All of the Good Parts

After verifying that both father and daughter were safe, Issac left the building to retrieve his cooler. It took some convincing to get back out, the two students guarding the door, and Roy, all thought that he was crazy. He thought for a moment there that he would have to physically remove them.

Issac could feel his control wavering and knew that the longer he waited the harder it would be to control. He was able to retrieve the cooler and return to the second floor of the building without running into any mutated.

"Whoa, dude, that was quick."

"Yeah, I just had to grab something."

"What's in the cooler?"

The blond student asked, his eyes locked on the cooler.

Issac chuckled, "Human meat."

The three turned to look at each other, eyes just a little wider, then they broke out laughing.

"That's cool, dude. We have enough food here, you don't have to share."

Roy said with a shrug.

Issac said a silent curse directed at Soren as he walked down the hall. Instead of returning to the room where the others were, he went to the apartment next to them. He locked the door as soon as he stepped in and went to the kitchen. The apartment that he was in was identical to the other one, and he assumed that they were all alike.

It took the last of his control to prepare his daily portion of food. He was grateful that it had all been wrapped individually, if he had to portion it out himself in his current state he would just end up eating all of it. After finding Carol the way he had, and locating Jordan's family so quickly, he planned to return first thing in the morning.

After they had packed him two weeks worth of food it would not be needed. Issac almost felt bad. The microwave dinged and he pulled the plate out to sit on the counter. His world suddenly narrowed to one point as the smell of blood filled his senses.

The only thought in his head was to eat, to appease the hunger. There was no thought as to who this chunk of meat had been when they were alive, or the fact that it had once been a living human. No, it was all about the hunger. Before he even realized it he had eaten the whole thing. The chunk of meat had been large enough to cover most of the plate, a little bigger than his fist.

Issac leaned against the counter, head lowered. His mind was foggy and the thought foremost in his head was 'more.' More, I want more. I need more. So hungry…

Issac took a shaky breath and brought his fist down hard on the counter. The pain helped to clear some of the fog in his brain, but not nearly enough. If a human were to walk into the apartment at the moment he knew that he would not be able to control himself. It was bad enough that he could smell them through the walls.

He punched the counter a second time and ended up leaving an indent in the laminated countertop. The fog in his mind cleared up further and he found that he could form coherent thoughts. A few more minutes of careful breathing and he finally brought it under control.

Issac decided to leave the cooler in the fridge of the empty apartment. After he stored it, he proceeded to search the kitchen for food. There were a few cans, a half empty box of cereal, a box of protein bars and a bag of chips. He grabbed the chips and bars and took them with him.

The food that Soren sent him with would keep the hunger in check, but it was not filling in the way that regular food was. If he wanted to maintain his control he had to have a balanced diet.

When he returned to the apartment he went to the room on the left and sat near the Marsh family.

"Want some?"

"Do you really know Jordan?"

Reece asked as he took two protein bars, one for Ava.

"I've met him. I haven't been around him enough to really say I know him. I can say that he's doing well. My, uh, boss is working with Jordan to create the sanctuary.

"You might know him. Soren Valle?"

Issac felt conflicted calling Soren his boss, but he could not think of any other way to describe their current relationship. He figured since Ethan was always calling Soren 'boss' that he would as well, for now.

Reece nodded, "I do, actually. He's the same age as my son. Back when Jordan disappeared they were best friends."

"Yes, well, Dr. Valle is a horrible person. I don't know a lot of details, but they're time with him wasn't easy. You'll get a chance to talk with him tomorrow."

Because of his mental state Issac had decided to stay the night in the apartment and leave first thing in the morning. When he first arrived he had talked with everyone about following him to Culton. About half the people, including the Marsh's, had decided to come.

This meant that a second vehicle would have to be located. Counting the Marsh's there were fifteen people. There was no way all of them were fitting in his vehicle.

While talking with Reece, Issac had discovered that the man lost his phone while looking for Ava. He had been in the middle of writing a text when he caught sight of a mutated. He had safely gotten away, but dropped his phone in the process.

Ava had left hers in her room when she had gone out to look at the tornado's destruction. Ava had been part of the original group that sought refuge in the apartment. Her father had stumbled on it by accident.

When night came Issac chose a corner away from everyone to rest. He was afraid to fall asleep while surrounded by humans. The hunger was under control at the moment but he knew that that fact could easily change.

And it did come morning. At some point late into the night he had fallen asleep. The moment he awoke the scent of humans and blood filled his senses, nearly overwhelming him.

Issac stood up and stumbled out of the apartment, heading for the empty one next door that he had used before. He was not sure how Soren could control the hunger well enough to live around humans. He felt like the longer he was around humans the harder it was to control.

Issac had decided to eat again that morning to help him control the hunger while driving. The last thing he wanted was to lose control while driving.

Issac was in the middle of eating when the door to the apartment opened and he realized he had been too distracted and had not locked it. He turned to look as Roy stepped through the door, their eyes locked.

Issac let out a low growl. It was a warning to stay away, both as a means to protect his food and to let the human know that he could be next if he did not leave.

"Shit…"

Roy backed up slowly and shut the door. He was not sure how to explain to the others that the man who was saving them was changing into a monster. He had gone to look for Issac to check on when they were leaving. Roy had been excited about moving somewhere more secure.

Roy found himself stuck in place, his mind replaying the sight of Issac with blood red eyes. It reminded him of when his roommate changed in front of him. If it was not for his roommate tripping he would have been eaten.

During his escape he had seen his fair share of people being eaten alive. He preferred to remain chill and take things easy, but the current state of things did not allow him to.

Roy held his breath and took a step back when the door opened and Issac stepped out. Strangely enough his eyes were no longer red.

"What happened? I-I thought you were changing."

"I'd rather you not tell anyone about that. I don't want them to panic."

Issac was carrying the cooler and doing his best to appear non threatening.

"But, dude, y-your eyes… You were definitely changing."

Issac shook his head, "Not changing, I've already been there. I was eating. My control slips while I'm eating. All of the smells aren't helping, either."

Issac did not know how Soren wanted to handle it when it came to others knowing the truth. He did know that, in this moment, lying was not an option.

Roy looked at the cooler with wide eyes, then back to Issac. He was remembering what Issac had said when he had returned the day before. He had just assumed Issac was joking with him, but maybe he had not been.

"Are you one of them, man? Like, how is that even possible?"

Roy shook his head as he spoke and took another step back. Issac had to decide how he was going to handle the situation, and soon. He could not afford for Roy to cause a panic.

He did not want to take Jordan's family by force. When it came down to it, bringing the Marsh's to Jordan was his first priority.

"I'm not like the ones you've seen. I'm not a mutated, I'm what my boss refers to as an evolved. All of the good parts of a mutated with few of the bad parts.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone, I was sent out to help."

"I don't know, man, this is some seriously weird shit."

Roy took another step back and Issac let out a sigh. It was clear that he would not be able to talk the man down. He had a few more options before it all devolved into a mess.

"Let me put it another way; I need you to be quiet about what you saw and not cause trouble. With my gun alone I can take everyone out before someone could even think about stopping me. I'd rather not get to that point. Can I get your cooperation?"

Roy's face lost all color and he slowly nodded his head.

"Good. It'll be difficult enough getting everyone out of the city. No reason to add more."