Ernie kept a hand at her back, not wanting to lose the physical closeness. It reminded him of how lucky he was to still have his loved ones near. It was bad enough losing classmates and those who had fought along side them. He felt like he had been kicked in the gut. "It won't happen again," he said angrily. "We won't let it. This is ridiculous. There's something dirty here and..." He clamped his mouth shut, knowing he wasn't being any comfort.