Volume I - Episode 20 Where: Cologne, Germany When: 12 days after E-Day, 9:11 pm "Hallo?" the German woman called, knocking again. "Jemand zu Hause?" Krystal gripped the arms of her wheelchair, desperately trying to decide what to do. Well, they definitely know I'm here, she thought to herself. I guess they saw the lights from downstairs. From the other side of the door, Krystal heard the Englishman whisper something. There was a moment's pause and then the woman called: "Bitte haben Sie keine Angst. Wir sind freundlich." Krystal only knew enough German to understand the last word: "friendly". They're not going to go away. They know I'm here, Krystal's mind raced. Maybe...maybe it would be good to let them in. Maybe they have news of what's going on outside. Maybe they know what happened. And then another thought struck her: They can get me out of here. She glanced towards the kitchen. At her dwindling food supply. "Bitte haben Sie keine Angst," the woman called again. "Okay," Krystal whispered to herself. It's now or never. Just do it. She rolled further away from the door and turned up the lights. Now you have to let them in. With a click, she unlocked the door. For what seemed like an eternity, nothing happened. Krystal thought of saying something, but then the door swung open. There, in the darkened hallway, stood two smiling, heavily-tattooed figures. The Englishman was large, easily as tall as Big Steve had been. He leaned against the doorway, no doubt trying to understate his height to make himself look less menacing. The German girl was gorgeous, with lush purple hair and an intricately-detailed sleeve that instantly made Krystal wish she'd had the guts to get one herself. The visitors squinted into the brightly-lit apartment. "Hallo Fraulein!" the woman said, throwing Krystal a warm smile. "Mein Name ist Klaudia. Ich komme aus Berlin. Dies ist Jack. Er ist Englisch." Krystal raised her hands in a time-out sign. "Ich spreche kein Deutsch," she said. "I do not speak German." The Englishman blinked at the sound of her accent. "French?" he asked, then corrected himself. "No. Canadian?" Krystal nodded. "I'm from Montreal." "Bloody hell, you're even further away from home than I am! My name's Jack, by the way. And this is Klaudia." "I'm Krystal." "Good to meet you," Klaudia said. Krystal threw her a smile. Jack quickly scanned the inside of the apartment. Krystal had a funny feeling she knew what he was looking for... "Well then, Miss Krystal from Canada," Jack said. "We brought a couple of bottles of red. What do you say we all get royally pissed and get to know each other?" Krystal grinned. She had to admit that sounded like a very damn good idea. First published: Sunday, 22 August 2010 Credits: Spartacos by StudioArtVartanian Urban Casual by WillDupre and MAB Urban Casual Yes! by RO MAN Inked Volumes 2, 5 and 6 by Shana Bela Rue by Fenrissa Delia Hair by outoftouch and Bice Ozone by Aery Soul Various jewellery products The Apartment by Stringy Rendered in Poser Pro 7 Composited and postwork in Photoshop CS5