A/N: I hope everyone is keeping safe in these crazy times. Enjoy.

Chapter Twenty: El Vino

There had been a bell to signify dinner, an odd formality given the current state of the world, but it had been enough to bring everyone together. The table had been set for nine, with enough bowls and plates for at least two courses. Lumen eyed the bottles of wine and baskets of fresh-baked bolillos set in the middle of the table; steam still rising from them, carrying with it the delicious, warm smell of freshly-baked bread. If she hadn't been so adamant about Chris participating, and at the risk of looking like a hypocrite, Lumen would have been fine nabbing a bottle and basket and making off for some quiet corner on her own to enjoy her alcohol and carbs in peace.

Madison and Travis appeared, standing on opposite sides of the tables with an odd air of tension between them. Alicia made her way into the room carrying a pot of something that smelled deliciously of meat, tomato, and spices. The heat of the chili hit Lumen's nose as Alicia passed by and she found herself changing her mind about abandoning the sit-down. At this point, she doubted her stomach would have let her.

A woman appeared with a large dish of what looked like baked enchiladas, then another came carrying a bowl of colorful, chopped salad. Driven more by her stomach than anything, Lumen took the seat closest to her, too tired by this point to bother offering to lend a hand with the food. Feeling the chair beside her move out, she looked up and smiled at Nick, who rested a hand on her shoulder as he took in the lavish spread. It certainly beat a dead eel, as admittedly tasty as that had been (though perhaps that had more to do with their limited choices out at sea, rather than the actual taste).

There had been a pause before the meal, once everyone in the room had taken their seats, when the three empty chairs became glaringly obvious. Lumen stared down at the one beside Travis, wondering if Chris had chosen to ignore her advice after all. Even if he did decide to show, leaving it to the last minute wouldn't do him any favors. All eyes would be on him the moment he entered the room; no chance of a subtle entrance. It was then, too, that Lumen realized the seat was directly across from Alicia. She was beginning to get the feeling that this sit-down dinner wasn't going to last long. But, hey, at least there was wine.

Ofelia took her seat beside Alicia, glancing at the spot set beside her, which had been meant for her father. She seemed worried.

"Daniel not joining us?" Madison asked, catching on to the younger woman's concern.

Ofelia tacked on a smile. "He's just getting settled," she replied, "He'll be up in a little bit."

Madison nodded but didn't look completely convinced.

Lumen caught Ofelia's gaze, but the other woman quickly glanced away. Part of her had thought the ninth seat had been set for Strand, who would have naturally completed their party, though it seemed ridiculous that he would abandon his lover's death bed for something as trivial as a dinner. It hadn't occurred to her that there might have been a different dinner guest in mind.

When Celia appeared, she took in the scene with a satisfied smile, seeing that they were all seated and comfortable. She reached the head of the table, hands clasping the wooden backrest of her seat, then glanced down at the empty seat to her right, then at the one at the other end of the table.

"We are missing two?" she asked, looking around at the expectant faces of her guests.

Lumen glanced back towards the hallway that looked out onto the courtyard and led down to their rooms, hoping to see Chris making a late appearance. The hallway was empty.

"He's, uh…" Travis began, failing to come up with a polite excuse for his son.

"He wasn't feeling one hundred percent. Long journey. He might join us later," Madison answered for him, having had the practice with her own son.

Celia eyed them for a moment, and Lumen got the distinct feeling from watching her that the woman could see straight through the lie. Then a gracious smile appeared on Celia's face once more and she finally took her seat. Hungry as they all were, the moment she was seated everyone reached for whatever food was closest to them, only to drop their hands back down again as the woman began to speak. Unbothered, Lumen took a bite out of the warm bolillo she had managed to nab.

"Señor Abigail sends his sincerest apologies that he is unable to dine with you tonight, and insisted that I do so in his stead," she explained, "It is a welcome change to have so many guests in the house. It's nice to see so many fresh faces." She glanced around at each of them, pausing to exchange a smile with Nick, then lingering a moment on Lumen's skeptical expression as the soldier continued to chew on her mouthful of bread. She then continued, "I believe, particularly in times such as these, that it is important to keep close those we hold dear, and to cherish whatever time we may have left with them."

Lumen's thoughts went to Luis, the image of him bleeding out on the deck flashing through her mind as Celia's ominous words hung over the room. They stared down at the food in front of them, their hunger ebbing away ever so slightly from the unwanted reminder of those they had each lost. Then Celia straightened in her chair, smiling humbly once more.

"Now, eat! I know you have traveled a long distance to be here. You all must be hungry! A guest will never go hungry under this roof," she said, with good-humor," At least not while I am around." The warmth of her words seemed to break them out of their momentary dark lapse, and soon there was chatter around the table, and the familiar clatter of cutlery on dishes.

As she reached to grab herself a serving of the salad, Lumen glanced back at the hallway and saw Chris standing in the doorway, freshly showered and looking lost. She realized he hadn't purposely been avoiding them – he probably hadn't heard the bell over the running water.

"Ah, the last of our party!" Celia greeted, before Lumen could so much as offer him a smile. Lumen cringed at the teen's startled expression as all eyes were drawn to him. "Come, join us," Celia went on.

Glancing from Lumen to his father, Chris made his way towards the only empty seat left and froze when he saw who he would be sitting across from. Alicia didn't meet his gaze, purposely looking away. He glanced down at the only other seat available, but there was no way of moving towards it without making himself obvious. Swallowing back his nerves, Chris sat across from his step-sister. He stared down at his empty plate, only looking up when Alicia leaned across to Madison and whispered something in her ear. Madison's eyes flicked to Chris, then Travis, then to her daughter. She shook her head and Alicia sat back, looking defeated. She didn't touch her food again, her appetite suddenly abandoning her.

Nick and Lumen took all of this in from the other end of the table, observing quietly as they ate, both too hungry to want to risk partaking in the drama and ruining their first chance of a decent meal since they had left LA. As she was helping herself to another bite of enchilada, Lumen caught Nick reaching for the nearest bottle of wine and automatically snatched it out of his reach.

He frowned. "Really?"

"Really," she deadpanned. She glanced down the table and caught Madison watching them. Madison said nothing and returned her attention to her meal. Shaking the odd, awkward feeling she had gotten from having her interaction with Nick observed at such close proximity, Lumen poured herself a glass of the red, hoping it might take the edge off. She was sure to place it across the table, out of Nick's reach once more, smiling at the unappreciative look he threw her way.

As Celia helped herself to a serving of enchiladas, she glanced at the teenagers on either side of the table with their morose expressions and untouched food. But before she could say anything, Madison quickly stepped in.

"How long have you been working for the Abigails?"

As the two mothers talked, the others continued their meals in silence, with the exception of Alicia. She had picked up her fork again but only toyed with the food, showing little intention of actually eating it.

Lumen was pleased to see, once Travis had put food on his plate for him, that Chris had finally picked up his cutlery and started to eat. The teen's hunger seemed to get the better of him as he managed to ignore his step-sister's attitude radiating across from him and focus on the meal Celia had put together for them.

Alicia rose abruptly from her chair with a loud scrape of wood on tile. Everyone paused mid-bite to look up at her. She turned to Celia to offer a quick apology before striding off towards the hallway.

"Alicia!" Madison called after her, but the girl was quickly out of sight.

Chris had stopped eating. His face was set in a sorrowful expression as his grip tightened on his knife and fork. He seemed to think things over, then tossed the cutlery down on his plate, and without a word took off towards the kitchen for the sanctuary of the open courtyard and whatever lay beyond it. It had been a stupid idea to even try in the first place.

Lumen sat back in her chair with a sigh, sipping on her glass of wine, suddenly regretting ever getting involved.

"I'm sorry," Ofelia said, getting to her feet, "I need to check on my father."

Lumen's eyes followed her as she left the room, then drifted back to the three remaining at the other end of the table. Celia sat looking unimpressed by the turn of events, while Madison and Travis appeared embarrassed by their respective child's behavior. There was a brief attempt to continue on with the meal, whether out of courtesy or genuine appreciation for the decent spread of food, but it was soon abandoned as the parents found themselves unable to ignore their concern any longer.

"I should go check on Chris," Travis said, quietly; though given the silence in the room, it was still heard by all. He looked over at Celia. "I'm so sorry."

"It's quite alright," she assured him, "I've raised teenagers of my own, Thomas included. I remember how it was. Go to your children. Make sure they're okay. It can't have been an easy adjustment for them to make, coming here."

"Thank you," Madison told her, as she joined Travis in getting to their feet. She glanced in Nick's direction before she left, but for once he was the child of least concern.

There was an awkward silence as the final three diners glanced around at each other. Just as Lumen was considering snagging the bottle of wine and making an exit of her own, Nick piped up, "We'll help clean up." He smiled as he heard the sigh from beside him.

"I'm pretty sure they have people for this, Nick. You know, all the people in white walking around looking like they've just flown over the cuckoo's nest?"

Nick chuckled but continued to scrub the baking dish that had only moments ago held enchiladas. "We're their guests."

"Exactly, so shouldn't we be relaxing?"

"There'll be time for that."

He handed her the clean tray and she proceeded to dry it with an increasingly-damp dish towel.

"What's going on with Chris and Alicia?" he asked, picking up a couple of glasses and rinsing them under the tap.

Lumen considered how much to tell him. It seemed odd holding anything back from him at this point; he knew things about her – her brother's death, for instance – that even her squadmates hadn't known.

"There was a little…'misunderstanding'."

"What kind of misunderstanding?" he frowned, side-eying her suspiciously at her careful tone.

She scratched at the back of her head, scrunching her mouth to the side as she considered her words.

"Lumen? What kind of misunderstanding?" Nick pushed, getting the distinct impression that she was toning down the severity for his sake.

She leaned back against the counter and sighed. "Look, Alicia seems to be under the impression that he…That he didn't help your mom out on purpose, back at the church."

"What?"

"One of the infected fell on her and he…hesitated."

Nick's frown deepened. "Hesitated? Okay, so what?"

"So, your sister now thinks Chris wants Madison dead."

She was pleased to see the wildly skeptical expression that crossed his face. "That doesn't sound right. Why would he want that?"

"I don't know. Ask your sister. She's the one making the accusations." She took the dripping glasses he handed over to her and popped one down on the counter before proceeding to dry the other. "Your mom, she's never seemed, I don't know, kind of weird towards Chris?"

He threw her a look. "From what I was around to see? No. She always encouraged him to come over and stay. Since my room was usually free."

Lumen nodded.

"You know you don't have to solve everyone's problems, right?" Nick said to her, only half-joking. "Let my mom and Travis sort this out." He looked over at her again, but he could see the distant look in her eyes. She was deep in thought. Lumen could feel herself growing antsy already without any clear direction. She had never been good at the whole 'down time' thing.

"How is this your problem?"

"Honestly? I feel like I've led him down whatever path he's on. Intentionally or not."

"I've spent more time with you than he has, and I'm not-"

"What? Plotting your step-parent's murder?" Lumen joked.

"All I'm saying is, this isn't on you."

"Might be a good time to start distancing myself," she said, and Nick nodded. They were safe here – for now, at least – and Nick was right: Madison and Travis could handle this. They were his parents, that was their thing.

"Exactly. You can focus your attention elsewhere." He smiled and stepped towards her, boxing her in as he rested his hands on the counter either side of her. She glanced over his shoulder and quirked an eyebrow as she realized they were alone. She looked back at him and matched his smirk, then leaned forward to capture his lips in a kiss. She felt him smile into it. Careful not to break it, Nick reached behind her and dipped his hand into the sink to pull out the plug. As the water began to gurgle down the drain, he deepened the kiss; but the moment she ran her fingers through his hair he finally did pull back, opting out of what might have become an awkward walk back to one of the rooms, especially if they happened to run into his mother along the way.

"What?" Lumen asked, "Too much?" Then she laughed when she noticed the expression on his face.

"Come on, let's just go find a room," he grinned.

"I think there's a pool house," she suggested, figuring that the others had headed straight for the safety of the guest rooms after dinner had blown up.

"Okay, that works, too."

Breathless panting filled the darkened room as they both came down from their highs; only moonlight and the in-ground lights that lined the pool outside lending any kind of illumination to the room. Seated on the edge of a tabletop, Lumen gave a satisfied sigh and scooted back on the wooden surface to lie down, her feet resting on the table's edge, feeling slightly exposed should anyone happen to walk in. But as tired as she felt – an excellent, relaxed kind of tired – she found herself unable to care. Nick smiled down at her as he ghosted his fingers along the bottom of her thighs. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to one of her knees before wandering off to find something to clean them up.

"Kind of wish there'd been a bed in here," she called to him as he disappeared for a moment. She heard a tap turn on, water running briefly, then moments later he returned with a couple of damp washcloths. She supposed that towels weren't that hard to come by, what with it being a pool house and all; and a decently-sized one at that. She couldn't help but envy the life these people had been living even before the infection had broken out. It certainly explained Strand's taste for the finer things, if this was what he had gotten used to.

"Something tells me this place wasn't intended for sleeping," Nick replied, "There's a kitchen back there. Maybe they had parties."

"Pool parties?" Lumen deadpanned, "Celia? I mean, Strand, maybe. I can see him hosting some extravagant cocktail party out here. But these people don't strike me as party people, Nick."

"And you'd know party people?" He passed her one of the small towels – which she was pleased to find was warm – as she shot him a look for the comment. He grinned.

"I wouldn't be eating off of here for a while is all I'm saying," Lumen grimaced, as she got up off of the table and began the unsexy task of post-sex clean-up. As she moved the damp cloth along her inner thigh, a thought occurred to her. Since there hadn't been an opportunity to seek out a condom – and the thought had crossed both of their minds as they'd headed for the pool house, neither having any idea where they would even find one, with the only potential option being in Thomas's bedroom (but neither of them were prepared to drop in on the two grieving lovers for the sake of protected sex.) So, they had gone without. Since Lumen had been fitted with an IUD a couple of years prior for the sake of an easier tour of duty, it didn't feel like as big of a deal in the heat of the moment; but as that heat quickly began to burn out, the reality of her partner's past began to come back to her.

"Hey, not to sound like an asshole," she said, her uncomfortable tone drawing Nick's attention as she kept her gaze focused on her cloth, "But, uh, when was the last time you, you know, got checked?"

It only took a moment for him to catch on. The way he smiled at the question, given her air of concern, wasn't particularly comforting, but he replied, "I'm clean. They did a check at the hospital when I got brought in. You know, who knows what kinds of diseases us junkies are carrying, right?"

"I didn't mean it like that," she told him, and he threw her a knowing look. "Okay, maybe a little, but, you know, it doesn't feel like the best time to be risking that. I don't think a lot of places are stockpiling antibiotics. Anyway…" She cleared her throat awkwardly and began looking around for her pants and underwear.

"Gloria was clean," Nick told her, "And she was the only one I was with just before it all started."

"You know, I really love talking about your dead ex-girlfriends after sex, Nick."

He laughed and held out her clothes that he had collected from the floor. She gave him a grateful look, but her discomfort at the topic was still apparent in the forced way it came across.

"You said you had someone, too, didn't you?" he asked.

"James," she replied, voice dropping low as she said the name, the memories of Private Wilson's screams in his final moments coming back unwarranted.

Hold him down!

He's going into shock!

"Nothing serious," Lumen said, the words feeling stiff out of her mouth.

Nick watched her as she finished doing up her pants with a faraway look in her eyes, knowing that he had set off another bad memory, familiar now with the signs. She closed her eyes and stretched, a few joints popping audibly as she did so, and suddenly seemed to snap out of it.

"So, do you think anyone heard us?" she asked, leaning back against the table as she watched him dress.

"Do you care?" he replied, as he pulled his shirt down over his head.

She reached out to ruffle his messy hair and smiled as he swatted her hand aside. "A little," she replied, then after thinking it over, surprised herself when she added, "But kind of less than before."

"Guess we'll have to keep it up, then" he suggested, with a hint of a smirk, "Maybe you'll care less and less each time."

She smiled. "I'm happy to test that theory."

She reached out to brush his hair out of his face once more, only to find her hand intercepted by his. He pressed a kiss to her fingers, smiling in that infectious, charming way of his.

"We could just camp out in here," he said, stepping closer to her and leaning in with a playful smile. "Might take them a while before they start to wonder where we got to."

"Knowing your mother, I'd give it about ten minutes," Lumen replied, unable to help but return the smile.

"Yeah, but it might take her longer to actually find us."

"Hey, you provide the wine, we've got a deal."

"Only if I get to have some," he bartered.

"No deal."

They parted ways in the kitchen as they snuck back inside, hoping not to run into any worried parents along the way. The coast was clear. As luck continued to be on their side, they paused in the doorway to share another kiss before heading their separate ways; Lumen looking to loot a bottle or two of the estate's wine, and Nick going to check in on his mother and sister. Lumen had been tempted to check in on Chris, but had reminded herself of her earlier decision to keep her distance. It was already proving hard to follow, but the hunt for wine proved a convenient distraction.

She was surprised to find that the bottles from dinner had disappeared from the table and that they were nowhere to be seen in the kitchen. She considered the next best place to search. Then it hit her. A cellar. The place had its own vineyard; of course, there would be a cellar. She paused for a moment as exhaustion threatened to get the better of her, and weighed up her options. The glass of wine she had managed to finish at dinner had been good enough to warrant a building-wide search for the estate's stash, but then the prospect of collapsing into bed (likely with Nick by her side) was equally appealing. God, she could really use the sleep. Then she glanced back out towards the courtyard and spotted two figures strolling through it. Walking side by side, at ease: Nick and Ofelia.

The night was still warm as she stepped out, and she forced herself to refocus on the task at hand, ignoring the silly little seeds of doubt that were trying to take root in her brain. Then she heard their voices, and though she couldn't make out what was being said, she thought she could recognize the same, half-flirty, half-jokey tone that Nick used with her. She hated herself for the sudden, brief pang of jealousy she felt. I just need sleep, she told herself, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment and shaking her head. This was exactly the shit she was trying to avoid. Feelings.

As she frowned to herself for the human inconvenience that was emotion, she heard the door open again behind her. Lumen looked back and did a double-take as she spotted Madison approaching, her figure illuminated by the kitchen light. She was really the last person Lumen wanted to see, especially when the only thing that popped into her head at that moment was 'I just had sex with your son'. Something must have shown on her face, as Madison offered a reassuring smile before coming to stand beside her. A still silence surrounded them for a moment, with the only sound the chirps of crickets and cicadas. Lumen waited expectantly for whatever line of questioning she was about to incur, her mind whirring as she began to devise excuses.

"What do you know about what happened between Alicia and Chris today?" Madison finally asked.

Lumen sighed, wishing she had gone for the much simpler option of heading to bed, and looked over at the older woman. She found her staring off towards the vineyard; her gaze strong and determined. When Lumen didn't answer right away, Madison turned back to look at her, a knowing glint in her eyes.

"Alicia told me you saw Chris threaten her."

"I don't think it was a threat," Lumen reasoned.

"But you felt the need to separate them."

Yep. Should have gone to bed.

"I think he's scared."

"What does he have to be scared of?" Madison's gaze was burning into her now. "What's he been saying to you?"

Lumen found herself suddenly torn. On one hand, she could tell Madison outright what had been going on; what Alicia had witnessed, what she thought was going through Chris's head. But on the other, it would be a huge betrayal to the kid. She reminded herself, once again, of her decision to stay out of it, but the Clark's were proving to be more akin to the Corleone's than the Robinson's. Just when I thought I was out, Lumen thought darkly.

"I don't know," she began, realizing she was automatically going for the lie; upholding Chris's trust instead. "I guess he was hoping for a little more understanding with the whole Reed thing."

Madison looked as if she was about to say something, then changed her mind. "Why do think he goes to you for help, and not us?" she asked instead, her tone suggesting she had already come to her own conclusions.

"The first time he saw me, I was killing a man."

"You're the only other person he sees who's okay with violence."

"And you're not? That crowbar didn't find its own way into Reed."

"Necessary violence," Madison admitted.

"It's all necessary, Madison. It's gotten us this far, right?"

"What he did back there wasn't necessary," Madison went on, "He almost lost us Alicia and Travis."

"What would you have done?" Lumen asked, and Madison looked over. "If you had been on that deck when Reed and his people showed up, what would you have done?"

"That woman was pregnant," Madison reasoned, seeing where the soldier was heading with her questions, but Lumen could see she was thinking it over.

"You and I aren't that different, Madison. I think you know that. We're both used to protecting others. Even if it's at the expense of ourselves."

Madison was silent for a moment, staring out into the darkness that her son had disappeared into with Ofelia.

"Chris isn't dangerous," Lumen said, finally, "He just doesn't want to lose any more of his family."

"He's not going to," Madison assured her. Her tone was definite; one that offered no room for argument.

For a moment, Lumen saw the end of the conversation, and had every intention of moving off to find whatever guest room was still free. She willed herself to do so, but her soldier's instincts told her there was more to Madison's reason for approaching her. The silence was too heavy.

A few doors down from the kitchen entrance, a couple of Celia's workers stepped out. They glanced around, spotted Lumen and Madison watching them, and stopped to mutter something between themselves in Spanish. They glanced back at the two women, then moved off quickly around the other side of the building.

"What do you think about these people?" Madison finally asked, looking over at Lumen, who was frowning at the odd behavior they'd just witnessed.

"There's something off about them," Lumen replied.

Madison nodded as if this confirmed her own suspicions.

"But, then, that could just be old instincts talking. Paranoia, maybe?"

"That paranoia has kept us safe so far," Madison replied in a tone that sounded almost grateful. It wasn't quite the 'thank-you' Lumen had wanted but, much like with Strand, she supposed it was the closest she was going to get.

"Did Nick mention anything to you about what Celia's been saying to him?" Madison went on.

There was a sort of acceptance, in the way she asked – a mother who had come to realize her child wouldn't come to her with things anymore. God knew, the way she had reacted to Nick's behavior the past few weeks certainly hadn't given him reason to.

"She's got some interesting views on the dead," Lumen told her.

"Interesting how?"

"Not really believing they're dead. That they're on some different plane of existence."

"And he believes that?"

Lumen paused. She felt weird telling the woman about her own son, as if she had somehow gotten to know him better in the past couple of weeks than Madison had in her nineteen years of raising him.

"Ever since we made that trip to land for supplies, back where that plane had gone down, he seems to see them differently. I don't know. Nick's a little different. As I'm sure you know."

"Yeah," Madison replied, her gaze distant again as she vividly recalled the moment that she had seen Nick covered in the blood of the infected.

"He's empathetic," Lumen went on. "Tries to understand things."

"He's just a teenager," Madison replied, and Lumen got the same uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach at the reminder. "You were that age once, same as I was. We all think we know how the world works at that age."

"Then one day we get a rude awakening," Lumen said absently, recalling the first time she had witnessed a person die.

"He's impressionable at this age. He just needs to find someone to make the right impression on him."

Lumen looked up at Madison with a slight crease on her brow.

"I know you two have gotten close," Madison went on, "He won't talk to me anymore, but he looks up to you, same as Chris does."

"I don't know about that. Nick and I, we've had our disagreements. I've had a lot of my empathy conditioned out of me. There's not a lot of room for that kind of thinking when you've got people relying on you to keep them alive."

"He'll listen to you. More than he'll listen to me. I need you to use that to keep him away from Celia. At least until we can figure out our next move."

"Our next move?" Lumen frowned.

"You've seen Thomas's condition. When he's gone, our only connection to this place loses his guest pass. Unless she's feeling charitable, I don't see Celia letting us settle in for much longer after that."

"I'm assuming you have some kind of plan, then?" Lumen asked.

"Not yet. Do you think it's a good idea to stick around here?" Madison pressed, sensing Lumen's hesitation at the idea. Rarely did Madison ever doubt herself once she had set her mind to something, but considering they'd need Lumen on their side should things quickly deteriorate, she needed to make sure that they were on the same page.

"I'd wait and see how this plays out before making any rash decisions. You and the others are safe, for now. I don't see any reason to risk that before it's necessary."

"And when it becomes necessary?"

Lumen reminded herself that all she had wanted was a bottle of wine. There was no reason to get involved in this. Just tell her that's up to her, and move on, she told herself. You promised to get them here safely. Hell, you promised Strand that you'd get him here, not them. Just tell her it's on her, and walk away.

"I guess it's time to find that weapons cache," Lumen said, instead. She never had been good at following her own advice.

As she walked between various outbuildings, Lumen got the distinct feeling she was being watched and was reminded once more of the odd, cult-like vibe she had gotten from the workers since their arrival on the property. She had taken part in enough covert missions to easily navigate the outer corridors without drawing attention to herself, but the paranoia still lingered.

As she rounded the corner of a building, eyeing the metal chute built into the wall as she passed it, she spotted a dark figure standing at the top of some brick steps staring down into the dimly-lit landing below.

"Daniel?"

Even in the minimal lighting, as he turned to look at her, Lumen could tell that something wasn't right. She recalled Ofelia's concerned expression back at the dinner table and wondered if maybe the young woman was right to feel that way.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked cautiously, her voice lowered as she approached him slowly.

He gave a nod down towards the staircase.

"There's dead down there," he told her, with a lot less concern than she thought that sort of statement warranted.

"There's what?" she asked him.

He gave no response but gestured for her to follow as he moved towards the stairs. They descended together, Lumen watching him carefully in case this was some ruse to finally get some revenge for his wife's death in military care. He led her around to a secluded corner that was barely lit by a small, hanging wall-lamp. The shadows made his face all the more unsettling.

"Dead. In the cellar."

Well, there went the wine. She sighed.

"Like bodies?"

He shook his head. No, the smell would have been noticeable right away; one she was well acquainted with.

"Infected," he clarified.

"As in still walking around?"

He nodded.

"Ah."

"These people," Daniel went on, "This place is not right."

Lumen frowned. "You alright, old man? You're not looking so good." She was starting to wonder if maybe the cellar was still worth checking out after all. Then Daniel looked her in the eye – the most direct eye contact he had given her since they had met, and by far the most disconcerting – and, appearing determined in his beliefs, said, "There's evil in this place."

She was again reminded of her earlier wish to have simply gone to bed, telling herself that, since all of this had started with a simple desire for a bottle of wine, that surely this was a sign to cut back on her reliance on alcohol.

"Go get some rest, Daniel. You look like you could use it."

He just laughed and shook his head. No, he wasn't going to make it that easy for them; he wasn't going to leave himself vulnerable like that. It was exactly what they were waiting for. "You should keep an eye on the others," he told her, "Make sure that they're safe."

She gave a soft snort, still frowning. "Old man, I have been doing that right from the start."

Without replying, he gestured towards the next set of brick stairs that would lead further into the cellar. She glanced towards them, then back at him, still wondering if this wasn't some kind of delayed mental breakdown. Then, giving a fellow ex-soldier the benefit of the doubt (what was a little PTSD between veterans?) she continued on to check things out.

Delayed mental breakdown or not, the cellar certainly was full of infected. She stood in front of the metal bars that caged them, hands thrust into her pockets as she eyed them with a thoughtful expression. Their growls echoed off the brickwork surrounding them. Her gaze dropped to the ground. Okay, so they held on to their dead. That wasn't exactly a terrible thing, right? Unless, of course, they got out. Then it was a problem. But she wasn't about to put them all down for the sake of it, and risk getting everyone thrown out. Still, it was a pretty clear indicator of what they were dealing with. She wondered what Nick would say if he saw it. That it was just a different way of seeing things? That these shambling corpses were the next step in some horrible, backward evolution? Her gaze dropped down to a badly mangled carcass in the middle of the dirt floor, just beyond the bars; some animal that had met a horrible end. With a sigh, she made to move off back towards the staircase, when she spotted a familiar glint.

"You've got to be kidding me."

There, partially hidden between two large wine barrels, was a weapons locker.