Kristina could hear what was going on and forced her eyes open despite the intense pain it caused and she gasped.

Joseph looked back at Kristina and retreated behind the shelves, one of the squids bursting into the room and spraying rubble toward the empties aisle. "Kristina!" He screamed, desperation making his voice crack as he dug into the back for another weapon.

Kristina scrambled to get away as fast as her arms could pull her but a tentacle lashed out at her.

"No!" He said as he brought out a shot gun, ignoring the weight as he pulled the neck back and loaded in ten thick bullets before firing it into the squid which lashed at Kristina.

The tentacle reared back as it screeched in pain and Kristina scrambled over to the shelf where Joseph was hiding and pulled herself behind it, trembling with fear.

Abruptly, a scream echoed throughout the air, making Joseph cringe in fear. It sounded awfully familiar, but he couldn't place it right. He picked up the bag of guns and ran over to Kristina, "We need to go." He said as he picked up a stick from the ground, hoping it would be able to help her walk.

Kristina nodded fearfully and stood up shakily, leaning all of her weight on the stick.

More and more of the tendrils reached for them as Chase vaulted over the window and entered the grocer store, running toward the exit with haste. With the bag of weapons in one hand, weighing at least fifty kilograms, made him limp slightly, slowing him down through the thick rubble and smoke.

Kristina was even slower than Joseph as she scrambled over the window sill and hobbled after him, her stick the only thing that kept her moving.

"Come on!" Joseph yelled, gesturing for her to come forward as he looked behind, loading a fresh clip of ammo into the shot gun, firing it at one of the mutants behind Kristina; the spray of bullets narrowly missing her.

Kristina gasped and ducked as she tried to hobble faster, though made little progress.

Abruptly, violent gunshots ruptured through the room, ripping apart a tendril which was heading for Joseph, slain before it could reach his leg. Spinning around, Joseph noticed Heath, crouched in the far, left corner of a grocer, in front of a gaping hole which had been formed by an explosive or sorts. "Heath!" He said, slightly relieved, "Where's Mac?" Joseph yelled over the screeching of monsters and the tossing of rubble.

Kristina finally made it over to Joseph and gripped his arm to steady herself, she felt very lightheaded and weak, she was panting hard and her head had started to bleed again.

Heath didn't reply, he simply moved forward, tentacles behind him unable to fit through the hole in the wall. "We need to go. Mac's gone." He said somewhat subtly, shooting at one of the spasming tentacles.

Kristina's eyes widened in horror. "No..."

Heath walked past them both, loading a fresh clip of ammunition into the gun, stepping over a mangled tentacle and retrieving a bag of supplies. "Hurry up." He siad, his voice smoothed out with more anger as he vaulted over the window sill.

Kristina looked after him sadly and hobbled after him as fast as she could.

"Where are we going now?" Joseph said as he pushed himself over the window sill, watching the hybrid squids iin the distance tend to their dead comrades. "What happened to Mac?" He blurted out the questions without much thought, his fingers gripping the gun instinctively.

Kristina scrambled over the windowsill and collapsed in a heap, struggling to get back up.

Heath ignored them both, taking a shot at the nearest abomination and walking back toward the hotel. Dismissing Heath's obsured attitude, he leant over Alana and picked her up, limping toward the imposing building.

Kristina clung onto Joseph as they walked.

"I hope Heath's going to be okay." Joseph muttered as he followed his comrade back into the hotel, closing the doors behind him once he had placed Alana on a nearby lounge, resting against a reasonably clean wall.

Kristina remained silent, looking down solemnly.

"Heath?" Joseph turned around, sweat dripping from his forehead and the veins in his neck throbbing with fear. "What happened to you? Talk to me." He said, slight more desperation in his voice.

Kristina looked up to see what was wrong.