• Slowly but surely, Emily, Ian, Michael, Yvette and Gina made their way to Illinois. At first, they traveled in an armored van they'd found, but it eventually got saturated with their scent and they had to abandon it. So they learned to get a new way of transportation every three days or so. And they passed into Illinois after five days of driving all day. Currently they were in an old silver mini van, and Michael was driving. When the sun started to get lower in the sky they were just passing through a small neighborhood.

    "We should find a small house to stay in," Emily suggested, Yvette's head resting in her lap.

    "Yeah, okay," Michael agreed, pulling over a small one-story, green house.

    "Yvette, sweetie, wake up," Emily whispered. Yvette opened her eyes instantly, revealing her beautiful gray eyes. "We're stopping for the night." She sat up slowly and yawned.

    "How much longer 'till we reach Rainbow?" she asked through a huge yawn.

    "About one more day, and we'll be right at their door," Emily told her.

    Ian, who was in the back, kissed her on the head and then leaned back and said, "Yeah, and we can finally find out what caused all this."

    Michael got out of the car and grabbed his guns and cocked both of them. "Let's sweep the house." They spent a good long twenty minutes looking through the house, making sure they were no zombies. When it was clear, they went inside and boarded the place up, locking themselves up.

    But things went wrong. When Ian was outside, making sure the boards were secure, a helicopter landed near there. Everyone else rushed outside, but when they reached the door, Ian was already grabbed, gagged, and shoved into the helicopter. "If you want your new friend back, Emily, you'll know where to find us," someone shouted into a megaphone. As the helicopter flew away, you could see the Rainbow insignia on its side.

    "No!" Yvette screeched, running after the copter.

    "Yvette! Stop!" Michael yelled, running after her. The sun was just setting, and only a little glimmer of light was still visible.

    Yvette cried herself to sleep in Emily's lap that night as her, Michael, and Gina were talking strategy. "We need to get Ian back first priority. The information isn't as important as him," Gina was saying.

    "Yes," Emily agreed, "and we need to hurry. Knowing Rainbow, something is bound to happen to him."

    "But how do we get in?" Michael asked.

    "Well, all Rainbow facilities are basically the same in design. So, we'll get in the way I got out. Through the air ducts," a smile cracked over all of their lips as they looked at each other.

    The next day they set out bright and early. Gina was in the driver's seat, Michael was looking at a map in the front seat, and Emily was petting Yvette's hair, trying to comfort her and quiet her sobs. "How long have they been together?" she asked after Yvette had fallen asleep.

    "Since before this thing started five months ago," Gina answered. "I was one of their teachers at school, so I've known them since freshman year when they were fifteen. Even them they were together."

    "That's so sad," Emily whispered, running her fingers through Yvette's hair.

    "What about you?" Michael asked. "Where were you before all this?"

    "I was taken from my home when I was eighteen, so I've been stuck with Rainbow for two years before I escaped. Before that, I was planning on going to Penn University. But, plans change, I'm sure you've noticed." And there was no more talking in the car the rest of the day after that.

    <> <> <>