shouldn't but, for God's sake, he had almost shot the woman he had sworn to protect. He slowly stroked her hair and nodded, "I know, but..I almost killed you." his voice was low and full of pain. He clutched her close again and breathed in her scent. At her simple touch, he closed his eyes and nuzzled her hand softly before looking her back in the eyes.

Renzi licked his lips and started to ask the question when she answered it for him. He sighed and nodded, before looking down the hallway. "She is an old childhood friend of mine." he looked at Nicole before continuing, "We never wanted to get together, it would ruin a great relationship.." he trailed off and pulled her closer to him as she sat on his lap. "I understand completely," he clutched her tightly and kissed her forehead, tip of her nose and neck. He broke off, looking her in the eyes. His green eyes were hazed over and it took him a few minutes to drop back down from his lustful high.

Renzi dipped his head down to kiss her deeply, "I love you my sweet Nicole." he put his hand on the back of her head before he kissed her again. Pulling back he whispered in her ear, "I love you so much." he breathed in her hair before he looked her in the eyes. "We need to move again, we've stayed to long here."

Jessica was in the master bedroom, putting away the bags when she heard Renzi and Nicole talking softly. She looked at them sadly before plugging into Marylin Manson's Beautiful People. After a few minutes, the song switched to Wake me up when September ends and she started to get sleeping, collapsing on the bed, she fell asleep, her shoes hanging off the end of the bed.

Nicole was glad that she'd managed to distract him from his pain. She had been afraid, but it wasn't like she'd gotten hurt. When he explained about Jess, she just shook her head. That was his business and Jess's; it had nothing to do with her. Patiently she listened as he got it out of his system and pulled her close. Nicole smiled and kissed him again. She saw how much he wanted her at that very moment and let him calm down a little, kissing him back.

"I love you too, sweetheart. You're right. Let's hitch up your car and get out of here."

Renzi nodded, "Sounds like a good plan." his hair fell into his eyes slightly and he brushed it aside before kissing her once more. Sliding her off his lap, he stood. Renzi walked slowly and quietly outiside and noticed that his car was already attached, smiling at the kind gesture he looked around and drew a hand through his hair. The world really was going to shit, he had just stolen an RV. Sighing, he walked back to the RV and into the cabin, closing and locking the door. "Car was already attached," he bent to kiss his girlfriend before sitting behind the wheel. He smiled at her before starting the car up again, grinning as she purred. Renzi looked to Nicole, "Sit down, Honey. I don't want you injured." He waited until she was sitting before pulling out of the lot and heading to the forest a good few miles from where they were.

The streets were unbelievably empty, he supposed the hype wasn't too bad or there would be cars all over the place. A few people were walking down the streets, only caring about their day to day lives. Renzi snorted and shook his head, "People only see what they want to see." he muttered audibly.

Nicole watched him before they got out of the RV and watched his amused look. "Well good. Less work for us, huh?" She smiled and kissed his cheek as he came back in. She went back into the bedroom before they started off and saw that Jess was still asleep. Glad that the girl was doing alright, she grabbed a cd she and Renzi liked before sitting in the passenger's seat. She slipped it into the player and made sure the volume was fairly low before kissing his cheek. "Well...I guess we're off."

Renzi smiled at her gentle touch and smiled slightly at her. He started to drive the fifteen miles to the lake, music playing softly in the background. He looked at Nicole out of the corner of his eye, "Don't look so worried, sweetie. Things are going to be alright." he smiled at her, but his smile was only half, the other half unsure. "There is some good news." he said brightly, though his eyes were dark, "There is extra gas in the storage areas- over fifty gallons." he looked at her, smiling slightly. "We should have no problem getting where ever we need to go." He stopped at a red light in time to see three cop cars followed by an ambulance flashed by. Shaking his head he continued to drive. "Does no one else know what is happening to the world? Are we the only ones who really know what is happening?" He took his eyes off the road to glance at Nicole.

Jessica was dreaming, REM sleep finally kicking in, it had been so long since she had had a good sleep. The dreams were a cluster fuck of repeating memories and wishes. Jessica saw five year old versions of herself and Renzi playing by the pond outside her family's property, looking at the tadpoles and the water spiders swimming around. Fresh water trout jumped out to catch bugs before their silver bodies fell back into the abyss.
Jessica had laughed as Renzi caught a tadpole with legs and kissed it, handing it to her, "See, Jess? It won't hurt." Jessica had placed the small creature to her lips and kissed it before squealling and wiping her mouth on Renzi's sleeve, "Rennie! It's slimy!" she cried. Renzi had laughed and set the tadpole free before taking her hand and bringing her over to the tree to sit in the comfort of the shade. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" his hair had been longer then and it caught in the slight breeze.
Jessica woke up, tears in her eyes, groaning she got up from the master bed and looked out the window, they were driving down the free way. She shook her head and walked forward, "Renzi? How long have I been out?" she stood behind him before stepping to the side and stood between them.

Renzi looked up, "Oh, not very long, about twenty minutes, we're almost there."