"SARAH?" Panic burned through Andi's blood. They'd gotten separated- a stupid, amateur move that was much miss the fault of an unstable building than of his own carelessness. He'd lost sight of her between the fall and the dust that has swirled around as he and Gremlin had fallen through a rotten floor, leading the way on the run from Hunters. They'd almost lost the bastards, who had no doubt then been drawn in by the sound, and Sarah had had to run. The hunters hadn't thought to look down, and had missed Andi. / He roared, shoving aside the section of floor that had fallen on him. / "Gremlin!" The Airedale was pacing nervously, looking upwards. Rubble had formed a crude, steep staircase that Andi wasted no time in helping Grem and himself up. "Sarah! Find her, Gremlin!" / The Airedale's nose hit the floor and she began sniffing, pacing back and forth for a moment before latching onto the trail with a bark. She sprang into motion, lurching through the ruined building. Andi's gun was already out- if those hunters laid so much as a finger on that kid- / There were cruel, laughing voices in the distance, the motion of something falling between four men. Andi didn't spare a thought for stealth. He and Gremlin exploded on them in a flurry of bullets and teeth. His rifle only offered maybe two good shots at this range, so he attacked the fourth man- Grem had the third on the floor- with a knife kept on his belt. Then there was silence except for Gremlin's growling. / "Sarah!" / There were five bodies on the ground, and one was much too small. Andi's blood turned to ice. His chest wouldn't expand, his breath halted completely as his stomach bottomed out. / _No!_ His mind screamed. There was only the sound of Gremlin panting and growling, the creak of an unstable building. He kicked the warm bodies of the hunters out of his way and rushed a Sarah, dropping to his knees so hard he could tell himself that's why he was tearing up. / "No, no- no no no no- Sarah-" As long as he'd been alive, as long as he'd been a soldier, nothing ever made it easier- the sight of a dead child. Blood stained one leg of her jeans, and his trained eye immediately dissected the scene. She'd been shot in the leg, fallen- blood was on her hands and wrists from grabbing it. Larger, bloody hand prints were all over her clothes from where they'd tried to restrain her. She'd fought like hell to get free- the tears in her clothes were bigger, and worse signs of a fight. Busted lip, torn fingernail. / Her throat had been cut, jagged work from a dull knife and a tactless attacker. / He felt like he was going to throw up. The world was ending all over again and he knew, quite seriously, that this was his fault. If he'd been quicker- if he'd left Gremlin, she would safe down there for now- if he'd gone a different way, lead Sarah through different territory. / "Sarah..." His voice cracked and, tenderly, as if he still might hurt her, he pulled her into his lap. You could see enough death and still say, "Please wake up." He choked these words out through tears. "Please wake up, Sarah. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." / Gremlin whined, nudged them, but Andi didn't notice her. / Sarah was dead. He was supposed to protect and she'd died twenty feet away from him.