They walked closer to the house, slowing down before they got to the door. Niko held his breath as John tried it, finding that it opened easily. They peered inside and Niko tried to listen as closely as possible. He could hear a strangled breathing, like someone, or something, was inside. He looked over to John and by the look on the man's face, he was sure he had heard it too.

They went inside carefully and quietly. Niko stayed behind John, who had his hand on what Niko guessed was a weapon. He couldn't see well in the dark of the house, but it looked as though the place had already been ransacked. The cupboards and doors of every bit of furniture were open, and the contents strewn about. Someone was desperately looking for anything to loot. Niko looked at the ground, trying not to imagine their desperation as they searched for food and other supplies. Had they found what they were looking for?

The breathing was becoming louder, but more ragged. Niko noticed a trail of blood on the floor and pointed it out to John. With the man's permission, he crept around a corner to see where it led. He fell back in fright and cried out to John. A man lay on the tiled floor, blood pouring from the obvious gunshot wounds in his side. He was the source of the breathing. It didn't look like he had long.

"J-John..."