Chapter 4

Cravem broke a nearby window with his elbow. Ziv looked towards the building, or shack, that must be where the lift was located. It looked more run down than the building he was in before going through the portal. That place was untouched and preserved, that shack was not. Was it a cover?

Ziv was picked up by Cravem and through the window. He could have finagled his way inside on his own, but he was a little too short for the window. After all with the door locked out front, this was the best way to get inside.

"Hey, Cravem? She activated the machine right?"

"Yea…"

"If she started them, then to stop the loop, we have to stop her." Ziv said as they were walking towards the staircase, where they could go down. "It sounds easy, but if we do get down there and we stop her, will we have enough time before Yazhan?" Cravem looks towards Ziv as he looks down towards his feet. "I just don't want to be trapped down there."

"Ziv, we can talk about that inside there."

"I just don't want to get trapped." Ziv mumbled.

"Crap, I forgot!"

They both look towards the door where we entered from before. It looks like the other doors in the hallway leading to the other rooms, but it is locked. Ziv also remembered the other door had a keycard lock like the one that was in the basement that led to the portal.

"The other door needs a keycard too. I can't make a key for this door, but with time I could get into the keypad."

"We don't have time for this. Actually we do. We can just sit this one out and think about how we will get in there."

---

Those two started moving back towards the window they broke into. Ziv was just about to be set down outside, when they heard footsteps coming around the corner. Cravem was standing on the glass from the window that he broke so any movement would be heard. Ziv was still in his hands as both of them froze.

Cravem stood there in an awkward position holding Ziv. He was holding his breath to not make any noise. His arms were starting to lose their strength. His arms dropped on the edge of the window with the sharp glass shards started to dig into elbows. At that time he flinched and dropped Ziv. Thankfully there was grass on the ground to soften the sound, but the shift in the weight he was holding made Cravem slip. He heard a command from Yazhan sending someone heading his way.

Cravem mumbled in pain and annoyance. He still had yet to take a breath in, so he took a deep breath in and jumped out the window. He crashed into Ziv as he had barely moved to keep as quiet as possible. He picked up Ziv and started running away. He just needed to get out of there. He didn't pay attention to what was being shouted behind him, but the bullets started flying his way. Two hit his right shoulder and arm, while another went through his lower side.

He screamed and cursed as loud as he could, but he kept running with Ziv. He owed Ziv and would make sure to spare the kid from the pain he had inflicted on him before. He dodged and weaved making his way into the school, finding a hiding place. He turned around hearing that he was still being chased. He ran and ran. Eventually he couldn't catch his breath and his muscles were burning from the need of oxygen.

"I will lead him away and stay here."

He couldn't let the kid go. But he was still trying to get air into his lungs to voice to stop him. Ziv ran out of the room screaming at the gunman while he stayed there. He was on his hands and knees, but as the sounds became distant he calmed down and his right arm hurt. He collapsed on the floor in pain and into his own blood. He flipped himself over and stared at the ceiling.

"Ziv was fine when the loop restarted. I'll be fine right? Right? RIGHT?"

He was losing too much blood and getting light headed. He still had enough left to recognize Ziv back in the room as he closed the door. He watched Ziv take off his hazmat suit and ripped off his shirt. He placed it on Cravem's side to stop the blood.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

He used his weight from his body to keep pressure on the wound. Ziv's mind was a complete mess seeing his companion on the ground in pain. The smile on his face told Ziv that he had already lost too much blood and his mind was having trouble coping with it.

"I deserve it."

"No you don't. Just hang in there!"

"It's fine, I will…"

The gunman burst through the door. For a few moments he looked at the two of them. There was a look on his face. Like he was trying to decide what he was supposed to do. Once the gunman decided on what he was struggling with, he clicked on his radio.

"There is a kid here, your orders?"

"Just like the plan, no survivors."

"The kid is like ten years old Sir."

"We cannot have anyone knowing about this. No witnesses, no survivors. Clear?"

"Clear." He pointed his gun towards Ziv and Cravem. "I'm sorry."

---

Cravem screamed as he felt the pain in his head. Getting hit in the head by Ziv every time was becoming more annoying than painful. The reason he screamed was seeing Ziv killed in front of him as he tried to slow the blood. Then he was shot himself.

He looked towards the kid, but Ziv didn't move. He hadn't taken off his helmet.

"Ziv? … Ziv? Kid! Wake up! Puke your guts out so I know you are alright!"

Ziv still hadn't moved. He looked at Ziv's chest. It was moving up and down. He listened closer, he was breathing.

"Thank you…"

Cravem leaned back against a few of the drawers in relief. The phantom pain in his arm and side still hurt, but watching Ziv get shot made it worse. He killed the kid before and watching him die again hurt more than getting shot.

'Getting shot? I go to the university, I go to work. Getting shot isn't something I ever planned on doing. I have been in this loop for almost 1,500 years. I would still be trying to get those photos.'

Moving his hands away from his face he hears Buck enter the room.

"Who's there? Come out now or… Cravem is that you? What are you doing here this late?"

"Buck can I ask you for some advice?"

"This isn't really the time for advice, why don't you go home for the night and we talk in the morning."

"Please, could you just listen to me talk?"

"Sure, I can spare some time."

Cravem moved away from Ziv. Ziv was sitting up against one of the tables as he slept. Cravem sat down on one of the stools and Buck grabbed one and sat down himself. He just stares at Cravem.

'He looks so worried for me. He probably thinks that I got into trouble for being here this late and will steal something.'

"First I want to apologize to you. I can't tell you why. Not yet at least, but I want you to know I am so sorry what I have done. You're a good person Buck. Your work and help, has been something that I only now truly appreciate you."

"What's wrong Cravem?"

Cravem looks up to see that Buck is looking at his hands. He looks at his hands to see they are trembling. His hand shifts to and he sees blood on it before going back to normal. He grabs his left hand with his right to calm himself down.

"I'm way over my head here. Before it all started, I was coming here to break into Mr. Stearix's desk and get the pictures he took of me. I was just defending my sister, but the fight got out of hand. Yyella was getting attacked while she was with Wren. Just a bunch of kids, but Mr. Stearix was out with his wife taking pictures. He hasn't ever liked me and has been wanting to get rid of me for having a short temper. Sure he isn't wrong, but he saw me and then decided to take pictures of me when I finally got the upper hand on those punks. It looked like it was my fault. Hitting them while they were down? Yyella was in worse shape than those monsters. At least I got there in time."

Cravem's anger started boiling as he stood up and paced back and forth.

"I tried to explain what happened, but you know what he said? 'You're a violent kid, so I'm sure it runs in the family. You people deserve it.' Seriously? My sister didn't deserve any of it. Sure she is an angsty teen, but she doesn't 'deserve' that."

Cravem vents his frustration by hitting his hands on the table.

"So what does he do? Blackmails me so he can kick me out. I come here to get those photos back. I think, well I can find them and get them before the next day. Well I'm wrong. Horribly wrong. I… we have been in a time loop for a millennium and half years. Think I'm crazy? Go ahead I won't stop you. So I just think, 'Oh this is crazy and what I want is important', but oh no. Not at all I learned that the hard way. Once in the loop, I thought something, someone was doing this to me and I was feeling pressure all around me as I started to realize what was going on. In a way I still wasn't ready to believe it, but I had this thought in the back of my mind telling me this was all real."

He slowly sits back down on the stool and cups his hands on his face. To cover the shame, guilt and regret he has.

"Buck I killed a kid. I hit him against the wall and he was bleeding. It was bad, real bad. I tried to call for an ambulance, but they never were able to save Ziv. They couldn't so when things got bad, I watched him. I saw the moment when he took his last breath. I was so scared that if I really had lost my mind and the loop wasn't real. Then I had to believe it was, to hope that it was real and within the hour he would be back. Alive."

Crying, he still looked up at Buck.

"I broke there and watched as some guy with a gun found us. He came into your security office. For a moment nothing happened as he saw Ziv on the floor in your arms. I took the chance to run. I left you both there after jumping out of the window. I let you get killed. I didn't stop that man from killing you. No, I killed you both. I'm a selfish murderer. Even saying it like that makes it seem like I'm asking you to feel sympathy for me. Pity me. I'm not, I am just aware that what I did was wrong and there is nothing that will change that since I will always remember that."

At this time Cravem looked at Buck. He was calm, maybe more than he wanted or expected to be.

"Right now the world is in a time loop. I mean Ziv is a time traveler so that means he came from a future where the time loop ended right? If that is true, then we will be able to end this and I can get back to my sister and brother. Then again he could easily be from another world like earth or a parallel world. We have an idea to stop it, but can we really? Right now Ziv is over there lying on the floor, out cold from being shot in the last loop. Being shot hurts you know."

He pauses as he watches Buck go over to find Ziv.

"You know what I know now. We still have some time before you forget everything. So Buck I ask you, what do I do?"

Buck is trying to wake Ziv without paying attention at this point. For Cravem he feels better. That last question was rhetorical and wasn't meant to be answered. Getting everything off his chest helped clear the air, so to speak, and help him fully grasp the situation. He needed to talk to Ziv and formulate a plan. That techpad of his will come in handy dealing with this problem.