Dana didn't approve of the whole thing, but the kid had nowhere to go.

His family, slaughtered like pigs in the mass horde of the Infected. I saw them, the horror I've grown used to; But this one was different. Seeing a child, crying his poor eyes out while he watches his mother being torn apart by two Hunters...Now that was something I couldn't get out of my head. It belonged there, like the memories I've consumed.

Only this one...This memory I didn't have to obtain by beating the sense out of humans, then greedily consuming their bodies. This one I saw, this one...I was there, in body and in mind, not just one. His tear-stained face made me want to grab him and put an end to his life, that brat...I can't have emotions like those...Sadness, fear, happiness. Since when did I ever experience those?

Never. Never in my existence have I ever felt such a thing. And he had it all, he had it...

And I couldn't take that away from him just because of that sole reason. It was inhuman...Just like me.

How ironic.

I can still feel my teeth ache from when I grounded them, seeing the boy use his emotions so freely, when mine come out so awkward and wrong. How dare he.

But no, I enclosed them, my emotions of hate and jealousy. Greed and just a tinge of lust.

You could say I had all of the seven sins.

And as I started towards him, as a Hunter began to lunge, I wanted to stop right there. Right there and laugh like the evil bastard I was, the boy would cry out and scream for his mommy and daddy, but they were already dead.

But no, I lunged right at the Hunter, hatred seething from me as I transformed, the blade weapon as my choice. Oh, how the feel of it cutting through the Hunter's flesh...Enticing. Ripped it right in two, and as it fell to the ground the blood splattered all over me. It felt so much like an aphrodisiac, I wanted to lose control right there and go for the boy's throat.

But I didn't. Instead I turned to the frightened boy, covered in blood, and knelt down to comfort him. He soiled his pants, but I didn't say anything. Instead I just looked at his frightened face, begging not to be killed.

Somehow, I understood the boy on a level, but not that much. I didn't want to be killed either, but the boy was so fragile...His life was more vulnerable to waste. More than mine...

And right there I knew that I had to protect him, though his free emotions would send me to the brink of jealousy.

I had to protect this boy no matter what.

"Alex, you know he can't stay for long." Dana said, her eyes narrowing as I cleaned the boy, looking at the fresh pair of clothing I stole from a local thrift-way shop. The boy was still frightened, his murmurs of "Where's daddy?" and "Can I go home?" bothered me. I still felt the gnashing pang of guilt in me. I should have killed him; Took him in an alleyway and tore his heart right out of the chest cavity. But as I cleaned the boy's dirtied face, his bright blue eyes looking straight at me, the thoughts melted away. I felt warm on the inside. Warm and fuzzy...Strange, I never felt that way before. It was odd and alien-like. I felt so...Naked. Didn't like it, so I turned the boy's head around, scrubbing the back of his dirty neck.

"He needs somewhere to stay." I replied, keeping my eyes away from Dana's glare. If there was one thing that I couldn't handle, it was Dana's stare-downs. Somehow...huh...She always seemed to win.

Women.

As I cleaned of the kid's back, Dana kept staring at me. Glaring at me. I wanted to smack her across the face and tell her to go somewhere else. I wasn't in the mood for her, or anyone else for that fact. Finally she turned and left to her room. Thank God.

The boy turned his head to look at me, his big blue eyes still stained with the fear of seeing his parents die. I felt pity for him, and yet I wanted to strangle him with his own guts. He had a family; A mother and a father, someone to take care of him and hold him when he cried, or kissed his wounds whenever he got a boo-boo.

Noone was ever there when I got boo-boos.

Wait, what am I talking about? Ugh, this kid...He's gotten to me. I wringed out the dirty washcloth and looked at him. He was still staring at me. I turned away to pick up the clothes, feeling a bit relieved. I tossed them at him and said, "Put them on. I'll be back." As I was heading out the door, I felt a tug at my jacket. It was the kid.

"P-Please..." His voice cut through me like a knife. It was heartbreaking, and yet his voice, so full of sadness...It crashed inside of me like a crack of lightning. I turned around and patted his back.

"D-Don't...l-leave m-m-" He said, trying to put his clothes on. I sighed and helped him.

"I'll be back, I promise."

"Please! Please!" He clung to me and started to cry. It was disgusting; His tears stained my jacket, his little hands clinging to me with all his might, desperate not to let go. I wanted his tears so I could cry. I deserved them...For what all I had experienced. I wanted to crawl into a corner and die. Instead I was forced to live in this hell, this nightmare that would live on forever. The voices, crying, begging, tormenting me. I wanted solace...Peace...Was this boy the key to it all?

No. That was stupid to say. How could a little boy be the key to all this? Bull.

I hesitated for a moment, not knowing what was worse: The kid's crying, or the crap I'll hear from Dana if I left. Only one choice.

I grabbed the boy and lifted him off the ground. He stopped crying, thank God, but he stared at me with those eyes. I cradled him in my arms; The feeling disgusted me and made me want to wash myself, but I still held him in my arms. A quiet, solemn moment passed before he calmed down and nuzzled into my jacket. I wanted to slam him into the ground right then and there. Beat him until he would be a bloody lump on the hardwood floor. Instead, I just...Held him.

"It'll...It'll be alright," I whispered, into his ear. "You'll stay here with me. Nothing will happen to you. For now, I'll be out for a bit, but I'll promise I'll come back, m'kay?"

The kid looked up at me and nodded, the blank look on his face told me he understood. I brushed his hazel brown hair back and smiled, releasing him. He retreated to the couch and plopped on it, his head popping out from behind the arm rest. I waved, he waved back, and then I took my leave.

I wonder to myself: Should I have left the kid there, under the brutality of the Hunters?

I shook my head of the thought, frowning. "No," I said to myself. "It's just...Inhumane."

Like me.