It took the group a few hours to set everything up. First, they raided Erin's supplies and took as many pills for Don as they could. They also took some clothes and enough food to get them to Novosibirsk. Then they contacted Unbound, and let him know what they had learned. Normally it would've been impossible to get a signal out there, but Erin had had a satellite tower built into the walls of the building.
Finally, they found as many flammable substances as they could find, then spread them all over the building. Once everyone was safely outside, Jordan lit the match, then high-tailed it out of there.
"We'll find her someday, too," said Don as they watched the funeral pyre. "Right?"
Nobody replied. Each one was dealing with their own issues.
Dean had learned nothing about his brother, and found out his lover was an ancient banshee with a sadistic streak.
Jordan had been forced to let a strange man touch her again. She came out stronger than before, but still needed some time to process everything.
Lan had been asleep for most of it, then got herself possessed by an evil genius. Her brain hurt a lot, as did her pride.
Sean was trying to ignore the voices which continued urging him to feed, knowing he would be a threat to everyone around him if he gave in.
It hadn't been a fun trip for anyone involved.
Things only got worse when the intensity of the snow increased.
Sean took one whiff of the cold air, and knew what was happening. "We can't rest yet."
The group turned around, and came face to face with Dimitri, Val and Shen.
It was Dean's first time seeing his brother. Dimitri himself had never actually stared into the other's eyes. Both the similarities and differences were there, on full display. Both were tall, blond, blue-eyed and handsome, but Dean had a certain type of passion about him, whereas Dimitri looked like a fresh corpse.
As the two brothers stared each other down, Val and Don got into a similar position, but with a lot more animosity.
Shen and Jordan both looked ready to run.
"We need to talk," Dean finally said, not backing down from the blizzard.
Dimitri nodded, then started walking away.
"I'm going with you," Sean stated, leaving no room for a question.
Dean protested, "I can take care of myself."
"No, you can't; Not against him."
"I'm not asking you, Sean."
"I'm not giving you the chance to, Dean."
A massive wall of ice erupted between the two, separating them. Dimitri had done it without even raising his hands, proving himself far stronger now that he was in cold weather. "If anyone interrupts us, I'll kill you all."
"Don't worry, Dim," said Val, smirking as she took a confident step forward. "I'll keep them all here."
"Or die trying," Don added, then whispered to Jordan, "Be ready to mess her up as soon as it looks like I might lose."
Dimitri and Dean strolled away, as the fight between Val and Don broke out. Sean tried to get in between them, but his bloodlust nearly sent him after Don, after which he backed away.
The girl sent small explosions across the snow as Don ran across it. "I've been touching the shit out of this place while we waited for you pansies to finally show some sort of weakness. You ain't beating me a second time, you punk."
Using the smoke as a cover, Don became one with the snow.
"Think I don't know what happened?" Val mocked. "You just became a bug or something else that I can't see. Well, I can just blow everything to hell!" She detonated a few more bombs, and Don's now snowy body kept melting under them. Still, all he needed to do to recover was move to an area with more snow, then use it to replace the body parts he'd lost.
Finally, he got closer to her, and was ready to take her out.
Then the Asian boy behind her pulled a gun out of his pocket and slammed it unto her head. Val crashed like a pile of rocks, unconscious.
Don rose back from the snow, confused. "Another traitor? Omen really needs to keep a better leash on his lackeys."
Shen shook his head. "He's been torturing me for weeks now. There's no way he didn't see this coming. Val's probably disposable."
"Or this is all planned out so you'd be able to gain our trust," Lan countered, extending her hand. "Come closer; Let me take a good look at you."
The boy pointed the gun at her. "Move and you're dead." Once he was satisfied that the group would obey, he continued, "I'm leaving this mess behind, too. I have a place to go. You're not gonna do a thing to stop me."
"And why would we do that?" asked Don.
Shen pulled back the sleeve of the arm that had the gun in it, and a green liquid started oozing out of his skin. "Take this into your body, and your vapor becomes stronger. That's what John used when you fought him before. Omen's found a way to make it better since then. Said he had some super unique scientist working on it."
Don gestured toward the burning remnants of the building behind him. "That was her lab."
"Don't care. She doesn't matter; Omen does. He's as strong as Unbound, so taking the drug will put him on top." He took a vial out of his pocket, filled with a similar substance to the one oozing out of his arm. "This will let Unbound match him. Your call if you'll use it or not. I want Omen to suffer, but I want to survive more. I'll be hiding until you beat him."
Don tried the logical approach. "See the Asian girl behind me? She can confirm whether or not you're lying."
"No," Shen replied firmly, removing the safety. "You're not coming anywhere near me." He was clearly starting to lose his cool. "Take the vial, or don't. The choice is yours. I'm done with this regardless."
He was so out of it that he didn't even notice Sean had moved to stand behind him. The man seemingly gave the boy's head a gentle boop, and Shen fell down next to Val. "They're still criminals." Criminals who smelled delicious. Still, he wouldn't let himself eat even them.
"One of whom can't be held captive anywhere," Don reminded them all as he got dressed. "Val has to die."
Jordan normally would have protested, calling it illegal and wrong, but given the things she had seen lately, she was fine with it. "Do it fast, yeah?"
Sean did. He bent down, took the girl's neck, then snapped it in one swift motion.
It was Lan's time to shine. She walked up to Shen, put her hand on his head, then opened her third eye.
The inside of his mind was far more chaotic than she had expected. Most people's inner worlds were their house, or some simple grassland. Shen's, however, was a room with pure-white walls. He was strapped to a table, completely naked, surrounded by doctors. They poked, cut, drilled and saw his body over and over again, removing layer after layer of skin. Every time they opened him up, he put himself back together, which was natural, as this wasn't his actual body.
"You weren't lying, huh?" Lan said, more to herself than him. She liked to talk shit a lot, but she genuinely thought of herself as the softest member of Helter Skelter. Looking at one of the people who've been working on killing her friends, she felt nothing but sympathy.
Lan used her vapor to tear the room away. She locked the doctor's in a box, destroying their tools. After that, she took Shen to a safer place. In a moment, the two were sitting in front of a fireplace, each in their own armchair.
"T-Thanks," the boy, who was probably only a year or two younger than her, muttered, eyes still wide with fear.
"You won't be remembering any of those things," she told him. "You also can't lie to me here. Are the things you told us out there true?"
Shen nodded. "Please. I - I just want to feel safe again."
It was the goal of every esper on the planet.
Lan snapped her fingers, then left the boy's mind, leaving him in front of that cozy fireplace.
"You okay?" asked Don. She knew he's been worrying ever since he learned of her third eye. She even contemplated telling him about her past again.
"Let him go; It was the truth."
Don took the vial from Shen's loose hand, then pocketed it. "You don't like using your vapor, do you?"
Lan didn't respond. Instead, she clutched the hem of her pants, trying to steady her heartbeat. She hated the way it sped up whenever Don showed concern.
"We should go check on Dean, ya'll," Jordan then said, reminding them of the third ZONE member they had to deal with.