(Unedited) Stage One: Hope in Darkness

Happy, not so Happy (A&L)

~~~~~Lara

We had found the bodies and followed the trail carefully. We didn't want to get into a bad situation. But the sight of some of the bodies were ....frightening. Literally torn apart and thrown everywhere. Good thing this wasn't carpet.

I was in the lead and finally came close to the end. Stepping inside It was a large hangar filled with planes.

"Holy shit" someone whispered as we all - yes even me stared in awe at the amount of artillery this one room had. We split up realizing this room was empty and I went to the end of the opening to look out and see where it led. It was only here that I saw a massive shadow of something out in the distance.

~~~~Annabelle

I climbed down Hannibal. Putting my feet once again on solid ground. The serum had done this. My boy had grown to an impossible size because of what he had done. If this is what it has done to Hannibal what would that stuff do to us? Hannibal's ears flicked in the direction of the hangar. I notched an arrow, ready to kill. Lara rounded the corner.

I lowered my weapon, she had made it. I started back towards her. Shadow was with her. We had done it. The city was ours. The rest of the men in the city would be easy to clear out. The clean up was going to take a while though. After all that had happened I really needed a hug from my best friend.

~~~~~Lara

I Made sense of the shadows and smiled seeing Bell. I ran over to her and hugged her laughing

"We did it!" I yelled in celebration then pulled away to look at her "Please tell me it was you screwing with they're radios?" I asked, smiling wide at her. It was like we had pulled a simple little prank and couldn't stop the smiling.

It felt like the world was safe and we could handle anything now

~~~~Annabelle

I laughed in my own silent way, 'yeah the radios was me' I signed. Hannibal came up behind us and Lara's eyes widened. His new appearance was a lot to take in.

~~~~~Lara

I looked at the massive wolf and smiled

"when did you get a bear?" I joked but earned a lick from Hannibal as his greeting. I giggled and pet his head as I smiled at her "Come on let's get inside and go find everyone else. Shadow will kill everyone if he doesn't see your okay" I joked and pulled her with me.

~~~~Annabelle

Shadow was waiting for us the second we came around the corner. He threw his arms around me and squeezed me to him with an impressive amount of force.

"I don't know what I would have done if you had been hurt. Wait actually I do know, but it would not have been pretty." He whispered in my ear. He was crushing me but I couldn't push him away.

The psycho had been worried about me. I smiled, so there is a heart under all that rough exterior. Lara cleared her throat next to us, it sounded like she was holding back giggles. I reluctantly pulled back from Shadow. We have to meet up with the others and start making plans to revive the city. This would become our base of operations. And I for one did not what to live in a city littered with dead bodies.

~~~~~Lara

I smiled at them and after closing and sealing the gates to the doors in the back we met up with everyone in front of HQ.

"Lara?" A voice spoke through the radio and I pulled it up listening "Lara this is the Sargent " it spoke again and I answered

"Good to hear your voice. What's the news?" I asked turning to Shadow and Bell who were waiting to listen as well.