This is the sequel to a previous story, The Burden of Being me and You. I would suggest reading that story first, or nothing will make sense. :) Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the previous story and I welcome and new readers! This story takes place one year after "Burden" ended. I hope you will enjoy the continuation of this universe.

Prologue

Like the rest of the world, downtown Sioux Falls was a wasteland compared to what it used to be. Litter filled the streets, windows were smashed from looters' stray bullets and stalled cars were visible for as far as the eye could see.

It didn't take long for the world to collapse. Lexi remembered this all too clearly. Anyone that took the 'swine flu' vaccine turned into a raging Croat, anyone that those people bit changed as well.

She thought humanity had been doing a decent job at first. There had been shelters placed, television still broadcasted, people were gathering together and protecting one another. They had more than enough bullets to fight off the infected because people caught onto the vaccine. Broadcast television and music went off the radio, to be only filled with news reports and warnings. People stopped going to work, trains, planes and taxis stopped operating.

Eventually, less and less of the news stations continued to report, sometimes news people were attacked in front of the camera, for anyone watching to see. Not that it was a shocking sight, people were getting attacked left and right, starting in the major cities and spreading outwards. The streets were jammed packed which made it easy for Croats and Muggers to attack; farmers abandoned their farms, leaving to food to rot. People were lucky to find cans and boxes of food in the rubble and abandoned stores. Electricity eventually went down all together, with too much damage and no one available to repair it. Even with all this, people were still surviving and fighting.

But then...the demons came. Creatures with black eyes that Lexi first thought were people with a different virus. But these things weren't human at all, they had these...these powers that could lift stuff and start fire...but most of all, those powers could kill.

And that's exactly what the demons did. They disguised themselves as humans by making their eyes seem normal, they pretended to be their friends. They took over a group of people who had gone out to gather some more supplies. Then, their eyes flicked to black and they announced they were demons straight from Hell and that was where the world was going to.

Then they killed. Lexi had been lucky enough to hear rumors of the demons and actually believed them. She noticed that those people in their group had seemed colder, evil almost, and she had taken her son Aiden and ran. Ran like a coward as she heard the rest of her town get shot, stabbed and slaughtered like animals. She even thought she heard the demons release Croats into the crowd, it would make sense, the demons wanted as many Croats running loose as possible.

She had fled to Sioux Falls, Aiden crying and asking countless questions the entire time, questions that Lexi couldn't answer.

Questions like, "Why did you leave Daddy in that room?"

Why had she? She had been too cowardly to try and explain to Mark that these people were evil and they had to leave. She had been afraid that she wouldn't have been able to get to her husband in time, who had been standing on the other side of the room, going over food rations.

They had been near the exit of the library, the building that they had gathered in together to stay safe. How great that worked out.

Lexi had been too worried about saving her own skin. If Aiden had been on the other side of the room, would she have gone after him?

She sure hoped so.

Her cowardice had its consequences, and Lexi was certain that Aiden didn't trust her any longer. He didn't look up to her like he used to. He never said it out loud, but there were moments where the expression on his small face just screamed "You let Daddy die!"

He was right, though, after all.

She had been staying with Aiden alone in Sioux Falls for six months. Six months of watching the same thing happen here that did in her small town. Except there was more. More rioting, killing, demons, everything.

Everything fell apart.

The worst feeling of them all was feeling like she had lost her son. Sure, she hadn't been prepared for motherhood at 17, and she still felt like she was doing everything wrong at 23. She was a terrible mother and an even more horrible wife. She hadn't wanted to get married so young and just because of their son, but both her parents and Mark's pushed it. Mark had loved her but Lexi...while Mark was a good father and a very loving man, he had never been the one for her. Maybe that's why she didn't go after him to try and save him, to for once finally feel free. It was selfish and so horrible and she destroyed Aiden's trust in her for doing so. Not only had he watched his grandmother, Lexi's mother, get bitten and turn, but he had to hear his father die as well.

Lexi was so wrapped in her thoughts that she nearly missed Aiden tugging on her pants.

"Mommy, look." The young boy pointed to a small bookshop that looked just as filthy and destroyed as every other building on the block. "Can I go look for some books?"

They didn't have time for this; they needed to find a grocery store or some place that might have some boxed or canned food. But Lexi had let Aiden down enough, so she reluctantly agreed to go into the bookstore.

"Only for a few minutes Aiden, we need to get some food. Stay near me and don't make any noise."

Aiden grinned and hugged his stuffed dog to his chest, the dog he brought everywhere, the one that Mark had bought for him on his 5th birthday, the last normal birthday he would ever have.

They walked as silently as possible, Lexi scanning the store for any survivors or Croats, it seemed they were alone. Leading Aiden over to the children's section, they had to step over many fallen and dirty books, but there were still a good amount that were untouched on the shelves that hadn't fallen over.

She was hoping Aiden would hurry, but he had a hand on his chin as he squinted at the books like an old, thoughtful man would do. She couldn't suppress her sigh and he picked up individual books and attempted to read each title.

"What do you think of this one, Mommy?" Aiden held up a book with pictures of farm animals on it but she barely glanced at it. They had to leave, nowhere was safe.

"It's good, come on, let's go now." She grabbed Aiden's arm and spun around, but in her haste she didn't look where she was walking. An opened book was on the ground, the pages facing up and she slipped on it, bringing Aiden down with her and knocking over a chair in the process.

The groans and growls started almost immediately. Lexi didn't know where they were coming from, but they sounded like they were inside the store so she did the first thing that came to mind, she jumped up with Aiden and ran to the door.

She was well ahead of the Croats, who seemed to be rather slow, and thought they were home free...

As soon as they got outside, a Croat came bolting from the left and knowing that the monster was going to grab onto one of them, it was much too fast, she shoved Aiden roughly ahead of her just in time for the Croat to run into her.

Falling to the ground with the snarling beast on top of her, Lexi struggled wildly, she felt pain but didn't stop to think of what it meant, all that mattered was that she get her knife out and overpower the thing pinning her down.

Thinking quickly, Lexi brought her elbow down on the monster's head as it went to bite at her throat, distracting it for only a second.

But it was long enough for her to pull out her knife and stab the thing in the eye. It growled one last time and then its disgusting body fell limply on top of her.

Pushing the body off, Lexi felt a sharp pain slicing through her left arm. As Aiden ran over to her, tears streaming down his face, she took a look at her limb to see...

A bite. Somewhere in the struggle the thing had bitten her. She was dead. In hours she would be the very thing that just attacked her.

In a way, she figured she deserved it after all. It was a miracle she survived this long.

Her son's weak whimpering and the groans from the slow Croats in the bookstore brought her out of her shock. She was dead, and Aiden most likely would be without her, but he at least deserved a shot. Maybe he'd get lucky and some hunters would find him, the people who were experienced at killing these and all other types of monsters. That would be Aiden's best shot. It was slim, but at least he'd have a chance.

The thing was, she had to make him let her go, no matter how harsh she may have to be.

She grabbed her son's hand, realizing how small and fragile he felt in that moment. He'd never make it. She should kill him now and spare him the misery of being ripped apart by a Croat.

No, no, she couldn't do that. There could still be hope for him. But first thing, she had to bring him somewhere safe. After running a few blocks, Lexi spotted a small coffee shop on a corner and rushed inside. She had to break this news to him quickly, who knew when she would turn?

She knelt down behind the counter, body already starting to feel weak and sluggish, beginning to fail. "Aiden, sweetie, you're going to have to go on your own now, I got bit." She quickly showed the boy her wound. "I'm not going to make it so it's up to you, okay?"

Immediately, tears started streaming down Aiden's face. "But...but you said there could be a cure! It's been a long time Mommy, maybe there's one now."

Lexi shook her head, frustrated. "No Aiden, there's not. The same thing is going to happen to me that happened to grandma. We can't stop it. You've got to hide here and look for anyone that comes by so they can help you, do you understand?"

Aiden just kept sniffling. "But Mommy! Don't leave me please! I'm scared."

Anger flowing through her, Lexi raised her voice as much as she dared, her voice cold. "You stay here and don't follow me! I don't want you anywhere near me! Now stay here and shut up until someone comes by!" It killed her to talk like this to her son, but it was the only way he'd listen.

Aiden dropped to the floor, sitting there and clutching his stuffed dog. "Go away! I hate you! You made daddy die and now you will too!"

Those were the words she knew all along, her son hated her and now...now she was getting what she deserved. Forcing herself to look away from her son, Lexi turned and ran out of the building, determined to get as far as she could before she turned.

Weep not for roads untraveled

Weep not for paths left alone

'Cause beyond every bend

Is a long blinding end

It's the worst kind of pain I've known