Back at the base, everyone spent the rest of the day by themselves, whether relaxing or securing their current home's perimeters. Yuna took a nap on the couch while Mike sat across from her, reading a book and sitting by one window. Taylor spent his time fine-tuning the truck, while Ryan helped Karin secure the gates and set up the electric fencing. As they finished and complimented each other on a well-done job, Ryan glanced over at Taylor, who had been quiet since they had initially left for the hospital.

  Something was clearly on his mind, but he couldn't picture what, exactly. Although he could wager a couple of guesses, some he thought of after talking with Mike last night. Even though Karin, Mike, and even Taylor told him not to worry about it, he still couldn't help but get this nagging feeling from the back of his mind. Some weren't afraid to speak their mind, but it wouldn't be right to force another member to come out with their feelings if they weren't ready.

  It wasn’t good to hold it all in and keep to oneself either, though. It wasn’t his business anyway, but if it were to dampen the mood or get in the way of missions…

  Something hit Ryan on the cheek as the two observed the perimeters through the gates. He blinked, placing a hand on his cheek. Another drop of water hit him on the head. He looked up at the gray cloudy sky as more drops of water fell. He, Karin, and Taylor ran back inside, dropping their tools and covering their heads to keep themselves from getting drenched.

  Everyone gathered in the lobby and sighed, watching the rain pour down from outside. Yuna sat up and rubbed her eyes while Mike put the book down and hurried to the closet. He went and handed the rest of the group towels to dry themselves off.

  Taylor headed to the kitchen to grab funnels and empty bottles for the group to use. The rest helped by placing them out by the exit and waiting for them to collect the rainwater from above. They had already brought water from the factory. However, restocking as much as possible didn't hurt, especially in a place like this.

  Once the group finished doing that, they all sat by the windows and closed their eyes. The sound of rain pattering on the concrete continued to play in their heads like a melody. After some time had passed, a soft rumble echoed throughout the area. Ryan opened his eyes and glanced from side to side.

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  “What was that?”

  “Probably a little thunder,” Mike said. “But it’s not close to us, so we shouldn’t need to worry about it.”

  That wasn't enough to convince him. Something didn't feel right. There was that eerie feeling again. Ryan got up from his seat and walked to the front of the window. He squinted his eyes. Forms of shadowy blobs stood and wobbled over from the other side of the gates. If those were what he thought they were...

  “Hey, we did secure all the gates, right?”

  “Of course, you were there with me, after all.” Karin replied.

  “But what are the gates made of? Didn’t you or Mike say that those were more aggressive in the rain? Did we turn on the electricity for—?”

  “Yes, Ryan. This isn’t the first time it’s rained here. A little rain won’t hurt it.”

  “I don’t know...” Yuna said, twiddling her fingers. “Maybe we should at least board up the doors just to be safe.”

  “We still have our bottles outside, though.” Taylor pointed out. “We’ll need to bring those back once they’re full.”

  “Knowing how much it’s raining right now, though, I’d say that’ll take a while,” Karin said, resting on the back of the chair.

  “For now, we’ll need to keep an eye out.”

  “Right, no problem.”

  As Karin said that, the rain poured down harder, and the thunder boomed louder. A feeling of unease soon began to settle within the group. They wasted no time retrieving the funnels and bottles before working together to board up the door with a plank of wood. Everyone stood there in silence, and the sounds continued as unsettling white noise.

  “So...” Yuna muttered, breaking the silence. Normally, she’d be the one to lighten up the mood when things got intense or too quiet, but even she struggled to come up with anything on the spot. “What now?”

  Mike shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess—”

  Boom! Crash! The sounds of thunder startled the group as everyone covered their ears and crouched down. Yuna and Karin screamed as the lights flickered before blacking out, completely enveloping everyone in darkness.