3:54 PM

Ace awoke on the soccer field with the other people, who passed the time by talking and kicking a ball around. Even in the violence people were trying to find normalcy.

He was awoken by Fenton, who had slept only for a short time, still paranoid, even in his dreams.

“We need to get out of here,” he pleaded. “We can’t stay in the same place for long.”

Ace lay on the ground, refusing to move.

“Let me die,” Ace whispered. “I’ll be-” Fenton punched him in the face and Ace shouted.

“What the fuck,” he screamed.

“I could say the same to you! You’re going to say that kind of stuff after your dad died protecting us!?”

“It's not fair!”

“Life isn’t fair,” Fenton spat. “Your girlfriend killed people and she stuck us inside this fucking thing!”

“Don-”

“No,” Fenton continued. “You don’t get to feel sorry for yourself when I’ve worried if you were alive for a month when it was all your dad could talk about. Don’t say anything.”

Ace stood up and punched him back. Fenton’s nose bled and they started to hit each other, punching hard and not going easy on the other. Ace broke Fenton’s nose and Fenton made Ace bite onto his tongue, blood dribbling down his mouth.

“I lost everything,” Ace screamed. He punched Fenton in the gut and he fell to the ground.

“Stop,” he rasped.

Ace kicked him in the leg and Fenton grunted.

“I lost my son! My wife! My dad! In one day! Don’t tell me to be quiet!”

“What are you talking about,” Fenton screamed. “Are you crazy?”

Ace’s breathing slowed down and he finally stopped hitting Fenton. He realized that he was older, but for everyone, it was only about a month.

“I’m sorry. You didn’t know, you couldn’t have,” Ace said. “I was gone a lot longer than everyone thought I was.”

Fenton sat up and wiped the blood off of his face using his cape. After his short nap, his ability could work again, and all he saw on Ace was blue mixed with black.

Grief.

“I have to tell you something. Don’t tell anyone else,” Ace said.

For about twenty minutes Fenton listened to Ace tell him the most incredulous story he heard in his life. That a watch had sent him back, brought him into the present time, and that he had an entire life.

He had a wife, a son, and a meddling father-in-law. A business, and was respected by others. It was hard for him to be back here after he finally had accepted his new home.

“I’m sorry about your son,” Fenton said.

“He’s long dead…. There’s nothing I can do….I don’t blame my dad for what he did. I would have done the same for mine.”

Fenton stood up wobbly and bloody.

“Let’s get out of here,” Fenton said. “I have a car. Let’s forget the fight, and everything, and just try to escape.”

Fenton extended his hand, and Ace grabbed it, all their fighting resolved and forgotten.

“You can’t drive,” Ace said.

“Who the fuck is going to stop me,” Fenton grinned. “The police?” They snickered and made their way for the northern parking lot.

As they walked towards the main building, someone was running at them. Fast. Ace tensed up and assumed a fighting stance, but the man simply ran up to him and hugged him.

“Ace,” Levi shouted. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and Ace barely recognized him.

“Leviathan,” he asked. “Is it you? Your hair is black...”

Levi nodded and hugged him even tighter, the air escaping his lungs.

“Let go,” Ace rasped. “Hurts.”

Levi let go and he was overcome with emotions, talking fast and trying to get out everything he had to say. John ran up from behind, grinning as well.

“Nice to see you too,” Levi shouted. He gave Fenton a hard pat on the back and he grunted.

“Fen. There’s Ace,” John gestured to Ace. “How is he here? Isn’t he dead?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ace replied. He put on the biggest smile on his face, trying to feign happiness. The dead had risen, a teacher had exploded, and monsters made of body parts roamed. All this had happened, and Ace was annoyed that this is what bothered John the most.

“Yes, let’s just be happy he’s here,” Levi smiled.

Fenton could see a lot of bright colors and John could smell the pheromones of mating, and they both felt like they had walked in on them.

“ I’ve missed you so much,” Levi said.

“You, you missed me,” Ace exclaimed.

“I, I think I’ve been too mean to you over the years…”

Levi’s pale face turned red, and he mumbled some things under his breath that Ace couldn’t understand.

“Is he okay,” John asked.

“He’s fine,” Fenton replied. “Just emotionally stunted.”

“When this is over, I want to tell you something important,” Levi said.

“Just tell me now. What if we don’t make it? We’ve almost died so many times today!”

“I, I don’t want to tell you and have none of it matter,” Levi whispered. “That would be too hard.”

He noticed John and Fenton, boring holes into him with stares.

“You guys need a room,” Fenton asked.

“No,” Levi barked. “Shut up!”

Ace was grateful that Levi was now back to normal. Seeing him red and flustered was strange, and he started to recall the night on the Andromeda when they spoke alone in the hallway. He started to think that maybe Levi was interested in him, but soon the thought vanished, as he learned something new.

“Have either of you seen the others,” John asked. “We’re trying to find Mary Jane, her brother, and the rest of the team.”

“Who’s Mary Jane,” Ace asked.

“Levi’s girlfriend,” John replied.

“You have a girlfriend,” Ace said in awe. “What girl would tolerate you that long?”

Levi scowled and punched him in the shoulder.

“Shut up,” Levi hissed. “All of you just shut up. Let’s find them and get the hell out of here! Let’s go to the Training Center.”

Levi and John went with Fenton and Ace to the northern parking lot.

“It’s still here,” Fenton said in surprise. “The car!”

“Why would it not be here,” John asked.

“Everything burned to the ground, died, or died and came back, John.”

“Good point..."

They all piled into the car, and then Levi suddenly realized something,

“Can, can you drive,” he asked.

“Nope,” Fenton declared. “Buckle up.”

Everyone made sure to wear their seatbelts, especially since the Jeep had no doors, and Fenton wobbled around like a drunk man due to his sudden growth spurt. Fenton’s eyes glowed and the car took off, screeching through the streets.

“Oh man,” Ace grinned. “This is amazing.”

Without using his hands Fenton controlled the steering wheel and the wheels with his mind. Levi gripped the upholstery and John cheered as they sailed down the road.

Slowly, a large white crane came into view. The closer they got, the more they realized it was not a construction crane, but a skeleton. The skeleton of an Argentinasaurous that Deceit had stolen from a nearby museum.

“Pull over,” Levi screamed.

“No!”

Fenton went faster, the smell of rubber in the air.

“Slow down,” Ace screamed.

“Never,” Fenton bellowed. “No one’s listened to me all night! I’m not dying!”

The slow, calcified beast turned and made its way, following them down the road. It left cracks on the road, and the ground shook and swayed underneath his weight. Fenton kept going, ignoring their protests until the Training Center and dorm complex were in view.

“Don’t go to the center! You’ll just lead him to it,” Levi screamed.

It was too late. Deceit could see everything through her monsters, and now she knew where Ace was. She sat underneath the willow tree, shivering with excitement.

Don’t kill him. You can kill the others.

Fenton didn’t slow down until they arrived at the entrance of the Training Center complex. He had to slow down, as there were people walking and running all over.

“Where did they all come from? They need to leave or else they’re going to die,” Ace said.

“We’ve been going out and bringing people back,” John explained. “The armory keeps us safe and the row of dorms at the front gives us a sight advantage.”

“Maybe we can fight it off,” Levi said.

“Yeah, I mean, it's already dead, how hard can it be,” Ace replied.

The murderous skeleton swung its head down low and tore up the street. Pipes and fire hydrants burst against the force of his skull, and his neck left deep ridges in the sidewalk. Streetlights fell over, leaving exposed wires and sparks flying in the air. One of them landed right next to Johnny and Tetsuya. Tetsuya froze up, but Johnny pushed him out of the way, and they just missed getting struck by an inch.

Not everyone else could be that lucky. With no stomach, the monster killed for pleasure instead of food, smacking its head against whoever was closest.

“It’s my time,” Johnny screamed.

Ace heard him from across the street and looked at him, wondering if the nights of chaos were finally getting to people.

“I’ve always known this was what I was meant to be,” Johnny exclaimed.

“No. Don’t say it. Please, Johnny.”

“A kaiju!”

“Our teachers were right,” Ace told Fenton. “They really do let anyone in here these days.”

Johnny took Tetsuya’s hand and Tetsuya was about to run away, but it was too late. He had already started to grow. Johnny had never gotten this big before, and he had trouble stopping once he started.

He worried he would hit the dome, but thankfully after lots of grunting, he stopped and towered above the complex. People screamed at the towering, naked, and hairy young man.

Tetsuya sunk his claws into Johnny’s hand, big enough to hold an entire building. They were so high up, he was afraid to fall, as it would surely mean his death. He climbed up the side of Johnny’s arm and hid inside his hair, a blonde forest with hills of dandruff.

Johnny lumbered on over to the beast, and screamed, his hot breath killing the nearby birds.

The battle of the kaiju had begun.